Another Topic Answered...

Holiday Desserts...



Mmmmmmmmmmmm.....



I won't even try to deny it... I have a sweet tooth. And the holidays are my downfall... Well, Christmas to be exact. I can easily get through Valentine's Day with chocolate flowing all about... Easter~ the tiny little plastic eggs filled with sweet treats~ no problem... Halloween~ a little harder to get through~ merely because of all the varieties of sweet candies available~ but I can manage to pull out what little will power I have to resist... Thanksgiving~ a little indulgence in a slice of pie~ but not that much of a temptation...



Christmas rolls around~ and any will power I may claim to possess, disappears... Cookies... Christmas cookies... Specifically the Grandmas' cookies~ my Grandmas (plural)... It wouldn't be so bad if it was just the one Grandma that was the sensational baker~ but there are two...

And one of them lives in the same house...



(ALARM BELLS SOUNDING)

My dad's mom, my "regular" Grandma, comes down to visit at Christmas time. And with her comes homemade fudge~ still hanging onto a bit of the sugar grains, to make the fudge not quite melt in your hand- but definitely melt in your mouth... The moment it hits your tongue- the sweet granular chocolate melts, and bliss! Oh- and it doesn't end there... Chocolate chip cookies~ of course, laden full of chocolate chips and tons of nuts... Sinfully sweet... And my favorite~ the sugar cookies... Perfectly made... The cookie itself isn't super sweet, just enough to distinguish it from a bland dough... And so soft~ the way sugar cookies should be made... But the frosting~ in fun, bright and often festive colors~ sweet and perfect... I remember making these cookies on special occasions as a little girl... Mixing the ingredients... Rolling the dough out thin enough so that you didn't end up with a super thick cookie... Stamping out fun shapes~ whichever the season warranted~ and Grandma had shapes for all the different seasons. Christmas tress, stars, snowmen, hearts, eggs, bunnies~ you name it~ she had it... Watching through the oven door as they baked... Waiting as patiently as possible as they cooled enough to be able to frost them... Spoons, knives, forks, piping bags~ they were all tools used to put icing on the cookies... Followed by any type of candy that could be imagined. Sprinkles of all colors, shapes and sizes... Red hots, licorice, chocolate pieces, nuts, coconut... You name it it could go on the cookie... And these treasures~ that I remember so fondly from my childhood appear every Christmas in my Grandma's hands as she comes through the door...

My other Grandma who bakes is my step-mom's mom~ Grandma Maggie... This is the one who lives in the same house. And while I don't have the fond memories of having baked with her as a child~ the cookies are still a wonderful treat... All sorts of German cookies... Oh my goodness... Jelly rolls, walnut cookies, "snails" (a walnut cookie with a poppy seed type filling dusted in powdered sugar), spice cookies, pound cakes with cherries and brandy, chocolate chip oatmeal, fruit cake, window jam cookies... The list goes on and on... Sweet confections to tempt me~ and make me crumble to my knees as I give in... It wouldn't be so bad normally... But come the first part of December~ the house begins to smell~ the sounds of the older machines begin... Cookies are being crafted~ as only a true master of one's art could create... Thankfully~ as of now, the supply of cookies I am allowed to nibble on has dwindled to nought... And I refuse to open the tin containers they are kept in~ because even though I have been given free leave to open them, as soon as I do my favorites, the "snails" will quickly cease to exist... And I would hate to be the reason nobody else gets to taste these delectable treats (because the copious amounts made are given to family members all around southern California~ although I don't think they quite treasure them as much as I do)...

I do hope though~ that one day the masters will pass along their secrets~ so that the sinfully sweet treats that I so treasure won't be lost forever...

Heh...

And you all thought I was a good writer...
I default to the master...

http://completelyfroggy.blogspot.com/2008/12/trust.html

Topic Answered...

So I asked about topics people wanted me to answer/address...

~How I spent my Thanksgiving this year...

~My thoughts on Polygamy

And I received only two other suggestions... And am going to answer one here...



Why do I not like mangoes?

Yes that was a question somebody wanted answered... I do not know why~ but they did~ so here is my best try...



Mangoes are cultivated throughout many tropical regions in the world~ with its mainstay in India and Southeast Asia... It is widely distributed around the world. "...Mango is one of the most extensively exploited fruits for food, juice, flavor, fragrance and color..." They are very healthy for you too~ with lots of phytochemicals, vitamin C, and other good nutrients...

And I must agree~ they are a beautiful fruit... The skin on the fruit, at least those available here in California, are usually a bright green with patches of blushing red and rich yellow... The skin is nice and smooth and firm... The scent of the fruit is very exotic... Depending on if you get a unripe or ripe piece~ you can have a sweetly sour scent that makes your jaw tingle and ache~ or a sensuously sweet scent that makes your mouth water with want... The inside of the fruit is a brilliant yellow-orange~ like the orange in the last rays of the sunset.

The colors, the smells of this fruit completely entice me... I have candles made with this scent... I have body washes and lotions made with its scent...

I just don't like the taste... There is no other explanation~ Sorry to disappoint!

(Smiles) I need other suggestions please...

Rambling...

Ok~ not a typical post from me again... Just a "need to get something out of my head before I totally flip out or think myself to death" type post.

I go to the doctors office again today. For another cortisone-type shot that is "supposed" to ease some of the pain I am getting in my lower back and hip joints... I say supposed, because the first one I had in October didn't help at all. In fact, I ended up worse than I was before the shot. At least then I was able to move~ it was only a dull constant annoyance that occasionally flared up if I put too much strain on my back. Now~ anytime I move, even to turn to look over my shoulder while I am sitting, sends bolts of hot searing pain from my lower back down through my hip and into my lower leg... And not just one shooting pain that lasts for a brief second or two~ it is constant. Hopefully this will work... I pray it does, because one can only tolerate so much pain before it drives them insane... (which happens to be a VERY short drive in my case)


So... I went to the doctors... I am not feeling much of anything at the current moment~ as the doctor numbed me really well... Actually, after he first put some local anesthetic in my rump (which is where they did the procedure)- he started the procedure and I could still feel what he was doing~ so more numbing medicine went in... He put enough in that he was worried about me being able to walk afterwards~ so I was told I HAD to leave the hospital in a wheelchair, was not allowed to drive for the next 12 hours, and I was to remain very still~ no extra movement~ he was worried I might try to walk and because I can't feel much of my leg nor how it is operating~ might inadvertently injure myself... So~ I am almost completely helpless... Which does NOT sit well with me... I do not like being waited on, nor babied... And my dad, bless his sweet heart, told me he knows how much I love being treated that way- but I was to suck it up and follow the doctors orders... Which sorta pissed me off even more...

They did a different type of injection this time. It is still a steroid-type shot, but instead of doing it in my spinal column (sticking a needle between my vertebrae and vertebral discs- and injecting the medication), they did the procedure in my sacral illiac joint... Where? Basically the spot where my spine meets my hip... It is a teeny tiny little spot they have to be able to get in... So, since the space is so small~ they do x-rays during the procedure to make sure that the placement of the needle is as accurate as can be... I think they must have done at least dozen or more x-rays during the whole procedure... Did I mention that the needle they stuck me with was six~ yes, SIX inches long???

I am hoping against all hope that this helps more than the last one did... Because I don't have many options after this... I know even the doctor was a bit concerned though~ because most people get at least two or three weeks of relief with the initial injection they gave me... And almost nobody has an increase in pain (like I did)... He was so concerned that he actually increased the amount of medicine he injected me with... By 20 units...

So (crossing fingers) I hope this works... Just had to get it out of my head... Was worried this morning... And even during the procedure~ because I really wasn't sure what to expect even though the doctor had simply explained the procedure to me when I went in for an initial consultation (unless you've had it done before, you really can't grasp it)... Okay~ I am tired now... Gonna haul my lifeless limb into bed and hope that the dear Sandman finds me quickly and keeps me drawn under for a long time...

Topic Requests...

I am plum out of ideas for blogging... Need topic suggestions from "my readers"... Please- Or the blogs will only continue as events randomly come up in life... Which, seeing as how boring my life is, may be quite some time in the making...Thanks!

Just copied and pasted from my earlier request for topics... Still looking for topic ideas... Want to get a few to choose from before I write again...

Topic Requested: Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 27th, 2008...
Thanksgiving Day...

We wake up early... Cool air... Rain falling from the ominous clouds in the sky... Long drive...

"Family" trip to SeaWorld... I put family in quotes, because although I am not "technically" a part of the family, I have been sort of adopted into it... For better or worse... They have a piece of my heart...

We are welcomed, upon pulling off the highway, by pounding rain... The droplets pelted the truck so hard and so fast the wipers could barely keep up... Is the whole day going to be like this???

Pulling into line, waiting for the parking lot to open... The droplets fizzle to a light sprinkle... Just enought to keep the window wet... Half hour later (because we got there sooooo early), we exit the truck and head for the entrance to the park... Just an occassional sprinkle falling from the sky...

No lines... We quickly enter, and head to check in at the special events counter... All checked in~ we head to breakfast... Breaskfast~ with "Shamu"... Well technically all seven of their orca whales dined with us at some point in time... Bobbie couldn't take her eyes away from the action, thus hardly eating anything... The rest of us enjoyed the buffet style breakfast, and the marine lesson from the whale trainers...

Done eating~ shows over... We head to my favorite thing at the park... The ray pool... Bat rays, sting rays... Yes they are sooooo slimy... But they are soooo cool! This is the one place in the park I make sure to visit each time I come... Watching them glide through the water... Peaceful... Feeding them~ fun... Watching the kids be amazed by these creatures, and being able to get so close to them is sensational... We each take turns feeding them... Even Tammy and Bobbie take a stab at it... Although, I don't think they will offer to feed them on the next trip...

Indoor aquarium... Glow in the dark fishes... See through fishes... Poisonous frogs... All fun...

Shark encounter... The guide specifically tells Tammy that the kids are not to be thrown into the shark pool no matter how tempting it may seem... Krista likes seeing the fishies in the water... She tries to touch them... Tammy threatens to throw a kid into the pool~ I remind her that the guide specifically told HER she could not... Family picture at the end of the exhibit...

Manatee rescue... We sit and watch the manatees and alligator gar fish lazily swim about... Krista and Bobbie are having fun following them about...

Time for the dolphins... Krista finally falls asleep~ albeit a short nap only... Bobbie, Tammy and Robert come out in wetsuits... I step into photographer mode... Snap snap snap... Pictures taken as fast as possible to capture this once in a lifetime experience... Laughing, splashing, dancing, hugging and kissing a dolphin... Wow! How cool is that???

Missing panties...

Rumbly tummys... No~ Tammy doesn't want pizza... What is the next restaurant? A health food type place... Grumble grumble... We decide to eat there... "Healthy" bread (ie. not white), lots of lettuce and tomato; fat free mayo; baked chips~~~ GROSS... Krista and I were the only ones to finish our lunch/dinner... She ate carrots and raisins... Me~ a turkey wrap...

A quick glance at the otters... Watch a guy swim through the dolphin tank picking up stuff that was thrown into the water...

Then head towards the exit... Ruffle through the gift shops... Head out to the truck... Leave...

All three in the backseat fall asleep on the way home...

Fun, to say the very least... Have to make an effort to head back soon... Hopefully when I feel well enough to participate better... Or allow someone to rent me a scooter... Although, I would rather take the former rather than the latter...