Mmmm Soup

I found this recipe in an old foodie mag of my mum's and I'm dying to try it. All I need is a jar of salsa and some hungry people.

Refried Bean Soup


1 Can Refried Beans (16 ounces)

1 can whole kernel corn (15 ounces), drained

1 can (15 ounces) black beans rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth

1 can (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes

1 can (4 oz) green chilis

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup salsa



In a large saucepan combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield 8 servings (2 quarts)


From Sept/Oct 2007 Simple & Delicious Magazine

New Hair

Yesterday I got a good 4 inches cut from my hair.

Yikes.

However, I'm really pleased with the new cut.

Got some snazzy new clothes yesterday too.

Woo hoo!

I've even managed to keep some of my stress weight loss off!

Golf clap for me!!

When Life And Jimmy Buffett Collide

Oh yeah...I'm feeling this song...I love Jimmy's version...but I also love the original by Sam Cooke and Cat Stevens' version too

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs that are a "treat" to listen to

1. Mika - Lollipop
2. Elvis Costello - So Like Candy
3. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Candyman
4. Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy
5. The Beatles - Savoy Truffle

Inspiration

It has been a long while since I contemplated writing a story again. I'm guessing that since I'm at that angsty point in my life once more, I can conjure up some interesting characters.

I'm plotting out a cozy mystery of sorts..

So far...I have a setting: England
Mystery to be solved: Stolen relic
Characters: Spinster daughter of the local gentry and the vicar


Here's hoping I can pull this all together and make it work.

Emotional Music

Sometimes there are albums that you absolutely must play at certain times in your life.

Costello's Brutal Youth is my angsty, feeling unrequited love album. It is no wonder that I've been playing it non-stop lately.

It just seems to fit the mood I'm in.

You know that, I'm lonely, no one loves me....feeling sorry for myself and have somehow managed to get feelings for totally inappropriate people kind of mood?

Yeah...let's just plaster that big ole "L" on my forehead now...and I'll blare Just About Glad from my speakers...and maybe in a few weeks I'll be over this and back to normal.

Do ya think its possible?

Drama -- I Has It

Took dad to the hematologist today. They did blood work. His count was 10.2, so he got his Procrit shot.

All is well at the doctor's office.

I then proceed to Giant Eagle to get the fixings for dinner. (Spaghetti) afterwards, I promised to split a chicken strip basket with him. Prednisone does wonders for his appetite!

I am in the store for 10 minutes tops...long enough to pick up 4 donuts, a can of sauce, a lb of ground chuck and the noodles.

When I get out...Dad has the mother of all nose bleeds and he's gone into full panic attack mode.

ARGH!

I'm trying to keep him calm because I don't want to spend 4 hours with ER doctor's laughing at me. I also know that this nosebleed looks worse than it is. Dad left his hanky at home.

ARGH!

Get him home...and about 20 minutes later...the nose bleed is gone.

Panic attack is over.

I didn't get my chicken strip basket from Dairy Queen.

However, all is well...

Pass me the Mike's Hard Black Cherry Lemonade!

Sometimes

Sometimes people come into your life for a reason.

I'm sure many of you know that our former pastor was put on administrative leave because of some rather unsavory allegations. I considered this man a friend, and I still do.

When that happened I lost a good deal of my faith. I went to church only when I was scheduled to be a lector. There were times when I wanted to give that up. I've been a lector in our parish since I was confirmed ages ago...I'd say I've been a lector for 20 years.

Then my dad got sick in December ...and in February we had a new pastor assigned to our church. I can say truthfully that if it weren't for Father Jerry, I wouldn't be Catholic.

In him, I've found a pastor that is also a good friend, who listens to me, and who has really been wonderful when my dad has been in the hospital.

I don't know why he was chosen for our parish, but I'm very glad he is here.

Painful Crush

I hate it when I suffer from unrequited love/lust/infatuation.

Why does this always happen to me.

I find someone that clicks with me..but they are much older and totally unavailable. I mean TOTALLY unavailable, except for friendship...which is about where we are.

Big sigh.

I really prefer it when I'm able to totally ignore the opposite sex. It makes life so much easier and me any less miserable.

I wonder how many of you guessed who my crush is on...

It Has Been A Long Day

Note to self: don't drink lots of vodka....

I fell asleep...a vodka induced coma at about 10 o'clock last night.

Woke up around 3...and have been up ever since.

ARGH!

Took dad for blood work.

Went to the gym...

Did some shopping...

Made dinner...

Still not tired.

I want to go to sleep..but just not tired...

That vodka bottle is looking good again..

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs to listen to while sipping your favorite drink.

The Moody Blues - Send Me No Wine
Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Toby Keith - Whiskey Girl
Zac Brown Band - Whiskey's Gone

When You Need A Silly Song

Listen and then laugh





or this version

Why Me?

Why is it..that I always find myself attracted to:

1. Unavailable men.
2. Older men...erm much older...

Not to worry..the unavailable man isn't married...

However I'm pretty sure I don't want to mess with the reason this man is unavailable...

Story of my life...

Pass the vodka please....

Dad's Home

He has officially beat mom in the ailments game.

He has acquired several new medications...taken daily...a shot to be given once every week or every other week..and 2 new doctors...a hematologist and a kidney doctor. All who want to see him in the next 2 weeks.

Oh and as usual, one of the prescriptions is screwed up.

Oh and my flirtation texted me that I should keep dad home with the cats and dog now...after he paid him a visit...

And no Mike, it isn't a doctor....it is more inappropriate than that...and not hospital personnel.

No Dad Yet

He's still got an infection that doesn't want to clear up...but he is walking well and not very short of breath, so that's something, right?

Here's hoping we bring him home soon.

Not much else to talk about....except that I'm carrying on an inappropriate flirtation with ....erm....nevermind.

Let's hope he comes home tomorrow..m'kay, before I do something stupider than usual.

Good News

There was a little note on dad's board when I came in this afternoon.

It said: Possible discharge 10/17

Can I get a woo hoo for that?

Dad Update

As my life revolves around Mon Valley Hospital and  all the stuff going on with my dad...I thought I'd give you an update on his condition.

1.  Renal Ultrasound came back normal...can we get a yay for that?
2. There is some kidney dysfunction because that's apparently what is causing the anemia.
3. New meds for lungs/heart and anemia. My dad is playing catch up with mom on the med front. More stuff for me to learn now..
4. His breathing is improved
5. He has a UTI.

On another note...I'm pretty sure my priest is sick of hearing from me.

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs you'll never get tired of hearing

1. The Moody Blues - Your Wildest Dreams (My favorite song by the Moodies and the song that made me fall in love with them)

2 and 3. Elvis Costello - Crimes Of Paris and Man Out Of Time (It's Elvis at his most brilliant)

4. Mika - We Are Golden (Best ear worm ever)

5. Zac Brown Band - Toes

I'm Slowly Losing My Mind

Dad's in the hospital again.

He had a bad coughing spell, became short of breath and nearly lost consciousness...AT THE DOCTOR's.

I had them call the ambluance there....glad I did.

He had another spell in the ER.

He has a UTI and his blood count was down to 8.9 but they won't transfuse him, even though his doctor did at 8.7.

This is going to be a lousy weekend.

10 Things I Love About Fall

1. Cool evenings = great sleep.

2. Harvest Festivals at Trax Farms and Triple B. Farms

3. Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Salted Carmel Mocha @ Starbucks

4. Sweaters!

5. Halloween candy. Fun sizes = Fun!

6. Baking to keep the house warm!

7. Reading with a snuggie blanket.

8. Falling leaves

9. Halloween TV specials

10.  Bathing  suit season is over!!

I'm a Sudoku Junkie

Yesterday when I was waiting for them to set my dad free from the hospital, I learned to play Sudoku on my Nook.

I'm officially addicted to this game.

I also officially suck at it.

Though, like Angry Birds, it doesn't stop me from trying til I'm blue in the face.

Right now my face is pretty blue.

My grandmother would have loved these puzzles. She always did word searches and crosswords, anything to keep her mind active. I guess that's why she was so spry even up to 101.

Maybe I should play a bit more sudoku?

Oh and if you want to play online? Go here

Ah yes...time wasting...even worse than Mahjong!

Manic Monday

Well I worked a whopping 2 hours today. At 9:30 the call came that my dad's bloodwork had been received at his doctor's office and his count was down to 8.7.

Transfusion time.

By 10, I knew I had to be on my way home so I could get him to the hospital.  It is much better to transfuse when the low blood count isn't giving him problems with his COPD.

So off we went.

It was actually a pretty easy stress free procedure, and dad got lunch while he was there.

I played Sudoko on my Nook and read for a bit.

I could think of worse ways to spend the afternoon. (You know, like being at work....or being in the ER)

Oh and I told my friend about Dad's transfusion...and I was told to go drinking...and was reminded that at some point...this friend was going to take me out to get drunk...Ah...my inappropriate friends...How is it that I find these people without even looking?

Life Is Full Of Argh Moments

I had the worst service today when ordering Mexican takeout from a new place in Belle Vernon. You can read my rather pissy review over at Wenches.

Today was a day when I really wish I would have just cooked supper, because the aggravation of getting takeout was just too much.

Another argh moment involved the current CD I'm reviewing for my freelance job.

OMG, I think I'd rather listen to Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and any other tweenybopper pop star out there than this current album.

Ewwwww.

This album actually made me quite happy that most of my reviews these days are for children's music.

How sad is that?

I think I'm going to try to forget this day by downing a bottle of Mike's Hard Black Cherry Lemonade.

Random Saturday Thoughts

~ Saturday nights without Doctor Who suck.

~ Eharlequin sucks for ebooks, they have a great selection but the discount is horrible, plus for most books, the print copies are about 40 cents cheaper! WTF!!!

~ Not sure how I feel about the new Erasure CD, which saddens me, because they are one of my favorite bands. I hate when my favorite bands put out "Meh" albums.

~ Bought 3 Christmas romances at Goodwill. I love Christmas books. They always give me the warm fuzzy feelings.

~ There are way too many novels about vampires, and very few of them are actually good.

~ I need to watch a good comedy.  I saw Bridesmaids a few weeks ago and enjoyed that but haven't found any other films I want to watch since.

~ Starbucks Salted Carmel Mocha with a shot of Peppermint = Coffee love

~ Best new shows of the season for me

Comedy: 2 Broke Girls
Drama: Unforgettable

~ Tim Allen's new show is going to suck. Why do guys like Tim and Kelsey Grammer always play the same character over and over? Oh and Tim as a homophobic republican turns me off. Sorry Tim, I loved Home Improvement but I won't be tuning in to Last Man Standing.

Top 5 On Friday

In Memory of Steve Jobs...

Top 5 things you love about iPods or iTunes

1. I love how colorful the iPod shuffles and nanos are.  I have a blue shuffle and a traditional black shuffle.

2. I love that they scrobble on the Last.fm site. I really wish my Zen would scrobble.

3. iTunes has some really great live EPs.

4. All the fun gadgets they have for them (armbands, docks etc)

5. The thin size. I'm so exciting that the shuffles, small though they are have never been lost by me EVER!!

Cat Thursday!

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy!


This meme is brought to you by one of my favorite book bloggers, The True Book Addict!

Most of my friends will know why I picked this LOLcat for the meme! I love Doctor Who and the Daleks are my favorite alien from the series. I even have a Dalek on my keychain, thanks to a good friend of mine.

I have to say, Daleks could probably take care of most dental problems either by exterminating the plaque or exterminating the tooth!

Happy Cat Thursday!

Caregiving Is Hard Work

I don't think I ever really gave much thought to how hard things would be twenty years ago when I was about to start college. I knew then that I was likely going to be the one family member taking care of my parents.

Flashforward to today.

Mom is almost totally blind from diabetes. Dad is on oxygen 24/7 and is anemic, and not just mildly so, he's the kind of anemic that require transfusions every few months.

I do all the shopping, most of the cooking, I take them to the doctors, make sure they have their pills, and have them organized, oh and I clean the potty chairs too.

And that's just the stuff that relates to them.

I still have my work and my furrbabies to care for...and myself.

There are times when I really feel like I'm burning the candle at both ends.  I get cranky and I don't want to. I love mom and dad. I truly don't mind what I'm doing. But I really wish I could do more. That I could be there more.

Too Much To Do

The beginning of the month is always a busy time. Now that Dad is no longer driving, I have to get him to the bank so that all the SS checks get cashed.

Then there's the grocery shopping.

I think I live at Giant Eagle.

I'm still not sure why.

I have 2 more reviews to write for my freelance gig. Yay money!

The worst part, is I don't feel like I have much to say anymore.

Music is not impressing me....

I've been to no concerts this year...mostly because I have other responsibilities and I can't afford it.

Ho hum..

At least I have books, and that makes me happy.

I've Been Pondering This

Why do people drag grocery carts halfway across town?

Every morning when I drive through Charleroi on Mon I see two Rite Aid buggies around 8th street.  Rite Aid is about 3.5 blocks over and 2 blocks down.

WTF?

We have bus service for seniors, so they needn't have to push the buggies to help them with their purchases. In fact, I think Rite Aid will deliver perscriptions too.

This has often baffled me. Does it only happen in my part of the world or do crazies run off with grocery carts everywhere, then leave them to rust in the rain?

As Billy Currington sang...

God is great...
Beer is good....
People are crazy....

Doctor Who Musings

I'm kinda blown away by the last two episodes of Doctor Who. Not quite as blown away by the bad guys, but more the plot twists the last two episodes offered.

Some random Who observations:

~ Doctor + Baby = Squee!

~ The Cybermen were very lame and not so scary.

~ James Corden as a dad = very interesting.

~ The Doctor + Craig as erm..partners with baby = hehehehe

Now on to the finale

~ WTF!!!

~ Scruffy bearded Jesus Doctor = OMG SCARIER THAN ANY ALIEN!

~ Eye patch things = weird

~ Rory is the sexiest male companion ever!!!!

~ Doctor + Riversong = Love

Must have more WHO ASAP