Hello Monday

Happy Monday friends. I will tell you this has been the most Mondiest Mondays of them all. I was definitely having a Homer Simpson Day today. If you missed that post you can check it out here to see what the Homer Simpson reference is about. But I will give you a hint, absolutely nothing went right. It seemed like I could do nothing right, after I got to work that is. The computers had a glitch, the WiFi was acting crazy, none of the printers worked and when I finally got one to print it was out of ink. So it was definitely a goofy kind of Homer Simpson day.

The weekend was actually quite nice. Let’s go back to Friday. I took my sister to Knoxville to get her fourth chemo treatment and to see the doctor. She had had scans done earlier in the week to see just how the treatments were doing. We were cautiously optimistic. She has been doing great and had wonderful reports on her bloodwork. We felt that things were going good but we knew the scans would tell the tale.

We waited a little while to see the doctor. He came in and asked how my sister was feeling and she said that she was feeling really good. He said that is really good because the scans show that the splenic lesion is no longer seen. And that was very good. WHAT??? I asked just what that meant and he said the cancer is gone!!! We were blown away and so happy we were giddy. He suggested she finish the round of chemo to ensure a total remission. We walked out of his office in a daze we practically stumbled down the hall. We are so thankful and feel so blessed by everyone’s prayers and concerns. So many people have been there for her during this time. It is very humbling.

Here we are waiting to get called back for the treatment to start. I you have never been to a cancer center and watched all the brave, precious people then you really don’t know how lucky you are to worry about mundane things. Nothing is that problematic. It definitely gives you a new perspective.

So after that kind of news the weekend and every day could only be great!!! Of course a crazy Homer Simpson day is had by everyone every now and then so as I tell myself, DEAL WITH IT!!!!

I took several hats and headbands to donate to the Cancer Center when we were there on Friday. They have a basket at the infusion center where people receiving chemo or other treatments can pick a hat or scarf or anything that has been donated. I think this is a wonderful thing. I am so happy to be able to donate to them. I told the lady at the desk that some of the hats might be too warm for this time of year but she said lots of people loved them because the air conditioning was so cold. I plan to make some lighter weight ones for summer.

Over the weekend I thinned my Irises. They were getting too thick and didn’t bloom much last year at all. I took out quite a few of them and now I have to find places for them. These came from the house where I grew up. My mama loved irises and had one side of the yard full of them. They’re very special because she actually started them many years ago. I have given them to several of my nieces so that we can keep them going. I may decide to take some to work to have them there as well.

Several of my orchids are blooming. This is Ophelia. I have had her for a little more than a year. This is the second time she has bloomed. I am starting an orchid journal to keep up with all of them. I now have seven and see more in my future.

A few weeks ago a friend at work made Reese’s Pie and put them in these containers. I decided to try them for myself. I was very happy with the way they turned out. I bought these small containers to put them in. There are so many uses for these containers. They are great for individual servings. If you were going on a picnic or wanted to give these out as little individual gifts they are great!!! I got all of these from Amazon. You can do cakes also. These make great individual servings for people to take home with them.

Look how cute they are with the lids and the little fork/spoons.

I rescued these two chairs from the dumpster at work. Can you believe they were being thrown away.!!!! I am going to clean them, redo the vinyl and paint them. They are very sturdy and solid. I will give you an after picture as soon as I have them finished.

Sometimes Gus is a big bully to Kitty Kitty. I worry about her but I saw her in action today when she swatted him back and made him run away. I think she can handle herself. HA!!!

How was your weekend?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!! I am so glad to see the weekend. It’s been a really long week. I was out of work on Monday with some kind of stomach bug. We were without power all last weekend because of the bad storms. My poor hubby had to clear the tree off of the driveway by himself because I had no energy to help. I went back to work on Tuesday and my sweet sister in law Pat came over for a couple of days and helped clean the yard. I don’t think my yard has ever looked so good. Thank you Pat!!! So on to the favorites from this week.

Actually this was a leftover from last week. I met up with two of my friends Michelle and Chuck, well Michelle is also my niece, and we had a fun lunch and walked downtown in Madisonville and checked out a few of the shops. It is always fun to get us together.

I went to an estate sale last week and look what I found. A pie crust shield. I guess I knew these existed but I have never had one. I always use tinfoil and wrap it around the edges of my pies. Sometimes this doesn’t work out to well and when I pull the foil off some of the pie crust comes with it. I can’t wait to try this pie shield. A great excuse to make a pie I think. I think I will make a coconut cream pie.

I may have mentioned this eyelash primer from L’OREAL before. I can’t remember. But it deserves to be mentioned again. If you have very fine lashes, like I do, sometimes mascara can overwhelm them and make them appear clumpy. If you use primer, and this is the best one I have found, before applying your mascara it will be a game changer. When I wear this I actually feel like I have eyelashes. As we age our eyelashes become very few and far between, literally. I think I can actually count mine. Try this you won’t be disappointed.

Last week I listened to this audio book by Valerie Bertinelli. Enough Already. I loved it. I always loved her as an actress and the as the host on her cooking show. This book is about her finally telling herself that enough is enough on the weight loss roller coaster. She finally starts to believe that she is enough just the way she is. She also talks a lot about her ex rock star husband Eddie Van Halen and her son Wolfie. If you get the audio book it is read by Valerie. Because there are many of her favorite recipes in this book I decided to order the book from Amazon. Listen or read this you will love it.

Look at this stack of bandana scarf thingies I made. I love making them. I sent a few to friends and I am making more to take to the hospital where my sister has chemo. They have a basket where people donate hand made items like this and hats and different things. I am also working on some springlike hats that would be light weight and good for spring. I can’t wait to donate those.

My co workers and I had a field trip yesterday to look for some items for work. We went to Athens and ate at Yamato’s. It was so good. We shared a few things with each other.

The Redbuds are blooming. This makes me so happy I just love them.

My orchid, Ophelia, is blooming. When orchids lose their blooms it can take several months for them to bloom again. I couldn’t remember what color Ophelia was. I thought she might be yellow but no she is white. She is so beautiful.

This was a favorite outfit I wore last week. You can probably guess that black and white together are my favorite clothing combinations. I got this shirt from Kohl’s and it is a little short. I like it with a sweater or jacket over it.

So those are some of my favorites. What are some favorites of yours this week?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday. I am so happy to see you Friday, it’s been a long week.

I actually took today off to take my sister to Knoxville for bloodwork, and possibly a shot to boost her white and or red blood cells. Her bloodwork looked so good she didn’t need either. So that is just about the best favorite thing that could happen. She has finished two chemo treatments and will have her third one next Friday. She will have a total of six.

I made a butterfly tree on Sunday. I saw this on TikTok or Pinterest. I thought it would make things look like spring and it does. I made a snowflake tree a few years ago. I will try to find a picture of that. I bought these butterfly cutouts at the Dollar Tree. There are quite a few in one pack. I had lots left over. I hot glued them to a branch that we had at work that we had used as a display for our jewelry tree. Some of my co-workers were throwing it out last week and ask if I wanted it. They had heard me mentioning a butterfly tree and that I was looking for some nice branches to use. I put it in one of my crocks. I love the way it turned out.

Another favorite this week is the weather. It has been unseasonably warm. Of course this has caused so many trees and things to bloom out and allergies and sinus issues are through the roof. The temps are supposed to stay warm most of next week. I always worry when things bloom out too early and then a cold snap happens and ruins them.

I posted a few pictures last week of some of the Easter decorations at T.J. Maxx but look at these I found at Walmart. Ok those different colored bunnies are all the rage on TikTok. I don’t quite understand it. They are cute and fairly large but my husband is sort of creeped out over anything without eyes. So I probably won’t get any of these. But as you can see Walmart has a decent selection of items if you are in need. I am not. I have plenty. I think I will do a little Easter decorating this weekend.

***These eggs were like $1.99. That is a fantastic price***.

***I love this bunny picture. I may have to add him to my Easter decorations.***

***These cute containers could be used anytime.***

A highlight of my week was getting to see a friend from Florida, Debbie, sadly I forgot to get a picture but we had a long lunch and spent time catching up and solving all the world’s problems. She is one of those special friends who, even if you haven’t seen each other in years you just pick up where you left off.

Have you tried these Hershey’s Drops? They are so yummy. You can also put them on cakes, cupcakes or just about anything. They seem to fit especially well in my mouth.

Remember my disaster with the piping bags when I was decorating the Birthday cake a couple of weeks ago? Well I decided to order these disposable bags. I watched a couple of cake decorating videos and one of the cake decorators used these bags. 56 bags for $11.99 and no worries about cleaning or storing them after each use. I just got them a couple of days ago and haven’t tried them. I will let you know how they work. They seem very durable.

So other than my sister’s great report on bloodwork this morning, the best favorite of this week is that it is Baby Kay Day. Twelve years ago today I donated a kidney to my husband. Because we sort of share the kidney we named it Baby Kay. If you haven’t read the full story here is a link I posted last year with a little more information. We are both doing great!!! I often forget I have only one kidney.

What are some of your favorites from this week?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!

The Homer Simpson Chronicles

I think that with age comes wisdom, confidence, positivity, achievements. But I also think that with age comes feelings of insecurity, doubt, negativity and indecision.

Since I am getting ready to turn the big 6,0 this year I have noticed a lot of changes within myself. Yes the usual things that come with age like watching body changes hair changes, wrinkles etc etc but also some things that have been quite unexpected. For instance I don’t always feel confident in myself and it’s hard to be positive a lot because a lot of crap has happened in a short period of time. Life is freaking scary. And I hate to use the D word but often I feel just plain dumb. Sometimes I feel like I can’t do anything. I feel like Homer Simpson.

If you’ve ever watched TV you probably know who Homer Simpson is. He is a cartoon character, always screwing up and doing dumb things. Nothing ever seems to go right for Homer. Lately I have started to identify with Homer a bit more than I would like. For instance:

A couple of weeks ago. I had to make a cake. I have made hundreds of cakes through the years. I used to make wedding cakes. But through the years I stopped making as many as I used to. I don’t seem to have the time for it or the patience or quite frankly the skill.

The wedding cakes were the first cakes I stopped doing. I would be a nervous wreck putting the cakes together. This seemed to get worse as I got older. So for my sanity, and my poor husband’s, as he was the only one at home with me when I was in panic mode over a cake, I stopped doing the wedding cakes. I did continue to do cakes for special occasions and for all of my family’s Birthdays, anniversaries and things like that.

A couple of weeks ago, my nephew’s wife had a birthday and we were planning to get together and celebrate. At the last minute the plan to meet was changed to the following night, moving the celebration up a couple of days. So I had to make a cake that very night after work. I decided to do a layer cake. I would make two layers and then split them and it makes the cake have several layers. I have made these many times.

As soon as I got home from work I made the cake, it was in two round cake pans. Of course I had to let it cool and that does take a little while. I could have stuck it in the fridge or freezer for a bit but I felt like I had plenty of time to let it cool on the counter. It was only about 5:30 when I took it out of the oven. At 7:30 I checked on the cake. It was almost completely cool or so it seemed so I started making the icing. My cake icing recipe is simple but so good and fairly easy to make.

I use a cake slicer that has something like a nylon string that actually glides through the cake and makes two layers out of one. Because the cake was still so fresh, from having been taken out of the oven only a couple of hours before, it was a bit crumbly. When I started to put the icing on the cake a rather large chunk fell out of the cake. I have had this happen before. Not a big problem. I just stuck it back in place and slapped some extra icing in that area. The last time I used by piping bags I decided to store them in a larger plastic bag down in one of my cabinets. When I took the piping bags out of the plastic bag, I saw there was mold on the bags. I must have put the bags up when they were still a little damp!!!! I had to dump those in the trash. Now what could I use to decorate the cake? I tried cutting off the end of a sandwich bag and using that, no luck. I tried using a freezer bag, no luck. I was in a panic. I told my husband I might have to run to Walmart and get more piping bags. It was 8:30 PM and Walmart is over fifteen minutes away, it was not looking good. Suddenly I remembered I had bought new bags and stuck them in the hall closet. Of course getting to those involved digging half of everything in the closet out and putting it in the floor. I turned over some cleaner and had to stop and get that up immediately before Gus could get to it.

By the time I got all of this done the icing for the cake had gotten really soft. I also realized that I wasn’t going to have enough icing to do the rosettes all over the cake the way I had planned. And let me mention I had already started putting the rosettes on the cake. I would either have to stop, now it was almost 9:30, and make more icing or come up with plan B.

Suddenly I was overcome with hysterical laughter. My husband cautiously yelled from the other room and asked if everything was okay. I was laughing so hard I sputtered the words out. “On my goodness!!! I am Homer Simpson!!!! I can’t do anything right!!! The more I thought about it the funnier it was. I put the cake in the fridge along with the icing, this would help it thicken, and took a breather. I decided to take the icing off of the cake and not do the rosettes. It was late and I was tired so plan B it was. I redistributed the icing and made it smooth all the way around. I would buy a Happy Birthday sign from the Walmart next day to put on top of the cake. And you know what? The cake was fine and it was delicious.

But the thing is when I started making the cake I had self doubt and I just didn’t feel like I would do a good job. It was okay but it wasn’t the exact cake I had intended to make. I don’t like having negative feelings and I think it is just something I will have to put out of my mind. Easier said than done of course. I guess Homer isn’t so bad maybe I should think about what Homer would do and then do the opposite.

I also think that our bodies and minds are a work in progress until the day we leave this world. Things change and feelings come and go including feelings of insecurities and doubt and intellect. It’s okay.

So if you happened to see me at Walmart last weekend, and I was bent over my cart and couldn’t stand up because my clip to my small purse hanging around my neck had gotten clipped onto the cart and I couldn’t for the life of me get it undone, then you know I was having a Homer Simpson moment. DOH!!!!!

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!!