Found!

Our lovely cairn terrier, Sadie, had been missing for nearly a full month. Today we got a call that she was waiting for us at the local animal shelter. If you don't have one for your pet, you should get your pet micro-chipped. That how they knew she was ours. Happy.

It Was Only Reflux...ick.

Well, in my last post I was worried about having developed a breathing problem. My doctor informed me that it is possible to have some acid reflux enter the lungs and if you are rapidly breathing (due to exercise or other vigorous activity) some of the acid can enter your lungs causing a reaction similar to an asthma attack. I officially do not have asthma. I do have a minor reflux problem though. Relieved. Thank you all for your positive thoughts and prayers.

Perhaps It Was Asthma?

This past Friday evening, I was doing something very physical. Without warning I suddenly felt something change and my heart was racing and I could barely catch my breath. By all descriptions I have heard or read about, it was a very severe asthma attack. It took nearly 10 minutes to catch my breath and almost 30 minutes before I felt I could breathe freely again. During my gasping for life, I nearly lost consciousness a couple of times and I am pretty sure if I had eaten recently, I would have thrown up. It was likely one of the scariest moments of my life. I was even afraid I might not live through it. I felt bad for Jason sitting next to me knowing he felt scared and helpless too. Through those frightening moments, tears ran down my cheeks and I clung to the hope Heavenly Father didn't need to take me home yet.
I've never been diagnosed with asthma. I used to suffer from bouts of chronic bronchitis and sinusitis which is why I own an inhaler. I haven't had either for over a year now and have been very grateful for being so healthy; which is why this sudden attack caught me off guard and without an inhaler nearby.
The rest of Friday evening, I felt quite exhausted and my lungs were in a lot of pain. Every breath hurt.
Yesterday, my right lung felt much better but my left was still burning and aching with every breathe. Getting ready for work left me a bit winded and tired. I found my old inhaler and took a couple of puffs. Before work, I went to the grocery store with my daughter; then dropped her off at my mom's for the day. I told my mom about it but not in detail. I didn't want to worry her. By the time I got to work, I was shaking from all the efforts of the morning and quite light headed. Walking from my desk to the bathroom left me a bit winded and tired. I sneezed at one point and felt like a thousand tiny needles were in my left lung. I kinda lost my appetite too. I had a potluck planned at my house Saturday evening. I considered cancelling but then realized I felt a great need to see my friends again. It was a difficult evening but I was grateful to have them with me. I think I just needed reassurance and the comfort of their presence. Needless to say. I think I need to have a visit to the doctor this Monday.
Today, my lungs still ache but I feel much better. I am staying home and taking it easy. My daughter keeps asking me to do stuff with her but I just tell her I am not feeling well and give her a huge hug feeling grateful my life is still available to live and be here with her.
I am also thinking of my friend Charity today. She recently went through a double lung transplant. I am praying her body will never reject this second transplant she was blessed with and think how insignificant my pain has been compared to hers. She is an inspiration.
I hope this all has been nothing more than a solitary incident and leads to nothing more than needing to carry an inhaler with me. Your prayers and support are appreciated.

Oi

I am 38 years young today. Now please stop asking.

Fideo (pronounced Fee-day-o)

So, I really love fideo. It's a Mexican pasta dish my maternal great-grandmother,Abuelita, would make for us. None of us have figured out her exact recipe and sadly she never wrote it down. It wasn't a secret, it just didn't occur to anyone to write it down before she passed away at the age of 94.

I think I may have gotten pretty close to the flavor I remember but of course it will never be quite the same even if I had the recipe. I've noticed throughout my life that everyone tends to make things slightly different, even if using the exact same recipe and ingredients.

Once I began venturing out into the eating world, I was thoroughly surprised by how few people not only hadn't tasted Fideo but also hadn't even heard of it. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a few years ago that Cafe Rio put it on their menus (Fridays only.) It was shockingly similar in flavor to Abue's. The main difference in taste was they added lime juice which was a pleasant addition.

Here's how I make it:

1 package of coiled vermicelli

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 small onion, diced(or half a large)

1 small can diced green chilies

1 tsp granulated garlic (fresh is good too)

Knorr chicken bouillon

water

pepper to taste

oil for frying

Assemble all ingredients

Get oil hot, carefully place coils of vermecelli in hot oil, turn once; should be a light-medium golden color.

Place coils on paper toweled plate to allow to drain excess oil.

Pour oil from pan in a dry, safe place (I use a bowl) to allow to cool before throwing out. Don't pour down sink.

In same pan, with residual oil, caramelize diced onions until desired texture. I like 'em softened.

Add tomato sauce, diced green chilies, garlic, and pepper.

Add enough water to just cover the pasta and one tsp bullion per cup of water. Allow to simmer until pasta is softened. Some people like it a little soupy but I prefer the 'dry' version.

Garnish with a little parmesean and enjoy.

For me, this is a comfort food. It goes well with roast chicken. I really hope you take the time to make this and that it turns out well for you.

Crispy Orange Beef

I have been getting kind of tired of my own cooking lately yet cannot afford to eat out where I would like too, mainly Chinese food places. So I was looking through the fridge, cupboards, and drawers of the kitchen and realized I had all the ingredients needed for this recipe I had found online. The sauce is really salty but once over the noodles and beef it was fine. I wouldn't recommend it for those with high-blood pressure though. I followed the recipe and added 4 drops of DoTerra Wild Orange Essential Oil. I think it really enhanced the orange flavor. Also, I fried the beef in coconut oil rather than other types of frying oil, it's healthier (and tastier). If you have the time and ingredients handy, I highly recommend making this dish. The hardest part was not eating all the crispy beef before everything else was done. Yum!

CRISPY ORANGE BEEF

For Stewed Meat:

1 lb stew beef

flour (for dredging)

cooking oil (to sauté meat)

dash of salt and pepper

To prepare meat:

Season stew meat very lightly with salt and pepper and lightly toss in flour. Shake off excess flour. Coat a shallow pan with cooking oil and gently pan fry stew meat.

Drain meat and set aside.

Sauce:

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon flour

juice of 1 orange

zest of half an orange

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

pepper, to taste

To prepare the sauce:

Add cooking oil to sauce pan and gently cook garlic. Add flour to garlic and oil; cook to remove the uncooked flour taste. It will look pasty at first.

Stir in soy sauce and teriyaki sauce, whisking to prevent lumps. Add orange zest, orange juice, pepper, and all sugars. Allow sauce to come to a boil and it will thicken. Cook to desired consistency. Toss stew meat in enough of the sauce just to coat it. Serve over rice.

Class Assignment

We have a very sweet, kind hearted teacher in the Advanced Esthetics class. Periodically she comes up with exercises where we have to go around the room with everyone saying something nice about the person sitting to their left or writing out goals for your life, which don't even have to involve esthetics.

This past Monday, she asked us to write out 10 things we are grateful for in our lives and a reason why we were grateful. This is what I wrote:

Grateful For...

1. Knowing, without doubt, there is a God, that He is our Heavenly Father and that He loves each of us unconditionally. grateful for this knowledge because it strengthens me through difficult times; because I know I'm loved even when I make mistakes, an because it brings me peace.

2. Eyeglasses, because I'm blind without them.

3. My heated blanket because it keeps me warm and helps me sleep more deeply -it also has helped lower our gas and electric bills because I turn on the furnace A LOT less and stop using the room heater.

4. Adoption/my daughter, because without both, I wouldn't be a mother.

5. My loving family (Mom, my brothers and their wives, nieces and nephews, and lots of lovely cousins...including in-laws) because life would be lonely without all of them.

6. My sewing skill/talent, because it's fun and I can always have a way to earn some extra money.

7. My Bernina and all other sewing supplies -see #6 for why.

8. My health, because it allows me to be capable of doing anything.

9. My amazing friends because they uplift, support, and make me laugh.

10. Last but not least, my husband, because he is the wonderful human being I am complete with.

After we wrote out lists. We went around the room and shared. I felt a fullness of love fill my heart to hear everyone. Vocational school has brought more than just book learning into my life. I am gaining knowledge and friendships that will last a lifetime.