GRRR! I accidentally set this for August 6 rather than August 16th. Dumb Witch Moment! Anyhow here’s the blog on the correct date:

TGIF!! Let’s dive right into sharing five things about our week:

1. I made a lot of cookies this week. We took some last night to youngest and his wife (different kind of cookie for each).  We also went to see the progress of the work they are doing in the backyard. It’s a long term weekend project of building stacked stone walls and a lot more.  It going to look stunning when they’re done!
2. Yesterday I worked on sourdough bread and sourdough pizza dough. I made a misstep in the bread-making process which was annoying. Hopefully it’ll come out anyway. The missteps was the usual reason — me trying to do too much in too short of time. Even with excuses, though, it’s still my fault!
3. Maggie sort of mentioned this, but assuming nothing goes wrong, I’m having surgery on Wednesday. It will be 60 miles away in a brand new medical center that just opened one month ago. So we took a test drive out there to make sure we could find it — we did with no problems. Inside, it was pretty, clean and calm, the receptionist very helpful, and they have easy parking in a structure right next to the building. I’m happy as that’s less walking for Wizard than it would be at a big hospital. This building specializes in treatments, procedures and surgeries related to my diagnosis, so not a typical hospital. We have to be there at 5 am On the upside, we’ll be ahead of the morning traffic. And yes, Maggie is going to boarding for three nights just to make it easier for Wizard, and less stressful for Maggie.
4. Yesterday I went out first thing in the morning to do some weeding and trimming in the planters, and I didn’t take my phone. I missed a call with my Insurance Middle Man Company  that does all the authorizations. I realized it when I went in the house to grab my water, and that sparked an hour and a half of phone calls. Wizard knew I had to make those calls ASAP and finished up the gardening work. The whole point of me doing it was to make it easier on him. Even so, the two of us got a lot done and he didn’t mind. Also — the missed call was just to tell me the surgery had been approved. Why the first person I talked to when I called back couldn’t tell me that — I don’t know — she couldn’t even find my file, which makes me wonder if she was working on an etch-a-sketched or a computer linked to the company network? So many questions…but it doesn’t matter now, I’m approved.
5. Today I think I’m going to lunch with my sister and probably having chocolate cake! Of course, the plans can change if something comes up for her and that’s fine too. The weekend will mostly be getting what I can done before the surgery.

That’s my five, let’s hear yours! I have everyone has a fun weekend!

Hi guys, it’s me, Maggie. I have something serious to talk to you about. See, this is my serious face:

So today Wizard left, then he came home. And after that, I heard Wizard and mom talking about me going to a spa vacation next week! In case you don’t know, that’s code for them dropping me off at boarding. I like boarding, but can they really make me go without my express consent? Because I don’t willingly leave my mom. It’s my job to always know where she is, and what she’s doing. I’m, like, really good at my job too.

So what do you guys thing, am I going to boarding (who do they think they’re fooling by saying spa vacation!) next week?

Have a great day with lots of treats and naps!! And if you need some exercise, I suggest chasing lizards! It’s fun and keeps me fit!

It was a pretty quiet weekend for me, which was perfect. I’m writing this Sunday early afternoon, and Wizard is racing. I love having the house to myself (and  Maggie, of course) sometimes. So here’s the roundup:

Friday was the main event with meeting the new doctor. Both Wizard and I really like her, and feel good about our decisions. We have decided to remove the entire thyroid. I won’t get into the gory details of why, but it will likely give me the best outcome. What I really respected about this doctor is she was five steps ahead of me the entire visit — touching on each concern, and recognizing the risks in my personal health history. Since she’s thinking ahead and planning the surgery around the challenges, I no long have to worry as much. It’s a huge relief. We are getting all the authorizations and tests done, and will schedule the surgery soon.

Saturday was some cleaning, and general stuff keeping me busy. Then Youngest called, and after chatting with him a long time, I handed the phone to Wizard so I could feed Maggie dinner. In that time, Wizard somehow volunteered me to make one kind of cookies for youngest, and another kind of his wife. I don’t even know how that happened! But the joke’s on Wizard, I ran to get ingredients today and spent a a chunk of money, LOL!! I mean macadamia nuts aren’t cheap! And as long as I was getting those, I might as well stock up on the nuts I use…and things might have gotten out of hand???? Bwahaha!!! Wizard won’t actually care, but he might whine just for fun.

Sunday, not much. Other than running errands, and making one batch of cookie dough, I got a bit tired. Thanks insomnia! I may or may not have gotten around to cleaning the bathrooms…I don’t know since I’m writing this before I made that decision. I like to mess with your sense of time when you’re reading the blog!

Today I’ll bake some cookies, maybe make the other batter and get a blood test. The order for the blood test is four freaking pages! I’m not at all squeamish about blood tests, but this order is leveling up the game, LOL!! I think it’s just the way UCI writes the order, but still intimidating even for me and I’m in the expert class of getting blood tests.

And we’re kind of on baby watch. The baby isn’t due for another 3 weeks, but babies tend to be born on their own timeline. I had to laugh yesterday, our son called and Wizard answered, “Is she here?”  I cracked up and said, “Real subtle, Grandpa.” He ignored me, of course.

How was your weekend?

TGIF!! I know were only 9 days into August and it still feels like it’s going fast to me Okay let’s dive into sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1. I made gluten and dairy free shortbread cookies yesterday and they taste like they are dairy and gluten free   I will either drizzle them in lemon icing or  maybe make them into cookie sandwiches using dairy-free cheesecake frosting. That will elevated them a bit, but I still wouldn’t recommend them. A cookie like shortbread depends on the quality of the butter and the gluten in the flower to get the right flavor profile and bite. I didn’t think this version would be comparable, but I guess I had to prove my hypothesis I do think it’d be better if I made the cookie a chocolate flavor with cappuccino flavored icing Those flavors would cover for the lower quality (in baking terms) butter and flour.
2. Also I’ve been craving chocolate cake from Cheesecake Factory for a week now. I rarely have cravings this vivid and specific.
3. Lizard Slayer is alive and well. Yesterday morning I went over to the area of the planter Maggie was hanging out in and saw an unattached still-moving lizard tail. Eww. Then later, Wizard found the rest of the lizard — not moving. My sweet and charming dog is a serial killer. Probably, one day they’ll be a movie about her. All the neighbors will say, “But Maggie was the sweetest girl! I can’t image her being a serial killer.”
4. Today is my UCI appointment. We’ll see how it goes. I was surprised to get a text that they require masks….then I remembered this particular facility has very sick patients who are often severely immunocompromised from the meds they are on to treat their disease. I’ll cheerfully wear a mask.
5. We were going to see Turbo tomorrow, but he’s had a virus. He starts first grade Monday, so I want him to rest and get well. We will likely go the following weekend then I can hear all about his first week of school. As for my weekend, well now I can do some cleaning I’ve been ignoring all week — yay me!!!

Yep that’s my boring five, I bet yours are much more interesting!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Maggie is clinically fine. The vet took a urine sample so that should come in soon just to be sure. Once that comes back fine, she’ll work on adjusting meds. As long as Maggie’s not sick, we’ll figure out the rest. She’s slightly sluggish today from the Rabies shot, but overall tolerated it very well.

Now for the fun part. They took Maggie back for the testing and shot, I could hear a bunch of women exclaiming and I thought, Oh they must have a puppy back there. But then I heard Maggie’s name. It appears she’s gathered a fan club back there, LOLOL! The vet brought her back to me and said they were all talking to her because every time they do, she wags her tail and wiggles in happiness. The vet said she must be a happy girl at home.

Yep, except when she’s in prey drive chasing lizards and totally ignoring my commands. The night before she’d looked at me from the top of the hill in sheer obstinance. That’s rare but she has her moments for sure. So yeah…she was just showing off at the vet’s office, LOLOL!! (Shh, don’t tell her, but I’ve seen them exclaim over other dogs, so Maggie’s probably not as special as she thinks.)

But at least we’re reasonably sure she’s in good shape physically. I don’t really thing we can cure her show-off-itis

How’s your day going?

It’s blazing hot here! Which is pretty normal for this time of year, but I’m hoping the heat doesn’t last all the way through September and into October.  Okay here’s the highlight reel of my weekend:

Friday: My birthday was mostly low key and very nice. Wizard got me Hoka shoes for walking, something I could not bring to buy for myself because they aren’t cheap, so I love them. He also got me some serving dishes I really wanted from Pottery Barn which I LOVE, but again…well you know all know, I’m cheap But I’m so happy to have them. I’m not big on stuff overall, but these dishes make me happy to have in my cupboard ready to use. Then Friday night we met Youngest and Daughter in law for dinner and had a lovely time! They are always fun.

Saturday, it was the shower. It turned out well!! I’m so happy. I loved working with my daughter in law’s mom, it was great to get to know her a bit better that way. And I had fun driving with my sister, my youngest daughter in law and her mom. Biker Witch thought I was trying to kill her with my driving, but HA!!! I got her home alive and unscathed. Seriously, the day went well, and the company on the long drive was made it enjoyable. There are things I thought I could  have done better at the shower, but who cares — the shower was great, the guests happy and the guest of honor very pleased and gracious.

Sunday I got caught up on a few things, then we took our big gift out to our son and daughter-in-law for the baby. It’s the bassinet they wanted and I’m so glad I didn’t take it to the shower now as there were a LOT of gifts. We barely got them packed in the big vehicle we used to transport them home! As a side note: There was some incredibly thoughtful and creative gifts there — I’m in awe of people with that talent! Anyhow, seeing all the baby stuff in their house now made it even more real and exciting. The baby’s room is so cute! My son and daughter-in-law are both doing great. My daughter-in-law is in her last month of pregnancy — and the excellent care she’s taken of herself really shows. And I got to spend quality time with Jett and Hazel — two of my favorite grand pups! They are so loving that I came home covered in dog hair. That’s always a sign of a good day in my world, LOL.

Maggie has a vet appointment this afternoon for her rabies shot and checkup. She’s been doing better this last week, but I’ll bring up my areas of concern. The the rest of the week is pretty easy. Friday is my UCI appointment but I’m pretty set for that too. It’s nice to feel a bit more caught up this week which is a good way to start out the week!

How was your weekend?

TGIF! Who let August in??? If feels too soon Okay let’s dive into sharing five random things about our week.

1. My daughter in law took a picture of Wizard and me last week, and I look like a big puffy older woman. And I thought that shirt I was wearing looked okay, but nope. I’m a little traumatized, LOL. Also I’m not stressing about weight gain or loss until after I get “fixed” then I’ll figure out the path to feeling my best weight wise. But still, pictures of me are now banned to protect my mental health
2. On the other hand, my grandson, Turbo, has style!
3. My hand is healing so well now. I was able to do a bit of yoga yesterday with no real pain, and it just ached a bit at the end of the deal. A huge improvement! Plus the swelling is gone (or mostly gone). I’ll admit (now)  that when I slammed my hand into the drawer pull on Sunday, I wasn’t sure if I broke a bone or not. The hand/wrist bones don’t have much padding to protect them. I leaned toward not haven’t broken anything, but still, I’m relieved.
4. Tonight we’re going to dinner with Youngest and his wife for my birthday. It’s a not a big deal birthday this year. Too many other things going on, and I’m fine with that.
5. Tomorrow is the baby shower! My daughter in law’s mom has done a huge chunk of the work, but I’ve enjoyed helping where I can. Please cross your fingers that we pull this off — all arranged by phone, text and email since we live about 180 miles apart We both want my daughter in law to have a lovely shower celebrating this much-wanted child, and we sincerely hope the guests have a good time too!

That’s my five, now I’d really love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a delightful weekend!