Suture-less Snowy. Some House News. And Scaring the Ocean.

Suture-less Snowy! Cone-less Snowy! Happy Snowy!

Yes, indeedy. When we took Snowy to the hospital yesterday, the nurse took him to a back room and when she returned him to us five minutes later, he was smiling a big ol' happy doggy smile, free of all those annoying, lingering encumbrances of his bladder surgery.

Hard to believe that just one week ago, he was in ICU, and not doing well at well. Now he's bouncing around with alacrity and flitting from place to place like a puppy instead of the (almost) 10-year dog he is.

We've been laughing at him a bit because while he was wearing the cone, his ears got all matted and mussed and now the hair on them sticks up everywhere and he looks just like a very small Phyllis Diller. He obviously needs to his hairdresser, er, groomer when we get home.

We knew for sure that he was on his way to recovery this week when he finally volunteered to go into his kennel on his own and take a little nap in it. Up to that point, he had to be glued to the side of one of us at all times; he was just so traumatized from all he had been through that he couldn't let us out of his sight. Yesterday, however, I was thrilled to see him walk over to his kennel, sniff it a minute, and then curl up inside on his pillow for a (solitary) nap. His little emotions are recovering along with his body.



It's been quite entertaining to watch him deal with that cone on his head all week. He made a couple of attempts to get up the stairs to the second floor but usually gave up and whimpered until the elevator (um, that would be me) arrived to ferry him up to the second floor. Every time he tried to go up by himself, he kept on whamming the cone into the next step and he just couldn't seem to get the hang of getting everything coordinated.

Here he is, mid-attempt.






In this particular incidence, he actually made it about halfway before halting his efforts and crying piteously for assistance. When we get back home tomorrow, I imagine he will race up and down those stairs, just because he can.

Hurray for healed doggies!

____________________

In house news, we got a phone call late yesterday afternoon from our realtor in Manteo who told us that the deal has gone through on the house we've been looking at. This morning we signed all the papers, so unless something completely unexpected turns up during the pending house inspection, we will move into our "new" rent-to-own house on December 1st!

Another hurray!

Of course, I would be "hurraying" even more vehemently if our house in Smithfield had sold already, but I am definitely learning patience and trust in this whole process. I'm quite certain that God is not pacing back and forth in heaven, wringing his hands and worrying over the sale of our house.

And why is that?

Well, for one thing, God doesn't worry! And for another thing, he already knows exactly who will buy the house, and when, and for how much--and if HE knows, well then I guess my worrying is really pretty needless. However, I am SO GOOD at worrying that I really hate to let that "gift" go to waste! (smile)

_______________

Today, we have the whole day free here in Manteo so we might do something really amazingly different and unique and creative. We might Go. To. The. Ocean.

I hate to say it, but in seven trips here, we have yet to see the ocean. I mean, we assume it's still there and everything, and it doesn't really need checking on, but we still figure that maybe it would be nice if we went on over there (a whole ten minutes away) and took a peek at it.

We're going to take Snowy with us and see what he thinks of it. He's never see a whole, entire ocean before. Knowing him, he will probably bark at it furiously to see if he can scare it away. You know. The way he barks at squirrels and birds at home and makes THEM go away?

Must be nice to have such awesome doggy power.

We'll see how he does with scaring the ocean. We'll be sure to let you know.

____________________

Be sure to look at the post below for the second edition of Holiday Recipes from Readers!

More Holiday Recipes From Readers

Here are a few more editions to our ongoing Holiday Recipe cookbook. Enjoy!

COOKING A TURKEY WITHOUT BURNING IT

I've found a fool-proof way to not burn a turkey. While in college, I used to live in a student co-op and we would make 5-6 turkeys for the weekend before Thanksgiving (when all the alums came over for dinner), and then one giant turkey for Thanksgiving itself (when fewer people were around). We had really unpredictable ovens, too!

1) Soak the turkey in brine overnight (don't know the proportions, but submerge the turkey in salty water, in the fridge, overnight). This hydrates the turkey and prevents drying. Just remember to reduce the amount of salt you might put on it later!

2) Roast the turkey breast-side down for the first half of the cooking. They don't look as pretty later, but it allows you to cook the breast without burning it.


Now my turkeys are smaller, but my oven is better! I've always made them with lots of butter, white wine, and sage. This is making me really hungry. ---Mariela



COCONUT CAKE

I usually make the Four Day Coconut Cake for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Most of my family like it although some of the nieces and nephews do not like coconut.

I use white cake mix cutting the layers to make four instead of two after cooking.

Mix: 2 cups of sour cream, 2 cups of sugar, and 24 ounces of frozen (thawed out) coconut. Refrigerate overnight.

Put the coconut filling between the layers and on top. If you have enough you can put it on the sides. My filling usually runs down the sides so I don't "pat it down" on the sides.

Refrigerate the entire cake for 4 days before cutting.

Sometimes mine stays that long and sometimes it doesn't. The longer it is refrigerated the better it tastes. ---Ann Martin


CROCK POT SUGGESTIONS

To go along with the crock pot idea, there are crock pot "liners" you can buy...basically just a thick plastic bag that fits inside the pot. When the meal comes out, you can just throw the bag away and not even have the crock pot to clean up!

I always look up recipes on All Recipes. You can search by ingredients you want to use OR ingredients you don't want. I have also used Super Cook I put in what ingredients I have on hand and then it will pull up recipes based on my ingredients. -- Angie


BACON WRAPPED GREEN BEANS
(Connie sent this to me by email but I wanted to include it here, as well.)

1 lb bacon raw and cut in half
1 lb or more fresh green beans or 2-3 cans whole beans
½ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
Garlic powder or garlic pepper

Lightly cook green beans for 8 minutes (drain if canned)
Wrap center of 4 beans in ½ slice bacon and place on greased 9X13 pan
Continue until all the beans are gone
Melt butter and add brown sugar. Stir until mixed smoothly
Pour over beans and sprinkle with garlic powder or garlic pepper
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and serve warm…YUMMY!

I’ve also skipped the brown sugar and just put in garlic powder instead so they aren’t garlic beans and not sweet.
I’ve tried to cut the bacon in thirds but it didn’t work…too small
I’ve also cut everything up and just baked it without the pretty wrapping…more like a baked stir fry and that worked well but I did over-cook it a bit. ---Connie

Ladder Fears

Steve has never loved heights.

In fact, here is a recent Facebook entry from him on the subject:

"Years ago, Becky and I visited the Sears Tower in Chicago. I was so certain that I could feel the thing swaying that I walked around paranoid. Getting up on ladders is not my idea of a rosy old time but today I got up on our 18 ft ladder to repair and paint a second story window frame. And all without Valium! Let's hear it for small victories. Only have eight more upstairs windows to go!"

Since he's never loved the idea of getting up really high, when Nathan came home for Christmas, HE was the one who scampered up the ladder to hang these really high Christmas lights outside. Nice having a scampering son around!

We also sent him "up high" to do some indoor maintenance.


Well, this week Steve decided it was time to fix a few of the old boards under our windows, some of which were on the verge of rotting. He pondered his fear of heights. And then he pondered the thought of bringing in a carpenter to do the work and charging us hundreds of dollars.

And then he pondered the thought that saving several hundred dollars was a really good incentive for getting over his Ladder Fear. So. Up he went! Higher and higher! All the way to the top of the window at the far left of this picture. (Nathan's room.)

He chipped paint and applied paint with the greatest of panache and then returned to earth with the greatest of grins on his face.

Conquering a fear and saving money, all at one time? Priceless.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of him going up to the highest point, but Sarah and I did get some pictures of him last night on a lower ladder.



Concentrating fiercely


Displaying the Official Smith Tendency to stick out his tongue when thinking hard.


Suddenly realizing his picture is being taken




A final view of my Ladder Climbing Prince Charming!

How about you? Have you ever conquered a fear? If so, we'd love to hear about it. Maybe you can help someone else get over something similar.

______________________________

In about two hours, I need to be packed up and ready to hit the road. First stop is driving 45 minutes west to take Snowy back into the hospital to have his sutures looked at. Then four hours east to Manteo for the weekend.

I'll be in touch!

The First Holiday Recipe Ideas From Readers Are In!

JENNY'S CRANBERRY RELISH

Here's my favorite EASY dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I like cranberry sauce, but it always looked kind of gross to me. So here's what I do now.

1 can jellied cranberry sauce
1 can mandarin orange slices, drained & chopped up a bit
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Mash up the cranberry sauce and then stir in oranges & pecans.
VOILA! A pretty & tasty side dish. Enjoy! --Jenny

_______________________

TIPS FOR PRE-COOKING AN "EASY TO CLEAN UP" THANKSGIVING MEAL
(Which is especially good info for the Smiths since we'll be in the middle of a move!)

Keep your crockpot out and buy a turkey breast from your grocery store.
Pour a can of jellied cranberry sauce over it with half to 3/4 can of frozen orange juice and add a packet of lipton onion soup mix.
If thawed, cook for four hours or so.
Then buy the aluminum foil pans for green bean casserole and cheesy hashbrown potatoes.
You can get these all ready the day or two before and cook Thanksgiving day.
Use paper plates and the only thing to wash will be the crockpot. --Rachel

__________________________

EASY WAY TO COOK A TURKEY

I have always had great success with Thanksgiving turkeys cooked in the plastic cooking bags.

Grease them up or butter them up to your liking
Stuff the cavity with slices of bread and chunks of veggies (including onion)
Shake the bag with flour
Slip in the bird (sometimes "slip" is not the right term - wrestle comes to mind)
Tie it up with the twist tie that comes in the package with the bag
Follow the directions for temp and time and taa daa! You really have a beautiful turkey with no peaking or basting. There is plenty, plenty of juice to make the gravy - which is easily made with corn starch NOT flour - no lumps and blends great!

Also, stores sell the entire Thanksgiving dinner already prepared - that could be a thought - or a turkey breast is an easy (however more costly) alternative.

SIDE DISH IDEAS

I always make my mom's cranberries - they are from fresh cranberries - so it is not like the cranberry sauce - they are a little tart but can be made to your sweetness level - just add more sugar - recipe is on the bag of fresh cranberries.

I also smash (with a spoon) a few of the cranberries as they are boiling so there is a little bit of "sauce" texture. Always have to have the candied sweet potatoes AND mashed potatoes for the gravy and then I do dressing (stuffing) outside of the bird in a casserole - my family likes it a little more baked and not as moist as when it is stuffed in the turkey.

Then I just add a salad and or some soup and a veggie or two - because no one can agree on a veggie but it has to be green.

So that sums it up - seriously, the cooking bags are great for turkeys, roasts, pork roasts - check them out! --Mary H.
_________________________________

HELPFUL TIMETABLES FOR COOKING A TURKEY

Turkey Timetables

Guerrina says, "This timetable and use of meat thermometer have produced some wonderful stuffed turkeys over the years!

UNPICTURE-FYING MY BACKLOG AND YOUR RECIPES

Every once in a while (Or "Every single once in a while," as Sarah used to say when she was little), I discover pictures that I haven't posted, or I find old favorite pictures that I just like looking at again.

So today is my day to unpicture-fy my backlog. Some of these you've seen before; some you haven't.

This is a letter that arrived home from Nathan in the past few months. I had to smile when I saw how he had addressed it.


A while ago, Sarah left this helpful Post-It note of instruction for Steve.


I mentioned last week in a post that I keep a shopping list taped to the inside of my cupboard with a pen always nearby. If you don't have an ongoing list like this, I highly recommend it.

I have mine divided into sections; as soon as I know I'm running low on something, I immediately write it on the list. (And yes, my handwriting really is as bad as it looks in the picture.) When I go to the grocery store, it makes shopping easy since I have everything organized by categories.

And the very best part? I never get in trouble when I haven't bought something a family member needs. If they haven't written it on The List, they know they can't complain about me not buying it! Good deal!


(I usually print out about 20 copies at a time, so I always have a new one ready to go.)




I've always loved this picture I took of Steve in Wisconsin many years ago. (The dog belonged to the people whose house we were staying at.)



Here we are getting ready to leave my parent's house in Wisconsin after our visit in December of 2008. I didn't realize as that picture was being snapped that I had just said good bye to my dad for the last time.


Here's Sarah in our borrowed cottage in Manteo. Ain't she cute?


Sarah and Snowy




My beloved Smith Sibs


Nathan helping with Sarah's physical therapy.


A tie-tying lesson before school. Is it just me, or does Steve look like he's still asleep?


__________________________

In other news, Steve has been working with our real estate agent all week on the offer on this house we're making. I am so very thankful that I am not a real estate agent. The complexity those people deal with is just mind boggling. Offers and counter offers and counter offers to counter offers and pages and pages of legalese and forms to sign. My brain hurts just thinking about it.

We put in our counter offer yesterday morning, so we may hear something today or tomorrow about where we are in that process. In the meantime, we've dropped the price on our house in Smithfield yet again and will probably drop it again next week if nothing happens.

We're getting to the point where we just really, really need to sell it, regardless of whether or not we make anything on it. Ten months on the market--it is time to SELL!

It it so frustrating living between two cities like this; our hearts are in Manteo but our bodies and house and possessions and stuff are all in Smithfield. Right now I feel like a woman without a country; I don't quite belong in Smithfield and I don't quite belong in Manteo.

Steve and I were talking yesterday and saying that when we do get ready to move everything over to Manteo (hopefully around December 1) we are going to be uprooting our lives at the busiest time of the year--right between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I just want to go on record right now as saying that my Thanksgiving Dinner this year will probably consist of one can of chicken noodle soup. By that point, my kitchen will no doubt be completely undone, and I won't be able to find even a butter knife, let alone the fixing's for a turkey dinner.

Nathan and Meagan will be here during that time so maybe I'll send Nathan to Chick-Fil-A and we could all have a sandwich to go with our soup! Something to look forward to.

________________________

And lastly, I was going through some of the archive pages of Sarah's Spot last night and found some of the recipes that I posted there. I'm going to move them over here so that they'll be a part of the official "recipe file." (Remember, you can scroll down the right column and find the "recipe" category; just click on it and all the recipes I've posted here will show up.)

Also, from this point on, I'm going to put the recipes in posts by themselves so that you don't have to scroll through an entire entry just to find the recipe.

And speaking of recipes, what is you or your family's favorite thing you make for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Do you have a certain fool proof way of roasting your turkey? (I wish I did.) Do you make a side dish that everyone asks for every single year? Is your recipe for pumpkin pie or stuffing extra, extra good?

If you'll post those recipes in the comments area, I'll make a special addition to the recipe file filled with just Thanksgiving/Christmas dishes. That way, we can "steal" from each other and impress our own families with each others' recipes! (Anyone have a good recipe for canned chicken noodle soup?)

Alrighty then. Home school is calling my name! I need to take off my blogger hat and put on my teacher hat.

__________________________

PS. By the way, Snowy had a good night. (I was "on call" with him.) We'll be taking him back to the hospital in the morning to have his stitches looked at. My only concern at this point is that he has eaten hardly anything since coming home on Monday. I gave him a few little pieces of chicken yesterday and he's had some treats (following the twice-daily taking of his yucky medicine) but he hasn't had even one bite of his dog food. So we'll need to check in on that, too.

Thanks again for your concern for the beloved, smallest member of our family.

A Video! And Addendums to a Recipe!

I finally got the technical details of Sarah's and my video worked out and have posted it below. Let me introduce it by saying that Sarah did the graphics and also came up with its title which is, "Be-Coating the Dog." That title is a perfect example of her quirky thought process. It's sure nice to have my own personal video assistant in the house.

The day before we shot this video, Snowy was all shivery and had very happily submitted to having his little coat put on. Well, on the day of the video, he was also shivery but he decided he would have a little fun with us and outsmart us in the "Be-Coating the Dog" exercise. As you will see at the end--he won. But all three of us had a lot of fun in the process.

Steve was "on call" last night and only had to get up one time, at 3 am, to do Dog Duty. After Snowy had gone outside, he went into a "I Need to Lick and Scratch" frenzy, which of course, he couldn't do because of Ye Olde Cone.

The poor guy. I'm sure his stitches are itching terribly and in addition to that, he can't even scratch his ear in good doggy fashion. We'll find out tomorrow or Friday if his stitches can come out; as soon as they do, the cone will be gone. Oh happiest of happy days!

Also, let me just mention that there were a couple variations sent to me concerning the recipe I posted yesterday. I'm going to add those changes to that actual post so all of that info stays together.

And one more thing--Lisa from Georgia asked how she could find the video of Sarah that was posted last year so she could show it her 7th grade Science Class.

Lisa, you can go to YouTube and search for "Sarah Smith"+cancer. You'll find the video but the music no longer plays. You may just want to put a CD on to play during the presentation. Thanks for sharing Sarah's story!

Okay, now it's time to get home school started and to take my turn snuggling with Snowy. It's a rough life but someone's gotta do it!

Enjoy the video. Enjoy your day!