Dizzy By Sheets

Ok this post is just a funny little story I wanted to share.

Our Bed Bath and Beyond store went bankrupt and had a big closing clearance sale. Three fourths of the store was empty but we went ahead and looked around at what was left. Everything was marked down 90% off. We ended up getting a fitted sheet to match some linens we had. 

As we were looking around, my husb…….Ok wait, first let me just tell you that as a minimalist, I like simple things. That goes for simple colors. My bedding is always white or at most, a light print or color. Loud prints and colors just sorta drive me crazy. But anyway, as we were looking around, my husband found a set of sheets to fit our double bed. Yes, we have a double bed. Not a queen, not a King. Just a double and it works fine for us. 

This sheet set was on sale for $7.00. They were blue and white checked. He liked them so I said “Ok, if you like them, I’ll try them”. 

After a couple of days I decided to wash the new sheets and put them on the bed. I tried. I really did. I put on the bottom sheet and that’s as far as I could get. My head started spinning but this time I can’t blame it one my Meniere's disease. 

I got myself balanced back out and walked into the kitchen where my husband was. 

I propped my arms on the counter and looked up at him. He looked a little concerned and asked me what was wrong.

“I can’t do it”. 

“Do what?” He asked.

“I can’t put the sheets on the bed. I just can’t”. He said, “Do you want me to help you?”. 

“I guess. I don’t know. They give me vertigo”. He laughed and said “Come on, I’ll help you, I don’t want you to over do it”. 

He walked into the bedroom and was like “Woooah!” 

We stood there and laughed then we both laid down on our tummies facing each other. After a good laugh, he said, “take them off. There is no way we can wake up in the morning on these sheets”.

The sheets……

Do you agree? Who in their right mind could sleep on these sheets? 

Needless to say, my bedding is white again. Let’s just keep it that way. 

Crochet Flower Banner

I haven’t crocheted in a while. I just kinda got burnt out on it and the price of yarn has gone up but I still have some scrap yarn and decided to make a wall hanging. At work, I do not have an office but I have a cube and I love it. I have it lightly decorated. Being a minimalist, It is pretty plain compared to everyone else's cubes. The way each person decorates tells a lot about that person. I do not like a lot of colors so mine is mostly grays and whites and a few plants in my window. 

The tassel banner you see in the center is something I made to add some boho style that I love. 

The outside of our cube has our name and an empty cloth wall. This is like a front door. People will often hang a little banner, flag or wreath to represent the seasons or holidays. I usually pick up something from the dollar store to hang on the outside.

The holidays are over and I wanted to find something I could hang on the outside of my cube that would go through the summer, so I started digging into my yarn scraps and come up with the idea to make a wall hanging. I found a pattern for a flower and thought it would be perfect while also blending in with my boho style. 

Green and white was the only colors I could find enough of to do this creation. I really like the way it turned out. I would show how it looks hanging on the outside of my cube but for work privacy reasons, I am not allowed. I think it looks good hanging there and I get a lot of compliments on it. 

This wall hanging was fun to make using the single stitch and only took a little about an hour and half to complete. 

Diagnosis Finally

I am still here in blogger land, I have just been slack at posting. By the time I get home from work, eat dinner and get in my walk and shower, I’m exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open and rarely finish watching anything on tv before dozing off. 

Work makes me tired but what makes me most tired is fighting my condition. It’s an everyday battle to pretend I am fine all day at work. Inside, I am always fighting light headiness, brain fog and focus. Let’s add in the fact my ear feels full of inflammation pressure and lack of hearing.

If you follow my blog, I have complained about this for years. Seven to be exact. 

I went to my regular doctor again about my ear problem. Years ago, he said it must be allergies. I knew it was more than that. This time he thinks it’s my neck and wanted to do xrays. It showed spinal damages that cause pain, but still, this was different. So I went with my gut feeling and made myself an appointment with the ENT. 

The Audiologist did some testing and said I have over 50% hearing loss in my left ear. I can hear some sounds but can not make out what people are saying on that side. Next, I walked into another office where the doctor discussed a possible problem I have and set me up another appointment to have some more testing to know for sure. 

The tests they did was an ECoG, VNG, and ABR. 

I returned to the ENT the next week to get some answers.

I have been officially diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. 

He said I have no balance left in my left ear, and over 50% hearing loss. He said there is no cure and my ear has taken a hard hit. He said it will not get better and since I have Meniere’s I may lose all hearing in that ear eventually, but I can change things to help cope with it. Hopefully I can reduce the vertigo and light headiness with a low salt diet and a prescription of diuretics. Sounds can effect it, diet and weather. I have been using some earplugs for
barometric pressure but I got some new ear plugs to deal with sensitivity. They are called “Loops” and I absolutely love them. It blocks out background noise and sounds that are sensitive to me. If I am in a room with loud noises or loud singing and music, It sounds like one big loud blurr and it can trigger a vertigo attack. These earplugs are suppose to help with this. It’s weird that even though I have loss of hearing, some sounds are brutal. It’s like a busted speaker.

It’s just a lot so I’ll stop rambling. I will survive. I will get through this. Now that I have a diagnosis, I can take control. The doctors say “there is no cure”,  but I say, “do you know my Jesus?

Shop Loop.com earplugs HERE . There are three different strenghts.

Got mine from Amazon HERE.

As an Amazon Affiliate, this post may include marketing links,

 which means I make a small percentage on the sales 

but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay.

Happy Resurrection Day.

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is having a great day. It is a day to be happy about. I hope all who read this know the true meaning of Easter. 

A lot of people have spent this weekend shopping for new Spring outfits and Easter basket fillers. I was out there, I know. I bet many were so busy and wrapped up in getting things ready for Easter that they did not even notice how the weekend unfolded in light of the resurrection.

Good Friday it was dark and rainy- I couldn’t help but imagine this must of been what is was like on the day they hung Jesus on the cross to die for our sins.

Saturday- It continued to rain. It was cold and gloomy. I think this is how it must of been the day after. 

Then came Sunday- The rain was gone, the birds were singing and the sun came out. It was new day. HE IS RISEN. 

My daughter spent the weekend at home and we did some shopping, and went out to lunch. We also dyed eggs.

Sunday, we got up early for Sunrise service at church. Afterwards, we enjoyed a big southern breakfast that my mom and dad prepared for the church. 

Afterwards we came home and my daughter had an Easter basket waiting on her. My husband says shes to old for an Easter basket but this mom won’t give it up. Shes 31. It was filled with everything to top ice cream, along with ice creams spoons, cones, candy,  a scoop and a bowl. It was a cute theme and she enjoyed it. 

After a few hours, we headed back out to church for service. 

Later this afternoon, we will go to my mom and dads for Easter dinner that my Sister in law has prepared. She does this every year and we look forward to it. 

What are some of your Easter traditions?

Do you have a favor dish you make at Easter?

Do you do any special activities?

One Mans Junk

It was that time of year again. Twice a year, people here in the city can take their big trash to the side of the road for free pick up. It’s called road side pick up. Call me frugal or call me trashy, I don’t care, but I look forward to this. 

Nick asked me if I would like to go for a walk. “Road side pick up is in the morning so people will be setting there junk out today” he said. I threw on my tshirt, shorts and walking shoes and we headed out. The temperatures were in the 70’s and it was nice. 

As we walked around the neighborhood, we didn’t see a lot of junk. I usually look for small tables, stools and planters. Last year I found a vintage step stool that I refurbished. You can see it HERE.

As our walked continued, we were two blocks away when I got excited. “Oh this girl is fixin to have a patio swing!”. That’s right. Someone threw out an almost perfectly new swing. The only thing we saw wrong was that the awning was missing. We looked it over. “Oh I want it”, I said. Nick replied, “You do not need that”. We continued our walk. While I pouted, he tried to talk me out of wanting it. “Where would you put it?” He did not want to have to always cut around it when he did yard work. I had already planned to put it on the small patio out back. “What if it don’t fit the patio?”, he said.  I replied, “We can try it on the patio and if it don’t fit, I can either put back out on the side of the road or asked the next door neighbor if she wants it”. 

Nothing else was said and we finished our walk. Once we got back to the house, he told me to grab his truck keys. My pout turned into a big grin. We drove back down to where the swing was. I was afraid it would be gone because thirty minutes had passed and the metal salvage truck was stalking the neighborhood. The swing was still there. We looked it over again one more time and I helped him put it in the back of the truck. I jolly rode all the way back. 

Guess what. 

It fit the patio. I took off the cushions and gave them a good wash and scrub in the bath tub. They were in great shape and cleaned up well. 

I am so happy to have a swing. And a free one at that!. 

Now all I need to do is pressure was the patio, add some plants and I will be all set. 

“One mans junk is this girls treasure”

Air Fryer Banana Bread

This past Sunday I was feeling a little groggy and due to some heath issues and the cold rainy weather, I skipped church and stayed in my pajamas half the day. I hooked up my echo dot to my blue tooth and listened to the live streaming of the sermon. 

I was lazy all day but I did manage to vacuum and get a couple loads of clothes washed.

As I was cleaning up the kitchen I started to throw away one banana that had ripened. Then I thought, “ I could make a banana bread and just cut my moms recipe in half and make a small one. The original recipe calls for two bananas. I only had one. So I pulled out the other ingredients I needed and started mixing.

1 cup self rising flour.

2 Tablespoons butter.

1/4 cup of sugar.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

1 small egg or 1/2 large egg (Ill let you figure out how to half an egg.).

1 ripe banana.

1/4 cup of milk.

Nuts (optional).

Mix well and pour into a greased mini loaf pan.

Preheat air fryer for about 5 minutes at 325 degrees.

Bake for 20 minutes or until done. (I used the tooth pick test).

I wanted to try making this banana bread in my air fryer. The small disposable loaf pan I had was slightly too big for my air fryer basket so I bent it in a little to make it fit. 

I sprayed it with some cooking spray and poured in my batter.

Perfect!

20 minutes later, I had the perfect little loaf of banana bread. It was over enough for the two of us to enjoy after dinner. 

Did I mention how much I love my air fryer? It’s like an adult Easy Bake oven. 

Many ask what kind of air fryer I use. I uses a Ninja Max.

I got mine at Sams but you can find this one also on Amazon HERE.

As an Amazon Affiliate, this post may include marketing links,

 which means I make a small percentage on the sales 

but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay.

Finding My Triggers

If you know me, you know I suffer with a vestibular disorder. It all started in 2016 when I began having loud ringing and fullness in my left ear. A couple weeks later I woke up one morning and the room was spinning. I was sweating so bad that my clothes were soaked. My husband helped me to the bathroom where I spent almost 4 hours throwing up and dry heaving. I was not sure what was going on. I figured It was the way I slept or something I ate. After the episode, I slept most the rest of the day. I was exhausted. I have only suffered 3 of these violent attacks. All other times, I am just light headed and always feeling on the verge of a vertigo attack. It’s crippling. 

I have went to the doctor about it and he suggested it was just allergies. He sent me to an ENT. There, I was quickly told me that it was not allergies. They did the hearing test, checked inside my ears and asked several questions. I checked off all the boxes as having Meniere's Disease but they would not diagnose me with it until I went through a series of testing. After learning there is no cure for it, I refused all the expensive testing. So here I am without closure to what I’m going through. No one can see it and I don’t look sick. It’s now sort of just a my secret invisible illness I keep with me.

Two years ago, my symptoms, except the ringing, stopped all of a sudden. I thought I was free and could live normal again. Until it flared back up just last month. I have not suffered the violent vertigo attacks, but the anxiety I get from the fear of it happening at work or while driving keeps me on edge.

The Tinnitus (ringing in the ear) is constant. Sometimes it’s low, sometimes it’s high. I also have lost hearing in my that ear. All I can hear from my left ear is the ringing and whoosing sounds that come from within my head.

It’s weird that even though I lost hearing, I am super sensitive to certain sounds and tones. Restaurants are the worst for me right now. All the background noise causes to much stimulation in my ear and I feel like my head is closing in and headaches start. Same goes for any place I go where there are multiple people talking. It’s miserable. Sound sensitivity is a new one right now. 

Is it sounds that trigger my symptoms?

I notice on rainy days I feel worst than when it’s a sunny day.

Is it the biometric pressure triggering my symptoms?

While listening to Meniere’s Muse podcast, I heard a guest mention that WeatherX earplugs were a big help for her. They look like normal earplugs but have a small piece of ceramic inside that protect your ears from pressure changes in the weather. There is also a WeatherX app you can download and it will notify you when there an incline or decline in pressure so you can pop the earplugs in. 

Why not try? It couldn’t hurt.

Did they work for me? 

Yes. They are a win win. I think they work for both weather changes and sound. When I feel pressure building up in my ear and head, I put them in. However, the app is no use to me as my body tells me when to put them in. They do not completely close out sound, so I can still have conversations with people. They block out a lot of background noise and make me feel comfortable and in my own little zone. Now I do not have to stick my finger in my ear to balance out sounds. Listening to the paster on Sunday was a lot more comfortable. 

I have come to the conclusion that I will continue having bad days and good days so I try and make the best of it. I have hopes that It will go away again since this time isn’t as bad as it used to be, maybe I will grow out of it. 

I am learning to handle the episodes of lightheadedness and pressure by trying to relax and accept the fact that its just part of me now.

I have decided to just live with it and stop feeling sorry for myself. I’m tired of explaining to people how I feel. Unless they have had this condition, they will never understand. I plan to make some healthy changes in my self. Now if I can just find my triggers. I can do this.

As an Amazon Affiliate, this post may include marketing links,

 which means I make a small percentage on the sales 

but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay.

Inis-Energy of the Sea

While shopping in a local mercantile, a display of fragrance and lotions caught my eye. I saw the words “Energy of the Sea”. I ordered my coffee and headed over to check it out while I waited. The brand was “Inis”. One sniff of the sample and I was sold. I wanted to stay longer but I was on limited time, so I sprayed a small sample on the sleeve of my sweater, grabbed my coffee and headed back to work. 

Inis is a clean unisex fragrance that everyone can enjoy. When I got home from work, I could still smell the freshness from the sample. It has a light fresh scent that lasted all day.  I headed to their website to read their story and check out some of their items. Inis is family owned from Wicklow, Ireland who are also inspired to protect the oceans. They are also dedicated to the protection of whales and dolphins. How cool is that? Be sure to visit their site to see more.   

I was exited to receive my Inis package in the mail and could hardly wait to use it. The fragrance brings out the beach vibes and makes me feel good. 

I try a lot of lotions and perfumes but I never quiet find the perfect aroma for me. They are always either too sweet or too floral.

My husband is sensitive to a lot of fragrances so I have to be careful what I put on my skin. I have not gotten any complaints from him while wearing Inis. “Can you say win?”

Why Inis? Other than the pleasant smell, Inis has sea weed and minerals harvested out of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

There are restoring ingredients with lots of benefits for your skin such as natural vitamins A & C , amino acids for hydration and anti-flammatory minerals.

I am excited to have found my new favorite fragrance and can feel good knowing what I put on my skin is made from natural ingredients. 

Visit Inis for more than just perfume and lotions. You can find defusers, candles, soaps, creams and other great items for yourself or gifts for a friend. You can also search for shops in your area where you can purchase from. 

Shop: Inis.com

I received this product for free in return for my honest review.

All reviews and opinions are my own.

I believe in supporting and sharing the good things in life.

Whittle Mushrooms

I have been playing around with my knives again. 

I like whittling even though I don’t really know how. I have carved some crochet hooks and hair pins but then I decided to take it a step further and try to create something more detailed. So I decided to whittle a tiny mushroom. It was easy and fun.

  

I friend from church saw it and asked if I would make a couple tiny mushrooms for him. He knew a girl that loved anything with mushrooms and would like to give them to her. I told him I would and I did. 

If it was warm outside, I would sit outside and chip away but since it’s so cold outside and the projects I do are so small, I am able to drape a rag towel over my lap and whittle while watching TV.

It takes me about 30 minutes to turn a stick into a mushroom. 

I carefully placed the mushrooms inside a tiny keepsake jar and will give them to him at church today. 

It is said that mushrooms grow in wet areas and that is why they are shaped like umbrellas. 

Other fun facts about Mushrooms:

-Mushrooms that are not edible are what they call “toad stools”.

-They can glow in the dark.

-Some can turn ants into zombies.

-They are more like humans than plants.

(Source)

-

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Egg Roll In A Bowl

If you like egg rolls, you are going to like this recipe I am fixing to show you.

People who do not venture out and try Asian foods think egg rolls are made out of eggs. This is false. Egg Rolls are a deep fried appetizer stuffed with cabbage and meat then dipped in a sweet or spicy sauce. But why are they called egg rolls when they do not contain eggs? It is assumed that it came from a cookbook in 1917 called “Dan Gun” which translates to “Egg Roll” but there are other guesses too. 

I love egg rolls but wanted to make a healthier low carb option, so I made what’s called “EggRoll in a bowl”.

It consist of all the goodies of an egg roll without the egg roll wrapper or deep fried oils.

It can be made with any kind of chopped  meat but I chose to us Hot Jimmy Dean pork sausage. It was full of flavor with a little kick.

We did not eat this for dinner. We had soup and salad instead. But I wanted to make a batch of this stuff so I would have something take to work for my lunch a couple days. I have a mini Crock Pot Lunch Warmer  on my desk that I place it in, plug it up and by lunch time It will be hot and ready to eat. I think it taste better heated up the next day.

Egg Roll in a Bowl

1 pound ground sausage (or other meat of choice).
7 cups coleslaw mix
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup green onions

Cook sausage stirring and crumbling until cooked through. 
Stir in Coleslaw mix, garlic, onions, soy sauce, and stir. 

Top with wonton strips and drizzle with more soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce. (Optional).

This has become one of my favorite quick meals and so easy to put together. My husband likes it but he tries to stay away from pork sausage. I will have to try a different kind of meat sometime. 

Do you like egg rolls? You can actually put anything in an egg roll and make it delicious. 

As an Amazon Affiliate, this post may include marketing links,

 which means I make a small percentage on the sales 

but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay.

Just Peachy

My parents have a peach tree that produced a lot of peaches this past summer. I took home a lot of them. We grilled some, we made peach salsa and some peach jelly. They were sweet and tart. 

At summers end, I decided to preserve a peach seed from one of my peaches and attempt to grow a new peach tree. Will it work? Well see.

I did some reading on the internet to learn a little bit about how to grow a peach tree. It sounded like a lot of work but it wasn’t so bad. I just have to give it room and let nature take it’s course. 

August- I placed a seed in a sealed baggie and placed it in my refrigerator. It needed a three to four month cold treatment to allow the embryo to develop and mature. I had to make sure to keep it away from other foods as peach seeds emit ethylene gas. Yes, peach seeds are poison. So are plums, cherries, apricots and nectarines. The seeds in these fruits contain cyanid compounds. If you swallow a seed you will be ok but they are poisonous when they are ground or crushed. 

November- I took the seed out of the refrigerator and carefully used a hammer and popped open the hull to reveal a tiny seed that looked like an almond. 

I placed the seed in another baggie along with some dirt. I just sealed it up and sat it in the window seal. After a couple weeks, I checked on it and was surprised to find a tiny peach tree! 

Just look at that! Isn’t it cute?

December- I removed it from the little baggie of dirt and planted it in a cup. Six days later it seems to be growing with a little help from a grow light. 

This red cup photo was taken on December 24th. On January 1st, it has grown even more!

Man! It is growing fast! I knew it would grow out of this red cup soon so I prepared a five gallon grow bag planter for a more permanent grow space.

I have to let it grow indoors until there is no threat of frost then I will be able to plant it in the yard in early spring. 

January- It loves the grow bag and has already grown a total of six inches tall in just one month. 

I have it placed at the back patio door where it can get some natural light through the blinds and on rainy days, I will plug in the little grow light. It’s fun to watch it lean back and forth and wiggle itself towards the light. I hope It will hang in there until I can plant it hopefully in March. My husband is going to find a spot in the back yard that will be easy for him to mow around come summer. 

I will be sure to give you an update when I have it planted in the yard. It will take an average of two years for it to start producing fruit but I’m not rushing it. Like I said “Nature will take its course”.

Aint that just peachy?