Mood:  happy

Tis the last day of my annual holiday baking!

Todays third and final creation is actually my favorite of everything that I have made over the past few days of super tasty cranberry treats. This may be my first time cooking with cranberries, but most definitely will not be my last!

The aroma from cooking these tart little cranberries with dark brown sugar, molasses and lots of sugary spices reminds me of a really great seasonal Yankee Candle. But only better! I actually at one point just stood over the large pot with various berries cooking on the stove and took in the amazing aroma... MMMMMMM!!! The smell of fresh cranberries bathing in sweet amaretto liquor was truly divine!! Adding dark brown sugar and real vanilla extract only made it that much better! Who needs a Yankee Candle when the entire house smelled like a real holiday bakery over the past 48-hours!

Actually, over the past 72-hours of pure holiday baking bliss~ It's really been all about the right amount of fruits, spices and making sure to go with real extracts, not imitation. The same holds true for what type of flour to buy when creating your very own recipes for holiday baking. These are just a few of my tips on products that I used to help make every new creation truly a holiday baking masterpiece!

*Baker's Joy No stick flour baking spray

*Arrowhead Mills Organic all-purpose flour unbleached

*Mauna Loa, no preservatives, dry roasted macadamia nuts

*No Yolk egg whites

Now onto my third and final holiday baking creation!

For a gal who was never much for fruitcake. I beg to differ on this super moist, most berrylicious total opposite version of the dry, hard-as-a-rock fruitcake that most of us familiarize ourselves with on Christmas. BAH!

My goal was to create something that had more of a summer sweetness to it with lots of berries, a sweet nutty flavor and some of the very best holiday pure baking extracts and spices to give it that extra little zing with every bite! Once again, no recipes. This is my own personal creation that honestly didn't last but a mere 48-hours since I am still catching up over the past 3 days of blogging.

At the end of this blog entry is a picture of me and the after math of what used to be an entire fruitcake. As of the current time... almost G-O-N-E! Hehehehehehe!

What you will need to bake this super moist Berrylicious Holiday Fruitcake by little ole me:

One non-stick Bundt pan

One large cooking pot

One medium size sauce pan for fruit prepping

 BERRYLICIOUS HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE

1/4 cup of chopped pecans

1/4 cup of chopped macadamia nuts

1/4 cup of golden raisins

1/4 cup of Morello cherries

1/4 cup of blueberries

1/4 cup of cranberries

1 small mandarin orange diced

1/4 cup of molasses or Dark Karo syrup

1/2 cup of organic all-purpose flour unbleached

1 teaspoon of pure orange extract

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of allspice

3 tablespoons of cinnamon-sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 cup of softened butter

1/4 cup of dark brown sugar

1 egg white or No Yolk eggs

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of sea salt

2 tablespoons milk

1/3 cup amaretto liquor for soaking fruits

24-hours prior to baking you will need to prep the berrylicious fruit in a medium size sauce pan.

Mix 1/3 cup of amaretto liquor, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of molasses or Dark Karo syrup with cranberries, blueberries, cherries and golden raisins in sauce pan on stove top, medium heat setting for 15 minutes. Bring to a bubbling boil and remove to cool for 20 minutes. Cover saucepan while cooling, occasionally stirring, then place in refrigerator for 24-hours. This will allow for the amaretto, brown sugar and molasses to soak into the fruit mix.

Nighty night berrylicious fruit!

24 hours later.... time to prepare the remainder of the ingredients.

*Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees*

You will be mixing the dry ingredients, molasses, milk, eggs, sugar, nuts, flour and spices with a large hand held spoon in a separate medium size bowl. No hand mixers or other electric gadgets allowed. Time for some old school baking from back in the day! Hehehehehe!

In medium size bowl combine butter, brown sugar, egg and milk. Stir till smooth consistency. Now add your spices to the mix; cinnamon-sugar, ground cinnamon, allspice, baking soda and sea salt. Onto the pure extracts! Pour in the vanilla and orange extracts followed by your molasses or Karo Dark Syrup. Lastly add your flour, chopped pecans and macadamia nuts and stir until blended thoroughly.

Now for the berrylicious fruit!

Take out your fruit mix that has been soaking in amaretto, brown sugar and molasses/Karo Dark syrup and place into large mixing bowl. Leave some remaining fruit and sauce for moistening and decorating the cake after final baking. I had to use my best judgment on this one as you can tell with the photos attached! 1/3 cup of left over fruit to put off to the side is a good start! 

Spray your non-stick Bundt pan with a no-stick flour spray such as Baker's Joy. This will guarantee that your Berrylicious Holiday Fruitcake does not stick to the pan after baking. Trust me on this one! It works!

Add mixed ingredients from bowl into the Bundt pan and then sprinkle diced mandarin orange pieces of top of batter. You will then take a large spoon and slowly add remaining amaretto liquor and fruit juices from sauce pan on top of the batter. I even added some extra Morello cherries on top of mine before baking.

Time to bake this super sweet Berrylicious Holiday Fruitcake treat!

Set your timer for 35 minutes. You will need to recheck again every 5 minutes with a toothpick. The toothpick need not be completely clean, but actually a little browning around the edges of the pan to know when it is done. I timed mine to approximately 40 minutes. This is a super moist fruitcake so don't anticipate it to rise to tremendous heights. The secret is keeping the cake moist. Not dry.

Take your Berrylicious Holiday Fruitcake out of the oven and place on cooling rack or oven mitt. Use any remaining left over amaretto soaked fruit juice to spoon on top, sit and wait for 15 minute to allow for cooling.

This is where the art of not having your fruitcake stick to the pan comes into play! Have your large holiday or decorative plate ready to catch some Berrylicious Holiday Fruitcake by placing it on top of the open Bundt cake pan. Quickly, but gently using oven mitts, turn over the Bundt cake pan and tap lightly with a butter knife. This will ensure that the fruitcake has safely made its way out of the Bundt pan without sticking. It should come out very easily since this Berrylicious Holiday Fruitcake is super moist!

Place into the refrigerator for 30 minutes until cool to the touch. Onto the rest of the left over soaked fruit in amaretto liquor!

Not only is it super festive and Berrylicious! It also makes for a really great dessert conversation piece during the holiday season!

There's only one catch to this newest and final holiday baking creation by little ole me... It won't last long, so make sure to save yourself a piece!

HOLY FRUIT CAKE!  IS THIS YUMMY!!!

BERRYLICIOUS HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE

Recipe by, Little Ole Me

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: December 13, 2017 7:51 AM EST

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Mood:  happy

Onto day 2 with some serious holiday baking..

Today's new little ole me creation? Why of course!

What to do... what to do... with more leftovers that I didn't need for my new fruitcake recipe. Far too many cranberries that I didn't feel like freezing. I have never cooked with cranberries. So I wasn't sure how they would even taste in a saucepan. Whether alone how to make some sort of pudding out of almost a full bag of left over cranberries. Hmmmmmm?...

Onto the second newest holiday dessert creation using my most favorite cooking liquor of all time. Amaretto! I must also plug this brand due to the fact of using it with all three new holiday dessert creations that turned out simply... amazing. 

A BLOGTASTIC plug for di Amore~Amaretto!

Now onto some festive cranberry pudding... a mere few hours of well spent time utilizing the oven and the freezer.

1 large bag of cranberries

1 small bag of chopped macadamia nuts

1/4 cup of golden raisins

1/4 cup of dark raisins

1/3 cup of morello cherries

1/4 cup of dark brown sugar

1/3 cup of molasses 

1 small cup of low-fat greek yogurt

1/4 cup of shelled pecans

3 tablespoons of cinnamon-sugar

1 teaspoon of allspice

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/3 cup of Amaretto liquor

*fat-free cool whip for topping

With this recipe you will need one large cooking pot, a large blender and approximately 2 hours of time in the kitchen. I do not burn-off my liquor or light it while cooking. I have found that actually cooking on med-low heat, stove top is the best way for the ingredients to soak in the amaretto liquor.

Instead of a saucepan. I found mixing all of the ingredients in one large cooking pot to be the easiest way to make my newest creation, 'Festive Cranberry Pudding.'

Add cranberries, cherries, golden raisins, dark raisins and amaretto liquid into large cooking pot on medium for approximately 15 minutes. Add brown sugar, molasses and pecans stirring until the mixture starts to bubble. Slowly stir in the remaining spices, ground cinnamon, cinnamon-sugar and allspice then turn to a low setting for 10 minutes. Place large pot to cool (off burner) for 10 minutes.

Get your blender ready!

Spoon entire mixture and one small cup of low-fat greek yogurt into large blender on medium setting until it becomes a smooth consistency. Add additional amaretto to your liking.

Off to the freezer!

Place the large blender mixture into the freezer for 15-20 minutes or until chilled to your liking. Spoon into your choice of glassware for a really super tasty and quite Festive Cranberry Pudding treat!

Add a scoop of fat-free Cool whip, dash of chopped macadamia nuts and a slice of mandarin orange as a final topping. The end result is a very pretty glass and an even happier tummy! YUMMY!!!!

I would say this is an intermediate level recipe. It does take a lot of time and some patience. But the end result is worth the wait! Festive Cranberry Pudding is also great to use on toast, blended in yogurt or just to eat with a spoon as dessert.

Bon Appetite!

FESTIVE CRANBERRY PUDDING

Recipe by, Little Ole Me

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: December 14, 2017 10:41 PM EST

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Mood:  happy

It's like a really bad version of the Twelve Days Of Christmas;

One unexpected $4,850 expensive housing issue.

Two bad Cleveland Clinic phone calls.

Enough with that nonsense! This weekend is all about being HAPPY! The other issues can wait until Monday.

Time for some holiday baking! YAYYYYY!

Here we go with everything that this gal needs for a few new creations. I must admit... cooking with no recipe can be pretty darn challenging. But so far the outcome has been more than D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S with a festive twist!

First on the list. My own creation on what to do with left over pecans. I always wanted to make candied pecans. You know... the kind you see at a gourmet food retailer around Christmas. All wrapped up in a pretty container, topped with a red bow and a huge price sticker. Now I know why candied pecans are so gosh darn expensive.

It took forever to figure out a way to turn plain ole shelled pecans into candied heavenly bliss! Actually... I like to call this first creation simply put, 'Drunkin' Covered Pecans.' With Amaretto being my cooking choice for all of my holiday creations. It's no wonder these pecans went from plain to drunkin' in brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, all-spice and good ole Amaretto liquor! Then it was off to the oven to cook for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I cooked the pecan mixture in a saucepan for 10 minutes before setting the oven for 350 degrees. With such a gooey consistency. I first had to separate the pecans out on a large cookie sheet with parchment paper before placing them in the oven. You really can't go wrong with these Drunkin' Covered Pecan treats! Talking about smelling amazing... just like a bakery! And just wait until the final reveal after drizzling melted white chocolate and chopped macadamia nuts on both sides of the baked pecans.

OMG!! SCRUMPTIOUSLY DELICIOUS!!!

Worth adding to your holiday recipe list! Although patience is a must! This is one candied pecan treat that takes quite a bit of time in the kitchen.

I am always one to multi-task, so while I was working on creating my Drunkin' Covered Pecans. The left over cranberries were in need of my attention. That will be tomorrow's shared recipe. But for now... it's off to taking these plated holiday goodies back to the freezer!

1 large bag of unsalted pecans

1/3 cup of Amaretto liquor

1 large bag of Ghirardelli white chocolate baking chips or wafers

1 bag of chopped Macadamia nuts

1/2 cup of molasses or Karo dark syrup

1/3 cup of dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of all-spice

You will need two large cookie sheets, two medium sauce pans and plenty of time on your hands... HA!

Mix pecans, Amaretto, molasses or Karo dark syrup into medium sauce pan. Cook on low-medium for 10 minutes. Mix in dark brown sugar, cinnamon and all-spice. Let sit to cool for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon pecans onto middle of large cookie sheet and then separate before placing in the over for approximately 20 minutes, give or take. When the mixture begins to bubble around the pecans, then you know they are cooking properly. Place cookie sheet on cooling rack for 10 minutes and then back into freezer for 20 minutes.

Next... the melted white chocolate and macadamia nut drizzle!

Melt baking chips in a medium size sauce pan until a smooth consistency and then drizzle with a spoon over pecans on large cookie sheet. Quickly sprinkle macadamia nuts on top of the melted chocolate and then place cookie sheet in freezer for 20 minutes. You will need to carefully separate the pecans once out of the freezer and repeat drizzled white chocolate and sprinkled macadamia nuts on the other side of the pecans. I used a few cookie sheets and then decorative plates to separate the Drunkin' Covered Pecans before placing them back in the freezer until ready to eat.

These would make for great holiday gifts in a mason jar or any other festive container!

Drunkin' Covered Pecans

Recipe by: Little Ole Me

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: December 10, 2017 6:18 AM EST

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Mood:  special

A little too ironic... I really do think.

Can you believe that this photo of our Babyblue is every bit a splitting image of Littleblue. The same crisp, fall day here in the country while walking the trails along the river. I honestly had to do a double take while sifting through my cell phone photos taken last year and this year. Ironically, I had taken the exact same picture of both Littleblue and Babyblue at the exact same time before walking over the bridge along the river. Two of my most beautiful, lovable, beloved husky girls. Twins!

This weekend, I plan on embracing all that is good with this very magical time of the year. Putting on my Christmas cheer and getting the kitchen ready for some serious holiday baking!

Let the great  weekend of holiday baking begin!

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: December 9, 2017 7:34 AM EST

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Mood:  cheeky

Well look who found the Elfie blanket, Kitty Klaus pillow and Snoreo's polar bear friends... hehehehehe!

Not only did my phone wake me up at 8am. But so did Eric's long awaited conference call with the CEO's office and senior financing department regarding a whole slue of errors being reported with the credit bureaus. There has only been 2 months of actual correct payment reporting with Eric's VA mortgage loan. I spent the past few days pulling credit reports from all three bureaus over the course of the past 13 months. What a mess! Not only has there only been 2 correct months of mortgage payments that were reported by the bank to the credit bureaus. But as well payments posted by the bank are then showing up months later as not being paid. November and December payments from last year was reported correctly. Then magically both payments disappeared from all three credit bureaus from April 1st till present.

Talking about a HUGE April Fool's Day joke! 

It's not only... not funny. But even our own personal bank underwriter looked at the various reports showing all sorts of inaccuracies and advised Eric that he stay on top of the bank whom holds our mortgage loan. The payment paper trail of cashed checks by the mortgage loan holder doesn't even come close to matching the inaccurate mess turned into the credit bureaus, per month, over the course of the past year. I have a good inkling that it's going to be awhile before this entire mess slowly becomes unraveled. Eric really should had stayed on top of the bank every single week. At least twice a week over the past three months when I accidently stumbled across the huge error reporting with our mortgage loan. Rule to the wise... problems in life will not just resolve on their own. Mere pretending that problems don't exist won't solve the problem either. Not caring only says one thing... lazy. One must stay on top of important issues. Not just mere brushing them off to the side. Like... making monthly payments two weeks prior to their due date with your home mortgage loan and making absolutely sure that the bank is reporting them correctly to all three credit bureaus.

Unfortunately, no one can buy our home right now. This after we already had two potential buyers interested in possibly going under contract with our home. We can't even sell our home right now until the bank corrects each and every single error with the credit bureaus. Every single mortgage payment that has been made must reflect as being paid on that specific month, over the past 13 months, with all three credit bureaus. Correctly, timely and accurately as we have done so with making payments each and every month. I don't look at this as a permanent issue, because it will get corrected. The problem is that it didn't need to get so out of hand if one is wise enough to handle issues as they arise. Not wait until my foot gets planted firmly down... ultimatums. But ahhhhhh yes... some times we must learn things in life and learn them the hard way. Eric spent quite a few hours on the phone over the past 3 days. This mornings conference call was the first step going into the right direction of getting the reporting corrected and his FICO score as well changed accordingly to reflect all payments that have been made over the past 13 months.

Needless to say. I can't do it all and not all the time.

It's a shame that you assume the bank is reporting your monthly payments correctly as any bank should with your mortgage loan. But sometimes all it takes is one person at corporate level to really mess things up with not reporting or inaccurately reporting payments to all three credit bureaus. I have always been the type of person to stay on top of my credit. I think that same should apply to everyone. Because you just never know if and when major errors are sitting there waiting to be discovered on your credit report. Keeping a close eye on your credit reporting is as easy as signing up for free credit monitoring. Companies such as, Credit Karma are not only easy to sign up for, but as well they are FREE. It's a no-brainer if you ask me!  

As for Eric... lesson learned.

Tomorrow is a new day. At least for one of us anyhow. Hahahahaha! As for myself. I now have the privilege to sit back, enjoy the ambiance and twinkling of the Christmas tree lights and say, "I told you so." Hehehehehehe!

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: December 8, 2017 3:08 AM EST

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Mood:  happy

It's not only beginning to feel a lot more like Christmas outside.

But as well... inside!

"OH Christmas TREES'

I finally was able to finish putting up the last tree and few totes of Christmas decorations this evening. YAYYYY! It's most definitely feeling a lot more like the holidays inside and outside of our house!

We actually put up more decorations this year than what we could muster up last year. Last years holiday vibe was dark and dreary due to the house being left by the prior sellers as one huge repair mess after another. Maybe this year I felt more festive due to the house now having a much more happier vibe and energy. We finished what we could outdoors for the season with repairs. This means what little that is left will have to wait until after the winter season. There really isn't much left to do indoors as far as repairing, repainting and redecorating. This gal busted her booty over the past year! My body is officially burned out from flipping our house of many hidden lemon gems. Time to take it easy for the rest of the year and upcoming winter season. I don't plan on adding any additional furniture. So until we sell this house and look forward to a new home, the next and final leg of our great moving journey. What little we have in the house will just have to due for the time being.

Less is MORE!

With less furniture means even far more room to set up all of our Christmas trees. Five Christmas trees and 5 totes of holiday decorations. This was by far the quickest it has ever taken me to put up all of the trees, lights and other decorations. Most of our lights actually worked from last year. Funny how they typically only last through one season. Compared to the monster bulbs from back in the day that would last from generation to generation. LED lights are really nice and energy efficient. But they really don't withstand the winter weather, wind and rain. I'm not so sure if Mother Nature will be delivering us a white Christmas. But one can still hold onto hope of waking up on Christmas morning to see beautiful snow flakes slowly falling down from heaven. L-O-V-E SNOW! I am a snow junky! HA!

#Family #Memories #Happiest

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: December 7, 2017 11:23 PM EST

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Mood:  hungry

What's for dinner?

Today I got to enjoy some time in the kitchen doing something that I've always enjoyed...

Cooking

Continuing on the path of far healthier food choices for not just Eric, but our entire little family. Organic, low sodium and MSG free! That's my kind of cooking!

Even Babyblue enjoys tasting the new organic line of homemade Amish jarred goodies; Mango Berry Salsa, Mexican Cinnamon Apple Butter and Triple Berry Preserves. MMMMM!

 

This little girl loves organic peanut butter that actually makes for some simple recipe bone treats for her and Snoreo... Hehehehehe! Every bit the splitting image of our beloved Littleblue. How ironic that she also learned the art of eating from a spoon at the very first try! Now every time she hears me in the kitchen, I am quickly greeted with two cute little paws up on the baby gate. Hehehehehehe!

 

I have a few new recipes in mind for this upcoming weekends holiday baking. Of course... fruitcake! I plan on a few new creations this year, although Eric still insists that my traditional homemade Buckeye Candies should be on the list. Hmmmm.... I thought I left the Buckeyes back across state lines in Ohio last year? HA! They were even left out of the playoffs. A pun from Eric on that one!

 

But then again...

HOW DID YOU ALL LOVE THOSE STEELERS!!! WOO~HOO!!

Time to get my creative cooking genes ready for a weekend of holiday cooking bliss~

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: December 7, 2017 9:41 PM EST

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Mood:  happy

You better watch out

You better not howl

You better not pout

Or start to meow

Why yes, I did! Santa Paws' really does exist!

These photos truly do say it all! Not only do they warm your heart. But as well bring an instant smile that just can't be denied!

Ecstatic fur children tickled pink that Santa Paws' was able to pay them a visit this evening. Hehehehehehe!

I wasn't sure how Snoreo was going to take seeing Santa Paws' with it being such a long time since paying him a visit last year on Christmas Eve. That huge smile on Snoreo's face is not only priceless! But it goes to show that Santa Paws' really does bring a smile to each and every good little puppy and kitty in the world. Those really special fur children who have been exceptionally well behaved all year long as they anxiously await the arrival for Santa Paws'!

This is BabyBlue's first-year meeting Santa Paws'. As she was getting ready to doze for a early evening nap. She was awakened by some commotion and chatter in the kitchen. Seems Santa Paws' was able to take some time out from his upcoming busiest season! Delivering toys to all the good little fur children, girls and boys.

This evening was the most happiest yet! Being able to see how much joy and sheer delight a visit from Santa Paws' brought BabyBlue, Snoreo and the rest of our fur children.

How silly can one really be to believe that Santa only delivers toys around the world for human children. No way, this is most definitely not true! I heard from the elves myself that Santa Paws' really does exist! The stories are true! Just like Santa Claus does for children, Santa Paws' rides his sleigh around on Christmas Eve delivering gifts and all sorts of toys for all the good fur children who live with their human families.

There's a special kind of Santa named Santa Paws', who visits all of God's creatures both big and small.

Instead of just milk and cookies. You know what this means? Extra toys and treats filling our fur children's stockings this Christmas Eve!

Signed, Kimberly/H

-Little ole me

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: December 5, 2017 7:58 AM EST

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Mood:  bright

This image never gets old... love from Big LOVE~

One would never have guessed such neglect and abuse this little guy had been through for the very first year of his life. We not only rescued him, but he rescued me. Unconditional love, happiness and joy that he has brought to our entire little family during the times when we needed it the most. Big LOVE reminds us of what is most important in life... unconditional love and family.

Next week marks the start of not only finishing all of the holiday decorating and putting up the trees. But as well my most favorite thing before Christmas... holiday baking!! YAYYYY! Did I ever tell you how much this gal loves baking! Especially during the holiday season with all of the super yummy smelling scents of homemade delicious treats. This is the year of out with the old and in with the new! I am not so sure if buckeye candies will be on the list of holiday treats. But I do plan on making something new this year with my very own spin on the popular holiday cake... Fruitcake!! No... not the kind that is hard as a rock and can be used as a boomerang. HA! I plan on creating a recipe that is super moist, not of the same ole ingredients used in the classic fruitcake and is actually easy on the tummy. I can't wait to share my new creation next week! Bring on the good days! Time for holiday baking with my new assistance this year... Beary kitty. Too darn stinking cute!

HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: July 5, 2018 7:19 AM EDT

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Mood:  sharp

What a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l morning here in the country!

I woke up feeling blessed to start off the day with much more tolerable pain... YAYYYY! The good ole morphine family of pain medication seems to be doing the trick, but I can't take it 24/7. I am still trying to find a balance between the pain medication and prescription high calorie shakes. I wake up feeling like a zombie and instantly grab a shake for a quick pick-me-up and extra nutrition. It's a tough balance between the two, but there really hasn't been anything yet that I haven't found some sort of solution. I have been through it all and with those experiences comes an abundance of education on valuable nutrition! It's always a learning process living with Gastroparesis. Adding cancer just makes things a bit more challenging. But as always, this gal is up for the challenge! Bring it!

It's been almost a week since we have been able to hit the trails as a family. Eric has been keeping busy making sure that Snoreo and Babyblue still get their daily exercise and a breath of fresh air at our local dog park while I am back at home resting. But today was a good day! What an amazing feeling to be able to get my walking shoes back on this afternoon and later in the evening to enjoy some fresh air of my own out here in the country. Ahhhhhh... air... so refreshing! We also finally got to stop and take a few pictures of the beautiful mural that has been a painting project in the making of it's very own over the past few months here in our little, lazy, river town. Talking about a magnificent piece of art! The side of a very historic building has now turned into this incredible masterpiece!

I love little old towns with a ton of history. What I love more is the little, lazy, river towns that don't feel the need to keep up with the big cities. It's a shame to say... but it seems this little piece of history along the river might be only a mere few images left of what used to be a little, lazy, river town. A tight-knit, family oriented community. Not only are the houses going up for sale around us lately at record speed. But today it seemed as if we were the last ones to know what really was about to transpire here in the country. A piece of history and beauty here among the wooded hillside went up for sale this evening. 7+ acres with a local real estate company. And guess where at? Right across the street! Yep... you know what that means...

TIME TO MOVE FULL STEAM AHEAD WITH SELLING OUR PROPERTY!

Myself and Eric have been really getting into it lately regarding this lemon of a gem home here in the country. I have put so much heart and soul over the past 12 months since purchasing this house. That includes far too much time repairing, repainting and redecorating our home... that it isn't even funny. It's also not becoming very funny to say the least with Eric's mentality towards addressing issues with the bank regarding errors of not reporting monthly payments to all three credit bureaus. It's not an issue of Eric being overwhelmed, because life is always going to present challenges that we all will have to deal with from time-to-time. It's more about Eric not being responsible and taking the reigns with serious matters and issues that involve our little family. That includes my stepson, little E. This gal has busted her booty on this house and even on days when I was sick as hell with very limited energy. Something had to give as I firmly planted my foot down on the ground today. Eric doesn't have much time to get himself together and start thinking logically. I can't do everything on my own anymore, solo. So today is the day to start showing me by actions. Not telling me with words. Brushing off important matters isn't going to continue flying with me. I have my fur children, little E and myself to now worry about and that means Eric must now start acting responsibly.

We now have a far bigger challenge ahead of us as the race to sell our property begins now, today, at this very second. The 7+ acres of land could get bought by someone or an investment company at any time. Our little, lazy, river town committee has already approved the land to be used for a new home development, condominiums and section 8 housing. This means if Eric doesn't get his head on straight and brain in gear, our home could quickly depreciate in value. This means you can forget trying to sell it, whether alone me living here among constant future construction. Medically, we moved on the wooded hillside here in the country for some peace and quiet. Far, far away from large developments back across state lines in the city. Needless to say... my anxiety has skyrocketed after seeing the sale sign go up on the wooded hillside this evening. All 7+ acres of gods country... soon to be gone.

That my friends... is a sad reality when the all mighty $$$ within a family, means more than the lands history.

We aren't the first ones in shock and sheer disappointment with the sale sign going up today on this huge piece of property. There are many of those scrambling to also get their homes up for sale before a big developer starts bringing in the loud-as-hell construction equipment. As for Eric. He was given an ultimatum. He either puts his big britches on and starts taking things seriously. OR... he will be paying for an apartment rental come early spring if the land sells before he gets things straight with the bank and mortgage company. The constant loud construction noises and daily banging from hammers and other tools was already a huge problem back in the rental property where we lived before buying this house here in the country. That was before radiation therapy and other chemotherapy treatments failed to cure or provide me any sort of long term relief. Now just imagine dealing with all of that same construction noise now. Amplified 100 times more on top of a very large wooded hillside that already echoes noises that are easily able to be heard inside and outside of our property. With far larger and much more angry tumors through out my body...

No way! No how! 

It just won't work for me. It's unfortunate, because I didn't ask to be sick. But I can't take living across the street from a major construction zone either, so something has to give. I have done more than my fair share of hard work, physically and mentally over the past 12 months with this house. That doesn't include dealing with highly combatable immediate family, those who would rather run to the courts, then sit down like normal adults and address their issues. Now it's Eric's turn to step up to the plate. He either gets his head on straight... or he will be working a lot more overtime come spring, so I can have some peace and quiet while renting an apartment till he gets the issues resolved with the bank so we can sell off and move to a house that isn't located within a major construction zone.

Time will tell with 7+ acres now officially for sale across the street from our home here in the country.

Eric... the clock is ticking!

Posted by GastroparesisAwarenessCampaignOrg. at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: July 5, 2018 7:21 AM EDT

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