Good Morning!!!

Well, WHO in the WORLD would have thought that a lil' teeeeesny-weeeeensy harmless comb like this...

Who? ME?? But I'm just a harmless lil' comb...

.....could possibly have caused the 'hit-the-fan' trauma DRAMA filled explosion that it did???!!

It was a really 'fun' morning!

Enz is a TOTAL head-case when it comes to his hair and I get it, the poor guy (like me) has super thick and curly hair; he's fortunate though, his curls never frizz and are always soft and silky. So, I really do understand his craziness over his hair but here is where we differ... I wash my hair and leave it to do it's thing, I don't care how it turns out or how it looks I just simply leave it be and it's generally pretty kind in going easy on me. Enz, well, he demands on forcing order of EVERY hair and it usually bites him in the ass which is why he has again decided on military short. But even still, with his super short hair, he fights it and it never fails that after he washes his hair in the shower before work every morning... once he's dressed and ready to go, he is rushing back and forth through the house muttering his hair frustrations as he reaches for a towel and heads for the laundry room sink to REwash his hair and try again. I usually try to just stay out of the way but after so many years I just couldn't take it anymore and asked him from the laundry room door as he was washing his hair for the second time...

"Seriously, Enz... whyyyyy don't you just wait and wash your hair once after you get dressed??!"

"I don't have TIME for this right now, GILLIAN!!"

"But don't you think it just makes more sense? I mean, you waste a LOT of time rewashing your hair every day."

"Maybe it needs to be shorter..."

"I'm not cutting it again, I cut it two weeks ago and I am not cutting your hair every two weeks when I don't want to cut ANYBODY'S hair anymore!"

He turned off the water and stood up then, towelling his hair roughly in his distress and said, as he draped the towel over his shoulders, "I think it's too thick right here..." he pulled the hair on either side of his temples.

"Maybe your head's just too thick right there?"

*Enzo death glare*

"This is not funny, Gillian."

"It actually is a little bit." *giggling begins*

Enz sighed with complete exasperation, tossed his towel atop the washer and casually reached for the comb beside the laundry sink to start roughly combing his hair into submission.

"What are you doooooooing??" I asked through my sudden onset of uberly-hysterical laughter that had tears flowing almost immediately.

Enz was absolutely dumbfounded with my idiocy and continuing to glare at me answered, "What the fuck does it LOOOOOK like I'm doing, GILLIAN??! I'm combing my fuckin' haaaiiiiir!!!"

By this point I was doubled SERIOUSLY over and laughing beyond hysterically at him and could barely get out the words...

"But *HAAAHAHAHA*snort*giggle*hahahaha* why aren't you *choke*chuckle*snort* using you OWN *snicker*cough* brush?? *hahaHAHAAA*!!!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! My brush is all the way down at the other end of the house!"

"But that's *giggle*snort*wipe tears*giggle* that's the boys' (Greyhounds) comb... *painful chuckle*snort*

*Enzo death GLARE* "What are you even taaaaalking about???!! I use this comb EVERY DAYYY!!"

"I thought it was obvious, *doubled over hysterical and unstoppable leaughter* it sits right in the corner *choke*hahahaha* OhMyGoshItHurtsSoBad*snicker* with the wipes and their brush!

Really... isn't this pictured area of doggy stuff  kind of a no-brainer???

"But I always thought the combe was there for MEEEEEE!!"

Oh, he was fuming mad and the madder he got, the funnier it got! It wasn't even six-thirty in the morning and already I was exhausted just from laughing so hard!

"It wasn't..." I shook my head as I rolled with laughter and continued to wipe away my laughing tears.

"Can you just go back to bed.... please, Gillian?" he then asked as he bent to immediately dunk his head for his THIRD wash of the day.

I was so painfully doubled over in laughter at him... the tears continuously rolled, I couldn't breathe and Enz was seriously ready to kill!

"It's not a big deal..." I said once I finally caught enough breath, "the boys have clean hair, I should *HAAhahahahaHAAA*snort-snicker*breath* I should know because I ... I..... *snort*more tears*HAHAHA* I comb  them every dayyyyy...*HAAAAAHAHAHA*

He snapped his head around to look up at me then, the water still cascading over his red-mad head... "You know, there's really something wrong with you, Gillian!"

I was propped up against the dryer as my laughing fit refused to let me go and when Enz was again towelling his hair and about to head toward the opposite end of the house to use his own brush he stopped, looked at me, shook his head in pissed-offness then turned to pick up the comb and stuck it into the brush bristles... "Did you ever think of doing that as a 'sign of obvious', Gillian??!"

Looking at it now, I guess it does make sense to keep the comb'n'brush as a set;
they work together so they can rest together.

All I could do was shake my head as hysterics again took me over.

Enz eventually did make it off to work and I hope his day will prove better than his morning but for me. I'm pretty sure nothing will be able to top his morning of fury for me!


So, I'm curious, are you someone like me who has inappropriate uncontrollable laughter fits no matter how upset anybody else might get. Are you the ONLY one laughing in what should be caring and concerned moments like I am? I can't even tell you how many times I've been in trouble over the years for my inappropriate laughter outbursts but I was lucky that my parents learned eventually to just roll with it and come up with quick fixes... Like at the midnight Christmas Eve service when the whole church was filled and silent in candle light and the man walking up to the front to give a bible reading misstepped, tripped on the Christmas tree cord and pulled whole tree down in his epic fall. The whole churchful of people let out a gasp of incredible concern while everyone close enough to try and help keep the devastation to a minimum jumped to try and do so; I, on the other hand, immediately pointed and launched into uncontrollable hysterics as my dad stood to instantly usher me out from beside him in the pew, pushing his truck keys into my hand as I moved by while holding my stomach from the laughing pains already beginning... "GO! RUN!!!!" he instructed me. And when my family finally came out after the service was finished I was still lost in the hysterical replay running over and over through my mind while my dad, mom, brother and sister all just climbed quietly into the truck shaking their heads at me... It was SO great, a memory I really cherish and seriously one of my best Christmas memories ever! So I always wonder how people are able to hold their laughter when it isn't appropriate actually manage to do so. If you're someone who can hold your laughter in serious settings do you really just not find it funny or do you really possess the Vulcan power of emotional control over your body and mind?? Don't get me wrong, I really can't help my laughter-of-misfortune, it gets WORSE if I try to stifle myself... I never want to see anybody physically hurt but embarrassment is just too much hilarity for me to handle. I also laugh harder at myself in those situations than anyone else so it does tend to even out, well, in mind anyhow!

Applesauce of the Pear'n'Rhubarb Variety

There's a comfort in applesauce for me and a comfort in rhubarb so it was a very happy sight when Enz came in through the doorway after work one day carrying an armful of rhubarb his best friend, Enzo, had given him... Thank you, Enzo!!! Now, the gift of rhubarb was a real treat for us since we haven't had it for awhile... both my Gramma and my mama had big rhubarb patches at their houses for years and I loved nothing more than to take a little bowl of sugar and dunk-snack my way through a fresh picked stalk as I picked a bushel or two for making strawberry, rhubarb, pineapple jam every summer. But my Gramma moved not long after my Grampa died and Mama dug her patch up because she hated how overgrown it always got and I just never planted any because it just didn't feel the same; I think I'm going to plant a patch at the camp this summer, though because every camp needs a rhubarb patch... well, unless the people in the camp really hate rhubarb!

Anyhow, I had apples on-hand, pears on-hand and some beautiful gifted rhubarb so with the days still cool I figured an Applesauce of the Pear'n'Rhubarb Variety was totally a perfect way to enjoy! Enz loves it straight and cold from the fridge, I love it straight and at room temperature and we both LOVE it as a dunking sauce for roast pork and baked pork chops.

Applesauce is so easy to make and you can add different fruits and vary it up however you like so don't be afraid to experiment with different flavours! Here is how I made this batch and it turned out perfectly; so perfectly, in fact, that I shouldn't have even bothered with the canning part since Enz got home from work to taste test and in only a few hours of taste-testing he'd already started in on the second jar.



Applesauce... of the Pear'n'Rhubarb Variety 

(makes 6 cups)

Ingredients:

6                       Royal Gala Apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
2                       Bartlett Pears (peeled, cored and chopped)
2                       Bosc Pears (peeled, cored and chopped)
2 1/2   cups    Rhubarb (peeled and chopped)
             
1/3      cups    Water
1/2      cup      Sugar (approx depending on desired sweetness)

1 1/2   tsp       Cinnamon

Step one:

Fill a large pot to about half-full with cold water and set near fuit chopping station.

What's that? You need help keepin' your chopped fruit from discolouring?
Well not a worry, Sweetness, I'm here for ya, Babe

Step two:

Prep the fruit and toss immediately into the cold-water pot to help keep it from discolouring.

Ready and willin' to soon be mixin' in the cooltub 

Chop, chop, CHOP!

When all the fruit is happily floating tanless it's time to pull the plug!

Step three:

Drain water from fruit.

Just a quick strainer-drain'er!

Step four:

Return fruit to dry pot and add in water, 1/4 cup of the sugar and cinnamon. Mix together well and cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches a bubbling simmer (approx 15 min)

Sweet-dressin' the fruit chunks!

And simmering the mix of simple deliciousness!

Step five:

Simmer mixture for another 15 minutes, stirring often then do a quick flavour test...

HEY! This ain't no school yard pick!!!

I like to just take a few chunks of each fruit out, along with a
drizzle of the liquid and smoosh it all together...

...with a fork to do the taste test.

Step six:

Add more sugar and cinnamon to desired taste... I used 1/2 cup of sugar in total and it made the fruit sauciness just sweet enough to not be too tart for me and just tart enough to not be too sweet for Enz (he likes tart fruit and I like sweet fruit).

Once happy with the flavour, cook another 15 minutes (stirring often) or until fruit is good'n'soft enough for blending.

Step seven:

Time to smoooooosh!!!

I like to use a hand blender just because I'm way too lazy to take apart and wash vessel blender or food processor components but if you want to use a different blender or a food processor or even just a plain old press masher, by all means give it a go YOUR way!

Just mash the cooked fruit mixture as smooooothly or as
coarsely as you would like it to be.

I like a really smooth finish!

And that is basically all there is to it! Just store in the refrigerator, for a sweet treat if you know you'll use it up in a few days. Otherwise you could freeze it if you wanted or you could do a quick hot-water bath canning like I did to keep it safe for future use.

I hope if you try this recipe you will find it as deliciously comforting as we do!

Easy canning keep:

This is how I canned the fruit sauciness but always be sure to check on proper canning techniques and times for where you live on the altitude scale!!!

After sterilizing and filling jars, I put the sealing lids on and tightened the screw-rings to
fingertip-tight and set them upright into the water still hot from sterilizing. 

Once at full boil, I left to boil for 20 minutes. 

Carefully remove from caanning pot to hotmat to cool.

Let set for 24 hours before checking seals then store in a cool, dry place.

Truth of Diagnosis... FINALLY!

I had a doctors appointment yesterday which set me on a whole realm trip of emotions... from shocked to relieved to infuriated to distraught to grateful to angry again and all back through. Because of the whirlwind emotions I thought it best to wait until today to write about it although, in all honesty, what I really wanted to do after hearing the news was to fling a bunch of hateful words in upset. Today I feel a little clearer and so I wanted to share with all of my family and friends who have stuck by me through this rough, LONG two years and four months of struggle with Peripheral Neuropathy which it turns out is not Peripheral Neuropathy, at all!

Yep, because my original test results and diagnosis, from when I was in the hospital and newly paralyzed, had mistakenly not been forwarded to the doctors who took over my case... it was missed that I had been positively diagnosed with having Guillain Barré Syndrome. My own family doctor only found the results after digging back to consult with a third Neurologist I am now waiting to see. The neurologist in Hamilton I travelled to see had also diagnosed me with Guillain Barré after I was back home and my test results had been sent to her so technically I had two confirmed diagnoses that just weren't shared with me. To say I was pissed off was an understatement when I found out yesterday but I'm just thankful to finally have an answer and a name for the disease that has taken so much of life from me for this past while.

It's hard to say where I would be in my healing today if there haden't been a diagnosis screw-up. Had they started the IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) treatments immediately, who knows, I could already be skating again right now! However, I do know that mistakes happen and I can't let myself dwell on the 'oh wells or what ifs' and I just have to keep plugging through until the Guillain Barré Syndrome finally releases me back to living fully.

There are good things that have come of finally having a proper diagnosis... I won't have to continue to go through annoying and painful testing in trying to find the cause of my symptoms. I don't have to keep telling anyone who asks that "some wonky virus just paralyzed my legs but we don't know what it was" and we can also stop waiting for the what was expected MS to finally show. Probably the best news is that most cases enjoy a FULL and COMPLETE recovery even though it can take many years to get completely through. That I'm going to have to change all my blog posts from PN to GBS... well, that's not going to be so great! ;)

Anyhow, I appreciate you all, more than you will ever know... I doubt I could have made it this far without every one of you backing me. It's a pretty incredible gift to have friends and family who will accept and understand even when there seem to be no answers. But... to finally have an answer, well, a whole world of fear has just been turned again to be full of promise! My REAL 100% is totally on the for reals horizon now!

Bullet Journal Vlog/Blog

I had set out to just post this one as a Vlog on YouTube but not being a great videographer or even a good talker, I found out quickly that Blog format partnership was clearly necessary! Basically, this is all that was covered in the long video post... except that my Play didn't make a cameo in this blog version. ;)

I'm a little 'behind the times' when it comes to having discovered the relief of The Bullet Journal... but I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am that I did! Seriously, what a time-saver! Even for me, a not busy and always on-the-go kind of person, this journaling  technique has saved me much time, has helped me become way more organized and has even showed me that my days really are full'n'busy even when I feel worried that I've accomplished nothing. It's a really great feeling when I am checking off all my chart accomplishments at the end of each day, as wee or as mighty as each task might be!

I've been keeping a Bullet Journal for awhile now but when I first started hearing tell of the technique and started researching just what the deal was all about... well, I gave up before I even began because it seemed impossibly confusing. I watched videos and read how-to's but the people explaining were so clearly artistic beyond my means and I felt almost as though I would be a let down to the sort of artist society deal that bullet journaling appeared. Even going through the explanations given by the creator of the bullet journal, Ryder Carroll, had me feeling dumb and unworthy; I didn't get the 'logs' and 'migration' or even the 'collections'... it was all just TOO much!

But every evening, as I sat and did my regular long-hand journaling, writing out all my tasks and thoughts of the day as I've been doing for over thirty years now... my mind would flicker to how I could make the change from the journal routine I had been following strictly for so long. So, one morning I decided I would just jump on in and 'bite the bullet'!

I love lists, I love charts, I love crafts and to be able to bring them all together in my also love of journaling seemed like it might be a perfect fit even if a new and completely different approach for all.

If you are thinking of starting a bullet journal of your own, don't be afraid to try it in your own way! Because I wasn't sure I was going to be any good at bulleting I just started my first few months in a regular lined journal which worked fine but it looked a lot messier than the dotted notebooks so now I prefer to stick to the dotted pages but don't feel you absolutely NEED a dotted book to make it happen and by all means do it YOUR own way... otherwise, it will likely feel more like a chore your trying to keep up with and who wants that??!

Anyhow, now that I have my bullet journal set up and tracking all my life stuff, not only does it allow me to see and feel that I am somewhat useful but it also gives me great peace in knowing that if anything happens to me my family will know the things I might need help with at home. So, in wanting to share a more simplistic approach to bullet journaling, I thought that I would just share with you all my bullet journal set up for this month. I'm sure the thought of sharing journal entries are GASPworthy for many but I don't have any shameful secrets or embarrassing tales I keep hidden... what would be the point of that when I feel sharing and openness is so important?

Just so you know... I do understand that it looks like a lot of work and I will admit that it did take some time in the beginning figurings to sort out a method that worked for me but once I got my pattern worked out it was easy sailing from there on! The figuring method that worked for me? LISTS!!! I made lists of what is important to me, lists of things I do that I need to do in order to function no matter how minute or how grand. From the simple task of making the bed every day to the IMPORTANT task of making sure my boys both get their medicines daily, from important appointments to moments quiet in hobbies, from remaining grateful of heart to dreaded chores... they all mean something and earn space in the listage/chartage.

I actually forced myself out of my comfort zone to try and do a Vlog about bullet journaling today but because I realized after recording the Vlog (and posting it on YouTube) that my simple page set-ups weren't so simple to actually see on the video, I thought I should post pictures of all my 'important to me' pages and charts to really show my method of easy journaling. So, I suppose the Vlog really turned into a Vlog/Blog but that's okay... it is a learning attempt, after all!

Here are all the journal pages I keep and remember, even though it looks like a lot, it's really only the calendar and charts I remake each month and they only take a few minutes each to create. If you wanted to make charting simpler you could always just create printable charts and print them on sticker paper to just paste onto a page each month... I just like lining in the charts, it helps me have an excuse to just sit still for a few minutes now and then.

I know it looks like a lot of effort but remember, ALL the starred entries will usually get me
through the whole journal so it really isn't a hassle to re-do just the charts for the following months.

I am always making changes, too... For instance, the 'Important to Me' Tracker on this page proved
to be an extra bit of a time-suck when I realized I should just add it to my 'Solo Tracker' instead; which
is what I will do for next month and just instead will use the whole page for my Grateful's.

Thanks again for watching/looking at this bullet journal vlog/blog and please, if you have an easy technique that works for you... share it with us. I'd love to learn new ways to save time and keep track of life without it seeming like too much work!

Peripheral Neuropathy Update

It's been a little while since I last shared what's been happening on the Peripheral Neuropathy front so I figured a little update post might be in order, even if only to prove to my own self that the struggle of healing really is still paying off in progress... slow as it seems. Believe me, I do know how far I've come since laying paralyzed in the hospital now that I'm almost through and again back to my body being somewhat strong and able... But sometimes actually having the end of the proverbial tunnel in view just somehow seems to make every forward movement seem to take about as long as foreverrrrr.

I've been working really hard on my physio home exercises and have even been doing well on the rowing machine which is helping me immensely with my standing/walking stability; so much so actually, that even when I am walking outside in the yard or on the driveway, I have been practicing with only one of my walking Stix! But when I mentioned to Enz the other day that I was thinking I might try leaving one of my Stix in the car when we were headed into a store his answer was, "I think you still need two, Gillian..." I felt mixed at his reply to my idea, both hurt and relieved but in my heart I knew he was right, I just wanted the easy way out in letting him be the one to tell me not to rush myself. In all honesty, I had really expected him to be happy and suggest I try leaving both in the car but I'm thankful he didn't because it really got me thinking about the preparation I still need to work on in order to again start living without the help of my Stix...

Sure, I feel strong and I know for a fact that I am again pretty solid on solid and even footing but I also know that it is still a really big struggle for me to make it up and down the hills at camp even with both of my SideStix helping me. And I've been practicing so hard on the stairs at home with just one of my Stix and the handrail but as Enz had added into his 'I don't think you're ready speech'... not every store we visit with staired entrances will have a handrail. And what about curbs? And ramps? ...Yes, I am much stronger but I also still have work to do in order to prepare myself to fully take on the challenges of taking on the world once more without Stix.

So today, I gave myself a new home exercise to help me start preparing for getting out and about as a Single-Stix-Chick... stairs with one Stix and NO holding onto the handrail.... and though it wasn't easy, it was a start!

The video is almost 2 minutes long so I totally won't be insulted if you don't want to take that much time to watch but it was pretty big for me. I am certain that before long I will be running hands-free up and down but for now I am pretty pumped with this small feat of confidence... especially since less than a year ago, the only way I could get up and down these stairs was by crawling on my hands and knees! So, today, I tried really hard to make it up and down using only one Stix while also trying to not let myself touch the handrail, except at the turn-around part out of sheer fear mixed with safety necessity.  ;)

Please go easy when judging my still chubbiness... it's not as easy to lose the weight when not able to move so well or quickly; I'm still working really hard on that part, too!!

Sometimes it's really hard not to just rush forward when the end goal just looks sooooo darned close... but I think it just means that the finish line is going to be that much sweeter when finally we meet!

Seriously SIMPLE Banana Bread...

Enz LOVES sweets! And he LOVES dessert every... single..... evening; sometimes with a coffee, sometimes with a cold glass of milk, but always with the sweets.

I hate baking! I'm not bad at baking, I've always had the knack for making sweets (my mama taught me well) but just like with cooking, I despise the mess of baking and especially of having to clean up afterward. Also, listening to Enz fuss and complain over his waistline doesn't exactly give me a whole lot of incentive to bake... but he complains more if there is nothing sweet to have after dinner and then will pick at anything and everything while grumbling all evening. Yes, it's about as fun as it sounds! He loves visiting my mom who used to be a professional cake decorator and loves to bake desserts and squares of every possible kind and will whip off seven large pans of different kinds of squares in an evening "...oh, just because they looked good....." I always feel bad that I am just not a fan of the sweet and will always opt for a potato chip over sugar if I'm going to make a bad snack decision but Enz always has enough baked sugaryness for the both of us! He is getting a little better, though and even though it may have started out that I was trying to trick his taste buds into believing in the sweet rather than actually needing the sweet... my plan to scale down on our sugar intake is finally working for the better and even Enz, himself, is now taking notice of the difference.

When I cut WAY down on sugar for myself about six years ago, it was a rough few weeks but once I was through the withdrawl I just could not take much sweetness, at all. Enz was a different story and the sugar he couldn't see in food and drinks just didn't matter enough to make him cut it out. I didn't want to make desserts every day but if there was nothing in the house for dessert, he would stop by the store bakery and come home with a pie, or a cake, or a box of doughnuts, or a couple of cookie tins, or a box of turnovers, or a coffee cake... or whatever else would deliciously catch his eye for dessert and that would also be delicious as his preferred style of breakfast the following morning. Needless to say, it became a real friction point between us with Enz always bringing home sweets and me continually asking him to stop. Until I decided that baking, unfortunately, would become our answer...

So I started trying new and healthier ways to bake the things that Enz loves and he was always just so happy to have a low-carb/low-sugar cheesecake, or a low-sugar apple pie, or a low-sugar/low-fat blueberry scone, or a low-carb fruit crumble that he didn't even notice I had healthyfied the sweets which was a big YAY for us both. But I still hate baking, I just you to know it! Anyhow, one of Enz's absolute favourites has always been banana bread so I knew if I changed it up too much he would, without a doubt, notice that one so I thought honesty would be my best bet even before he tasted my new recipe. "I made it differently this time..." I started as he was beginning to slice into the barely cooled loaf. "Looks good to me!" And he followed up the first slice with two more before dinner, so all worked out well, whew!

Banana breads are usually all about sugar and fat with banana in the title to make it sound healthy. This one that I now make (and actually wrote down the ingredient measures to help me remember) does still have sugar and oil in it BUT nowhere near as much as I used to use... and it still turns out perfect every time! So, if you are like us and trying to cut down on sugars and fats without giving up sweets completely, just try changing up the way you bake things. Or, if you hate to bake like me, resolve to make the chore easier by creating one-bowl-wonders like I do... no mixing separately, sifting and adding, just dump stuff together and go. And believe me, I know that we are NEVER allowed to mess with baking ingredients because baking is finicky... I've heard it a million times, too. But since I've gone baking rogue, not once have the baking police showed up at my door and not once have I had a baking attempt fail. So don't be afraid to make healthier happen, even in just smaller ways.

And so finally... if you would like to try making a super simple banana bread, I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do for a sweet treat! It freezes well so I always have a loaf or two in the freezer for when the sweet need hits if there isn't anything else prepared when Enz starts looking.


Banana Bread  (makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients:

4                  Bananas (overripe)
4         lg      Eggs
1         cup   Sugar
1/3     cup   Vegetable Oil
                 
2 1/2  cups  Flour (all purpose)
2         tsp    Baking Soda

3/4      cup   Pecans or Walnuts (if desired)

Step one:

Combine bananas, eggs, sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl and mix well.

Step two:

Add flour and baking soda to above mixture and beat well to a thick batter.

Step three:

Blend in nuts if using.

Step four:

Pour batter evenly into prepared loaf pans.

* I made two batches (back-to-back to avoid washing the bowl an extra time) so I would have loaves without nuts for my mom and sister and two loaves with nuts for Enz and I to have in the freezer. *

 

Step five:

Bake at 350° for 50 minutes, or until inserted tester/toothpick comes out clean. Then remove from pans to cool on racks.

What are some of your favourite recipes that you've changed to make at least a little healthier? Please, share them with us!