Brian Regan on Flying

Love. So funny. Nearly peed my pants watching him with the girls the other night.

"It comes with a turnip and a spork."

Tim Hawkins Scary Bedtime Prayer

I've been obsessed with this guy today. Laughing, laughing, laughing... still laughing...
This one is BY FAR my favorite. His scary face is solid.

Soup de Jour

Quinn and I have fallen into the glorious habit of cooking together. I enjoy this immensely; we spend time together, chopping vegetables and stirring our concoctions with anticipation. Concoctions, you say? Yes. We've learned, over the past couple of years with a slim purse, how to cook cheaply and there's nothing cheaper to make than soup. Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Soup, Black Bean Soup, Pinto Bean Soup, Chicken and Rice Soup, Taco Soup, Tortilla Soup, name it and we come up with something. Not having all of the ingredients for the soup never bothers me, what does an Internet recipe know anyway? So we make do, come up with delicious alternatives, and then I promptly never think to write it down. If you have broth, veggies, a leetle bit of meat (though not always required), and a cupboard full of spices, then you can make a delicious concoction yourself. Shaun, Virginia's husband, once said that he hated to bake because it required too exact of measurements, when, with cooking you really can do just what you like to make it taste as you like. I've come to believe him, though I've not always thought that it was so. Why would you change a perfectly good recipe?
Well, it started when I never had the EXACT amount of ingredients for this recipe or that recipe, or if I was missing an ingredient entirely. I used to dismiss the recipe altogether, but then I thought, "why not try it without that". This led to, "but I don't like that, what if I did this instead?" Now, I've nearly become too arrogant (say it ain't so) with my liberations with recipes. Or, perhaps I should say that we (hubby and myself) have become too liberal because we usually make the soups together. Though, I prefer to call it scientific (doesn't that sound better?). We test things and glory in our success. And soups are usually very successful because you can always add more broth or spices or veggies or whathaveyou to ensure the success.
You may be saying to yourself, "But I could never do that! What if I get it wrong? I don't know even how to start!" Well, my dear reader, why am I blogging about it? Surely not to gloat in your face! I, in my soup knowledge arrogance, will help you get started.

First: A lot of our soups are chicken based. Cooking a whole chicken is cheap (a heckuva lot cheaper than just cooking chicken breasts) and then you have your own chicken stock. You can accomplish this by boiling a chicken until the juices run clear, but I loathe the smell of boiling chicken and prefer to roast mine. Just throw the chicken in a roasting pan, fill the pan halfway with water and season the top of the chicken with whatever spices make you happy. We usually use garlic salt (because it is always here). Bake at 350 degrees for approximately two hours, or until juices run clear. Save the liquid (hello, chicken stock) in a covered container until you are ready to use. I can usually get about 6 cups of cooked meat off a whole chicken and I store them in Ziploc bags until I'm ready to use them. For those in a time pinch, get a rotisserie chicken from the store. Of course, you don't have to use chicken. You could use beef or bacon or ham. Or be vegetarian. You are the boss!

Secondly: Flavor. So you've made your chicken, and you've learned how to cut the meat off the bone and save the broth for your soup experimenting. Now, let's think of the beginning of the soup. Flavor is the key, which is monumental in most recipes (who wants a flavorless meal?). We always (always, always, always) start any soup recipe (and many other recipes as well) with a whole chopped onion and minced garlic (yes, Shaun, it's fresh). If I have celery, then I chop some of that, too. Saute onion and garlic (and celery) with Extra Virgin Olive Oil until it is tender. Doing this at the beginning enhances the flavor of your soup and nearly ensures your success with experimenting. These ingredients are always at our house; they are like milk and bread.

Thirdly: The stuff in it. After sauteing your onion and such, pour in your chicken stock. I always pour in a box (32 oz) of chicken broth, too (unless, of course, your base is beef-then use beef broth... Vegetarian broth is also handy if that's your preference) to increase the amount of soup. You can use water and chicken bouillon as well. Then comes the stuff in it. You can use as much or as little chicken as you like (I used about a cup of chicken in our soup today, and just cut it very small to stretch it) and then dumped whatever my little head desired in the pot. I had a hankering (shutup, I live in MS) for artichoke hearts (yum) and decided to base my recipe around that. I cut up a can of the hearts with the chicken and dumped them in the pot. Then comes the real dumping. Let's see, I put in raw broccoli and spinach today, two cans of Northern Beans, and the chicken and artichoke hearts. The beauty of soup experimentation is that you get to decide what you want! The consistency was to my preference (it can be thin or thick) and so then I went to spices. Spices are VERY important. You could really use salt and pepper if that's what you have, but why not mix it up a bit? My standard favorite spices to add to any soup are cumin, red pepper, ground mustard, and italian seasoning. I'll start off with a teaspoon of each, then judge how I like the taste. Sometimes I'll add curry, chili powder, or cajun seasoning to spice things up a bit. And then I'll add salt to taste. I've also replaced a taco seasoning packet for my favorite spices or add a Ranch packet to make things a bit creamier.

Lastly: the rolling boil. After all ingredients are in the pot, we turn the heat on high and let it boil for about 10 minutes, stirring the whole time to ensure the soup not burning. Then we let is simmer for however long we need it to. The longer it simmers, the better the flavor is. Serve it up with whatever you like.

Ideas: Since the beginning process is very similiar everytime we cook (the sauteing and such), only the stuff in it changes. Here are some ideas to change things up:

Taco Soup: 1 can each kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, corn, Rotel tomatoes and diced tomatoes. Add taco packet (and Ranch, if you want) as seasoning.

Bean Soup: Add four cans pinto beans, 1 can spaghetti sauce (we use Hunts), and can diced tomatoes. Season as you like. This was one of my favorite soups ever. We used a lot of Italian Seasoning

Vegetable Dump: This is fun! Take whatever leftovers you have (yes seriously) and dump it in the pot. Add cans of whatever to stretch the soup. Season as desired.

Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Soup: This one I've used for a long time and used to have a recipe for it, but it's long gone. I just go by memory now. 4 cans black-eyed peas, 2 cans tomatoes (I use one Rotel and one diced plain). Use 1 to 1 1/2 tsps of cumin, curry, ground mustard, and chili powder. We usually (though not always) saute 1/2 pound of bacon in the pot and then and then saute onions and garlic in the bacon fat. Mmmmmm.... This is in lieu of sauteing with olive oil, though you may choose to do that instead. This is a spicy one, but my kids gobble it up! They like it with the chopped bacon (that you cooked at the beginning), shredded cheese and a spoonful of sour cream. This is the soup pictured at the top of this post.

Fillers: Adding 1 cup of uncooked rice or 1 to 2 cups of dry pasta before you boil the soup will stretch your meal. Or, as Crissy Sharp says, "Put a can of corn in it." I like to say that with an extra thick southern accent. Because it's fun.

Experimentation is fun! Give it a go.

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday. Last year, we were at Community Presbyterian (home church in AL), had a pancake supper with our congregation on Tuesday night, which was followed by information about Lent. My husband helped plan this meeting and I was planning Lent Sunday School lessons and the preparation of our hearts for Easter in Sunday School (teaching 4k and 5K). We've done this the past few years, and last year was the first year our church observed it together. I loved it. My jogging group would talk about the gospel during our runs and our general need for Christ, sometimes with tears and broken hearts. There's something about giving up something you enjoy (that may be very hard to do), to make you see your own lack of self-worth. It's very introspective. It's meant to be.

This year, I didn't even really think about it until yesterday, when I arrived at work and everyone was wearing Mardi Gras beads (apparently, Mardi Gras is a big deal in Jackson, MS), and the children made masks and such in their classes. Double blink. How could I forget? I enjoyed it so much last year. Did I enjoy it because I was participating with my husband and a group of good friends? Did I enjoy it because I participated in giving up something that I loved? Was my own self-righteousness the reason why I loved Lent last year? Pause... Our church does not "do" Lent here (as a whole- maybe some families do it independently) and Quinn has been swamped with schoolwork and has not thought about it. Guilt.

I loathe seeing my own self-righteousness.

And yet, seeing it breaks me and points me to the cross. My heart is filled with selfish ambition and my own self-importance. Lent is never about me. It's about Christ and me seeing my need for Him.

Love It

see more pwn and owned pictures


LOL. Can you see this happening? I can and it makes me laugh harder.

Reflections of a Human

We went to Birmingham this weekend for our church's 25th anniversary. It was lovely. I'm sad the weekend went by so fast.

There are a hundred things whirling about in my wee brain, but I shall not wax eloquent (ha) on them this morning (class starts in 20 minutes). Instead, I will give you, in question form, a tidbit (if you will) of my thoughts.

Seminary time is a strange time. We're living completely different lives than we used to. How will this reflect on our future? Will this play out in our ministry?

Am I really going to be a pastor's wife someday? The thought of that makes me tear up and want to throw my head in my hands and sob. I don't feel like I'm cut out for the job. And yet, it appears that it will happen. Husband will be a peach of pastors. And I shall be his liability.

Crow's feet is making me angry. My vanity is an absolute idol. How can I be a leader and yet have so many things that I worship other than God? Be honest. I cast it off as "obsessive compulsive" (eating, laundry, exercise, appearance, performance), but is it really that I'm building my own dissolving, crumbling, imperfect kingdom? There is such a fine line between being healthy and being obsessed. I never walk that line. I think about it and jump right into obsessiveness.

Where will we live when we go back to Birmingham?

Will I have another baby? Or two?

Am I really thinking about going back to school this summer? Because I sure am procrastinating on getting things started.

Rachel, Rachel, Rachel... What will she do? Who will she marry? Where will she live? She is our girl, though I never birthed her. I watch her with interest and fear.

My heart is full and there are tears behind my eyes. Life is unsure, though I'm pretty sure of my calling. Why did He choose me for this purpose? I am unworthy of the calling.

Valentime's Day

Have you ever noticed that a lot of children will say ValentiMe's Day instead of ValentiNe's Day? If you haven't noticed, then I'm telling you, THEY DO. It must be easier to pronounce the M instead of the N. Well, this fact has not escaped my music teacher at school (she's a smart cookie), who integrated spelling the word Valentine out loud with the children and having the children practice pronouncing in together for her lesson this week. It would go a little bit like this:

"Boys and girls, why are we singing songs about 'being my Valentine'?"

All together, with big smiles and sparkling eyes, "Because it's close to Valentime's Day!"

"Yes. Boys and Girls, let's look at this chart together. Spell Valentine with me." She uses and pointer and points to each letter as the children spell it with her. "V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E." Big smiles. "Yes. Very good. Tell me, boys and girls, is there an M in that word?"

"Noooooo." Big smiles.

"You're right. There is no M in the word Valentine. We don't say, 'Val-en-tiiimme'. There is no M. Watch my lips, boys and girls: Vaaalll-ennn-tiiinne. Don't put your lips together at the end of the word. Vaaalll-ennn-tiiinne. Can you try that?"

"Vaaalll-ennn-tiiiMMe."

"No, boys and girls, not 'mmmm', 'nnnn'. Don't put your lips together. Try to say 'nnnn'."

"nnnnnnn."

"Very good. Now let's try to say Vaaalll-ennn-tiiinne."

"Vaaaallll-ennn-tiiiNNe."

"Very good!" She points to a picture of a Valentine Mailbox on the poster. "Boys and girls can you tell me what this is?" Hands shoot up. She calls on a child.

"It's a Valentime Mail Box!!!"

Sigh...

The DOOM of the Squirrel

This past weekend, Quinn decided to clean out the fireplace. We've not lit a fire in it this winter because it was advised that we wait to get it cleaned first. We called a couple of chimney sweepers (cue Dick van Dike image from Mary Poppins) and, WOW!, they are not cheap (cue Dick van Dike image with angry eyebrows holding out his hand for money)). So, Quinn decided that he would give it a go. He's handy and he's cheap (in a good way) and I have full confidence in his abilities. It's a very messy job (I sat, invisible, on the couch, reading a book), but I think he actually liked getting dirty. While he was sitting on the hearth, cleaning out the inside of the fireplace, he opened the grate (???) to let things that might've gotten trapped up there fall to the bottom. And then, THUMP, a THING lands in the bottom of the fireplace. A dead thing. That used to be alive. Sad story. The previous weekend, we had heard much loud (very loud) scratching from the top of the fireplace, and since we didn't really know how to get the critter out, we just hoped that he would figure it out himself (he got in, didn't he?). Yeah, he didn't make it.

Poor little guy. The children were nearly in tears, but Daddy quickly took care of the deceased squirrel and finished cleaning the fireplace. After I took a picture, of course. Morbid.
But see? Now we have a working fireplace. And I am happy. Because the living room is the coldest room in the whole house.

Thee End.

All Aboard the Sarcasm Train (choo!choo!)

Here we are, in the middle of winter and my seasonal depression crap has kicked in full force. I'm weepy and depressed and really could just do with some warmer temps and some flip flops without my little piggies turning into ice cubes. I realize that I'm in Mississippi and you folks up in those colder states are pointing and laughing at me. And perhaps even (gasp!)scoffing at me. Show me some sympathy! I grew up in Florida and this time of year, my little Floridian heart longs for the warm sun (yeah, don't ask me about being a Floridian in August- I'll deny it- the sun will melt the hair off your head). My best defense against the winter blues (besides driving my husband crazy with incessant tears) is sarcasm.

We celebrated Groundhog Day today at school and will celebrate it the whole week by singing joyous Groundhog Day songs and reading ancient Groundhog Day stories at school. What? Did you NOT celebrate Punxsatawney Phil emerging his tiny, rodent head out of the ground? Well THAT is a travesty.

Of course, this holiday (snort) shall be IMMEDIATELY followed by Valentine's Day, oh the day that made Hallmark stores what they are today. I will make 60 Valentine's Day cards this weekend (possibly 70!) and make four dozen cupcakes next week for school parties. And sing Valentine's songs aplenty.

And, OF COURSE, that will be immediately followed by President's Day. Do you have your President's Day cards filled out and ready to mail? I'm a little behind on that right now. You know, I may not actually get those out this year. Wipe your tears.

Contrary to my previous statements, I actually am enjoying these events. It will make February go by quickly and March brings (ta-dah!) Spring!! And Spring Break! And Daffodils! And Cherry Blossoms! And open-toed sandals! Well, maybe not open-toed sandals in March (a mistake I make every year), but there will be a lot more open-window days. Sigh.

Off to get a blanket for my frozen piggies...

An excerpt from The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe

Hear the loud alarum bells -
Brazen bells!
What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune,
In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire,
Leaping higher, higher, higher,
With a desperate desire,
And a resolute endeavor
Now - now to sit, or never,
By the side of the pale - faced moon.
Oh, the bells, bells, bells!
What a tale their terror tells
Of Despair!
How they clang, and clash and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
Yet the ear, it fully knows,
By the twanging,
And the clanging,
How the danger ebbs and flows;
Yet the ear distinctly tells,
In the jangling,
And the wrangling,
How the danger sinks and swells,
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells -
Of the bells -
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells -
In the clamor and the clanging of the bells!

Read the whole poem here.
There are four parts to this poem by Poe. This is my favorite excerpt; the other two are about jolly jingle bells (woah), happy wedding bells (but you know death will be a part of it somewhere), and death bells tolling (ding, ding!). My heart started to race as I read this section; I just sensed the apprehension of waiting to find out just what WAS the emergency in which the bells were sounding? I love it when he writes:

...Of the bells- Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells-

I can hear his agitation and panic. And madness, let's not forget madness. Love it.
Just in case you didn't know... Edgar Allen Poe's birthday was January 19, 1809 (this, of course, bears a strange coincidence to it being my brother-in-law's birthday-he can do a great, ominous laugh, btw). This is the 200th anniversary of the year of his birth. There are celebrations the whole year through! You know what that means, don't you? That we will celebrate here, on my blog. Oh yeah, I'll wait for you to stop leaping for joy.

Happy Birthday, Poe. Dude, I love your stuff.

Twenty-five

Love these things. I recently did this for Facebook and thought I would post it here. Consider yourself tagged.

1. I'm way more girly than I used to be. I Love jewelry, make-up, high heels (with cool hose or tights), interesting color combos, and jackets (year round).
2. I loathe winter though I love winter clothes (scarves and a vintage leather Agner trench I adore).
3. I've just started (in the past year or so) reading the "classics". I refused to read them in high school because I didn't want someone to tell me what to read. I used Cliff's Notes. Cheater, cheater pumpkin eater.
4. Come to think of it, I cheated a lot in high school. My mother is so proud. Stop cringing, Mother.
5. The older I get, the more OCD I get. About everything. Don't get me started on laundry.
6. Alright, you got me started. All the laundry must be clean, all the time. It doesn't have to be folded and put away, but it does have to smell good. I must smell every piece of laundry as I fold it. Sniff, mmmm. Sniff, mmmm. Sniff, mmmm. Some of you know this and are rolling your eyes right now.
7. I have very vivid dreams and nightmares. Sometimes, I wake up and don't know where I am. And I scare the crap out of my husband with screams or sobbing.
8. I love chocolate (if you've known me for ANY length of time, then you know this), but I cannot eat it anymore because I think it is linked to me having dizzy spells (what? I can say "dizzy spells" like an old lady) and headaches.
9. I. Want. To. Have. More. Babies.
10. I enjoy cooking. A lot more than I did than when I got married. I was a tad bit intimidated of my in-laws and their ability to cook amazing southern food. I think we had been married for three years when I ventured to be brave enough to try a recipe on my own.
11. I'm incredibly lazy, which is why Facebook is so appealing. It's pretending to do something, while you're really just being very, VERY lazy. "Hmmm, I think I'll look at Flair and give it to somebody. They will love it. I'm so productive." Flair is fun.
12. I love pretending to be the bad guy. I love to do an evil laugh (bwahahaha) and tap my fingers evil-ly. Especially with my children, who like to run from the room, screaming. Need a baby sitter?
13. I wish I could play the guitar. I can't get past the whole "wow, my fingers are really bleeding" thing.
14. I christmas-treed the SAT's in high school. Yeah, I didn't do very well on it. Wait, I only did that on the math part. There, that makes it better.
15. I don't like taking prescription medication. I think it's because I have a bit (BIT) of an addictive personality.
16. I never smoked weed. I did smoke two clove cigarettes in college (Yes, Bible college) and got as sick as a dog. I'm talking green and laying on the bathroom floor kind of sick. Never cared much for the smell of cloves after that.
17. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I just love to dress up and pretend. I never really grew out of that.
18. I'm a wee bit morbid. It kind of goes with that "I like to pretend I'm the bad guy" thing. And I adore Edgar Allen Poe. By the way, did you know that January is his birthday month? It's true. I'm gonna have to do something about that.
19. I know a lot of information about Ted Bundy. A lot. Yes, the serial killer.
20. I want to lose ten pounds. Never satisfied with my weight. Pretty frustrating, actually.
21. I'm going to bleach my sheets today. I LOOOOOOVE the smell of bleached sheets. Sniff, mmmm.
22. I've learned to love running. But you may be bored hearing about that by now. "yeah, yeah, we know. You love to run. Shutup."
23. I wish I were more disciplined with stuff. And not so lazy.
24. I want to make the goal to be three inches taller. Yes.
25. I'm only motivated to clean my house when there are people coming over. And there are. In about five hours. Toodles.

Five Things I Thought Were True About Running

1. Fancy, shmancy running clothes make you faster. While this is not true, they do make you look cooler and that counts for something. For me anyway. Because I'm a vain peacock.

2. It looks painful. Or beautiful. Depending on who you watch run. I probably look like I'm in pain, especially if I'm singing a lil' ditty.

3. It is a good way to get in shape. This is true, but not in the way I'm thinking. I'm thinking I should look like Kate
by now (duh, from Lost), but I don't. I'm thinking she probably exercises a LOT more than I do and generally eats less. And she definitely has cooler hair. No, I'm NOT jealous. Okay, maybe a little. (Hello, THIS WEEK is the season premiere!)

4. It's boring. It's not boring. I actually, ahem, like it. And like it more every week that I do it. It's alone time, chatting time (with Melanie- we run together twice a week), laughing time (alone and with Melanie- yeah, sometimes I look crazy), and a time for me to think and process and recover and contemplate and be goal-oriented and be thankful and be mad and be happy and be curious and think about my humanity.

5. You'll grow to hate it. Not so. I've grown to love it and look forward to it. To feel sweaty, feel my feet beat the pavement, feel my arms swing, to go slow, to go fast- I feel very human and very alive.

Here's a great way to start.

Cock-a-doodle-doo

Daddy and Felix have a conversation.

Daddy: "Hey, Sweet Cheex Beex!" He says this in his "I'm talking to the kids voice", which is so cute.

Felix: "I not a sweet cheex, Daddy. I a big boy."

Daddy: "Well, you're a silly goose!"

Felix: "I not a silly goose, Daddy. You don't hear me cock-a-doodle-do, do ya?"

I guess not.

Wearing Pink

I'm sporting pink today, in honor of Magdalena. She passed away on Monday morning in her Momma and Daddy's arms. Magdalena had Edward's Syndrome. Her Mom, Julia, started keeping a blog in May of 2008, after she was told that her baby she was carrying was going to be born with Edward's. Go here to read her story. Quinn shares a class with Noah, Magdalena's Daddy, and has admired his courage and his faith in the Sustainer of our strength.

Today is the funeral. They've requested people attending the funeral wear pink, in honor of their precious baby girl. I'm not able to go, but am there in spirit.
Pray with me as they go through their grief.

Cake Withdrawal

So...

I feel a lot better.

The vertigo has gone away, for the most part (I still have occasional twinges). I'm so glad.


I miss cake.

Proof A Photo Can Haunt You

Can you find me? Yeah, the creepy lookin' one. Please note: all the other girls are smiling (my sister-in-law, Kerri, on the far right-standing). I am not smiling. I am intimidating. And apparently modeling the most awesome hairstyle ever.

This is from Camp Ikthus, maybe in '97 or '98. We dressed that way (what way??) for Kangaroo Court. I loved it. I'm sure there are more of these out there.

Fun times.
Love it, LOVE it, LOVE THE CAMERA!

Self-Diagnosed

The scan was clear.

We found out Friday afternoon that the scan was clear, which is good news (duh), but that leaves me still feeling dizzy and not knowing why.

I talked to the nurse, who seemed at a loss for words (did she want the scan to NOT be clear???). She said, "Well, do you want to come back in?". Um, why? I told her I would call them back if I wanted to talk to the doctor or if I needed a referral to see an ENT (ear, nose, and throat specialist). (Don't call us, we'll call you). I started thinking (ouch, OUCH!), and was determined to figure this thing out myself. At this point (around 4:00 Friday afternoon), I was actually feeling okay (the headache did not have its vice grips on anymore) and the dizzy "cloud" (that's what it kind of feels like in front of my eyes) had lessened.

So....what was the difference? I had taken a Meclizine pill (the prescribed medication for dizziness), which might have helped, but I had still been feeling bad three hours after I had taken it that morning. The only other thing I had done differently that morning was sliver off chocolate cake periodically throughout the morning. Pause... And I had eaten a fat slab of it the night before... and the night before that. And woke up feeling wretched the two mornings in a row after consuming it. Hmmm... Maybe it had something to do with sugar overload. I did google "can sugar contribute to dizziness?" and saw chat rooms and web sites where people were talking about that. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can cause dizziness and such and it does run in my family, but I didn't think that it would carry on for two weeks. However, I decided to limit (cutting way back) on my sugar over the next few days to see what would happen. On Friday night, I didn't have any dessert, and woke up Saturday without the hangover-type headache I had woken up with the prior two days, though the dizziness "cloud" was still there (but to a much lesser degree than the day before). I took another Meclizine, had an egg for breakfast (instead of cereal), and started taking a vitamin supplement called lipo-flavonoid (I picked it up at CVS), which is supposed to help with "inner ear health" and Meniere's disease (Jan, you should check this out!). By Saturday afternoon, I felt almost completely better. The dizziness cloud was gone and my headache was minuscule.

I will continue to lower my sugar intake and take the supplements for the remainder of this week to see how it goes. This morning I woke up with a little bit of the "cloud", but no headache.

I know you all are hanging on a thread waiting to see what will happen.

"Oh no, no chocolate cake? Whatever will she do? I just can't wait to see what happens this week with her new diet! This is so exciting."

I know, that's you. You'll just have to wait and see.

What Am I Doing Right Now?

...Listening to my Pandora station

...Running white vinegar through my dishwasher to help dishes not be "cloudy"

...bleaching my sheets because of a disasterous nosebleed Silas had. He kinda freaks when he sees blood. He rarely cries if he's injured, but if he sees blood (even if he's not injured), he totally freaks. The spray of blood on my sheets looks suspicious. Hopefully CSI won't come with one of their blue-light thingy-s (official name) to find blood. Well, hopefully they won't come at all. I'm guessing they won't. No murders here, lately.

...putting away a mound of laundry that looks suspiciously like I'm hiding something under. Like a dead body. The red chair in my bedroom attracks laundry.

I swear I'm not hiding a dead body.

What the heck? I must have CSI on the brain.

...comtemplating the CT Scan today, which I've come to believe will be a complete waste of time. And money. But we're going anyway.

...wearing pajamas, because I'm home from work. I like being home.

...packing for Grandma's, because we're going this afternoon to pick up Cheex (that's Felix), who's been with Grandmother this week. I've missed him so much.

...diagnosing myself, because I'm an expert at such things. I believe I have Benign Positional Vertigo, which (I remembered today - would've probably been helpful information yesterday at the doctor's office), that I was diagnosed with this 10 years ago. The exercises are what is horrid about the recovery.

...unless, of course, I have Meniere's Disease, which means I'll treat symptoms forever.

...Either one has no preventable measures. Unless you count "avoid head injuries", as preventable. Which I can't and can't.
What can I say? I'm clumsy.

...thinking about going to chiropractor to see if he can do something with my ear crystals. Sounds weird, but several people have mentioned it, and I've been reading about it today. And, call me crazy (too late), but I'm tired of being dizzy. And headachy. And nauseated.

...sigh... need to go finish get ready for stuff.

Results?

So I went to the doctor today.

Long story (very, very long) short, I've got Vertigo.

Ta-dah.

Also, for your information, I'm not pregnant, I don't have high blood sugar, my blood pressure is a-okay, and, in general, I'm the picture of health.

Except for the nagging Vertigo symptoms, I'm topnotch.

The doctor was concerned about my Vertigo symptoms because there was no sign of why I should have them (usually, this time of year, Vertigo is accompanied with fluid behind the ears because of colds and/or allergies). So, he decided I should have a CT Scan.

Ahem.

I'm sure everything is fine. Though, there is a slight discomforting feeling when the doctor says, "I kinda wish I DID see something in your blood tests."

What does that mean?

He actually was very kind; thorough and gentle. I liked him.

Tomorrow I go get the CT Scan.

Today I'm taking medicine to help with the Vertigo. It's helping. A bit.

Here's to being normal soon. For me anyway.

Randomology

I like eggs, but I don't like the smell of them cooking (until they are done) or the smell they have as they are washing in the dishwasher. Bleah.

The same goes with ground beef.

I always like the smell of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, for those who aren't in the know. like me). I like the smell of it cooking or straight from the bottle. It just smells good.

The same goes with shampoo. Except that I never cook shampoo.

On Tuesdays, I eat lunch with Silas and his class at school. I get asked a lot of interesting questions, like today when little Joshua said, "Hey, Mrs. Hill, do you want to see how I can flatten my cheeseburger to make a pancake?" Ugh. No, but thank you for checking. Also, if children ask you, "Mrs. Hill, do you want to see us race to see who can drink our milk the fastest?", the correct answer is "no", otherwise I cannot be responsible for what you see coming out a six-year old's nose and mouth.

I still have Vertigo symptoms. Annoying, annoying, ANNOYING. I'm almost ready to go to the Doctor. Almost. I loathe a co-pay. And taking medicine. And going to the doctor to have them tell me, "Yes, ma'am, I'm afraid you have Vertigo. There's really not much you can do about it, but thanks for stopping by. Will that be debit or credit?" Or, even worse, to have them tell me (like a doctor did ten years ago when I had inner-ear Vertigo in college), "This is what I want you to do. Sit down in a chair and vigorously shake your head back and forth and up and down for thirty seconds. Then, immediately stop and focus on an object in the room. Do this three times a day. This will re-train your brain to not have Vertigo." And also make me throw-up. A lot. It's torture. I did it the other night (sheer desperation), and then slept for twelve hours after I couldn't open my eyes from the migraine headache it produced.

So, that being said, I'm afraid I'm going to be one of those old people who has to tell you all of my aches and pains. I don't want to be that way. So, nix the previous paragraph, unless you already read it, then, um, I'm sorry. Just pray I don't get pregnant while I have a blog. You're in for it then. I'm not a pleasant pregnant person. Alternate personality takes over.

Yawn. Well, my goodness, it's 8:07pm and I'm pooped out. Off to bed.