March 17, 2011

Well, Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone!!! It's "Kiss me! I'm Irish" day... This kind of always bothered me for some reason... Even people who weren't Irish always wear these stupid t-shirts and it always makes today, something that is supposed to have serious sentimental meaning - cheap and silly... Granted celebrating - parades and the such - today is traditionally an American invention started in Boston in 1762 as a way for Irish immigrants to remember their roots, it is just bothersome to me that it has to be exploited and cheapened like many holidays or celebrations... I guess I am just too sensitive or something, being I have Irish roots in my family tree... I don't like that something that should be serious and should be celebrated with joy and festivities in a traditional way - not getting plastered and making it cheap... I always have turned my nose up at those t-shirts and ignorant items that make this day seem like something of a joke...

Okay so now that I got that off of my chest, I suppose I should explain what has been going on lately... 

Saturday March 12 - John took me to the emergency room because my ear hurt SO bad I was actually crying... That is a big deal because living with MS you learn very quickly how to deal with pain... Life IS a constant cycle of days of whole body pain then days of no pain at all... When we got there, I told them that my right ear hurt on a scale of 1 - 5, around a 4. My left ear, had fluid in it - I could tell. When I tilted my head to the left, the fluid sounded like it wanted to come out, but didn't... I could feel it... It was like I went swimming, got water in my ear, but didn't get it all out after I got out and dried off... We started going over my medical history... I told them I have MS... The nurse just looked at me, so I repeated myself, "I have Multiple Sclerosis, um MS..?.." So she wrote it down... They asked me if I had been running a fever... "um No, I never run fevers... Do I John... Most of the time I never know when I have an ear infection, Dr. Scott has to tell me... I go in for one thing, she checks my ears and says 'Um, Jen sweetie, This ear is really angry. It is really red!' So, that is how I find out that I have one... But this time is different! This REALLY FLIPPING HURTS!!!" So, turns out yeah I was right... My right ear is all kinds of infected and my left has fluid in it - just like I told Dr. Ted when he came into the room... Kinda like a Dur Dur Pop Tart moment if I ever saw one...

Sunday was my birthday... I felt like crap because my ear hurt... Angie made me a birthday cake - God bless her sweet heart... Courtney and Angie made dinner for the family - we had pork roast, home fried potatoes (recipes to follow), candied carrots... They did a wonderful job!!! However, it was an extremely quiet day because John slept ALL day... Krissy stayed in her room "cleaning" it... Jeffrey, Courtney, and Scotty stayed downstairs in their little "apartment" straightening up... Angie was "cleaning" her room as well, until it came to making dinner... I guess it was because I was dosing off all day too... I can appreciate that, seeing that I didn't sleep at all Thursday night nor Friday night... Saturday night I slept like a baby, but Sunday I was still trying to catch up on sleep... My ear still hurt REALLY bad...

Monday March 14 - Okay, this is plumb ridiculous!!! I slept maybe 4 hours if I was lucky... My ear hurt so bad most of the night... It kept waking me up... I was up and down all night long!!! I called Dr. Scott's office to see if I could get an appointment because I just could NOT keep going like this... The lack of sleep is not good for me... I am going to get sicker or something... No appointments until Wednesday and Dr. Scott is not in at all... So Kim - God bless her - talked to Kelly (the nurse practitioner) about what was going on... Kelly called in a prescription for ear drops to the pharmacy... Oh great!!! This is going to help, I know it! Otherwise Kelly would have made them schedule me in some how - if she had any doubts... So, I gave it an hour and sent Krissy up to the pharmacy to get the medication for me... OMG, they didn't have it yet... 
2:30 pm - The pharmacy still doesn't have my prescription yet... This time I was smart and called... No sense in sending Krissy out if they don't have it... And they didn't... So I lay down on the couch thinking I will get a call anytime to go pick it up...
3:30 pm -  The pharmacy still hadn't called, so John called up as I was napping comfortably... No pain - thanks to a Percocet and being totally wiped out!!! The pharmacy still hadn't received the prescription - not by fax, email or phone call... So, John called the doctor's office. Kim told John that Kelly sent the prescription over very early that afternoon - practically right after Kim called me back to let me know what Kelly had said... John called the pharmacy again, still nothing and made it seem like he was lying about what Kim told him... Yeah right... That would be Buchanan's Pharmacy for ya... This isn't the first time this has happened to me with them either!!! 
5:25 pm - I get a call from Buchanan's Pharmacy, my prescription was in and filled... Yeah, they finally found it - they took the time this time to look for it - that's all!!! So, Krissy went up and got it...

So, that brings us up to today... I am still having trouble with my ear... It still hurts; however, it isn't as bad as it has been... I am praying that it gets better soon... It hurt so bad for so long that the whole side of my head and the ear is tender to the touch... Isn't it funny how a silly little ear infection can cause so much irritation to your head... The lack of sleep has been causing me some minor memory issues... I forget to do things, simple things - like eat... I don't know if anyone else has this problem or if it is just me, but I just don't seem to get hungry very often... It is like that little trigger that tells you that you are hungry and you need to eat has been turned off or something... IF it wasn't for my kids, half the time I would go all day without eating... I just don't seem to get hungry and I don't know why... Then again it is winter time and I do not go outside... It is hard for me to get exercise because the cold throws me into a tailspin... I hurt so bad all the time and it is so hard to get motivated to do anything in the cold because I am so stiff and uncoordinated... Maybe that is why I do not get hungry... I don't know...

Anyway - Recipes as promised:

Home-fried Potatoes

1 medium potato per person - peeled, diced, and boiled until fork tender (like for mashed potatoes)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp Parsley
1 tbsp Basil
1 tsp Oregano
1 1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Garlic powder or 1 tlbsp minced garlic (can get at store in Fresh Veggie section)
1 med Onion - Red onions go nicely - diced
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil - the darker green the better...
Black Pepper to taste


While you are waiting for your potatoes to boil up to fork tender, peel and dice your onion... In a large, deep sided frying pan, run your EVOO around the pan about 4 times (it's approximately 2 or 3 tbsp of EVOO) - turn on pan to med heat to warm oil. Saute onion until tender. Add garlic (minced, fresh (about 3lg cloves-grated), or powder), Parsley, Basil, Thyme, Oregano, and Ginger to wake up their flavors - stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Add potatoes, sprinkle with about 3 more rounds of EVOO - Stir... Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste...


Mom's Candied Carrots

2 large fresh carrots per person. Gage amount depending on carrot size - should equal out to be 1 1/2 cups per person...
1/2 stick of REAL butter (unsalted)
1 tsp REAL vanilla
3 tbsp light brown sugar


Wash and scrub off the skin of carrots. Slice carrots into slices that are consistent; use a slicer if you have one making it easier. Place in a sauce pan with enough water to cover. Boil until fork tender - Drain. Melt butter in the same pan you cooked the carrots in. Add the tsp of vanilla and brown sugar to melt together; stirring constantly. Add carrots to reheat and coat with "candy." Use sea salt and pepper to taste... For a special twist, add sliced almonds or walnuts and dried cranberries... These add nutrients and vitamins we need as well as a delicious surprise....


Pork Roast Rub


1/4 cup EVOO
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp Cumin
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar


Cut some of the thicker pieces of fat off of the loin and dispose of it... Fat YUCK, it isn't good for you!!! Take the knife and poke holes into the loin all over as so the rub will get down into the meat... Stir up the rub so the vinegar is well incorporated into the oil (these will continually separate)... Pour the rub into a gallon sized freezer or storage bag (freezer is best because it is heavier duty) and place the pork loin in the bag as well... Make sure you close the bag up tight, expressing most of the air... Shake and rub the marinade into the meat while in the bag - this little trick makes it easier for you (I have troubles with my hands because of the MS) than to try and brush it on or rub it on with a basting bulb and a spoon... With the loin in the bag, you can lay it on the counter and roll it back and forth rubbing the marinade in to the meat that way... Don't even have to pick it up really... Leave in bag - rubbing frequently - for an hour or more depending on your desire - bake at 350 for 2 hours in a covered baking pan... Will be moist, juicy, and mighty tasty...


Well, this is all I have to share today... Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!!! Enjoy the recipes...


Hugs <3