ROOM WITH A VIEW
So, when everyone came over for the picnic the other day I asked Aunt Joyce to gang up with me to try to get The Dad to go to the hospital or, at the very least, the doctor.  I've been begging him for a couple weeks and then it got worse last week and the last couple days have been really bad. He had a weird cough and it wasn't going away and he couldn't breathe. I thought he was in congestive heart failure again.  I really wanted him to go yesterday or the day before because I was off work and figured I didn't have to worry about any of that.  Of course, he said no.  Aunt Joyce's pleas didn't work either. He just barked at her and told her she was just like me. Well, I should have known… I go to work  today and called to check on him at lunch time and he said he thinks he should go to the hospital tonight. OF COURSE.

So… I left and we headed to the emergency room… We got in the car and, honest to God, the only thing that went through my head was the ride to the emergency vet with RoseBud. I don't know if it was the angle of the car in the driveway or the thought of him passing out while I was driving.

There were about twenty people waiting but they took him almost immediately… and there we stood in the ER for what seemed like forever.

We finally got up to the room which just so happened to be the SAME exact room he was in the last time he was there for the CHF - it was also the same ER room.  I stopped at the gift shop to look around and play his room number and then I ran back to the house to take care of the pup and then back to the hospital to bring dinner.

I was exhausted and, as I left, I have to admit… I was kind of a little jealous that it wasn't me in that room. How bad is that?  There was some appeal to being captive in that hospital room and not really having to worry about anything else - besides being sick.
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THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOOOOOOON
Remember these cow creamers. We had one a long, long time ago. It's probably still downstairs. This is new from The Pioneer Woman. I've had my eye on it since her merchandise came out. It, surprisingly, is the only thing I like of hers. I made a late night trip out to walmart the other night to get some stuff for work and decided to treat myself with it. $5 or something.

DRINK UP
I always go overboard on drinks… I went to the grocery store and I feel like I had about ten bags of drinks. It's one of my least favorite purchases and, weirdly, stresses me out.  That and bread. I feel like I always over-buy bread. Annoys me.

CRASH INTO ME
The Dad had to get his car inspected. I told him to leave it out (don't attempt to put it in the garage)  because we all know how bad he is at that and then I would follow him to the shop when I got home from work. Anyway, I came back to this.

Apparently, The Dad backed right into the house.

He claims the car wasn't in park and he got out and had to jump back in and stop it. I'm not sure when in that story he put his superhero cape on but there is no friggin way that could have happened. He can't even get down the steps or walk to the kitchen that fast.  He wouldn't have been that quick and there's no way he could have jumped back in. I think he was too far over in the driveway and went to straighten out and thought he was in drive and was in reverse…

I don't know.

We will never know.
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THIS IS TURNING INTO A MINI WEDDING
Taste testing at Rodney's for The Dad's 75th birthday.

…and we have to figure out a cake so dessert was a must.

(Special appearance, as always, by Chrissy's boobs.)

CHIVE BLOSSOMS
Does anyone eat the chive flower buds? I googled it and it says you can. Aren't they just darling?

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I HAVE GOAT CHEESE IN MY SALAD AND I DON'T CARE

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN SALAD LUNCH
I've been thinking about this chicken salad from Tarentum Station.

We were out that way at the antique store across the street so we ran in for a nibble. Cara worked today so she didn't come out to play. We met up later for dinner at Luciano's for a planning meeting for The Dad's Bday.

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HOOSIER LOVE
Considering this… I'd want to milk paint it, though, and not sure if that's a bad idea???

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THIS IS MY JOB
Field trip to Burgatory today. Again, not very vegan-ish. I know. I know. ;-)

DAY 2 - FAIL

So this vegan thing… 2nd day and a big old FAIL.

I was off today and Chrissy and I went out to the South Hills…

I had to pick up some stuff at the vet and we wanted to go to some antique stores out that way.

We drove by Dixon House and Chrissy jumped out and took a pic of the newest announcement taped to the window.  Always a good time. Shout out to the Christiana Candles that are left standing. I miss you.

Then we stopped at Gifted and went to The Vet to pick up Lily's pills… we originally planned on going somewhere else for lunch but decided on this one in Carnegie.

With a name like Bakn, my vegan plans went down the drain.. Oink Oink...

 I got a bacon and egg sandwich...

We shared biscuits and bacon jam.

We went to some antique stores and back to the bakery on Beverly Road… then to The Galleria and South Hills Village. I forgot they still had a Disney Store…

Then we went back to Bridgeville to TJMaxx. We were all over the place. We finally ended up back on Beverly Road for baby reubens at Bado's.

There's a new restaurant coming. That made me sad when I read it.  At times I couldn't catch my breath… driving around my old neck of the woods. So many memories.

Shattered.

Sigh.
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DAY 1 - PASS

VEGAN-ISH
My boss decided to go vegan so I said I would join her… at least for the work week. Maybe just at lunch? IDK. I told her I may just be a little vegan. Vegan-ish? Had to run to the store to stock up on mason jar salad supplies.

IN THE KITCHEN

Design meeting today… Over two hours to do mine and Cara's. 

 I got really sick after and didn't even eat my lunch. The horror! Had to call it quits early and go to bed. Sorry C & C.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND

BOOB TUBE

Had to go back for another mammogram. I was concerned since they did a 3D one in the first place so I figured they should have been able to see what they needed to see. I was there for quite some time. They came back and said "probably benign" and told me to come back in 6 months for another. A friend of mine had the same thing and in 6 months it turned out it was cancer (again - she was diagnosed over 10 years ago) and others I know have to go back every 6 months for years????   I want to breath a sigh of relief since I got a 6 month reprieve but everyone is telling me I should have insisted on a biopsy. Honestly, I want to just look the other way or go hide under a rock. I'll deal with this later.

CROWNING GLORY
Catan's sometimes has a bag sale and you can fill it with a bunch of junk that didn't sale, etc… for like $10 or $20. I did that many months ago and actually got a bunch of stuff for crafts for work.  It was a resident's birthday and her family wanted us to make it special since they weren't going to be there so I remembered I had these crowns. We did it as a craft. Everyone decorated them with something different. This is mine.

YOU DOWN WITH OPP?
I took a nap and had this dream that I was pulling this string out of my vagina - at first I thought it was stitches but now that I think about it, it sort of looked like the cord to my phone charger !?!

I always cut everything out straight for our shadowbox boards each month for things that are going on. This time I went to do something different and everything, strangely, looked like a penis!

I'm obviously having some issues! ;-)

MOTHER'S DAY
We celebrated Mother's Day at Debbie's… we also celebrated Janel's 21st birthday. What?  21? She has grown up right before our eyes over 21 years of Friday nights... I remember Debbie carrying her over here in her car seat like it was yesterday.

I found this cookbook at a church sale for 10 cents.

It's from 1981 and published by Reynolds Wrap. It's a collection of soul food/comfort food from African American home cooks.  I made the mac and cheese and it wasn't too bad.

DEAD BABY BIN

Have I talked about this?
.
I have a bin in storage labeled DEAD BABY.  It's the third one down on the full stack of bins above the red lid. My eyes go to it every single time I open the door. I always see that pig blanket in there.  If I die and someone has to sell my stuff they might think it's a little alarming - especially when they have to walk past things like this to get to it.

Just to be clear, it doesn't really have dead babies in it - just some stuff like pregnancy tests and ultrasound pics and baby stuff we bought when I was pregnant- frames and outfits, etc.  I had miscarriages in 2006, 2008 and 2010.  The last one being the ever popular one where my then husband packed his bags and walked out in the morning and I miscarried, alone, at night.  We knew it was going to happen for about two weeks before that so when you think about compassionate gestures that's right up there with arguments over meatball buns for Mum's funeral.  So was the foolishness,  among other things, of not coming home and leaving me to take the dog out and watch Facebook conversations and word games being played at Primanti's while Jen and her friends were in town or being out at the casino with old TriLine peeps and not responding to my messages.   He did come back the day after because I thought I was going to bleed to death but there was little conversation and we stayed in separate rooms - unlike some weirdness that goes on with separated couples sleeping in the same bed. Whaaaat? CMA - you are never going to live that down.;-)  Anyway, I was the one that slept on the "hard bed" as my FIL used to call it and he left, again, the next morning.  Geez Louise. Seriously?  Did all this nonsense really happen?

Storage is also full of dead dog clothes (mostly RBs) which Lily will wear from time to time. One of the shirts is this one...

I think that was from the first pregnancy and just followed along from year to year waiting for the perfect photo op.

There are props in storage too…

…and I pay $4800 a year to house all this shit?!  I know. As Chrissy always says - Ridic.

I made it to the cemetery this year to put up flowers for mother's day before actual mother's day. Always a special time for me. I guess we can add dead mothers to my list of woes. Anyway, there's this one grave near my great grandfather in the really old section  that was never taken care of and my grandmother used to tend to it and then my mother and now me.  "The Tedesco Boy."

I walked around looking at all the pictures.

and the simple markers…

This was kind of a random find - not sure who this DeLuca is??

… and the baby behind it - I'm assuming stillborn - on Christmas day.

Probably not the best way to spend your time on mother's day eve. Kind of fitting, for me, I guess. Mother's Day shouldn't really make me mad. It does, though.

PEER PRESSURE
I usually take our Peer Group to a luncheon at the Engineers Club around Christmas time but they changed it to the spring this year. It was at Peter's Place. They always have a good time and get excited about dressing up, having a fancy lunch and being recognized for what they do.
 

I'M HERE TO REMIND YOU OF THE MESS YOU LEFT WHEN YOU WENT AWAY
Alternate title…
NUMBER 6 IS A LIE
My Dad was put in a horrible position here with his house. I'm pissed about it and I should have done something about it earlier. I was told that I still can. I'm just not sure I have the energy to go through with it. I don't need people knocking on the door or phone calls looking for people that don't even live  here and I don't need or want to be brought into this god damned mess.

CATCH MY BREATH
I was at work and got the call that I have to go back.   They saw something on my mammogram on Saturday .  I had already seen it on health trak so I knew what was going on. I went to the mall after work which I never ever do. I had to make some returns and I was looking for a shirt to wear tomorrow for nursing home week - we're having these themed days all week. I was in the dressing room and Kelly Clarkson's song "catch my breath" came on and that's exactly what I was doing. I was kind of just sitting in the dressing room… probably for like 20 minutes. I just had to stop….  I go back in a week for another mammogram.

EGGSQUISITE
My coworker's husband made these beautiful eggs. Aren't they just the prettiest things?

THAT'S THE WAY THE CAULIFLOWER CRUMBLES
Whaaaaat?

Bagged cauliflower crumbles??

I guess so with the pizza crusts and fake mashed potatoes - why not?

Well, this changes everything… it's a huge time saver for layered salads.

We are having a work party tomorrow for a co-worker's birthday and I'm on layered salad duty tonight.

With these crumbles, I made the salad in about three minutes - give or take. ;-)

YES, THAT'S MY BOOB
I've been putting off my mammogram… I know. How bad is that? I just don't really care anymore and I haven't had the time or made the time to go. I finally made my appointment for a saturday which was a bad idea.  First of all Weinstein doesn't take my insurance so I had to go somewhere else.  The nice thing about Weinstein is there is always a radiologist there so you may have to wait a couple hours but you get your results THAT day.  For yesterday's appointment  I was just in and out and was told they would be in touch next week…  They had to put this tape on my scar…

Yes, that's my boob. My incision is underneath. I thought with the angle and the filter maybe it would be unrecognizable. I was in the car awhile later when I thought that I never had them put the tape on my other scar under my arm from the lymph node dissection which is about the same size or larger and wondered if that could be a problem. I'm back posting this so I already know the results…. maybe I shouldn't have waited so long.