My Small Toys Swap Items Came!

I have to thank my Small Toy Swap Partner who sent me the most wonderful package last night! First of all, the Barbie purse/basinette thing is sooooo adorable! My niece is going to love it! It's also got a little blanket and 2 scrunchies which I know she'll love!

Then the 2 small toys which were to have been for my nephew but my little Tweety snagged the ball last night before I knew it so she has claimed it!

Also in my package were some wonderful goodies! A package of chocolates (thank you thank you thank you!) an Austrailia calendar (which my DH has already taken possession of!) some wonderful coffees (again, my DH loves them!) and teas! Thank you so so much!!!!

I don't know how I get so lucky to keep getting swap buddies who live in Austrailia but my hubby thinks someone is trying to tell us something! He wants so badly to move there and dreams about it all the time. Getting all these little treats and such from over there is such a surprise for my hubby who is usually so jealous of all the packages I receive. Thanks again so much! It's truly a wonderful package of goodies!

I can knit!!!

Julie from over at CALPals suggested I take up knitting while recovering from surgery as it doesn't require as much movement with the left hand as crochet does. I have tried knitting in the past and just couldn't get the hang of it. Now, I could cast on all day long but I just couldn't understand the stitches. Then it dawned on me. When I took that class she had us use tiny little needles. Well, I know from experience that when you're teaching a beginner how to crochet you don't give them fingering weight yarn and a size C hook. You usually teach them with WW and either a G or H. So I went to the store and bought one of the largest sized alum needle sets I could find (I think it's a size 13). I sat down last night with a Knit/Crochet magazine I've had for ages and taught myself how to knit!!! Now, I have the knit stitch down pat and it's time I move on to the purl. I am so excited! It's like a whole new world has opened to me! Before I wouldn't take a second look at something knitted, but now I think "it's a possibility!" I cannot believe the woman at Michael's teaches with such a small sized needle. No wonder hardly anyone takes those classes. Of course I'm really anxious to learn this new art form properly as several people have wanted me to offer knitting classes in addition to the crochet ones. Oh and Julie was right! I can knit much easier with my hand in this condition than I can crocheting!!!

My hubby is so sweet!

I just had to post a pic of the surprise Doug brought me the other night! He came home with a dozen red roses! I was so surprised! Aren't they beautiful?

Took the bandages off today

Well the bandages came off FINALLY and I was NOT happy with what I saw! What I thought would be a tiny incision and maybe 2 stitches was a huge incision and 5 stitches! My hand looks like a football!!! I took pics of my hand bandaged and post-bandaged. Take a peek (if you dare)

Bandaged 1
Bandaged 2
Post Bandaged

Back to work

Well, I went back to work today. I am still feeling cruddy but at least the new pain pills help. Of course they make me incredibly drowsy so it's been a challenge to stay awake all day long!

I confess that I 'tried' picking up my crochet hook today but soon realized I'd have to wait til I'm healed. Way too painful. I am, however, going to try knitting. Someone suggested that I may be able to do that with my hand like this. I think maybe the reason I had such a hard time learning to knit was because I used small needles. I bought a set of larger ones last week so we'll see if it's any different.

My hubby has been very patient and helpful. Not only does he have to take care of the dishes and such but he had to put my hair up for me this morning and dried me when I got out of the shower. I'm really putting him through his paces! So glad I snagged him! He's such a good husband!

Feeling much better now!

Well, I have had a much better day today! Dr. called me in a diffierent pain medicine for me and it works so much better. The pain level is down quite a bit and I'm not sick to my stomach anymore! Now lets pray I can drive my DH's boat to work tomorrow! I have a little Honda Civic and he has a big Pontiac Bonneville. It's like driving a tank! But my car is a stick-shift which is impossible to drive one handed so I have to do what I have to do!

Anyone else excited about Lost tonite? We are so addicted to that show and the past 2 weeks have been incredible! Can't wait to see how this season ends!

Day after surgery check-in

Good morning campers. Well I had the Carpal Tunnel Surgery done yesterday morning. Ever since the numbing wore off (about noonish) I've been in agony. My hand is throbbing and I am sick to my stomach. They gave me Percocit for the pain but all it's managed to do is make me feel worse without taking away the pain. Not sure how I'll go back to work tomorrow feeling like this but I have no choice. Will be calling the Dr. as soon as his office opens. I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end but right now I just want to crawl in a hole and die. (Ok, melodramatic moment!) Of course I haven't crocheted in over 24 hours and am going mad!

Well, that's ny cheery update for today! I'm sure I'll be much more positive tomorrow!

Joe's Famous Chili (Recipe)

Ok, even though my mom made the chili originally (at least in our eyes) my brother has tweaked the recipe a bit and I prefer his. Now, mind you this is a very basic recipe. We are very picky eaters (don't like onions, peppers, mushrooms and the like. If you like them, by all means add them.)

2 lbs ground beef
2 lbs Bushs Mild Chili Beans (or comperable)
2 packets of Chili Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Ketchup
Small amount of Light Brown Sugar
8 oz can of Tomato Sauce
Honey (optional)

Brown ground beef and drain. Add chili beans and tomato sauce. Stirring frequently, cook on lo/med heat for about 30 mins. Adding ketchup, Brown Sugar and Chili Seasoning, mix and continue to heat on "simmer" for an hour. If you want additional sweetness, add a couple tablespoons honey. For spicier chili, use only enough Brown Sugar to sprinkle over top of chili. For sweeter chili, use about 1-1/2 cups.

Polish Chili

I just got done eating dinner and it was wonderful! My family's famous recipe for Chili made the Polish way! My mom made the best chili and my brother has been the one in the family to make it since she's been gone. Now that I live over a thousand miles away I had to learn to do it myself. I only make it a couple times a year because Doug won't eat the same thing more than twice without having something new (he gets bored very easily with food!) and it's really hard to make less than 4 pounds. My brother usually makes at least twice that much but he has a big family to feed.

So, what is Polish chili you ask? One ingredient is what makes it that! Ready? Potatoes! When I married Doug he thought I was nuts! I grew up with Potatoes in my chili and the first time I got chili from a restaurant and there were no potatoes I was shocked. I thought all chili was made like that! Then I learned that in the mainstream there aren't potatoes in it. It really adds that something extra.

Doug and I also like our chili sweet rather than hot so we put extra brown sugar in it. I figured I'd make a batch up since I'm having surgery on Tuesday and won't be able to cook for awhile and I can easily just heat this up.

I will post the recipe later on. If you've never tried it before, live a little! Once you try it with potatoes, you'll never eat chili without it again!

Well, I need to get the kitchen cleaned and laundry done before the Survivor finale!!! Doug and I both picked Terry from the very beginning but he's gotten so cocky we don't want him to win now. I really want Cerie to win but I don't think she will. We'll find out in a few hours!!!!

My mom

Mothers Day has always been hard for me. I lost my mom 3 days after I turned 15 years old. This July makes it 20 years since she's been gone. I miss her terribly and so wish she was still here with us.

First of all, the pictures. The first one was taken (obviously) at my wedding. It's me, my dad and my step-mom, Bev. (I'll talk more about her in an upcoming post.) The second one is one of the few pictures I actually have of my mother. It was taken the last Christmas she was alive (about 7 months before she died.) That particular picture is always funny for me as not only did her and my dad match, but my dad's got a Hitler mustache in it.

A little bit about my mom. Her name was Rose and she was one of the most incredibly funny and nice people you'd ever meet. She knew everyone and was involved in so many things. First and foremost, she was a stay at home wife and mother. Our home was always open to any of our friends and family. Our friends wouldn't even have to knock on the door and could help themselves to food out of the fridge. My mom loved to entertain and cook. She was 100% Polish and made some of the best meals I can remember. We didn't eat out much as we couldn't afford it but we didn't really mind. Her cooking was much better than anything you could get at a restaurant. I think excess was a good word for dinner and get-togethers. It wasn't uncommon for her to have made several different kinds of potatoes for dinner so there would be a variety. (Like mashed, au grautin, etc all at the same meal!) Most everything my mom made was home-ade and from scratch. I never ate instant potatoes til after she died. I think she considered them sacreligious!

She was a large woman especially for that time in the world. There were no Wal-Marts or Lane Bryants so large women had to make their own clothes. I remember watching her make them which was neat.

She loved Christmas most of all. This was her favorite time of the year and anything that would sit still long enough had tinsel, mistletoe or some other Christmas Decoration strung on it! I remember I hated the mistletoe. She had these little bells with mistletoe inside and they literally hung from each and every door in the house and they hung so low you'd always knock your head on them walking through door ways. We would have Christmas parties at our house with lots of people. One year we did a home-ade taffy pull which was a blast! She always made several goodies at Christmas, but the 2 I remember most were Peanut Butter Balls and Kolacky's. Kolacky's have always been my favorite and now I make them every Christmas.

My mom was very involved in our school. She was president of the PTA and started a library at my school when we didn't have one. She always seemed to be there and everyone pretty much knew my mom. She would sometimes come into school in the middle of the day and bring treats for us and crafts she had made for the whole school.

She was a crafter! I remember doing all kinds of crafts with her when I was young and I remember both she and my aunt Carolyn tried to teach me how to crochet but I just couldn't get the hang of it. I remember in the evenings in front of the TV that my mom would be crocheting an afghan and things like that. She had one thing she did which I remember very clearly (and I don't know why she did it!) I remember she'd have a brand new skein of Red Heart yarn and the 2 of us would sit there and unravel the whole skein and re-roll it into a ball so she could crochet easily with it. She had to have balls all over the house instead of skeins!

My mom watched all the soaps on ABC starting at 12:30 with Ryan's Hope, going through All My Children, One Life To Live and then of course General Hospital. I remember GH the most as it was on when I got home from school and we'd watch it together. Actually my mom didn't really watch them all but she more or less had them ON all day and listened to them. She didn't have the time to sit in front of the TV all day.

Well, those are just a few memories of my mom. She was a wonderful woman and I miss her dearly. Happy Mothers Day Mom!!!