Just sayin' hi!

Hi Sis!

Willow has been out of school for 13 days due to the cold weather. Horrible horrible long term sub-zero temps. She went back this week, and surprisingly I was ready! We all had such bad cabin fever that the kids were crazy and the adults were grumpy. Made for a few long days!

My glasses STILL haven't come - I'm so upset. If I could drive there on my own I would go get a refund, and go somewhere else with 1 hour service like they supposedly had. THe good news is I guess I've pretty much adjusted to the horrible cloudy spot and it doesn't bother me as bad now, but I know it's probably not very good for my vision because it goes over my pupil. Siiiiigh.

I made pad thai for dinner last night, and I wish I had thought to get a picture for you - it was delicious! Seriously. The noodles were very pale so it didn't look like there was much sauce on there, but it was so intensely flavored that it didn't matter. Whatever recipe you use to make it will probably be fine, but you really do need fish sauce and tamarind paste for that authentic pad thai flavour. It was soooo good, it may have been much better than take out. Still tons of salt of course though, not much you can do about that. :P

I wanted to ask how your mouth is now a bit later? Hopefully you're fully recovered.

Gary and I bought Diablo 3 for the xbox, and we've been playing some this week. It's not really his type of game of course, but we've actually had tons of fun. He doesn't really like hack & slash games where it doesn't really matter what buttons you push; he likes a bit of challenge and strategy. I however think it's really good mindless fun, and he's discovered that he likes it with me. I do like some strategy, but I really like games that make you feel like a bad-ass! In Diablo 3 it's quite common to just walk in and slaughter 20 mobs at time, and when it's 30-40 it's even more awesome!

My diet isn't going well, and honestly, I know why, I just can't seem to help it. I'm so hungry/tired/emotional that I just don't have any self control, and it makes me sad. Just going to keep trying though, maybe it'll stick someday.... I hope you're having better success than me!?

Willow and Gary have a Daddy/Daughter Dance this Saturday, that's supposed to be like a princess ball. I really hope they have a good time and it's a good memory for Willow. They're supposed to get dinner and dessert and pictures I think? Maybe those are extra. I think what Willow is most excited about is the chocolate fountain! I'll try to get some pictures of my own to show you.

In the meantime, here's a few misc ones for giggles.

 My handsome man in his new glasses.

 Another painting. It needs a lot of work, it's much too 2 dimensional, but I am still a little proud because I did it on my own instead of following along with a teacher. Probably going to go back in and add a fence and some birds. Maybe some more small clouds?

 Funny face.

Her favorite dress-up shoes, ever. She hardly takes them off.

And you've probably already seen this one, it's old, but I didn't have any recent ones of Willow, and she's just so beautiful in this one!

Love you, hope you have an update soon too!

Better!

I am feeling better not that I'm not so hormonal.

Also I had the oral surgery and PHEW what a immediate difference it made!! I feel soooo much better. They used giant screw needle to inject antibiotics into the bone. Then they basically stuck a thin knife around a tooth to let the pus out from the bone through the gum. Then I got a root canal to take care of that part. Dr.  has strange sense of humor. Injection was really close to my sinuses. So he says ooops I better not poke through there!! EEEK!

Long time ago I was on my hands and knees cleaning and James and Steve were wrestling and crashed into me. Loud snappy sound and I couldn't stand or sit for 3 months. I don't know what happened to it because I never went to Dr. However I am positive I ruptured a disk or something. So occasionally it really flairs up. A lot of it has to do with overall inflammation and also just not exercising enough. Literally have to do stomach exercises and swim to keep it at bay.

Keep trying the prescription cortisone the Dr. gives you. But I've found it doesn't work if it doesn't stay on skin. Tough for it to do that on a surface you walk on or use as much as your hands. I've had bad eczema before and I had to wrap everything in plastic and ace bandages. But once I did that it only took a few more days to go away.

Me and Steve have has a really good week and we went to see hobbit for valentines day and I made desert. Desert was angel food squares layered with whip cream and strawberry's and lemon crumble. Including pic of desert and me brandishing a knife and making faces :P

Love you sis

My new glasses came as well. Took almost 6 weeks because of lenses :P Please pics of you and Gary soon?

Where is eczema?

I took the antibiotics for the infection. It made me feel better but when meds were over infection is right back. Now roof of mouth, nose, face, jaw are hurting. I'm going today to have endodontist look at it. I'm sure they will be pulling this smile tooth to help the infection heal and I've been super depressed about it.

I don't do well emotionally when I am hurting physically. Right now mouth and back are hurting :/

Haven't lost any more weight but haven't gained either. I know I lose weight if I can exercise but right now back is preventing me a little bit and the mouth is a lot because mouth is pulsing with heartbeat.
Took a selfie when I was out with Stevie, we had Pho.

My busy week

So we got our tax return of course, and so I finally have a car! Well it's our old car, because Gary will be driving the new one to work since it has better gas mileage, but I just mean I have a way out of the house now. The big problem is, I don't have a license!!!

It expired on my birthday last year, and I can't get a new Michigan one without my birth certificate. I tried to get my birth certificate, but they said they can't verify my identity online, so I have to send in identity documents....but my license is expired and I can't find my social security card for the first time ever, which I can't get a new one of without a license or birth certificate! What do I do??? There's very few solutions, but all of them are going to cost a lot of money. And yes we could have not gone out to dinner, and I could have not bought a couple of clearance winter shirts, and yes I could have not bought healthy food and some much needed clothes for Willow, to pay for it. But I did, and so now we are back to our pre-tax return budget and struggling to find the money and time to take care of all of this. Siggggghhhhhh.

The one saving grace is at least I can get to and from the bus stop with Maggie and Willow without being out in the elements, and for that I am truely grateful, as this is our 3rd? 4th? week under 20 degrees with many days below 10, and lows in the negative, and blowing snow and slick ice etc. So if nothing else, it is worth it for that, but I still can't really leave the house. /cry

The other big news is I finally got a new pair of glasses, and they are quite a departure from the style I've worn for 15 years now. They are chunky and nerdy and plastic, and for some reason I love them. But I won't get them for 2 weeks yet because they have to order my lenses (always.....)
Gary, who has never had glasses before, had to get them for the first time. He says it makes him feel old, but he got a really nice pair that look great on him. Like, ggrrrreat, and I don't think that is just because I am biased! I bought him an orange coat for V-day (lucky clearance! shh), and he had shaved, and was wearing his glasses when he was leaving this morning, and I almost pulled him back inside for fear that some other woman would kidnap him. ;p

My only other news is that Maggie is almost completely potty trained (she still can't hold it in the car, but that's okay) and that my eczema is worse than ever and nothing I do is helping. :'(  I got that new cream from the doctor and despite being less red and a lot softer, the blisters are just as bad as ever and spreading at a slow but steady rate. It's really affecting my life. Can't sleep at night because it itches, can't walk sometimes because it hurts, much less run or exercise. Showering stings, sweating stings and makes it worse, just...ugh. I don't even know if you knew I had it, I just really needed to vent. Gary's heard it all, but I am just super down about it. That and the fatigue. Neither problem really seems to be responding to any solution I throw at it. Blegh!

How's your weight loss/health stuff going?

Laptop battery is about to die I just realized, so I'll be back later to "talk" more, hope you see this and I hope you have another post! :)


Love!

Fast Pho

Recipe might seem kind of hard still but it's basically only 30 minutes of boiling all in one pot while you prepare garnish platter. Might seem kind of expensive but it is lot of meat and so it can make multiple meals. Snacks and lunches etc. also. As long as you understand the function of each ingredient almost anything is optional in some way. Don't need beef broth if you have broth from other cooking, or if you have broth cubes or concentrate. The better quality of meat you have the less you'll need the cheap spam to add meatiness to it. This is the fast part because original recipe called for bags of bones and spices being boiled for 14 hours lol Real Pho uses every kind of meat. Fish, chicken, tongue and tripe in different combinations so feel free to use what meat you want. Chinese 5 spice is worth having on hand and cooking with but if you don't have it then you can just add the spices yourself to taste willy nilly, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, fennel, anice. Fish sauce is also optional but it does add more flavor, smell and healthy oil. So oyster sauce and sesame oil are good replacements also. Can use splenda instead of sugar. Can choose your own veges. Usually they are small and diced because it's broth. But since this isn't the super traditional version put some broccoli in the boiling water if you want. I like the rice noodles but if for some reason you can find them or eat them, udon, low mein or rice works. I also never use mint or bean sprouts so how you set up your garnish is also completely up to you. You could even add bok choy to it if you wanted etc. I really really like the limes and slices of pink ginger but often dont have jalepeno. The sauces are optional also. I use alot of hoisin and siracha for the boys but even barbecue can be good. Can add sprinkables like sesame seeds.


Ingredients
large onion long thin slices
lots of ginger power to taste
1 container beef broth
1 spam
2 pound meat, stew meat, fajita, or philly, meatballs etc.
Chinese 5 spice 1 ts
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3 tb  fish sauce, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tb salt
mushrooms
shredded carrot

To Serve:
6 to 8 servings pho noodles
2 to 3 cups mixed herbs (cilantro, basil, and mint,)
2 to 3 cups trimmed bean sprouts
jalapenos
2 limes, each cut into 4 wedges
Hoisin sauce and Sriracha
Slices of pink ginger
Soy sauce


 Add vegetables, spices, fish sauce, sugar, and 1 tablespoon salt.

Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a bare simmer, and cook, for half hour. Keep water topped off

Determine how fast the meat you are using will cook in boiling water. Take a couple minutes off the time and then put it in that amount of time before 30 minutes is over. So that when 30 minutes is over the meat is slightly undone because it keeps cooking in the broth.

Carefully skim fat off of surface of broth and discard. Season broth to taste with additional fish sauce, salt, and/or sugar. It should be highly seasoned.

Prepare pho noodles according to package directions. To serve, place re-hydrated noodles in individual noodle bowls. Pour hot broth over noodles. Serve immediately, allowing guests to top with herbs, aromatics, lime, and sauce as they wish.

News

It's a lamp that I basically got out of the trash an old 1970's perfectly square gold, glass and wood concoction, but I have a great idea for it. So I'm working on refurbishing it. Got sandpaper and new paint and finished painting all the wood and metal.

Read a new book that is like MIB. Normal guy who flys around in his car and loves his daughter. Delightful book.

cooked the cheap version of artichoke, jack daniels medallions for steve. It sure is good. Today making lime coleslaw for steve and Nachos for us both.

Have been very depressed but period started today so I'm hoepful it's just hormones playing with me.

I did the set up for that class and we were so proud of it we signed it lol. Made a couple new friends from that and a couple more from club on Sat.

I also signed up to teach a bottoming class for a group in two months. So I'm getting ready to do that.

My mouth is still sore but not as sore as it was but still too sore, No surgery and appt yet but Im certain hes going to say the infection is still there and more than likely the surgery will have to be bigger since I can't seem to heal infection. The infection could have come from anywhere, tooth or sinus or even just in my blood. The big problem is how long I was an untreated diabetic, so I can't heal some things well. I get like a cyst. Once that happens its even harder to heal or get medicine to since it's in the bone.

Car has plates but they did damage the door locking mechanism, and the ignition. So I can't lock it or use keys and it can start with anything even a stick.

At the class saw a friend of mine who is dating a new dom who really really wants to play with me. Put out 7 ideas and I said yes to wresting my friend, hard caning, and a sensory denial interrogation scene down the road.

Last couple of days me and Steve have watched a lot of movies, cuddled alot and even got a ton of things done.

huggles sissy

Eating out triumph

We went out to Buffalo Wild Wings because we got our tax return. If you've ever been, it's a trap of deep-fried-everything covered in sticky sauces. But I googled some choices before hand, and I figured out how to eat healthy there, and I did not feel deprived at all!

I had 4 naked chicken tenders ~170 cal. (And these were ahhhhhhhhhhhhmazing, next time I'll go ahead and get 6 they're so healthy)
Slightly less than a whole veggie boat with fat free ranch ~80
Iced tea with splenda ~0
1 piece of garlic chicken flatbread ~150 (comes as a whole "pizza")
And 1/3 of an order of fried pickles ~250 (normally would have eaten the whole thing, but limited myself to 6. Glad I did, didn't know how bad they actually were :p)

So yes the whole meal ended up around 600 calories, which is a lot for one meal, but it was at least, *at least*, half of what it normally would have been. And now I know what to order next time, and just control myself a little better and not let Gary order pickles AT ALL. :p

I imagine his meal, which is pretty representative of what I would have normally eaten like, was 1500 calories or more. For one meal. SO yes, I did have a lot of calories, but I'm so pleased it was still a completely reasonable amount and not an entire day's worth in one meal!

It's inspired me to stay on the wagon today too.


Hugs, I hope you've had some triumphs lately!

Songs I really like

This first one came from a commercial for a TV show I don't watch, but I love the folky, chanty, soulfulness of it.
In Too Deep
I was kind of disappointed when I listened to some of their other songs though. They didn't seem nearly as, I dunno, mature or good.

This next one is a great sad song. I've been listening to it since gary left. These short days apart are a visceral reminder of what is was like to be so far apart when we were first infatuated, and all those tiny things that made me fall in love. Wanting to heal his poor, lonely heart was just one of those things.
Called Dust to Dust, but I think of it as the lonely too long song
A happier love song, Tip of My Tongue
And the song that got me started on The Civil Wars So, so catchy!

Is 6 songs too many? Cuz I could fill this page with links, lol.
Love this song, and the crazy video too!
I could listen to this on repeat for-like-ever. Srsly.

And, okay. A lot could feasibly be said about this video, but I personally think it's just an extremely fun song/video with a great mesage.
All about that...

Enjoy! If you especially like any of these, there is more where they came from!

Huggles!

Oh man so much news!

Me and Steve are doing lots better lately  and I hate to say it but it's because he has agreed to participate in stuff with me and work towards some goals. He did visit the club! He said it was fine and fun and didn't freak him out too much but he was just so wide eyed he felt like a perv and had to hide his eyes all the time lol

Last Sat was Rhondas bday party. We covered her in food and choco syrup and whip cream and ate it off. Then Rhonda, Amanda and I wrestled. We laughed so hard for so long my sides are STILL aching. Then Rhonda had to get birthday spankings and  they said I'm the whipping girl and I had to take them for her. Then she got (play) mad and said she wanted spankings too and then they said she was being so bratty of course she would still get spankings lol So I asked if I could then get out of them and they said for that I was getting double :P Then for aftercare I cuddled Rhonda for a long time and then went to the front room and cuddled Amy and gave goodbye hugs to everyone.

I started my lamp refurbishing project and I can't wait to see how it finishes up. I ran out of black paint in the middle of the last panel so I'm sad. But I'm excited my rewiring job worked!! Lights up bulb, no explosions or heat lol.

I've read about 90 books in the last two months, Which sounds neat but now I seriously need to clean out my nook. I also took advantage of amazon unlimited again and have hundreds of new books!

I cooked artichoke, jack daniels cream tenderloin for Will; Orange Chiptole chicken and stuffed porkchops for Steve.

Some bad news. Dentist says teeth are bad and jaw bone tendons are bad and TMJ is extreme. He wants me to get 15000$ in implants. Most pressing though is I have a bone infection the size of a nickel in the roof of my mouth reaching my sinus. I'm taking 1600mg amox a day and I'm soooo sick. I am supposed to goto surgeon for it soon as amox has worked.

A friend of mine, Leo (a girl but it's complicated) is picking me up tomorrow and I will volunteer to help set up class later (subject is secret), then hang out for the afternoon and then goto class which is 7-10 pm and then I will get dropped off to wills house and Amanda will come hang out for a bit. Then Will drops me off back with Steve Wen. so I can make burrito dinner.

I can't wait till I can drive car but it seems like repair is going to take awhile.

Steve might get  his raise. They gave him a new position and job description and then posted job and then he had to apply to it and then blah blah blah redtape. We'll see lol

Had Pho today, this place makes best broth and it smells so good. Pho is my official aftercare food. Often I eat it for dinner on Sat. at 2-4 in the morning lol There is many many Pho place here and more opening every day it seems. All different. Some have good broth or nice meant or homemade noodles. Some give only one herb, some bring out a boat of veges, some have carrots, ginger, cucumbers, some have different sauces, they even vary in the amount of meat or noodles they use.

I have 14 hour traditional pho recipe that turns out most like real thing and quick 14 minute recipe which is delicious and pretty but does not have the mystical broth the real thing does.

Photos

 Proud potty trainer

 Cutie Pie

 Black Friday Diva (named by Willow)

 My fashionistas

 My Malaysian mumu

No makeup, but I looked halfway decent anyway

I love having a cellphone that shares pictures, so much easier to share them with you, before they're old news!

Movies

I don't know if you've seen Lucy but I recommend it for you and Gary.  I saw wedding ringer and it was funny and I recommend that one also. I watched Hercules with the Rock and it was surprisingly good and realistic and yes a different take and I do recommend it!! I watched the Equalizer and its a pretty dark movie but tons of action and Denzel KICKSASS!! I watched SexTape. It's supposed to be a comedy and a friend brought it over but it was uncomfortable and unfunny :P I do not like that one. I did however see Big Hero 6 and OMG you MUST watch it. Entire family!!

We have lots of movies saved to files and if you want I could send you some. I do have
Big Hero 6
Hercules
Equalizer
The Amazing Superman 2
X men days of future past
Godzilla
etc.

Bad weather!

We're having a horrible blizzard! Like, the kind that makes you feel claustrophobic because you can't leave even if you want or need to. It's like someone poured out a bowl of fake snow, only it's bottomless! It's literally pouring from the sky. Ugh!

And Gary left this morning, so it's me and the girls, and there's a blizzard in my heart too. So dumb to be so dependent. ;p

But I have a plan to keep everything awesome. I'm boiling some orange peels and ginger and cinnamon on the stove to keep it warm and cozy and smelling good. I'm going to listen to girly music while I make dinner. We have popcorn and pudding and mac n cheese. We're just going to stay in our pajamas and watch movies and drink hot cocoa. I have a kafta sent to me by a friend I made in Malaysia, which is basically a mumu that I wouldn't be caught dead in otherwise, and I'm going to wear it with warm pants because it's so comfortable! But, definitely the opposite of appealing.

And then when the girls go to bed, I'm going to watch movies and shows I wouldn't bother Gary with, and drink the peach belinis in the fridge, and eat my chocolate covered pomegranate seeds! And go to bed early, because I won't feel guilty for being so tired when I should be spending time with him. :P