Just because I like the graphic!

Merry Christmas to all!

I have spent the morning once again making candy for gifts to neighbors and friends. Yet another batch of pralines and fudge, but neither of them came out as good as they should have. Texture is not right on either of them. CRAP!

It's going to be a great Christmas!

Yesterday I took Dad to the oncologist after a couple of months rest. He had a chest x-ray and the doc couldn't find anything right now to be concerned about. There are still some slight shadows, but nothing like it was before treatment. His port is infected, so we are hoping to get it out on Thursday. I'm not sure the surgeon will remove it as long as the infection is there. Seems to me the chances of infection getting in the blood stream would be too great.

 

Mom, on the other hand, after going with us to Dad's oncologist in the morning had to go to her doctor because her foot was hurting so badly. She thought maybe it was gout, but the doc said it wasn't. She has an infection, which is really not good for a diabetic to have on her foot. I got meds for both of them and took the meds to them yesterday. Today, hers is much better, but his is not.

 

The temp has not risen above 35 today, so I have been hunkered down by the fireplace and making candy again. I had gumbo at a friend's house today, but after that, my butt was back home keeping warm!

Last poopie day!

Today was my last day to clean up pens and feed poopies. They are so cute, but I sure wouldn't want one. I'm just not a dog person. I stink when I get back from handling poopies and always must take a shower as soon as I get home. I also don't like washing out poopie pens. YUCKEEEEE! Bro will be home tomorrow! Yay!

I love it!

Click on it to enlarge and read the small print.

WTH!

I went in for my usual 3 month check up and blood work, which, as a diabetic, is necessary. I just happened to ask doc about a little spot on my wrist and he busted out with his "freeze it off" machine and zapped it....And while he was at it, he zapped one on the side of my face as well! I wasn't prepared for that. It hurt at the time, but now neither of them hurts, so I'm all good.

Every day, while my brother is on vacation, I am going to his house and feeding his 9 lab puppies at 4:30. Someone else feeds them at two other times during the day. They are so cute...little black puppies everywhere. I have to switch them to a clean pen and wash out the dirty pen for their next switch in the morning.

Today our lunch group ate at one of the lady's home. She made antipasta, which was perfect since we all eat too much food during the holidays. Of course, she also had pralines! Hey, it's Louisiana!

A Louisiana staple

Louisiana is famous for two things.....corrupt politics and good food. Here's my contribution to the good food.....pralines!

Wow! Just Wow!

 

It would have been so easy to skip the church musical tonight, but I am so glad I didn't. It was so awesome. A professional production could not have been any better. I came away with my heart filled with happiness wishing that everyone could feel the same way. In fact, the whole day has been that way. Today was the day that we take our only offering of the year for missions. We have a manger at the front of the church and everyone goes up and drops their envelope in the manger. Our goal this year for our church was $98,000. At the end of the service, a man came out and gave the preacher a note. They had counted the money and the total was $142,000. There will be more because not everyone who is going to contribute has given yet. Never did we expect such generosity in these bleak economic times. God is good!

Finally!

Finally, the morons citizens of New Orleans did something right. They voted out that criminal, William Jefferson, who is under indictment. They voted in a Republican Viet Namese immigrant. Here in North Louisiana, I gritted my teeth and voted for the Republican just because I didn't want to lose the seat to a Democrat. The candidate was not my choice. In fact, I don't like him, but I sucked it up and voted for him. I guess I can say my congressman lives on my street now. He does, but he lives in a huge mansion up on a hill on the same street as my little patio home. I have never met him!!! I guess he doesn't associate with the  "little people"! By the way, he won by 356 votes!

Never...never..never....

I have NEVER filled up on crab legs. It's just too much work, but last night I did! Boomtown Casino has awesome crablegs on their buffet on Friday nights and they are really good and big. The Krewe Christmas party was last night and I opted out and spent the day running errands in Shreveport. On my way home, I stopped in at the buffet and ate NOTHING but crablegs, one roll and some banana pudding. Excellent choice. Normally, I would eat some crabs and fill up on other stuff, but this time I filled up on crabs and warm drawn butter! YUM! 

I'm the favorite !

Last night I did my familial duty and went as a guest of my 92 year old aunt to her assisted living home's Christmas Candlelight Dinner. This is my third year in a row to attend this event, but I must say last night the food was good. The previous two years, it was so bad that I had to come home and eat. It made me feel even more sorry for those people who have to eat it every day. I very often cook up some fried white perch and take some to my aunt and in the summer, I take her fresh tomatoes and watermelon and whatever else is in season. She isn't much of an eater, but she does like my fried fish.
 

I'm ready!

Saturday is our open house for all the neighborhood homes. The house is all decorated, so today I focused on the outside before it rains again and turns cold again. I mowed all the leaves and used the leaf vacuum to get them out of the flower beds. Then it was to the attic to drag out a few outside decorations and see if I had any Christmas cards. I didn't. Sometimes after the season, I buy Christmas cards on sale for the next season. Apparently, last year I didn't do that. I wish I had because now I have to go to Shreveport and search for the perfect Christmas card. Mine always must have a snowman on them. I'm obsessed with snowmen.

Next, I went to Mom's and cleaned her kitchen while she was gone to a church function. Then I picked up more pecans and have them in my car to take them to get shelled. Maybe tomorrow I'll finish everything else before the party on Saturday. I have all the cheese and wine and crackers bought, so I'm set. Floors still must be cleaned and furniture must be dusted.

Yoga is over!

Tonight was our last night of yoga. It has been so much fun...mostly the trip over to Bossier Community College and the trip back. We have so many laughs. We will miss going to yoga every Tuesday night even though we have a liberal, whacked out, goofball of a yogi.  After all, that's what is expected from the "yoga types". I guess that's  making a broad generalization. But....really now....think about it!   Tonight in the middle of my class, my phone indicated very loudly that I had a text message. I got up and looked at it and it said, "We have a baby. 9lbs 15 ounces.".....After that, all I could think of was poor Angela.....that's one big boy!!!

BRRRR!

I sucked it up this morning and went to Mom's to pick up pecans. The wind is brutal and combined with the 40's temp, I found out I'm not as tough as I thought. Soooo....after a bucket full of pecans I went back inside and got Mom to take her to shop for a new recliner. She found one she likes that is easy for her to get out of and bought it. It's being delivered to her this afternoon. Mission accomplished. Now I'm off to take a nap before I have to go work on the Mardi Gras float in a cold building tonight.

Onward and upward!

Time to switch from Thanksgiving mode to Christmas mode. Saturday is our progressive neighborhood open house, so I am preparing my home for that. Here's the beginnings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My table is set and ready for my guests. My brother is frying a turkey, my mother is making cornbread dressing, my sister-in-law is making sweet potato casserole and I am making fresh creamed corn, scalloped potatoes, fruit salad and cherry cheese pie. I have so many things to be thankful for, not the least of which is that my dad lived to spend another Thanksgiving with us.

Awesome day!

Holy Crap! I turned 66 today! That just doesn't even seem possible. I started the day off right.....in church! There were steaks for lunch at my brother's.....then tonight there was fun and frivolity at Ruby Tuesday, compliments of my new Minden friends. I love living in Minden!

Happy dance....

I used to be fairly astute at figuring out computer things and making them work, but lately I have just been eating dust. Yesterday I bought a new printer because mine was 5 years old and Office Depot had an excellent promotion going. If I brought in my old printer, I would get $40 off any printer over $100. That's not a bad deal. I got it all set up, including the fax (although I haven't tried it yet to see if it works) hooked to my desktop through USB. I thought I would have to call in someone to get my wireless laptop to recognize the new printer and print wirelessly to it. I went on Wiki and got some instructions and damn....it works. I was doing a happy dance!

A Mom scare!

As I was leaving the parking lot of the restaurant where we ate lunch today, my cell phone rang. It was my sister-in-law telling me my mom was bad off and I probably needed to see about her. While my brother had taken my dad fishing, Mom was home alone picking out pecans. She was so involved that she failed to eat and she had a major LOW blood sugar. When Dad got home, he called my brother and told him something was wrong with Mom. Brother went immediately and her blood sugar was 36. He started forcing sugary things in her to bring it back, but he couldn't get it up higher than 56, which is still too low. He is Captain of the volunteer fire department and he had a fire call. He called me to get down there and watch Mom. I did and when I got there, her sugar was up to 122 and she was OK. Low blood sugars are very dangerous and can cause one to pass out, which I guess she almost did. She would have gone into a coma if Dad hadn't gotten back when he did. When sugars go that low, the individual gets very muddled and can't think enough to figure out that they need to eat. She was very confused about what had happened, but she is OK now! One time my dad found her lying in the floor in the middle of the night. He called my brother and brother called an ambulance. The EMT's keep little tubes of cake icing for just such emergencies. That way they can force sugar into the mouth when the patient is fighting them while they are trying to make the patient eat. What can I say! Every day is a surprise!  I am thankful for every day!

Yum...

Three years ago we had a bumper crop of pecans, got them all cracked by machine, and Mom picked them all out and put them in the freezer. The supply is getting low, but this year we are getting some pecans. Yesterday I took 40 pounds and got them cracked, took them to Mom this morning, and now she is happily picking out pecans for all of us to enjoy. I didn't even tell her I spent $40 buying some recently that are already picked out.