IT"S SATURDAY!!!!!!!!

Gotta get some HOT Coffee!!! Be right back!!

What a week this has been!! Glad it is over!! Got my Dr visit over with for pre surgery and have all my scripts filled and ready for me to take...just not sure HOW I am going to take them all with all the "rules" of taking them!! Can't take this one with that one and this one take an hour before eating and blah blah blah...hell I don't eat three times a day!!!!!!  Another one my insurance didn't cover ($200.00 if I paid for it) so I had to get the pill form and now I have to dissolve it in water to take it  have to wait 15 minutes for that to happen...FOUR times a day!!!!!!!!! Thank you OBAMACARE!!!!!!!!! Like I have extra time to wait around to wait to take this medicine....GRRRRRRRRR  So me not being a medicine taker at all...now has SEVEN different medicines to take and that is NOT once a day either!!!!!!  I swear I am not going to make it....then after surgery for 24 hours I am on liquids only. Then for SEVEN days SOFT foods only. What am I going to eat that is soft?????? Deviled eggs, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, what else is there that I can get my protein from? I am lost right now with trying to figure out all this medication to take!!!!!!    Just NOT HAPPY AT ALL!!!!!!!!! And I am still waiting to hear what time I am to go for the surgery...I know it is Wednesday...oh...and I can not have anything to eat or drink after 5pm Tuesday no matter what time my surgery is Wednesday. Nice huh. So if my surgery is in afternoon I am SOL. And I get cotton mouth so bad.....

Well tonight before bed don't forget to SPRING FORWARD your clocks that do not change themselves!!!   Spring is getting closer!!!! WOOOHOOO!!!!!

Found out last night Rick's aunt Peggy is coming for a visit on the 1st...  Then the next weekend she told him her and his mother are coming  Ask me if I am happy about all this happiness.

Going to Bingo tonight. Hope I can win again ALONE this time!!!!!! Need some funds built up!! Just paid off my OBAMACARE deductible. $1250.00!!!!! All my income tax came and went in same week!!!!!!!! (and then some).

Rick washed the truck this morning and is waxing it up really pretty...will he do my car...oh hell no. Its white...why bother. Nothing pretty about a WHITE car at all. Besides its going to rain again tomorrow. PUKE!!!!!!!!!!

Well I complained enough...bet you are all glad I don't stop in all week huh...LMAOOOOOO

Thoughts and Prayers for ALL that need them!!!!

HUGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Judy, remember we all ate refried beans for soft foods?  Also egg custard?  And pureed soups?  Make some vegetable soup with potatoes and peas and carrots and puree that for soft food.  Also mashed potatoes are good.  Mash them with butter and plain Greek yogurt instead of milk.  Lots of protein.  I'll see what else I can think of.

Praying for you and your pre-surgery preps!  YOU CAN DO IT!  Don't make Nurse Ratchett come out!  We all love you.  Praying for you daily!

Vic

Oh Judy, I find you to be hilarious. Remember after WLS we had to abide by all those rules, liquids, mushy foods, etc. You got this. All the medications you are taking. Wow. Have a safe surgery. Regarding Rick's mother and aunt. Oh my. Maybe you can tell them you don't feel well at all? Take care, Judy. You're one funny lady.

I know all that but after all these years....going back to liquids and then soft foods.....sighs...and as for his family...they don't give a rats ass if I am feeling good or not.......IDIOTS!!!!!!!!

HUGSSSSSSS

Judy   all the food suggestions are great.  The only thing I can add is pudding.  I use to make SF pudding (chocolate) and add my protein powder.  I also made SF instant breakfast and added powdered milk for a little more protein.  I made it hot so I did not add protein powder not knowing how heart affects the protein.

Good Morning Judy & Ladies to follow!

I am sitting in the car waiting while Jim goes in to get his medical marijuana. Still can't get used to this, but it seems to be working well for him so will need to adapt. It just seems weird to me being in recovery and formerly doing drug & alcohol counseling.

We are on our own this weekend... a real treat we plan to enjoy. Jazz went to her mom's last nite & will return tomorrow. We have already hit several yard sales & next plan to do some clothes shopping. I am also dying to do my walks as it is in the low 60s. And tonite...like Judy...we hope to go play bingo...and WIN.

Judy, I hate preparing for surgery & I hate taking meds. I am hoping to get off a few when I see my surgeon. Unfortunately, I will never get off my coumidin or heart meds. I struggle with having to take them and now the PPI and vitamins.

Vickie, thank God all is well with Caralee. What a scare!

Jeannie, praying still for you and family.

Connie, enjoy your family this weekend.

Arlene hope yesterday went well.

Eileen, hear you about car payment. I struggled with mine while off last year. Stressful,, but paid for now.

Geez, two very elderly ladies on their 80s just got dropped off at the store...lol. I cannot imagine them lighting up a bowl or joint. Well here comes Jim. 

Gotta go.

Good morning Judy and my sistas!

Judy, I know you're posting right now, but I have to type while I have a minute!  Caralee keeps all of us on a very tight rein, don't you know!  LOL!

Today is photo day.  I have already fixed my hair, which means that for the rest of the day I can't get hot or sweat or go outside.  If I do any of those things, my hair will frizz.  Ugh!  So I have to stay indoors in the AC today.  

Let me tell y'all the sad tale of my denim skirts and white shirts.  Honestly.  I ordered a very nice denim skirt (long, flared at the bottom) and a white button down shirt to wear for these pictures.  They just would not come!  Finally got a tracking date that said they would be delivered next Tuesday.  Well, crap.  Pictures are TODAY.  So I got back on-line and ordered 3 denim skirts in various styles and sizes and paid for the expedited shipping for them to arrive on Friday (yesterday).  I figured I would have to go out and shop for a white blouse.

Well, yesterday all FOUR denim skirts arrived.  Natch.  So now I have to send some back.  I'm keeping two.  The long flared one and a drawstring waist one with nice pockets for my cell phone.  Then I dug through my closet and, lo and behold, I found an XL long sleeved white cotton blouse from Cold Water Creek, and even more amazingly, it FITS!  But the other white blouse was also delivered YESTERDAY.  I swear, I spent more money trying to get an outfit together for this photo shoot, and now I have to send most of it back!

Anyway, I'm wearing the long denim skirt with my dark brown cowboy boots and a really pretty dark brown leather belt with a silver buckle.  (I can just barely get the belt fastened on the last notch, but I only have to wear it for 20 minutes and then I can take it off!)  And my turquoise jewelry that Butch bought for me at the Grand Canyon.  However, I will not wear my cowboy hat, LOL!  

***

Well, another hour delay in posting.  I swear, you just forget how demanding newborns are!  

So, anyway, I have decided to go forward with my landscaping project.  If I don't do it now, I never will.  And I really, really want it.  So I will have the guys come in and build my raised beds and plant the five flowering trees that I want installed.  Also the sprinkler system.  After that, I'll just have to quit for this year.  I don't think I'll have the money to do all the rose bushes and other shrubs that I want.  However, those are things that I can dig the holes for and plant myself.  I can dig a hole for a 2 gal pot.  I can NOT dig a hole for a tree!  And I already have some shrubs and things I've been keeping alive since last fall, so it won't be entirely bare.  

And maybe I'll do something fun and temporary like big sunflowers to fill in the gaps this summer.

So, I've only alluded to it, but I got hit with a MASSIVE tax bill this year.  MASSIVE.  Like tens of thousands of dollars.  I'm still reeling a bit.  It's a very long story and I won't go into it all here, but I really did get stung.  But after thinking it through, I THINK I see how I can get through the next couple of years until I can start drawing Butch's social security.  If I can just get that lake house sold, that will help tremendously.  I called the realtor and had her drop the price.

Well, anyway, it's only money.  Worrisome.  Bothersome.  But nothing like the scare we had with Caralee.  When the doctor called and told Carrie she tested positive for the mutated gene that causes cystic fibrosis, we were all totally devastated and scared to death.  But I just kept praying, and also doing research on-line.  And even though it scared the SH*T out of us, I just never really believed she had it.  A sick baby looks and acts sick.  She had NONE of the symptoms of C.F.  Now, is she a carrier?  We don't know that, and it's something we'll address with her doctor when we get back to Waco.  But the specialized test proved definitively that she does not have C.F.  Thank you, God.

So, that's my tale for today.  Cross your fingers that our family pictures turn out nice.  I'm not real photogenic, so I always dread having my picture taken.  But my kids and grandkids are beautiful.  I bought the boys white button down shirts yesterday because Chris just wasn't happy with the plain white tee shirt idea.  And Carrie gave Chris one of her white shirts (she brought a couple with her) because Chris didn't have one and doesn't have the money to go buy one.  I hope she is taking the boys for haircuts today.  I TOLD her to!  But with Chris, you never know.

Hope everyone is happy and healthy and doing well today.  And I hope the weather is gorgeous wherever you are.  It's a bee-you-ti-ful day here!

Love you all!

Hello Judy and OFF,

Judy, you would not believe the crapload of pills I must take every single day, twice a day.  Between asthma, allergies, psych meds, stomach meds, pain meds, blood pressure meds, and Coumadin, I look like an addict with all of them.  But, they are all medically necessary, and except for Allegra D, all prescriptions, and that used to be prescription.  The one arthritis med is Celebrex, which is an NSAID, and the only one I can take on Coumadin.  I know we're not supposed to take them, but a doc told me that WLS patients can take them if we also take Prilosec, or in my case, Protonix.  Then, I also take my vitamin, probiotic, calcium, and Vitamin D.  

Vickie, I hope you'll post a one, or more, of the pictures.  They sound great, and you are photogenic.  Don't argue with me.

I couldn't sleep last night, and I have to wake up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, for Izzy's Baptism service.  The church they now attend has two morning services, and the Baptism is during the 9:15 service.  Because so many of Colleen's in-laws are also attending, Colleen wants to be there extra early to help get the little ones into the nursery, and get decent seats.  It's a large church, especially compared to the one I've been attending.

I'm going to try to take a catnap, and then also get to bed very early, so I can act alive when Colleen and the gang pick me up tomorrow.  

Kathy, I've done some unbiased research on medical marijuana.  First, it's possible to obtain it in edible form, for folks who prefer not to smoke it.  Also, of all the mind altering chemicals, it appears to be far less addictive, and my memory from my teen years is that I could smoke it three of four days in a row, and then go weeks without it  and not physically miss it.  Yet, the alcohol, I would obsess over it after a few days of drinking.  Even prescribed opiates cause me to feel some withdrawal, and I never abused them.  Finally, my drug expert, Sean, told me that there are many different strains of it, and the chemicals THC and CBD.  THC is the one that causes the euphoric high folks get, while CBD causes the physical relief from pain, seizures, etc.  The CBD doesn't cause the high as much as the THC.  Folks *****search it have been able to develop strains which have more of the CBD, and less of the THC, thus making it less addictive, and more medicinal.  I hope that makes sense.  The most interesting thing I've learned is that scientists in Tel Aviv are finding marijuana is shrinking cancerous brain tumors.  This was originally discovered during the late 1960's, and scientists here wanted to research it in depth, but the Nixon administration worked to getting it classified in the same group of illegal drugs as heroin, in attempt to squash the anti-war, hippie movement.

My son has sent me tons of articles, and that encouraged me to dig deeper.  

Well, I must close my eyes for a little while, because I want to be awake for the Michigan State game.

Hugs,

Trish

Hello Judy and Ladies,

I am meeting with the attorney later today and then he is going to run to the judge's house and get the order for me to take over all the financial and medical decisions for my brother.  My brother signed and was so relieved because his son is hounding him to death for money....my nephew knows better than to hound me. In fact, he was at my brother's home when I got there and my brother was sleeping. We took our bags in and I asked him if he was staying and he said, nah, I was looking for something. Yep...he was prowling for any cash that my brother has stashed.  I told my nephew that we were going to hit the sack but I wanted to lock the house up so either tell me you're staying or hit the road. Today, my brother told me every single hiding place he has for money and we agreed to get that money and put it in the bank. I bought him a safe that fits nicely in his closet and he agreed that keeping a couple of thousand dollars in the safe is good enough.  I also told him that once the power of attorney is signed we will cancel his debit card and all his credit cards but I will pay his bills and make sure he is taken care of and he said, and that damn boy'll leave me the hell alone.  Now that's sad...isn't that sad? Next, I am putting his house up for sale and moving him back to AR...and then we can take care of him. I did get nurses lined up for him and I have a house keeper coming twice a week, meals on wheels will deliver him lunch and supper and while I am here, I am cooking up meals for him and putting them in the freezer.  I need to be out of Houston no later than 10 am tomorrow, but my older sister will come on Tuesday and take over for a while.  I love my older siblings so much but they are decades older than I and it puts me in the position of caregiver when their damn kids won't do them right...I have three older sisters nearing 80 and a brother that is 83...thankfully, the sisters' children are responsible.

Judy, sadly, taking medication is one of those things that we must do and if you have been fortunate enough to get this far in life without having to worry with pills, good for you but when the time comes for you to take the medicine, take the medicines.

I know you are thankful for Obama care. Just think what all this would cost if you had no insurance.  I have state insurance with the university and I still have to pay high copays on some things and a couple of my husband's meds we have to pay for so I get the frustration but that's what happens. Medications and hospitalizations aren't free. 

As far as some soft foods that you can eat, I am going to suggest that if you are worried about protein, which you shouldn't, boil chicken and make cream of chicken soup. Once you get the boiled chicken where it falls off the bone, strain out all the meat and refrigerate the broth so you can skim off the fat. Take some of the chicken and pureed it..not all of it but some and then mix it back with the broth. Also, beans, as Vic mentioned, are a great way to get protein and you can make refried beans out of any bean...just cook them or open a can and pureed them. If you like Hummus, that's another soft food that is just packed with protein.  I agree with Vic that making vegetable soups where the vegetables cook soft enough so you can mash them up real good is great and if you add some nutritional yeast you will be adding safe protein without ruining the flavor. You can get nutritional yeast at Walmart now but I go to health food stores so I can buy a container full. Having to follow a strict diet is so difficult but you have no choice and I know once you get this taken care of, you will feel so good again.

Vic, I bet your family picture will be beautiful.  After years and years of dealing with a house we had in Florida, we finally sold the damn thing. It was on Land of Lake right outside of Tampa and the price was pretty steep but the lake is right outside our backyard fence and it had orange and lemon trees.  We had also put new flooring in and it had a new roof....anyway, I finally talked DH into negotiating with the last person who was wanting the house....he would come up and we would go down and finally we met in the middle...he thought he outwitted us and we were just damn glad to sell the damn thing. I hate dealing with tax people.

Ladies, let me get off here and get this crap done and finish cooking so I can prepare for the trip back home.

Peace....