B.C. and his Christianity

The Lord's Atoning Sacrifice and great love for His creations

Easter

Hip replacement

Pressure cooking

Last week Rick and I met friends for dinner. Steve and his wife Boni were delightful people, around our age, and from Delaware, close to where we lived in Philly (or at least they knew that Doylestown, Lansdale, Montgomeryville area). Steve worked for Rick at Novartis, and now works for Hospira (Pfizer). Anyways, they are both foodies and as we were talking about food and recipes they were raving about their Instant Pot, a pressure cooker. Naturally, Rick and I decided we needed one.

My mom cooked with a pressure cooker as I was growing up, but frankly the old stove top type with the jiggle pressure valve scared me. It blew up once when she was using it, food all over the place, quite loud. Evidently the new ones are electric, electronic user guide, foolproof (!!), so I looked on Amazon, read reviews, and decided to get the exact one they use. It arrived and Chris and I made plans for me to go over to their house (Rick is in North Carolina for a few days) and we fixed lasagna last night.

It was really quite fun, an adventure, and the lasagna turned out really well. At least Chris and I thought it was delish, Alyona tasted an earthy flavor she didn't like. I think that was simply because it had gotten a little scorched.

It's another kitchen gadget and I'm not a kitchen gadget person, but this might turn out to be really fun to use. At least I will make the lasagna again.

 

It has been wonderful having them here in Austin, to be able to do things like this. Plus I stayed and we watched a cheesy Western Hallmark movie. Just love cheesy Hallmark movies.

Tinnitus Terminator

I spent about $70 for a tinnitus program several months ago, and started with the program 15 days ago. It might be helping a little but mostly no. People with tinnitus have wasted a lot of money on schemes to help us with the constant ringing/noise in our head. Some people have it so bad it is debilitating. I think in the beginning mine was approaching that but luckily has gone down. Sometimes it goes back up, but does return to a lower ringing. Thankfully. I know health/physical problems can be worse than what I have; still I wish the ringing would go away.

Skechers

I can't remember when first I discovered Go Walk Skechers, whether in Philly or Texas, but fell in love with their cushiony softness. Like walking on a cloud. I got Rick a pair and he loved them also but had to get used to wearing them with no socks. Then I got him another pair and his love was solidified and final. I have 5 pairs, 2 that are kinda like Sperry's Topsiders, 3 that are for walking/casual/athletic.

Today we decided it was a Skecher kind of day so we headed for their store. And walked away with 4 pairs, 2 each.

We love Skechers.

Lots of cooks

Even tho I did not make a conscious effort to teach my children to cook, they all like to cook and they are all good cooks. I'm a throw it together type of cook and they are not like that. At work a few days ago, one of Chris' coworkers needed to go over to Whole Foods and pick up some grocery items for his wife for dinner that night.

I need to mention that Chris works at Fidelity and he and his coworkers all get along really well and occasionally do activities together, just a great work environment. So when someone (probably Chris) said, What is your wife fixing for dinner tonight? the game was on. Then Chris added, No don't tell us, tell us the grocery list and we'll tell you. Give us only the first item and we'll guess. So the man told them one cup of carrots (sliced) and Chris' guess was a mirepoix (or a red sauce which begins with the mirepoix, I can't be expected to remember those details).

His coworkers were amazed and asked Chris how he knew. He asked for the rest of the ingredients and said that was a mirepoix (French cooking), the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes such as stocks, soups, stews, and sauces. It is roughly chopped vegetables, usually a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery, heavier on the onions, that are then sautéed before adding the rest of whatever is being made.

Chris made a red sauce last summer soon after they arrived that was absolutely delish. We used it for pasta and then pizza. Wonderful. Much better than anything in a jar. I need his recipe so I can make it.

Dog sitting...

the doggette, our granddog, while her parents go to New Orleans for their anniversary.

Pierced ears

Every family has their own timetable on when childhood/life events can happen. I had the age of 12 when all (one) my grrls could get their ears pierced, which Paige did at that age. She set the age of 8 for pierced ears, which Stella did when she turned 8. I had bought her several pairs of earrings; she changed from the piercing studs to these lizards, which look so cute.

Looks adorable.

Rick is loving his new hip

Rick has finally reached the point that he is saying, I'm glad I had the hip surgery. He can walk without waddling, bend over, put on his own sox. He does still have a little pain, but nothing like it was. Yippee.

We are planning hikes and kayaking and jet skiing and who knows what else. He will be happy to go to Utah and be able to do stuff without pain. Yippee.

He is over helping Chris hang the rest of his doors right now; he actually has really enjoyed helping Chris, so now it's nice to be able to help without pain. Yippee.

Rain, rain, and more rain

This spring will be beginning our 4th since we moved here. We have lived in Austin 3 years; in Feb of 2013 we left Philly.

Austin was in a drought when we arrived and Lake Travis was down 60 feet or so. Last spring it started raining and rained for 6 weeks almost straight, but it filled the lake within 10 feet.

It is shaping up to be another wet spring. This week we have gotten 3 inches so far, and I thought I heard that the Dallas and northeast corner of OK and LA have received 18 inches. If true, that is a lot of rain. Rain that causes flooding, accidents, and just a lot of damage. But being a farmer's daughter I never like to complain about moisture.

Saturday was such a warm beautiful, as were the days before that, I bought a lot of potting and bedding plants and planted them. And then the temp drops. But it will have to get a lot colder than this to hurt the plants. When it does warm up, with all the rain, grass and trees and shrubs and all plants will go crazy growing. Yippee kiyay.

Yard work

On Saturday Rick and I were working in the yard. Cleaning up the bed along the back fence, pulling some weeds, blowing off leaves (the live oaks are dropping, what a mess), I was planting in all my planters. It's fun to be back outside and getting ready for spring and summer. I can't wait until it's swimming weather.

Rick was cutting off some of the branches on the Mexican Fan palm and got jabbed on his shoulder. I was working by the agave and got stabbed by a needle. They must have a jagged "fishhook" type thing that tears as it comes out. We both cleaned them good with the hospital cleanser, then put on antibiotic cream.

You just can't be too careful with these desert plants. Not friendly.

Yikes, already a week since my last post...

...I feel my posting schedule (must be at least weekly) like a monkey on my back. Always there, always to be done.

I had my 2 baby teeth pulled on Tues. Rick was kind to take the day off work, drive me there and back, and whatever else I needed. I kept thinking of excuses to get out of it, but knew it needed to be done to continue on and FINISH with this treatment plan. So glad it's done, not nearly as miserable as my imagination. My whole bottom face was numb, so funny to watch me try to eat my Shakes ice cream. Couldn't open my mouth very wide and the bottom lip did funny things and sometimes it dripped down. Scott asked me if I talked about my chinney chin chin. Uh, no. I was not put out, just numbed. Those baby teeth must have been on the verge of giving up anyway because I think it only took him between 2-5 min a tooth to pull. All the prep and unprep took up the time I was actually in office, which was under an hour. Now I really do look like a southern hick with two big gapping holes in mouth where used to be teeth.

Just a little over 3 years since we moved here. That same amount since the dentist in Philly did his stuff that began the mess up on my mouth. So sad I have the upset jaws now and the ringing ears, but it could be worse. It can always be worse. And I am nothing if not a cheerful pessimist.