Kitchen mix up

Today, I wanted to review another Pinterest recipe... I kind of feel bad thinking about reviewing it as there was some serious operator/chef error going on the day I cooked it. It was the day of lil man's tonsillectomy.
I had made a chicken in the crockpot (see this post) and planned to make a week's worth of meals around the chicken in the crockpot. I did this knowing that Friday would be a difficult day after lil man's surgery. I needed something that could be whipped together quickly while he slept after we got home from the hospital. I was excited and decided I would make Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas. Besides, I love Mexican and have been wanting it forever. I knew exactly how this would look, taste and smell. I was thrilled... Some sour cream with salsa or pico de gallo and refried beans topped with melted cheese. YUM!!!

Well, that was a great plan. That was about all it was too. It was a long day. I had been at the hospital for over 8 hours and holding a child for a while before he fell asleep. Who knew how long he would sleep but these don't take long, so I just needed 30 minutes start to finish. The chicken was already done I simply needed to cook the spinach (I added onion as well) and warm chicken in pan too, mix spices  and assemble the flautas.

Well, all was great until I started mixing the spices. ya see, the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of the spices... I misread it for 1 tablespoon. That was mistake 1.

On to mistake 2: kiddo needed more pain medicine and was fussing up stairs when I was on the second bake time (bake for 10 min. turn over and back 10 min more). I went up to give kiddo the meds and in the process ended up making it a whole family ordeal- yes my mom was here and helped too.. That was 3 adults to 1 child and I believe the child won as he spit everything out- all over my bed. So, with all that going on, I didn't hear the oven beeping downstairs. Hubby went downstairs and pulled out the food when he was getting more juice for lil man. He looked at me and shook his head. Dinner was a little crispier than we planned. It wasn't burnt though- just pretty golden crunchy brown.

All this frustration and hubby was upset that I made something on a crazy day like this anyway, but I really wanted those and didn't want to waste chicken. Don't get in my way when I'm not wanting to waste things and really have a taste for something.

Hubby  went out to fix the car and I was left with my flautas. That flavor would have been fantastic if I hadn't added too much garlic salt. That was the killer. It was good, but I had too much sodium in there. Way too much. I couldn't finish it. :( I do know that what I tried that didn't overwhelm me was good. I'm going to try it again. When I do, I'll be sure to review it.

In the meantime, here's what it should have looked like.  Click the link below the picture if you want to make it yourself.

Image from here

My Time Flies!

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since my last post! That's not like me. This is my creative outlet and I usually like to spend at least 1-2 days a week writing. For some reason it just hasn't happened as it normally does. Maybe it's because there was a rampant illness in our house with our 2 year old, stress at school, a lot of work, the fact we rearranged the entire living room (pics coming soon) and have been hunting for decor for the dining room. Not to mention is was hubby and my birthday this past Wednesday. Fun fun! Yes, we share the same birthday and it's the same day as Pi day and Einstein's birthday!

Another thing I've been up to is finding classes to take that would allow me to create simple artwork at home for free or very cheaply.

I'm not a creative person. Most of the crafts I do are from things I find on Pinterest. I'm definitely not an artist. That's just something that I thought I did well in in high school until a teacher cut down my favorite piece of work. :( I'm slowly bringing myself into this freedom to try things even if they are not widely accepted, known, or appreciated. With the help of a dear art teacher friend, I'm mustering up courage to try things I've never done and would never think of... like Zentangle.

The story behind my interest here is because while I was in the library one day, I saw a poster with Zentangle written on it and some cool drawings posted around it. I was curious, but didn't think anything of it other than "that's cool". Time goes by... like I said, it flies... I look at the library schedule to see what kind of events are coming up to see that there is an actual class people can take through the library for free that is about how to create a Zentangle. This piqued my interest further. Let's face it, I'm a total nerd for all things- cooking, sewing, crafting, art, reading, anything really- I was really interested. I decided that I would do this in March.   Guess what? It's March... not only is it March, but tomorrow is the third Saturday in March, which means it's Zentangle day!

Tomorrow I will set foot into an area where I have 1% confidence ( I can't say 0 confidence because I wouldn't take the class if there weren't some smithering of desire to learn and try). I'm hesitant for a few reasons:
1. what if I'm the oldest person there? The ages say 7 and up.
2. Seeing a blank anything freaks me out. What am I supposed to put on that blank canvas when I'm not uber creative or able to draw a doggone thing???? Now I'm really wondering what I'm thinking (other than it will be fun to hear about and attempt).
3. .... okay so those are my biggest concerns.

Overall, I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping all is well as I was supposed to register for this class earlier; however, I just registered 24 hours in advance via voice mail. Hopefully she gets my registration and I don't need to take anything with me when I go... or else I may be in trouble!

Other things I'm thinking of trying: scarf dying (next Wednesday), learning more about oil and acrylic paints, pottery for lil man, and photography for me. (Stay tuned for what I'm working on through my online photography tutorial - you know the 31 days series I told you about but I've turned into 90 days right now???? That's the one!).  I just like to learn and take advantage of free things. I just can't believe how quickly things are coming up on me though! Time really does fly. Whew, before we know it, I'll be on summer break and hitting up those garage sales!

Tales of a tonsillectomy...

THIS IS LONG...

Many of you know me personally and know that I recently had a tonsillectomy in my middle 30's. I wouldn't normally post something like this, but since I know some of you have said you wanted to see how I did before scheduling your own, I decided to post my tale.

Where to begin... I was nervous, oh so nervous, the night before surgery and couldn't sleep. The last time you are allowed to drink or eat anything is 12. Nothing may be ingested after that time- except small sips (itty bitty) of water if needed. You are allowed to brush your teeth. Since my surgery wasn't scheduled until 10 the next morning, I decided I would eat my heart out from 10:30 - 11:30. What did I choose??? A big bowl of ice cream and huge glass of water. Some indulgence, huh?

The day of surgery, everything went great. I was nervous, but the nurses helped as did the receptionist who became a dear friend and constantly checked on me. She was my little angel through this. The doctor came and asked if I had questions. I had one: Do I have to do this? The answer was, of course, no. Considering I had been giving strep to my little one all year, I figured even though to the doctor the answer is yes, for me, the answer is no.

Waking up from surgery, I was soooo stinking thirsty. I was elated to have ice chips to suck on. I couldn't get enough of them. I went through 3 glasses of them and 2 glasses of water. I was at the hospital a total of 6 hours for my 15 minute surgery. Good times. Soon, it was time to go home.

Mind you, hubby was not with me as his grandmother had passed and the funeral was the day of my surgery. My step dad and nephew took good care of me until hubby arrived.

When I got home, I needed help walking up stairs and settled in to bed comfortably. I was even brought a special treat - banana popsicles! YUM!!!!! I was given water. The nurses said that it's best to swallow as much as possible for proper healing, so down went anything that would go easily.

I learned that I couldn't have anything red- so glad everything I bought was red. UGH! Go figure. I didn't care though. Honestly, I had banana popsicles and water. What more do you want... until, of course, your stomach starts grumbling.... asking for a burger.... or a steak.... or quesadilla... or enchiladas (all of the foods I have yet to eat- as of Saturday 1/14).

Day 2 was good as well. I actually felt like I only had a sore throat and as long as I had jello, Mrs. Grass noodle soup, and water, I was good. A friend dropped off a humidifier to me (per doctor recommendations and now mine) and I told her it was easy peasy. I didn't know day 3 would make me think otherwise.

No lie- Day 3,5-7 and 9 were the worst. Day 3 forget it. I couldn't do a doggone thing. I hated swallowing, but continued because I didn't want to dehydrate and I just kept thinking swallowing = healing. Repeat that 10x in your head and you have my coping mechanism for that day. Day 4 I was able to eat some great soup a relative made for me upon my request. Day 5-7 just like day 3. Then came day 8... glorious day 8... I felt fantastic! I did a little cleaning and got out of my room for most of the day. It felt good.... only to make me realize on day 9 I overdid it. Up until day 8, I couldn't handle dairy products, but day 8 let me enjoy a small scoop of ice cream. (ELATED! I must be getting better!) Day 9: I felt okay enough to drop a paper to the doctor's office. I drove the 1.5 miles there only to get super weak and feel light headed walking into his office. I immediately headed home (after a DQ stop which was on the way home).

Day 10 I started to eat more foods. I added mashed potatoes to the diet. That was joy! Pure joy! Now, on Day 17, I feel really well. I have some scabs in my throat still, but they are almost 100% gone. The fear of hemorraging is diminished because the scabs are almost gone, which means I get to try to eat more food. Last night, I had an omelette with ham, onions, peppers, and of course, ooey gooey cheese with fried potatoes as a side. It felt so good to eat out at a restaurant and not get soup or macaroni and cheese off the kids menu.

Things I experienced that I wasn't aware of:

1. The need for pain meds every 4 hours for a minimum of 6 days straight. I moved to 6-8 hours on Day 7. Day 9, I had taken it once. I am not a medicine taker. I hate pain meds and meds in general. I was amazed at the amount of pain I was in if I was late for a dose. If you do this, take the meds!! The doctors give them for a reason- so I learned.

2. You don't sleep. Yep. I slept a total of 1 hour for every 4. Literally, sleep an hour, up the next 3. Take meds. Sleep an hour, up the next 3. Repeat cycle for 6-7 days.

3. Depression. Holy cow!! I didn't realize that I would be so depressed. I was just a mess mentally, emotionally, and physically. I don't like to depend on people to help because I have a control issue. I can do it by myself because I'm capable.... Not when you have surgery! I was more dependent with this surgery than with my C-section. I felt selfish and helpless requesting someone to bring me something- putting my needs before their own. This set in around day 5.

4. Loss of weight. I lost 13 pounds in 7 days. While that's a good thing, it's not done the healthy way, so the minute you start to eat again, the weight comes back on- unless of course you want to stick with a liquid diet. Sorry. That's not for me. I'm a meat and potatoes kinda gal.

What did I eat:

1. Jello- lots and lots of good old jello

2. popsicles

3. broth

4. Mrs. Grass noodles/Lipton noodle soup

5. Sweet potatoes - boiled until mushy with butter and cinnamon.

6. Scrambled eggs.

All of this was through day 7.

After day 7, I added baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, oatmeal and green beans. Today, I'm eating toast and bread again. I'm afraid to try my favorite veggie chips, pretzels or popcorn yet. I'll talk with the doctor about that this week.

What you should know:

1. This isn't easy, but it's not the end of the world (even though it feels like it at times).

2. It's frustrating not being able to eat and hearing your stomach grumble and growl. I really gained a new appreciation for those who go without food due to financial hardship or lack of availablility.

3. Every person has a different pain tolerance and threshold for what they can withstand. Your experience may be different.

4. Supposedly, you are to be healthier afterward. I can't really say much about this yet. From the forum I read to get through this, it does make you healthier.

5. Take at least the full 2 weeks off work. You will not be able to talk for long periods of time- shoot, sometimes one word hurts like heck and you are done for the day. I took 2 weeks and a day (I was to go back on Friday then get a 3 day weekend). I took the extra day as I'm a teacher and the doctor told me long stretches of talking will not be good and possibly 3 weeks would be better. This was all arranged prior to surgery.

6. Have a lot of books/magazine to read and an outlet (FB, blogging, something). Don't forget sudoku or word searches/crossword puzzles, words with friends, etc.

7. Have a pen/pencil, white board or notebook handy for communicating. Yes, I did need to do this.

8. Don't think you'll be eating ice cream the whole time. I didn't eat ice cream until Day 8.

9. Lastly, the older you are the worse it is. Please, if you're considering it, don't wait. I can't imagine how it would have been if I were older.

10. Oh! Find a sitter for your children for at least the first week. Also, freeze meals for them to eat.

I hope this is somewhat helpful. For more information, go to the Tonsillectomy Recovery Forum. I found lots of advice and help there... as well as a place to grumble or encourage others. :)

Purposeful living

I read this post by Hayley at The Tiny Twig.  It was so good to read. She posed the question: "when did you realize your life had a purpose? How did you come to that realization?" 

I love sharing this story, however, I don't do it often enough. This will be a rather long post-just a heads up.

I was raised in a broken home. Dad and mom divorced when I was 3 and my brother was 1. I spent most of my childhood raised by my grandparents on my dad's side. My grandpa (Pappaw) was a pastor of a church and employed at BF Goodrich and my grandma was a school bus driver. So, I guess you say faithwise, I was raised to believe and trust in Jesus which is just what I do... It's not quite that easy though. You see, while I grew up surrounded by church and Jesus, I didn't come to faith in Christ until I was 13. That moment was at Bible camp. :)

Then I hit teenage years and struggled with identity as we moved to a new area. My grandmother was still close in distance and relation, but my grandfather passed when I was 14. It was a terrible loss for me as he was essentially like a dad to me. We ate dinner every night. I curled up in his lap to watch the Cosby show....  So, my mom & stepdad started going to other churches who said we needed to do all these diffferent things to demonstrate faith (which I later learned is a total lie!) Needless to say, I fell away. I gave up on churches and on God.

Time went by. Mom, being the Christian woman she is, continued to pray for her little lost lambs (my brother and myself). One day, I just picked up a Bible and started to read for myself. Don't get me wrong, I grew up surrounded by the Bible, memorizing Bible verses and trying to be the perfect person for my family- note to self.... It can't be done- but something about coming to a point where you want to investigate what you believe or were taught makes it a whole new experience.

My family found another church and I recommited my life to Christ at 19. I was baptized at 21. Little did I know that trusting God would lead me to where I am now....

I started really studying the Bible and doing many things. I was going to school and working part-time. I stopped because I wasn't thrilled with my major and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I met my hubby while teaching ballroom dance, married, bought a house 6 months later, moved and went back to school part-time while working full-time. I went into middle childhood (school) education... yep, those preteens.

I ended up in a pickle. I was full-time in a great department with great people at my job working 7 - 3:15. My classes were getting more demanding and one day a week I needed to be on campus or in a school from 7 am - 7:30 pm. There was a small break in there of course. Because I felt I was doing what God wanted me to do, I knew he would work it all out. So, I approached my manager and asked to work a 4 day work week or 1 day on the weekend to make up for the 1 day during the week I needed to be in school. "No" was the answer. The proposed course of action was to work 3rd shift 11-7.... Not really possible with classes at 7:15 and half hour from work. We went 3 rounds like this. I finally felt I had tapped them out, but couldn't quite leave as they were paying my tuition- not that I didn't trust God to provide, but I also didn't feel like I should leave at that time.

My next course of action was the school. If the job couldn't budge understandably, the school may. I mean, I'm an adult student. They have to work with me right?? I met with the dean of the college of education. He pretty much looked at me and said my options were to leave my job or go into special education.... Do you see where I'm going with this?

Upon leaving his office, I walked over to the advisor and asked if I could talk with her. She was great, Joanna. Loved her. She gave me my options and told me SPED would add 1.5 years to my schooling. Not something I wanted.

I was beside myself.

I did what I knew I needed to do, pray and enlist others to pray. Essentially, my entire workplace was praying for me as well as some outside of work. I kept praying for God to send me a postcard because even though each door was closing (more schedule change requests and proposals to work), I needed something solid, so to speak. I wanted a concrete sign of what was to be my next step in life. It kept coming back to SPED... but I continued to pray for the postcard..... Stubborn, stupid humanity!

What you should know is, the work proposals and visit with the Dean all took place with 2 weeks left obefore school started. What happens next is sooooo clear, even to this day.

I remember it like yesterday. I had rushed home from work because I had a doctor appointment (dermatologist really). I didn't have much time to stop home, but needed to do so to take care of the dogs. I checked the mailbox. In my mail, no lie, was a letter from the Special Olympics with a postcard of a child with Down Syndrome. I simply laughed and said "No way!" I quickly said a prayer asking for verification that this was the right choice (duh! Cheri! You got the postcard you asked for... why do you need more???) . I continued to laugh and headed out the door.  I mean, why would God want me to add another 1.5 years to my education? Really???

The dermatologist I normally see wasn't available so I saw his partner. While checking out, my regular doctor was sitting at the counter talking with another patient. The receptionist wanted to schedule an appointment and I couldn't come up with a day/time to tell her since everything I knew would more than likely be changing. I said that out loud and my dermatologist heard me. He then told me about how he was almost finished with med school and decided to change his specialty when his daughter didn't recognize him without his mask on! Can you imagine? It took him 3 additional years I believe.

Well, by this time, my mind was set and I said "I'll do it." It was too late for me to call the school to officially change my major as the offices were closed. I went to work the next morning and told the prayer warriors what happened. They held me 150% accountable to making the phone call to change my major. I did.... That wasn't the end of the obstacles though.

Now, I would keep my job, my home and still get the education I needed to go into the education field I had dreamed of since I could remember.

I went to schedule the classes, but all the classes I had to take were full. I had to be put on a waitlist. Let me tell you about God- He will provide!  Here's what happened. I emailed the professors and they admitted me in to their classes! :) I was short on cash: 1 professor loaned me her book for the semester and another cancelled the book altogether! God is good and does provide. If you obey Him, He will provide for you. No doubt in my mind. It's been an amazing journey.

Craft party 2011- ornament making

It's funny how things go in life. Despite living close to each other, I do not get to spend much time with my extended family throughout the year unless there are birthday parties or other celebrations going on. Mind you, we are all within 20 minutes of each other. We joke when we see each other and say "This is the one time a year I see you" or something along those lines. Sad, I know, but that's how life goes at times.
 
I decided this year I would change that with my mom's side. I see my dad's side of the family far more frequently than my mom's side. So, I threw a new annual craft party on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was fun, simple, and filled with laughter. Because it was the holiday season and I was busy with some other things (namely dr appointments for strep between me and the little guy and work), I kept everything as simple as possible. The focus was on being together and having fun!

It couldn't have turned out better! Everyone who came (there were some out of town or working) had a wonderful time. I made cheesy veggie soup and mom made turkey noodle soup (gotta use up that turkey!). There was crusty bread, 4-5 kinds of desserts (because that's how we roll), and tons of laughter- not to mention squinting and reaching for specs from those older than.... well, me since I'm the oldest "child".

The craft itself was one I found years ago in a magazine- a beaded snowflake Christmas ornament.
So easy to do- I'll post that tomorrow! It was totally inexpensive when you consider how many ornaments can be made with the supplies.

Enjoy the pics and see tips after them for having your own craft party!

Mommy even brought wood ornaments for lil guy to decorate!



My aunt helping my little guy with his next project!

Mom..

Festivities were beginning...

More of my beautiful and wonderful family!

Sisters helping each other! Aren't they soo cute?

My other aunt who is a mega-crafter.

Tips for your own craft shindig:
1. Keep it simple! Both the craft and the decor...
2. be prepared for anything.... including poking yourself with floral pins, gluing with hot glue, etc.
3. Pick a craft that is easy for everyone to follow and assemble. Something cheap is also nice.
4. Try to find stuff around the house that you can use... For this party, I used what we had from making these a few years ago.
5. Relax, have fun and enjoy those present!

More Wisdom

Yesterday I visited one of my favorite sites: nesting place. I just love the Nester and I'm not ashamed to say it! She has such great posts and decorating ideas. The creativity oozes from her (or at least she will post things that inspire her creativity which is always nice).

 The post yesterday described me EXACTLY! When I read it to hubby, he said "Wow. That's definitely YOU!" Ya see, I always have great ideas, but I'm always hesitant to implement them as I fear that I will fail... yes, I said it. I'm afraid of failure. It just wears at my self-confidence like crazy.

So, I decided once I finish my jewelry storage unit, I'm moving out of revamping a room for under $100 to painting the dining room. It probably won't get painted until October when I have a little extra time as I'm super busy with school right now. If I could just get the paint and slop put it on, everything else will flow. If you want to learn about me, check out Nester's post here.

Oh yeah, I was going to give some hints as to colors I'm thinking, but I need to heed Nester's advice and not care what others think. I might feel better that way.... but that's hard to do!

Welcome!

Welcome to Sharing Cheri. This is a blog where I will share what I learn as I go through life.
    For those of you who don't know me, I enjoy finding good deals, dreaming of great home remodels and decor, clipping coupons and saving money and being a wife, mom, and teacher. Life is good. God is GREAT- all the time, even the rough times.
   Posts on here will include some cool life events, crafting ideas, decorating ideas (but I'm not the best at decorating!), recipes, and other information I find.
    I can't guarantee that it will be updated regularly as sometimes life gets in the way of things. But I want to use this as a journal for myself and a way to connect my "normal" life with others who are "normal" (whatever that is). I do not proclaim to have the best answers to everything. I am definitely not the blogger with the perfectly decorated and clean home, super saver clipper or anything. I'm just someone trying to do the best for my family that I can. If you're one of those people, then you might enjoy my perfectly imperect life. It's a great place to be!