In The Tank...

I had a physical therapy session today! And I went into the pool for 45 minutes today. First, the therapist did a wrap and band on both of my knees... and then, I did my first trip in the therapy pool. It was wonderful! It's a single person tub, 7 feet deep, and it uses a Hoyer lift to get you in the water. The first part I needed to use a life vest, which they attached to two pulleys to keep me from floating away... and I got to "bicycle" for like... 5 whole minutes! It was just heavenly to be able to move with out any pain!

I later moved to the other side of the pool to a platform and did many different types of movement and repetition... and it only hurt a little bit. When it came time to get out... I didn't want to because it felt so good. Once I was no longer buoyant and gravity took over, man did that feel weird and freaky! But my therapist told me that I was right... I should have been in the water from my very first visit! He liked that he didn't need to spend a lot of time with me, he could just tell me what to do, set the timer, and come back when it went off. I go back on Monday... and I am going to try and be good for the next few days and not do too much. I did get all my shopping done... and I even went to a yard sale this afternoon!

I bought myself a great wire shopping basket with wheels for the flea market. This one was only used a couple of times, has a great liner... and was priced less than the one I saw at the flea market anyway! I also bought an aluminum folding director's chair with a black nylon cover. I really like how comfortable it is... and since it folds up... I can take it anywhere I want and be able to sit with comfort and be able to get out of it with some grace!

It's been humid and hot... we camped out in the bedroom last evening... and I will be there again soon. We had tons of rain last night... but at least we didn't have the tornado touch down here... it ended up touching down about 30 miles north of us in the Poconos and was an F-2 storm. Crazy, huh?

Thanks for reading... I'm headed to the ac now! Be blessed!
~Suzanne

The Decision...

has been made... and DH felt that it would be too hard on me right now to try and train a puppy. He is worried about my "bad days" and how I would manage to get a puppy downstairs to go potty. He's right... because Nolli is trained... and he can also hold it for over 12 hours if he has to... he's only ever had 1 accident, bless his puppy-dog heart!

On another front... I just got back from taking DH to the doctor. He had a very scary episode with his vision this morning, having blind spots and wavy sight. He's checked out okay... but needs to go for a "headache work-up". It seems he had the on-set of a migraine... and has no history of them. We are not certain what the triggers are... but we are now going to be more watchful. We have eliminated several things already... and who knows... it may be some of the things we eliminated!

I'm off to get my next Hyalgan injections today! I am so glad... and so looking forward to the pain relief. We may have to leave soon... the National Weather Service just issued a Tornado warning for our area and we will be under watch until 8pm tonite! Yikes!

Thanks for reading... Thanks for your thoughts and comments, they mean so much! Be Blessed!
~Suzanne (OH... flash flood warnings just came across too! Wow!)

What to do...

I have been thinking of adding a new family member to our mix, here at the cottage. Nolli has always had another "furry friend" around. But since moving here... it's just been the 3 of us. I love to go and look at puppies. I love to search the shelters. But I went on Craigslist... and found the CUTEST little guy ever! And now I have to decide if I want to get another dog. I think, that with my Hyalgan injections... I should be able to handle training another dog, even though it's been 5+ years since I got Nolli-dog. DH gave me his blessing... and then we talked about the pros and cons of it all... and I'm on the fence. I soooo want another dog... and this one is little. What to do... what to do!

Back from P/T

Okay... I went to physical therapy... I was in no condition to get in the pool. Even my therapist said so! So... I'm back to taping and banding... with lots of bedrest and ice packs. I think the the therapist should come over and do the laundry for me since I have to stay down... I think it's a fair trade! (Poor DH will get that job... it's only 2 loads, and most of it is his!)

Okay... I'm heading for the bedroom... with lots of pillows and ice packs. Nolli dog will be keeping me company... he's real good at that! I'm gonna try and not be bored, and maybe even read for a little while! (It's been awhile since I've picked up a book!)

Thanks for reading... and putting up with my cranky self! Be blessed!
~Suzanne

It's a struggle...

to maintain my sanity this morning. I don't want to go to physical therapy... I woke up feeling like I had been ran over with a steam roller! And now... my patience is being tested to it's very limits with my processor... it doesn't want to run... or navigate... or do anything!!! I am not in a good frame of mind right now... so... I'll catch up after I get back from therapy!

The End of a Busy Saturday!

Our day started way too early for me! I forgot to take my Ambien last night... so I was wide awake for a good portion of the night. I got up to go to the bathroom at 3ish and made my way back to bed around close to 5 am. The alarm was set to go off at 8:30 and I was up by 8!

We got ourselves out the door by 8:45 and had DH's truck up to the auto repair shop by 9. Then it was off to breakfast... french toast and bacon with some scrambled eggs. Once we had breakfast done... we came home for few minutes... (to give Nolli his breakfast.... yeah... it was half of my bacon~) and then we gathered up the shopping basket and ice cooler and ice packs. Off to the Amish Farm Market in the Poconos. We did our usual shopping... fresh rolled butter and farmers cheese, fresh produce and some fresh peaches and blueberries.

After... we drove into Blakeslee and stopped at a few places... one was a nursery that was having a sale. I purchased some flat leaf parsley for my herb dish garden, a new planter for said dish garden, a cute little mixed planter for $5.99 and some flower and bloom booster. After that, we went to the Flea Market and walked around. We found a few good buys... the best buy being a cute 3 lamp bar-style light in brass with white shades... $10! While we were inside, we sat down to have something cold to drink, and we were joined by 2 gals from New York. We spent a good 30 minutes with them as they ate some lunch and we all laughed about some of the crazy stuff we were finding at this place. One of the girls found an elephant... who had it's trunk up, which means good luck. The guy who had it, insisted that she take it for free... and it got to be rather loud... so she took it to shut him up! We were right behind them as that took place. It was rather funny... and to sit and talk about it with them later and it was great fun!

Anyway... on the way home... we stopped at a few yard sales too. It was fun to get out and look... and know that there was no pressure to buy anything. We made it home by 2 and got started on projects. DH helped carry laundry down, he got my new tin star put up on the front of the house, and also got new netting made for our climbing black-eyed Susan vine. It looks wonderful and they will now have a good 3 or 4 feet more to climb before the end of summer. We also got our salt and mineral block set out for the deer. We also had to go into town 2 times with DH's truck... one for the estimate and the whole approval process with the bosses...and then back to pick it up when it was done. We took Nolli with us... and since it was so late, we ended up having dinner at McD's. It was just easier that way! We no sooner got home and got started on stuff when another lightening and rain storm moved in. We managed to get stuff put away.... but we were still the crazy people who were out in the rain storm... DH wanted to get everything under the fir trees watered! He'd love to get a cistern and capture the rain run-off... but I don't know where we'd put it! That's been the better part of our day... we are relaxing with the fans blowing cool air in now... and I am about to take my Ambien so that I will sleep tonite!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

The Day After...

Yesterday was very interesting... DH took me to the hospital for my upper endoscopy. Parts of were good and parts were not so good, as any hospital stay. The Day Surgery suite is a little sparse as far the rooms go. And my nurse made me wish that my neighbor Louise had been there to do my I.V. She could not get it in on my left hand... muttering to herself about a bi-valve must be there. I tried to explain to her, that was the hand my last I.V. was in... but she was too busy talking to herself. I told her to move it up my arm... but, no... she decided to go for my right hand instead. I instructed her to make the tourniquet tighter down my arm... I told her that there were good veins there. She finally listened and got it in. Poor DH had to almost leave the room through this episode because I was crying as I tried to help the nurse. Needless to say, my left hand is killing me this morning!

Everyone is the surgical suite was wonderful... they all had a good sense of humor and were very pleasant. They all loved my pretty pink nail polish and liked my pedicure. (I chose the same pink color I got for my wedding day! OPI's Married in the Chapel.) I now understand about using Diprivan is a powerful and amazing drug. It worked well for me and I woke up feeling pretty well. My throat really didn't hurt at all. They didn't keep me too long in recovery... and sent me back to my room quickly. Only a little bit of a head rush coming through the halls with no glasses. (They gave me medicine for my tummy so I wouldn't get sick.)

I do have an ulcer starting... no sure where that came from... the doctor said he sent "something to the lab for analysis... but I cannot remember what he said! I have to go and see him next week. He was very pleased with the outcome... so there we are! I cannot drive for 24 hours... and last night, I got a pretty good headache and some nausea. I took some Aleve and headed to bed... and stayed there. This morning... I still have a little bit of wooziness and I'm trying to take it easy. I wanted to get laundry started... and I have some of it sorted out. That's as far as I've gotten.

On the knee front... I can say that I cannot wait for the whole series to be done! I am feeling so good! I still get some knee pain, but as I do simple movement... the pain that was there has gone down to a minimal amount of 1-2 on the pain scale! Wow!

We are ready for the weekend... we may be picking up a new to us freezer from Craigslist. We shall see tonight if we get it. I am excited about having a freezer so that I have enough room for bread and meats that I find on sale. There are always so many kinds of things I want to get at Wegmans... but I can't as I don't have freezer space to keep it all. I think it would make for more interesting lunches for DH as well. Let's hope this works out! (If not, it just means that I have to wait another month to get a new one.) We have more to do on the patio project... but it will be finished soon! It's so nice to have the extra space and it seems funny to think we didn't have it before! Wow... have I chatted your ear off today???

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

Ready, Set, Go!

I went up to the hospital this morning for my pre-op admission stuff.... everything went very smooth and I am requested to be there tomorrow morning at 9:30 sans make-up, contact lenses, jewelry and deodorant! DH will be taking me and also driving me home. I am hoping for a good out-come to the reasons for my chest pain... and to also be able to swallow again with relative ease... a side affect from radiation treatments. (Sorry for the TMI!)

My Hyalgan shots are already working... after my appointment, I felt good, so I continued to drive west. I stopped in Williamsport at the TJMaxx and More... (Home Goods!!!!) and proceeded to shop like a crazy fool. I found soooo much cool stuff, but left most of it behind. I made a few other stops around town and on my way home. I finally drug myself home around 3:00-ish... after leaving the house at 8:30! I haven't been out doing that kind of fun galavanting in a very long time! It's great to start feeling good again!

So... that's all I've got for now. I managed to stay in the banding and tape from p/t for the full 48 hours and a few more. It was interesting to try and get that tape off and still leave my skin intact.... DH had a great moisturizing shower gel that worked really well at loosening the tapes. I only have a small amount of residue to get off with alcohol now! My knees do ache... but I am not in the pain that I was in.... relief is very welcomed!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

Has It Really Been 4 Days???

Time flies... and yes, sometimes, I was having fun! When I last posted... I was waiting for the appraiser to come. He showed up just a few minutes after I posted. He took a look downstairs first, since I left the garage door open for him. (Nothing like someone checking out my husbands pile of junk in the basement, along with all of his boxes of parts!) Anyway, it was actually kind of nice to have him come upstairs to look around. I don't know what he was actually expecting... but he walked into our living room and exclaimed, "Oh... this is so nice!" I guess he likes what we've done to the place. Good thing we hadn't started on our patio project yet!

Anyway... back to Friday. I went to see a Surgeon on Friday.... he's going to be doing an endoscope on me. He was really quite interesting and we hit it off right from the start. He asked me a ton of questions, and when he got through some of my medical history, it was evident to him that I have an issue in my throat stemming from my radiation treatment during my Thyroid cancer and subsequent body scans. I guess the radiation is causing me to have some swallowing issues... so he's going to go look down my throat... and check for any other weird things like a hernia... and also stretch my esophagus! That is going to happen this Thursday. I will be making another trip to the hospital for labs, and then the procedure. (I'm sure that admissions is getting to know me by sight now!)

Over the course of the weekend... we started a little patio project... and it's turning out rather lovely. We are using 16x16 red stone pavers and Hubs is also going to put in a graded path to the side of the house. We have also "found" a new cement pad (Hubs dug it up from under all the topsoil from the many years of snow plowing!) and have moved the grill up from the side of the house as well. It looks wonderful, and we are only halfway finished with it after working on it for 2 days straight. When it is done... I will be posting pictures.

Yesterday, I went to physical therapy... I have a new therapist... whom I really like. He actually talked me into doing taping and banding on my knees. I wasn't too gung-ho on the idea, but once he thoroughly explained it and did an actual demonstration on my leg... I understood it and it felt so much better! I say that now... but it was very uncomfortable last night, trying to sleep. And I wanted to do pedicure.. but couldn't get my knee bent! So... my sweet DH decided that I needed to go and get one today! He's so wonderful! I also have my first Hyalgan injection today... so looking forward to that... and hoping that I will be able to put the cane away again, very soon! Oh.. the hospital is on the phone... trying to get me scheduled for pre-op in same-day surgery! I'll keep you posted!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

Another Wonder!

As I was out and about running errands yesterday, I went to Wilkes-Barre to Wegmans. I love and adore that grocery store. There is so much to buy, that is so yummy good! I enjoy going there and it's probably a good thing that it's 25 miles away. Anyway... I was in line at the check-out and heard my phone beep with a missed call alert. (I was unloading stuff on the belt when my phone rang, so I missed it.) It was a call from our landlord... he forgot to tell me when he saw me that morning that an appraiser was going to be coming in the morning. Gah!!!!

He failed to elaborate as to why... so...now we are left to wonder... is merely for insurance purposes, or is for a new line of credit for his business... or.... is he going to try and sell? I hope it's merely the first or second option... I don't want to go through the hassle of having prospective buyers coming through.... and we certainly don't want to run the risk of having to either move or have our rent increased. (...... shudder......)

This has also put a huge damper... (read-STOP) on my plans for what I wanted to do in the next few months. I want to finish doing some landscape projects, and I wanted to take down the drapes and make new curtains for the living room. I also wanted to do a major make-over on the kitchen... along with doing a new pantry on the porch. All those plans have now come to a screeching halt! We may still do a pantry... but scale it down and make it something that would be portable. We shall see what the best idea is when we start to draw it out.

We are more than ready for the weekend... my knees are still killing me. I cannot wait for Tuesday when I can start my Hyalgan injections and have some relief! If I make too many trips up and down the stairs... do stuff like shopping and carrying it all in... it kicks the pain level up to "Miss Cranky-mode"... up past 6-7 on the pain scale. I'm trying to stay down as ordered... but it's just too hard to do right now!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

I have returned!

My P/T appointment went well... although I did ask about "when" I would start the "aqua" portion of my sessions. It seems that the person who wrote the order failed to get that part in there! Ummmm... that was the whole purpose of going to that particular provider! So... having to be self-advocating... I called the doctors office today and left a message. They called me back quickly, and I explained everything in detail. I am hoping that the doctor will call the p/t office and correct the order.

I also asked about my Hyalgan injections. It seems that they never called the insurance company to set it up. (And of course, for the 3rd time this week... I was told that I would still have to pay a portion of the treatment because I have not met my deductible! (Ummm... yeah, that would be WRONG! Considering all that I have had done in the last 3 1/2 months... it's more then covered!) Anyway... I start injections on Tuesday. I will have injections every Tuesday for the next 5 weeks! I cannot wait to feel better and be able to walk with a steady gait again!

On the work front... DH and I prayed together this morning before he left. We prayed that God would make the way and that the truth would be revealed. God does hear and answer prayer! DH was going to receive a written warning today... but because he's so good at documentation and that the work in question was done at the end of the day and the client did not want to pay for overtime... DH did what he was instructed to do by his Supervisor and wrote on the ticket that repairs done were a "temporary fix" only. The Bid Dude at Big Brown... clearly does not like DH and has made it very evident that he's out to get him. The Manager for DH clearly backed my husband, told him that from now on, he's allowed to do time and materials work with overtime if needed, to get the job done correctly... and told his Supervisor the same thing! FINALLY! So... we are happy to be able to stay up here and not have to either move or look for other work. There were other things discussed that I won't go into here... but let's just say that a certain some one's decision making skills are coming into question right about now!

Oh... after my p/t appointment today... I did go down to the Farm Market... it's huge! It covers several acres and is inside of 2 very large buildings as well many, many outside vendors! I clearly didn't take enough cash with me... and I clearly need to have a wheeled shopping basket with me. It was fun... I could have spent tons of money, my knees were screaming at me... but I came home with some yummy fresh produce, very fresh jumbo eggs for $1.15 dz. and some yummy Amish baked goodies! I still need to go up to the Pocono market to buy butter... it's so much better than what I can get in the store and it lasts for so long! I still have at least 1/2 pound left from when I last went! (It will be gone quickly... fresh corn on the cob!)

Thanks for reading... be blessed... my wish for you as always!
~Suzanne

Real Quick!

I just wanted to say that "I Thank You" for all the kind and very caring comments from yesterday. I will take some of them under advisement... and keep pondering and wondering... like I always do!

I'm off to another p/t appointment today. Then, if I can pull myself together, I hear that there is a fabulous farm market down in Hometown. I just have to go and check it out. There's not too much that I need to shop for right now... but then, you never... it is a Farm Market after all!

Last night, I finally received my new phone... and spent most of the evening trying to figure it out. (I miss the days when I was required to take a training on all new equipment!) Anyway... the jury is still out on whether or not I will keep this device... there were a few glitches in transferring my media over... that did not make me happy at all!

Thanks for reading... be blessed! I'll probably post again later!
~Suzanne

Wondering...

Today... I am full of wonder... not necessarily all the 'wonderment" of good things... but here's my list!

I am wondering how long it will take Fed-Ex to deliver my cell phone? ... Mind you, it started out in PA, had to go to NJ to be sorted, then trucked back to the distribution hub in PA, and then put on the truck to be delivered today... they said by 4:30... they've got 2 more hours!

I am also wondering... why is it that one "Big Dude" at UPS has it in for my DH? He literally knit-picks every job that DH does... and now has requested that the Manager of the company drive up and inspect and evaluate the work my DH does. Does this mean that a window is about to open... could it be that we will either have to move back to MD or look for other work?

I am wondering... about friends... and how they manage to go and do other things in their lives, and cannot follow through on returning calls or emails. It always bothers me to be placed at such a low priority that it can take over a week to hear from anyone... and of course, family???? that's a whole other story... I often wonder how long I should go before picking up the phone and calling to say... hey... I'm still here!

I often wonder... just who really reads this... and if they do, why do they never leave a comment? I just would like to know if you liked what I wrote... or if you even care... (Not you, Pearl or Sandra!)

I am wondering... if I should get another dog... I would love to add to our household. But if we end up moving, that would make it harder. And then there's my knees and going up and down steps all day with animals... hmmm.... it's a big decision. And how would Nolli really feel? He's a very sensitive little guy, and I don't want him to feel slighted.

I am also wondering about all the projects I want to do in this cottage. We are about to embark on a few things... like finishing the outside steps, building a pantry, and my redoing all the curtains in the living room and making new seat covers for the dining room. Am I about to take on too much?

I am wondering... about my scheduled endoscopy for this Friday. Has anyone out there had one and care to share your experience? This is a procedure that I have to go to by myself... DH has too much on his plate on Friday to even attempt to go with me.

I am wondering... will Summer ever show up? It's been rather cold today... the house has been quite chilly all day. I had to go sit out in the sun for a bit to get warm!

That's enough wondering for this afternoon... have I bored anyone to tears yet? I hope y'all still are willing to hang with me after all this wondering!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

Simple Woman's Daybook...

FOR TODAY (July 13th, 2009)...

Outside my window... the sun is shining, there is a nice breeze and the crows are cawing out by the stream

I am thinking... of my dear friend "N", losing her sister so suddenly. I'm grateful that I could be there to support and help her when she needed me.

I am thankful for... my wonderful Husband, as always! He works so hard for us... and he does whatever he can to make my life wonderful. Never have I know such love from a man other than our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus.

From the kitchen... things are neat and put away. Mexican is on the menu for tonight.

I am wearing... cute denim shorts, a black and white paisley knit top with ruffled cap sleeves and my black single strap birkenstocks.

I am creating... a new honey-do list for my hubs!

I am going... to ice my knees from my p/t appointment today and do my exercises.

I am reading... through all the mail I picked up at the post office today... my hospital bill was in there... interesting reading!

I am hoping... to stay on track for all the things we want to do in the house and yard this week.

I am hearing... fans blowing in the windows... the birds in the trees, Nolli breathing near my feet.

Around the house... I need to pick up just a little bit and dust. DH will vaccum for me later.

One of my favorite things...How wonderful God's timing is and how he supplies!

A few plans for the rest of the week: to continue with physical therapy and strengthen my right knee and hip... and hopefully start my Hyalgan injections this week!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

Sunday Odds & Ends

Well... last night's thunderstorm was a real head-banger! It rocked and rolled 'round here for a good 2 to 3 hours. The winds didn't come like expected, and it only hailed a little bit. But we are still glad to have put all the yard stuff and the car into the garage. As the storm approached, I really felt the atmospheric pressure change... I was yowling in pain. I had to take stuff and have DH rub my back and my knees with bio-freeze so I could go to sleep. I woke up in pain... and had to do it all over again this morning. Sweet DH let me sleep until 10! I woke up feeling pretty good after that.

Also last night, my dear "N" called me... she had just discovered that her oldest sister had passed away. She needed me to call our pastor (from back home) and let him know to call her or her sister, Miss A. Her sister Miss L, had a pretty tough lot in life... and in her later years, it showed. She was on disability for COPD, but wanted her independence and lived alone. When no one had heard from her yesterday... they went looking and when they got no response, called for paramedics. That's when they found that Miss L had gone to be with the Lord. "N" felt so badly that she hadn't gone over sooner... I tried to comfort her the best that I could... but it never feels like enough.

Today... DH has worked on house projects... we have an attic ventilation system that has been broken from the time we moved in here. He's tried several times to fix it... today, he's installed a new motor and variable speed controller that is worth about $850. (He had it from another piece of equipment that he owns.) He's almost done with it... but is trying his hardest to figure out how to correctly mount the original fan in place... it seems that it was never properly mounted to begin with! I have a feeling a trip up to the attic might be in store for him instead of working through the vent opening. He's such a hard worker and such a smart "technical" man.

Tomorrow, I see the physical therapist... we are going to meet and do paperwork, set up a plan of exercises for my knees and schedule some pool time. Sounds like a lot, huh? I have to be out the door almost right behind DH to make this appointment. That hasn't happened in awhile!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

Saturday Fun!

I called my dear friend Mary on Friday... she told me about how she had gone to visit her youngest son over the 4th weekend and did a whole bunch of yard sales! She inspired me... so this morning... DH and I went out and hit a few sales. We had a ball and came home with some really good finds. DH has been wanting to buy a wireless router... and he found one, in the box for $5 and got it for $3! We also got a nice small tv for the guest room for $8!

I've got to cut this short... we have a tornado warning in effect... and the thunder and heavy rains have started! Time to batten down the hatches... hang on, Toto!

Snails Pace

I am moving slower than a snails pace today... My blood pressure still is not down even though they doubled my dosage of "the big, heavy hitter." So, now he's doubled the dosage of the second one to see if we can get the numbers down. He said it might slow me down a little... this is more than a little, but I'll make the adjustment eventually.

I'm glad that it's the weekend... and glad that we can just hang out tomorrow and do what we want... maybe a little laundry and vacuuming, a swish of the feather duster, and we are pretty much done. If fact, I may just work on getting all that done this afternoon while I wait for DH to come home from work. It is Friday after all... and we all know that his supervisor likes to "screw him over" on Friday! Hopefully, he will make it home before 7pm for a change. (I've been praying about my attitude and the Sup's as well... change us both, Lord!)

I did stop by the flower shop yesterday... the owner of the shop finally did some maintenance on the place and had an electrician come in and fix both lights in the work area and in the cooler door! It looks so good in there now. (And you can see what colors you are really working with!... Not that I am doing any work!) It's a small improvement, one that was needed months ago. If it were my shop... I'd give the place a new paint job, inside and out, add a little landscaping and better signage... and reset the layout inside and merchandise, merchandise, merchandise! But... that's not my shop. If I ever win powerball... I'd buy it in a New York minute and do it up right! Miss J knows how I feel about the shop and what needs to be done... if only the owner would listen! (wow... how did I get here?)

I did go to Och's Country Market today... it's truly out in the country! They had some lovely Shasta Daisies that I would have loved to have bought. But, alas, I have no place to put them, and I don't know if I have the energy right now to dig up part of the yard or go out and buy a barrel for them. So, instead, I bought a little fresh produce for dinner and few bulk staple items that I can't find in town. It was fun and I will have to take DH with me next time as I couldn't decide on what kind of pie to buy! We may head over to the Amish Farm Market in the Poconos tomorrow... I am almost out of their delicious rolled creamy butter... that stuff is fabulous! And I can always use more farmer's cheese too!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

I'm back from my appointment...

And the Phyisican's Assistant... worked me over... and then the Doctor worked me over... and I had x-rays that also worked me over! I'm tired and my knees hurt! I will be going back into physical therapy... back in the pool, Thank You Lord! I am also a candidate for Hyalgan... (like I didn't already know that!) Once all the insurance stuff is verified... I will be trekking up to Berwick to do my "thing" in the pool. He talked about my severe arthritis in both of my knees... and told me that when the pain gets so bad that I can't function, then I can have my knees replaced. (I'm just too young to have it done yet since it only lasts 15 years.) That's where I am at for now... no surgery to be done as of yet! Yay!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

I Can't Take It Anymore!

Those of you who know me... know that I have struggled with my knees for almost 10 years. Back in January of 2000, I slipped off of some icy steps while holding a clients baby... I held on to the baby and injured my knees with blunt force trauma from landing on the sidewalk that was 4 steps down. I was rated by the state as having incurred 7-10% permanent knee damage and disability.

I have not been able to go down steps the "normal way" since then.... nor can I kneel down to garden, pass cpr or play with the dog. I have had several series of Synvisk... which is an artificial form of synovium fluid that cushions the cartilage in your joints. I had the longer last Hyalgan done in my left knee, 3 years ago. It did well... and recently quit working. I've gotten to the point that I have to rest after doing basic chores and have to be careful of the side to side motion that we all do when we are doing dishes and cooking and doing laundry. (You don't realize it, but there is a lot of side to side motion in daily life.) Not to mention, all the stairs that I climb up and down during the course of my day. (Some days are better than others.) Last night, after fixing dinner and cleaning up, we ran off to Walmart to pick up prescriptions and a couple of items... when I got back to the car, I was in pain... enough to take my breath away. When we got home... I waited until DH had done all the outside watering and walked the dog before I got the courage to climb the stairs.

Today... I called the doctor and made an appointment. I know that this is going to entail x-rays and that I will have to kneel on the table while those x-rays are taken... Oooowwww! I am hoping to start another Hyalgan series at the very least... and who knows.. maybe it's finally time for new knees. We shall see!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

I Knew It Was Gonna Big!

I just came from the post office.... I've been avoiding going for the last couple of days. My medical bills are due... and Boy, did they ever show up! My little 3 days and 2 nights in the hospital was EXPENSIVE! (Just under $25000 for my little stay!) And it's not the total bill... I still have to be billed for the doctors visits and for doctor who did my 4 minute nuclear stress test. (That should be ridiculously expensive!) All I can say is... Thank you, Lord... for our health insurance! And Thank you, CHC...(hub's company) for covering the $2400 deductible. (Now if only Flex-America would get it together and actually pay it!) I don't ever want to go through that again... but, since the deductible has been met for the fiscal year... I should go and see what else I can have done... like my knees!

Tonight's dinner is one I haven't made in a long time... Beefy Meatballs... with onion gravy and rice. I was going to grill hamburgers... but DH decided he wanted meatballs instead. They're in the oven right now... and it will be an easy dinner again! Rice is done in the microwave... all I need is either a veggie or a salad... hmmm... lemon-basil dressing sounds really good tonight! I guess I'd better go whip some of that up as well.

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

A Simple Woman's Daybook...

FOR TODAY (July 7th, 2009)...

Outside my window... It's cooler today... just the low 60's with a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, it's was sunny early this morning, but the cloud cover has arrived.

I am thinking... how much fun we had in Connecticut this past weekend.

I am thankful for... new family and new friends... my sweet and enduring husband and sweet funny Nolli-dog.

From the kitchen... there are tons of good eats, wonderfully shared from the kitchen of Uncle Jesse... I don't have to really cook this week!

I am wearing... my usual uniform... jeans, t-shirt and sandals

I am creating... piles of clean laundry from our trip! =)

I am going... to the pharmacy later for DH to get his scripts filled and to the post office.

I am hoping... that our third party insurance benefits payer will finally pay our deductibles.

I am hearing... cars on the street, wind in the trees, someone edge trimming the grass.

Around the house... there are few things to be put away from the trip, but only a few!

One of my favorite things... how Nolli is so happy to be home, how good our bed felt last night, how nice it was to come home to a wonderfully clean house!

A few plans for the rest of the week: to catch up on laundry and contemplate new projects.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

DH and his Uncle Jesse... they have a deep and abiding love and friendship for each other and for family. Two strong, yet gentle men, who both served our country!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

A fast and fun trip

We are heading out to the family reunion this morning! I have the camera ready and hope to get lots of good pictures. Nolli-dog has been nervous and antsy since the suitcases went on the guestroom bed... he finally got it that he was going with us when I packed his dog crate this morning! We are so looking forward to this trip and all the new family I will get to meet!

Please have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend!
Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

Scrappin'

I added 8 pages to our wedding album today. I wanted to have it finished to take to the family reunion. I didn't do any journaling in it, just did a lot of cropping and embellishments. It was rather fun to spread out my stuff across the dining room table and have little work stations. It went rather quickly doing it that way!

Last night... we had just sat down to dinner and DH's phone went off... he had an emergency call over an hour away. He left at 6 and got home after 1 am this morning. We were up at 6 this morning so he could check in and get his day set up. He came home this afternoon at 5... he was pretty tired. He showered and went to put his feet up and watch the news, I woke him at 6:45 once dinner was ready. He's worked on paper work most of the evening. I think the highlight of the evening was when I busted out the Moose-Tracks ice cream and caramel sauce. (That will make any paperwork go better!)

Tomorrow, I need to finish putting away all of my scrapbook materials and straighten the dining room back up. I should also do a little grocery shopping for next week and do the preliminary packing for Saturday. Oh... DH's sister called tonight... she's decided to come down from New York to the family reunion! I am very excited to meet her for the first time. Another funny thing happened today... DH's baby brother just started a facebook account... so I "friended" him. He's made a few comments on my status updates... so he decided to call me today! That is the first time he's called me and not DH! I guess I really am becoming part of the family!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne