I love turkey

*222* <---have not weighed over a week so I don't really know


  *sipping second mug of coffee...smell of bathroom cleaner wafting past my nose*

I couldn't take it anymore with the swamp bathroom downstairs. It is disgusting. Literally and figuratively. The children were never gonna clean it so I had to just go in there. I sprayed the shit out of the tub surround and letting it soak. I have so many things that have to get done but I will take a sliver out of my daily banked energy to clean their designated bathroom. Yup.

  Today is pie day. I am going to make a couple sweet potato pies. I do Patti LaBelle`s recipe. I did it last year and it was really good. The girls requested it again specifically. I do not make my own crust. I could and I have but why bother. Pillsbury makes a fine rolled out crust that I have been using since they first came out. I think I was like 16-17 yrs old. Yes, I have been baking forever. I have a Youtube recipe for a Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake for Hubs and I.

They post the recipe on their blog. I really like Keto Connect. They have some really good ideas for recipes and I can see them doing well on YouTube. I have started to have a like for cauliflower. I hated it before but the more I cook it different ways, the more I like it. I am going to make a mashed cauliflower au gratin minus the breadcrumbs. Usually we do a mash with a little bacon but this is a bit different and I like it. I will do a carrot dish that Kid #2 wants. Kid #1 wants potato salad. I will do my favorite cheesy cabbage bake. The turkey (yummm) and the chicken are all defrosted in the fridge. I just have to face the grocery store TOMORROW! We don't paid till then so I have to pick up a few things we are missing.

  I don't do Black Friday as some of you know. But I will be out doing stuff so I figured I MAY go to the Goodwill. They are having 50% off your entire order. That might be too hard to pass up. We are planning on a small live tree this year. I just want it. We may stay like that forever or we will go back to fake next year. I have a couple pressies to buy and I will be done. I am really not into Christmas because I always get after thought gifts that make me feel even less appreciated. Part of me wants to just do one small gift each and that is it. Then I wont have hurt feelings into January.

   I gotta do leaves, cover windows, water all the plants, make pies, clean the kitchen, take Kid #2 to work, and listen to Kid #1 cough cause she is sick..keep that shit away from meh.
As for my gut, it sucks and will talk about that another post. It will be all about the colitis, MCAS, gluten sensitivity, and how I cannot eat hardly anything. Fast track to a saggy bikini body for this old girl.

Okay...gotta go. Much to do! Happy Turkey Day! Happy UnThanksgiving! Much love to the protesters and Water Protectors at Standing Rock!

Menopause makes you hangry

*245*

Must stop eating! Cannot resist holiday sweets! 

 Okay...My internet was down for five days. There was issues with the company for two and I needed a new modem because mine is obsolete. The dude showed up Monday evening and all is right with the world. 
I finally got a call from the neuro and yesterday I was emailed the report. My brain is fine. There are no aneurysms or stenosis or any at all. The neuro said that I show no damage from IIH either so he is back on the * you dont have it* bandwagon. He said the bad news is we dont know what is wrong with you. He is sending me to a neuro ear doctor on Dec 4th. My surgeon is a neuro ear doctor. I am just going to look at this as a 2nd opinion. Maybe a fresh set of eyes will see something the others dont. I have been told by people on boards that my opening pressure with my spinal tap was not borderline. 26 is a high number. It isn't super high but enough to say that I DO have IIH. I am not taking the Diamox. It makes my chest hurt and I feel like I cant breath. I have to control this with diet and use the pills therapeutically.  I get a letter confirming my appt. It said it was from the Yale Stroke clinic. Freaked me out a tad. I think this neuro works in area. I cant dwell on that. That appt is the first Friday of December. 
  The contest voting ends on the 20th. A couple more days and I will find out if I am a finalist. Wish me luck! I really want the grand prize. 
  If it isnt nailed down, I am eating it. It has got to STAHP! I am eating lower sodium but carbs are calling this diabetics  name. I gotta add some fruit and veggies to my life. I refuse to gain the weight I lost cause of a lack of estrogen. I dont make excuses. I pick it up and eat it and I shouldnt. Stop it Heidi! Stop it!

  I have almost all of my Turkey day foods. We are having a turkey! I decided and that is that. I have to pick up my free ham that I will use for Christmas. You spend $400 in groceries during a certain time and you get a freebie as in turkey or ham or chicken or vegetarian lasagna. They used to offer a tofurky but they arent this year. Damn! I was really looking forward to it.  *lol* We will do a marinade on the bird the day before. My mom`s sausage stuffing. Broccoli casserole. And twice baked potatoes. We need a veggie platter too.
This grocery shopping trip will be all about the veggies. Mmm! I lurv Turkey Day!

 ummmm.  Oh. All the junk is gone from the patio and side of house. Blessed be! I hated looking and smelling it. The next project is painting the livingroom. The kid is gonna help. Yes.


So that is all with my saga filled life so far. Looks like fun, huh? 
  

I had a turkey feast

    I am up uber early this morning. Hubs has to work 630-3pm this week and the beater car still needs brakes (next week).I take him to work and bring him his lunch. That is gonna change. He will get a coffee cup and insulated bag. It will save on gas. Hopefully these hours dont become a thing. It will suck in the cold.
   I wanted to share our Halloween. (Turn up the volume!) We had 15 kids total. We scared a few with our layout. Imagine the darkness of the back yard. hehehe Yes, 15 is sad but if you have read here enough, you know that 15 kids was a hit! And those kids will tell others for next year. Kid #2 did most of the decorating and she was proud of herself. She did a good job.

  We had a whirlwind blow thru last two weeks. I went to see the neuro. He wants me to have a MRI/MRA/MRV done of my brain. That will be done this Friday. He wants to see if I have a malformation of vessels in my head that could be causing the pressure. They need to call back because I will need drugs for that. 
 Then I saw the gyn. He told me that I am starting the process of perimenopause. My period is MIA and I have hot flashes. Like all the fucking time. I never experienced this before. It is awful. He said that if it continues, I can go on a short course of estrogen. I have to wait a couple months. I also have to have a ultrasound. It is a pain issue I have been dealing with since my ablation. I might have a hysterectomy in my future. I am partly ready for it cause the pain is enough to warrant it but I will do research first. I have two choices. The pain will go away with full on menopause when...early 50s. Or have the uterus taken out. Yup. Yup. Yup.

As I was leaving the gyn, I got a call from Cambridge Ma. It was the geneticist`s office. They had a cancellation the next day for me. Kid #2 and I gathered up our courage and set off at 530am the next morning on the Amtrak to Boston. We got on the T to Cambridge and we had a good visit. He feels because of my age, we cannot physically prove that I have a connective tissue disorder. I am too stiff. I used to be able to do all the tricks (hypermobile) as a kid till up to my 30s. He needs enough proof so the insurance company will pay for the blood work. He sees a couple variants in me and my family history. BUT he feels that Kid #2 definitely will pass the physical tests. Her blood work will go through and he will have a better case for them to accept mine. Let`s just hope it happens before January.  We did good. We went on a trip and navigated and didnt freak out.  They gave me her March appt for my followup. They will squeeze her in for a cancellation. I hope I have the cash to pay for it. I have been socking money away for it.

 Oh wait until you read this shit......Okay. So I like to enter contests. I have won some pretty neat stuff. I never have the expectation of winning the grand prize. If I can win anything else, that is cool. Odds of winning top prize are slim. Except this time. I had entered a recipe contest for Fisher nuts. You had to submit recipes using one of the Fisher nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds) I wanted the prize of getting all three of those in big bags. I was thinking of the holidays. I entered my pesto pork chops.
 I get a call at like 8pm at night from Illinois. I was going to ignore it but they called three times so I answered. Good thing I did! I am a finalist!
 I am one of 20 that were chosen. There will be a national voting of our recipes from the 3rd-20th. After that, the three highest voted will be judged by a panel which includes Chef Alex guarnaschelli.  The winner gets a 3 day/2 night trip to nyc, hotel, meet Alex, eat at her place, Butter, and a bunch of other stuff. The other 19 people get her new cookbook and those bags of nuts. In my eyes, I am already a winner!

  I will post the link tomorrow and if any of you want to help me win, I would be so grateful. 

I had some stomach yuck the past few days. I am feeling oh so normal today..at least for me. I am going to make some pumpkin bread this morning and possibly pull out my winter clothes. With these hot flashes and hot body...I will probably just be wearing t-shirts all winter. 
 As for the turkey feast...They dont like turkey at all. We will probably have a chicken for unthanksgiving. So they obliged me yesterday. We cooked the hotel turkey breast I had in freezer. Mashed tatos, stuffing, and veggies. I was in heaven. I LOVE turkey. I know they love me cause nobody made a face. And there are leftovers!

BTW..I had 3 hot flash moments while typing this. 1. I need a new computer cause it took way too long with all the letter n and e issues. 2. I told you they were bad. Damn hormonally challenged.

Happy Monday!