Inspired by my friend Wade (no, not my hubby Wade, but an long lost and recently found college buddy), who made baked eggs the other night and tempted all of his Facebook friends by posting about it, I decided to make baked eggs again. Also known as shirred eggs, I've given them a shot now and again but have always been disappointed in the end result. Either too dry, overcooked, undercooked or just not tasty. I discovered once Wade posted about his successful baked eggs that one must really pour a tablespoon (give or take) of cream or milk over the eggs before baking. While Wade baked his plain in a small ramekin, nestled mine in a scoop of corned beef hash, as the combination of corned beef hash and a lightly cooked egg yolk is heaven. I did forget the cardinal rule of cooking eggs at 350* or more, but I was close at 325*. I used the convection toaster oven too, which tends to get hotter faster. These guys would have been happier if they had baked for 9 minutes instead of 10 as the yolk is almost too done. But otherwise I think I finally managed to bake an edible egg.
1 large egg
1/2 cup corned beef hash
1 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk or light cream)
Warm corned beef hash in frying pan or small saucepan. Scoop into oven proof ramekin. Make well in the center of the hash. Crack egg into well. Depending on your ramekin and well, the white of the egg may spill over the edge of the hash. Pour cream over egg. Bake in 350* oven for 10 minutes, checking often for doneness. Season as desired.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday, October 05, 2009
Monday Morning Musings
So this morning I was blessed enough to have W join us on our walk to school. He doesn't leave for his trip this week for another few hours. While I enjoy my quiet walk home it was nice to have the few rare minutes alone with W.
I am feeling much better and have no excuses anymore not to get some things on my do-list taken care of. Fighting an ear infection for the last 3 weeks has taken its toll, but the infection is gone, I'm not sniffley, and the cough is minimal. The first thing that needs to be taken care of is to make the items I need to make for church. I need to make 3 bats, 4 birds, a zebra and two horses out of felt for the Religious Education program. The deadline for these items went whoosing by 4 weeks ago. The other thing that needs to be done this week is to wrap TJ's birthday gifts and make his cake in anticipation of his birthday Thursday. We probably won't celebrate until Saturday as W won't be here until then, but I'd like to get everything ready.
So...off to take a shower and start cutting felt....
I am feeling much better and have no excuses anymore not to get some things on my do-list taken care of. Fighting an ear infection for the last 3 weeks has taken its toll, but the infection is gone, I'm not sniffley, and the cough is minimal. The first thing that needs to be taken care of is to make the items I need to make for church. I need to make 3 bats, 4 birds, a zebra and two horses out of felt for the Religious Education program. The deadline for these items went whoosing by 4 weeks ago. The other thing that needs to be done this week is to wrap TJ's birthday gifts and make his cake in anticipation of his birthday Thursday. We probably won't celebrate until Saturday as W won't be here until then, but I'd like to get everything ready.
So...off to take a shower and start cutting felt....
Friday, October 02, 2009
Friday Five
Five things I should have done but didn't this week:
1) Work on items I'm making for church.
2) Deposit W's last pay check.
3) Clean out TJ's art box.
4) Begin to clean up basement.
5) Make my bed.
Five things I did do this week:
1) Worked on TJ's Halloween costume. (He's going to be Darth Maul.)
2) Went grocery shopping (finally).
3) Took TJ to his neurodevelopmentalist appointment.
4) Possibly, finally, got rid of my ear infection.
5) Called my mom and dad, which I should have done last week.
1) Work on items I'm making for church.
2) Deposit W's last pay check.
3) Clean out TJ's art box.
4) Begin to clean up basement.
5) Make my bed.
Five things I did do this week:
1) Worked on TJ's Halloween costume. (He's going to be Darth Maul.)
2) Went grocery shopping (finally).
3) Took TJ to his neurodevelopmentalist appointment.
4) Possibly, finally, got rid of my ear infection.
5) Called my mom and dad, which I should have done last week.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Thursday Thoughts
Well I didn't make it to the grocery store or Once Upon a Child yesterday. Both of those things are a must today. I also need a shower and I have some paperwork to fill out before TJ and I go to the neurodevelopmentalist this afternoon. Also it's trash day. If nothing else the recycling needs to go out, as it hasn't been taken in the last several weeks and the bin is overflowing.
Fell all the way down the steps yesterday evening. On the first hit I landed on my left butt cheek/thigh. I've got a bitch of a bruise there this morning and I can't put any pressure on it without pain. As soon as I was able to get up, I called my chiropractor and was at his office within 30 minutes. I think getting an immediate adjustment will really help me not be as sore as I'd be otherwise.
Fell all the way down the steps yesterday evening. On the first hit I landed on my left butt cheek/thigh. I've got a bitch of a bruise there this morning and I can't put any pressure on it without pain. As soon as I was able to get up, I called my chiropractor and was at his office within 30 minutes. I think getting an immediate adjustment will really help me not be as sore as I'd be otherwise.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
My Morning Walk
Yeah, it's been nearly a year since I last posted. We're not going to get into that.
TJ started preschool a few weeks ago. His school is less than a mile from our little four square, so we walk to school each morning. It's a lovely walk through our neighborhood and local village and one I'm beginning to enjoy quite a bit. I get to have a nice chat with TJ on the way there and a few minutes to enjoy the fresh air and my quiet thoughts on the way home.
Today I was thinking that a few years ago I belonged to an online group where we shared our thoughts, goals, plans, joys, and concerns for the day each morning. Since I left the group (for reasons that aren't important here), I haven't really done that and I've realized I've missed typing it out. It was a good way to start the day. Sometimes it got things off my chest that I felt were important and once I typed them out realized they weren't. Sometimes it helped me organize my day. Sometimes it was simply a nice way of saying "I saw a beautiful sunrise this morning." (Which TJ and I did today).
So...this morning's post.....
Today I really should get off my bottom and go to the grocery store. I've been putting it off the last two days with the excuse I still don't feel well. And I really don't yet feel well (cold and ear infection for the last 3 weeks), but it needs done. I also need to go to Once Upon a Child to find a black shirt for TJ's Darth Maul Halloween costume. And since Junebug puked on my bed last night, I've got sheets and a comforter to wash today.
TJ's curiosity was in full peek this morning. He had to investigate everything and I mean everything on the way to school this morning. He left no stone unturned. I wish his teachers good luck. They are going to need it today.
And the sunrise was stunning this morning. There were a lot of black storm clouds overhead as we left the house, but as we walked and the sun rose, the storm clouds moved their way across the sky. The sun came up behind them turning the clouds to a lovely deep pink. It even caused TJ to stop to look and appreciate it.
TJ started preschool a few weeks ago. His school is less than a mile from our little four square, so we walk to school each morning. It's a lovely walk through our neighborhood and local village and one I'm beginning to enjoy quite a bit. I get to have a nice chat with TJ on the way there and a few minutes to enjoy the fresh air and my quiet thoughts on the way home.
Today I was thinking that a few years ago I belonged to an online group where we shared our thoughts, goals, plans, joys, and concerns for the day each morning. Since I left the group (for reasons that aren't important here), I haven't really done that and I've realized I've missed typing it out. It was a good way to start the day. Sometimes it got things off my chest that I felt were important and once I typed them out realized they weren't. Sometimes it helped me organize my day. Sometimes it was simply a nice way of saying "I saw a beautiful sunrise this morning." (Which TJ and I did today).
So...this morning's post.....
Today I really should get off my bottom and go to the grocery store. I've been putting it off the last two days with the excuse I still don't feel well. And I really don't yet feel well (cold and ear infection for the last 3 weeks), but it needs done. I also need to go to Once Upon a Child to find a black shirt for TJ's Darth Maul Halloween costume. And since Junebug puked on my bed last night, I've got sheets and a comforter to wash today.
TJ's curiosity was in full peek this morning. He had to investigate everything and I mean everything on the way to school this morning. He left no stone unturned. I wish his teachers good luck. They are going to need it today.
And the sunrise was stunning this morning. There were a lot of black storm clouds overhead as we left the house, but as we walked and the sun rose, the storm clouds moved their way across the sky. The sun came up behind them turning the clouds to a lovely deep pink. It even caused TJ to stop to look and appreciate it.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Pics of the New Puppy
So here's some pics of the puppy I adopted in one of my many moments of weakness and insanity. Her name is Junebug after the mother in the book SkipppyJon Jones. I brought her "home" (i.e. back to my parents' on July 3, a day after W and my 15th wedding anniversary.)
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| From Junebug |
| From Junebug |
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| From Junebug |
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| From Junebug |
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The Last Four and a Half Months...
...in as much of a nutshell as I can muster.
Okay, so I haven't updated in forever for a very good reason. On May 17 my dad (who is paralyzed called to ask me to come help care for he and Mom, as Mom had what we all thought was a stomach virus. She hadn't kept anything down for 3 days. I took Mom to the ER as soon as I got there since it was obvious she was dehydrated. The ER doctor confirmed that she was, indeed, severely dehydrated, but she was also severely anemic. He sent her to a larger hospital an hour away for further testing.
Twenty-four hours later Mom was receiving a blood transfusion. (We still haven't figured out if she had 2 or 3 units.) Another 24 hours later she was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer in her stomach. Her stomach was pumped of more blood than I care to even think about. After two more days of trying to get her to eat, take her meds, or keep anything down that we actually managed to get in her, more tests were run. Final diagnosis: bleeding ulcer and bowel obstruction; the bowel obstruction is what caused the ulcer.
The docs decided to let the bowel obstruction pass itself. On May 30 (six days after her 70th birthday), Mom showed no signs of improvement, so her surgeon decided it was time to do exploratory surgery. They found a tumor, so Mom underwent a bowel resection.
On June 3, Mom was admitted to a rehab center (read nursing home) supposedly for a week to continue her recovery. After being in bed for nearly three weeks, atrophy had set in the muscles in her legs so severely she could hardly walk. Because she had to discontinue use of the anti-inflamitory med she was taking for the osteoperosis in her hips, she was and still is in great amounts of pain. Fast forward to July 10. Dad and I walked into Mom's room at the rehab center whereupon Mom announced "I want to go home - NOW! TODAY!!!" We couldn't get ahold of her doctor to discharge her that day, so she was discharged on July 11. Upon discharge she was still using a walker and occasionally a wheelchair to get around.
Mom had in-home physical therapy through August when she was discharged against her wishes. (Read Medicare wouldn't pay for any more sessions.) She's still using a walker 80% of the time. Sometimes she uses a cane, and when she forgets to grab something, she actually walks without using anything at all. She cannot drive due to the pain. She can't get her foot off the gas peddle and onto the brake quickly enough.
So...from May 17 through May 31, I spent the majority of every day sitting in a hospital room watching Mom getting her stomach pumped, holding puke buckets, washing her hair, and helping her to the bathroom. In the evenings I spent my time attempting to clean up their disaster of a house, caring for their blind diabetic dog and doing mountains upon mountains of laundry. My brother finally got leave to come visit on May 26, so he and SIL drove up for a week. I got a 4 day break to come home to see TJ and W. It was by far the longest I'd been away from TJ and I was to the point of crying myself to sleep every night from exhaustion and missing him.
Went back to help Dad and move Mom to the rehab center on June 2. SIL and I made plans then for her to come back up to relieve me in two weeks. From the way she talked then and had talked earlier in their visit, I was given the impression we would alternate every two weeks until Mom and Dad didn't need us any longer. Went back home to see W and TJ on June 15 (Father's Day) through June 24 (Mom and Dad's anniversary.) At that point I understood that SIL would come relieve me somewhere around July 6 or 7.
After asking SIL several times and her jerking me around several times, I finally left a voice mail on July 10 asking her "Straight up. Are you coming to releive me or not." Within five minutes my brother called Dad. He told Dad that SIL wanted him to give me the message no, she was not coming back up to help me care for my parents. Okay...so I KNOW I was asking her to care for MY parents. But I was asking her because SHE had just weeks earlier volunteered. Neither my brother or SIL have bothered to contact me since, and I'm not interested in having a conversation with them yet either.
Meanwhile TJ was getting bounced back and forth between our house in Roanoke with W and at my in-laws' in Bristol. Every time I talked to him, or on the rare chances I had to actually see him, he begged me to take him "home to house in Roanoke." *sigh* On July 18 (I think), I drove over to my in-laws' house and brought him back to my parents' with me. As much as I missed him, it was a huge mistake. Between the stress of caring for Mom, Dad, the blind diabetic dog, the cat and the puppy I adopted in a moment of weakness and insanity, adding caring for TJ was just too much. And we had such bad days that I was afraid taking him back to the in-laws' would cause him to think I really didn't want him. I was so torn between taking TJ back and keeping him with me. I made the decision to keep him with me. I'm still not sure if that was the best decision or not.
Finally, finally on July 28, TJ and I packed up and went "back to house in Roanoke." Mom seemed to be feeling more confident, although still using the walker, as I've already noted. And both parents seemed to be getting along fairly well. TJ and I went back two weeks later to check up on them, do some things around the house they can't do and to celebrate Dad's birthday. I spent a week there; TJ spent part of his time at my in-laws'. We then went back 4 weeks later again to check on them, to take both parents to various and sundry doctor appointments, and do some things around the house. TJ again spent much of his time at the in-laws'. We plan to go back again next weekend sometime for more of the same, in addition to celebrate TJ's birthday with the grandparents. Oh, and between our two trips back to Mom and Dad's we took a quick trip with the in-laws to Dollywood.
TJ has had an absolutely horrible time adjusting to all the bouncing around and traveling. And then a month ago, I made the very bad choice of switching TJ from his toddler bed to a twin bed. His behavior has been horrible, and I have struggled too trying to remember how to parent, especially under more stress than I've been under since he was a newborn. TJ all but shut down, which even people outside the family have noted. One day at school at Jen's, ran out of the room, hid under her guest bed and sobbed to her about all the things that had been going on. Obviously he couldn't articulate things well, but he did sob specifically about Mommy taking his bed, blankets, stuffed animals and pillows away. *sigh* Things are improving slowly but surely. It helps that we've actually finally spent more than 2 weeks at home since the middle of April.
Oh and for those of you thinking it, yes, I'm seeing a counselor to get through all this. She says she's surprised I'm functioning at all after all that's happened the last four and a half months.
Okay, so I haven't updated in forever for a very good reason. On May 17 my dad (who is paralyzed called to ask me to come help care for he and Mom, as Mom had what we all thought was a stomach virus. She hadn't kept anything down for 3 days. I took Mom to the ER as soon as I got there since it was obvious she was dehydrated. The ER doctor confirmed that she was, indeed, severely dehydrated, but she was also severely anemic. He sent her to a larger hospital an hour away for further testing.
Twenty-four hours later Mom was receiving a blood transfusion. (We still haven't figured out if she had 2 or 3 units.) Another 24 hours later she was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer in her stomach. Her stomach was pumped of more blood than I care to even think about. After two more days of trying to get her to eat, take her meds, or keep anything down that we actually managed to get in her, more tests were run. Final diagnosis: bleeding ulcer and bowel obstruction; the bowel obstruction is what caused the ulcer.
The docs decided to let the bowel obstruction pass itself. On May 30 (six days after her 70th birthday), Mom showed no signs of improvement, so her surgeon decided it was time to do exploratory surgery. They found a tumor, so Mom underwent a bowel resection.
On June 3, Mom was admitted to a rehab center (read nursing home) supposedly for a week to continue her recovery. After being in bed for nearly three weeks, atrophy had set in the muscles in her legs so severely she could hardly walk. Because she had to discontinue use of the anti-inflamitory med she was taking for the osteoperosis in her hips, she was and still is in great amounts of pain. Fast forward to July 10. Dad and I walked into Mom's room at the rehab center whereupon Mom announced "I want to go home - NOW! TODAY!!!" We couldn't get ahold of her doctor to discharge her that day, so she was discharged on July 11. Upon discharge she was still using a walker and occasionally a wheelchair to get around.
Mom had in-home physical therapy through August when she was discharged against her wishes. (Read Medicare wouldn't pay for any more sessions.) She's still using a walker 80% of the time. Sometimes she uses a cane, and when she forgets to grab something, she actually walks without using anything at all. She cannot drive due to the pain. She can't get her foot off the gas peddle and onto the brake quickly enough.
So...from May 17 through May 31, I spent the majority of every day sitting in a hospital room watching Mom getting her stomach pumped, holding puke buckets, washing her hair, and helping her to the bathroom. In the evenings I spent my time attempting to clean up their disaster of a house, caring for their blind diabetic dog and doing mountains upon mountains of laundry. My brother finally got leave to come visit on May 26, so he and SIL drove up for a week. I got a 4 day break to come home to see TJ and W. It was by far the longest I'd been away from TJ and I was to the point of crying myself to sleep every night from exhaustion and missing him.
Went back to help Dad and move Mom to the rehab center on June 2. SIL and I made plans then for her to come back up to relieve me in two weeks. From the way she talked then and had talked earlier in their visit, I was given the impression we would alternate every two weeks until Mom and Dad didn't need us any longer. Went back home to see W and TJ on June 15 (Father's Day) through June 24 (Mom and Dad's anniversary.) At that point I understood that SIL would come relieve me somewhere around July 6 or 7.
After asking SIL several times and her jerking me around several times, I finally left a voice mail on July 10 asking her "Straight up. Are you coming to releive me or not." Within five minutes my brother called Dad. He told Dad that SIL wanted him to give me the message no, she was not coming back up to help me care for my parents. Okay...so I KNOW I was asking her to care for MY parents. But I was asking her because SHE had just weeks earlier volunteered. Neither my brother or SIL have bothered to contact me since, and I'm not interested in having a conversation with them yet either.
Meanwhile TJ was getting bounced back and forth between our house in Roanoke with W and at my in-laws' in Bristol. Every time I talked to him, or on the rare chances I had to actually see him, he begged me to take him "home to
Finally, finally on July 28, TJ and I packed up and went "back to
TJ has had an absolutely horrible time adjusting to all the bouncing around and traveling. And then a month ago, I made the very bad choice of switching TJ from his toddler bed to a twin bed. His behavior has been horrible, and I have struggled too trying to remember how to parent, especially under more stress than I've been under since he was a newborn. TJ all but shut down, which even people outside the family have noted. One day at school at Jen's, ran out of the room, hid under her guest bed and sobbed to her about all the things that had been going on. Obviously he couldn't articulate things well, but he did sob specifically about Mommy taking his bed, blankets, stuffed animals and pillows away. *sigh* Things are improving slowly but surely. It helps that we've actually finally spent more than 2 weeks at home since the middle of April.
Oh and for those of you thinking it, yes, I'm seeing a counselor to get through all this. She says she's surprised I'm functioning at all after all that's happened the last four and a half months.
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