What’s for dinner Wednesday?

just like usual, i don’t know yet what we’re having for dinner tonight! i’m planning to go grocery shopping today, though, so maybe i’ll get inspired.

let me tell you about dinner last night. it was delish. i had to try out this super easy french bread recipe i got from my sister G this weekend. soooo i made that and some campell’s chunky soup — the veggies were pretty weak looking in there, so i tossed in some frozen carrots & peas. yum!

Easy French Bread
2 1/2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
1/2 T. salt
5 1/2 c. flour

Knead ingredients together and let rise for 15 minutes. Shape 2 long loaves and place on greased cookie sheet. Make slits and brush with egg whites. Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes.

there ya go. easy-peasy. i halved this recipe. it was delicious. i highly recommend it.

what’s for dinner in your neck of the woods? stop by the WFDW flagship, Krisco, and see where the magic all began.

also a quick pigeon baby update: the second egg still hasn’t hatched. the baby continues to grow uglier by the day. …..

iiiiiiiiiiiiiit’s MEME TIME!

i was tagged for this meme a while ago by magically mama — and have been SO lame not to do it sooner. haven’t been feeling well, blah blah blah. excuses, all of them. here it is!!! thanks for tagging me heather.

What is your favorite word ?
hope

What is your least favorite word ?
probably fag or hate

What turns you on spiritually,creatively,emotionally ?
spiritually – uplifting music and singing
creatively – a beautiful piano, a clear mind, and stacks and stacks of sheet music
emotionally – love, unselfishness, people following their dreams

What turns you off?
rap, mariachi music at loud volumes, screaming children

What’s your favorite curse word?
i don’t really curse. i say crap probably more than i should.

What sound or noise do you love to hear?
the ocean, rain on the roof, laughing children, chopin played beautifully, my husband’s voice, all my family members laughs, the quiet in our apartment after all the computers are turned off, a woman singing jazz, a flugelhorn playing anything, african drums, the voice of any friend i haven’t talked to in a while.

What sound or noise do you hate?
metal on metal, ice being scraped (in the freezer, you know what i mean?), brakes screeching, out of tune music of any sort (but especially strings), a squawking clarinet, and CAR ALARMS.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
mother

What profession would you not like to do?
paid clergyman or politician

If Heaven exists,what would you like to hear God say at the pearly gates?
i believe it does – i would hope He’d say, “Well done and welcome home, my daughter.”

So, now I get to tag some people.
i tag Mom on the Edge, homer-cles at It’s not the volts that kill you, Muum, the Pink Chihuahua princess, the House Warden, HolyMama!, Princess Mom, the other Emily and Krisco over at Crib Ceiling.

dream big, right? lol.

What’s for dinner Wednesday?

hmmm…..for me? i don’t really know yet! i’m picking up my husband from the airport today at 6:30 — and from there, we might either go to a party (food) or stay home (i’ll make food) or to our church youth group (i’ll make really quick food). but i’ll tell you about dinner last night instead. my grandma took us out to tepanyaki — which is one of those restaurants (like benihana) where the chefs cook your food right in front of you, and do tricks, and make big fires, etc…. it was great fun. i got the chicken and shrimp meal, and it was delicious! i ate all the shrimp, but by the time my chicken came (which was also delicious), i was stuffed! so i brought that home with me.

sooooo…what are YOU having for dinner tonight? or what did you have for dinner last night? i’d love to hear all about it — recipes even are WELCOME!

and now for more about my Headaches. if you’re tired of hearing about them (and i can definitely understand why), feel free to leave now. but i know i have family and friends out there who get better updates from this site than from phone calls. so here it is! i went to see my psychologist on monday, and it went well. the lady i met with was very nice, and we got along well right from the start. i cried more than i expected to, but i guess that’s the nature of things. in the end, she felt like i was pretty well adjusted and that stress, anxiety and depression have not brought these headaches on or contributed to their continuation. i decided i’ll go see her a couple more times, so we can talk about coping mechanisms for pain, as well as how to ‘reinvent’ myself, should it become necessary. for most of my life, i’ve had the plan that i’d teach piano lessons, play piano for the rest of my life — in addition to raising a family. but if these headaches continue….that’s not going to be a possibility. i have high hopes that the pain clinic can help me lower my pain levels enough so i CAN still do that. …. but i have to be realistic and know that that MAY NOT be the case. i don’t know what they can and can’t do. so, anyway, that was a tangent. i may need to find a new path in life – a new career, a new ‘hobby’, and love. i don’t know right now.

and then the SECOND big piece of headache news is this: the pain clinic called me and have scheduled me for an appointment on september 12th. whew. that’s a LONG ways away. i pretty much expected it, and am actually glad it’s not longer. when i asked the receptionist if there was a list she could put me on, in case someone cancelled, she said no BUT i can call her every week and ask her about cancellations. so i will! i’m hoping i’ll be able to get in this summer that way. **fingers crossed**

hello and happy monday, blog-friends! i have to start off with an update on the pigeon eggs. a few days ago my husband and i went out there, and saw that one of the eggs had just hatched! (was just hatching) — here it is — the second egg still hasn’t hatched. hopefully soon. the chick is significantly uglier after only a few days; his/her beak has grown in and is lumpy and black. i’ll get another picture soon for you all.

also, yesterday was the may birthday celebration up at my parents’ house — we had a fabulous time. i felt REALLY horrible for the first hour and a half, but after that, reasonably well. gifts were given, food was eaten, and much talking took place good times were had by all. here’s one of my nephews toys, getting some play time from the older boys. actually, i’m not sure if he ever took a hit….

and this is my nephew with his present from us; a bug collector (he seemed particularly fascinated by the magnifying glass). his uncles helped him catch a cricket, which he toted around for a few minutes, before he decided it was time for a new ‘occupant’. he opened the door and shouted at the cricket ‘you! get out!’. this wasn’t working (surprisingly), but grandpa helped him remove the reticent tenant.

and last of all, the talking. this is what i did mostly – and eating, let’s be honest – here’s me and my younger sister, the one without a blog. i love her just the same!! hahaha.

there was homemade ice cream — two flavors. whew. yum.

hooray for friday!

well, i’ve been a pretty lame blogger this week! i went off the medicine yesterday (*the new one i thought was making my headaches worse) after talking to my neurologist. he called back the VERY SAME DAY I CALLED. whew. is that amazing or what? you know that song in fiddler on the roof — wonder of wonders and miracle of miracles…that’s what i feel like. anyways, my headaches have improved to their normal level of badness. or goodness, whichever. so that’s a plus. and since yesterday i was feeling reasonably ok, i went to visit my sister’s house and hung out with her while she worked. good times. her husband fixed our AC — what a BLESSING! the dealership was wanting to charge us an obscene amount of money.

also, one of the pigeon eggs hatched yesterday — so cute!! — and spencer and i got to see it. ….. we went out to dinner with my grandma on wednesday night, which was lovely. so little to say; husband and i are going out of town tonight so that should be a nice (quick) break. adios.

hi friends

nothing much going on here with me; am trying the new medicine….and it seems to actually be making the headaches worse than usual. :/ obviously not the intended purpose. i’ve only been taking it for 3 days now, so i’ll probably continue on for at least a full week. we shall see.

mother’s day was wonderful, my family got together for a mother’s day brunch, church and dinner at my sister’s house. it was a lot of fun, and in the evening, my grandmother flew in. i’m happy she’s here and we’ll have some chances to spend time with her while she’s here. i was in an unusually bad mood on mother’s day – wish i could explain why, but it seemed to be fully without rhyme or reason.

the only pictures of me that day are in this series; emily being fed dirt (yes, that’s right, dirt) by her charming nephew. i’m not really eating it, but it DID really get in between my teeth. mmmm, crunchy! i’ll let my sister post the uber-cute pics of her kids (once they’re posted on my husband’s site). she hasn’t seen them yet.

NEW links!

hi everyone — i added 4 new friends over on the right; they are my BIL’s electric car blog, my other BIL’s joke a day (or month ) blog, heather’s blog, and denise’s blog!! if you haven’t checked them out before, take a minute to visit them! you won’t be sorry.

……

seriously, go. i’ll wait.

……

ok, and a small update on the pigeons — the eggs haven’t hatched, it must have been some other chirpy birds. thanks to all who commented yesterday (and made it through that obscenely long post) – i appreciate your kind words.

husband is NOT AT SCHOOL today for the first time (on a saturday) in probably months. so we’re gonna have a date tonight, and hang today, it’ll be awesome.

a post wherein i talk about ME

that’s right – more specifically, my doctor’s appointment yesterday morning.

it's probably good that i didn't write yesterday, as i was somewhat upset. bysomewhat upset, i mostly just mean mad.  

in any case, i had another visit with my neurologist yesterday - for those who haveno idea why, or what in the blazes i'm talking about here's a (real) quick summary: ihave chronic daily migraines. that means i have a migraine all day, every day.they are the reason i don't have a job right now, or go to school. i think that aboutcovers it.

instead of ranting about the doctor and the things he said that really made me mad(* please  note that my husband and sister were already subjected to much of thistalk), i'll try to stick to the outcomes and my feelings about them....

1. i'm going to see a psychiatrist - this is for a few reasons. #1 is to rule outthe possibility that these headaches are caused by stress, depression, or anxiety.i've tried MANY times to tell my doctor that the headaches are what cause my stress,depression, and anxiety, but there IS always the possibility he's right.  apparently it's frequently the cause when so many medicines have failed to have anyimpact on the headaches *(that is, me). so i'm willing to check it out, even thoughi (obviously) don't believe that's the case. but seriously, does ANYONE believethat's what is causing their headaches? probably not. we shall see. #2 is to dealwith the lifestyle of chronic pain. (see depression, stress and anxiety mentionedabove)my doc says that the longer a headache continueson without being helped by treatments or meds, the more likely it is to continue. inother words, this headache could be a permanent thing i need to figure out how toactually live with. this leads us neatly to #2:

the next step from here (if the psychiatrist visits don't yield any improvement) isa pain clinic. those of you unfamiliar with chronic pain may not be familiar withthe idea of a pain clinic, either....it means you go to visit a team of ppl, designedto help you live with the pain you have, and lessen it. (some readers may have MOREexperience with this than i, forgive me if i'm over-simplifying or misinformed).basically, this means my doctor has given up trying to fix me, and that we're in amaintenance phase now. which has its good points and it's bad points: on a good note,i may start getting some pain relief for the day-to-day pain that keeps me in bed somuch, instead of just the very worst headaches...(that's an entire other story) -- soOBVIOUSLY i'm pleased as punch about that idea. BUT it also means a far less likely'fix'. there are possibilities of fixing, still, at the pain clinic - but formigraines, not as likely as other things. oh, back to the team. this = doctors,physical therapists, and psychiatrists. bueno. these doctors can try not only meds,but also patches (of painkillers), injections, and etc...whew. could get interesting,folks. you don't want to miss this.  

and, as a random last-ditch try, we're going to try another drug. of course! it'llleave me with good memories of all the neurologists past, and the many drugs i'vetried that haven't worked.

ok, on a completely unrelated note, i read this today and thought it was prettyfunny. mostly b/c it's true.* * * * What is an Antique? * * * *An antique is something your grandmother bought, your motherthrew out, and you are now buying back.

also, (huh my font just changed on its own. weird) i went out to our back porch the other day, b/c i had bought some plants. lots of herbs. sage, oregano, chamomile, lavender, etc….and i’ve decided that the back porch gets more sun than the front porch (which we use more often). the front porch has our little chair and tables on it, so we can eat outside sometimes. so i go out back, and this pigeon flaps up in my face and then flies away. whew. i figured we just scared each other. but then i notice that said pigeon has pooped all over our balcony! bah! this sucks because i’m going to have to clean it off at some point! eeww~! THEN i notice that there’s a nest under one of the chairs out there — with two eggs! cute.

so every time since then i’ve gone out to water the plants, the pigeon has flapped up in my face, and i’m thinkin…..you know, you could just stay put and i wouldn’t bother you. i just want to water my plants, and then i’ll leave. the pigeon does not seem to realize that it is MY porch! i pay rent on it! in any case, i’m glad that it’s there, and this morning i heard highpitched squacky sounds coming from out there, so i think there are baby pigeons!! hooray! if i can, i’ll get a picture, but the mama pigeon may very well be getting more aggressive. whew. we shall see.

ok, that’s possibly the longest blog entry EVER.

this is a companion entry to my sister’s what NOT to buy over at Mothering on the Edge! check it out.

Thirteen things to consider getting your Mom for mother’s day 1.flowers: a pretty safe bet, especially if you don't buy them from a gas station. 2. chocolates; these should come in boxes, NOT bar form. let's be clear here. 3. anything handmade from the kiddos - or that you helped them handmake. 4. a thoughtful letter (you can't do this every year, though, unless you have additional presents) 5. jewelry, HOWEVER, avoid the cliche jewelry (heart pendant - blech, gag me) and jewelry she doesn't wear (yellow gold or white? this is a must-know) 6. breakfast in bed. make dinner, too, while you're at it. 7. something thoughtful that goes along with a hobby she ALREADY has - a golf club if she golfs, etc. do NOT be fooled into thinking that housework is a hobby, just because it's something she does a lot. no, no and NO. housework is a job. (please check the do not buy list for any dilemmas) 8. something that's her FAVORITE - examples are favorite pajamas, favorite lip gloss, favorite rose, etc., etc., etc. 9. spa package. i don't know a woman alive who'd turn this down. massage, and/or manicure/pedicure....etc... there's something for everyone, as they say. (this is not to be confused with a GYM membership of any kind). 10. something she's asked for. anything on the do not buy list can be an exception, and added to the BUY list *if* she has requested that item for mother's day. be very clear on this. b/c if she asks for a new washing machine, and you give her that as the present? you may be in trouble, because that could be just something the HOUSE needs. and she? is not an extension of the house. 11. public acknowledgement or recognition of what a great mom she is. this could be a party, an ad in a magazine she reads, love notes, etc. 12. frame a special picture of the two of you - or her and all her kids. 13. ANYTHING. seriously, women do give credit for trying. so try. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! Link up below, and please leave me a comment; tell me about your 13, or your favorite mother's day gift!

graduation pictures

hooray! here are a few for your enjoyment.

it’s hard to tell, but that is spencer receiving his diploma. no, really, you just need to take my word for it.

and this is our happy graduate.

and last of all, my husband with his brother (and his brother’s wife) — he graduated the same day (obviously), also with an engineering degree. fun times.