2-27-14

12:45pm

Still feeling the same with my cough and cold,

maybe a hint better.

I've been taking my medicines and have to use

my inhaler 2-3 times a day.

I'm sure it will take a couple of days for the

antibiotic to start working and kicking in.

So glad I checked out the paperwork that

came with my prescriptions to realize

that they only filled a partial on my antibiotics.

I got 10 out of 14 pills and have to go back

to get the rest.  It sure would have been nice

if the pharmacist would have told me this

when I got my prescriptions because I could

have easily overlooked it!!

The whole house is sick with colds, coughs

and runny noses.  

I've got both kids home today from school.

They are both in their rooms and in bed.

That's the rule around here when you don't feel

good and miss school.  You stay in bed during the day.

The kids tell me many other kids at school

have been sick also.

I sure wish some warmer weather would hurry

up and get here but I see that won't be for awhile.

I've been working on tidying up the house some,

got laundry going to get an early start on it

before this weekend, supper laid out thawing and

cookies baking in the oven.

For supper I'm making breaded & baked pork chops

with a side of onion rings and macaroni & cheese.

Dessert is cookies.  I made them from 

a packet of oatmeal cookie mix and

mixed in some chocolate chips.

Tonight I'm gonna have to run to Kroger.

I'm out of Ibuprofen.  I really need this so

I can sleep at night with all my body pains

from coughing.  And we only have a couple more

Mucinex tablets.  We didn't have much to begin with.

Plus tonight we have some scrap metal to cut up

to get ready for Saturday morning to cash in.

I got a letter from Mount Carmel today saying

I qualified for financial assistance.

It says I won't be responsible for any hospital charges.

What charges I am responsible for I am unsure.

I'm sure I'll owe my GI doctor for his visits.

And then I noticed in this letter it only stated

my hospital stay for December.

So another headache to try and get them

to also go back for my stay in October/November.

Then lastly at the bottom of the letter

it says my financial assistance is good until 6/13/14.

I guess that means if I go back to the hospital

for more problems that I'm covered.

Anytime after that date I have to reapply.

2-26-14

11:45am

Earlier this morning I put 3 chicken leg quarters

in the crock pot and they are done now and cooling.

I'll debone them and remove the skin

and use the meat for a chicken & stuffing casserole.

For dessert/snack I found a package of 

a dozen frosted sugar cookies at Walgreens marked down

75% off to .74 cents in the Valentine area.

Hubby just called and said he found about 15 cans

of food today.  I love when he finds stuff at work.

About a month ago I found an almost new pots

and pans set with glass lids and yesterday

I boxed it all up and gave it to mom

for her birthday.  There was 2 skillets,

2 sauce pans (not shown) and a large pot.

Plus instead of cake I gave her 1 blueberry pie

and 1 cherry pie I found marked down at

Kroger for .99 cents each.

I kept the other 2 blueberry pies and put them in the freezer.

Ya just never know when you'll have a

potluck, some other event or holiday come up

and need something to take at the last minute.

Because the last minute is usually when

hubby tells me he needs something for work.

4:00pm

Got supper ready for the oven.

How to make Chicken & Stuffing Casserole....

Cut up chicken and place it in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Spread 2 cans of cream soups on top of chicken.

I used cream of chicken and cream of celery.

Sprinkle 2 boxes of dry stuffing mix on top of cream soups.

Then pour about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth over top.

I used the broth that was in the crock pot leftover

from making the chicken.

Once the broth was almost cooled I threw in a bunch

of ice cubes to harden and remove the fat

from the top.  It cause the broth to gel some

if you wonder what's on top.

Then pour about 1/3rd cup of melted butter on top.

Bake 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

You could also sprinkle some shredded cheese on top

once it's baked.

Chicken $2.25

(I used 3 chicken leg quarters from a 10 pound bag

of FMV Kroger brand that was .68 cents a pound)

2 boxes stuffing $1.00

2 cans cream soup $2.00

butter .25 cents

TOTAL COST TO MAKE $5.50

.91 cents a serving.

This should make enough for supper for 4

and 2 lunches.

---

2-25-14

8:30am

Supper is in the crock pot.

I sliced up a package of polish sausage

and put them in the crock.

Next I cut up some bell peppers and dumped

in a jar and a half of mild chunky salsa

and a can of tomato soup.

You could also add a can of pineapple tidbits

but I didn't have any so added about a tablespoon

or so of Splenda to sweeten it some to take

the bitiness out of the tomatoes.

I'll let this cook on low most of the day.

This evening I serve it over white rice.

----

I got an order for another diaper cake

so my mind has been coming up with some ideas for it.

It's needed by March 22nd and don't know

the sex of the baby.

The colors are turquoise and gray

and the diapers are cloth instead of disposable.

Hmmm, Spring is March 20th and

everyone is soo tired of Winter and 

I thought maybe a diaper basket "cake"

would be cheerful with something like flowers, spring time animals

like bunnies, ducks, butterflies and dragonflies

made out of washcloths and/or baby socks.

These are things I think of during Spring

along with the Easter holiday which is April 20th.

Just some ideas popping into my head.

I would think right now would be a good time to find

some deals on Easter items such as a basket,

grass or Spring time items to make it.

3:15pm

I see they are now calling for a snowstorm

with a weeble wobble affect.

Ya know one of those storms where we are always

on the border of either getting a bunch

of snow or getting some snow with freezing rain and sleet.

It's still almost a week away starting Sunday.

Winter, Winter go away come again ano....NEVER!!

3:30pm

I think tomorrow I'll have mom take me to 

Walgreens Minute Clinic.

I've had a terrible cough with wheezing and phlegm

to the point by ribs and left hip hurts

and I have to use my inhaler and prop my head

to sleep at night just to breathe easier.

I'm thinking I might have bronchitis.

7:45pm

Back from Walgreens Minute Clinic.

I had hubby take me tonight instead of waiting til tomorrow.

I think we were there a couple of hours.

The wait wasn't very long after arriving

maybe 5 or so minutes.

The nurse said I was in bad shape and that

if I got any worse I needed to go to the ER.

I thought for sure I had bronchitis but I guess

with bronchitis you run a low grade fever which

I did not have.  The nurse told me I was

having an asthma attack.

Just something else to add to the list of

failing things going on with my body

from Crohn's Disease, Colitis, C-Diff

and now this all in the past couple of months.

Yes I have asthma but it's been years since

I've had a problem with it or even had

a breathing treatment.  I might of had

one when I got pneumonia.

Tonight the nurse got out the nebulizer and hooked

me up with some medicine which I know from

past experience makes you light headed and very shaky

for awhile after getting the breathing treatment.

The nurse checked my lungs afterwards

and said I still had a lot of wheezing.

She was worried about my oxygen levels

but they checked out ok when she checked them.

That's when she said if it got any worse

with my symptoms I would have to go to the ER.

I don't want to have to go to the ER.

Hospitals lately like to keep me for one reason or 

another and I'm not ready to go back for a visit anytime soon.

I got 3 out of 4 prescriptions.

The one I did not get was a cough syrup.

The other three were-

Clarithromycin (antibiotic), 

Benzonatate (liquid pill for sever coughing),

Alubuterol (inhaler)

I worry about taking any antibiotics after having

C-Diff!  I told the nurse I had it a couple of months

ago.  You can get C-Diff by having too many antibiotics

in your body that kills off the good bacteria.

That's when the bad bacteria can take over 

and you can end up with C-Diff.

Time to take some probiotics.

I've read to take probiotics during or after taking

antibiotics to help replenish the good bacteria.

I was taking probiotics with the antibiotics

that the hospital had me taking once I returned home.

My choice, not something they told me to do.

I think I'm gonna head to bed soon.

My body is hurting pretty good from all the coughing.

The heating pad is calling my name tonight!

I'm ready for Summer!

I'm so tired of being sick!!!

2-24-14

12:20PM

For supper I'll be making scalloped potatoes

with leftover deer roast and mini carrots

mixed in between the layers of the potatoes.

For dessert I have a chocolate lava cake going in the crock pot.

2-23-14

10:00am

I've been fighting a cold and cough the last couple of days.

My ribs and back hurt now from coughing so much.

Been taking Kroger brand Mucinex.

It seems to help clear any mucous up.

I'm not blowing my nose anymore thank goodness

because I think it would just fall off.

But there is still some congestion causing the cough.

I started taking the Mucinex yesterday which

was only one tablet that cleared up my nose.

Took another one this morning hoping it will

now work on the congestion.

Even with sickies we've still been running around.

I guess it's better than laying around feeling miserable.

And when old man winter throws in some

50-60 degree days in February after having

a crap load of snow, you don't sit inside!

Well let's see, yesterday morning we went to the South

end of Columbus to pick up the boy's friend again

to spend the night.  Then we stopped by in Groveport

to see hubby's friend.  Then from there we toured the back

roads to go to Reynoldsburg Kmart to

get some tennis shoes.

Came back home for a bit.

The boys played outside and then everyone came

to tell me they found a rabbit stuck in chain link fence.

Me and a neighbor on our street got him out with

some wire cutters.  The rabbit managed to get his head

and front legs through the fence but his butt and

back legs were too big and got caught up hanging there.

He was crying and wailing.  Don't ever think rabbits

don't make noise because they can when injured or trapped.

How the neighborhood stray cats didn't get to him

I will never know.

 At about 3:30pm

we took the boys to a skate park in Westerville.

While the boys skated, scootered and biked

me and hubby walked a little nature trail.

I'm so out of shape when a little nature trail

makes my body hurt!

Winter sucks.  Last year we were walking natural

trails and hiking every day without problems.

Had to run back over to Kroger yesterday evening because

I hadn't planned on feeding an extra mouth this weekend.

Picked up a 90 count bag of pizza rolls for supper.

Now I have brunch in the oven.

I made up 1 1/2 casserole dishes of scalloped potatoes

with sausage & gravy mixed in and shredded cheddar jack cheese.

I then topped it with more cheese and a fried egg

when I served it along with a side of toast.

I call it Barnyard Buster Breakfast Casserole.

It made 6 servings.

One serving will go towards hubby's lunch tomorrow.

I'm chilling for the moment because my lower back

and ribs are hurting to no end.

With this chest congestion I've had to

resort to using my inhaler at times mostly at

night when I lay down.

Hubby went out and got my passenger door handle

replaced on my truck.

I think I've gone about 6 or so months without

one since mom broke it off when we went yard saling.

2-21-14

11:55pm

The National Weather Service confirmed that

a tornado touched down early this morning

in Delaware country North of here.

This is some crazy weather we're having!

3:15pm

I peeled and sliced up about 5 pounds of potatoes.

This weekend I plan on making 2 meals with them.

Loving my deep casserole dish with lid

I found in a vacant apartment!

Now I'm working on a menu for the next week.

1.  Scalloped potatoes with leftover deer roast,

carrots and gravy mixed into it.

2.  Scalloped potatoes with sausage & sausage gravy 

mixed into it.

3.  Chicken & stuffing casserole.

4.  Hamburgers & french fries.

5.  Zesty sausage & rice skillet dinner.

6.  Breaded/baked pork chops with mac & cheese, corn.

7.  Chicken Mac Casserole.  

8.  Little Cesaers pizza & wings.

BREAKFAST

1. - 4.  Sausage, egg & cheese sandwiches.

5. - 7.  Cereal

LUNCH

Leftovers throughout the week for me & hubby.

Weekend lunches-

1.  Fried bologna with tomato, cheese & mayo sandwich on toast.

2.   Leftover Little Ceasers pizza

DESSERTS/SNACKS

1.  Magic Cake

2.  South Beach Diet Bars (free download coupon from Kroger)

3.  Carrots and/or celery with ranch dip

4.  Crock pot lava cake

5.  Blueberry Pie

6.  Sandwich cookies & milk

7:25pm

Just back from Kroger.

I got my groceries for the next week

including milk and pop.

Spent $41.00 for this week's menu.

Spent another $12 for these marked down items

to add to my pantry stash and freezer stockpile 

for another week.

progresso soup .79 cents

beef gravy .49 cents

4 packages (14 count) turkey sausage links $1.69 each

3 bakery blueberry pies .99 cents each (reg $5 each)

1 bakery cherry pie .99 cents (reg $5)

Time to chill out for the evening.

My head is stopped up,

sneezing like crazy,

went through a roll of toilet paper already

blowing my nose til it's raw

and coughing til my ribs hurt.

2-20-14

8:15am

Got deer roast (free) in the crock with a couple

bags of mini carrots ($1.00),

2 packets of Pioneer brown gravy ($2.00),

3 cups water,

and a can of tomato soup (80 cents).

Onion powder (free)

Later on I'll cut up and boil potatoes ($1.00).

TOTAL COST $5.30.

This should make 2-3 meals.

(a couple of suppers and a couple of lunches)

So $1.76 to $2.65 per meal for a family of 4!

Well I gotta get ready.  I'm taking mom

to the thrift store this morning.

3:00pm


Me and mom spent the day together from 8:40am
to about 1:30pm.  It was different this morning
seeing it pouring rain and about 3-4 lightning flashes and
one go round of thunder.
We went out for breakfast and lunch and
stopped by two thrift stores, oh and I also
stopped by hubby's work to see the fire building on the outside.
I don't know where hubby was at because he didn't 
answer his phone.  
I didn't get much at the thrift stores.
A Titanic movie book $1.91, a candle shade,
a shirt for one of the boys and a knitted shirt.
They've been playing the Titanic movie
on tv for the last couple of days so the kids
were interested in looking through the book
once they got home from school.


I think hubby's boss shared his sickies with
him and now it has been passed onto me.
Ahhhhh!
Coughing, sneezing, blowing nose, stuffed up head.
Having just a jolly good ole time here.



4:30pm


Almost time for supper.
Sure is looking good!
Got sliced up deer roast, garlic & butter mashed potatoes,
mini diced carrots and brown tomato gravy.

2-19-14

7:25am

So we're expecting thunderstorms with

possible dangerous winds tomorrow night.

Time to prepare your home if you haven't already.

With snow on the roof tops and possible ice

jams already forming in the gutters

this means the rain will have nowhere to go but down

into the foundation of your home which could

cause cracks in your basement walls

or water in your basement.

Shovel any snow away from your foundation,

make sure any downspouts are clear of

any snow blockage, remove as much ice as possible

from gutters by either knocking it off or use salt

to throw up there to help melt it.

Also if you have a storm drain near your home

make sure there is no snow or ice blocking it

so the melting snow and rain have somewhere to go.

4:00pm

I've started making a little recipe notebook

for the meat I'll be adding to the freezer.

Usually I can find chicken and pork chops marked down.

Sometimes fish or beef but not as much

or at a good price.

I try to look for casserole recipes that have cheap ingredients

that can make

at least a couple of meals from smaller pieces of meat.

Here's a few I've jotted down so far for chicken-

-Chicken Stuffing Casserole

-30 Minute Chicken and Biscuits

-Easy Anytime Casserole

with pasta, chicken, cheese, cream soup & veggies

-White Chicken Enchiladas

-BBQ Chicken Waffles

bbq pizza sauce topped with shredded chicken & cheese

-Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

-Chicken Ranch Mac & Cheese With Bacon

-Mini Chicken Pot Pies

-Loaded Potato Buffalo Chicken Casserole

-Alfredo Chicken Pizza

4:30pm

For supper tonight I'm making a boxed lasagna

with cheesy garlic bread.

For dessert I'm making Crescent Cream Cheese Squares.

Of course I changed the recipe some.

2 blocks of cream cheese

2 eggs

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

1 cup sugar

2 cans crescent rolls

cinnamon sugar

butter cooking spray

Spray casserole dish with butter cooking spray.

Press a can of crescent rolls into bottom pressing

all the seams together.

In a large bowl add cream cheese, eggs, sugar,

dry pudding mix.  Mix on high for about 2 minutes.

Spread this over top the crescent rolls.

Unroll the second tube of crescent rolls

onto counter and press it all together.

Place over top of cream cheese mixture.

Spray butter cooking spray on top then

sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

All to cool before cutting and serving.

---

2-18-14

5:50am

Well this is not what you want to see on the news

when first waking up...

Fire Forces Family Out In The Cold.

That's at hubby's work!

Hubby had just talked to the guy on call

last night before going to bed and he

was saying he was having a rough night.

Well it looks like it just got a little rougher.

I just woke up hubby and told him what I found out.

I'm not allowed to give anymore information

other than what is posted on the news.

They just showed the backside of the apartment

building on the news and it looks bad.

Thank God no one was hurt and everyone got out.

Just gives you a sick feeling in your stomach.

I have lost count over the years with

the number of apartment fires we've had to deal with.

1:20pm


I got all the meat I bought yesterday vacuum sealed and
ready for the freezer.  The fish was already frozen
but the chicken was not.
I can get at least 8 meals if not more
If I make casseroles from the chicken for only $13.88.

Ready for Winter now that it's almost over with lol.
Working on getting a temporary tag and such
today.  Hubby's not been having luck because
the computers have been down at the BMV.

2:25pm

This annoys me to no end, GRRRR!

Constantly parking on the street at the end of our driveway

making it really difficult to back a long Suburban out.

Our driveway is behind the pompass grass.

See that garage of theirs?  Why can't they park there instead.

I had to have my rant for the day.

7:50pm

Just got done vacuume sealing up 7 more bags

of chicken.  Had to go to Meijers tonight to get some

more gummy multi vitamins and 

gummy vitamin C, Zinc & Echinacea.

I'm out of the second one and really need it at the moment.

Hubby is getting his bosses cold

and I started him on them as soon as we got home.

While there we checked out their meat section

and found some marked down chicken thighs

and chicken drumsticks.

3.81 pound legs was $6.36 marked down to $3.02 ($1.26lb)

3.79 pound legs was $6.34 marked down to $3.00 ($1.26lb)

5.42 pound thighs was $6.45 marked down to $5.15 ($1.05lb)

Each year I learn new things with the struggles we go through

and try to fix some of the problems from the following year.

This year when I find family packs of meat

at $1.50 or less a pound I plan on stocking my

freezer with them.  If I plan ahead now I can have

a whole freezer full of meat.

Meat is the most expensive part of the meal.

I'll buy when I have the extra money to do so

then at the end of the year when we run short on money

I know I will have meat for meals.

Buying food for side dishes is much more affordable

during hard times than purchasing meat.

So far I have spent $25.05 on meats

and will have at least 15 meals from them.

Like I said before if I make casseroles with them

I can get more than one meal out of them.

2-17-14

11:15am

So today and tomorrow we could have snow

and a wintry mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow.

Some counties North of I-70 will be under

a Winter Weather Advisory at 1:00pm today.

Then by Thursday it could warm up into

the mid to upper 50's with thunderstorms.

Don't like Ohio weather, stick around 5 minutes it will change!

Snow and thunderstorms all in a week.

Well I think I'm going to go bake a cake,

got a sweet tooth, and finish up laundry.

Funfetti cake mix .50 cents
Tub of peppermint white frosting .49 cents
3 eggs .69 cents
Oil- free
TOTAL COST TO MAKE $1.68

12:57pm


Hubby called everywhere around Columbus
looking for a rim for his car.  The only place that has one
is out on E. Main St.  at Wirthman Brothers.
Hubby has to take off work an hour
and a half early so we can be out there before it closes.
So there's 1.5 hours of his time docked so there's $25.
Then the freaking rim costs $100 for a used one!
And then the cost to remove the tire off the old
rim and put it on this newer one.
So by the time we get his rim, tire and tie rod fixed it will
have cost I'm guessing $162.  I got a headache now.
And this is all thanks to the lovely potholes Columbus has!!
And here I was thinking about and looking to possibly
getting a new computerized sewing machine.
LMAO.  That will be put on the back, back burner.
Waaay back burner.  To just about forget I thought about it burner.
Gotta take care of the more important things first
like this and getting tax, title, tags for the pickup, 
hubby's license renewal, and handicap plaque renewal paid for.


7:30pm


Had to run to Kroger to get pop and bread.
It's raining & freezing rain out along
with some flooding in the roadways
from melting snow piles.
Anyways when I'm in the store for one thing or another
I'm always looking around for deals.
I have been on the hunt for meat deals
to start stocking our freezer back up.
Today I found a 10 pound bag of chicken leg quarters
for $6.00 and some change.
Then I ran across some large bags of Swai fish.
Never heard of it before.
I've been wanting fish for awhile but it is so expensive.
I just looked it up and seen some say it
is a river catfish.
I bought a bottle of Italian dressing to marinade it in.
At .99 cents a pound-
One bag was 3.55 pounds for $3.51
and another bag was 3.45 pounds for $3.42.
At these prices I can learn to like whatever fish this is!!

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