May 2014 – thereisnosanityclause

Iron Chef Mar

We’re having friends of ours over for dinner tonight. It was my idea, ever before the hip got lousy. So when I was wondering what to cook, I talked to my friend Kat in work.

Kat constantly cooks for her family and extended family.How she does it I’ll never know. I told her that I needed a pretty good recipe and that the amount of time on my feet would have to be minimal.Son of a gun, she gives me this recipe for ” Aunt Suzie’s chicken”. Sure hope it’s good.

The desserts were made last night and are chilling in the refrigerator.I have started a slow cook on parts of the dinner, and will put the entrée in the oven pretty soon.Jim was instrumental in getting the house ready.He’s out with the girls now, so we all can be ready for our company.

I don’t see myself as an Iron Chef anytime soon, but I am hoping the meal and the company will be memorable.By the way, the only picture I had handy was Jeff Mauro from the Food Network.

Showered with heat

Down at Undisclosed Deux, we have a large walk-in shower for our” later” years,

I guess that means now.

With the ache in the hip and just the aches from a general long week**yes,I know Monday was a day off** but there was nothing more the ticket for me tonight as relaxing as that shower.I had no adult beverages today, as I am careful not to do it with the naproxen sodium for the hip,and that shower was as relaxing as a cocktail.It was almost worth all the months we lived in a little 10’x10′ room while the house was being built.

Hopefully we’ll have a good night’s sleep and be ready for a good weekend.

Curse or blessing?

I have a Tuesday appointment with the doctor to be seen with my bum hip.I have to have an x-ray of the hip to take with me.

In the meantime, I have read over the possible diagnosis, according to my buddy Matt, who was my Physician’s Assistant**sorry Kate** when I got my knees done.As I am not crawling now, I am assuming my hip is not fractured**fingers crossed** but merely bursitis.

Arrgh.

Two inch needle, spray to freeze area, insert steroid-I remember the drill oh so well from my knee days.Here’s hoping the hip fairs a little better.

The right bone is connected to the left…

***Sigh***

Old age is not for sissies. I read this all the time.

I walk my dogs, take an exercise class, eat lighter now that it’s warm out.

I am in pain.

I thought it started as sciatica, but it stopped traveling and the hip just hurts.I waver between icing it or taking an anti-inflammatory, but I am afraid it’s going past that and medical assistance might be needed.Of course, I really don’t want to pay an orthopaedic man $30 to tell me I need to drop some weight. I KNOW THAT.

I need to lose this pain.

Stay tuned to this blog for the medical update of dancing in the world of medical co-pays, referrals, and hopefully, pain relief.

Don’t want to but I have to…

It seems that five minutes ago it was Friday.

It is Monday late afternoon-early evening.

I am home.

I have to go back to the city.I have bills to pay.**sigh**

The pace here is so peaceful,and so relaxing that I actually managed to get a nap in today, which is really saying something for me. Jim is off to ride his bike and then we slowly will get things together to head on back up.The weather has been gorgeous.

Retirement can’t be soon enough.

Memorial Day Weekend

We are here at Undisclosed Deux, like that is some big surprise, right?

After two very long weeks at the city, we really felt weird coming down here because it was, although it was like our vacation, never mind the fact that it is our home. We have been working on the grounds, planting things we have nursed from the old house and kept in the sun in the city.Now, we have to figure out other essentials, like a shed for the tools, and colorful shrubs that will give a pop of color next to the house.

We gave ourselves a Sunday morning off, and plan to attend a 6PM Mass at the church we normally attend.We figured we never get a chance to get to that Mass so since we are still down here, why not?

The girls are resting after a nice family walk this morning under the ceiling fans, and what’s even more amazing is that chores are even more palatable down here…

Go figure! LOL

How long?

So my latest fall was this past Monday, and the soreness that followed was to be expected.

I went to my flip fitness class last night and the soreness that wasn’t too bad, well, it seems as if it were awakened by the exercise. Not too much fun, especially when you are left to go scrounging for rubbing alcohol to try to take the ache out. I thought I was using my head and doing moderate versions of the exercises, but I guess I was wrong. I came in here today like a Walter Brennan** remember the Real McCoys?** stand in. I have to admit it is not a really attractive look. The fact that I have been trying to cook healthier for us and now that it is getting warmer,introducing more fruit, well, when you are aching, you really just don’t give a hoot.

I can only hope that the ache dissipates for the weekend and on the mend becomes a permanent state.

Bouncing off of concrete

I walked the girls when I came in last night from work.

It was my usual deal; our “quiet time”, if you will, that we walk through the neighborhood and smell the flowers.

Kasia saw a dog up the street and wanted to hurry and catch up.Unfortunately, it corresponded with a slight rise in the concrete, which ended up with me falling on my right knee and side. Ouch! I ended up being in bed at 7 last night, with a frozen water bottle on my side and an icepack on my knee. Needless to say, I am walking like Walter Brennan**showing my age** in The Real McCoys. It never ceases to amaze me but you would think that you would have some bounce off of concrete, when you have a cushion, of sorts, around you.

Fat chance!

Needing a nap

It’s hell being a social butterfly.

That is, when you are used to doing your own thing, on your own time or your employer’s time, and, quite frankly, life is routine.

For two weekends we had Jim’s surprise party, Mother’s day, time with my mother-in-law at the casino,a breast cancer walk, Gregory’s college graduation from Temple and Matt and Kat’s wedding to wrap it up with. Oh yeah, top that off with a chaser of food shopping and three loads of laundry yesterday.

Friday we are back to Undisclosed. We wonder if it misses us, because we sure missed it.It’ll be nice, as great as all these life events are, to get back to schedule.

Wedding in the family

My nephew Matthias is marrying his fiancée Kat tomorrow.

Whoa!

Where did time go?

I was twenty-eight when Matt was born.We have been through”zoomie cars”, stray cats, the family, school, the shore, my cancers,the National Weather Service, Atlantic City train trips,college acceptance….and now, a wedding.Hell, it’s only a nephew:he’s not even my son, although we always were close.

I wish the two of them all the love and patience they need for a happy and long marriage, and above all, may they never feel, as my late father-in-law used to quote:

“Marriage isn’t a word,it’s a sentence.”LOL

Congratulations!

A little afraid

I am working a traditional 9 to 5 shift today, since I will be heading westward to attend my nephew Matt’s wedding to his fiancée Kat.

In the meantime,it’s due to rain today.BIG TIME…I just read the weather and there is also the chance of a thundershower.I can only hope that if it does happen, it’s when Jim is home. Zush, who is 12,is an old girl like me. As she has gotten older, thunder scares her to no end. Fortunately we are not to point of wearing thunder shirts or medicating her, but it’s rough to think of what her day will be like today.

It’s rough being a dog mom: I can only imagine what you real moms go through.

Happy Friday!

Today’s show brought to you by ” Mouse”

We are in an old building from the 1800’s that has been modernized>**translated, we look old on the outside but are contemporary in the inside.**

Once in a while, we get mice.

Desks get cleared out, things get thrown away, and it is quiet for a while.As I type this, though, the buzz of the ultrasound pest repellant is quietly whirring away in the background.

They tell you, don’t keep food in your desk: I don’t.Unfortunately, we have a ton of new hires who bring stuff in and have never had that oh-so-special mouse experience.

Guess what?

They will now.

My Godson, College Graduate

My nephew Gregory graduates from college today.Actually, today is the college of education ceremony; tomorrow is the “everybody in creation” whole university ceremony. Jim and I consider ourselves fortunate to attend the slightly smaller(lol) affair.

Gregory has worked his way through things and even got through his student teaching and is finally done.We had some good times when I lived back at our first house and would go into town with him occasionally on the train.He even would come in to my office once in a while.I get a lot of compliments about Gregory, which I proudly accept.

Greg is not done, though. He has been accepted by St.Joseph’s University in their master’s program.
I hope he knows how proud we are and how happy we are for him.

He’s a good guy!

Transitional Weather

If there is anything worse than transitional weather, it has got to be transitional weather when you are moving between two houses.

Rain, no rain, heat, humidity, sandals, pumps, sneakers, capris, jeans…**grabbing my head**…make it go away! After the winter we had, I am a tad apprehensive at storage bagging up all the fall and winter stuff, because what if you need something long-sleeved? For me, it almost borders obsessive, but hey,I know it has to get done.Then, to follow-up, there are shoes. A zillion percent humidity and you would think sandals are the key? Murphy’s law means thunderstorms all through the day.Nothing like being wet and working in an air-conditioned office.

Give me the old days where spring actually existed and summer heat was June, July and August.

Weekend off

Thanks to the fine quality of service Comcast delivers, I couldn’t blog yesterday due to
“Circumstances beyond our control”…

Argh!

Jim’s surprise party went off without a hitch on Saturday and I think it was safe to say a good time was had by all.The food was fabulous, and I had gotten the party trays from Jim’s employer, T&F deli. The trays were really impressive.

Sunday morning I did a breast cancer walk and got a sunburnt nose to boot. You would think I would ALWAYS remember sunscreen after the last go round at the dermatologist!In the afternoon, we went with Jim’s sister Kathy and my mother-in-law to Harrah’s casino in Chester.It was cool to hang together-we don’t get a chance to do that enough.

Now, this week, I have my godson Greg’s college graduation on Wednesday night and my nephew Matthias’ wedding. I am looking forward to both events, as both of them have grown into such men and I am so proud of both of them.

But I’m not going to lie.

I want to go “home”…I am so looking forward to getting back down to Undisclosed Deux.

Happy Mother’s Day Weekend.

I miss my Mom.I miss her every day and this part of the year only accents the sadness of missing her.

My comfort is that I know she is in heaven.

I am celebrating this weekend with Jim,as my mother-in-law is 95 and we need to celebrate her.We are going to her house on Saturday so all the daughters who are grandmothers can spend Sunday with their kids. Jim’s sister, Kathy will join us on Sunday and we’ll take my mother-in-law to the casino.

I will be praying and remembering my Mom and Babcis this weekend, stopping at the cemetery.

To all of those celebrating, have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend.

Below is one of the last pictures I took of my Mom in 2011, while she was resting in her hospital bed.

Needing my head examined? Maybe…

I just came back from an errand.

The mission was to buy a screen protector for my iPhone5c. We had met someone at a friend’s birthday party. We started talking about phones, and he said, “You know, the iPhone 5c is one of the most expensive phone screens to replace.”

**gulp**

So good owner that I am, I went and got the screen protectors for my phone. You know, the ones that last about 3 months before really looking questionable? I couldn’t look at the one on my phone any more and went out to Verizon, instead of 5 Below, and found a premium tempered glass screen protector for $25.00.It comes with a limited lifetime warranty against damage while protecting your device.They offer a free replacement for as long as you own your device.

It was more than I am used to paying but the principle behind it seems good.

Stay tuned, gentle reader, for updates..

Todays’ secret combo

Since the birthday weekend, I have been back juicing fulltime.

Todays’ combo is kale,carrot, celery,cantaloupe, watermelon,chia seeds,banana and grapes.The fruit was basically left over from the fruit
I couldn’t finish from yesterday’s lunch.

I have to admit it is rough sitting at the front reception desk sipping this while seeing a parade of folks go past me with their goodies.
I have to remember that I was one of those folks and I can’t be one of those folks ever again. The sharpness of my sciatica pain in my
right hip tells me there is no turning back. I want the makers of Aleve to lose me on their best customer list.

And with a pause in the action…

Took advantage of our company and kept busy throwing a small birthday party for Jim and our brother-in-law on Sunday with our family at Undisclosed Deux.

Today, however, is the actual day.
My husband turns 60 today.
It’s surreal.

You are dating in your twenties and thirty seems old, and so on. You get married in your forties and, wait a second, you’re married long enough that your spouse is starting another decade.Well, it’s a good thing, as a birthday always is,and happily for me, we have been together for so long that I appreciate the fact that he has gotten there before me.Without his wisdom, I would have fallen by the wayside many times.Together we are a pretty well oiled machine and Jim is definitely the brains and brawn behind this machine of this marriage.We’ve had tons of ups and downs as I am sure, all married couples have, but we are in it for the long haul.

Happiest of birthdays, Jim.
Sto Lat!Kocham cię.

Social Butterflies

We are having a busy weekend down here at Undisclosed and loving every minute of it.

We enjoyed our Saturday, complete with a cut-throat, yet friendly card game where I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard.

Tomorrow we are celebrating two birthdays, one anniversary, and having friends over to join in the celebration.

It is good to be HOME.

Grand Opening(of sorts)

One of Jim’s sisters and her husband are coming down for the weekend to Undisclosed Deux.

It’s official!

The construction is put to bed!

I honestly can say that it has been an awfully long stretch of time checking on contractors, looking for flaws, questioning work…but it is done.The fact that it is no longer just us but also company**albeit family** puts this chapter of the life of Undisclosed to bed.

I am hoping for a wonderful weekend for all, some good yard-sales with my sister-in-law Joanna, and a ton of card playing!

Let the games begin!

Today’s menu

I made my juice for this morning,which has more of the consistency of a slurpee.

I have spinach, kale, cucumber,celery, mango, strawberries and blackberries in my juice and I am nibbling on some dry organic corn cereal**channel Kix**.The day seems to be starting off in a relatively brilliant way.I have a frozen container of stony field for a snack and cottage cheese for lunch.

I took a day off from juicing and I have to admit I missed it. It is a kick in the pants to have to get up early and get things ready, but thanks to my Flip Fitness class I actually had some energy this morning to do it.

It can only get better!

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