Latest diagnosis

So on Friday, I get a phone call from the doctor's office I went to last Sunday and the doctor said, "The radiologost looked at your films and says you had pneumonia." I'm thinking, OK this is five days later ... what the heck is there to do about it now. Thank goodness they took this seriously!

On the road to good health

Well Deano went back to work yesterday. He's feeling pretty good, not quite 100%, but working on it. He continues to have a slight fever when he wakes up in the morning, but that is very normal since your body does most of it's healing while you sleep. (Judy, they did do a CBC-complete blood count- and everything was within in normal limits. We thought there would definitely be a high white blood cell count due to infection, but it was very low, nothing to show infection.)

Hopefully today I can get back to my "normal life"...yeah right. I must return phone calls, make grocery list, and clean, clean, clean. Luckily, and unluckily my trip to Bluefield was cancelled yesterday due to Lisa having a possible kidney stone or bladder infection.

The Dean Update

Unfortunately, Dean is still under the weather. He continues to have a fever of 102-103. I took him to see a MD yesterday, and after a history, an exam, a chest x-ray, and a CBC, the Dr.'s diagnosis was fever. Oh really, didn't realize that's what it was. Anyway, he's on an antibiotic, but now he can't keep anything down. It's makes him sick when he takes it. So I guess we'll have to get something else that doesn't make him sick. Keep your finger crossed that we can get him on the road of good health soon.

Hey, 98.6, it's good to see you back again

For most of Thursday, I was feeling very peaked and weak, with a waning appetite and losing energy as the day went on. Jeni was over at Dr. Jones' house doing their final "Cooking with the Kids" day and Dr. Jones had just learned that his mother was going to need quadruple bypass surgery on Friday. So I decided to power through the end of the day, which fortunately was not as busy as some Thursday's can be. Once I got to Dr. Jones' house, I skipped dinner, laid down on a bed and crashed. I was pretty loopy. Later that night, about 1:45, I woke and had a 103.8 temperature. At 3:00, it was 103.9 and I woke Jeni and she went to the Circle K and got me Tylenol and Gatorade. I managed to sweat completely through my clothes, the sheets, my pillow, you name it, it was wet. This went on, temperature rollercoastering up and down, all day yesterday. I finally managed to eat some -- Burger King might not have been the best idea, but it sound good at the time. Now, I'm sticking with broth and chicken noodle and crackers, plus pleanty of Gatorade. This morning, my temperature was 98.7. Hopefully things are settling down. At least I have some energy again and I don't feel woozy or faint.

Atlanta crocodile

Our friend's little boy was over at his grandmother's house (Mimi's house) when he called her with desperate urgency ... "Mimi! Help!" She rushes over and asks, "Evan, what's the matter?" and Evan responds, "Mimi, a crocodile!"

Mimi looks and says, "No, Evan, that's not a crocodile, that's a lizard." (You see, Evan had never seen a "lizard" before, so all he could relate to was a crocodile ... smart, huh?)

Later that day, Mimi and Evan were at the dry cleaners when Mimi said to Evan, "Evan, tell them about the crocodile."

Always on top of things, Evan replied, "No, Mimi, that wasn't a crocodile, it was a lizard!"

No comment

What's happened to everyone's comments? I know we've been a little lax posting lately, but to not comment on anything? If there's something you want us to write about instead, comment here and let us know... Thanks.

Harry Potter and the short line at Kroger

We were up late, so we decided we'd just go ahead and pick up the new Harry Potter book tonight. There is a Books-A-Million close to us, but we also noticed that a little further down the road, Kroger would have the book available at midnight, too. So we cruised past Books-A-Million and they were packed. I've never seen so many cars in their parking lot! So we decided to chance it at Kroger. When we got there, the parking lot was essentially barren. We enter and the line is maybe 20 people deep at 11:55. When it hits midnight, we walk through, head to the automatic checkout (forget to pay for our Sierra Mist, check out again) and we were home by 12:20. On our way past Books-A-Million, the lot was still full. The extra two miles down the road was definitely worth it.

Talking to the man behind us in line, he commented that he's lucky that the book came out when it did because his anniversary is in two days. So which anniversary is it that you give Harry Potter?

Where in the world is my hot glue gun???

Since we moved here, I have not been able to find my stinkin' glue gun. Dean claims to know where it is, but we'll see.

ahhhh blueberries

Here are some of the blueberries we picked this past weekend. They are so yummy!! I'm planned on making a blueberry cobbler tonight. YUM-O!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers

I love chicken cordon bleu! It's one of my favorites. So when I saw Rachael Ray make these chicken cordon bleu burgers, I knew this would be one I would be making very soon. Dean and I loved them! He took the leftovers to work, and the women just about took them from him at lunch. The Dijon mustard, mayo, and tarragon sauce is a must!! The one thing I did different from the recipe was I used pancetta instead of Canadian bacon.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers

2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 slices Canadian bacon
2 pounds ground chicken breast
2 teaspoons sweet paprika, eyeball it in your palm
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) or salt and pepper 1 shallot, finely chopped
4 deli slices Swiss cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise, eyeball it
3 rounded tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons freshly chopped tarragon leaves, 4 sprigs
4 kaiser rolls or sandwich size sour dough English muffins, split and toasted
8 leaves leaf lettuce
1 vine ripe tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat grill pan, nonstick griddle, large nonstick skillet or table top electric grill to medium high heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil and Canadian bacon. Warm bacon and caramelize it at edges, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a piece of foil. Fold foil over loosely to keep warm. Combine chicken, paprika, poultry seasoning, grill seasoning, shallot. Score meat with the side of your hand to separate into 4 equal amounts. Make 4 large patties, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Drizzle patties with oil and place on hot grill pan, griddle or in skillet. Cook 5 minutes on each side, until chicken is cooked through.

Top patties with reserved cooked Canadian bacon and Swiss cheese. Fold each slice of cheese in half to fit the burger. Cover loosely with tin foil. Turn off pan and let cheese melt, 2 minutes.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, tarragon. Slather bun tops or English tops with sauce. Place Cordon Bleu burgers on bun bottoms and top with lettuce and tomato. Put bun or muffin tops in place. Serve with oven fries.

slackers

Sorry I have been such a slacker this week. I have several recipes I'm typing up so I promise there will be new ones tonight or tomorrow. Dean and I have been taking care of nine sick stray kittens this week. It's been a tough week for them, but it looks like they are all going to pull through it.

Chicken and dumplings

I was so thankful when I found this recipe. I have always loved chicken and dumplings. They are such a comfort food. I made this big ol' pot full back in the winter on a chilly night. (chilly being relative, we live in South Carolina)** These chicken and dumplings really have a "I've cooked all day" taste in about 30-40 minutes, and the parsley dumplings are a wonderful treat. As Rachael Ray says "YUM-O!!"

**I made this post in April, but for some crazy reason I saved it as a draft and forgot to post it.

Chicken and Dumplings

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, diced
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
2 tablespoons flour, a handful
1 quart chicken broth or stock, canned or paper container, preferred brand Kitchen Basics
1 small box biscuit mix(preferred brand Jiffy Mix)
1/2 cup warm water
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas

Dice tenders into bite size pieces and set aside. Wash hands.

Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables and bay leaf and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir broth or stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.

Place biscuit mix in a bowl. Combine with 1/2 cup warm water and parsley. Drop tablespoonfuls of prepared mix into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to medium low. Steam dumplings 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir chicken and dumplings to thicken sauce a bit. Stir peas into the pan, remove chicken and dumplings from heat and serve in shallow bowls.

Blueberry pickin'

Jeni has been craving blackberries, but it seems we missed blackberry season. But today, after stopping by our sad excuse for a farm's market, we drove down and found a "u-pick" blueberry farm. It was a lot of fun and a great deal. We got a gallon for $7 and it only took us about 30 minutes of work. Jeni's freezing them so we'll have them down the road, and she may try to make some jams. Yum!

The happy couple

This past weekend Dean and I went to Bluefield for Brandi and Stephen's wedding. Brandi is my friend Trinity's sister-in-law. This is Brandi and Stephen at their rehearsal dinner, just before he was heading out to his bachelor party. Stephen's dad made some wonderful barbecue for the dinner. Thanks for having us.

The Girls

This is Judy, Trinity's mom, Trinity, and me at Brandi and Stephen's rehearsal dinner on Friday night. A good time was had by all, especially John, Trin's husband.

Cuttin' a rug

Here is Trinity's mom, Judy and groomsman Preston cutting a rug at the rehearsal dinner. Everyone had their dancing shoes on this weekend.

Pre-wedding keg stand

Here is the bride-to-be doing her pre-wedding keg stand. The DJ told the father of the groom that the reason everyone wasn't dancing was because they hadn't done enough keg stands. Stephen's father didn't know what a keg stand was so I was trying to explain it to him. The next thing you know, Preston is up, then Lee, then Brandi. It was something I hadn't seen in quite some time. But very fun to watch.

Congratulations Brandi and Stephen

Brandi was such a beautiful bride and Stephen was such a handsome groom. The wedding went off without a hitch. My favorite part of the wedding was when the pastor (Stephen's grandfather) said Stephen could kiss his bride, but he said "Son, you can now get yourself some sugar" in the sweetest southern accent. We wish them all the happiness in the world.

The whole party

This is the whole wedding party.

Jacob and Makenzie

Jacob, Beth's son, was the ring bearer, and Makenzie, Trinity's daughter, was one of the flowergirls. They were absolutely beautiful. Makenzie and Jacob danced all night at the rehearsal dinner and at the reception. It was hoot and half. Jacob was breakdancing! It's not a wedding until someone breakdances.

Makenzie, Trinity, and John

We love this picture. It says so much. Makenzie is the light of her parents' eyes. She is so precious.

First dance as man and wife

This is Brandi and Stephen's first dance. They danced to At Last. Brandi looks so in love in this picture. They truly picked the right the song to dance. It has been a long road for them to get to this day, but they made it.

Brandi, Trin, and Jen

This is Trinity, Brandi, and myself. It was really funny, the whole night people would ask if Trinity and I were sisters. And one person even asked what nationality Trinity was. Then followed up with "American Indian?"

John and Brandi

Since John and Brandi are basically the only family each other have, John gave Brandi away at the wedding and had the second dance with her. Their half-sister Stacey was one of the bridemaids. Just looking at the picture you can tell they are lucky to have each other.

Madison and her Meme Judy

This Trinity's mom, Judy, and Trinity's sister Beth's baby, Madison. Madison is a sweet baby. She just smiles and laughes, and loves to dance. She looks just like Makenzie when she was a baby. I told Beth she now has her own mini-me. (Her son Jacob looks just like her husband Doug.)

OH MY

Oh my! This is Trinity and Matthew having a time on the dance floor. Matthew was getting down with all the women, and he is quite the dancer. Oh to be 19 again.

Chiropractors unite

Somehow chiropractors always find one another. This is Lee and Lee. Lee, the husband, is a chiropractor in Charlotte. Lee, the wife, and I grew up together in Bluefield. We had a such a good time talking shop. It's always fun to talk to another chiropractor.

Side note: Lee is dressed in 70's clothes. It was so funny. Lee and Doug, Carrie Farmer's husband, showed up the reception in disco/70's clothes. They were killing me. Polyester galore!