Sinfully Good Broccoli Soup

This must have been good, because Mr. Mike ate two bowls, and Ms. Carol asked for seconds as well (it was all gone). This was another easy peasy recipe, and no, I didn't snap a shot because I didn't realize it would be such a big hit. Even hubs, who hates all things green, said it smelled really good. :o)

This will make about 4 servings, so feel free to double it--wish I had!

1 cup cooked broccoli, chopped
one onion, diced
3 tbs margarine
1-2 cans evaporated milk
Velveeta, cubed (I am guessing I used about 1/2 cup...ish)

melt the margarine, and saute onions until they are translucent. Resist the urge to eat this right out of the pan, as it smelled sooooo good! Pour in one can of evaporated milk and the broccoli. Warm through, then add the Velveeta. stir on medium heat until the cheese has melted in. If it is too thick, add more milk.

Stir in ideas:

• A dollop of sour cream
• Crumbled bacon
• Grated cheese
• Goldfish crackers (I did this one--yummy!)

This was so satisfying on such a cold day. Hope you like it!

Sing with me....

To the tune of "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" by Tammy Wynette

I-M B-O-R-E-D
Stuck in this house everyday
Me and hubby B-U-D
Can't get a minute of peace

I want to help, Mike and Carol you see
But my sanity's slipping away
So for now, I guess my motto will be
I-M B-O-R-E-D

Okay, can you tell I am bored? I sooooooooooo want to sleep in until noon. Just once! But as soon as it is 8am, I know I have to get up or the whole day falls behind.

Getting Mike up for breakfast is a major ordeal. He generally is wet from head to toe, so he needs to be washed up, and his bedding changed. It is a process: from bed to commode, from commode to wheelchair, eat breakfast, then from wheelchair to recliner (if he doesn't have to go to the bathroom again. The poor man's bladder is unrealiable).

Carol is still in the hospital. I feel bad for her, but she needs to heal before she comes home. Too many germies here, and I really don't want her to get another infection. Unfortunately, that means long trips to Tuscaloosa, and that eats up the whole day (an hour there, and hour to eat, an hour or more with Carol, and an hour home).

This is taking a toll on my body and mind. Mike wants to watch the western channel, so the tv stays on the entire time he is up. I am not used to the TV being on 24-7. It is mind numbing. I try to do my reading for school, but I can't read or study with the tv on, and there is no where in this small house to go that you can drown it out. Don't know how I am going to get my paper done this weekend....

I know, poor me, poor me. I am just venting. I am thankful. And they truly need the help. I just want them both to get well so I can do an earnest job search and we can get our own place.

Until then, I will probably be bitchin' and moanin' about every little thing. Poor Bud has to listen to me whine about my back. I am sure he is getting more than sick of it. He had to listen to ES and all her aches and pains. Now he has to listen to me....I try not to complain too much, but I know he is getting tired of hearing it. I'M getting tired of hearing me moan and groan!

This is probably Karma kicking my ass. I got sick to death listening to ES complain about the doctors not giving her narcotics. I don't want narcotics. Unlike ES, I don't believe that doctors need to make us "pain free". The pain is part of life. It is part of the aging process. The body wears out. I just want to be at a level of pain where I can function.

I'll just pop some Goody's and get on the heating pad if it gets too bad. Pain becomes part of the routine.

Man, I sure can get off track with my ramblings! I need to go get myself mentally prepared for this day.

Toodles!

Peach Cobbler

Easy Peasy recipe. Would have posted a picture, but we ate it all!

Peach Cobbler
1 large can peaches (save the juice!)
1 cup sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tpbs butter or margarine

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 pan. Place drained peaches in the pan. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon and reserved peach juice in a bowl. Pour mixture over peaches. Dot the mixture with 2 tbsp butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until top is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.

Enjoy!

Stuck

I think that is how Bud is feeling right now. We are stuck in caregiver mode. I don't mean that to sound ungrateful. I am so thankful we have a roof over our heads. But the physical demands (not to mention the emotional ones) are starting to take their toll. Bud and I have both been having back issues, and I had a flair up tonight that almost had me begging Bud to take me to the ER.

I am afraid I am going to wake up one morning and not be able to get out of bed because any move will throw my back in to hellishly painful spasms. Bud has been on the heating pad a few times himself, and I am afraid he may end up flat on his back like the last time his back went out--that scares the b'jesuz out of me.

Bud was taking a nap today, and Mike needed to get on the crapper, so I got him on and Carol pulled his pants down for me. Carol can't lift, so I had to figure out how to wipe his behind without dropping him. I finally figured out how to do it, and got him back up. Carol was supposed to pull his drawers up, but she just could not get them up. I had to set him back down on the pot and rest my back, then try again. She got them up on the second try--well, kind of. I adjusted his pull up and jogging pants once I had him in bed.

The other part of feeling stuck is much more literal. We both need to get the hell out of the house without it being a trip to a doctor with either Mike or Carol, but we both worry about leaving Carol here alone with Mike for too long, as she can't really do much for him at this point other than put his pecker in the pisser--say that three times fast!

Bud is growing depressed and weary. I am just plum TIRED. I did manage to get all of my reading done for both classes, and got my assignments in on time. Phew!

The one plus has been getting to cook. I have really missed it! I made a quickie peach cobbler tonight (recipe to come), and tomorrow I am making lasagna...mmmmmmm!

I FINALLY managed to get my resume done using an online template service. Got it uploaded, but can't print it--Grrrrrrrrr!

At least it is warming up! :o)

With a Capital "T"

Tired, that is. We carried Carol to Tuscaloosa yesterday to have her staples removed. Any trip to T-town is an all day event, as it is 45 miles one way. Plus we stopped for lunch afterwards. And we had to fill scripts. Long day. Then Carol gets a call today that Mike needs to go to Columbus stat to be checked, as his blood check yesterday was way too thin.

It is much harder to tote Mr. Mike, as he had a stroke and is dead weight. With my back, I was not much help today at all. Thank god for hubby. I could not have made either trip without him. I am trying to not let my back keep me from helping out, and I am trying not to be a big baby when it hurts.

Columbus is only 30 minutes from here. We left at 10:30am, and didn't get home until 3pm. The rest of the time was spent sitting and waiting. M had a blood drawn and a brief consult with the oncologist. Bud was awesome and went back with him. I sat in the waiting room, close to committing hare kare listening to the onslaught of negative news. There was absolutely nothing positive: housing crisis; social security crisis; floods and high death tolls in Brazil and Australia; pending food shortages due to said flooding; shooting in Tucson, AZ; pending nation-wide teacher's strike....it goes on and on ad naseum. Isn't there anything GOOD going on in the world, dammit? Sitting in a waiting room full of sick cancer patients, listening to that doom and gloom crap....

I am procrastinating doing my homework assignment. Statistics. YAWN! I reckon I best do it, though. Wishing I had more time to write...

Ala-frickin-bama

We made it in one piece, been here a whopping three days, and now it is going to do that 4-letter "s" word. That is why we came back South--to get away from that shit!

We are staying with friends right now, and are darned thankful for it. Carol just had by-pass surgery, and her significant other (common law hubby) is in the hospital recovering from a stroke, among other things. They are obviously worse off than we are, so we are helping them out as much as they are helping us by out by providing a roof over our heads.

Bud is about over the edge because the tv stays on 24-seven, and it is BORING as all get out. He is antsy for me to get a j-o-b so we can get our own place. Speaking of our own place, we no sooner get back in Pickens County and the folks that bought our old house are calling saying that we are back with ulterior motives. PAY THE DAMN MORTGAGE AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY! Neither one of us want the house back after they have lived their. I cringe when I think of how bad it might be (might? HAHAHAHAHA)

We did talk to a gentleman who has about 7 houses he rents out, but all are occupied at the moment. He said he has a trailer that may come available soon, and he would let us know...hopefully sooner than later!

My back has been giving me fits and starts. Hurts like a son of a b*tch. I spend half of my day on the heating pad, and I am keeping Goody's Powders in business at this point. Not sure what this is, since it is my whole back. Sometimes, it is even my ribcage and neck. I would say pleurisy, but I was JUST at the ER, and had x-rays. Surely they would have seen it if it was pleurisy...ugh. I just know I am tired of hurting and tired of complaining about hurting.

I am going to get my resume out there and keep my fingers crossed. Say a little prayer!

I am hoping we don't get the predicted weather: 2-6 inches of snow, and 1/2 inch of freezing rain on top of it. YEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWW!!

Something has got to give...