Were you there - an Easter hymn

 

Dyeing Easter eggs

 One of the things about Easter when I was growing up that I love to think about is dyeing Easter eggs.  It was something I looked forward to every year. It was always so exciting when I knew that Mom had bought home a Paas Easter Egg Coloring packet.  We would set aside a night to dye our eggs.  The pack had somewhere around 8 different colors in it.  They were tablets that we would put into separate bowls and add hot water and vinegar.  Watching the tablets dissolve was always so much fun because the tablets were not too revealing as to their true colors but once they dissolved, a rainbow of bright colors would evolve.

Lowering the hard-boiled eggs into the bowls and watching the dye take over and do its job.  How vibrant the egg would be depended on how long you left it in the dye. Once you were satisfied, then the egg had to be placed on a towel to dry. It always felt like it took forever for them to dry.  We always wanted to hide them immediately but no, we had to wait.  That felt like agony LOL But once they would dry, they would get hidden around the house and then Bill and I would search all over for them.  One year, Mom hid one in her hand.  We could not find that one, the last Easter egg, to save our lives.  But when she revealed that she had it in her palm I guess the egg had not dried as much as she thought because her hand was bright blue.  I remember it was a Wednesday night, and she then had to go to choir practice with a blue hand!

It was always a time of fun during the Easter season.  Our dyeing was basic. In those days there were not swirls or tie dyes or decals for the eggs.  If you wanted something two toned, you had to hold half of the egg in the dye with half of it out for what seemed like hours.  Then you had to put the hold the bare half down in another color.  It almost never worked well but it was fun to try.  Still, it was always fun.  And anytime I smell vinegar, it does not matter if I'm cooking with it or cleaning something with it, I always think of dyeing eggs.  It's one of those Easter memories that I cherish. 

Getting my weight down

 Now that warmer weather is upon us, I know that many of us are working on our diets and exercise.  Wearing shorts and t-shirts is becoming the norm this time of year and we all want to look good.  I will never have a beach body, unless you count a beached whale LOL  Just kidding.  But I am looking forward to taking this time of year and really concentrating on my physical goals. 

Getting my weight down and maintaining that is my priority right now.  One, it will be much better for my overall health.  I am classified by my doctor as morbidly obese.  Honestly, I'd much rather they just call me fat.  Morbidly obese is so clinical and yet terrifying at the same time.  Maybe that's the point? Maybe it's supposed to scare me into losing weight?  I don't do well with scare tactics LOL

Anyway, I am working on changing my eating habits.  I won't say that I am going to change my diet because let's be real, I love comfort food.  What I need to do is change the way that I eat.  I have been telling myself to not go back for seconds. I don't really need seconds even though I may want them.  Well, my brain thinks I want them but my body is actually ok without the seconds.  I am incorporating more things like salads and fish into my weekly diet.  I have learned the olive oil is my flavorful friend. And when I remind myself to actually chew my food, I am less likely to eat as much.  I know that may sound a might ridiculous, but I will often just inhale my food. 

About six months ago, I topped out at 265.  And that's not the heaviest I've ever been in my life either.  Still, I do not like that number.  I carry most of the extra weight in my belly.  Big shock.  So many of the t-shirts that I have worn for years have now become belly shirts.  I won't dare wear them out in public but around the house is ok....if my roommate isn't home LOL  Well, I have been incorporating some life changes and am starting to see some improvements.

I am trying to walk as much as I can.  i am not successful in making that an everyday thing yet but I will get there. As I eat less and move more, I am hoping to get myself into better shape. I have been able to stay under 250 lbs for a month now and I don't want that trend to change.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

The expensive phone call

Be wary when you're having any kind of medical procedure done and the office says to expect a call the day prior to tell you what you need to do and what to expect.  That happened to me recently when I had a lung cancer screening.  My doctor felt that due to my age, 51, and my history of smoking that I should have one. Thankfully, everything came out fine.  Whew!!

Anyway, they set up a time to call me the morning before the screening to tell me everything I needed to prepare for it.  The time was set up before work at 9 a.m.  The call took less than five minutes.  Great.  Easy. Nothing much to do other than show up 15 minutes early to the appointment.  I can do that.  And I did that.  I was in and out of the office in less than half an hour. Holding my arms over my head during the screening was the hardest part of it all.  And, yes, I am out of shape, and my arms were sore the next day LOL

A few weeks pass and I receive a bill from Cone Health for about $95.  The total charges were for $175 but my portion was only $95 after insurance. I promptly paid this bill and did not think anything more of it.  Oops. At the end of last week, I received another bill from imaging services for $390.  Honestly, I was like WTF?  I just paid this.  WRONG!!  I looked at the dates of service for both bills.  Lo and behold, the $390 bill was for the actual screening.  The $175 bill was for the five-minute phone call.  I'm like, seriously?!  You're charging me $175 to tell me to come 15 minutes early to my scheduled appointment?  

Now I know that these calls are not a courtesy.  They are not included with the procedure.  I feel like this was a major rip off by Cone Health.  So, the next time they tell me they are going to call before a procedure, I am simply going to refuse the call and google whatever it is I need to know.  I am happy that I have good doctors and that I have insurance, but that is beyond ridiculous to me.  I have never felt scammed by healthcare before.  That is not a good feeling.  And, honestly, if I am to be charged $175 for five-minutes of anything, there'd better be a damn happy ending!

Recipe of the Week - Picante Peach Pork

 We all love a good crock pot recipe, don't we? I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and really enjoyed it.  I tend to buy a lot of pork at the grocery store because it's normally on sale and I get good deals on it.  So I am always on the lookout for new pork recipes.  This one is definitely a keeper. I'm not sure why it is called peach picante pork when the recipe uses salsa.  I suppose you could substitute picante sauce for the salsa.  Whatever you have in your pantry will work! I hope you enjoy!

Peach Picante Pork with a side of potatoes and onions

Peach Picante Pork Chops

4 thick boneless pork chops

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup peach preserves

Taco seasoning

Layer pork on bottom of crock pot.  Pour taco seasoning over pork.  Spread peach preserves on pork then top with salsa.  Cook on low for 3 hours.  

April and May by Tom Wolfe

 Since it is getting close to Easter, I wanted to talk about one of my Easter pieces.  This is "April and May" by Tom Wolfe from the Cairn Studios.  As you know, I have been collecting gnomes since I was in the 4th grade.  Those were made by Tom Clark in his Cairn Studios.  Tom Wolfe was an artist that worked in the studio that often collaborated with Clark on pieces.  Wolfe's specialty was animals so whenever you see a Cairn piece that has both gnomes and animals, chances are it was a collaboration between the two artists.  This, however, is solely a Wolfe piece.

Mom gave me this sometime in the early 90's. Every year I got several Cairn Studio pieces, and I had never received any of the animals before.  I absolutely love it. I use it every year to decorate for Easter.  Sometimes it is my centerpiece.  Sometimes I use it around the house somewhere.  But they are always out to help me celebrate the holidays. I hope it get them out this weekend as I prepare for Easter.  I'm not sure where I will use them, but rest assured that they will be displayed!

Prayer for change