Monday, September 10, 2012

Tidbits

I have been a pretty neglectful blogger lately haven't I? No excuses really, but it may or may not have something to do with the 1,268 miles I put on Oscar the last two weeks. heehee

We even sleep in it:
I kid, I kid. 
We were testing out how comfortable the seats were in a fully reclined position.  I am happy to report that it is very comfortable and I am sure we could catch a nap at a rest stop on a long trip if necessary. It really is a neat car Tadpoles. I just love it.

We have been to Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and Gordonsville Virginia.  We also drove 180 miles round trip Saturday night to Cockeysville, MD during a storm so severe it knocked out power along most of the route.  We even lost power before we left.  Ever tried to style your hair in the dark? :D

It was for a very dear friend's wedding.  All I can say he really IS one of dearest friends and thank goodness for GPS.  GPS is so cool. I am so glad it is feature on Oscar. I have never had it before but it sure does give me [and Pooldad] peace of mind that it is there.  And hands free calling is fun!  When I voice activate it and call Pooldad he answers the phone with a different greeting each time.  Yesterday when I called he said "Thank you for choosing Burger King. Would you like fries or onion rings with your meal today."  Never a dull moment.  I can't wait to see how he does tomorrow.  Heck, I drive around just to call him for a giggle. ::wink::

So yes, busy, busy.

A week ago I was "hired" for my first paid job baking.  How exciting is that?  I put "hired" in quotes because it was our next door neighbor who asked me to make 32 cupcakes for her son's football team.  I had given her one on her birthday and she liked it so much she said she would pay me to do it for her.  I told her I didn't want to be paid but she could pay for the supplies.  She loved what I did so much she paid me $40!!! For a couple dozen cupcakes. WOO HOO!

Even better - I had found a baker's rack on Craigslist earlier in the week and we had made an appointment to go see it the same night I delivered the cupcakes.  The woman selling it said she had forgotten to mention they only took cash so she would cut the price to .....::drumroll::  $40!!!
TA-DA!

I had been searching for one for a long time.  I really needed it because I have so much baking STUFF and every time someone cleaned the kitchen I would have to search high and low for different utensils.  And all the different flavors, flours, oils - I REALLLLLY needed something like this - and this one is perfect.  It is solid iron and it is soldered not screwed together so it is really sturdy and of nice quality.  I am kind of proud of myself for being able to pay my own money for something I wanted and needed without dipping into savings or bill money.  I know that sounds goofy to a lot of you, but I have been so unproductive for so long I have to keep from pinching myself that I actually DID that.  YAY!

Also, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all the great wishes on my pain free days. :D  I could feel your smiles from here. [You don't think being free of pain and mobile has anything to do with me being away from blogging do you? Naaaah! giggle]  When the doctor prescribed the meds he also ordered a oodles of blood tests.  We received the results on Friday and thankfully it ruled out a lot of things [Lyme and West Nile for example] and my blood counts for the things we monitor closely every month are looking better than ever, YIPPEE!, but [always a but, always] my Rheumatoid Factor is 4x what it is considered normal.  It explains so much [the pain, the inability to sleep, etc.] but it doesn't explain why they didn't test for this before, especially considering my other health concerns.  Thank goodness I now have a doctor that is on the ball and actually listens. I am going to a new rheumatologist this week. She was referred by my doctor so I hope she is better than some of the others I have been treated by in the past.  Y'know - I betcha' that someone, somewhere has tested me for Rheumatoid Arthritis but those results got buried or forgotten under the piles of everything else.  Ah well-the condition may/might/will/is supposed to get worse, but at least now it has a name and a plan of treatment that may/might/is supposed to/I hope will enable me to improve my "quality of life". YAY! [Doesn't "quality of life" sound so serious? It does to me.]  It's all good Tadpoles. ALL GOOD!

Hey!  Speaking of Tadpoles - we had a visitor at dinner tonight that made me think of y'all.  I am so sorry I didn't get a pic' because it was the absolute smallest green frog we have ever seen.  He just hopped in through the back door to say hi!  Which was weird because our back door is off our stairless deck on the SECOND floor of our home. heehee  Forget the deck and no stairs for a minute, I couldn't figure out how he made it over the threshold on the back door. He was smaller than a quarter and barely bigger than a nickel so we have no idea how he made it up there.  Wallene caught him and tossed him outside before the dog had a snack.  She is crazy for frogs. And I do mean CRAZY [the dog not Wallene :D]

I hope those are enough tidbits to entertain you until I get back here again.  I have made an effort to keep up on my reading and commenting on your blogs - so I AM still around - I just get too tired before I can get around to composing something here.

My eyelids are getting droopy, so I will say see ya' on the flipside and leave you with a picture trio from the wedding this weekend. Enjoy your week!


Hugs from the pond, Skippy


15 comments:

Southhamsdarling said...

Hey dear Skippy! Don't say I'm actually going to be the first one to leave a comment today! So good to see you again my friend. I've said this so many times , but I just love your little family and the closeness you have together. Loved the story about Pooldad answering the phone. So glad you are pleased with Oscar! Love, love, love those zany photos in the photo booth!! I can imagine how chuffed you felt for getting paid for making those cupcakes! That bakery's stand looks great and a bargain. Ker-Ching!! Glad things seem to be going well for you dear friend. You certainly deserve it. Hugs and love x

Marni said...

So happy for you guys... I love it that you are feeling pain-free and energetic again. I wish you guys could put our address in the GPS and head this way. Someday?

Love the zany pics... you guys looks so dang happy!

colenic said...

Gorgeous pictures..
That is an amazing number of miles to put on the vehicle in a week!! I am so proud of you!!
Have fun out there....be sage!
Program my address into that GPS girlie and come up here....the fall is beautiful!
hugs and lots of love!

ellen abbott said...

Um, Skippy, I'm pretty sure a baker's rack is for putting pies and cakes on, not the supplies! hee hee. Congrats on you baking job!

Tony Van Helsing said...

That's a lot of miles in a short amount of time. It is always a bit nerve wracking cooking for a group of people. I cooked Christmas dinner for 12 people and nearly had a breakdown!

Kathy's Klothesline said...

Believe it or not, I have people who pay for a tent site to sleep in their cars. It is a safer environment than a rest area and they can grab a hot shower. Good for you on your baking job, always fun to make money doing something you enjoy! So happy to hear that you are relatively pain free.

Gypsy said...

It's good to hear that you have been feeling much better. Pain really takes a toll on body and spirit, and you are unique in that you have such a great spirit through it all.

Celia said...

I adore the photobooth pictures. I'm really happy you got paid for baking, because I know you love it so much.

Jeannie said...

Busy is good! I love your baker's rack. I would love one too but I've no place to put it. As it is, I am gradually taking over the linen cupboard for a pantry and storing linens in the laundry room. Works for me. I have a couple of lockers in the garage - I was thinking of bringing one of them up for extra storage (there's a small space beside the fridge that should have had a cupboard enclosing it but I never did it. I'm so happy that you got paid well for your cupcakes. Friday, my daughter bought me a fancy one from a "famous" bakery here - neither of us was overly impressed - it was just cake after all - and icing which seemed rather greasy to us. I suppose when all most people get is twinkies or cake mixes, they would be good but not so much when you've had homemade all your life.

susanb said...

We went to a wedding this past weekend and it had a photo booth too! My daughter, 8, bought back a stack of pictures that she had done all by herself. We went online and found more photos of her and her cousins that we had never seen. Very fun and a nice remembrance for the bridal couple. Congrats on the baking rack - it was meant to be when the payment and the price were the same. Also good news on the diagnosis = being able to put a name to what is happening is priceless! Plus the treatments will be much more effective if they are treating the right thing.

Juli said...

Sorry... you lost me at Cockeysville. :) So glad you're having fun, and they ruled out a lot of the horrid things.

Anonymous said...

I love that bakers rack and how cool that you paid for it yourself - totally know what you mean on that one.

Oscar is such a blessing to you - I love my GPS, I have no sense of direction where I live now! Hugs to you!!!!

Teresa said...

great pics. congrats on the baking job.

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Oh, so many good things in this post! YAY! Most important is that you're still feeling better, and that the docs may finally have given your pain a name. (Fred?) Seriously, knowing what's causing the problem is half the battle. I know exactly how you feel earning that money and using it to buy that baker's rack. When I sold a story to a magazine, I used the money to buy myself a laptop. I'd wanted one for a long time, but wouldn't let my hubby buy me one, because it seemed so self-indulgent, ya know? (I'm not cheap; I'm thrifty!) Love the pics from the wedding. When we went to our niece's wedding in May, there was a photo booth there, too, along with all kinds of silly props to wear. I'd never seen anything like that before, but evidently, it's pretty common these days. Fun, too! Glad you're still enjoying Oscar, kiddo. Take care. 12:34

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Well isn't it great to find a car you love and you can sleep in if needed although I would rather sleep in a bed in a motel although there are some pretty aweful motels around that make the car look so inviting..........lol This was a great post and I loved reading so many good things in one post.........