Friday, December 31, 2010

2010: A Reflection




Wow....2010 is basically over. This year has flown by! And as every other year, there have been good things and bad things.....

The early part of the year saw us spending a lot of time helping out our daughter-in-law in the aftermath of the divorce - - with banking, child support, getting everything switched over to her name. It had been so many years since my first marriage ended, I had forgotten how much there was to do! It took quite a while, but we finally helped her get all squared away.

Things were pretty quiet over the summer, but once September arrived, everything started happening! I had foot surgery on September 7th, and spent the next 2 months using a kneewalker scooter to get around. I was also off work on Medical Leave for 4 weeks, which would have been nice if I could have gotten up and done something! Also, Dear Mr. Dizzy's building construction started September 8th, so he was home on vacation not only for that, but to help me the first 2 weeks following my surgery.

September also found us fighting with the bank over the construction loan, thanks to an incompetent appraiser the bank used to evaluate our property. What a total bastard he was. And still is. And more than likely always will be. This whole deal has turned out much harder to deal with than it had to be, thanks to him. And has caused us more than our share of sleepless nights. If you ever want to know who NOT to hire for an appraisal, just contact me. I will be more than happy to share his name with you! Anything I can to do lose the SOB some business.

In November, I was finally released by the Doctor to be able to do some things - - so I went to Fairview Heights for a weekend of shopping and "girl time" with my Classmates ladies group. St. Claire's Square Mall, Joe's Crab Shack for dinner, an overnight at the Drury Inn....and my foot took it all in stride (no pun intended).

Christmas found us hosting Mr. Dizzy's family for dinner, with my Father coming up and spending the weekend with us as well. There were so many people in the house, and so much laughter and raucous noise, the cats all hid in closets! In fact, after everyone left, we could not find Lil Dude at all - - we were worried that one of the kids had accidently let him slip out of the house. But after turning the whole house upside-down, Mr. Dizzy found him, hiding all scrunched up in the back of my closet. Once it quieted down, he eventually screwed up his courage and came out, but was pretty jumpy the rest of the evening.

And now here it is New Year's Eve. It will be a fairly quiet one for us again this year - - we don't like to go out and do much this evening - - leave the hard partying to the kids, and we will stay home and pray they don't hurt themselves. Mr. Dizzy and I will just go out for a nice meal, get home early, and spend the rest of the evening at home, enjoying each other's company. I don't think it can get any better than that.

So in closing, I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year, and that 2011 is a very good year for you and yours!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Just a "Heads-Up"....

Did I mention that I started up a recipe blog a couple of months ago? If not, well - - I started up a recipe blog a couple of months ago!

I decided that I was tired of always trying to find a particular recipe in all of my cookbooks, my scraps of paper in my recipe "file", etc. So, I decided it was time to get all my recipes into electronic form, and what better way than a blog?

So far I have over 40 of my tried-and-true recipes loaded, and there are many, many more to go. Since Campus is closed for Winter Break and I am off all week, there will be a lot more updating going on.

So if you are in the mood to find a new recipe, or just like to browse food blogs, feel free to check it out. Here is the blog address: http://dizzyskitchen.blogspot.com.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. AND, be sure to check back at the blog often, because I will be continually adding to it!

Grace In Small Things: 51/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • Christmas with my Dad!
  • Visiting with my crazy aunt, uncle and cousins
  • Quiet, quality time with Dear Mr. Dizzy
  • Winter Break - - I don't go back to work until January 3rd!
  • Getting to see my son for Christmas! He lives in Oklahoma, and came up to Illinois to spend time with family.
I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Christmas!

Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas To One and All!


From our household to yours - - from Dizzy Ms. Lizzy, Mr. Dizzy, Carmichael, Squeak, and Lil Dude.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Grace In Small Things: 50/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • Squeaky girl kitty still on the mend and doing well
  • My foot still on the mend and doing extremely well
  • Christmas party with a great group of friends Saturday night - - good food, good times, good people
  • Dear Mr. Dizzy's family Christmas gathering at our house on Sunday - - more good Holiday times
  • Last week of work before Winter Break, then off work until January!

Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Grace In Small Things: 49/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • A nice warm home when the wind chill temps dip below zero.
  • Squeaky-girl kitty getting better now.
  • Roast pork and dressing for Sunday dinner....the whole house smells great.
  • Making some of the cutest Christmas presents ever.
  • Getting released by the Doctor, and finally able to do more of what I want.

Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Monday, December 06, 2010

Grace In Small Things: 48/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • Finding out my home computer crash isn't as drastic as first thought, and shouldn't cost me an arm and leg to get it fixed - - it should be repaired and back at my home office desk soon (thank goodness I bought this laptop as a spare!)
  • Taking Friday off and making myself a long three-day weekend
  • Little Squeak Kitty sleeping on my shoulder early in the morning (like 5 AM early!)
  • The heavy snow going North of us - - they got 4-5 inches, we just got a light dusting....*whew*.....dodged a bullet on that one
  • Homemade Lasagna - - my Mother's recipe - - cooking in the oven for Sunday Dinner
And one more - - the last post-op checkup on my foot went extremely well! The Doctor has now released me, and told me to be careful, use common sense, but I can basically do whatever my foot will allow me to do. So now it's back to the Gym full-time! Yay!

Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Grace In Small Things: 47/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • A short work week and a LONG Holiday weekend!
  • Thanksgiving dinner with my Dad
  • Dessert and conversation with my aunt, uncle and a whole mess of cousins after dinner
  • Time at home to work on Christmas gifts - - love those extra days holiday weekends give me!
  • An NCIS Marathon on the telly all day Sunday.
**I go for my next foot surgery post-op checkup on Wednesday, Dec. 1st. Wish me luck for a good report!


Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Friday, November 26, 2010

'Tis the Season To Be Snotty

After last year's Black Friday incident (I posted about it here: http://dizzymslizzy.blogspot.com/2009/11/black-friday-incident-and-other-stuff.html, I have sworn off day after Thanksgiving shopping. Forever. I don't care how much something is on sale for - - I don't care how badly I may want it - - I don't care if they are GIVING IT AWAY - - you couldn't pay me enough to put myself through that again.

Besides, why go there, freeze my ass off waiting for a store to open, get pushed and shoved and practically beaten black and blue by rude, inconsiderate people on Black Friday, when I can get that any day in the week?

Yes, it's true, unfortunately....the closer it gets to the Holiday season, and all during said season, people get more rude, more inconsiderate, and just plain, downright mean.

Case in point: Yesterday evening Dear Mr. Dizzy and I decided to get our grocery shopping done before the crazy holiday sales madness hit the following day. It was good timing - -
Walmart was almost deserted. We happened to see someone I work with, and pulled over to the side of the wide main aisle to chat for a minute. As we are standing there, a young lady walked by, and as she passed us, she rammed into my friend's cart, actually pushing it, and just kept on walking without saying a word. My friend was shocked, and I said to the girl's back (she was about an aisle away by that point), "You could at least say excuse me." Well, she turned around and gave us a "look" (and not a nice one at that), and then just tossed an "Excuse me" over her shoulder at us, and kept walking.

Gee, we were all the way over at the side of the aisle, to make sure we were out of people's way. And then you come along and decide that is the EXACT SPOT in that whole, wide aisle you wanted - - you NEEDED - - to be. What a sense of entitlement.

Amazing.

A bit later, as Mr. Dizzy and I are checking out, I'm paying the cashier, and happen to look over at the checkout lane next to us. There is the same young lady, who just finished checking out and is gathering her bags, standing there just GLARING at me. I ignored her. She continued to stand there, glaring at me. I finally looked over and gave her "the look" (if you know me, you know exactly what I'm talking about!). She faltered a bit, but continued to stare....but finally looked away and walked off.

Lucky for her. I don't put up with people who feel they are entitled to treat people as rudely as they wish and just get away with it. Push me too far and find out what happens next. Bring it, bitch.

*sigh*

It's going to be a LONG Holiday season.....

Monday, November 22, 2010

Grace In Small Things: 46/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • Warm kitties on cool nights
  • Gooey Butter Cookies!
  • A weekend out of town shopping with my Ladies group
  • Coming home after a weekend shopping!
  • Dear Mr. Dizzy walking in the door after a long hunting weekend....feels so good having his arms wrapped around me - - where they belong!

Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Grace In Small Things: 45/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • A SHORT work week - - only 3 days, followed by a 4 day weekend.
  • A long weekend spent with good friends in Brownsville, Tennessee. Southern hospitality at its best.
  • Southern cooking - - nothing like good hot grits for breakfast!
  • Being home - - no matter how good it is to get away, it's even better getting back home where we belong.
  • Three fuzzy cat-creatures greeting us as we walk in the door, SO happy to see us.
Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Moving Forward....Finally!

Progress is being made!

For the first time in three months, I am able to go back to the Gym! The Doctor has cleared me to work on upper body and core, but no machines that would put stress on my foot (such as treadmill, elliptical, bike, etc.)...my Doctor and I have a good trust built up between us. He knows he can trust me to NOT do something I'm not supposed to do, and to protect my foot.

So Tuesday I went and worked out on the upper body and core machines, did some crunches on an exercise ball; only did about 1/2 hour workout, because that was my first time in three months. Wednesday, I made it back for my favorite Body Toning class. This morning I made it in for more work on the upper body/core machines. I was going to go back tomorrow morning, but.....

Tonight, the pain has hit. *sigh* Tomorrow morning, it may be all I can do to get out of bed without assistance! So - - tomorrow's workout may have to be put on "hold" until next week.

But you know, it's all worth it....it just feels so damn good to be back!

Now if my muscles will stop being mad at me.....

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

New Blog.....

I have been looking for a way to put all my recipes in electronic form, not only to keep from losing them someday, but in a form that allows me to find one easily, or share them easily with friends or family members that may want a copy.

So, I decided the best way would be to start keeping a recipe blog.

The new blog is called "Cooking In the Kitchen With Dizzy" and can be found at http://dizzyskitchen.blogspot.com.

So far, I have quite a few of our favorite recipes in there, complete with a picture of each. And? Each recipe is categorized with a label for each in searching.

I hope you get a chance to check it out sometime!

Monday, November 08, 2010

Grace In Small Things: 44/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • A good report from my most recent post-op checkup....my foot is healing well.
  • Actually able to wear a real SHOE periodically on my surgery foot!
  • Spending a couple of evenings with my grandsons...pizza one night, Crescent Dogs the next. And lots of fun.
  • Seeing my son for the first time in months - - it had been WAY too long.
  • Bacon-Corn Chowder in the crockpot....so good!

Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Monday, November 01, 2010

Well - - Good News, and Not So Good News.....

My latest post-op checkup with the Doctor was some good, and some not so good.

The GOOD news is that:

  • I am healing well.
  • I can start sleeping without the surgical shoe on (HALLELUJIA!).
  • I have been cleared to take my "road trip" to Fairview Heights on Nov. 20th, including driving myself all that way.
  • I can start going back to the Gym to do some light working out, such as upper body weight machines, recumbent bike, etc. NOT the elliptical, stairmaster, or treadmills yet, but that's fine. Baby steps.

The NOT-so-good news is that I'm still having to wear the surgical shoe quite a bit. I was hoping to be able to put on a REAL shoe this afternoon, but my foot was swollen just enough that it was not possible. I got the shoe about halfway on, and there was no getting it any further.

BUMMER.

I know - - it's only been 2 months tomorrow that I had surgery. I'm trying very hard to be patient. But anyone who knows me, even a little bit, knows that PATIENCE is NOT a strong point of mine.....

I have some good, supportive lace-up shoes I can wear, that will probably fit just fine, and those will definitely be getting worn a lot. But, they are not the kind of shoes I can wear and look okay with my work clothes. And as for going shoe shopping? Out of the question, for quite a few more months.

I'm really not complaining. I'm healing well, and things are looking pretty good. But it was disheartening to not be able to fit that shoe on my foot. I know it's because my foot will be swelling as the day goes on, and that will continue for a few more months as the healing process continues.

I REALLY DO KNOW ALL THIS.

And tomorrow? I will feel much better about everything.

Tonight, I just want to be able to be bummed out, and get it out of my system.

Grace In Small Things: 43/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • I survived a horrendous work week!
  • Hot tea to warm me up on chilly Autumn mornings
  • Lap robes to snuggle under while watching an NCIS Marathon
  • Finding a new Holiday outfit at JC Penney....it fits perfectly, and it was on sale!
  • Tater Tot Casserole for Supper - - one of the ultimate comfort foods!

Tomorrow I go back to the foot doctor for my 4th post-op checkup. If all goes well, I may be able to start wearing regular shoes on that foot again. Keep your fingers crossed!


Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Grace In Small Things: 42/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • Homemade chili simmering in the crockpot
  • Walking without crutches or a cane!
  • DRIVING again! (Missed driving SO much)
  • Going to the Animal Protective League fundraiser on Sunday....they do such good work for homeless animals, and we always support them.
  • Lil Dude sleeping on my computer desk in front of my monitors as I type this....what a sweetie.
Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Grace In Small Things: 41/2010

What I am grateful for this week:
  • Got an EXCELLENT report from the Doctor Monday, and got to start walking on my right foot again, for the first time in almost 6 weeks
  • On Saturday, I was released to be able to drive again! (Just short trips, but the freedom feels great!)
  • Fresh produce from the Produce Market - - the last one this season, unfortunately.....
  • A big pot of homemade Chili simmering on the stove....the whole house smells SO good!
  • A new purse from Payless - - beautiful, on sale, AND a coupon for additional 20% off! Yes, I am "super shopper"!

Count your blessings - - join Grace In Small Things.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Driving!!

I am now able to drive again! Yay!

Yesterday was my first attempt at it after six weeks of not being able to be in the Driver's Seat. My first little short trip was to the Farmer's Market at the College; I wanted to go because it was the last one of the season. And, since the College is only 5 minutes away from home, Mr. Dizzy and I figured it would be a safe little trek for me to try for my first outing.

It went fine, except I noticed that I was being overly cautious, mainly because my foot still has that big clumsy surgical shoe on (my friend Adam, who saw it for the first time yesterday, called it a "Jesus Sandal"....never thought of it that way before, but ya know? He's right.).

Once I got back home, I decided to run a few errands......

HOURS later, I got back home.

Poor Mr. Dizzy - - now that I'm back in the saddle, he can't keep me home!

Believe me, I appreciate everything Dear Mr. Dizzy did for me the past six weeks - - nursing me back to health, getting me drinks, snacks, my computer, books ..... even cooking supper almost every evening! Getting my "sea legs" back doesn't mean he's no longer needed. He is. And hopefully he believe me when I tell him that.

But - - oh my, does it ever feel good to get some independence back!