Goodbye Grandma

Rest in Peace. 

I love you.

Medical Transcription

I went to Vocational Rehabilitation (again) to ask for help with funding for school or work training. I had been to them in the past with bad results. The person who used to work as my Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor had just left after a series of bad circumstances. I was one of those people that kept waiting and waiting for him to “get my medical records back” which he apparently had never sent for. I received a call before we went to Chile from a new Counselor that had taken the place of my past Counselor.

So, I just went back for my second appointment after gathering the necessary documents and explaining to her that I wanted to go through Career Step to get training in Medical Transcription. She told me at first that she wanted me to go through the local community college but I preferred the Career Step program. With Career Step you can finish quicker and spend more time on the practical skills needed for the job. Getting the skills and then getting to work is what I am interested in. Not, at my age, spending several years working my way up through math courses, which I have never been good at it anyway!

So, I am very happy that soon I may be taking the self-guided and at home Career Step Medical Transcription course!

I am also very, very thankful for Brenda’s help with giving me great pointers and answering my questions as I learn transcription skills. You have been a lifesaver! I appreciate you.

Moving Forward

I think I am reaching the point where I am old enough to realize that I wish I had figured out what I had wanted to do with my life earlier.

I believe I have been thinking a lot about life and where I am going lately and that has made me extremely motivated to stay on track. But, sometimes I wish I was Superwoman and could keep everything in life rolling full steam ahead with no bumps in the road. Of course, that does not happen in reality. I’ve had many bumps recently and life just is not always what you had imagined it to be. You have to just make your way through and do the best you can.

I know one thing that I want to rejuvenate and that is my optimistic point of view on life. I do not want to go through life always thinking of the worst that can happen or even thinking the worst of everybody. I prefer to look for the best in situations and people.

So, starting tonight, I am going to stop falling into that trap.

Yummy Granola Recipe

I made this granola yesterday. I chose to use the raisins and cranberries but you can use dried cherries. I used honey instead of maple syrup too.

It makes over 2 pounds or 13 cups. You can prepare it in less than 45 minutes.

The recipe is from the Cheap, Fast, Good recipe book by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross.

Great Granola

Cooking Oil Spray

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey

1 1/2 cups lightly lightly packed light brown sugar

6 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant oatmeal)

2 cups chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans

1 cup wheat germ (optional)

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup raisins

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries or cherries

1. Place oven racks in the two center positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 17 x 11-inch jelly roll pans with cooking oil spray.

2. Combine the oil, maple syrup, and brown sugar in a 1-quart microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high power until the sugar starts to melt, about 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave oven and whish until any lumps dissolve.

3. Combine the oats, nuts, wheat germ (if using), and coconut in a 3-quart or larger bowl. Toss to mix well. Pour the syrup mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well mixed. Spread evenly onto the jelly-roll pans.

4. Place a pan on each oven rack and bake for 10 minutes. Taking note of which pan was on the top rack, remove the pans from the oven, stir the granola, and return it to the oven, rotating each pan to the opposite rack. (If your oven will accommodate the two pans side-by -side  on the same rack, it is not necessary to rotate them.) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, taking care not to let the granola get too brown.

5. Cool the granola in the pans until it reaches room temperature, about 1 hour. Sprinkle the raisins and dried cranberries (if using) over each pan, dividing them evenly. Stir to mix well. Store in air tight containers, preferably glass jars or tins, for up to 2 weeks.

(You can increase the raisins or cranberries to 2 cups instead of using both ingredients if you prefer.)

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I guess I was exhausted yesterday.I laid down for a nap yesterday evening and ending up sleeping until today. :S

Domestic Sunday

Today Armando, my Dad and I did a few things to my van in preparation for selling it. I hope somebody comes along that can use the handicap equipment and the van and that it does not take a long time to sell it.

My allergies and Armando's are haywire and like a silly girl, after telling Armando to take his allergy medicine and decongestant I forgot to take mine! (a Typical Michelle moment) I came to the realization really quick while outdoors that Darn! I forgot to take MY allergy medicine. I feel very bad for Armando who is having a huge case of allergy symptoms. Mostly my eyes have been itching but he has the whole congested, runny nose awful stuffy head feeling going on. He didn't sleep well last night.

My plans for today are totally domestic. I am going to make supper for us and my parents, fold and put up laundry and do a general cleaning and organizing of the house.

I am looking forward to making this chicken recipe tonight:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Breaded-Ranch-Chicken

I will start with putting up the laundry now.

Have a great Sunday!

Try by Nelly Furtado

Some of my thoughts on love

Be gentle with the hearts of those you love

Consider them even when times are at the worst

Hold them dear and don't do things to make them unhappy

Take care with them in every word you utter or write

In every action that you make on a daily basis

Guard them like a fragile flower that needs extra care

Cling to them like your lifeline but give them space to grow

Don't ever abuse or take the person's feelings or love for granted

 

Photo taken en route to La Serena, Chile

Feb 19 2008

Weekend's Ending

Our cat Chochi is recovering well. On Saturday she had her drain tubes taken out. She is taking it easy which is a good thing. She looks better every day. I am still so thankful she is still with us after the attack. We've been babying her a lot. Our other cat Cookie has been missing her playtime with Chochi. She keeps going over to Chochi in a playful mood and not really understanding why she is not playing with her like normal. I've tried to be a Chochi "stand in" during this time and make sure to play with Cookie with her toys every day.

It has been a nice relaxing weekend. The weekend went by really fast.

We went to my Aunt's house for fish for supper. It was a beautiful evening weather wise. I hope tomorrow is just as pretty. We plan to go to Lake Guntersville if it is a nice day.

I've been looking at an online course for Medical Transcription. I am thinking seriously about taking it in the near future.

April Fool's!

Today is April Fool's Day and Armando has played TWO jokes on me today.

First, a faked eye injury. He came to the kitchen while I was cooking lunch with a napkin over his eye and said he poked himself with something in the eye and then a liquid (MILK!) starting dropping from the napkin. I said, Oh my God! OH MY GOD! over and over again. (laugh)

Then later, he put a piece of paper and tape on the bottom of my mouse and it wasn't working. I said, WHAT DID YOU DO? That is not funny.  I don't handle my computer not functioning well. How nerdy am I?

He is SOOOOOO  in for a payback one of these days!

Poor Chochi

Last night or early this morning, not sure exactly what time it was, we awoke with the sound of an animal growling and attacking. Our front had blown open by the wind. It was rainy and stormy. Our cats and dog Cinnamon were freaked out.

Cinnamon was under our porch hiding and Chochi was up high on the porch post clinging with her paws and holding there and terrified. Cookie ran and hid underneath our bed and the rest of the cats had scrambled.

We believe a coyote may have attacked Chochi. We see tracks in our driveway. We did not see her injury until today when she was acting slowly and not like herself. Armando saw a bleeding spot on her stomach. He immediately took her to the nearby vet hospital. Both of us were worried and Armando realized it was probably an internal injury. I was very concerned and worried and when he realized she had an injury and was cleaning her, I started crying. He told me to not be sad, she would probably be ok.

The vet kept her and will operate on her. They did X-rays and everything looked normal and they believe she will be ok. They said they believed it was an attack and they could see a mark that looked like where a fang had been.

Update: She came through surgery well and can come home tomorrow. Thank goodness! She is the most gentle and loving little cat. Always wanting to sit on your lap and making little meow sounds when you call her name. She has long hair and looks huge but when you really see the shape of her face and body, she is tiny, her hair just makes her look big!

Lymph Node Learning

The Nurse practitioner said the bump/lump? I have now (which is either a new bump or the other bump moved positions) is probably swollen lymph nodes. She doesn't think it is the salivary gland blocked.

I had my ears pierced around Valentine's Day and one has not healed and has been giving me problems and the last few days, seems to be tender and infected. She said the bump is a sign my body is fighting an infection. (I never knew you had lymph nodes in the center of your neck.) But you do, look below.

 

She put me on antibiotics and tested to see what antibiotic are best for me. I have to call back Thursday to make sure I am on the right antibiotic.

She took my earring out to do a swab and ouch. This is my second time trying to have pierced ears. Somehow I thought it would be easier this time since I am healthier. The Nurse Practitioner said if I continue having trouble with that ear, she would suggest I let it heal and not get my ears pierced again.

Hopefully, it will work itself out because I was rather looking forward to wearing pierced earrings instead of clips. There is so much more variety in pierced earrings and I was looking forward to the possibilities of having many options to choose from. (laugh)

The nurse practitioner said if after two weeks the lump hasn't gone away, she needs to refer me to an ENT doctor for a biopsy. I truly hope that little sucker ain't still hanging around in two weeks. I am not even going to give that more thought.

I am thinking positive. I believe my ear will heal, the lump is going to disappear and in two weeks time I will have bought several pairs of new earrings. ;)

Movie

We went to the theater and saw Drillbit Taylor.
It was funny. I enjoyed it and laughed a lot.

I thought that lump in my neck I had last week had disappeared, only to realize last night that nope, it hasn't disappeared but reappeared now more toward the middle of my neck and it's tender. I've got a doctor's appointment Monday. How odd. I have no idea what that is all about.

I am so happy. I reconnected with my best friend from childhood! We had lost contact.

Have a fun weekend!

Beautiful day

It is a beautiful day today. We just spent some time outside.The weather is refreshing.

I am feeling much better from the cold I've had.

Last night I made homemade Lasagna for dinner. Tonight I think we will have Chinese take-out.

We got a Japanese pagoda for Calypso our crayfish's aquarium the other day. She often hides in the clay pot caves. She seems to like the pagoda and goes underneath it often. Armando and I found that aquarium too boring and it needed something to make it more interesting.

Enjoy your day and try to find at least one thing (or more) to smile about! ;)

Brrr

Cold weather has visited us the last few days. I've had a cold with the sniffles and congestion. I've been taking decongestant and cold medicines for a few days now.

I had this weird knot/ball under my jaw on the right in the neck area that I thought was a swollen lymph node maybe because it was sore. I noticed it the evening we flew from Chile home. I went to the doctor and she said maybe it was a blocked salivary gland. Never heard of that before. She told me to give it a few weeks, massage it, put warm compresses on it, take lemon drops and if it did not go away, to set up another appointment and she would do bloodwork and more tests. Luckily, the tenderness has gone away and it is not as big but it is still hard in that area. How odd. Hopefully it will clear itself up.

I've not been in the best of spirits lately but I am sure it is only a matter of time before I snap out of it.

Recently we cleaned out our closets and donated several boxes of clothes. Our closet is in much better shape now. I had so many clothes that I never wore getting in my way.

Currently I am reading the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is a good book and she makes me smile with her sense of humor and wit.

Farellones

A few of the last pictures we took before leaving.

Farellones

36 sharp curves later and you reach the top.

 

Sweet Home Alabama

We arrived home safely yesterday.

The trip was long .While entering Atlanta, we met a line of thunderstorms and had a lot of turbulence and had to cancel our initial landing and fly around a while to the north side of Atlanta for a clearer landing area. I got a bit nervous and later Armando told me that he was trying to make me feel calmer and talk to me but he was nervous too.

Then our connection flight's take-off from Atlanta to Birmingham was stalled a long while after boarding the plane. The plane was with a problem and a maintenance crew had to fix it.

I rested so well last night.

Next Saturday my Aunt and Mom and Dad are throwing us a Welcome Home Party. They want us to have time to rest up first.

Next Sunday is Easter. I want to color some eggs. I haven't done that in forever. I may grill out too. What are your plans?

Here is a tutorial showing how to prepare before decorating to preserve your favorite Easter egg.

Home on Saturday

It has been a nice two month's visit to Chile but I am also looking forward to going home on Saturday to  spend time with family,sleep in my own bed, spend time with our pets,and cook my favorite foods, etc.

My first priority is to go see my Grandmother in Birmingham who is seriously ill. She almost died this weekend but is more stable now. I am sad that she is suffering and in a lot of pain. They are giving her morphine. She is 83 years old.

I'm feeling better

I am much better now. Thanks for the sweet comments.

I have ten more days left in Chile before arriving back home to Alabama. My parents tell me there is a chance it may snow tonight where we live.

We had a dentist appt yesterday. We both had two fillings done. Tomorrow, I have one more filling left and cleaning to be done, Armando has two more fillings and our three day dentist marathon will be over with. YAY!

Sunday Gabriel will be baptised and we will have a celebration at Armando's Mom's house afterward.

I've almost finished reading another book. Where are the Children by Mary Higgins Clark.

Today I saw a show on television called The Ice Road Truckers. I think it comes on The History Channel and that is a very scary job!

http://www.history.com/minisites/iceroadtruckers

Enjoy your Sunday!

The F word

Early Sunday morning I awoke with a fever and chills. I couldn't get warm. Later, I got warm and fell back to sleep. Sunday evening I ran a fever again. Last night I sweat a lot. I will try to take my temperature if it happens again, which I hope it doesn't and if it does, I may have to go to see a doctor here.

What a bummer.

Update

I haven't written in a while. Let me give you an update.

I had a dentist appointment on Thursday.I had not been to the dentist in a while so I was a little nervous and paranoid. I had all these thoughts before getting into the dentist chair about him saying things like OH MY GOD!!! Or some dramatic thing like you have gum disease or need surgery. LOL

But all was ok, except for three little cavities... The dentist was very kind and spoke some in English which was kind. I tried to speak in Spanish too.

The dentist was in the are called Providencia. I like that area. It is very nice. We ate at an Italian restaurant after the dentist as a reward. hehehe A man was playing guitar and singing and Armando joked with me, asking if I wanted my picture taking with the singer and I said NO! I get very shy with things like that.

Since being in Chile, I've read these books.

Here are the books I have read. I enjoyed them all.

My Invented Country by Isabel Allende

My Antonia by Will Cather

The Bonesetter's daughter by Amy Tan

Golden Country by Jennifer Gilmore

Dark Horse by Tami Hoag

We went to Viviana's house tonight and I held Gabriel and enjoyed him. He turned one month old today. Time sure flies!

Monday and Wednesday I have to get those cavities filled...

We've been enjoying time around the house lately. It has been relaxing.

We return home to Alabama in little over two weeks.