Cooking, Cooking, Cooking.....

Gawrsh!!! Being called on a Friday and a Monday that you don't have to work, too many employee hours and not enough sales, with it being the week of Christmas is a blessing in disguise!

I've made:

2 batches of Red Hot Popcorn

2 batches of Holly Cookies

2 cheese pies

4 batches of Fudge (microwave fudge ~ EASY)

4 batches of Hot Cocoa mix

And, I'm still not done! I've been giving baked goodies to friends, my oldest son wanted stuff for his 6 co=workers! I have my managers, the mailman, Bobby, and Kev has been taking stuff to the ER's. I'm even planning my Christmas menu!

Happy Holidays!

Cozyflier

Red Hot Popcorn

I stole this recipe from my niece, Stephanie. I have been making it along with my standards and giving friends gifts of love ~ home made goodies!



1 C butter (2 sticks)
1/2 C light corn syrup
9oz red hot candies
8 quarts air popped popcorn

Pop the popcorn! Place in 2 large bowls. Melt the butter, corn syrup, and red hots. Bring to boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring often!

Pour the melted mixture onto the popcorn, stir gently to coat the corn. Pour onto 2 greased cookie sheets put in 250* oven. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 mins.

Pour onto wax paper, cool, break apart and store in airtight container or baggies!










This is so yummy! And everyone loves it! Even my neighbor who picks off red hots from Holly Cookies, scarfs down this popcorn! I can hardly get enough stuff baked because Ashley comes over and chows down!! Oh well, at least I know it is edible!

Happy Holidays!

Cozyflier

Cookie Party!

Well, what do you know, a party that wasn't at my house! My friend, Donna, has an annual cookie decorating party. Little did I know! She pre-makes the dough and some icing and invites all the kids from church and that she baby sits for over to roll out, bake, and decorate sugar cookies. Mercy me, we had flour, cookies, and icing everywhere. Not to mention the pizza that we ordered in for lunch! Everyone had a great time. Thanks Donna, I wouldn't have the patience for this one! Great experience for the kids!



Elf AJ rolls out his dough and figures out how to maximize the number of cookies he can cut!




Elf Amelia rolls out her dough!



Pizza break!



How many can we fit around the table to ice and sugar cookies??

Happy Holidays!

Cozyflier

Day Off????

So, what happens when you are called and told you don't have to work 10a-2p?? Oh, should I mention it is 7 days before Christmas??

Well, since I have begun abhorring shopping I went and finished my Christmas shopping, picked up a few essentials for baking goodies, went to a friends house and made homemade hot cocoa mix, got kids from school early, took them to lunch AND then came home and started cooking!

I conned my oldest son into taking my Mom to the grocery store (again) so I could stay home and cook.

Maybe I'll get some rest this weekend! Also conned my neighbor girl into wrapping gifts so I can mail them to OKC!!! Hope they get there in time!

You know the saying, no rest for the wicked! Man, I must be BAD!

Happy Holidays,

Cozyflier

Stress Test

It's a good thing I didn't have to pass a stress test! I was stressed to the max worrying about my Hunny!

12 minutes walking on a treadmill, then rush him over to the Gamma Camera to take pictures of his heart with the thallium dye in it. Wait 3 hours and take more pictures.





The Gamma Camera! This camera rotates around the body!




Then? We played the waiting game! Wait ALL afternoon for our cardiologist to come and give us the results. And the verdict?????

Slightly abnormal! Can do a Cath if you want, most likely safe to continue treating with the 13 medicines we have been treating with. Gee Thanks!! Who in their right mind WANTS a Cath???? If we do a Cath, what would be the plan, another Stent?? Um, 'NO' probably not, just to get a better look in there and see what is going on. Hmm, thanks, but no thanks to the Cath!! 5pm, we want to go home please!

Yes, Kevin spends a great deal of time on the road, but he also 'lives' in ERs!! We are going to pray that medicine and a plant based diet keep him healthy. And, lord forbid if anything happens, that he will be in an ER.

Not an anniversary I want to keep celebrating.

Cozyflier

So, we

I Thought it was Going to be a Jammie Day!

It was Sunday. I had worked everyday last week, even covered a Saturday shift of 5 hours for a co-worker! I was tired. My plans were made ~ spend the day in my Jammie's getting laundry done and RESTING!

Well, best laid plans of mice of men! Around 11am I get a text from Kevin that he is having chest pain! (HX lesson: Exactly 1 yr ago on 12/13 he had a heart attack and received 2 stents. I had JUST started working on my Christmas letter and finished typing a paragraph explaining the above!) How is that for timing?

Text:

Kevin: Chest pain, getting EKG

Me: NO!

Kevin, No? you don't want me to get EKG?

Me: Yes, EKG!! No, to chest pain

Kev: few mins later, EKG abnormal, faxing to Cardiologist

Me: Oh Crap! What Can I do besides panic? Do I need to Call Matt?

Kev: Out of 2 meds, need Nitroglycerin, do you see it on my counter?

Me: NO! I don't see it!! Do I need to get dressed? I was having a Jammie Day!!

Kev: Feeling nauseated, I called Matt.

Me: OK

Kev: Come get me, Dr. wants to see me at Heart Hospital now!

Me: OK.

Kev: Bring someone else, my car is here!


Me: How do I get to LaMesa??

Kev: I-27 south

Me: OK, leaving in about 5

Kev: Who is coming with you, Donna??

Me: Everyone is in church! Give me a few minutes. (I make several calls, finish getting ready. No luck finding anyone to ride an hour with me. Chris, our son, is in a major study session for a final on Monday)

My phone rings, a friend had pick up something for me and wanted to know if she could drop it by the house!

Kelly: What's wrong:

Me: I have to drive to LaMesa, Kev possibly is having a heart attack, I can't find anyone to go with me to bring his car back.... (out of breath sounding desperate!)

Kelly: I can go with you!

Me: Thank the Lord!

To Kev: Kelly can come with me, she is leaving the mall, will be on the road in 5 to 10~

Kev: Main nurse might be in labor this morning, strong braxton hicks contractions!!!

Me: Exciting day at the hospital! Kelly is here, we are leaving......



I drive 78 mph down the highway to LaMesa to get Kevin, hazard blinkers on the entire way.

We get there, get him in the car, Kelly gets his car. I had warned her that I would be 'putting the pedal to the metal' coming home. I did 90 mph coming back to Lubbock! Again, hazard blinkers on. The Heart Hospital is on the far side of town from where we were coming in from. It was the longest drive in history.
Kevin's pain was fluctuating as was his temperature. He wasn't running fever, but he kept feeling hot, then cold, then back! His color wasn't good. Finally made it to the hospital.



Here he is in the ER. Labs came back good, no heart damage this time. 1 year ago his MI was classic reflux, not MI. So we had to be sure this time.

They kept him over night for observation and to do a stress test. That will be another blog!

How was your Sunday the 13th?

Cozyflier

Saturday Sillyness!

What happens when the kids are ready for Christmas break and have the sleepy sillies???

This......

This is AJ, one of HIS friends, and Amelia!! I think they tried on every costume that Grammie has made over the last 12 years! Donna couldn't believe her son was wearing some of these things!



Secret Dorothy??? Hula reindeer Elvis in a cape? And a pink headed I don't know!



Flapper, Lola, and Elf!!!









Texas Tech Devil?

Anyway, the 2 boys and Amelia had fun. Donna, Kevin and I laughed ourselves silly!

Cozyflier