Sunday, January 1, 2017

Happy New Year

From our family to you and your families we wish you all a very happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.  May 2017 be a good year for all.

Best wishes,

Sheri, John, Teri, Tej and Eric

Friday, December 30, 2016

A New Spot

The new couches were delivered today . They look very similar to the old couches that left the house yesterday. The new ones have power recliners, so that John will not have to rescue me when I am having a bad body day. I just have to remember that the power is there when I get up. Oh, did I mention that they are perfect for napping too?

Because of the way we set up the couches, I now have a dedicated place to put one of my spinning wheels again. The Lendrum DT is tucked in a corner so that I can leave everything set up. I am trying to decide weather I have room to add the Louet wheel too. I am worried that there might be too much sun in the second spot which could damage the wheel. So I will have to pay attention to the sun that hits the area. 

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Down 2

I really enjoyed having a full house. Having Teri and Tej here was beyond wonderful, but the full house had to end sometime. As working adults Teri and Tej have limited time off.  John, Eric and I are really grateful that they choose to spend a whole week of their precious time off with us. Now it is time to go back to our everyday routine.

I have decided to work off the pound I gained while the kids were here doing more deep cleaning of the house. This is what I call productive exercise. Who knows, someday I might just finish with the house and move on to the garage. Only G'd knows when that will happen, real soon I hope, before it's summer again.

I always like to end on a very bright note. To that end I am getting my knitting mojo back. I even have enough in the finishing bowl to tag and bag some hand knits to night.

Sunday, December 25, 2016

A Full House

I have everyone home for the holidays and aside from the roving cold we are having a great time. I love having a full house. We even got out to see the new Star Wars film Rogue One which was pretty good. We also saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I can't wait for the sequel for this one. Yes I know that there is no sequel that they have announced, but there are just too many story lines that were left open for there not to be one. 

Tonight I finally finished knitting the hat I was working on before my hands went wonky earlier in the year. I also surprised myself by doing all the finishing work in the finishing bowl. I switched from a finishing basket to a finishing bowl, because the bowl holds less. That means that I get things sorted and tagged sooner. 

While everyone is home I took a break from deep cleaning to spend more time with Teri and Tej. I just feel so lucky to have them in my life. 

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Mock Cheese Cake



I love to make this very simple snack as a late night dessert or a decadent breakfast. This has also gone to more than a few potlucks and got the thumbs up from most people. It takes more time to go to Trader Joe's to get the fixings than to make.

Ingredient's
1 box Trader Joe's Honey Graham Crackers, 1 sheet per serving.
1 tube Trader Joe's Blueberry and Vanilla Chèvre or any other flavor that you like. 2 thin slices per serving. 

On a nice plate, place 1 Trader Joe's graham cracker broken in half. Slice 2 thin slices of the chèvre and place 1 slice on each graham cracker half. Your mock cheesecake is now ready to eat. 

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Deep Cleaning

I have found out something surprising to me. If you have been reading this blog, you know that I have been on a multi-year deep cleaning of the house. Every time that I think I have finished purging the house of things that we don't need and take a break for a week or two, I find more stuff to re-purpose, recycle or toss.

The end result is that the house is getting less cluttered and more organized. I have more time to do the things that I want, because I don't spend hours looking for things. A lot of things now have their own places. I know that I am not perfect and have a long way to go. I can promise Teri that there are no unpacked boxes from our 1994 move, unlike my parents that still had boxes sealed from a 1965 move when mom moved out of the house that I grew up in.

So if you do come from a multi generational pack rat family like mine, I can tell you there is hope. Start with a timer set to 5 minutes. Clean for 5 minutes, if you want to do more fine, but remember that you only promised yourself to work for 5 minutes. Also when you are looking for other things, if you find something that you don't need just toss it or put it in a bag for charity. I find that I get rid of a lot of appointment  and expired discount cards this way. Well, I am off to do more purging.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

I Need Help with This

Please call the Governor Ducey's Office at Phoenix: 602.542.4331 or
Tucson: 520.628.6580 or
write to:
Governor Ducey
1700 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Arizona is on the verge of losing respite services for the disabled because of the increase in minimum wage. This was a November ballot issue that passed. 

Please ask our governor to increase funding or come up with a plan so families do not lose all their respite hours. Currently families receive a maximum of 600 hours of respite per year. Not all families receive the maximum number of hours. There is already one possible plan on his desk.

As a parent of a disabled child I can tell you that this is a vital help to all families. 25 years ago when all states cut back or eliminated the institutions for the disabled they promised the families that support services would always be available. If the funding issue is not resolved my greatest fear is that more parents will opt out of keeping their special needs children and adults at home because they will be just too burnt out to provide optimal care for their loved ones.

There are currently not enough beds to meet the states current needs. This care is also more costly than respite care. Agencies currently receive enough funding to cover about $9.00 per hour plus overhead. Without a change in funding for a $10.00 per hour wage, most would lose at least 25 cents per hour of respite care provided. Since most non-profits and for profit agencies cannot afford to lose money, they will eliminate respite services. This works out to a maximum $6,000, plus overhead, per special needs child or adult. Also being realistic it will cost at least $3,000 per month for residential care or at least $36,000 per year per special needs person not at home with family.

So it comes down to how much the governor wants to spend or save. Is it worth saving $30,000 per special needs person by increasing funding to $10.00 per hour plus overhead? Let the governor know how you feel. 

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

I can Not Unwind

Eric is feeling better and sleeping, he will go to program tomorrow. I on the other hand can not unwind enough to go to sleep. This is following the usual pattern. So I will listen to some music and hope that it will be enough to to go to sleep.

For almost 24 hours my soul focus has been Eric and I am having trouble shifting back to me. In the past 24 hours I have missed a going away party for Scott Z. who got a great promotion. I missed sitting around with friends just sitting, chatting and knitting. I seem to miss so much when Eric is not feeling well. There just seems to be no balance in my life.

I never wanted to be a nurse when I was growing up. Yet I seem to have spent a large part of the last 3 decades doing just that. Life can be so strange sometimes. My kids have taken me places that I would have never thought of going or doing and for that I thank them.

Monday, December 12, 2016

The Roller Coaster of Life

Eric's MTBF really sucks now. We are back to 7 days. I don't even think a failure review board could help with this. The only thing that made Eric happy tonight was that he made a full load of laundry for me tonight

This is why I run as many errands as possible when Eric is feeling well. I even got to the grocery store today. My plans for tomorrow went into the the blender tonight. I guess it really does not matter when I give friends their holiday gifts, it's he thought that matters. Right?

To end on the bright side tonight Eric got to deliver a chemo cap this morning to a friend for her brother and got all the hugs and kisses for it. Yes, he did go to program today and even got the second highest score in bowling.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Just Another Saturday

Under things never to do in December. First I would pick never to try to traverse a Target parking lot at 1 pm on a Saturday. There were loads of people. Almost no parking spaces so people parked where ever they could find a curb even in the fire lanes. So I had to leave the parking lot to get to the Michaels on the other side of the lot. Even then people were parked in the Peter Piper Pizza parking for Target.

I did manage to make a few more gifts but I was short a few pieces. So I decided not to battle the parking lots again, so the extra pieces I needed will be delivered. I love on line shopping. I also found some time to reorganize some things. On the knitting front, I am almost done with the second of 3 chemo caps.

Friday, December 9, 2016

Crafting

Today I finished up the last of my holiday gifts. I have made about 200 pieces this week. Now the next project will be to repair about a dozen of Eric's bibs and make 2 more hand knit chemo caps for a friends brother. He loves the first one that I made.

I have a lot lot more energy now that my hand feels better. I also get about 10 hours back each week. That gives me more time to do everything.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Eric Was Sick Again

Eric got sick Monday morning on the way to his day program. This has meant 2 to 3 loads of laundry a day of just Eric's clothes and bedding. That laundry does not include John's and my clothes either.  A lot of very long days taking care of him, which has lead to a lot of anxiety on my part. I should be use to this by now.

Eric is finely feeling better and is back on formula. He may even go back to his program today.  I have gotten so tired and stressed this time, that my skin actually hurts. Worse yet for me is that it makes it very hard to catch up on sleep. So in the wee hours of Thursday morning here I sit trying to convince my body that the stress is gone and I should be sleeping. It is not working out very well.

Well I am going to try to go and get some sleep. 6 am comes very fast around here.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Pop Ups

Today I went to my first pop up market. I went to check it out to see if it would be a good venue for my high end creations. The answer is that my high end creations were a perfect fit in style and quality. The bad news is that the I don't have the right artistic pedigree that the hipsters are looking for.

The hipsters seem to value where the artist went to school, more than anything else. I just don't understand how a high debtload makes a person a better artist. I did not go to the right art school, so I guess that I don't have what it takes for a pop up market.

So so at this point I will consider looking for a local gallery that would be a good fit for my weaving and high end pieces. Suggestion are welcome because I don't know this area well.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Something New


Tonight I tried the convection mode on the oven. Yes, I know that I have had the new stove for over a year. I was making corn bread for dinner and then thought why not try it. The reusults were wonderful. Perfectly browned and the texture was superb. I think I will use it again.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Busy

It was a very busy day. It had some very exciting news too. The official physical therapy will end this week and I will continue to work on getting my hand more functional every day at home. This will add about 6 usable hours back to my week. I also got the OK to move to size 7 knitting needles and started a chemo for a friends brother. It will take me a little longer to knit than I am use to, but I am knitting again.

Eric had a bit of a rough night, but I am hoping the 1 1/2 hours spent tonight will make a positive spot in my day tomorrow. Well I said this morning that I wanted to be asleep by 10 pm and I am running a little late. So everyone have a very happy and healthy week.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Things That I Am Grateful For

In no particular order here are some of the things that I am grateful for.

1. My Family
2. My friends
3. Team Eric
4. Being ambidextrous, it comes in handy when one hand won't work right. Yes, I am sometimes that annoying person who changes hands in the middle of a meal. It is taking a whole lot longer for my hand to heal than I thought it would.
5. Being 4 inches slimmer since I gave up all high fructose corn syrup and aspertame. The inches come off more slowly than they went on. Bah humbug.

My challenge to you you is to find at least 5 things that you are grateful for and share with everyone.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Dilemmas

I woke up early with a headache. So I made a cuppa chai and tried to relax as I sipped it. Just as the headache was beginning to fade Eric woke up needing a complete change out and breathing treatment. After settling Eric back to sleep, I then realized that it was 3 am.

This being Black Friday in the United States, where the stores have historically turned the books from red to black. There are always sales. Most start really early. I was awake so why not go shopping and get some great deals.

Then I thought about what I needed. The answer was nothing. What was left on my holiday shopping list. The answer was nothing. What did I want that was on sale? The answer was nothing. So after an hour of deliberation I was finally sleepy.

Later in the day I was going to go shopping for yarn for a project, but decided to go stash diving instead. I found enough cotton yarn to make 2 to 3 chemo caps for a friends brother. Now I just need my hands to be less stiff so that I can knit them.

I then found time for a walk and some weaving. I took my loom outside and enjoyed the unusually warm late November day.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Candied Yams

For that quick last minute new family tradition. One of our favorite holiday dishes.

Candied Yams

1 large can of yams in light syrup - drained
1 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple in its own juice - drained (the cook gets to drink the pineapple juice)
1 bag of marshmallows
1/2 cup of margarine
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 greased casserole dish with a lid or foil pan with extra foil to cover.

Put the yams, crushed pineapple, 1/2 a bag of the marshmallows and margarine in your large mixing bowl. I use my Kitchen-Aide K5 (TM) with the paddle. Mix until slightly lumpy. Pour into the greased casserole dish or foil pan. Cover with the remaining marshmallows.

Since I always have used a covered Corning ware (TM) glass casserole I always cook mine at 325f for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If using a foil pan cooking time may be less and you will need to uncover it for the last 10 to 15 minutes for a golden crust of marshmallow's.

This dish may be doubled. If doubling only use 1-20 ounce can of pineapple and one bag of marshmallows. If tripling add another 20 ounce can of pineapple and an extra bag of marshmallows. If quadrupling only use 2 -20 ounce cans of crushed pineapple and 2 bags of marshmallows.

*Updated to reflect the addition of Cinnamon and Brown Sugar on 11/24/2016.  Teri figured out that I forgot the last 2 ingredients. Thank you Teri.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Weaving

I finally got the loom warped today, it has been on my to do list since the summer. This is got to be a sign that I am finally ready to weave again. I might even have more than a few minutes here or there, or just maybe I stopped procrastinating.

Here is what I have done so far.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Another Milestone

Today we reached another milestone with Eric, he turned 27 today. Eric has taken us on quite a roller coaster ride since he was born. He has taken the entire family on the road less traveled and I have very few regrets. We have gone places we would have never gone. We have meet loads of incredible people along the way, some who thought that we were an extraordinary family for living and exploring as a family. In my very humble opinion they could have done the same thing as it surprisingly requires no experience to become a parent.

Eric has all that he needs in life. If however you would like to honor Eric on his special day please consider giving a donation to your local food bank or pantry, because Eric has always been a great fan of food. Perhaps collect tabs for your local Ronald McDonald house, one of Eric's favorite activities is collecting tabs and bring them to the Tucson House.  The last place that would make a huge difference in Eric's life is a donation to the Tucson JCC , go to the pull down menu select the "Taglit Program". As many of you know this is where Eric likes to spend time with his friends.

I do not know where our life with Eric is going, but the journey continues.


Tuesday, November 15, 2016

What do I do when Physical Therapy is canceled? Clean house of course. I have just about finished unpacking from our Trip to Prescott, Arizona. I have also just about finished putting away the things for the fundraiser for Eric's day program. I also spent part of the day sorting an estate donation to the knitting guild. Thursday would be an excellent day to attend if you are in desperate need of massive amounts of yarn on cones.

When will I know if this has made a difference in our lives? Right now I want to say in  about a decade, but it will probably be on Thursday when I over fill the Accord with boxes of yarn,books and magazines to take to guild. So if you know any machine knitters or weavers this will be their chance to stock up at a great price and make my husband extremely happy by giving him back his workshop.

I did not forget Eric's new washer either. I have the second load ready to go into the dryer, but I must get to the shower and changed before I pick him up or put the laundry in the dryer or the dust will surely make his breathing worse than Eric normal.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Not Blue

I have officially ran out of the powder blue envelopes that we bought for Teri's Bat Mitzvah over a decade ago. So I guess it is time to start going through the birthday party invitation envelopes.  So it might be a few more years before I run out of fun envelopes. It might be a while before we move on to plain white ones.

I do believe that we are using less envelopes because of the advent of e-mail. It is so quick and easy to use. Which would also explain why the postal systems worldwide are having so much trouble financially . So less snail mail less envelopes and stamps.

I wonder if these are the transitions that are freaking people out. Causing people to retreat to the past. I personally like change and learning new things. I think it keeps my mind young and active. So lets see where this change takes us.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Weaving While Driving

To answer the obvious question, no I was not drinking and driving, rather John was driving while I was weaving on my on my Purl and Loop loom. I even figured out how to get the mudd rug off the loom without the weaving unraveling. This is hard enough to do at the kitchen table let alone while driving at 65 miles per hour on the freeway. It was very simple, I just cut the mudd rug like I always do,but instead of taking the weaving off the loom, I just flipped the Ioom right back over and started tying the ends.

Its funny too, I had a heck of a time spinning this yarn. I hated the finished yarn. It was so awful that I would not even consider selling the skein. Yet it turned into this wonderfully soft and pretty mudd rug.

Sorry for the very very fuzzy picture. It's hard to take a good picture while driving down the freeway at 65 mph.


Wednesday, November 2, 2016

A Little Progress

Today for the first time since my hand surgery I was able to make a few pairs of earrings.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Different Cleaning

I spent over an hour tonight trying to get rid of junk email. It has been a while since I have done this. They make it very painful sometimes. Some require 2 or 3 different screens and then say it could take up to 4 weeks to get rid of it. Just to annoy them I will send an un-subscribe with each email until they stop. Hopefully it will mean less emails in my in box. I know it is cheaper for the companies to spam my email box, bit I would rather that they fill my snail mail box and keep the USPS working.

A Busy Day

Today besides a doctor's appointment and a physical therapy visit,  I started organizing my handmade items for the November 10th fundraiser at the Tucson JCC For Eric's day program. At best I have 3 tubs of items with very few items left in the pipeline to finish. Well maybe John's dreams will come true and I will come home with 4 empty tubs.

We we also had less than 10 trick or treater's tonight. I blame it on being a school night. I bought as much candy as I did last year but had so few kids and we have so much leftover candy. John and I did not even touch the candy this year.  Yeah for us. Our leftover candy will be sent to Operation Gratitude so that they can include candy in the holiday care packages for our troops. 

The neighbor who picked up our unwanted Halloween decorations yesterday, thanked me for them tonight. They are in her front yard and her kids love the "new" decorations. I will have to drive around and see where they landed. This is recycling at its best. 

I just need to wait 1 1/2 hours so I can take some more Excedrin for my hand. I have noticed that about 10 to 12 hours after physical therapy my hand just starts to throb. So I guess that I will find a quiet activity to do and try not to wake the guys up.