Chile Earthquake

Armando’s family lives in Santiago, Chile. Today was a nervous time for Armando and I as we awaited news from his family. Thank goodness his family and what friends we were able to contact, are okay. They awoke in the early hours of the morning scared with a big force and movement. The communication was unstable for many hours. Some areas still have basic services not working.

Sadly, many areas were affected with some damage to roads, homes, injuries and loss of life. In the coastal areas a tsunami followed the earthquake. More information will be available later, as they make their way to review the full damage.

The earthquake measured 8.8 on the Richter scale and was stronger than the earthquake they had in 1985.

Watch local tv for Chile here:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tv-de-chile

If you are looking for a family member in Chile, check here:

http://chilepersonfinder.appspot.com/

My thoughts are with all those involved. Please keep Chile in your thoughts and prayers.

 

Easy Italian Sausage Pie

Makes 8 servings

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes

Bake at 375F for 1 hour, 15 minutes

1 pound mild Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 eggs
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated ready-to-roll pie crusts
1 egg beaten lightly with 1 tablespoon water

1. Heat oven to 375F. Place sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook 5 minutes, until browned on all sides.
2. In a large bowl, combine sausage, 5 eggs, spinach, mozzarella cheese, ricotta, shallot, pepper, garlic powder and salt.  Line a 9-inch pie plate with 1 of the pie crusts.  Spoon in the sausage-and-spinach mixture.  Top with the remaining pie crust; seal and crimp edges.  Poke a few holes in the center of the pie crust and brush with the egg-water mixture.
3. Bake at 375F for 1 hour, 15 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

From: Family Circle Magazine - November 1, 2009

 

NOTE: I USED MORE RICOTTA CHEESE. I JUST MIXED RICOTTA CHEESE IN UNTIL THE MIXTURE WAS AS CREAMY AS I WANTED IT.

Enjoy!

(The picture of this is in the post below.)

Dinner Tonight

I tried a new recipe tonight. I made Italian Sausage Pie. We both enjoyed it along with wine.

I had Barefoot White Zinfandel from California and Armando had a 2005 Marques de Caceres red wine from Spain.

If anybody wants the recipe just let me know and I will be happy to post it or you can email me at blog at msloyola.com.

I won! I won!

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was when I checked my email and saw that I had won one of the items in the OWOH giveaway!

I won it from Joe and Bethany. Check out their blog It's a Wonderful Life here:

http://www.joeandbethany.blogspot.com/

I have never won a giveaway before. That is why I awoke Armando with screams of excitement. LOL But he loves me so it was okay. :p

I won a pencil drawing one subject portrait by a wonderful artist!

See Joe Everson's beautiful artwork by going to:

http://www.joesstudio.blogspot.com/ or http://www.joeeverson.com/

I also love to draw with pencil but have not done it in quite a while.

Thank you a lot Joe and Bethany for your very generous giveaway.

http://www.joeandbethany.blogspot.com/

If you haven't ever entered an online giveaway, you should try. It is a lot of fun. I think they do twitter giveaways too, but I have never tried those before.

Update

I have a new desktop computer now. It has Windows 7 and is running much smoother than my notebook was previously. My notebook seemed to crash/freeze quite often at the most inconvenient times. (Not that there ever really is a convenient time for a computer crash/freeze).

Just as I was getting geared up to write a blog entry tonight and add several pictures using my faithful blogging tool I realized that I did not have that program configured on this machine. I will configure and set it up another night though.

Did you have a good Valentine's Day? I had a great time. My husband brought me some very pretty flowers. (See them in the picture above.) He treated me to a little shopping spree at a place I had wanted to go to since he showed it to me. At night we came home and watched a movie and had sushi and wine. It was so very windy and cold that day that we decided to not go to the movie theater and wanted to just be comfy at our apartment.

I just feel so blessed to have such a loving husband and I am happy that we just enjoy being together and goofing off and being our silly selves. It is refreshing to always know you have someone who will laugh at your jokes and even put up with you singing silly songs that stick in your head and who joins in with you and sings the silly songs too! :P Now that is true love, right?

I have been feeling very crafty lately. Well, I always feel crafty, but so many websites and blogs and other people's beautiful creations are inspiring me. I have found a lot of cute patterns online lately and before too long this new computer hard drive might be busting at the seams with craft patterns and ideas. (Just kidding... sortof)

I have a few projects going now. I am in the process of making a wrap for myself and a crochet shopping bag since we prefer to bring our own when we can. I also am making another little crochet craft that I found the pattern online, but I will not say what it is right now, because I may put it as a giveaway item.

I am still trying to figure out what I want to craft for my blog giveaway. More than likely it will be something that I crochet. Although it could be something else handmade too. I want to make the giveaway enjoyable for both a man or woman to enter, since I have several male and female blogging friends. But, the giveaway is also open to anyone new to reading this blog as well. Anyone can enter!

I will be thinking about it. Feel free to offer some suggestions too of what you might enjoy winning. Thank you! :)

Too late, but still will do.

I wanted to particpate in the One world One Heart giveaway but sadly, I was a bit too late to find out about it. I have always wanted to do a giveaway on my blog. So, stay tuned. I am going to make some things and be offering a giveaway soon! :)

New books and a fun necklace!

I dropped by Half Price Books today and got these :

I have seen the movie, but I have heard the books are even better.

 

Those 2 should keep my fingers busy for a while.

I also just purchased this altered necklace. I really like it. :)

Mayfield Garden

 

Mira! A peacock. :)

Armando took this photo of me photographing the peacock.

 

Reflections in the water taken via my cell phone’s camera.

 

Completely unrelated, and a blurred photo, but I have new eyeglasses!

Here is me trying them on. It is extremely confusing to pick new eyeglasses out.

I cannot seem to pull off too many colors in eyeglasses. Believe me, I tried. (hehe) But, some looked terribly bad.

I could not get used to seeing myself in more square lenses at first.

In the end, I decided to get away from my safety zone of plain old silver eyeglasses.

I went with purple eyeglasses. :)

Doily completed

I made this doily design up. It is the second doily I ever crocheted.  I started this while my Mom was not well, as a way to keep my mind busy.

Now she is much better and I am thankful. I will mail it to her soon. Her favorite color is yellow, hence, well… it is yellow. :)

The Journey

Bit by bit, you conquer each step.

The pathway seems completely uphill.

Sometimes movement is full of grace and ease.

Other times you push your determined soul onward.

Full of fervor and good intent all the way.

Worthwhile is the effort made today.

For tomorrow you see you’ve reached the plateau.

Settling into Austin

The last several days were quite busy. After a 14 hour drive we arrived safely . Since we traveled at night the traffic was better. My Mom and Dad brought me to my new home in a van so I could bring our things with us. The cats did very well on the trip thanks to the medicine I got from the Vetrinarian. They seem to be accepting our new home well. They have claimed our walk-in closet as their sleeping place.

My parents stayed a few days and helped us get settled. Armando took us to the Alamo Drafthouse Theater which was a lot of fun. We went to see Avatar in 3D. Avatar was a great movie. If you have not seen it, you should go and treat yourself to it. My Mom had never seen a 3D movie. Mom, Dad, and I had never been in a theater which serves food as you watch the movie. I had a BBQ brisket sandwich and potato wedges. It was delicious. I like that theater.

One day we also went to the Half-Price Bookstore and I bought a kitchen herb book so hopefully later I can make a little herb garden on our patio. I also got a Nicholas Gunn CD. They have really good prices there and a big selection. I got the herb book for $2.00 and the CD for $5.98.

We have things in boxes still to unpack but I am sure we will work our way through things with time.

I need to start studying the roads of this city on a map to familiarize myself. Austin is quite big. I am pretty confused right now when we go places. All I know for sure is that we live by IBM. LOL

This is a very nice city with a lot of fun places to explore. I have seen by the river and it is beautiful and there are also some very nice walking areas.

Many people jog here all over the city. (I think I need to get more in shape.) Our apartment offers us a free gym so I think I will check it out one day and see if they have some weights or something for upper body exercises. I have high hopes that this year Armando and I can get involved and exercise more .

I am trying to keep the same schedule as Armando keeps so we do not conflict with each other. He sleeps 8 hours in the day so that he can work the night shift. So, I sleep when he does and wake up and study while he is at work. I tried to stay up all night the night before last but I just could not do it. I was still tired from the move and everything I have been doing lately. But I am staying awake tonight so hopefully with time I will adjust.

I will share pictures with you when I explore the city more.

The sun’s aftermath

Tonight I started a new facial cleansing routine. I made the silly decision years ago to lay out in the sun (on purpose) to try to get a beautiful (in fashion) golden tan. I have fair skin. The outcome was one that I have regretted for years. I did not get that golden tan.

I remember at that time that my face became very red, I had blisters, and was literally sick with fever and chills. My skin suffered the damage and my forehead, since that time has had dry skin. Even when I put moisturizers on it, it seems it can never get enough moisture.

Never since that time have I intentionally laid out in the sun. It is awful for the skin and damages it even if you do not notice it straight away.

I am trying a product called “CeraVe” hydrating cleanser. I followed that with Avon’s rich moisture face cream. CeraVe is dermatologist recommended for dry skin and several dry skin related conditions. I will let you know what results I have with this routine. I am hopeful for good results.

I hope somebody reads my post and if nothing else, it helps save them from the mistake of damaging their own skin.

A Medical Transcriptionist Christmas Poem

An MT Christmas poem

‘Twas the night before Christmas

And in MT town

Tired MTs were longing

To lay their keys down.

Their earphones were hung

On their skull caps with care.

In hopes that new words

Wouldn’t bring them despair.

Some in their sweatpants

And some in their tights

Had just settled down

For a long evening’s type.

When over their headsets

The sounds were so jumbled

They couldn’t quite make out

The words that were mumbled.

They hit the fast forward

Reverse, stop, and slow

Trying to make out

The message below.

They checked in their Dorland’s,

Drug books and spellers,

Some called class buddies

Or even asked their fellers.

If they had an inkling

Of what the tape said

Or why someone was trying

To mess with their head.

When no one could answer

They listened less quick

And suddenly knew

The “doc” was St. Nick.

Now he spoke very plainly

Since they needed to hear

For his message was urgent

As Christmas drew near.

It was quite simple

No long words to spell

Dictated but heartfelt

And clear as a bell.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

Best wishes and cheer

And thanks from Doc Santa

For your hard work all year.

Crossroads

 

Ave Maria Grotto 2008 Cullman, Alabama

 

18 years I have lived in this place. It is the longest time that I have ever lived anywhere. This state has offered me many great moments. You know every place has its own special beauty. I am happy that I had the chance to live here so long. I think it enriched me as a person.

Perhaps the thing I liked the most about Alabama was living in a rural setting and feeling free to just exhale without that crowded feeling that one often gets inside the city. Feeling fine to sit on the porch all day if I desired (with coffee cup in hand) and not feeling guilty about happily listening to the birds and the crickets. The pace is slower here. I am sure I will have to remind myself to slow down and remember to take notice of those simple pleasures no matter where I live.

I am looking forward and imagining the rich experiences that await me in my new home. I am also quite excited to join my husband whom I have missed for many months now. We must carve out our niche and find special places to explore and enjoy there. We need this. We need to be together and have a fresh start. We are very blessed to have a place and a job and such opportunities.

Come January, I will pack up my cats, some things and head to Texas… where everything is bigger.

I am ready!

Flower

A crochet flower

From the “Crochet Inspiration” book by Sasha Kagan.

Chochi on my lap

Life is too short not to treasure the small precious moments (like this) together.

Today’s Trek at Lake Guntersville

Cookie

Cookie in a basket on a shelf on my computer table. While this was not my original intention for the basket; I cannot bring myself to use it now.

Cookie and Chochi take turns resting there and find it perfect for daytime napping.

Getting Closer

What is left of my studies.

 

72%  Clinic Notes
9%    Enhancing Productivity
1%    Basic Acute Care
0%    Advanced Acute Care
27%  Final Exam Preparation

It seems my blogging has slowed to a creep lately.

Here is a small summary of what I have been up to lately.

• Brief hospitalization, but I am all better now! :)
• Monday – Friday 8.5 hours of transcribing medical reports. (This goes well with the exception of the dictations containing speed talkers, loud noises that are of a higher frequency than the doctor’s voice, and foreign accents which my ears are unaccustomed to hearing. Spanish, Indian, and British accents are fine. Australian really is difficult and I never knew I had a problem with Australian accents before now.)
• Online/Phone time with Armando when time allows, especially on Sundays, which is both of our off day.
• 4 day visit with Armando which was heaven, but way too short for the both of us.
• Applying for a job in TX.
• Sorting through our things and packing stuff up.
• Daily spoiling of our cats.

That is pretty much it. See why I have not been blogging?

I have summed up about 3 months in one entry. :p

-M.

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