I'm Still Here

I didn't blog one single time in October.  It wasn't intentional, to say the least.  Here's a condensed version of my October:
1--my mother flies in for 10 days.  Joe was supposed to go for a work training thing, but it got cancelled.  My kids couldn't get enough of Oma.

3--the 5th anniversary of my dad's passing.  A sad day (I have a post from this day, but not ready to share it yet), but tried to spend the day thinking of all the good times I had with him.

11--take mom back to the airport in Baltimore--great trip down, lousy trip home.  Keira was tired beyond belief but wouldn't fall asleep, lest she miss something.  I guess I deserve that--my mom says I was the same way at that age.

14--wake up from an evening nap on the couch, feeling like a panic attack was imminent.  Went upstairs, dosed myself with Xanax and took a shower.  Got sick, spent most of the night breathing into a paper bag, and ended up sleeping in the guest room.

15--take the children to a friend's Fall Festival.  There is tons of good food, and nothing even looks good.  Children had lots of fun.  I felt mostly okay while we were there, but didn't make it through the evening without getting sick.

16--still feeling lousy.  I can't keep anything down, begin to worry about dehydration.

17--doctor's appointment--confirms that I am likely dehydrated, and wants me admitted to the hospital (via the ER) to get IV fluids.  Come home, very upset, to pack a bag for the hospital.  I leave home in tears, leaving my son in tears and my hubby very uncertain about the situation.  I arrive at the ER, whereupon I get sick several more times as I waited most impatiently to be admitted.  I was finally admitted around 8 that night.  The nurses had a hard time finding a vein, and left several nasty bruises in the process.  Blood work comes back and the doctor doesn't seem surprised that my liver enzymes are elevated.  He talks about it being pancreatitis (very scary for a diabetic) or my gall bladder. **I have eaten nothing today.**

18--spend the day laying in a not-so-comfy hospital bed, getting pumped full of fluids and antibiotics, waiting to find out what the doctors have to say.  I am given meds for nausea and pain, but no food or drink.  Not even ice chips.  By late afternoon, a doctor comes by to tell me that they are going to put a scope down my throat to see the gall stones and see if they can move/dislodge them.

19--get a visit from sweet hubby and delightful daughter.  She was fascinated by all the monitors, but mostly by the hospital-issue comb and toothbrush!  I am prepped for my procedure around 1pm, and I am back in my room by 3 or 4pm.  **Still no food or water by mouth**

20--prepped for surgery around noon.  A second day of general anesthesia, and this time 4 little cuts (laparascopic surgery).  Back upstairs by around 5pm.  The best news of the day--I can have clear fluids (ginger ale, broth, etc).  Who knew that broth could taste so good?!  My mom also flies back to help with the children (and me, when I am home) while I am incapacitated.

21--released from hospital with a flu vaccine and pain pills.  So glad to be home with my babies and into my own bed!

27--30--Hubby flies to Notre Dame to recruit for his employer.  While there, he goes to a football game, meets up with friends and colleagues and even a family member.  No one was more deserving of this trip, but I know my mom and I (and the kids, of course) were glad to have him home!

31--Halloween!  Sent goody bags to school for Nathan, made homemade pizza for dinner, then got the kids dressed up: Nathan was James from Thomas and Friends and Keira was a pegasus.  I stayed home to hand out candy while my mom and Joe made the rounds with the kids.

How was your month?  Also, please let November be boring!  Boring is good.

Macaroni Pie

This recipe comes from Charleston Reciepts, a staple in South Carolina kitchens.  This has no white sauce or bechemel, so if that's what you are looking for, keep looking!

1/2 pound macaroni
1 heaping tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups sharp cheese, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
3 eggs
1 pint milk

Cook macaroni in rapidly boiling water for ten minutes. Drain. Stir butter and cheese--leaving abuot 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top of pie--into the hot macaroni; add salt, pepper and mustard.  Beat eggs into the mixture, add milk and mix well.  Put into greased baking dish, sprinkle top with remaining cheese and dot with butter.  Bake in moderate oven (about 375) until set in the middle and bubbly and golden.

NB: I always use more cheese (approx 2 cups).  I also prefer white pepper, and I use a whole teaspoon of mustard.  You will need a total of 2-3 T of butter.  You can certainly use margarine, if you like.
I hope y'all will enjoy this recipe as much as I have over the years.

A glimpse into my childhood (or why my dad is better than yours)

My childhood started out much the same as many others: both parents were working so I went to day care.  That may be where the similarities end.  My dad quit his job at the University of South Carolina and became the stay-at-home parent when I was still a little girl.  It was UH-may-zing.  I wouldn't realize until many years passed how odd this was for the times.  But there he was--chief cook and bottle washer.  And he thrived in that role. Sure, he took me to story time at the library and he took me with him when he went to the grocery store.  I also went with him when he worked our polling place, when he went to the hardware store, and wherever else his daily errands might take him.  There were also plenty of quiet mornings at home, with him listening to NPR's Radio Reader and me coloring, or playing or "reading" to myself.  When I was old enough to go to school, it got even better.  My dad would make us super lunches and he was a chaperone on field trips.  So what if your mom was there--my DAD was there!  In second grade he volunteered to be the homeroom parent, and was turned down--they wanted a homeroom MOM, not a homeroom DAD.  I'll never forget that.  He handled our problems at school, though I am sure the teachers he encountered wished he hadn't--the man had a magnificent vocabulary and could rip you a new one and you would thank him for it, not realizing what he actually said! 
It wasn't until I was nearly 8 that I realized my family didn't work the same way as everyone else's. Silly me, I just assumed all dads did the cooking (and laundry and grocery shopping, etc). Everything in our house was equal-opportunity: whoever saw that the trash was full emptied it; he who cooked did not clean; everyone helped with laundry. It was also around this time I first had Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for the first time: what was the obsession with this strangely colored pasta dish?  It certainly wasn't the mac and cheese I was used to.  (Recipe coming soon)
I am sure it never occurred to my parents that they were helping me choose my spouse with this arrangement. But that is just what happened.  I love spending time in the kitchen, especially baking and prepping for large gatherings of people.  But my work schedule just doesn't allow that right now.  Lucky for me, I married someone like my dad--a man who can hold his own in the kitchen.  Joe and I also take turns dealing with the children, taking out the trash, and doing dishes and laundry.  By no means is our system perfect (whose is, by the way?), but it works for us.  And I have my forward-thinking parents to thank.

Last night I slept with Nathan. In his twin-sized bed.  All night.  With cats meandering in and out.  Sleep is not exactly the right word, considering I was kicked, elbowed, and whacked many times during the night.  When Nathan heard Joe's alarm clock the night was over.  At 6:25.  I got out of bed, feeling abused and more tired than when I first attempted bed last night. 
Keira has been going to bed around 7 or 7:30 in the evening, and sleeping nearly around the clock.  She is limited to a strict 2 1/2 hour nap during the week.  Not because I don't want her to sleep more, but I have to go to this thing called a job. Today, my little songbird of happiness was awake around 7:15.  When we got home at noon, it was nap time.  Or not.  She fussed, whined and sobbed for nearly an hour (moms have to take a shower sometime!).  I checked her diaper (clean) and put her back in the bed.  She had eaten well this morning so I didn't count on hunger being an issue.  Twenty minutes later I found myself going back up the stairs to retrieve the little miss.  She picked at her food, but did drink all of her milk.  Afterwards, I take her up the stairs, change her diaper, and put her to bed.  I am not even down the hallway when I hear her screaming again.  What is going on?!  Anyway, she finally fell asleep about 1:45.  We leave here for school/work at 2:40. 
In an ideal world, I would put both children down for a nap (or at least mandatory rest/quiet time) and I would then crawl into my bed for a nap as well.  But alas, I live in reality and this just isn't going to happen.  Guess it will be early to bed for me tonight!

In a New York Minute

Today is a day filled with remembrances and reflection.  I know where I was at the time of the attacks, but that doesn't matter, really.  It is certainly one of those "where were you" moments that often defines a generation, or a nation, or both.  As I was driving home from the grocery store today, I flipped the radio on to see what NPR might have on.  When they switched to local news (Philadelphia news) I changed the station.  Just as I was tuning in, the announcer said something about one of Don Henley's songs.  It was written long before the events of that tragic day transpired, but it's lines echo true:
                             New York MinuteHarry got up
Dressed all in black
Went down to the station
And he never came back
They found his clothing
Scattered somewhere down the track
And he won't be down on Wall Street
in the morning

He had a home
The love of a girl
But men get lost sometimes
As years unfurl
One day he crossed some line
And he was too much in this world
But I guess it doesn't matter anymore

In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute
Things can get pretty strange
In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute

Lying here in the darkness
I hear the sirens wail
Somebody going to emergency
Somebody's going to jail
If you find somebody to love in this world
You better hang on tooth and nail
The wolf is always at the door

In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute
Things can get a little strange
In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute

And in these days
When darkness falls early
And people rush home
To the ones they love
You better take a fool's advice
And take care of your own
One day they're here;
Next day they're gone

I pulled my coat around my shoulders
And took a walk down through the park
The leaves were falling around me
The groaning city in the gathering dark
On some solitary rock
A desperate lover left his mark,
"Baby, I've changed. Please come back."

What the head makes cloudy
The heart makes very clear
The days were so much brighter
In the time when she was here
But I know there's somebody somewhere
Make these dark clouds disappear
Until that day, I have to believe
I believe, I believe

In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute
You can get out of the rain
In a New York Minute
Everything can change
In a New York Minute

Once home, I just sat in my car listening to these haunting words, with tears streaming down my face.  It took me a minute to compose myself before going inside to my waiting family.  We spent the rest of the day together just being silly and being with each other.  Tonight, as I put them to put, I will hug them a little tighter, and look into their eyes just a little longer.  Please, never forget and never stop working for peace.
Dona nobis pacem.
Anne

Banana-Butterscotch Muffins

This time last week, I was polishing off yet another delicious muffin.  Nathan and I spent last Friday afternoon trying to clean up the kitchen and I caught wind of some very ripe bananas.  Everyone knows that you make banana bread with them.  Granted, I like banana bread just fine, but it's gotten to be a boring standard for old bananas. This is a much tastier option.  I hope you'll agree!


1 large banana (about 2/3 cup), mashed
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp.  baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
Combine mashed banana, egg, sugar, milk, vanilla and oil in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, add dry ingredients.
Stir banana mixture into dry minture.  Spoon batter into greased muffin cups.  Bake at 400 for 12-15 min.
NB: Recipe doubles easily. You could also use peanut butter or chocolate chips with no other substitutions needed.  I used 1/4 cup whole wheat flour to 3/4 c white.  I also added flax meal (about 1/2 cup or so) and Benefiber.  YUM!

I like to shop--for clothes, toys, and even grocery shopping.  I really enjoy seeing what's out there to inspire some new meal for my family.  But I get irritated and annoyed by the people in and around the stores.  Here is a list, though not all-inclusive, of my shopping peeves:

1. When entering a parking lot, please note which way traffic is going; i.e. if the sign says incoming traffic has right of way, DO NOT STOP!  Please do not drive the wrong way up an aisle just because you are in a hurry--your rush may cause an accident, and then you really will be late!
2. While I like that many stores now have Mom/Parent of Young Child parking spaces, I hate that you still have to go a ways to return your carts.  And really, wouldn't it be easier if at least a couple of the cart return areas were near the entrance to the store?
3. Which brings me to my next gripe.  Put your dang cart away!  How hard is it to go just a few more feet to put your cart in the return?  Heaven knows we could all use the extra steps!
4. If you are in a store with self-scan or U-scan lanes, please don't use these if you have 137 items--let's try and keep it to around 25.  
5. When a store puts things on sale, why must it be "select varieties" of a product?  I understand that different sizes or fancier versions of things might not be at the same price, but if the only difference is flavor it's just stupid.  If you are trying to get rid of a surplus of a flavor, do a closeout on it.  Make it easy for people to shop.
6. Another creation I love to hate is the kid carts with the cars on the front, or the even larger ones at Target or Walmart. While I love it, because it allows me to grocery shop with both of my kids (without having to chase Nathan all over creation), it really is a beast to push. 
7.   Dear Mary Q. Shopper, you are not the only person in the store: get out of the way!  Do not stand in the middle of an aisle pretending that no one else needs to get anything off of the shelf, or just needs to get by.  Come on, if I can still be polite and say excuse me if my behemoth cart comes within 5 feet of you, you can do the same.   
8. And for goodness sake, PLEASE don't assume it's okay to touch my children.  If you do, I take no responsibility if the little one starts screaming or if the big one says, "Hey, lady, move along!"

Anne

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I know that all living things, like plants and people, need water to survive.  Seriously, the grass in my yard is nearly ankle-high.  It needs to be cut desperately, but with the rain not ENDing until sometime this weekend (a.k.a. prime mowing time) it likely won't be done til some point next week.  And I can live with that.

What I can't live with is my children (both my own and the ones I care for at work) being stuck inside for days on end due to weather.  They need to run and around and be silly.  I need them less wacky and goofy.  They need the sunshine (or even just clouds) and fresh air.  Sidenote: did anyone else know that playing outside actually BOOSTS the immune system?  

I am also having a hard time being grateful for Mother Nature's showers.  In some areas, all of the rain has led to massive floods and damage.  In other places, namely Texas, they can't buy a drop.  There are fires there burning out of control.  Farmers are literally selling livestock for $25 each.  They are desperate for the rain, and I wish I could send it to them.

Anne

Labor Day

And, so it seems, Labor Day is upon us once more. For this southern transplant, it used to mean the putting away of all things white until the next Memorial Day (for the record, I still put my white away at Labor Day, but it usually pops out again by Easter or early May).  It also used to be the first break of the school year, since school usually started in mid-August.
 But now, there is a different set of ideas and feelings that comes with Labor Day.  I now have a family and a job.  These days I spend my holidays doing things with my kids and hubby, whether it be lounging at a neighbor's pool, picking apples, going to the zoo, or meeting friends elsewhere for an adventure.  It is a rare treat for all of us to have Daddy at home--it is especially nice for the kids to get some extra Daddy-time.
What did you do on your day off?  Or did you have the day off? 
Anne

Ready or not...

I have often thought of having a blog, but I never (til now, of course) actually did anything about it.  C'mon, is my life really worth sharing--some days yes; other days, not so much.  But I have found that I love to read blogs.  It gives me the perfect window into the lives of friends that I never (or rarely) get to see.  I can watch as they (and their family) grow, and never even leave my computer.   I can share in the emotional roller coaster of life.  I learn new things, both about myself and others.  And I hope that others will use my blog to do the same.  Thanks for stopping by!
Anne