Wednesday, February 29, 2012

It All Tastes Strange Anway

I have no appetite.

Problem with not having an appetite is you don't eat - which leads to the niggly little problems of weight loss and vitamin deficiencies.

You know you're too thin when the doctor jokes that he needs a child size blood pressure cuff. And then actually goes and gets one.

You know me. I love to eat.  Eating is a passion with me but lately I haven't had one iota of desire to eat or drink anything.  Pooldad will graciously buy me anything, no matter the time of day or the price and he will instantly prepare anything I say I might eat - but nothing is doing it for me.

He forced me into a grocery list today and the poor man just had to laugh at me.

It included - strawberry ice cream, orange jell-o, chocolate pudding, green grapes, mint milano cookies, french bread pizza, ginger ale, cranberry juice and fried clams.

Over the span of the day I managed 1/2 container of orange jello-o, 1 scoop of strawberry ice cream, a strawberry popsicle, 3 bites of a delicious hamburger he had made for himself [at that point I got sick-yeah he was REAL hungry after that] and 1 cookie.

Even the hospital wasn't doing it and the food is good. Goodness knows they give you enough of it.  The poor woman who runs the operation saw I wasn't eating and on her next go round to the rooms she promised to make me anything I wanted.  I asked for a tuna sandwich and soup.  She brought it for our next meal and try as I might I just couldn't stomach it.  It was like letting down you loving grandma. I felt like crap.

This morning I am trying a cherry jell-o, but it isn't doing it.  They told me to drink Ensure and Boost, but it tastes like liquid chalk to me so I can't.  I have tried, but have just thrown it up.

Here's another thing about me - if I get sick on something I eat I won't eat it again.  I became sick on tomato sauce one time and it took me 20 years to be able to stand the smell and another 5 to actually eat it. Marrying an Italian helped that along I think. hee  But I don't want to get sick on any of my favorites because they may  *poof* right out of rotation.

I know it sounds like a weird thing to complain about - but not being allowed to eat something [in my case, salt] is a heck of a lot different than not be able to eat at all.  And it is frustrating me.

It is time to start my day and get dressed.  As we say now "Skippy gives a whole new meaning to the word 'skinny jeans'."

Sigh.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Home Sweet Home and the Wait Begins

Thank you for all the good wishes, we can really use them these days in the pond.   It appears as tho' I am pretty sick and it only took them six days and [what felt like] a gazillion tests to give us a sort of, kind of diagnosis.

One of the tests has detected what the doctors suspect may be cancer, but it can't be biopsied [too small] so they will have to wait three months to do another MRI to finalize their diagnosis.  In the meantime I will be making weekly visits for other issues and I will have to be put on a transplant list.  I am also the happy recipient of my very own home health care nurse. That should be fun to explain to Spot, eh?

I am trying to look on the bright side for now - I am still alive and a lot more pain free than I have been in 4 months. Bonus! One day I will share the [now it's] funny story of them yet again over medicating me and the ensuing hilarity in the lobby of the hospital.  I am seriously considering getting a tattoo that says "Do not mix pain killers with sleep aids."  I was quite the show that night let me tell you.

In another episode of "It can only happen to Skippy"  the anti nausea medicine they prescribed to help me stomach another medicine I take causes me to throw up. If I wasn't so sick of being sick I'd laugh.  It is kind of funny tho', y'know?

I have always written this blog as a journey for us - me and my family - and I have always said it was an added bonus that I gained so many true, wonderful friends while documenting out mundane lives. I wasn't sure whether to share this trip with you all - but since it is happening and is doing a grand job of coloring our world I thought it was best to share the goods and the bads.

Hope y'all are having a great week - I promise to catch up in the next few days, but know I am always around in spirit, if not words.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

7 Days And Counting. . .

In the hospital day 7
Wallene, Me and our pal Dawn.

This post is about the best I can do right now but will be back with all the details in a few days.

Take care and see you on the flip side Tadpoles. :)

Saturday, February 18, 2012

And I Didn't Even Have to Leave the Bed

Banner day here at Chez' Skippy - not only did I get both our Federal and State taxes done, I finished up Squirrel's fellowship/scholarship paperwork and I went grocery shopping for the whole week.

All from the comfort of my Serta Perfect Sleeper.

Ahhhh.....life is good.

As an added bonus it is supposed to snow tomorrow. Finally. :) It will be our first official snow of the season.  Took Mother Nature long enough to get here. Jeesh.

Our groceries will be delivered before the storm arrives [free delivery and I had a coupon code for $20 off too! Woot!] so Pooldad can throw on a nice beef stew for dinner and we can all watch the flakes fall.  Very exciting.

I hope y'all are having a wonderful and productive weekend with snow [if you want that] and you get to relax and enjoy your time off.  I am going to take a nap.  My brain is tired.

See ya' on the flipside!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Truth is Thursday. . .

Truth is. . .I was tagged by Jeannie to answer 11 questions, give 11 random facts about myself and tag 11 people to do the same.

Truth is. . .I don't usually do memes anymore because I think I have answered most everything, but Jeannie is one of my oldest and closest friends so I will do this one.

Truth is.  .  .I don't think I have 11 random facts left, but here goes! [I cut and pasted from Jeannie's blog and it messed up my background & fonts.  Sorry about that. I can't seem to fix it, but back to normal tomorrow.]

Jeannie's 11 questions:

1. What is your secret (or not so secret) outrageous longing? 
I wish I had met Pooldad when I was in college and not 5 years later.  I think we would still be having kids. heehee

2. What kind of restaurants do you prefer right now, or what is your favourite meal to make at home?  
Comfort foods.  Stews, casseroles, soups - the winter does this to me. 

3. What kind of vacation do you take? 
Beach or camping.  If money is tight we head to the country house and hang out in the mountains.


4. What is your dream vacation?
To take all the kids to Disneyworld.  If it was just Pooldad and me then I would want to go to Ireland with him.
5. When relaxing in the evening, let's say on a Friday night at home, what beverage is sitting next to you?
I always have a glass of ice water nearby.  If I want something sweet or with taste I drink iced/hot tea or pure cranberry juice.
6. Which "goal" in life have you achieved that gives you the most pleasure?
 Our marriage and our kids.  I am proud of the fact that we celebrate 17 years this year and that not one of our kids is of the "boomerang" nature.  They have worked hard and gone on to be self sustaining. happy, grounded adults. [Not to say we wouldn't welcome any of them home in a heartbeat if they needed a place to stay. :)]

7. Have you ever reluctantly done something you were urged to do by friends/family that you ended up really enjoying? (good or bad)
Water skiing.  I love the water but had never skied.  I can't say I can ski now, but I tried and laughed my behind off the whole time.

8. Have you ever done something that was, for you, very exciting, risky or dangerous?
When I was in car sales I used to take the sports cars out on deserted back roads [very curvy roads] and test them out at high rates of speed to see what they could do.  It was a lot of fun [I LOVE to drive] but I wouldn't do it now.

9. Have you ever had any "exotic" or unusual pets?
A ferret.  Never again.
10. Have you ever had an unusual job?
Truck parts delivery girl.  Only unusual because girls didn't usually do this type of work as it was dirty and back breaking at times. I loved it.


11. If you were available, and you found the right person, would you get married?
Nope.  After being married to Pooldad it just wouldn't get any better than this and I why do something you can't top? :D


11 Random Facts
1.  I can pick up anything with my feet.  It is a great skill when you are 9 months pregnant and there are barbies strewn all over the house.
2.  I was the pickiest eater when I was a kid.  I had to eat whatever was put in front of me, but I hated my mother's cooking.  I grew out of the pickiness, but never grew to like my mom's cooking.
3.  Yellow is my favorite color and I hate the color purple.
4.  I find chocolate to be highly overrated.
5.  I am a lousy interior decorator.  I am so indecisive when it comes to paint color.
6.  I can't walk around the house barefoot.  I have to wear slippers. Not socks, not shoes, just my slippers.
7.  I want to live in a really small house.  A big house takes a lot of energy to heat/cool and clean - and I just think it would be nice to do away with all the stuff we have accumulated and simplify our lives.
8.  I took 8 years of Spanish but I cannot speak it.  I can only read and write it.
9.  I am awful at remembering birthdays.
10.  I love to take long walks for exercise but I have never liked running.
11.  27 is my lucky number


Your 11 questions:
1.  What is you favorite childhood memory?
2.  What is your dream job?
3.  Who is your best friend?
4.  Have you ever been finger printed? Why?
5.  Have you ever been at fault in a car accident?
6.  If you could be a citizen of any country other than your own which would you choose?
7.  If you could have one talent which would earn you money, which would you choose?
8.  What thing do you find to be highly overrated?  Why?
9.  Who did you like better growing up - your Mom or your Dad?
10.  How often do you laugh?
11.  What is your favorite holiday?


I tag the following Tadpoles to answer the 11 questions and give 11 random facts about themselves.  Don't forget to tag 11 of your friends too!


Susan, Thisisme, Yum Yucky, Life in the Mom Lane, Teresa, Tessa, Waiter Extraordinaire, Purple Girl, Sous Gal, Tracy and Knitty.


Hope y'all have a great Thursday.  It's almost Friday - and what a wonderful week it has turned out to be. See ya' on the flipside gang.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Seeing Red

Happy Valentine's Day Tadpoles!

Although Pooldad and I don't exchange gifts or cards for the day [we always joke we have 364 other days to do that :D] we do have a tradition of having an all RED dinner.  Usually we have some sort of pasta with marinara sauce,  a salad topped with red Catalina dressing and homemade strawberry pie for dessert.  It is so, so good and one of the favorite meals here at Chez' Skippy.

Tonight we are going to have to alter the menu a bit because Wallene has practice until 9 pm and she will be eating dinner there.  Instead we will make a snack for all of us for when she comes home.

Ta-da!
Heart Shaped Pizzas:

Served with the salad and the pie:
 Homemade whipped cream:
And THAT is one SWEET Valentine's Day Dinner gang. :D 
[You know me - I am all about the food. heehee]

I hope y'all have a wonderful day celebrating those you love and those who love you. See ya' on the flip side!

[pics are mine - taken from previous V-day celebrations]

Monday, February 13, 2012

I Escaped. . .

From bed, from the same boring four walls. . .from being flat on my back, doing nuthin'.

Three guesses where we went. heehee  Okay, one. One guess.  Because you know me and I would only leave the house right now for one reason.

We went to visit Squirrel!  For the WHOLE weekend.  Not just a day trip, a full fledged, spend-the-night-in- a-hotel-kind-of-weekend.

Who says you can't bedrest at 70 mph?
Tadpoles it was cold. Dang cold.  We went from unseasonably warm winter weather [50 degrees F] to the teens with a windchill of ZERO.  We tried to stay inside as much as possible.
And it snowed on the drive down too!
Very pretty!

When we arrived in Harrisonburg we checked Spot into the hotel and took Squirrel to lunch.  After lunch we went back to the hotel where I went immediately to bed and the girls began their weekend.  Daddy took the girls back to campus where they hung out, went to the movies, ate in the dining hall and hung out some more. Then Dad took them for a snack at "The Dog Pound" an on campus,- midnight hot dog stand and then back to Squirrel's dorm room to order warm cookies [delivered] and watch more movies with her roommate [sans the parental figure].  Porcupine felt like such a college kid because she spent the night in the dorm.  Pretty cool. :)

Meanwhile, back at the hotel I slept the sleep of the dead, waking occasionally to tell the dog to shut up.  She whined - WHINED - the whole weekend.  About drove us bananas.  The only time she was without all four of us was when we went to lunch, but she whined on the trip down, when Dad got out of the van to pump gas, while we slept.  All four of us could be in the room and she would whine.  Bah.  I think it might have something to do with this being her first trip without her partner in crime, Scooby, but I am not a dog whisperer, so I spent the whole time shushing her.

Now for a couple of shout outs to folks that made our weekend so nice -

To Comfort Inn [and especially Katie] - Thank you for being so friendly and accommodating, for the clean, super comfortable rooms and the heat! :)  We love being repeat customers with y'all.

To Bob Evan's Restaurant [and our waitress Christine] - The food was piping hot, delicious and the service was first rate.  We will be back very soon.

Mostly - Thank you to Squirrel's fantastic roommate who made Wallene feel welcome and okay'd her overnight stay.  It really meant a lot to the sisters to hang out together [without Mom & Dad] and they had a great time with you Saturday night. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Yep - I'd say they had a good time!
Have a great week Tadpoles.  Try and stay warm.  Winter finally decided to show up. :D

See ya' on the flipside.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Prostitute Nails

At least that is what my lovely daughter [Wallene] calls them. heehee

Yes, those are my real nails.  Yes, I do my own manicure. And no, I haven't cut them in about 2 months.  Hey!  I hate doing my nails.  It's tedious, but they look better with polish [hides all the gunk I get under them. I kid, I kid!]  Wallene thinks they look like "Lee Press On Nails" hence why she calls them "Prostitute Nails."

Thank you honey. Such a compliment. ::eyeroll::

Now that I have your attention [with the title] I want to tell you about a new blog I found.  It is called Mystic Mud and I have nearly fallen in love with the Mom, the Dad and their 10 [yes, TEN] kids.  They relocated from Oregon to the mountains of Tennessee and currently are living on top of a mountain in single wide mobile home with no running water.  You guys think I'm upbeat?  You have to go read her blog to see what a truly positive attitude is.  The whole family is amazing. :) [Tell her Skippy says "Hey!"]

Finally - I heard this quote yesterday and I think it is applicable for a lot of the people I know.  Tell me what you think:

"Life is a tragedy for those who feel, but a comedy for those who think."

I laughed, because it is so very true.  I see both sides all the time in my friends and family.

Hope you are all having a great week.  See ya' on the flipside. :)

Friday, February 3, 2012

I'm A Moose


What wild animal are you?
The Moose
Confident enough to go it alone, but gregarious enough to emerge as the life of the party, those who relate most to the moose appreciate all that goes into protecting important habitat. Moose rely on wild forests, meadows, lakes and streams, and likewise, those with a strong affinity for moose are in their own way the total package. They are lively and humorous, and know the secret to a long life is maintaining a sense of humor.

To see more on Betty White's love for wild animals and places or sign up to help save wilderness, check out The Wilderness Society's web site: http://wilderness.org/mywilderness/betty.
Facebook quizzes, quiz apps & blog quizzes by Quibblo
Yep. I'm a Moose!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Okay, My Mood Has Improved Dramatically

I was quite cranky in my last post.  My lovely family remedied it by serving up a dinner of leftovers so-o-o-o good I can't help but smile and be happy.
 
YUM!
 

Homemade mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, roasted chicken, mixed veggies over a hot waffle.
 
My wonderful husband roasted the chicken, made the gravy and whipped up the mashed potatoes on Tuesday. Wallene cranked out the waffles tonight - and viola' - dinner in minutes.
 
On another dinner related note - Pooldad made chicken noodle soup from the leftover chicken carcass last night.  That was delicious too!
 
And we still have leftovers.  Not too shabby for an $11 roaster chicken.
 
Happy, happy, happy!

Truth is Thursday. . .

Truth is. . .our baby called Sunday. She was missing us. [We both cried.]

Truth is. . .I sucked it up and we roadtripped to JMU for lunch and shopping.

Truth is. . .The Texas Roadhouse restaurant is incredibly overpriced for mediocre food.  The only thing not frozen or out of a can was a Caesar salad we ordered.  Kind of a let down for $80.  I should also point out that I did not order anything.  Only the kids and Pooldad did.

Truth is.  . .it was wonderful to see her, as always, but I need to get much, much better before I attempt a car trip like that again.

Truth is.  . .in an attempt to get better I went to another new doctor today.

Truth is.  . .they refused to see me because I did not have a picture ID.  I had my insurance card, but no ID. No appointment.

Truth is. . .I do not have a valid picture ID because I do not drive.  Ever. And I see no reason to have a state issued "walker's ID" so please don't even suggest it.

Truth is. . .I am 45 years old and I have NEVER been asked for a picture ID to be seen by a doctor.

Truth is.  . .they were incredibly rude about it [well, from what I could understand through their heavily accented English.]  Having three different people tell me the same thing does not mitigate the fact that I was pissed off.

Truth is. . .we won't be going back there.  I am still mad.

Truth is. . .now we have to find another doctor tomorrow.  This requires me working up the energy to get ready to leave the house again.

Truth is. . .I used to be able to shower, do my hair and get dressed in under 30 minutes.  Now it takes 2 hours.

Truth is. . .I just want to feel like ME again.

Have a good weekend Tadpoles.  Pooldad has a 4 day weekend! Yippee!

The Cereal Fairy Came to Visit

And she sent Wallene three [3!] boxes of Alpha Bits today.

The lovely Miss Josie over at Yum Yucky [go visit, get healthy. . .you'll be glad you did] was blogging about healthy cereals.  She was reminiscing about the childhood goodness of Alpha Bits, which I remember too, and she mentioned that they aren't available everywhere.  She said a good substitute would be the Quaker Hearts Cereal.

We bought the Quaker cereal and yes, it is delicious, but it isn't Alpha Bits.  Lovely little hearts to eat but you can't spell anything with them before eating them like you can with Alpha Bits.  Y'know, things like "Mitt Romney is a tool" or "I love Andy Gibb".
Or this:

We can't thank you enough Josie.  You are too much and we love ya' for it!