"Fabulous Five" Now Down to the "Frightful Four" .......

I just received an email from the girl I had been going back and forth with all day Sunday, who was interested in a pup, stating she had found another elsewhere (big sigh).  That's okay, as the "Magnificent Seven" are down to the "Frightful Four", with two females and one male having new "forever" homes to go to in three weeks.

The "Seven" are almost totally weaned from their "Mommy", as I am now feeding them three square meals a day, and "Mommy" (Lexus) is feeding them one.  I am really pleased with their progress, as they are eating well, drinking water well, and of course, peeing and pooping all over the place with no problems at all!!!  Do you know how many newspapers one needs to have when there are puppies involved ?????   Let me tell you I am glad we have a local newspaper, The Wiarton Echo, where I can go in to get their recyclables !

Three weeks the puppies are ready for new homes!!!  Where have the past few weeks gone to..... they have just flown by in my little world.  That means there are only four more weeks until another Holiday Weekend !  Wowsers.....

I was very thankful to the Wiarton Airport yesterday for forecasting the weather incorrectly......no showers, with the exception of a few clouds, it turned out to be a very nice sunny day.  Matter of fact, it was so nice I hung out two sets of bedding on the clothes line that had no problem drying between the sunshine and a light breeze.

Oh and the smell of them crawling into bed last night....surely this is what I think a "little piece of Heaven" must be like.........

Since Hydro One deemed "Easter Monday" as a holiday, meaning off-peak hydro rates, not only did I take advantage of the weather by doing three loads of laundry and hanging my laundry out, I took advantage of the 'cheap' rates and made Turkey Stock yesterday, which simmered on my "electric" stove top for four hours:

.....strained and ready for overnight in the fridge for the fat to rise and set, which I will skim off today, then pour the desired amount of stock in individual containers to be put in the freezer for a later use.

For those of us who have never made a Turkey Stock before, I found a great website giving instructions on "how to":

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/turkeystock.htm

If you have the freezer space, it sure can save money by making your own broth, since Campbell's Broth,  at my local grocery store, can run anywhere from $2.99 to $3.49 a 900 ml carton.  I don't know about anyone else, but I sure do like saving money whenever I can.

Getting into a Health issue that is starting to be more recognized now then it has been in the past years, and something I have and was diagnosed with three years ago is "Fibromyalgia".  When I was diagnosed with Fibro, I was so relieved to have a "Name" for what I had been experiencing, as I really thought all the widespread pain and nerve eruptions I had been experiencing were all in my head.

Try explaining to someone that your legs from your knees down feel like electric shocks are pulsing through them and you have feltl like cutting your legs off from the knees down.  Or about the pains shooting from my elbows down into my wrists and hands (I do not have carpal tunnel syndrome, as I have been tested).  Not only painful, but very very frustrating as people look at you as if you have two heads; since they can not see your pain, how could they ever think you were feeling this widespread chronic pain?  I have and I still do.  I certainly feel for others who are experiencing the same pain and frustrations. as I do myself at times.

I am relieved to say, people are being more educated about Fibromyalgia these past few years then in the past.  I came across an article in the Canadian Health magazine from one last year's issue.  An article well worth the read should you know someone who is effected by the chronic pain of Fibromyalgia:

Understanding Fibromyalgia

http://www.canadian-health.ca/5_3/44_e.html

I hope there are some of us who find this article beneficial, as I certainly found it to be for my own self.  It is always a relief to find that I am not walking alone, as I have two first cousins who also have Fibro.  We can totally relate to what each of the other is feeling and have felt in the past, whether it is the pain or the emotions that go with it.

Trust me there are days when I wish I could feel like this little guy, but alas I can think of him and have a real "cchuckle" when I do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HiO9rzU_aw&feature=share

Omg....a friend had emailed me this link just after Easter, and I almost fell off my chair laughing so hard....LOL.

Just last week, before Good Friday, an aquaintence emailed me asking whether I had a good pumpkin cheesecake recipe.  It just so happened I knew my girlfriend had made one a couple of years ago for her Thanksgiving family gathering.  I got on the phone to confirm that she had gotten the recipe from one of the Kraft What's Cooking Magazines, as well as how much she and her family enjoyed it (since two years had gone by I had to make sure my memory was serving me correct).

Sure enough I was right, so I passed on this information to my aquaintence.  I was so pleased to receive her email back after Easter telling me what a "great" hit this Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake had made at her Easter Dinner gathering.  She had also included a photo of her accomplishment:

Let me tell you how impressed was I with this young ladies accomplishment, as I, myself, haven't even made a "Baked Cheesecake".  Let me also say I am going to be making one now, as I certainly have been inspired by this young ladies "achievement".

This is the link for this wonderful looking "Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake" creation:

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/pumpkin-swirl-cheesecake-94546.aspx

.....another tried, tested and true recipe by two people I know !

At the moment it is pouring rain here outside of my windows, so let's see what my favorite weather source has to say about the day ahead:

Today:

Showers. Risk of a thunderstorm late this afternoon. Amount 20 to 30 mm. Wind becoming east 30 km/h late this morning. High 14. UV index 3 or moderate.

Tonight:

Showers ending this evening then cloudy periods. Risk of a thunderstorm early this evening. Fog patches developing late this evening. Wind becoming south 20 km/h after midnight. Low 12.

Thunderstorms.....I love thunderstorms (as long as the hydro doesn't go out).  Looks like it will be a day to do some of the regular stuff around here, and maybe one Spring cleaning job could also be squeezed in somewhere, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".