Who Needs a Garbage Bowl? Not Me!

We knew, after three months there was no good place to put a garbage can in my kitchen.  Every area of the floor is in a walkway and the pantry has wall to wall, floor to ceiling shelves.  We settled for a big can in the kitchen utility closet.

As trendy as Rachael Ray is with her "garbage bowl", after trying it for three months I have to weigh in on my original thought "why in the world would you dirty up another bowl just to put garbage in?"  Yeah, I still think that isn't my style. (Now, I could see a plastic grocery bag...that is what I settled for until last week).

Answer to the problem, find a wastebasket pull out with a door kit.  My wonderful husband installed this in an evening last week (after I went back and got the right sized pull out so it wouldn't catch on the hinges).  I am LOVING it!  Right there by my three main work areas is a pull out garbage and recycling can.  No dirtying up any extra bowls in my kitchen!

The best thing about it is that I got it at Menards for NOTHING!  I still have money left on a rebate from when we "flipped" the old house last summer.  We got 11% back on most of what we bought since they were running a rebate during that time.  I saved all of the receipts from the home make-over and sent them in.  I am still picking stuff up there for free!

Cancer Files: Patience is a Virtue and I Guess I Need Some More

 

I arrived early at the doctor's office this morning knowing that there was a little area of concern to discuss.  Sure enough I heard the famous words of my surgeon as he turned to his nurse and said "go get a kit".  That means that there is a little procedure he has to do where he opens up a spot and drains fluid off of the healing wound.  Kinda like three steps forward and two steps back.  It is only a little smaller than a dime spot so maybe this time it is only one step back.  Hey, progress is progress right?

I have been on antibiotics all week so there is no infection to deal with, just another delayed area of healing.  As you can see, my new bottle of packing strips got to ride alongside my coffee this morning as I was on my way from the doctors office.  I have learned that it needs to be held upright because if it rolls around in the car, the bleach liquid will leak out and leave a bleach spot on the van carpet.  Ask me how I know if you need to.  

There is an upside to this.  Actually, I have thought of two.  First of all, there has been so much done with that area of my body that there is absolutely no feeling whatsoever in the area the the doctor opened up this morning with his little pair of surgical scissors (they always come in the "kit" nice and sterile and ready to use).  He paused for a second after he started and turned to me and said "this doesn't hurt does it?"  Ahh, No.  Can't feel a thing!

Another plus to packing again is that I get to have a bandaged area on the right side.  This means that there is a little extra stuffing on that side and so I will look a little more symmetrical while I am healing.  Don't ask me what he is going to do with the mess that I see when I look in the mirror, but he says I will be happy in the end.  This skeptic will be waiting to vote on that outcome when I see some results.  Healing is the most important thing and it is sometimes a long process.

Falling Back in "Like" With My Kitchen

After awhile when you are recovering for a long time with good days and some bad ones, you start asking yourself, "do I really feel that bad, or am I just used to being lazy?"  I have struggled with that the last month or so.  I am still recovering.  For a week now I have been "bandage free" with nothing binding or holding me together.  I can report more about my overall condition after my doctor visit in the morning.

For now though, the question has plagued me..."have I become lazy?"  Have I started choosing the easy things with the excuse of not being fully healed?  Judging from the way my family has reacted to the dinners this week, where the kitchen is concerned I have been doing very well!

Missing the grill in the middle of winter got me pulling out steak from the freezer and cranking up my broiler.  Wow...never have I had such success with my broiler and steak!  It was SO good!  With a little garlic spaghetti squash and a salad it was a pretty great meal.

I pulled out about four pounds of ground beef one night earlier in the week and came up with a great recipe for gluten free meatballs.  I have never had much luck with meatballs.  They usually turn out crumbly and not round.  This time, I put them in muffin tins and they held their shape quite nicely.  The kids ranted and raved about them and they were a hit!

I was able to serve one batch and had three more batches to put away into the freezer so that I can use them for other yummy meals.  I love quick solutions for dinnertime!  Tonight I had some extra time because I didn't have to do the piano lesson run so I took out some gluten free pie crust and a regular pie crust from the freezer and made mini blueberry turnovers.  Served two with a scoop of ice cream and again, super mom!

There has never been a real love for cooking or spending time in my kitchen, but I do have to say, after these last couple of weeks, I am definitely falling back into "like" with cooking and baking.  It has definitely been fun to do it in a new kitchen!

You are Invited...to Kindergarten!

Guess who got some mail last week?  Matthew that's who!  My child who has been waiting for YEARS for the elementary school to invite him to come and spend each day with them!  Guess who has told me consistently since he could talk and knew that his siblings went to school every day?  "Mom, when I go to school I won't miss you".  

Nice...just what a mom wants to hear.  I know that he is excited to think about school coming up in some form next year but I am in no big hurry to shoo him out the door.  He has a late birthday (two days before the cut off) and he is ready for school.  But, he still cuddles and he still comes out of his room each morning with sleepy eyes ready to take on the day...slowly, in an hour or two.

Again, here I am with number five, pondering the big transition for another one of my sweet loves! As his dad says "He will do just fine".  Perhaps it is me that I am most concerned about!

Snow Day...Not for Us!

Life moves so fast!  So fast in fact that my Christmas door banner was still up until today.  Today is the day that I finished my January banner and eventually I hope to have something fun and different to decorate the door with each month.  I am just not sewing as fast as I would like.

It is ironic that today is the day that my "snow day" banner goes up.  I have told the kids that growing up, my school rarely if EVER had snow days.  All of the schools in the entire area surrounding us could be out for a snow day and students from Marion Independent School District would still be going to school.  (most days walking five miles both ways up hill!)

Since moving into the new house (and my former school district where I grew up), the kids have experienced four snow/cold weather days where they have stayed home.  (So much for my story!) I got up this morning after a night of driving around town in blizzard conditions taking the kids everywhere they needed to be and found that school would be delayed for two hours.  I was glad actually because my kids need some more sleep.  They have been entirely too crabby lately!

I left them sleeping and whipped up some chocolate berry scones in hopes that they would be done and ready to eat by the time the first child would be up making their way out to the kitchen.  That goal was reached and after the initial panic of "why didn't you wake me up Mom, we are going to be SO late!" and the assurance that it is a late start, we enjoyed some extra time together.

Slowly, I watched all of the surrounding schools change from late starts from cancellations and true to the MISD form that I was used to, my kids went to school.  They were actually glad that they would have one less day in June to go to school than their friends around them.

Cancer Files - A New Look in the Bedroom

Over the weekend I felt good enough to start going through the boxes and bins of clothes that I have been living out of in my bedroom.  I have a huge pile to take to Good Will and two more empty laundry bins to use for doing laundry instead of storing clothing.

My favorite change is on my nightstand where instead of packing strips, surgical tape, I have a nightstand.  Complete with coaster for tea, my charging Nook, books, phone charger, lamp and tissue box.  It looks like someone winds down and goes to sleep here now!  I know it is a little thing, but it really is a great feeling.

Things are still healing.  I have some pain, but nothing too worrisome.  Still taking it easy because it does feel worse if I over do it but over all, I am feeling stronger and more energetic.  I am thankful every day!