Five on Friday

I'm a little late with this, but I'm getting there.  My new splint and the pain meds are making life much more comfortable.  So I'm joining in with Amy at Love Made My Home and the other bloggers for this week's Five.

First:  My new Sous Chef, Mac.  I can cut and peel, but I can't chop so he's taken over the job and like the Swedish Chef on the Muppets has thrown himself into the job.

Second:  One-handed an all, I managed to make Gingerbread Men this morning.  The first batch was made with whole wheat flour, because isn't that healthier?  Well, they look good, but taste like nothing.  The second batch was made with regular flour and taste much better.

Third:  My Christmas Amaryllis is blooming its head off.  The one from last year is growing, but don't know if it will bloom, so we bought a new one and it's just gorgeous.

Fourth:  I have a new set of candles, they're battery operated so I don't have to worry about Miss Kitty knocking them over.  She tries really hard not to knock things over, but accidents happen.

Fifth:  I bought a new Christmas tray when we were out shopping yesterday, don't know what I'm going to use it for, but it was only a dollar and too pretty to not buy.

That's my 5, hope you have a wonderful weekend.  

MD Update

Just a quick update.  Went to see my Doctor yesterday and he had my arm re-xrayed.  He says that with fine line breaks it can take up to 2 weeks for it to show up on an X-ray.  Well show up it did. I broke my left wrist.  I'm not in a cast, but rather a splint designed for carpel tunnel syndrome, it's so comfortable, best my arm has felt since I hurt it.  My left hand is now quite immobile so I have to do everything with my right hand.  So Blogging is going to become rather hit or miss.  I'll keep reading, but not much writing.
I'm off to stick gifts into bags and boxes, think paper may be beyond me.

A Busy Morning

Woke to rain, our first real rain since the 8th of October and they say there's more to come.  So humid though, our morning walk was not fun.  Boxes and boxes to be wrapped for shipping, Mac has sold some paintings and a guitar, plus boxes to family members.  My gosh shipping is high, the post office should be the best revenue producer in the  government.  Still trying to get Christmas stamps so I haven't mailed Christmas cards yet.
I'm a bit angry with out mail delivery right now.  Our regular mail lady is wonderful, always get her something for Christmas.  But each year they hire extra folks and they are nowhere near as efficient.  She honks to let us know she has boxes for us or carries them up to our porch.  The other mail people just sit it up next to the garage and let them get wet.  We took pictures this time and I swear we're going to report them.
A big pot of bean and bacon soup bubbling away on the stove, we'll eat it with sandwiches made from yesterday's pot roast.
A load of laundry done and more Christmas decorating.  A good morning.

Christmas

It's starting to come together.  All the Christmas critters have come out of their tubs to decorate the living room fire place.  I think it's actually only been cold enough to turn it on once at Christmas.  But the critters love it, some sing, some dance, some just enjoy.
A pot roast in the crockpot, a red velvet cake for later and Mac chained to the easel.  He sold 3 paintings this week and could not find one of them so he's had to paint a quick copy.
New header courtesy of my favorite artist.  Hope you're having a good weekend too.

Tree

With Mac's help and the careful supervision of Miss Kitty the tree is decorated.  I'll wait till tomorrow to do the rest of the house.  We live in an area known for our cardinals so I use resin cardinals all over my tree.  They's predicting frost for us by the end of next week won't that be a treat and I'm not being sarcastic.

Five on Friday

First Friday in December and time to join Amy at Love Made My Home for Five on Friday.  Thank you Amy for hosting us.
A few Christmasy things to get me going.  I've just taken a pain pill for my arm, so this won't be long, but hopefully coherent.

First:  We got our tree today, no photos yet because all we did was bring it it, find two tubs to sit it on and cover the tubs with a plastic table cover .  Took time to find two tubs the same size and then to find the Christmas cloth.  Then I held the tree while Mac tied it to the wall. Usually I'll a bit more helpful, but Mac had to do most of it on his own.  Miss Kitty has never bothered our Christmas tree, but cats we've had in the past have so we always tie it up.


Second:  I don't use glass ornaments on my tree, I use resin ones  or soft things.  Though Kitty doesn't mess with the tree much she has been known to swat at an ornament or two and knock them down.  If these fall they don't break.

I added a few musical ones this year

Third:  Some new solar lights and cookie cutters have come home with us today.

Fourth:   My new Christmas cacti.  My old one that was doing so well began to fall to pieces.  So Mac got me a set of 5 little cacti.  We planted them in one pot.

Fifth:  We bought a Bear head at the local craft shop and Mac attached it to our old Christmas wreath.  Now it's on the front door looking great.

Now, just because I can I'm throwing in the Cardinal of Christmas and Santa's Workshop.

Do go visit the other Friday bloggers and have a great weekend.

December, Yeah

Love December, love the whole run up to Christmas and of course Christmas itself.  I don't feel the stress I hear others talk about, I just feel joy and anticipation.  But then we've never lived near our families, so Christmas usually involves us and our daughter, though Mac's brother and sister-in-law use to spend it with us when he could still travel.
I'm still not well, my cough got worse and I ended up at Urgent Care the other night, diagnosed with an allergy attack and a sinus infection.  Now have loads of medication and things are starting to clear up, had my first real night's sleep in awhile.
Mac saw our doctor yesterday, they're working on getting his arthritis and blood pressure medication sorted.  The doctor said that if my arm isn't better by next week he wants me back in for an x-ray because hairline fractures can sometimes take more than a week to show up on an x-ray.  He also gave me stronger pain medication.
Woke up feeling very stiff and sore, but am feeling better now.  Managed to do a load of laundry, make a loaf of bread and get a little housework done before I wore out.
While I was at the clinic the other night Mac bought me a new bear, he is laying on a sled, he sings, kicks his feet, and turns in circles.  Miss Kitty's not sure what to think of him.
Tomorrow we go to get out tree.

End of November

It's the end of November and all the Fall and Thanksgiving stuff must be packed away.  But I woke up today stiffer and as sore, both arms, as the day I fell.  Took a hot shower, an antihistamine to deal with my cough----I literally coughed all night---and spent some quality couch time and I'm feeling a bit better.  My arms are less stiff, but I'm still coughing enough to make it into the final act of Camille.
Mac brought me down a tub that I store most of the stuff in and I'm on my way, whisking about doing my imitation of a one-armed paper hanger.
Christmas is coming and I must not be stopped or slowed by mere human frailty.

One-Handed Package Wrapping

We're getting our Christmas tree later this week and I want to have packages to put under it.  I've wrapped some, but I need to do more.  My right arm is feeling almost normal and my left one has come a long way, but the right one is going to have to carry the load.  I can see it now:  cut, fold, stick tape dispenser under left arm to hold it, pull with right hand, tape and hope for the best.  Wish me luck.


Addendum


I always knew that I threaded my sewing machine needle with my left hand, but I thought that was it, that the rest of the time it was just along for the ride.  Not true.


Things I didn't know that I did with my left hand:

Turns out I tear off tape with my left hand
I do the button on my jeans with my left hand
I wrap the scrunchie around  my pony tail with my left hand
I tear open packets with my left hand
I hold my book or Kindle in my left hand when I'm reading.
My left hand helps sweep the floor
I hold pans with my left hand while stirring
I unscrew the toothpaste with my left hand
I squeeze the toothpaste with my left hand


And may I point out, don't do any of these things with a sore left arm, it hurts like the dickens.

The Best Laid Plans

We were supposed to be going to New York City for Thanksgiving, but the Tuesday before the holiday I took a tumble while we were out walking.  Stepped on a stick that rolled and took me with it.  Hurt both arms, banged my head, a laceration on my right thumb.  Mac and another gentleman helped me up and because of hitting my head it was decided that I should go to our local Urgent Care.  They were wonderful, got me right in, looked at my head, x-rayed my left arm and said there was no breaks, but I wretched both wrists and elbows and everything in between.  My right arm is mostly back to normal, but my left, the one that took the brunt of the fall, is going to take a while.
In addition to that Mac and I are both having a massive allergy attacks and are coughing our heads off.
So the decision was made to postpone the trip till after the first of the year.  Instead we had a very quiet Thanksgiving at home.
This is the first day that I've felt like typing more than a word or two.
Hoping to feel better soon so we can get a Christmas tree.  I'm the decorator and I'm not capable of that yet.

Friday, But No Five

Amy is not hosting Five on Friday for awhile as much is going on in her life, I wish her well and hope she's back soon.
Update on our friend the Mockingbird, more research shows that he is territorial and will defend his space against all invaders.  We have berry bushes around our garage and I guess he considers them his.  So yesterday Mac caught him in the garage pecking at his reflection in the side of Mac's car.  No damage done thankfully.  Also found out that though they're primarily bug eaters they will eat raisins and sunflower seeds, both of which we have, and we're going to put some out to lure him away from the garage.
Now for something completely different.  Mac gave me a surprise gift this week, new luggage tags.  It's Gudetama again.  Hope he's not to apathetic to take care of my bags.
Each summer Miss Kitty lays around getting her 18-24 hours of sleep a day and I ponder that she is getting older and slowing down like the rest of us.  Then Fall comes and she's like a kitten again.  Into everything, playing with all her toys and bugging us to go outside.  She's standing on my desk right now kicking stuff off, trying to annoy me enough that I'll take her out.  I'll throw her out of the room, but not take her out, she's already been and ate grass, barfed and did all those really great cat things.
Hope you're having as beautiful a day as we are, it's picture perfect here, though colder weather is coming.