Thank you for visiting! I have some great recipes here...but, I have moved everything else to my new {old} blog here! Please join me!

Red, white, blue, BIRTHDAYS and my favorite granola, too!

Ah, summer! Warm days spent lounging by the pool, cool nights spent on the porch, birthdays, easy meals and at our house: a couple of birthdays!

This guy had a birthday on July 10th.

This guy turned 13 on the 12th of July.

We saw some fireworks, and lit some sparklers.

All in all, pretty fun!

Not so fun was me being in the hospital on the 8th & 9th, the 11th & 12th, the 17th through the 20th.

UGH.

Kidney stones are not good. Trust me.

So, still definitely recovering from the 3 surgical procedures and hospitalizations. Some days I feel like I'm never going to feel well again. And I really, really hate not being able to clean and cook and decorate. Really hate it.

Today, I needed a yummy, healthy(ish) snack.

The Colonel is on a trip, so I'm kinda on my own.

(not allowed to drive yet)

I decided on granola. Yum.

We have some nut allergies in our family, so we cannot just buy granola. 

Once, when the Colonel was flying somewhere, one of the flight Attendants (FAs) had some delicious granola, and he complimented her on it. She wrote the recipe down for him...Southwest style....on a napkin. He brought it home and I  tried it. I tweaked it a bit to fit my tastes and ingredients that I like to use (for example, Sunflower oil instead of Canola oil...) and VOILA! The best and easiest granola ever!

Here's my recipe...

Grab a big ol' bowl

Then, you'll need:

4 cups Oats (not instant)

2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

1 cup flaked Coconut

Mix all of that in your bowl.

Then, add

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2  cup Sunflower oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

stir it all up!

Pour the mixed granola into a jelly roll pan.

Place that in the oven, preheated to 350o.

Bake for 15 mins, then remove, and stir it all up, turning it over, to brown on the other side.

Place back in the oven for 15 more minutes.

It should be pretty golden and turning brown.

Lay some parchment or wax paper down on the counter...

Dump the hot granola onto the waxed paper.

Allow it to cool and dry. It will become more crunchy. Occasionally break up the pieces into small clusters.

Pour into airtight container. 

Serve in bowls with milk, or on top of yogurt, ice cream, 

or just all by its little lonesome self. De-lish!

Enjoy, y'all!

printable version here!

Snowflakes in November...

Last year for our church Christmas party, we decorated the tables simply...

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

 

Courtesy of  Jordyn Ashli Baker
isn't she soooo talented?!

FALL!

SWEDISH PANCAKES!

This is probably our all time favorite breakfast! 

We love these things. They are very similar to crepes, but easier to make.

It really helps to have a crepe pan, like this:

**Know why Blue Bell is the Best Ice cream? **

Today is the official first day of spring break around here! 

And this is what it looks like outside:

Lazy Saturday mornings...

 Princess Diana Memorial Breakfast Cake

A new address, a new Purpose!

Merry Christmas! 

A drawing...

...that I made. Of the house I want. 

Just breathe!

The Enchanted house  on Fairdale Street is up for grabs once again!

Keeping Calm and Carrying on

     The Texas Bakers are about to become the Colorado Bakers! 

To better document the next chapter in our story, I've improved and updated the blog! 

The Yellow House on the Corner was only on the market for a few days, and we were asked to close in 21 days, so it has been fast and furious getting ready for this new adventure!

Overheard at the Yellow House:

The results are in!

beFoRe

AFteR

So anyways....

My stinking computer crashed about 3 stinking times in the month of December. DECEMBER! I lost all my photos, logos, vinyl making capabilities, print shop...everything!!!! What a pain! So, I apologize for the lack of updates! I will be better this month...as it is one of my resolutions. As you may have read here, I am diving into a restoration of heart and home. I will document it here on this very page! And, be sure to check out the ideas and how-to's here. (We're using it up this month)  Here's to a happy, healthy, successful new year! Love ya'll!

Boo, Ya'll!

Halloween has come to the manor!

Thought you might like to see!

jacks all in a row

Places in My Heart

A word about ogres and heroes

I love this guy!

Before and After!

I thought you might enjoy seeing these images of my insides taken during surgery! The top 2 and bottom right are before and the bottom left is after. You can see that my intestines are adhered to my abdominal wall, and there are lots of organs and adhesions in places where they are not supposed to be. The bottom left show how the abdominal cavity is supposed to look...

The surgery was a success! They found all of my abdominal and pelvic organs stuck to each other...there was a long band of adhesions from my liver all the way to my appendix. The appendix was pretty diseased, so they removed it. They found 2 ovarian remnants and removed those. They un-stuck everything, returned all organs to their correct anatomical positions, and cleaned it all up in there! I should be feeling much, much better once I am recovered from the actual procedure!

Doctor Sinervo and staff in Atlanta were fabulous, as was the ENTIRE hospital staff at Northside. It was by far the best hospital experience I have ever had. I am so glad I was inspired to find this dr and was able to travel and have this surgery done! I have 2 small incisions on either side of my pelvis, and a pretty large incision in my belly button. I am recovering well...somedays are better than others, but all in all I think I am doing quite well and certainly on the road to being fully recovered! It is interesting that most of what they found was left over and/or due to the previous surgery. No wonder I kept feeling like things were not improving the way I had hoped! But, now they will! And watch out, world! DeeDee with health, vitality and energy?! Unstoppable!

Another Day!

So, after several months of my health going downhill, and doctors not being able to offer much in the way of answers or treatment, I finally took matters into my own hands. I went to the Hotze Health and Wellness Center! Amazing! Doctors who understand what it is I am going through...have treated it for many years, and who are sure that they can help me! It is like going to a 5 star hotel dedicated to health. They take such good care of you! So, my hormones are completely out of balance (which may have something to do with the liver tumors) and they have started me on a regimen of prescription (and bioidentical) hormones, vitamins and supplements. Once I have sort of stabilized, I will do a special yeast cleansing diet which should also help to rid my body of the toxins that have built up over the years.

The day after I went to Hozte (saw Dr. Sheridan), Dr Sinervo from the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, Georgia phoned me. He said that he felt the majority of my pain was due to remnant ovarian syndrome. Evidently it is nearly impossible to remove all ovarian tissue in a hysterectomy...especially with such a mess as my insides were! That tissue that is left will act like an ovary, and the endo will grow and thrive once again! The ovarian tissue can even develop cysts...probably why I have been feeling like I have an ovarian cyst! I do! The pain in my back is most likely due to endo growing in the back of my pelvis. The tumors in my liver are possibly endometrial tissue. So, I will be flying to Atlanta soon to have one more and hopefully final surgery for endometriosis. The Center has only seen a 7-8% recurrence of pain and symptoms in 20 years of treating women. The normal rate is 40-60% of recurrence of symptoms in the first year following surgery! They use a very specialized surgical technique to remove ALL the errant tissue. They will have a general surgeon on hand to biopsy the liver lesions, and if it is endometrial tissue, they will remove the tumors also. So, though going through yet another surgery (It will be my 6th)for this awful disease doesn't thrill me, the prospect of once again and hopefully forever more being healthy, makes me ECSTATIC!

I am so thankful for all the prayers, and healthy wishes of family and friends...I truly feel so blessed and can absolutely see the Lord's hand in my life. Thanks, ya'll!

So, on to another day...the rain is about to stop, I can feel it!