Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

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With Gratitude for the Day

Today...

I watered the lawn (I still drag the hose around by hand, so for me it's a big deal!)

I did my EfM homework (at least a chunk of it.)

I put in an order with Smith / Instacart & have a fridge full of food (so blessed!)

And a cat came to my house to die. Which sounds like a weird thing to say or express as a gratitude, but if you know animals, they want to be in a safe place when they feel so vulnerable.

He was a stray that Steve & I have been feeding for weeks. I noticed a few days ago that he was very sick - he is also very wild, so there was no way I could take him to the vet.

Today, when I was out getting the mail, he vocalized when he saw me, which is weird - instinct says that he should have hid and been quiet. His meow sounded like "Ow! Ow! Ow!" and his nose and mouth were very wet (he was definitely sick.) He literally dragged himself from the end of the driveway under Steve's car to the front of the driveway, just underneath the front of my car, close to where we feed the strays every evening.

I went out often to check on him and tell him that everything was okay (because in the long run it will be). And that is where he passed.

I am so grateful and honored that he felt that we were safe people and our home was a safe place for him.

I have no use for being important to society's important people; I feel privileged to be important to those who just need to a person to feel safe and vulnerable with. That is who I strive to be.

RIP cat. I hope that in heaven there are trees to climb and things to chase and pounce. ♥ Melody

A Fascinating Book - The Road Back to You

I have been interested in personality types for years. I've had my kids take the Meyers-Briggs test and recently had them take the enneagram test, too.

When my daughter, who is similar to and yet different from me, got the same enneagram number, my curiosity was piqued. 

Last week, I bought the book The Road Back to You, by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile. In the reviews I read, it seems that these two people are the ones in the know about enneagram stuff.

I love to read, but it takes a very special book to keep me reading for hours on end, and this one has done that.

A few days ago, I asked Steve to buy a copy for himself and also a copy of the study book that goes with it - one for him, one for me. 

I think it will be fun for the two of us to study this book together, and I highly recommend it for everyone.

♥ Melody 

Pandemic, protests, and priorities

The last one (priorities) was put in to keep the alliteration, though I suppose coming back to this place is a priority after the craziness that is happening around me.

I realize that my heart is spread thin these days, and often I forget to look and see how *I* am doing, so I'm hoping that posting will help bring my focus back to me, which is a healthy thing to do, as Al Anon teaches me.

Since the pandemic came on in March/April, Steve, Michael, and I have been staying home and quarantining A LOT. We occasionally visit with the kids and grandkids out on the front porch/lawn while wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart. Steve and I are trying to stay safe for ourselves of course, but especially for Michael. 

We zoom a lot these days.

At the beginning of COVID-19 after EfM-                                     August during Zoom Church-

Steve is working from home, which wasn't really all that new. He'd had projects that required a lot of time, so rather than commute he often worked from home before the quarantine happened. Now that he is home more than ever, he has put a desk in Ashton's old room (which had become the storage room) so that he can be away and alone sometimes.

I have been sewing. A LOT. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was a nut job. My anxiety had spiked so high that I had a hard time functioning. Distraction was the first thing I did - lots and lots and lots of tv and movies have been watched. And then, of course I had to make masks, and the funniest thing happened while I was sewing ... it calmed my nerves. Even picking out stitches was soothing, which is very odd, since picking out stitches always made me super frustrated in the past.

Thin elastic could not be found b/c people were sewing masks like crazy for themselves and for health care workers b/c there was a shortage of masks for a while. Since there was only some round elastic in my mom's sewing cabinet that I inherited, and since round elastic is hard to sew on, I opted for ties. I made Ashton, Austen, Preston, Matthew, and Steve tie masks and kept the one elastic mask for myself.

A week or so ago, Michael went outside to visit with Josh, Hayley, and the kids, and again with Amber and the kids and I was so impressed that he kept his mask on the whole time they were here!

So... I gave him my mask and made myself a new one (reversible) with some 1/4" elastic that I found at JoAnn's a couple of months ago - the thicker elastic makes my ears poke out a bit, so I intend to hand stitch some round elastic on instead.

Quilts! --

You probably know that I had a goal to make a quilt for every grandbaby when they were born. Well, I have 11 grandchildren and only one of them have a quilt. 

Since I discovered that sewing was therapeutic for me, I started sewing grandkid quilts, too!

Now, five tops are finished and three quilts are tied and bound. I'm making progress!

School! --

School started for Miah, Teryn, and Mercedes - Aiden and Bentley will start once they are officially moved into their new (to them) home.

Here are pictures of M,T, & M on their first day of school - 

This year, I bought each of them a back to school shirt like I have done for years, but this time I shopped and shipped from Amazon.

Okay, one more thing and I'll end this post - 

I cut my own hair now! I'm looking forward to the day when I don't have to, and I can sit in Cami's chair and chat while she does the work and has the stress, but when my hair got this long, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

After watching several youtube videos and buying hair cutting scissors and thinners, I broke down and cut it myself.

 Not terrible, in fact, pretty darn good! The second cut was even shorter, because I'd gotten some courage since the first time went well - I don't know that I'll use clippers on the side again, because it is pretty darn short! But I am enjoying the ease of caring for it! 

Okay, so that's it for today. Life is going on in a very different way than usual, but it is still going on.

♥ Melody

Today was a very good day - Saturday, July 25

I know I've said it before, but it is so hard to get Michael to go places!
Today was so easy and so great, though.

Steve and I had decided to move our trailer to the front of our house so that Michael can have something exciting to do (place to go) while still being supervised. He has been so bored during covid, because we are so isolated (by choice.)

So we went outside to take a look for the parts and pieces to make the move happen (like the tow hitch!) While we were out there, he came outside with his slippers on and wanted to get in the van to be part of things.
Steve knows that I've been wanting to go in the mountains, but I don't like to go by myself, so when Michael got in the van I asked if he wanted to go to Taco Bell and get fiesta potatoes. He did, so he let me seat belt him, and we all rode to Taco Bell.
After that I asked if he wanted to go for a ride up the canyon, and he said he did, so we kept driving!
We ended up going to a nice spot and parked the van. We got out and walked around for a while, and then Steve and I sat and talked. Eventually, Michael got himself back in the van; we seat belted him and headed home.

Once back home, we moved the trailer and got it set up and leveled.
Then we cleaned out some wasps that had made a home in the stove's exhaust/vent, and cleaned up the inside of the trailer (who knew it would be so dusty!)
After we were all finished and ready to come in, I told Michael he could eat in the trailer. Well, I forgot and a few minutes later took his soda from Taco Bell out to him and he reminded me of his dinner. So I came back in and got his dinner and our kiddo ate his dinner in the trailer while Steve and I sat inside to cool off a while. Later on, Steve went out and sat in the trailer and read to keep Michael company.

Here are the pictures of the day -

I'm sure that Michael is going to have a very good time hanging out in the trailer. Who knows? Maybe we'll actually take it somewhere one of these days!

♥ Melody

Living Life on Life's Terms - Covid-19

I was a sick kid. I was hospitalized with pneumonia twice before I'd even turned 8. I got weekly gamma globulin shots because my immune system sucked.

The second hospitalization, I was diagnosed with asthma and sent to a specialist. I was never hospitalized for sickness again after that, but because my mom had watched me get sicker and sicker and felt more and more helpless, she took out all the stops to keep me well.

I remember in kindergarten the children would line up for a drink at the drinking fountain, and the teacher would get a disposable cup that my mom had provided for me and I got a drink from my cup.

I wasn't allowed to go outside and play when it was cold. I wasn't even allowed to go to class out in the mobile trailer. Instead, I stayed inside my classroom and teachers in neighboring classrooms would keep an eye on me.

I saw my 2nd grade teacher at my nieces wedding when I was in my late 30s and she told me how worried they'd been for me when I was a kid, and that so often my complexion wasn't a healthy pink, but grey.

My mom and my teachers were invested in my health, but in spite of that, I always felt different.

Fast forward to today with covid.
I am astonished that people refuse to wear a mask to protect themselves and others.
I am astonished that people can't sit their butts at home and find things to do there.
I am astonished that people look for conspiracy theories and disregard scientist and medical doctors.
I am astonished.

I think that I, as a child, behaved more adultlike than I see adults behaving.

I am astonished that during a pandemic people are behaving business as usual. People are dying of this disease, and even if they don't die, they are left with long-term health issues that are going to impact their lives for the foreseeable future.

I have never been as appreciative of my mom and the adults around me supporting me in my health as I am now. I am grateful that I learned that to live my best life I needed to lessen my risk.
I have no trouble finding things to do at home - 4 grandkid quilts are finished and I'm working on a 5th.
I have read books and listened to audio books while I sew.
I have watched a slew of tv shows and movies.
I have done yard work.
I have learned about zoom and see my friends at zoom meetings several times a month.
I am currently training to be an Education for Ministry mentor for online groups.
I talk to my family on the telephone and my adult kids and I play games as a family on zoom and other online platforms.
I keep in contact with friends on facebook, text, and phone, and have a twice monthly book group zoom meet up.

Each week, Steve and I do an online order with our local grocery store and pay a person to shop for and deliver the groceries.
Occasionally we place a telephone or online order with a local restaurant and then pick up the order and bring it home.

It is really not that difficult to invest in your/my health. It takes planning and looking at things in ways outside of the norm. It takes self-care and being adaptable. But it simply means living life on life's terms and finding the gratitude in it.

Hey, if a kid can appear different to others, an adult sure can too! Especially since we're all in this together.
♥ Melody

Josh's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda

2 sticks butter
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla.

1 bag peanut butter or chocolate chips (or some of each!)

Preheat the oven to 375*

In a small/medium size bowl:
Mix the flour and baking soda together

In a medium/large bowl:
Mix the butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and peanut butter. Add the egg and mix it up. Then add the flour mixture. Once it’s all mixed you add the bag of peanut butter/chocolate chips.

Bake at 375* for 8-10 min

Bread Sticks

Dough:

Mix in a bowl:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 c. sugar
1 TBS yeast
Let the ingredients sit for 10 min.

While you are waiting, make the topping.

Topping:

Mix together in a separate bowl:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine (softened)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic

Dough:

Add to the Yeast Water:
3 1/2 cups flour
Mix together - add more flour if necessary.

Spread dough in greased pan. Lightly cut the bread where the pieces will be, but don't cut all the way through.

Put the topping on the dough. Sprinkle Italian Seasoning on top.

Let the pan sit on the top of the oven while it is heating up so that it can rise a bit. Preheat oven to 400*.

Place on the middle rack and cook for about 10 minutes (longer if you like them crispier) until light brown.

Michael with his Sponge Bob hopper ball

Mike wanted his picture taken with this Sponge Bob ball - he is still a fan of Sponge Bob.

♥ Melody

Church Softball

My mom loved to play softball.

When I was in young women's and played softball with the church, my mom used to come to not only my games but my practices.

There were times when the girls would be there and the coach wasn't and my mom would make us practice fielding the ball. She would set us up in the outfield, go to the batter's box and shout at each girl telling them that the next ball was coming to them. Then she'd toss the ball in the air and hit it exactly where she said she was going to.

I wish I would have realized how important those moments were at the time.

The first few months of the Covid -19 story

This is an interesting article + videos to take a closer look at Covid-19 -

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/coronavirus-updates-1st-us-death-occurred-earlier-initially/story?id=70281108

♥ Melody

Michael's teleconference with neurologist

Life in this time of Corona Virus (Covid-19) is very different. House calls, a thing of yesteryear, have a new look now with teledoc & teleconferences.

The doctor's office emails the meeting information a day or so before the visit, calls a few minutes before the appt to verify insurance and things, and then we sit and wait for the doctor to appear on our screen.

Yesterday, (4/21) we had an appointment with Michael's neurologist. Doses were adjusted a bit, concerns voiced, and then the call ended.

It was SO AMAZING! Getting Michael to and from doctors' appointments has been frustrating and nerve wracking, but getting him to and from the living room is a breeze!

Afterward, I took a picture of us and captioned it, "This is how we do Michael's doctor's appts these days - at home, on the computer.

P.S. This is as good as a house call! (maybe better!)"

♥ Melody

Goulash recipe

Goulash -

16 oz box elbow noodles.
1 lb hamburger
1 can diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
Salt to taste

Cook the noodles according to the box directions.

Meanwhile, in a skillet:

Brown hamburger, drain grease.
Add the spices and diced tomatoes. Stir and heat.

Add together the noodles and meat mixture. Serve.