A Great Stew

I placed 4 links in here for you.

I found a delicious recipe online!

Australian Beef Stew

I did add about 1 Tablespoon Lawry's seasoned salt to it.

 

This recipe would actually be perfect for winter because it runs the crock pot all day, but in the summer I just put it outside. I usually bring it in to make the house smell yummy about 1 hour before serving, except with this recipe you do pre-brown the meat and veggies before placing in the crock pot so the house smells yummy anyways. If you are worried about the large amount of paprika, use 1 Tablespoon. It does taste good in it though and if you like the taste, go for it and put it all in!

This picture is of a cold bowl of the stew ready to be reheated. It looks even more delicious when hot.

I usually make this Roman Bread recipe from Monte's La Case Vieja to go along with stew.

I love this Roman bread. I grew up with it. The only difference with this recipe and the one I grew up with was when my grandma copied it down for my mom she had only 1/2 the yeast written down. So the recipe I remember from my childhood was a little more chewy but very delicious. The original recipe makes a light fluffy bread like the picture I took above. I decided to see how it would turn out with the full amount of yeast and it was good so try it either way! 

An Inspirational Saying On A Semi

Who'da thunk? An inspirational saying on a semi. I've seen sayings like this on semis before but I've been seeing more lately. My guess is the must own the semi and rent out their delivery services to companies because I find it hard to think a company would let their driver post such a controversial subject on their truck.

Here's what I saw the other day:

The LORD left footprints

for man to follow the

way to Heaven

You are leaving footprints

for others to follow

In your life where

does your footprints

lead?

Heaven Or Hell?

An Interesting Story

This comes from Robin S. Sharma's book, "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" pages 190-193.
I will admit I didn't read the entire book but skipped through it and randomly stumbled upon this story within it. I though it was interesting and maybe a good life lesson.

" "When I was a young boy, my father loved to read me a fairy tale known as 'Peter and the Magic Thread.' Peter was a very lively little boy. Everyone loved him: his family, his teachers and his friends. But he did have one weakness."
"What was that?"
"Peter could never live in the moment. He had not learned to enjoy the process of life. When he was in school, he dreamed of being outside playing. When he was outside playing he dreamed of his summer vacation. Peter constantly daydreamed, never taking time to savor the special moments that filled his days. One morning, Peter was out walking in a forest near his home. Feeling tired, he decided to rest on a patch of grass and eventually dozed off. After only a few minutes of deep sleep, he heard someone calling his name. 'Peter! Peter!' came the shrill voice from above. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was startled to see a striking woman standing above him. She must have been over a hundred years old and her snow-white hair dangled well below her shoulders like a matted blanket of wool. In this woman's wrinkled hand was a magical little ball with a hole in the center and out of the hole dangled a long, golden thread."
""Peter she said, 'this is the thread of your life. If you pull the thread just a bit, and hour will pass in seconds. If you pull a little harder, whole days will pass in minutes. And if you pull with all your might, months --even years -- will pass by in days.' Peter grew very excited at this discovery. 'I'd like to have it if I may?' He asked. The elderly woman quickly reached down and gave the ball with the magic thread to the young boy.
The next day, Peter was sitting in the classroom feeling restless and bored. Suddenly, he remembered his new toy. As he pulled a little bit of the golden thread, he quickly found himself at home, playing in his garden. Realizing the power of the magic thread, Peter soon grew tired of being a schoolboy and longed to be a teenager, with all the excitement that phase of life would bring. So again he pulled out the ball and pulled hard on the golden thread.
Suddenly he was a teenager with a very pretty young girlfriend named Elise. But Peter still wasn't content. He had never learned to enjoy the moment and to explore the simple wonders of every stage of his life. Instead, he dreamed of being an adult. So again he pulled on the thread and many years whizzed by in an instant. Now he found that he had been transformed into a middle-aged adult. Elise was now his wife and Peter was surrounded with a house full of kids. But Peter also noticed something else. His once jet black hair had started to turn grey. And his once youthful mother whom he loved so dearly had grown old and frail. Yet Peter still could not live in the moment. He had never learned to 'live in the now.' So, once again, he pulled on the magic thread and waited for the changes to appear.
Peter now found that he was a ninety-year-old man. His thick dark hair had turned white as snow and his beautiful young wife Elise had also grown old and had passed away a few years earlier. His wonderful children had grown up and left home to lead lives of their own. For the first time in his entire life, Peter realized that he had not taken the time to embrace the wonders of living. He had never gone fishing with his kids or taken a moonlight stroll with Elise. He had never planted a garden or read those wonderful books his mother had loved to read. Instead, he had hurried through life, never resting to see all that was good along the way.
Peter became very sad at this discovery. He decided to go out to the forest where he used to walk as a boy to clear his head and warm his spirit. As he entered the forest, he noticed that the little saplings of his childhood had grown into mighty oaks. The forest itself had matured into a paradise of nature. He lay down on a small patch of grass and fell into a deep slumber. After only a minute he heard someone calling out to him. 'Peter! Peter!' cried the voice. He looked up in astonishment to see that it was none other than the old woman who had given him the ball with the magic golden thread many years earlier.
'How have you enjoyed my special gift?' she asked.
Peter was direct in his reply.
'At first it was fun but now I hate it. My whole life has passed before my eyes without giving me the chance to enjoy it. Sure, there would have been sad times as well as great times but I haven't had the chance to experience either. I feel empty inside. I have missed the gift of living.'
'You are very ungrateful,' said the old woman. 'Still, I will give you one last wish.'
Peter thought for an instant and then answered hastily. "I'd like to go back to being a schoolboy and live my life over again.' He then returned to his deep sleep.
Again he heard someone calling his name and opened his eyes. 'Who could it be this time?' he wondered. When he opened his eyes, he was absolutely delighted to see his mother standing over his bedside. She looked young, healthy and radiant. Peter realized that the strange woman of the forest had indeed granted his wish and he had returned to his former life.
'Hurry up Peter. You sleep too much. Your dreams will make you late for school if you don't get up right this minute,' his mother admonished. Needless to say, Peter dashed out of bed on this morning and began to live the way he had hoped. Peter went on to live a full life, one rich with many delights, joys, and triumphs, but it all started when he stopped sacrificing the present for the future and began to live in the moment."
"Amazing story," I said softly.
"Unfortunately, John, the story of Peter and the Magic Thread is just that, a story, a fairy tale. We here in the real world will never get a second chance to live life to the fullest. Today is your chance to awaken to the gift of living--before it's too late. Time really does slip through your fingers like tiny grains of sand..." "

Pew

Imagine my "joy" when I walked into the kitchen yesterday morning while the sun was still not up all the way to blearily see in the semi darkness what I thought was a roach on the floor. I didn't turn on the lights as I didn't want it to run and hide, and I ran and grabbed my shoe and whacked it a good one and the smell hit me.

I squashed a stink bug in my house. What was it doing inside? ... Aaack! I ran and opened the windows and doors and had to wash off the stink juice from the floor because it was still there after I wiped it up. Pew!

 

We have purchased our kitchen cabinets for the new house. They are beautiful! They are a dark brown that almost looks black next to the light counter top we picked out. 

A Diagnosis

Diabetes. Cruizer has diabetes. Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes.

I have heard of people getting diabetes but have never personally been acquainted with it. With the shots and the insulin bit. I have known people who've had it. And I've heard of people getting diagnosed with it. And I know the symptoms. I knew in my heart that Cruizer either had kidney failure or diabetes or cancer. I knew it was going to be bad.

 

I brought him in yesterday and the vet first thought he had a bladder or kidney infection and asked for a urine sample. Well knowing my dog lately I told her no problem! And went out and was back in with a steaming bowl of it in less than 30 seconds. That's how much water he had been drinking.

 

Here he is standing on a high table looking to see if he can jump down from this side while I'm distracted taking a blurry picture. The nurse lowered the table, we got him on there and then he raised it, took his vitals and left. So I had to try keep a 76 pound dog on a thin waist high table for about 15 minutes until the Dr. came in.

Well she tested his urine and said it was extremely diluted and his kidney weren't working and that he must have an infection and we needed to start him on meds right away. She dipped another strip in to make sure and this new one showed his glucose was high as well. So we held him down and she drew blood. Sure enough. She said it was 680. (She wrote on his medical paper 620 so I'm not sure which one is right.) Very high. I asked her what a normal one was and she said like humans 100-120 is normal. Oh dear. He was a very sick puppy! She said his urine was diluted because of all the water he's been drinking and so spun his urine and no crystals, stones or infection so just a side affect of diabetes. He also has hot spots in his ears but no ear infection. She said all the lumps on his body were from his immune system being weakened. I said he had cysts, she called them tumors. Oh dear. She said they felt fine and lots of older dogs get them.

 

She said usually small dogs get diabetes. His size of dog is so rare for a diagnosis she had trouble trying to figure out the numbers for the amount he would need for insulin. She said it needs to be 1/4 his body weight to start. So 20 units of 1 cc. I hope I said that right. It's all new to me and I have no idea how to explain it. This stuff is expensive and he'll need it 2-3 times per day for the rest of his life 2 hours after each meal. I told her we feed him 3 times a day. She said I need to go down to twice a day. Oh dear. Cruizer loves his food and we're going to have a hard time with him adjusting. He's 7 years old. So for 7 years we've been feeding him 3 times a day.

 

My husband had appointments and work but he arrived just after she diagnosed him and I told him his options were to either give him insulin every day for the rest of his life, give him to someone who would care for his needs, or put him down. My husband likes his dog, so we'll buy insulin.

The veterinarian gave Cruizer a shot of insulin and said he would feel better in 2 hours. And he did! We have to bring him back in a week to see if he's responding to it and to see if we need to up the dosage and then bring him back a week after that to make sure it's working.

 

There was a huge crate with 9 puppies that were so cute! They were basically the size of Cruizer's head.

While on a walk in our condo complex a couple days ago, imagine Cruizer's excitement to turn a corner around a bush and see a cat! He was so excited he put his nose right where the cat didn't want it and the cat streaked up to him growling and bit him on the nose and held on. Cruizer just cried and yip yip whined trying to whip that cat off and it wouldn't let go.

Cruizer's nose had grown an extra foot and a half with long sharp nails plus a puffy tail.

The cat wouldn't let go even with me trying to hit it with the leash! It finally streaked off and ran up a tree and Cruizer looked like he came straight out of a murder scene with blood pouring down his snout. After we got home and I cleaned him up, turns out it was a few scratches on his highly sensitive nose! Poor dog! We have a killer feral cat on the loose here. I hope Cruizer doesn't catch anything from it!

 

He's had all the luck this last week!

 

Insomnia

Insomnia is the most awful thing to have. I am up for the second day in a row. This time a little before 1am. Wide awake. Mind whirling. Full of energy even though I know my body lacks sleep and is exhausted.

So far this morning I've:

• Done the dishes
• Cleared the counters
• Swept off the back patio
• Organized the bottom shelf of the cabinet by the door
• Sorted out laundry
• Washed a load of laundry
• Put washed load of laundry in the dryer
• Refilled all the soap dispensers
• Made bread dough for 3 loaves. It's rising. I'll put it in the pans in a bit and bake them. Just think! Fresh hot bread for breakfast! (At probably 4 in the morning!)
• Cleaned the living room
• Next now that the dryer just beeped will be to fold the load of laundry and put it away

The dog has been confused. He tries to follow me around but he's tired. So he sleeps and when he hears me move to another area, watches me from where he lays unless I go upstairs then he follows. I feel so bad because he's not feeling the best lately.

The last 2 days when we've been away not even long and we've come back there's been pee on the floor. What? Since when? That's when me and my husband decided he must be sick. He hasn't done that since he was potty training about 7 years ago! The last few days I've been telling my husband the dog has been drinking a ton of water in an unusually large amount. I'm not surprised he couldn't hold it until we got back! It's like this: I bring him potty, come back in and he heads straight to his water dish and gulps up tons of water. Wait a little bit, repeat process.

My husband and I were discussing what other weird things he's been doing and we both noticed he's been not so excited about his food lately either. Which is very strange because anyone who knows Cruizer knows he would probably chew through a door to get to his food if he knew there was food in his dish! He's even been known to trick us into getting another meal by pretending he hasn't eaten by frantically trying to get us to follow him to his dish! He also lets us know when it's time to eat. Come to think of it, he hasn't been asking for food lately either!

So we will be taking him to the vet today. Puppy's sick.

We finished cleaning the concrete at the new house yesterday! Now next time we're there, we can sweep up the dried powder residue, and mop and it's ready for the tile! We still need drywall put in so I'm sure there will be cleanup after that. Today we are supposed to have electricians come out to rewire.

Muck

I felt like I was mucking out a horse stall after a terrible flood with rains yesterday at the new house. (Even though I've never had the pleasure to do so in real life. Ha ha my job just smelled like wet paper not stinky poop!)

My husband rented a scraper machine and started tearing up the paper backing and glue left behind from removing the linoleum. What a mess!

My job was to pour water over the paper to soften it for the scraper, and then collect and pick up the debris. Pew! And whew! We got home about 8:30pm because we have no lighting there and it got dark and got to bed around 10:00. I woke up at 1:12 this morning with a headache and achy rubbery arms. Actually my whole body was stiff and achy, but I took Ibuprofen and it took away the pain! Yay! But, after laying in bed with my eyes closed, I finally gave up on sleep at 3:43 as it wasn't coming. So here I am at 4 in the morning updating everyone on the latest news.

 

I kept forgetting to take a picture of the kitchen and hallway so here it is. The bathroom is behind that wall with the black sewer pipe. Beyond that is the master. To the left of the hallway is the extra bedroom and of course I'm standing between the living room and the kitchen eating area with my back to the garage /laundry area. The front yard is to the left and the back yard is to the right.

This scraping is the most disgusting part of the remodel so far. I can handle anything else, but water and mud and glue are not fun to scrape and clean up! But guess what! We rented that machine for 24 hours, and we didn't finish yesterday, and so guess what? We get to go back and finish today! I guess we must like it! The machine has to be returned before 3pm today.

 

Each job done is another step closer to moving in!