Works for Me Wedensday

After my short story I realized that I needed to chill out. I have put myself back into a trunk and shut the lid just to sell this house.
So...I shaved my legs and...To the thrill of the children (and me) announced
"lets go play!"
"Put your suits on!" I finished the bill writing and postage while the kids did the rooms and picked up after them selves.

We Played!
I grabbed some stuff for an impromptu pick nick.
We went to Tempe Town Lake Water Park.

The kids are center shot Dash in a ball, Dove on her belly.

Dash gets so cold. He is so very skinny. He eats a lot but burns it all off.
Hence the name Dash Hawk.

Dove loves the water fall.

I was surprised that they had three life guards on duty.
It is open until 8 p.m.

I got out of the house and played!
Now I am refreshed.
I talked to the Realtor and lowered the asking price on the House another $5000.
I told her that I need more notice to get ready and that I set up a table to do my bead work.
I am doing WHAT WORKS FOR ME...Taking care of myself.

Visit "Rocks in My dryer" for more works for me posts

1930's wife

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Tackle It Tuesday

"5 minutes for Mom"

Today at 5 minutes for mom, she spoke to my heart. It has been a tough time at the "life Uncommon". I have been battling Depression/Anxiety disorder brought on by the intense stress of the journey. My Brain Chemical balance has suffered just too many a blows. So I have been a bit off my normal self.
I have been getting my medications balanced and it has been so very difficult. Lethargy being a side effect is one that just plain goes against my own personality. Embarrassed over it I have sorta pulled back.
This morning I was aware that by accident I took my Medication twice last light. That left me somewhat incapacitated until well after 11 a.m..
I have been doing research to make sure I am an the right type of medication and am pleased to find that I am.
I found a helpful web sight www.amenclinics.com
This was on the local PBS station the other night and I have been reading. I hope to find the book when I can budget it. I think it may be very helpful to get my brain health in order. This information can really take away the stigma from folks who suffer alone. We can help ourselves to get better. It is a real informative study.

So this was my tackle today.
To fix a meal and love on the children.
Clean the kitchen and do some little laundry

I may do some more beading tonight.

Garlic bread My way.
This will produce a crunchy crust and moist salty tender center.

French bread sliced on the deep diagonal.

REAL BUTTER!
Yes, it must be done right to be done well. :)
Melt the butter, I find this works best.
It allows the butter to absorb into the bread.
You actually use less then when you spread it.
Shake the garlic salt over the buttered bread.
The butter makes the garlic salt melt into the fibers.

Re-stack you loaf.
This keeps in the moisture and then the foil shinny side in makes the crust crunchy!
Oh Man! This is desert!

Wrap the bread and set aside until 15 minutes before you serve your supper.
I have a convection micro-wave oven.
I use it to keep the house cooler.

Beef Stew
This is not Denty Moore:)

Dash Hawk wants to have a cooking lesson. This goes right along with my tackle for the day. One on one with the kids. So...
I thought I would turn it into a post.

Dicing carrots.
If you do as illustrated... you will have a carrot with a flat surface this helps keep you safe as you first slice then cube into smile pieces.

See how if you slice it first in half and place the flat side down... Now you can thin the slice again.
Now cut each half in long slices. Then by cutting across the length you create cube. Diced carrots.:) Mine are organic. These can be purchased frozen but have little comparison to the real thing.

Dash thinks this is cool!
I dice all ingredients very fine.
Dove got braces yesterday, and My Uncommon a new crown today.
Dental Mercy :)

Standing rib roast left overs from steaks broiled the other night. The standing rib roast was purchased and frozen at Easter. It was a $60 roast for $12. due to a seasonal add. I got a few of them and froze them. As I use the roast I cut them down as steaks in the summer as to not run the oven for hours roasting a large roast.

De fat now, dice and set aside.

Hot pan...cold Olive oil just to cover bottom of pan.
Diced carrots and white onions.

Dash knows this and is now adding the veggies when the oil is hot.

Now My kids DO NOT eat potatoes.
While you may wonder (in Russia the orphanage gave them potato water when they ran out of milk for them.)
The thickening of the stew is one that is not just empty flour or corn starch. I use powdered potato flakes
( I do not use the store bought due to the preservatives).

Sweat the carrots and onions in oil.
Now add diced meat to sweat out the marble in the meat.
No one likes to bite into fat!
This will melt anything you may have missed when you de-fatted the steak.

Other ingredients
Next add the broth, and barley ( a wonderfully nutritious grain).
I use my motor and pestle at this point.
I added basil, oregano and garlic salt into motor.
The salt in the garlic salt will be the abrasive to power the herbs into a dust.
That dust is one, to go through all the pot and season evenly.
Add corn, peas and a can of diced tomatoes...
Now add some Braggs, and some browning.
Thicken with the potato flakes when they are not watching :)

Stew and French bread
Life accomplished.

Lay out of necklace set and 2 bracelets for later tonight.

Oh ya!
I pulled up hard and pushed through too.
The family was so grateful for the supper.
It was a nice accomplishment.

Getting Braces Little Doves Big Adventure

Oh how very privileged she is to get to have these.
I am so glad we can do this for her.

When they called dove to come back I approached her and told her to come along...
"I'M not going!...this is not happening!" She said...and teared up

Linda our tech was awesome! She was so patient and gentle and went slowly with Dove.
My dove cried , scared...I held her legs and Linda spoke softly and let Dove tell her worries. She consoled and lovingly stroked her head. Dove began to panic!

She was trying so hard to be brave. She was scared then angry and then resigned. She clung onto me like a vice. I had to lay across her legs to keep her grounded. I explained to Linda that she has Sensory Integration issues and that she free floats in space. Linda told her to keep her eyes open and to look into her eyes. I told dove to think about her Tree house that she is building as an adult. To pretend to paint the walls. She began to have a panic attack and was able to defuse.
Bless God!

She was terrified until after the first bracket was glued on. We let her calm and then told her that it was going to just happen like that over and over as we do all the teeth. She was much calmer.
Dash was around the corner very patiently awaiting. The normally one hour appointment was 2 hours long to give Dove the ease she needed. They were so fantastic! Her special needs were cared for. I had to stop the girl at this point for she had Latex gloves on! I asked her to please remove them. She said oh it is most often just the dust.." I said "no I am allergic". She said "well in the future you should have us flag her chart"...I said ..."I did" She finished that tooth and left to get different gloves. She returned and told me that she was sorry that it was an oversight it was flagged on her chart, and that she had informed the doctor of her mistake. I washed Doves face off with a paper towel. I told her..."I am going to be kissing that sweet little face and I just cannot risk an asthma attack."

This is after the brackets or glued in place.

This is "what did you do?"

This is "Oh I can still smile"
She renced and saw her self in the mirror and said "I look ridiculous!" Just then a very sweet 16 yr old piped up "no you don't!, It will get easier...you'll see"
Oh blessed youth of that girl and to be so supportive of dove that way.
Dash then saw her and said "COOL, those are pretty!"

Back to the chair for wires and bands.
Again she needed me to lay my body across her legs and I helped to call her into relaxing her toe, legs, bum, arms hand and so on. It really helped her and she showed a good measure of control over her anxiety disorder. I told her that she was useing her tools. How grown up she was.

Blue Bands thank you....
Dash was so very curious and had to come see what was happening.
He was so patient while we worked.

We came home and had lunch.
Then as a special joy we all drove over to our dear friends.

My sweet Sis is ill with the dizzies,
Please pray for her.
She did not feel much up to a visit so she excused me to go do my grocery shopping. I borrowed her ice chest and did so.

Child's Play.
He son just learned two songs on guitar (six months of lessons and practice) he did a great job!
Dove was warmly accepted by her friends and feels good about herself in her new braces.
She is cute as a bugs ear!

Week end review

The day was a rush, I awoke to having to mop clean and dishes kitchen and all the rest. The dogs got over to the neighbors before 9a.m.
The kids did a great job on their bedrooms.
I h ad thirty people coming for the Realtors Tour. The feedback was that we were priced too high. All these folks were from the gilbert office. In that area there are many more foreclosures. Whole communities are turning into rentals.

I took Little Dove to her Orthodontic appointment. I had a shocker! I thought she had one more baby tooth to come out yet. Nope she is ready for braces! We have to have Two teeth removed though! She will have a facial/cranial X ray tomorrow. She did pretty well in the chair. I had to place my hand on her leg to keep her from free floating. Dash did well on a nearby sofa. I could not see him though and I was a bit stressed. We awaited the financial meeting by walking over to set up an appointment for the S ray. Upon my return Dove began to melt down. She was going into anxiety and stress. I had to leave her to play with Dash on some computer games while I had the meeting. I was upset to be told that the cost had increased $460. from what I had been told last year. So

I took Dove to get her x ray

After Dove got her facial X Ray I took the kids home.

Sunday I was very depressed and just worn out a bit of the process. Beloved came into the bedroom where I was just sleeping the day away and told me that he found a Bead Museum! My life began to flow in my veins again. I got a bit excited! We headed out on the road. We went to a book store and then to get taco's. Dash fell to his knees saying " my chest hurts!"
It was not clear if it was hunger or asthma. We watched him and no asthma signs. He ate three burritos. Then we hurried home to give him some albueral. He came in and went streight to his bed and laid down Not like my boy.
So we let him rest and I went out to water the plants and muster my character to rise to the dis apointment of not going to see the bead. My heart fell within me at the added stress of Dash ill again.
After he got to put his toy together he was much better???
So Beloved mad an executive decision.
We were off to go to the bead museum. Dash was fine. I was once again begining to feel a bit of relief over getting out out the house.
It was really very interesting. I love the history and cultures and symbolisms. Well each child chose a necklace supplies and then Daddy Man took them for a walk. I had 7 minutes before the place closed and I got a cabochon face that I had been hoping for to learn a new skill.
I was so refreshed. The depression lightened.
Beloved said "No MORE! I do not care what the Realtors say you have got to live!"
He set up a table in the kitchen and said bead! I played for three hours and felt so refreshed. The sorting of beads really eases this awful anxiety my brain is causing. It is so annoying to have to fight my own body to keep my peace.

Off to get braces! Fill this in when I get time.
Have a great day!