A Little Hi!

It's been a while, I know. I'm not even certain if there is anyone out there who even checks my blog for updates. This is more for me, than you at this point.

B has been working 3rd shift @ Lindt & starts his 1st vacation today. He's going hiking in the mountains with his sister, H.

I was with Nanny Family #1 during the summer as Nanny Family #4 was spending their summer in Peru. Col picked up the game of ping pong. Con has grown very tall & basketball is his thing. He even had private basketball lessons. Kay is a fashionista. She's come a long way from her Sleeping Beauty nightgown days. We went to a preseason Pats game as well as a 3 day trip to DC. We flew down & stayed at the Omni which was the fanciest hotel I've ever stayed in!

I'm back with Nanny Family #4 now at least for the school year. I've met a possibility for Nanny Family #5. I sit occasionally for them on weekends. We'll see if anything comes of it.

C has a M too. He is 29, divorced & has 2 young girls. She seems happy. I hardly see her as she's away either working or with him. Probably a good thing I don't see her much because I'm not usually happy about her keeping the arrangement with me on her living here & how she's failing it, big time. I'd be nagging her all the time.

Carlotta started 1st grade! She is a reader! I was able to visit for 2 weeks in May, again for a week in July & I'm heading down in 7-8 days to spend a week as T recovers from major surgery. I hope to be able to visit at Christmas too!

T has gone through 18 treatments of chemo as well as a few blood transfusions in her battle to conquer ovarian cancer. She's been successful thus far! The tumors have shrunk. Now her doctor will remove all the affected parts. Once she has healed, we will learn if there is more fighting to do. She has kept a positive attitude  as well as keeping up with her job, calling & family duties. Her support system in VA has amazed me. It has also calmed me since I don't have to worry.

So good night all.

One More Week Until Summertime Vacation!

Next week, I will be finishing up caring for Nanny Family #4 for the summer. Both parents are school teachers & I must say, I've enjoyed having week long vacations sprinkled throughout the year. Now comes my 1st summer off since ... well... since I was a kid!

I'm not really taking the whole summer off. I accepted a request from Nanny Family #1 to be available on a part-time basis through out the summer. The kids are pretty much self sufficient so I'm only there for emergencies & for walking the dog. Dasher is a fun dog.

Then, end of August/early September, I return to Nanny Family #4. They're spending their summer vacation visiting Peru, where the dad was born. 

B starts 3rd shift at Lindt on the day I start my vacation. He's been on 1st shift, training & seems to like the job though the factory is SO big, he is walking, a lot. Last Monday, he used an app on his phone & totaled over 8 miles of walking that day! I used the new health insurance for the 1st time last week. Different feeling having to pay for everything until a deductible is met. Then, once met, everything is free for us. Time will tell if I like it.

C continues working @ the outlet mall store. She has good & bad days. She dates once in a while. No one too serious, yet. Latest guy drives a motorcycle & works for NASA. Haven't met him yet so I'm thinking it's not serious. She's been good w/paying her student & car loans on time, but she hasn't been good w/paying us what she owes. Not sure how to handle this because she knows we don't really NEED the money & we won't kick her out. But her balance due to us continues to grow! So, if C ever reads this... Pay us back! Thanks.

T is having her last chemo treatment tomorrow. She's been a trooper through it all. Loss of hair & sense of taste have been the biggest side effects for her. Hoping her tumors have shrunk so she can have surgery to remove whatever parts the doctor feels needs be removed. She's continued to work, care for her family & fulfill her church calling. Her husband M, has been a good support for her.

Carlotta has just successfully concluded Grade K! She is reading very well & is being promoted to 1st grade! I'm taking a week during my summer break to go back to VA to visit w her & her parents. C is going to come w/me.

The boys are stirring from their afternoon naps! Gotta go! Until next time...

Best Soup (jar gift recipe)

Best Bean Soup  (makes 20- 2 cup mason jars)

What you need:

• 1 pound each of the following dry beans:
• Navy beans
• Great Northern beans
• Pinto
• Red beans
• Lima beans, large size & small size
• Soy beans
• Yellow Split
• Green Split
• Barley Pearls
• Black-eyed beans
• Lentils
• 20- 2 cup mason jars with lids

What you do:

• Mix all the beans together & place 2 cups into a mason jar. Screw on lid.

How to make the soup:

• 1 mason jar of dry beans (in a pinch, I've used the 15 bean soup bag dry beans, sold in stores)
• Place beans in a lg pot & cover with water. 
• Soak overnight.
• Drain off the soaking water.
• Add to the beans, 2 qts of water, a ham hock (or bits of leftover ham, about 1-2 lbs), 1-1/4 tsp Salt & 1/2 tsp Pepper, cover the pot with a lid.
• Bring to a boil... then reduce heat, simmer 1-1/2 hours or until beans are tender.
• Add in 1 chopped onion, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1-14.9 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, 1 minced garlic clove & 3T lemon juice.
• Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove ham hock & take meat off the bone.
• Roughly chop the ham pcs if the pcs are too large. Return meat to pot
• Serve with crusty bread

I've found the soup to have a creamier texture & better flavor, the next day!

On & On It Goes!

Well, B did not start at the Boston Temple after all! Less than 24 hours before he was to start, Lindt called & offered him a position! Much, much more money! Much, much closer to home! But it is 3rd shift which will take some getting used to... for both of us.

He starts the new job at the chocolate factory this coming Monday. Really! No other job interviews even came close to what this place offered him. I've been told to prepare that anything he brings in with him, like his wallet, will have a chocolate smell to it, forever!

On the T medical front... She has endured & survived her 1st chemo treatment last week. I'm heading to VA soon to visit with her, help her & give hugs to her & Carlotta. People have really impressed me with the help & support for her & her family during these first few days of treatment. 

T is doing her best to keep her spirits up, her food down & be as normal in her routines as she can despite how she may be feeling. 

I had some teal color streaks put in my hair in support of T. A peekaboo color job is what the stylist called it. My silver hair too the color very well. B says he'll shave his head if T's hair does fall out. C has permission to get a teal streak from her company. She's waiting for enough $$ to do it now. Teal is the "color" showing support for ovarian cancer.

Now, I have to go force myself to eat whatever it was that B made for dinner. I requested that he use some  imagination as I'm tired of the meal choices he makes whenever he is asked to cook. Hot dogs & beans, macaroni & cheese or ready made potatoes next to a hunk of store cooked chicken is all he ever serves! Last night was chicken & microwave potatoes. Tonight, it appears as though he's serving chicken again!! He blandly cooked a chicken breast with a side of Rice A Roni. Well, I guess Rice A Roni is using his imagination? Nothing he serves to me is any good for a low carb meal! I haven't been good on my diet, but he's not helping me! 

And he served it at 4:30pm! Who eats dinner before 5? Old people, that's who! 

OK , my passive aggressiveness rant is over! I know...  if I don't like what he's cooking, I could make something myself & I usually do! Just lately, I'm pooped at dinnertime. 

Welcome to the OC!

Well, T's biopsy results were not as we had hoped.

She has ovarian cancer.

To simplify future posts, I'll refer to her disease as the OC. Though it makes it easier to say, it doesn't make it go away!

She starts off with 9 weeks of chemo, starting next week.

I haven't quite put all my feelings into any order yet. But I do have lots of feelings jumbled up inside of me. I can't even imagine what Ts emotions are doing to her!

I have the last week in April off & will be heading to her to see if I can be of any help to her. I wish I could stay the whole time of her treatment & beyond. I think I would drive her bonkers if I stayed that long! And I need to continue to earn a paycheck. Bs new job has decent pay, but in order to keep visiting T during my vacations, I need a paycheck.

She is on several prayer rolls in temples. Friends, family, coworkers & complete strangers are pulling for her recovery w support, prayers, stories of survival & giving her lots of love! She is fortunate to have a husband who honors the priesthood & with the help of his father & others, have given T the blessings she needs, when she needs them. I have never doubted the love he has for my daughter. She is in good hands.

This is all I'm writing tonight. Most, if not all, who still read my blog know that she has set up a private FB page where she can write the gory details of her progress in defeating the OC & others can leave their comforting words to her without clogging up everyones personal FB pages! She's so thoughtful!

Love you, T! 

It Was A LOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG Month

Today was an eventful day!

As I mentioned in my last post, B lost his job.

Somehow, we managed to be OK during these past 4 weeks. With careful spending, cutting down on bills such as; cell phones, cable/Internet & my Nanny families stepping in with extra gigs...

We were able to eat well, pay bills on time & have leftover cash to boot!

His 401K was rolled over into an IRA. We set aside money for a car & paid off 4 outstanding balances on debts & had enough $$ to pay COBRA insurance payments for 6 months.

He accepted a position at Cains Food in Ayer MA & was scheduled to begin training on Monday, 4/11. Today, we purchased a brand-new car for his long commute. We were going to buy a brand-new locking, fancy tool chest since this company does not provide tools for its techs. 

Once trained, he would be working 3rd shift on the assembly line, fixing machines that needed fixing.

He had accepted the Cains job, but had to wait 2 weeks for his background check to happen. 

So, while he waited, he continued interviewing for other jobs. 

He had 3 very good possibilities lined up.

Lindt Chocolates, the temple & a company in Newburyport. 

I was hoping he'd get the Lindt job, it's only 15 minutes from home but it was 3rd shift. 

I don't know much about the Newburyport job he interviewed for this morning.

Just after registering the new car, the temple called with a job offer!

He was very excited to get a job offer from the temple.

•  It's a job. Salary is OK & immediate health insurance so no COBRA payments are needed!
•  His best friend works security at the temple. Can't carpool, but they can have lunch together!
•  To keep his job, he must keep a current recommend. I guess we're pay tithing all the time now!
•  He'll work regular hours Tuesday - Saturday. No 3rd shifts!
•  He has a new car w/good gas mileage & no breakdown worries.
•  He starts his training at the temple on Saturday. 4 weeks with B at home is enough for me!

In the midst of B losing his job & all the uncertainties such an event brings, our eldest daughter T began to have serious health issues. She has had several tests & scans already. Their results has given us a tiny sliver of positive hope. Tomorrow, she will discover the results of her final test, a biopsy. 

We have been praying for B to find a job.

We've prayed for T's tests to bring her better news about what is going on inside of her body. 

Our prayers about B were answered today. 

Tomorrow, our prayers for T will be answered too!

March 2016 is not a month I will look back on often or with fond memories, but April 2016 is beginning to look real good to me!

Here We Go Again

A year after we moved to NH, B was let go as the company he worked for was bought out by another. He was offered a position but we would've had to move to Danbury CT which I refused to do! We had just uprooted our kids to move to NH! They had friends, relationships & I didn't want them to go through another move.

So, we suffered for most of the year as B searched (before Google!) for a job where he could keep us in NH. He worked Walmart, another packaging company & a dishwasher service tech before he found a job w an infection control company. We were able to remain in our new house, raise our girls there, send them to college, a marriage & grandchildren! We really enjoyed our life here.

He's been at that job ever since. Well, until last Wednesday.

I'm still unsure how or why he lost his job. He also is a bit flummoxed about it. However, all the speculation in the world about why or how doesn't change the fact that our family's bread winner is again having to look for employment.

This time, with our kids grown, I've given the OK that he can look anywhere for a job. 

Don't get me wrong! 

I LOVE MY HOUSE! I LOVE LIVING IN THIS AREA! I DO NOT WISH TO MOVE! 

But I also understand that B will always make more money than I ever could & if I ever want to see Carlotta & her parents, I need to follow B wherever the job search takes him.

He's already had 1 interview, another lined up & has had a member from Church help him fine-tune his resume. The Internet search has many more possibilities than it did in 2001-02. His sense of responsibility for his family makes me believe he will be successful. Since we've been a family, any bad thing that has come our way has vastly improved/blessed our lives a little ways down the road. We have endured.

I'm still working with a Nanny Family & have another (or 2) lined up for the summer. I'm taking anyones request for a sitter, even overnight! Being a single car family is going to be tough. Our fridge, freezer & pantry is full of food & supplies. Our bank account can keep us afloat for at least 2 months (I know, general consensus says you should have 3-6 months saved, bummer) and I try to find silver linings in our situation like... B just got a brand new suit & haircut before getting fired!

Please keep your eyes open for job ads for him. He's open to anything but has experience in the service tech area. Thanks all!

Cowboy Spaghetti Casserole

Found another recipe that we like very much! It is a pasta dish so I must be careful not to eat too much & I should've had a salad with it, but it was too rainy today to go out & purchase salad ingredients.

Cowboy Spaghetti Casserole (serves 4-6 generous portions)

What you need:

• 12 oz spaghetti, cooked al dente (just slightly underdone)
• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped (save time! Use the pre-chopped pepper & onions in produce)
• 1T brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1- 15oz can of petite diced tomatoes, with juice (do not drain)
• 1- 8oz can tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded colby/jack cheese (I used cheddar with good results)
• chopped chives for garnish (optional)

What you do:

• Cook spaghetti, al dente, according to box directions
• Preheat oven to 350
• Brown ground beef with onions & peppers until no longer pink
• Drain off any grease
• Add in the garlic salt, pepper & salt 
• Give it a stir
• Add in the tomatoes, sauce, brown sugar & chili powder
• Stir to combine
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to LOW & simmer to help thicken the sauce
• Drain pasta & add it into the thickened sauce. (I used tongs to combine)
• Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking pan & cover with foil
• Bake for 30 minutes
• Remove foil & sprinkle on cheese
• Bake another 5 minutes to melt the cheese
• Garnish with chopped chives ( I didn't & it tasted great!)

NOTE: 
I'm fairly certain this would taste just as good as spaghetti & sauce only! No need to bake it! But then, one couldn't call it a casserole! It was really good as a casserole, however!