Xander is the proud owner of a new light blue cast! We saw Dr. H. Friday morning to check on how his left arm is healing. The bones are still together, albeit at a slight angle. When the new cast was put on and hardening, the doc put some pressure on Xander's arm at a few specific points to hopefully reduce/remove the angle the bones were sitting at. We have to go in for more x-rays at the end of this coming week to see if it worked. We're sure hoping so. If not, it's back for another operation--and a much more complicated one at that. Crossing fingers again...
On another note, it doesn't seem to be slowing Xander down all too much. He spent much of today outside with his brothers, rough and tumble as usual. They ran around the property, exploring for bugs, riding their scooters on the drive, bouncing on the trampoline, and generally getting dirty. Boys will be boys.
BBQ TIME
Fired up the grill tonight for the first time since last season. Thick ribeye steaks with an Argentinian rub, grilled medium rare, then topped with chimichurri sauce. Mmm....I forgot how much I missed the grilled food. Bring it on!
There are some around these parts who probably think we are wimps. But we just don't see any fun in trying to grill outside with -10 below temperatures and a howling wind during the winter. We'll stick with braises, stews, and crock pot recipes during those cold months, thank you very much!
THE REMODEL
Progress on the Strawhouse is slowly but surely being made. The more visual changes of the construction project are about to commence. We should see some new walls and flooring going up this week. I wonder if the deadline for the end of June is going to be met. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Sorry-no pics. It's going to be a surprise, remember?
Latest Food Musings: Chimichurri rub, fruit smoothies from frozen berries and ripe bananas (and nothing else), crab cakes.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Sticks and Stones
April 8th. Tuesday late afternoon.
I get a call from the preschool. The news: Xander had fallen on the playground and his arm was hurting and swelling. The person calling sounded very calm. It couldn't be that bad, I thought. Big brother Kalvin and I jumped into the car and headed to town.
When I got there, I experienced one of the saddest, most heart-wrenching moments I've ever had as a mother. My little boy was sitting in one of the tiny chairs at a work table, his left arm resting on an ice pack. Tears were streaming down his face. He looked at me with his large puppy dog eyes and just cried out, "Mama!" His left forearm just below the wrist was turning blue and was indeed swelling. And it was distorted. Very obviously so.
I scooped up my little boy, trying to not move or jar his arm in the process. He just cried and cried. We made it to the car, I buckled him in as carefully as possible, and drove to Daddy's office. When I walked in holding Xander, Matt and Dr. S., our anesthesiologist we work with, could see from across the room that his arm was probably broken. A splint was applied to Xander's little arm, and we were then off to the Emergency Dept.
Waiting for the doctor
Poor little guy. We had the usual wait before being taken back to be seen by the doctor. A few x-rays and the verdict was in: two very broken bones, and they needed to be reset in place. An IV, medication, and some painful tugs later, our brave little guy was put back together. Thank goodness for sedation medication--he doesn't remember the very uncomfortable resetting part.
A cast laden arm and some hours later, Xander and I finally left the hospital. He was sure tired after the whole ordeal, especially with it also being 2 hours past his normal bedtime.
Unfortunately, the drama continued throughout the rest of the week. The next day, Wednesday, Xander's little arm was swelling so much under the cast that the circulation to his hand was being cut off. His fingers looked like little sausages. At the Dr's office, they had to cut an incision down the length of the cast to allow it to expand. The color of Xander's fingers immediately improved, and he wasn't complaining so much about them hurting. They took another x-ray as well. The bones had shifted in the past 24 hrs, and the Dr said Xander would need to have surgery on Friday to get it fixed.
Thursday was fairly uneventful, aside from the fun of trying to conjure a waterproof covering over the cast so Xander could have a shower.
All wrapped up for a shower
Friday. 11:10 am. My little boy is wheeled into the OR. A good friend, another anesthesiologist, graciously agreed to come in on his day off, to take care of our Xander. About 45 min later, I look out of the waiting room and see and hear some familiar crying. The nurse has carried Xander out of the OR in her arms, and he is looking around rather dazed and confused. He settles down as soon as I hold him. How good that made me feel to know that I, his mother, could provide the comfort he was desperately seeking. I carried him to his room and we got to snuggle together for the next three hours while he recovered from the anesthesia. As much as I hated to see him have to go through the experience, I thoroughly enjoyed the quiet time we were able to share together. I think he did too. At least he smiled alot.
Just before surgery
Today, our X-man is doing great. We let him go without the sling today, and no swelling or other problems popped up. He complains of no pain, and hasn't needed any pain medication for two days now. Of course, he is running around the house at full force, which terrifies his Dad and I. We're sure he's going to take a tumble and upset whatever healing has been able to take place thus far. Xander has a follow up with the orthopedic surgeon on Friday to see how things are going. We're crossing our fingers for good news!
I get a call from the preschool. The news: Xander had fallen on the playground and his arm was hurting and swelling. The person calling sounded very calm. It couldn't be that bad, I thought. Big brother Kalvin and I jumped into the car and headed to town.
When I got there, I experienced one of the saddest, most heart-wrenching moments I've ever had as a mother. My little boy was sitting in one of the tiny chairs at a work table, his left arm resting on an ice pack. Tears were streaming down his face. He looked at me with his large puppy dog eyes and just cried out, "Mama!" His left forearm just below the wrist was turning blue and was indeed swelling. And it was distorted. Very obviously so.
I scooped up my little boy, trying to not move or jar his arm in the process. He just cried and cried. We made it to the car, I buckled him in as carefully as possible, and drove to Daddy's office. When I walked in holding Xander, Matt and Dr. S., our anesthesiologist we work with, could see from across the room that his arm was probably broken. A splint was applied to Xander's little arm, and we were then off to the Emergency Dept.
Waiting for the doctorPoor little guy. We had the usual wait before being taken back to be seen by the doctor. A few x-rays and the verdict was in: two very broken bones, and they needed to be reset in place. An IV, medication, and some painful tugs later, our brave little guy was put back together. Thank goodness for sedation medication--he doesn't remember the very uncomfortable resetting part.
A cast laden arm and some hours later, Xander and I finally left the hospital. He was sure tired after the whole ordeal, especially with it also being 2 hours past his normal bedtime.
Unfortunately, the drama continued throughout the rest of the week. The next day, Wednesday, Xander's little arm was swelling so much under the cast that the circulation to his hand was being cut off. His fingers looked like little sausages. At the Dr's office, they had to cut an incision down the length of the cast to allow it to expand. The color of Xander's fingers immediately improved, and he wasn't complaining so much about them hurting. They took another x-ray as well. The bones had shifted in the past 24 hrs, and the Dr said Xander would need to have surgery on Friday to get it fixed.
Thursday was fairly uneventful, aside from the fun of trying to conjure a waterproof covering over the cast so Xander could have a shower.
All wrapped up for a showerFriday. 11:10 am. My little boy is wheeled into the OR. A good friend, another anesthesiologist, graciously agreed to come in on his day off, to take care of our Xander. About 45 min later, I look out of the waiting room and see and hear some familiar crying. The nurse has carried Xander out of the OR in her arms, and he is looking around rather dazed and confused. He settles down as soon as I hold him. How good that made me feel to know that I, his mother, could provide the comfort he was desperately seeking. I carried him to his room and we got to snuggle together for the next three hours while he recovered from the anesthesia. As much as I hated to see him have to go through the experience, I thoroughly enjoyed the quiet time we were able to share together. I think he did too. At least he smiled alot.
Just before surgeryToday, our X-man is doing great. We let him go without the sling today, and no swelling or other problems popped up. He complains of no pain, and hasn't needed any pain medication for two days now. Of course, he is running around the house at full force, which terrifies his Dad and I. We're sure he's going to take a tumble and upset whatever healing has been able to take place thus far. Xander has a follow up with the orthopedic surgeon on Friday to see how things are going. We're crossing our fingers for good news!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
So Much For Spring...Pajama Day At Our House
The weather has been just plain STORMY today! It was about 30 F mid afternoon, but with wind so strong that we had horizontal and swirling snow. It's still snowing now. I took these pics about a half hour ago.
Every window of the house is blasted with snow, no matter which direction it faces. Crazy stuff!
It has been one of those Sundays where everyone puts on their lounge wear and slippers after church. We just hang out together, baking in the kitchen or snuggling on the couch with a blanket. Matt decided to make some wheat bread (Of all the cooking and baking he has done in his life, this was the very first time he has made homemade bread!). He and Talmage are sitting on the floor watching the goods bake in the oven! Yummy!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Lone Survivor and Gardening in The Land of The Frozen
The Meyer Lemon tree has come back to life after it's traumatic shipment to MT in February! The top stems died off, but there are many new branches and leaves starting to bud out on the surviving branches. I gave it a haircut this morning to get rid of the deadwood.
The Key Lime tree is not happy. I saw no evidence of recovery as I cut the dead branches off of it as well (most of them). I will not give up on the poor tree yet, but will admit that the dreams off little key limes are beginning to fade...
The boys have had some success with their lemon seed plantings. Two have sprouted and grown to about 3 inches tall. They are really excited about their little trees!
It has been snowing, windy and bitter cold off and on this week. It seems a bit odd to be planning on planting tomato seeds and others in the next few weeks (albeit in the cozy mechanical room under some grow lights) so that they will be big and strong enough for our summer garden. Hard to imagine that the garden will be defrosted by then. I haven't been daring enough to go out and check the asparagus bed yet. It's snow blanket just melted a couple of days ago.
The Key Lime tree is not happy. I saw no evidence of recovery as I cut the dead branches off of it as well (most of them). I will not give up on the poor tree yet, but will admit that the dreams off little key limes are beginning to fade...
The boys have had some success with their lemon seed plantings. Two have sprouted and grown to about 3 inches tall. They are really excited about their little trees!
It has been snowing, windy and bitter cold off and on this week. It seems a bit odd to be planning on planting tomato seeds and others in the next few weeks (albeit in the cozy mechanical room under some grow lights) so that they will be big and strong enough for our summer garden. Hard to imagine that the garden will be defrosted by then. I haven't been daring enough to go out and check the asparagus bed yet. It's snow blanket just melted a couple of days ago.
Monday, March 16, 2009
A Bunch of Sickos
At least some of us, anyways. This past week, our little family was hit by the latest bugs flying around these parts. Mom was the first to keel over with a lovely sinus infection. I tried beating it by following the nice little list of do's and do not's my Dr gave me, but had to go with plan B (antibiotics) after all. I started them on Saturday. I really hate going on them. I still feel lousy.
Xander followed suit with a nasty cough and a low grade fever on Wednesday. Thank goodness for Tylenol. He's still having trouble with this cold, but doesn't really fit the criteria for antibiotics, so we're just keeping watch on him.
Dad has had a few nasty headaches too, so we're hoping he isn't in for it as well.
Kalvin, the kid with a steel immune system, is ever healthy.
And Talmage just had a runny nose. For a day. Go figure.
I'll add more later. Going to bed. I'm pooped.
Xander followed suit with a nasty cough and a low grade fever on Wednesday. Thank goodness for Tylenol. He's still having trouble with this cold, but doesn't really fit the criteria for antibiotics, so we're just keeping watch on him.
Dad has had a few nasty headaches too, so we're hoping he isn't in for it as well.
Kalvin, the kid with a steel immune system, is ever healthy.
And Talmage just had a runny nose. For a day. Go figure.
I'll add more later. Going to bed. I'm pooped.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Food Finds
My new favoriteFront Street Market
My catering friend, M, called the other day and asked if I wanted to go to this food store in a nearby town (90 mi is close in these parts). It's been around for some time, but she just found out about it. Can I just say CANDY STORE!!! for a food fanatic? Pure bliss when I walked into the place. I don't think the whole store is more than 1400 sf, if even that, but we were there an hour and a half. Seriously. The shelves were placed so close together that we couldn't pass each other. And they were loaded with every kind of sauce, spice, imported pasta, chocolate, drink...You name it, it was there. I picked up some pasta, rose water (found a few recipes lately that call for it), pomegranate "molasses", and other fun things. I know that for those living in larger cities, these items may not seem so exotic, but they are really hard to find around here. It took some major self restraint to not pick up more than I did!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Can The Weather Please Make Up It's Mind?
I really shouldn't complain. We had a staff dinner party at our house Monday night. The weather was amazingly cooperative. Sunny. No wind. And sixty. SIXTY! It was definitely a T-shirt day. But by Thursday, we were back to snowstorms coming in and cold, cold, cold single digits weather. We had some drizzly rain thrown in the middle of the week as well. Guess I should watch the forecast more. I left the house on Thursday wearing jeans and a 3/4 sleeve shirt. Without a jacket or other coat. I froze!
The dinner party was spectacular. It is the first time we have ever held one and not done all the cooking. Our friend, M, catered the meal. It's what she does, and for good reason. We had an antipasti platter, hot artichoke dip, chutney and brie phyllo bites, blue cheese crusted filet mignon with a reduction sauce, sauteed green beans with toasted pine nuts, cream scalloped potatoes, creme brulee and a dense chocolate mousse cake with ganache. I could hardly roll into bed that night, but it was worth every bite!
Monday marked the official beginning of the Strawhouse remodel! We'd like to say that the ground was broken, but it would be more appropriate to say that the concrete is officially cut. And lots of it. The crew has had fans running during the day to try and help with all the dust being generated. There are many "lines" of broken concrete piles all over now. Truly a mess, but it's our mess and we're happy to see it! We'll show a few pics now, but will hold off posting anymore here until the project is finished. We want to keep it under wraps until then. No peeking!
Dusty Mess
The dinner party was spectacular. It is the first time we have ever held one and not done all the cooking. Our friend, M, catered the meal. It's what she does, and for good reason. We had an antipasti platter, hot artichoke dip, chutney and brie phyllo bites, blue cheese crusted filet mignon with a reduction sauce, sauteed green beans with toasted pine nuts, cream scalloped potatoes, creme brulee and a dense chocolate mousse cake with ganache. I could hardly roll into bed that night, but it was worth every bite!
Monday marked the official beginning of the Strawhouse remodel! We'd like to say that the ground was broken, but it would be more appropriate to say that the concrete is officially cut. And lots of it. The crew has had fans running during the day to try and help with all the dust being generated. There are many "lines" of broken concrete piles all over now. Truly a mess, but it's our mess and we're happy to see it! We'll show a few pics now, but will hold off posting anymore here until the project is finished. We want to keep it under wraps until then. No peeking!
Dusty Mess
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