Month: October 2023

Looking for Ollie

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On March 21st I found this little guy who had fallen off his mama.

Unfortunately, Mama opossums don’t come back for their babies if they fall off. He was too little to be on his own. I gave him a bath, fed him puppy formula and put him in a cage with a heat lamp.

He thrived and even learned how to use a litter box. He loved hamburgers and just about all food.

He was a male and we named him Ollie. He would cuddle for maybe a minute then wanted to get down and explore.

He loved hiding in the couch cushions and we worked with him on climbing and finding food. The plan was never to keep him, but when he got big enough we’d let him go in the woods by the trail.

This was the day we let him go. It was sad, but he was ready. When we opened his cage he sniffed around then took off into the brush and trees. I left one of my T-shirts by one of the trees because I’m weird and thought it would give him comfort. I realized after the fact that it was one that I dye my hair in and the stains on it could be mistaken for dried blood. I really hope no one picked it up and thought something bad happened out there.

Today Donny and I went walking the trail. I always hope I’ll catch a glimpse of Ollie when we’re out there. If I were an opossum that’s where I’d want to live.

There’s a creek that runs through the area.

I’m sure he’s very happy, living his best life.

I know I was happy because the air was a crisp 74 degrees and it smelled amazing walking in the forest. Please excuse my no makeup and scraped back hair look. We’re been busy all day taking care of stuff at home. It’s good to get out and breath fresh air a little every day.

Hashimoto’s

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Medical stuffLeave a comment

A year ago August I went to the doctor because of a stopped up ear. As we were finishing up the appointment, I randomly asked if I could have a blood panel done. For some reason or another, I hadn’t had one since in years.

The next day I get a call telling me they need to see me in the morning to go over my blood work. I was a little worried because it had taken me almost 2 weeks to get an appointment for my ear and now they wanted to see me the next morning.

When I went in, I was told I had Hashimoto’s disease, which is basically hypothyroidism. Your thyroid controls so much in your body. Because mine was so low it had also caused a high cholesterol level and pre diabetes.

Let me explain why I didn’t realize something was going on in my body that was much worse than what I thought it was. The symptoms of hypothyroidism mimic being perimenopausal.

i was experiencing hot flashes that were out of control. In fact, at Hannah’s first scout meeting almost 4 years ago, in August, in an unairconditioned 100 year old cabin, I had one so bad the other parents thought I was having a stroke. They were nice enough to plaster me with wet paper towels and cold water bottles. Great first impression.

My skin was dry. Desert dry. My eyes were puffy and I noticed I was losing hair, not only on my head, but my eyebrows were non existent.

i was gaining weight, especially in my mid section. I was eating healthy and exercising, but it was a huge struggle to lose any weight.

i was tired. It was weird because it came in cycles. I knew that once I felt that tiredness it was going to hang on for at least 2 weeks. The first time I really noticed it was when we moved here, to Longview. I thought it was just the stress of selling our home in Baton Rouge and the job of having to unpack and get settled, but it kept happening. I’d be okay for about a month and then, BAM, it would hit me again.

And I would get moody and crabby. I also had memory fog.

All of these symptoms are menopausal. When I had my hormone blood work done at my gynecologist, everything came back completely normal. This was after my Hashi’s diagnosis.

it’s been over a year. I started off on 25mg of thyroid medicine, then 50, then 75, then 88, then 100. I have to do blood work every 3 months. I just had my doctor’s appointment yesterday and my blood sugar and cholesterol are fine, but my thyroid isn’t. I’m now on 112 mg. I can tell that I was having a Hashi flare up because I didn’t feel like myself. I was moody and experiencing the thyroid fog. This is something I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life, but hopefully the new dosage will be that magic number. We’ll see in 6 weeks.

A Little of This, A Little of That

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We woke up to temperatures in the mid 40’s. It’s amazing how cooler weather lifts your spirits. Our chickens were loving it.

Our teenager chicks inside were getting cramped in their pen so it was time to add another wall to their enclosure. We have two that are very brave and love to chicken fly around the room when they get a chance.

They are finally too big to fit through the openings and are actually calmer now that they can see what’s going on outside of their pen.

They are cute, funny and very chirpy. I cannot wait to get then out of our living room. Only a few more weeks until we can start introducing them to the flock.

Did you know that coconut oil can be used to condition wood? I used it on the chair I refinished and it made such a difference. I still need to start on the matching chair, but I’m pleased with how this one turned out. I’m still searching for just the right fabric to recover the seat in.

Getting all that paint off is hard work.

We try to buy from small business whenever we can. Today was the local vendor fair around the corner from our home. It’s grown so much from when it started.

A company that sells French frozen yogurt made with sheep’s milk was doing a buy one pint, get one free. Hannah got a free sample of their chocolate dipped bars and said it was really good so we decided on the vanilla and strawberry flavors. Delicious! You should really try this brand if you see it in your stores.

There’s no way we can pass up smell goods, especially handmade ones. There were so many booths that had some really awesome soaps, lotions and candles. I think we found two of the best booths. Hannah and I both picked up lotion and I found a cinnamon apple pie soy candle that we both decided smelled like Fall. It really does because I lit it as soon as I got home.

And as an ode to this wonderful weather, I made Mexican Soup. I’m going to link the recipe. You can change it up and make it to your liking. I add corn, green chilies and have shredded chicken on the side for whoever wants it. It’s so good with shredded sharp cheddar and sour cream.

Mexican Pinto Bean Soup | Easy Stew Recipe
https://pin.it/BOOhOoT

While I’m on the subject of food, Annie’s orange jelly is *chef’s kiss*. I’m now really wishing I’d gotten the lemon jelly also.

It’s Here

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

When I woke up this morning it was in the 50’s! Fall is here, at least for the next week. The wind was brisk, the sun was shining and it stayed cool all day long. The weather called for sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. Thank you cold front.

Our seeds are sprouting getting ready to be potted in the greenhouse.

Every single year, on Halloween, I watch the original Halloween movie. None of the streaming services we use have it this year, so when we went to Walmart, lol what I found.

This is at the very top of my favorite scary movies! If you haven’t seen it in a while, you really need to watch it again. Or just come on over on Halloween and bring some popcorn.

and just because they’re so cute, here are my cats who have been extra cuddly today. I think they’re feeling the Fall vibes too

Best Worst

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Sometimes you can find the best part of the day in the worst part. Take today for instance. I had a very good workout.

Unfortunately it was climbing all over this behemoth. Did I mention I’m deathly afraid of heights?

And crawling all over this one. Today we set up on the front parking lot and while I was vacuuming (you can’t see that I’m in there when I’m doing it) a girl and her mom drove up and the girl climbed in the opening and started jumping. I probably gave her a near heart attack when I popped up. I’d love to see that picture her mom took when she realized I was right there.

The owner of the company I work for asked me to stay a couple of extra hours so he could go to a special luncheon. He is so gracious if I have to leave early when I have other commitments or days when I just say “I’ve hit a wall and just cannot do anymore”, that I would never say no. And I got a good bit of exercise out of it, which is the whole reason I do this job in the first place.

i was whooped when I got home, but Donny was off today and we needed to run errands. Look at this gas price! The line was incredibly long. It’s the cheapest place to get gas in town and luckily we live right around the corner. I hope it goes down even more.

We headed out to the Amtrak station so I could drop off a bag of books for their free library. We saw it when we took our trip to Chicago and I found that I love reading on the train so I wanted to give other people the opportunity, if they needed a book.

And it was locked up tight with a note on the door telling people that due to staffing shortages there would be no tickets for sale inside and loading and baggage would be done on the patio. That makes me sad but I guess it just means we’ll hit the free little libraries to drop some off at each. The Green Park has one so I know the kids will want to go with me because it’s a favorite place.

i also got one more very important thing crossed of my list today

Five brushes! (I’d already given Jackson one) Our brushes disappear at an alarming rate, which has nothing to do with our teenage daughter, I’m sure. We are definitely set for at least 2 weeks now 😉

Fall Artwalk

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Date NightLeave a comment

Today started off with misting rain. I texted work to see if it was a go or a no. My boss texted me back with, let’s give it a shot.

Of course, the one today was my nemesis. One of the very first ones I ever did when I started a year ago. It’s a 3 wall obstacle course, that when I started I couldn’t even unroll and unfold by myself. I’m proud to say that now I can unroll, blow it up and I’m not even winded climbing those walls a dozen times. Progress. It started raining harder though so it just got a thorough vacuuming. I did not find the frog they thought they rolled up in it. I really wish he’d tell me these things before I finish.

Tonight our downtown cultural district had their Fall Artwalk so Donny and I made a date out of it.

We found out that we had a visitors center. I don’t know how we’ve never seen it before. It has the coolest stuff.

We saw someone REALLY into the Halloween spirit.

We’ll definitely be back. I saw a few Christmas ornaments and other goodies I want to get.

One of our other favorite places to go during Artwalk is the Longview Museum of Fine Arts. They had live music and some new exhibits.

I love Mexican art.

We stopped to listen to a school choir.

There were so many craft and art booths. It’s amazing how far this event has come. The weather was perfect and everyone was in such a festive mood.

Our very favorite table was Jack’s bakery and Annie’s jellies. Two of the cutest kids who make everything from scratch. We bought orange jelly, that we were told tasted like sunshine in a jar, and cranberry orange bread. I can’t wait to try them both.

If you happen to find yourself in Longview on December 5th you should head downtown for our Winter Artwalk. You won’t be disappointed.

Rain

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Today it rained most of the day which means I didn’t go to my very part time job. That’s okay because there was a little self care going on.

A little frozen strawberry yogurt eating

And then a lot more of this wonderful rain that always cools everything off. I’m fact, we’re not suppose to get over 90 for a week, hopefully longer.

Can we take a moment to appreciate these giant Adirondack chairs at the kids school? How fun would these be in my yard? Or anyone’s yard.

Now I’m going to go to sleep listening to the rain that is supposed to continue all through the night and into tomorrow. There’s nothing better than that sound. Deep sleep her I come.

Books + Spirit

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn thriftingLeave a comment

i had a little bit of time before I had to pick the kids up from school. If I go the back way, I go right by this place.

The last time I was there I saw several books by one of my favorite authors. I just finished the last one so I decided to stock up on a few more.

i only came for books. That’s it. Nothing more.

But these glass jar cups were so cute and Hannah can drink her iced coffee out of them.

i refuse to pay almost $10 for a pop socket, but finding one for a dollar, absolutely. I love Mexican blankets so, yep, this came home with me.

i did get the books and maybe a sealed ice pop maker. I’ve actually been looking for one to make yogurt pops.

This year our town actually has TWO Spirit Halloween stores. Hannah’s boyfriend was over so all the kids asked if we could go check one of them out. Yes please!

it’s where our Tuesday Morning used to be. R.I.P. Tuesday Morning, I’ll miss you.

There were a lot of creepy things like this monkey.

And this mask I used to have that was one of my most favorite costumes ever.

But my very favorite masks I saw were these.

I want then all!

Now I’m going to finish watching an episode of the Midnight Club. Not super scary, but really good

Sweet.

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home lifeLeave a comment

Today several sweet things happened. I made strawberry cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.

i made our favorite drink – sweet tea. If you live in the South, this is a must have, always, in the fridge. Homemade is best. This is how I make it and it’s fool proof.

Bring about 6 cups of water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Sounds strange, but it takes any bitterness away. Add 10 small tea bags of black tea. Let steep for 30 minutes. Remove tea bags and add 1 1/2 cups sugar. Give it a good whisk and then pour it into a gallon container and fill the rest up with water. Y’all, it’s so good.

We also found this treat at Aldi. It was surprisingly good. I mean it’s not Kumori, but it’ll do in a pinch.

i also made a sweet little side table for our vintage glider. I’ve looked for one, but nothing suited what I wanted. I used a marble table top from my childhood home and a plant stand that I had lying around. It’s the perfect height and cost nothing.

Please ignore the chicken pen, that’s STILL in our living room. They’re growing like crazy. Only a few more weeks until they can go outside.

Since it’s officially Halloween month we’ve been watching spooky movies. I do love Halloween.

Drug Emporium

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We have this wonderful store right selling the corner from our home. One half is drug emporium and the other half is Vitamins Plus. Today I picked up these.

They are so good! Next we need to try the salted caramel.

i also picked up dune socks for Jackson because they have some really fun designs, are well made and less than four dollars.

it’s such an old fashioned store where nothing is scanned but keyed in by hand. They carry my Mad Hippie face products and my favorite zum products also, at a much better price point than any other place around. There’s also Jeff, who works in the vitamins plus side, who knows everything about everything and is such a great help to all the customers. If you have one of these stores in your town you really should visit it.

i also forgot that I bought this cute little chickadee hand painted on wood by Jerri when we went through yesterday. I don’t know why Jerri is, but it makes me sad to see a piece of art that someone has taken the time to paint end up at a thrift store. She’s found her home now.

my walls are white. No idea why they look yellow in this picture