Tips on Cooking/Baking

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls

Here is a little FYI on the baking of these little yummies.
If you cannot find the lid of the cup of icing, Be sure to Look carefully BEFORE baking as it just might be stuck to the bottom of one cinnamon roll. If you forget to look BEFORE baking....be careful biting the cinnamon rolls, not too pleasant on the teeth.


See the teeth marks?


When Using a Meat Thermometer such as this one, I really love as I never had one and found it at a garage sale for 25 cents and it was brand new in the package, be sure to remember this tip.






If you place the thermometer tips in the meat and there is NO reading.....check to see if the tip covers are still on. Then take them off. You will always get a reading.

Second tip. If you do it twice with NO reading, (as maybe you didn't think to take off the tip covers) you may want to cut/slice meat carefully as the tip covers MAY just have came off inside the meat.





Although you can't tell in this pic the covers are made of plastic and will cut with a sharp knife while slicing meat. So make sure you get all pieces before eating. (If you so choose to still eat it after it being cooked with plastic inside.....here they are turned over so you can't see where they were sliced in half)

My only regret was I forgot to take a pic of the plastic covers inside the meat. :)

Vacations

I would like to go on one.



Crap, even if it was to go to the corner Hotel and spend a couple of nites.

Snow in February...

Not really strange but we got a bit of it today.



Not enough to sneeze at but it was still bea~u~ti~ful coming down.

I do Love the Snow!




.

Bad Day

I have just had THE worst day.

Ok it wasn't the WORST day....but it was bad enough.

It was a VA Hospital visit for Homie, for a 6 month check, and the "deal" requires me to go with or drive whatever the case may be for him during doc visits or hospital visits. Honestly he is capable of doing it on his own, and the "deal" only was if and when he was too ill to do things on his own, but me being me, I go with him as I do know he sometimes does not hear the best. For the most part I really don't mind.

That being said, I honestly don't EVER want to take him to a doctor visit again. Especially at the VA Hospital. I understand that sometimes he will have to go there since he managed to change his whole medical/health coverage deal and now he HAS to do it this way. But I will only go to the clinic from now on, which is closer. And easier. And in a safe neighborhood. We have been to the hospital twice and I guess got lucky to parking/not being bothered. I say lucky as both times on the parking we managed to find a close spot and got into the front door without incident. I say Lucky too as the parking there is absolutely ridiculous.

It is not your typical hospital or parking. I believe the hospital may have once been a nice one. Not so much now for our Veterans and not so much in a good side of town. I believe the parking there once had parking attendants where you get a ticket and pay on the way out. But that is not the case now. I can only assume because of it being a VA Hospital, they reformed it so it to be free. And I am all for that for our Veterans. But it is just a Free for all. A really ridiculous one too. And there is pretty much no information on where you can park. No signs whatsoever, to where you are "allowed" to park and where you are not. Crap I have been there twice and didn't even know there was a garage to park in. The first time going we asked one of the doctors we saw and were told you can park where ever you find a place. Ok.
They also said that the earlier you get there to find a parking spot, the better. Which is probably why the first 2 times we found something easy and close as we got there pretty early.
I wonder just how early is early?

As, Today we got there at 9:15am. His appointment was for 10:30am. No problem we were thinking.
HOLY COW.
For about 30 minutes I drove around to the spots where I found parking last time. People were actually parking on the curbs and in the way where it was hard for you to turn in or around in these lots. (2 lots) So it got pretty interesting for a bit. Kinda funny for a bit.

Then it just got really frustrating.

We finally decided to try to park in the garage below the hospital. Bad idea. One it was dark. I mean Really DARK. No Lights & No attendants I am guessing cause its free. It was a sort of 2 level garage but not in the sense of a garage I am used to parking in. I mean it was not a circle for which you could drive around. If you went in, you turned either right or left. Drove all the way to the Wall and then you had to HOPE I mean HOPE, no one drove in right in behind you as you had to maneuver your way around to get out. I mean it was really weird.
I did it twice. That was more than enough for me. Because as I drove past the elevator both times there were some pretty weird looking characters standing there for the full 40 minutes I was in there. Now why? They were not smoking. Just standing there hangin out in the dark garage by the elevator.

Yeah I'm gonna use that elevator.....NOT.

I then proceeded up to the front door and told Homie he had to go on in not to miss his appointment, as he had about 5 minutes to try and find the room by himself. This is a BIG place. And not much rhyme or reason to it as I saw the first 2 times. I said I would hopefully be in soon. I really thought I would get a parking spot soon. Surely I would, as I had to pee. I decided to go over one lot where there were more cars parked as I had run out of places to try at the 2 closest lots, and I was not going to try the garage again. I watch way too much TV and have a wild imagination and was sure of what could happen to me. There have been reports of drug trafficking at the hospital recently and I was pretty sure it was going on in the garage by the elevator. :(

Upon driving around I pretty much realized there were only a couple of places where I was allowed to park as everything else I tried was posted to have permits and I saw them in each vehicle.
Crap.
Then I realized too I was in big trouble as I had to really had to pee now......big time. I had just driven 2 hours an 15 minutes getting there and looking for a parking place. It really was not an option to go around the corner to a gas station, one as there aren't any around the corner and two...not the best side of town to be in alone.

Crap.

So I witnessed a vehicle pull up past the front door put on his emergency flashers and help someone in. It took me about 6 minutes to drive around back to the front door and the vehicle was still there. I got an idea. I did the same. I knew the restroom was just inside the door so I went for it. I moved as fast as my legs would let me go. I got bumped on each side by a couple of characters who said some pretty rude things but I was focused on the restroom door and went for it. Yes I looked behind the door before shutting the door and locking it.

I then ran to where Homie was and luckily he was still waiting so I told him I couldn't come in as I was still looking for a parking place. I hurriedly gave him directions on where to look for me and left. I honestly don't think there is ANY security whatsoever at that place.
Pathetic.

I got shoved into the revolving door which I usually can't do for the dizziness, but again these characters here seem to have an agenda for you if you are female and alone. At least I felt like they did for me today.
I grabbed up my pepper spray and hurried to the car. Got in locked it and proceeded to once again look for a parking space. Was surprised not a soul was there giving me a ticket or trying to move the car...but then again I wasn't surprised at all, been driving around for almost 3 hours and had not seen one security guard at all.

From 9:15 to 12:15 I looked for parking. Nothing. Finally just 2 cars from the front door there was a space. Actually it didn't really look like a space but there was a car that pulled from it. I didn't care at this point, I pulled in. There were signs that said "10 minute parking for dropping off and picking up only", Yeah whatever....

Ok every 10 minutes I pulled out and pulled right back in.
I was spent. One I felt like I didn't need to be put in that position. I am really getting tired of being the only one to do things for him. I know I put myself into this position but today just felt like it was more of a Man thing to do. This is not the best side of town....in a good way of putting it. I am not scared easily but would have been scared to death to park in the garage or in the farther lot and walk in and get in an elevator alone with what I saw today.
I have taken Homie to several medical appointments and really feel like a few of them are more Manly related and feel like it should be done by a man and not a woman. One so I or he won't be embarrassed by the situation. I am not going to ask my husband to do it....it is not his place and he did enough for my mother and has to put up with way too much as it is. But I am sure he will be a bit apprehensive to let me go to this place again after what I saw today and how I felt upon getting home, just for my safety.

Today wasn't such an appointment that I felt a man should go with him, it was just the place and what I went through today I do feel like a man should accompany him should he ever have to go back there.

Who am I kidding? Like that will happen.

I think the worst part was the kidding Homie does when I have anything to say about anything.
He hurts my feelings so much I cannot hardly stand it anymore. Upon him getting in the car I told him I honestly did not want to go back there and experience that again. He acted like it was no big deal. I said I would never park in the garage after what I saw. He said maybe I should have bought a bag from them.
What?
Seriously.

I think I drove home in shock. Here I was trying to do him a favor, going with him, supporting him and he jokes about it. Fine, I am all one for joking around. It gets me through the day, but seriously this is just getting to me.

God Help me.

What's for Dinner?

Today is Valentine's Day. It is also Homie's birthday.

I honestly wanted to go out to eat today. Just me and the Shankster. Nothing special just a little place we go to maybe once in a blue moon, for a steak. I am desperately in the need of some alone time ar at the least some getting out of here time. But seeing how it was Homie's birthday and I didn't want him to be alone for that, I asked the Shankster if it was ok for us to just fix some dinner at home.
So Chef Shankster is fixing Steak with Sliced Baked Red potatoes with onions. He is a very good cook.
I fixed a Pineapple upside down cake from scratch. Not sure how good of a cook I am.....but it smells really good.

Arthur, More Snow, Unexpected Fall, Bit of Whining

I have had several things on my mind lately to post on, most being the snow. Our 12 inches of snow we got last week is still hanging around even though the sun tried to melt a lot of it during the past weekend. Luckily we have been able to get out every day, which is as I say LUCKY as you never know on this hill whether you will get down it (or back up) when any big amount of snow hits. So its not been too bad at all.

Which brings me to my thoughts. Arthur has come to visit me. Actually he is setting up camp in my right pinky finger. He came to visit about 8 months back and I think has decided to stay.

Crap.

I am not liking this at all. Its all I can to most days in recent weeks to use it at all. Its gotten to where I cannot even bend it proper. And by proper I mean normal. Even for typing I am having trouble using it for the sHiFt button or the AaA button. I mean it hurts like He-- (double hockey sticks) Just trying to do this. TYPE, such a small thing to do and cannot do it as simply as I could before. I hate this getting old thing, but then again I don't think I am THAT old. I find that little things just as bumping it on the side of a pillow can send me into shock. What? Why does it have to hurt so bad. I mean I have been hurting in places for 17 years and have done pretty well with hiding my pain from most people, (at least I think I have) but this pain in my pinky is driving me crazy. But then when you are looking for comfort or help or relief from doctors, you don't want to hide the pain.

Which brings me to today and the unexpected fall. For the last 17 years I have been falling due to the dizziness and whatever else was causing it from the initial fall I took that started it all. After the ankle surgery in 97', the falls did dwindle from the average once a day, to maybe a couple a week to just a few here and the stumble there...... I liked that. Much more tolerable. The falls were not pleasant to say the least and I am paying for it all now. So in the last few years I have been more than happy to not have to deal with them as much.

Today we got some more snow. It came suddenly and during the morning rush hour and created havoc with motorists on most all main highways. We were supposed to go into town but decided it was not that necessary and elected to stay in. I think I wish sorta that we had ventured out into the snowy/slippery outdoors. So far we have done ok with that. But instead, I decided to do some chores in the kitchen and as the Shankster came in to see what I was into, it happened.
I fell.
Crap.....didn't miss that.
He witnessed how I fell too. Which was a first for me. For the most part all my falls have went un-witnessed and if it had not been for my dear Doctor who believes everything word that comes out of my mouth, I think most medical dudes would have just thought I was just a crazy weirdo. Well weirdo is a given, but crazy all the same.

My ongoing challenge in describing my medical problem to non-medical people is to ensure what is meant is the same as what is heard and what is understood, (which was also the career challenge I took for 5 years with the medical dudes.)
Its like, have I said what I meant and did you understand it? Most I have come in contact with, I don't think do. The reason I think mostly why I have no friends. I mean I had I think every test and scan known to man and although I do know they do show what can be wrong with a person, most of mine would come back "normal".
If the scan is "normal" then why am I having this pain ? If it is "fine" then why do I feel so awful? If the scan "doesn't show anything" shouldn't it be done again properly?

This is what is hard to stress to most.
Pain cannot be seen on scans.
But is also not what you need to hear when you are the one experiencing it.

And I never know what I will experience when I fall. Or after. What I am experiencing right now is pain. It has taken me all day to get this posted. My butt is swollen I am sure. My right leg from my butt cheek to my calf is killing me. My right arm hurts all over. Oddly enough my right ankle when I started to fall, went completely under me and it doesn't hurt at all. But my left hand feels like a Mack Truck drove over it. I usually black out when I fall so I have no idea what happened and so for some reason I have cuts over all my fingers on my left hand above my knuckles and they bled like crazy. I realized an hour ago that my whole hand has swollen and my ring finger is starting to turn purple. I like purple. Homie ran out to get some bandages. The Shankster immediately took off my shoes and places an ice pack on my ankle and leg. He has also cooked dinner and baked me some cookies. Yum. I sat on the kitchen floor for about 20 to 30 minutes. I was afraid that at 53 what I may have broken so didn't want to stand. I am sure I moved the fridge back and over a couple of inches. I only wish I would have broken that stinkin pantry so we could get a new one. :)