ENT update!

One thing I hadn't mentioned in my last two posts was that last week I went back to the ENT about my allergies. I wasn't due to see him until April 20th, but over a week ago my ears started blocking up again with a lot of pressure inside, and I knew it was only a matter of time before my sinus problems flared up again. To be honest they had never completely gone away, but they were bearable, until the 'ear problem'.

I've decided it's time to say 'yes' to the nasal surgery to remove the polyps and fix the deviated septum. Once this is done I stand a better chance of keeping my allergies under control. The main problem I have is the mucus always gets infected because it can't drain properly with my nose always so blocked. That is exactly what is happening again this week. Over the past few days I've had a sore dry throat which I put down to allergies yet again (but which I'm never really sure about, cos it could be a cold too?) and I'm getting more congested. Now my face and cheekbones hurt because I know I'm getting a sinus infection again.

The annoying thing is, last week the ENT gave me a 5 day course of antibiotics, and yet once again they seem to have done nothing. Nothing except keep me awake til all hours of the morning. The night before last I was still lying awake at 4.15am. I felt like I'd drank a full pot of coffee and my eyes were just wide open all night, that plus my very sore throat just made for a miserable night for me.

Last night I didn't take the antibiotic (which by the way is 750mg of Levaquin) because I really needed to get some sleep. I checked online about Levaquin and they have a website. It does mention that insomnia can be a side effect. The strange thing is I was taking this drug for a month before and it didn't affect me like this. That dose was only 500mg though, so that could be the reason why. I have one more pill to take and I'm worried about doing so if it means I'll be up all night again? I'm thinking of taking it early this morning and see if that makes a difference.

So that's the up to date stuff on me. On a lighter note I've been playing around with a new website - check out THE COOKING DEN :-)

I decided that I would keep all the recipes I share with you on one main site. That way you can see at a glance the recipes I've made whenever you want, instead of searching through my archives. This is a good thing for me too because I actually forget about half of the recipes I've tried, then I come across them a few months later and I think "oh, it's been a while since I made that" or sometimes even "ooh I totally forgot I ever made that!" Anyway, right now it's only got a couple of the recipes on it from previous posts. I'll work on getting other ones on there as soon as I can. I will mention any new updates on here and give the link out again whenever I do so. Today I plan on making some pea and ham soup with my left over Easter ham, so check the website later for an update.

Today I might also try to get more mulch for the front yard and a couple of climbing plants to put near the posts out front. That will give me pictures to share with you in a day or so :-)

Field Trip

Last Thursday Kristen had a field trip at school. This year they all went to the Austin Zoo, and surprise surprise... I decided to go with them! I didn't get to post pics last week because I got side-tracked with the easter pictures. So, here's a few photos to share with you....

Kristen's favorite part of the day was seeing the wolves! I don't know what it is about them, but they fascinate her. She comes home every week with a book from the school library all about wolves, and loves to sit and read about them.

The rest of the pics are self-explanatory

Good Friday!

I have some wonderful memories of Good Friday when I was little. The main one I remember was we always had fish for lunch. I didn't go to church growing up but I remember my Mam telling me the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and just 2 fish., (or is that 2 loaves of bread and 5 fish? I can never remember!) I wish I could prepare a lovely meal with fish for my family each year on this day, but hubby doesn't like any kind of seafood so I never bother. I did buy some fish stix today for Kiki ;-)

We're just hanging out today. Jason is working at home in his office and Kristen and I have been busy having fun in the kitchen. . . . . first up, dying Easter eggs.

Kristen always loves doing this. She had fun writing on the eggs with the wax crayon. She would tell me what she was drawing, but on one she said 'it's a surprise'. Only once it came out of the pot could I see that she had written 'Jesus Rocks' :-) A couple of eggs cracked so I quickly scooped out the yolk, made deviled eggs and we enjoyed a tasty snack!

I then decided to bake cookies. I found a really simply sugar cookie recipe on line and whipped up a batch of dough so we could use our new egg cookie cutter.

These turned out really pretty, and tasted pretty yummy too. The recipe is actually a 'cookie in a jar' recipe from allrecipes.com HERE'S a link if you would like to try it. I think this would be great to make for neighbors come Christmas. The kids always have a fun time decorating them.


As well as having fun in the kitchen I have been having fun in the dining room. I was going to wait to show you pictures of my 'Easter Table' until Sunday, but I thought if anyone is looking for some simple decorating ideas, why not share them now - by Sunday it will be too late if you actually want to try some for yourself.

So, here's a fun idea that I got from a magazine this week.... our Easter place settings.

We cut out ears and decorated them with markers. Tape them to a paper cup (the glue wouldn't stick very well with the thick paper) then glue a pom pom or cotton ball to the back for the bunny tail. Draw a face on the front and write the person's name underneath it. Add some paper grass and chocolate eggs.

Another idea.... I came up with this one myself. Simple napkin rings. Pink ribbon tied in a bow around the napkin (actually just a double knot - it's easier and uses less ribbon) then take two sprigs of silk flowers and insert behind the bow. I bought the flowers in the dollar store! One bunch of daisies and a bunch of pink flowers. I made 5 napkin rings with them. I already had the ribbon. You could use raffia too, or any combination of ribbon you have with whatever color flowers you like.


And finally, here's a peek at the dining room table all set for Easter lunch (and Grandma's birthday). The picture's a little dark, but I'll hopefully take better ones on Sunday. The empty plate at the right side is for the ham!

I'd like to wish you all a wonderful Easter weekend. And say "thank you God for sending your only Son to die for us, that we might have eternal life with you. Praise you Jesus.

take me out to the ballgame!

.... that's exactly what my neighbor Cheryl did :-) It was Kristen's first ever baseball game. Cheryl had extra tickets for the first game of the season, so we went straight after church on Sunday. Steve (Cheryl's hubby wasn't feeling well so he didn't come, and Jason (poor guy) had to work!) So it was just us two Moms with our little angels. The last time I went to a baseball game was when we lived in Maryland, we went to see the Orioles play in Baltimore.

The weather was a bit cooler than usual and rather windy, but we all still had a great time. Kristen loved it, but I think the parts she liked the best was her 'foam finger' and meeting Spike the Bulldog (the team's mascot), and not to mention the cotton candy! She's already asking when can we go again. I think I'll wait a while, maybe take my guests when they come to visit in June. Cheryl said a Friday night game is good cos they have a firework display after the game.

Not much else to blog about so I'll leave you with photos from the game.....