Long time no see! Ohh, way too long, I guess.

So, it's only been a little over three years since I posted. Did ya miss me? ;-)

When did I get 50 something followers on this blog? The last time I looked there were fewer than 20. Granted, that was awhile ago but it's nice to know someone is out there, even if I haven't been around.

I have no excuse for not keeping up with this blog as I'd intended from the beginning. No, I do have an excuse. In fact, I have several but won't bore you with them. Suffice to say life intervenes. I won't promise to post daily but will make a serious effort to post more regularly. I do have a few new cooking things to discuss so that shouldn't be too difficult.

Let's see. What's changed since I last posted an entry? Not much, actually. I still live in the same apartment, still have my beloved Sammy the cat, still eat low carb most of the time, and still love to cook. Oh, oh! I'm a grandma! Yeah, my oldest son and his wife had a sweet baby girl, Clara, in September. She's a real love and grandchildren really are grand! They live in Austin so I don't get to see them as often as I'd like but that's life, at least for now. Jonathan, my other son, successfully thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail a couple of years ago and to say I'm proud of him is quite an understatement. When he got off the trail he landed a job in Utah and has been up there since. He's planning to move back to my neck of the woods, though, and I'm very happy about that. I've really missed having my sons close.

My stepdad died a couple of years ago. Mom and I both miss him but she's doing surprisingly well. She's slowed down a bit but that's to be expected. She isn't 20 anymore but man, she still stays pretty active and is very independent. I quit my job in October of last year. Yep, after almost 9 years of being a barista I walked away from it. I didn't want to but I've developed a severe allergy to a common resin that's in seemingly *everything* and the constant washing of my hands was just too much. Now I work as a contracted non-emergency medical transporter and I love it. I drive 200 to 300 miles most days and have met some really great people. I feel very fortunate to have found more work I love. My hands are still a bloody mess, literally, and hurt like the dickens most days but at least I don't have to wash them constantly as I used to and that helps. Because of the pain and bleeding I can't hold a pen or marker for more than a minute or two now and had to give up my pen pals and letter writing. Trust me, that was very difficult. Letter writing was a big part of my life for a long timeand I'm still not used to my mailbox being empty or only full of junk. Looking into that mailbox makes me feel pretty lonely at times.

Oh yes, I mustn't forget this - I got a Dexcom CGM! I'd wanted one for quite awhile and finally got insurance approval almost a year ago. It's one of the most important tools in my Diabetes arsenal and if you know someone with Diabetes, especially Type 1, please encourage them to look into CGM technology. The device and supplies are a bit on the pricey side but are so very much worth it.

Other than all that, life is pretty much the same. I'm still me and still cooking simple and good foods for one.

What's up with you?

I'm alive and cooking!

At least a little bit today. And The Flyin' V is down to a definitely dull roar. It rears its ugly head now and then but not nearly so often and it doesn't last very long. I'm thrilled, too!

So, the man person is out of town today and I've spent all day planning for the upcoming genealogy trip to Kentucky and Tennessee. I'm so excited about it, I just can barely wait! I finally got hungry, though, so I made an early dinner for myself of boneless beef ribs, half a baked sweet potato and mixed Asian vegetables. It was tasty and filling. Later I'll probably have a little cream cheese with splenda and vanilla snack but I'm not very hungry so that might not happen at all.

Hopefully today heralds the return of my cooking. I miss it!

Okay, so my sons came to visit my mother and me on Mother's Day. We had a nice Sunday evening chatting then Monday they picked me up and took me to Chili's for lunch. How nice! I got a few pictures while we were there and thought I'd share a couple of them.


Jeremy and Jonathan at Chili's


And here are the three of us, posing for a picture as we leave Chili's. From left to right, there's Jeremy, me, and Jonathan.

Handsome men I helped produce! :)

A quick picture of my oldest

Jeremy sent me this picture of him in his office.



Handsome fella, ain't he? :) Oy vey! 25 and he needs glasses when he reads or uses the computer.

A weekend in Pleasant Hill, Louisiana

This last weekend we made a run to LA (read that as Louisiana, not Los Angeles) to see one of Rod's aging relatives. His aunt Joyce is almost 87 and is the sweetest thing alive, I think. Her health is starting to deteriorate and his cousin called us Saturday morning to let us know she wasn't doing well so after we closed the shop we headed that way to spend some time with her. We had a nice visit but she kept trying to cook for us! Ahhh, that southern hospitality just never ceases! She really is a very gracious and loving woman and the visit was nice.


From left, Gloria (wife to Kenneth), Joyce (almost 87), Kenneth (93) and Terry (Joyce's son)
We found out while visiting that the Battle of Pleasant Hill re-enactment would take place just a few miles from where we were staying so when we left Sunday, we stopped by there. That was the first re-enactment I've ever seen and it was a lot of fun. But was it ever noisy!


Here's "the boss" riding into the fray at the re-enactment.


And here's the flag, flyin' high!


And here's those damn yankees! They'd been adding to the noise pollution. ;)


And this is one of the women at the re-enactment. Talk about out of place!

Anyway, we had a nice time and the weather, though a little too windy, was great for such an event. The local scenery is lovely, too. You can see woods, a few hills, and even swamp! By the way, Pleasant Hill, Louisiana is just a little spot in the road now. It has a few shops, a funky little grocery and the battle park but there's nothing there today that would let a person know it was once a resort type of town with upper crust land owners, a school for girls, and a college for boys! It just goes to show you something but I'm not sure what...

If you haven't ever been to a re-enactment, you should try it. And take the kids! It's a good opportunity to learn a little about history.

Chili & Children

I made some excellent chili for dinner (but we ate it for lunch today) and it was so easy and quick to prepare.

I browned turkey breakfast sausage in a skillet with a little water and when the sausage was cooked, I added a can of mild Rotel, a can of diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup of cooked black beans, and a small can of tomato sauce. To that I added 2 chopped green onions, tops and all, chili powder, cilantro, crushed red pepper, garlic powder and freshly ground black pepper. I let the stuff simmer for about an hour then served it topped with some shredded Colby Jack cheese.



And today my sons and I drove to a nearby town to visit the graves of my daughters, Alison and Alyssa. Alyssa died prior to their birth in 1987 and it was 11 years ago today that Alison died in her sleep. This was a hard and long day for the three of us but it was good to be together. I got a few pictures to share.


The three of us in front of DH's office before we headed to the cemetery. From the left, there's Jon, me and Jeremy.


Jon, outside the restaurant where we ate lunch


Jeremy, outside the restaurant. Incidentally, I think this is the only picture of my oldest where he looks like a 'redneck'. ;)


Closeup of Jon reading in the car


Closeup of Jeremy while talking to me

So there you have it - pictures taken today of me and my sons. They're both handsome keepers!


And just so y'all will know the face of one of the precious ones we visited today, here's Alison. I still love and miss you, Ali...

Update on my mom & my blood sugar

My mother is doing remarkably well, all things considered. She's getting around with the help of a walker and wheelchair and is even able to do some minor things around the house. Thank you for your prayers for her and for Pop. We'll see how things go with them but so far, it looks fairly good. I do hope she's able to walk well in another month or so.

My blood sugar is so much better now that I've gone back to low carb and gotten the insulin regimen a little more refined. I take 17 units of Novolin N in the morning and 15 units of the same at night and most mornings now I wake up between 80 and 95. When my feet hit the floor at about 6 AM I shoot 5 units of Novolin R and I do that again at 7 PM. I rarely need Novolog now, mainly because I generally eat fewer than 10 grams of carbs at any meal. So far this is working and I don't have middle of the night hypos anymore, either! I did a Reli-On home A1c test last week and the result wasn't good, 8.5, but the next one in May will be much better, I'm sure.

Okay, time for bed for me. I'm off work tomorrow and am taking Mom to her chiropractor and doing their shopping and errands. It will be a full day!

Another fantastic low carb dinner!

Wow, I haven't posted in a week! That's entirely too long but between work, helping my mom and taking care of normal every day stuff, I haven't been too much in the mood.

Mom's doing pretty well at home. She's getting around better with her walker and wheelchair now and that's a good thing! She has an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. He wants to X-ray the leg again and see how much healing, if any, there's been.

Anyway, tonight's dinner was fantastically tasty and low in carbs.


I made broiled seasoned Tilapia and topped mine with homemade pico de gallo, peas and carrots, steamed baby spinach, and brussels sprouts. Total carbs for the meal, about 10 and that's probably too high of an estimate.

Blood sugar before the meal was 158 (thanks to three, count 'em three, bites of sugar free, fat free chocolate pudding!) and blood sugar two hours after eating was 115. Not the best reading and not as low as I prefer it but still acceptable.

Okay, off to bed soon. I have a lot to do tomorrow and have to be up around 5.

Tuesday plans

I'm off tomorrow and Wednesday and plan to stay in town tomorrow. I'm going to cook a beef roast, get the laundry tended to, clean the place, and pay some bills. Wednesday I'll go to Mom's house to cook, do their laundry, and clean their house. Ha, what days off? ;)

Stress and blood sugar

Well, my mother is home from the hospital but I'm not so sure that's a good thing. I absolutely had to go to work today since I left work last Tuesday morning when I was told about the accident and hadn't been back. My two sisters are with her now. But both sisters have businesses, lives, etc. and can't stay forever. One of my nephews came into town tonight and is staying until tomorrow night. I'm off Tuesday and Wednesday and will spend at least one of those days with her and my oldest son is planning to come into town this weekend so he'll be there to help out. Mom has accepted that she's going to have to have some kind of help so the sisters are going to work on that tomorrow.

I did find out the other driver had some kind of surgery but is going to be 'okay'. That makes us all feel a little better.

All this last week I managed to keep my blood sugar in beautiful control. With the help of insulins, a little exercise, and good diet, of course. And I did very well today until I had a customer who just set me off. She's one who comes in now and then and is known for being a very difficult person. She seems to look down on others and if everything about her visit isn't perfect, she runs to management. Even when it is perfect, she complains. That's what happened today. Fortunately, management stood up for me but the stress of the situation did a number on my BG. Not long before she showed up it was 110. About 30 minutes after she showed it was 229. Sheeeeesh! I haven't been able to get it under control the rest of the day. Its either way too high or way too low.

Stress definitely affects my blood sugar and most diabetics report the same thing. But what to do about it? It's impossible to live a stress free life but we can certainly minimize the impact stress has on us. Exercise helps but when I'm working I can't just go outside and walk around the parking lot for 30 minutes. There are a few other things I do but today none of them worked. The stress from mom's accident and dealing with all that goes with that combined with the stress of work was just too much for me, I guess. I took my 15 minute break and went outside and cried! I probably should have walked the parking lot while crying but I didn't. I sat down and cried like a baby for about 10 minutes. Sadly, I didn't feel better after the crying jag. In fact, I felt stupid and more stressed!

The day has been downhill since. Please keep us in your prayers. I need to be healthy and strong and letting bitchy customers get to me isn't going to help me to be either.

Prayers needed, please

My mother was in a serious car accident yesterday morning and is in a Trauma ICU. She's actually doing well considering she's 73 but it still isn't good. She has a badly bruised lung and one leg is broken in several places. She's refusing surgery for the break and is quite stubborn about things. She's in pain but has a deep fear of medications/anesthesia which is why she won't have the surgery. She's going to be out of commission for at least 12 weeks with or without the surgery. Please pray for Shirley and her husband, Floyd. And the other driver. All I know about her is her last name is Smith. We're trying to find out where she was taken and how she is. And throw one in there for my sisters and me, too....

A little more of my family - wedding part II

Back in October I posted some of the photos from my oldest son's wedding and the following reception. I know, its taken me very long but here are more photos. :)


This is one from May of 2008 when Jeremy graduated from UT. It isn't the best picture but from left to right, Lydia (now my daughter in law), Jeremy (my oldest son), Shirley (my mother), and Jonathan (my youngest son) who got engaged December 25th.


The lovely bride and her beautiful bride's maids after the wedding


The newlyweds dance at the reception


Jonathan toasts his brother and new sister in law

The photographer set up a photo booth at the reception and got some great photos! If you're going to have a wedding or are helping plan one, I recommend something like this at the reception. It was a lot of fun!


Jonathan and Alisha


The happy couple


Me, planting one on Mom's cheek


Mom, five of her grandchildren and one great granddaughter

That last picture is a great one and one we'll all love to look at years from now. :)

A tale of two cities (and seemingly two depressions)

When I was a kid and whined, as most kids are apt to, about how hard my life was, a man I knew, DJ, would tell me about his youth in Faribault, Minnesota during the Great Depression. He was just a young boy in 1930 and lived with his parents who were farmers. But lack of rain and lack of work did their dirty deeds and after getting loans in attempts to keep the farm, his parents eventually lost the homestead and most of their possessions. His mother also lost her mind. His father turned to alcohol. DJ told stories about going to bed with the deep pangs of hunger in his belly, wearing shoes with the toes cut out of them, getting beaten for stealing corn from a neighbor's farm when he and his brother had gone without food one day too many, his wealthy aunt who committed suicide leaving behind several young children who were taken to an orphanage and never heard from again and other horrors. He had nothing positive to say about those years but again, he was just a kid and his family had fallen apart. He grew up to be a money-obsessed man who would stop at nothing to get what he saw as the elusive key to happiness and he ended up bitter and alone.

My husband's father, James, grew up in Marthaville, Louisiana and told stories, too. Percy, father of James, lost his land in 1929 and took off for Cleveland, Texas taking his two youngest sons with him. James turned 18 in 1930 and boarded in another family's home. And he and the remaining brother were industrious. There had been a cotton crop planted on the land Percy lost and James and his oldest brother slipped in and tended to the crop until it made cotton. Then they picked it and hauled it to the cotton gin where they sold it. James went to Shelby County, Texas and stayed with relatives, logging and working for chicken farmers. His oldest brother went to Sabine Parish, Louisiana and worked in the oil fields. Percy and the two youngest boys stayed gone three years and when they returned, Percy just wondered around visiting relatives and playing fiddle at dances and the two younger boys went into the logging business. At the beginning of WWII three of the boys joined the Army. James was the one who didn't. He came out of those tough years as a tough man. I'm sure his experiences influenced him but his family managed to stay intact for the most part and pulled together to survive. He raised two sons alone and never got rich but made a comfortable living and a nice home for his sons.

When my husband was in the seventh grade and studying the Depression, he asked his Dad what it was like. What James told his young son went something like this:

"Well, we didn't hear about it for two or three years. There wasn't much money around but nobody had any money before then. Jobs got a little scarce but we all logged, cut cross ties, and everybody grew their own gardens. We just traded stuff amongst each other. If we needed a horse, we'd trade corn or a plow to someone who had one. We hunted for rabbits and deer and we made out pretty good. Towards the end of it, it got hard to get shoes. If you had a pair of shoes, most of the year you didn't wear 'em unless you were on a date. We didn't even wear 'em when we worked."

James and his brothers logged for a living...barefoot, and walked 25 miles to town...barefoot.

So what's the point in my telling all this? Both men experienced the same basic situation in their youth but the outcomes were different for them and their families. There were some basic differences like the ages of the two men and miscellaneous family details but the two families handled the stresses differently.

Most of us are going through some very tough financial times and things are going to get worse before they get better. But now isn't the time to panic. Instead, take action. Stay calm and use your head and if you haven't done so yet, prepare for tough economic times. And remember that it can always be worse.

First, get and keep your priorities straight. Keeping a roof over your head, food on the table, and clothes on your back are the basic priorities. Your kids might not like it but they'll survive and be appreciative of the food, even if it is just beans. They might not be appreciative until they're 25 but at some point they will be. And they'll be grateful for parents who set a good example.

If you're experiencing financial problems or anticipate them, talk to your kids about it. You needn't give a lot of detail but don't keep kids in the dark. Even a six year old can understand money being scarce and just telling them money is tight is often enough. Give what you think they can handle but do include them, at some level, in the situation.

Do what you can to keep your home but know this: if you lose it, it isn't the end of the world. After 12 years of paying on our house and land, we lost it in late 2007 and though I wish we hadn't gone through that, we survived and have a lot less stress now. Foreclosure isn't a good thing but it isn't the worst thing, either. A house is just a house. The people inside it are more important.

Formulate a plan for a potential layoff or time of decreased income. Update your resume, figure out how much money you need monthly to get by, do a little networking, explore the possibility of a career change, take some college classes, learn a new skill or two, call in favors, etc.

If you haven't started accumulating cash, start. I mean right now, don't wait. If you can only put aside $5 a week, do it. Surely there's something you can do to get more cash or to spend less in one or more areas so you can put that amount aside - sell books online, have a garage sale, clean houses, mow yards, cut out the cable, switch to dial up (yuck, I know!!), forgo the manicure, magazine, or latte, hang clothes outside to dry, reduce or eliminate eating out, quit smoking, etc. It doesn't hurt to get your kids involved in such things, either. If they earn/save/don't spend $10 a week, thats less money they need from you and they learn valuable lessons in money management and family values.

Along with increasing cash, decrease your debt if possible. Personally, I think if you're facing a potential layoff having living expenses for a few months is more important than paying on debt but beyond the three basics listed above everyone needs to prioritize for themselves. I've been in the position of having little income and no savings and feeling I had no choice but to live on credit. At the end of a few months I still had little income and no savings but I owed several thousand dollars on one credit card. I never want to be in that position again so if I don't have cash to buy something I don't get it. Dave Ramsey's envelope system really got me going good in that department. It's simple, easy to understand and it works if making it work is a priority. On the other hand some people might feel more comfortable with paying more on debt and having less cash in hand. This is definitely a matter of preference and the only right way is the one that makes you comfortable. Find your way and follow it.

Don't incur new debt. Don't charge christmas presents or meals out for visiting family. In fact, don't charge anything. Get rid of the credit cards, put them in a bowl of water in the freezer, lock them in a safe deposit box, do whatever you have to but don't use them! For me, this is a huge priority, right up there with the basics. In fact, it is a basic in my book. We haven't observed christmas in over 13 years but even if we did, I feel so strongly about not acquiring new debt that I'd eat beans and rice and not buy a single gift before I'd charge anything.

If you have room for a garden, get your seeds (use heirloom seeds), and supplies, get the garden planned, and be ready when planting season arrives. If you don't have land enough for a garden, consider a container garden. With containers, some soil, seeds, and sunlight you can grow at least some of your food and if you're really blessed, might be able to preserve some of it for later use. If you have no means to garden, consider working out a deal with someone who does. Mow their yard or run their errands in exchange for produce. Don't be afraid to ask! If you can't garden or work out a deal to barter with someone who does, keep your eyes open for great deals on in season fruits and vegetables at the local store. Talk to the produce manager to get the best price on a case of this or a bushel of that and preserve what you get. Canning isn't hard but freezing and drying are often sufficient.

And finally, when the going gets really tough and you feel sad or depressed over the situation, remember this - you don't walk barefoot 25 miles to town. I know that doesn't help pay the bills but it really could be much worse than what it is. Just muddle through and be thankful for your friends and family and keep those priorities straight so you don't end up being used to make a point in someone's blog entry.

Wednesday dinner & a request for prayer

Tonight's dinner was a departure from the week's menu. My day didn't go as planned (see below) but this morning I realized that was happening and threw some black eyed peas in the slow cooker. I chopped some smoked turkey sausage and turkey ham and added those, garlic, dried onion and freshly ground black pepper. I'd hoped to bake some cabbage to go with it but that didn't happen. That's okay, though. Tomorrow we'll have more peas and baked cabbage for lunch or dinner.

Now, as to why my day didn't go as planned. I received a phone call this morning from my mother letting me know she was about to take my stepfather to the hospital because she thought he was having a stroke. Hours later he was released and sent home and she was cautioned to keep a very close eye on him and take him back if he exhibited any behaviors like this morning or anything out of the ordinary. Apparently the medical professionals think he had a small stroke but test results were good.

Please pray for my mother and stepfather. They're getting up there in age and he was recently diagnosed with dementia. Today's experience really has my mother understandably upset. She needs peace and Pop needs healing.

She's going to call me in the morning and let me know if she needs me to go over there to help. I'm off again so the plans for the day depend on her. I have a lot to do that didn't get done today but will be there for her if she needs me. Always.

Post-Thanksgiving Stuff

I spent Wednesday at Mom's house helping her prepare for the crowd that was to be there on Thursday but Thanksgiving was spent with my husband and some friends of ours at their house. They invited a couple in their 70s from their church, a single man in his 50s or so from their church, and us. We made an interesting little group.

Our friends cooked an organic turkey and all the trimmings...well, most of them! Missing were some of the things I associate with Thanksgiving like candied yams, mashed potatoes and gravy, and my mother's Waldorf Salad, and present were things I associate with a summer barbecue rather than this holiday like potato salad and green salad. But that's one of the differences between east Texas cookin' and eatin' and Midwest cookin' and eatin', I suppose. Or maybe those are familial preferences...

Regardless, the food was very good and there was a lot of it. The company was very good, also, and we had a wonderful day. DH and I watched the Cowboy game after we ate and I washed most of the dishes since our gracious hostess was exhausted. We got home around 7:30 or so last night and it wasn't long before I was in bed since I had to get up at 4 this morning to be at work by 5:45.

My oldest son and his new wife are at my mother's house and I'm going to spend tomorrow with them, probably shopping. Ooops, that reminds me I need to post more wedding photos! I'll try to do that over the next few days. If I'm up to it, I might invite them over tonight. I don't get to spend much time with them so I look forward to that.

Okay, time for me to finish getting ready for work. The day is going to be long and somewhat stressful, I think, but I'll post this evening some time. Wish me luck. ;)

Helping kids build great holiday memories

I read this entry about creating an Autumn Extravaganza Memory Box and I absolutely love the idea. I'm already in the process of making a recipe book for each of my grown sons and have started working on the contents and format, but wasn't sure how to pull it all together. Happy Housewives to the rescue!

I plan to have recipes, pictures, and perhaps a quickie family tree just for fun. The pictures I put in it will hopefully bring back happy memories of childhood celebrations and the dishes they prepare from the recipes in it will be joyous reminders of generations gone by.

I can't think of a better gift for young people, single or married, and I wish I'd thought about something like this when my children were younger. Actually, I wish my grandmother had thought of it!! I'd have taken more pictures with the intention of putting them in the guide, I'd have made notes by recipes that Jon stuck his tongue out at this dish and Jeremy acted like he was choking at that one. But I didn't do any of that so whatever I come up with now will have to do.

This should be fun and I'll blog about the guide as it comes along.

Finally....wedding photos, Part I

I finally got some of the pictures back from my oldest son's wedding. I still need to scan pictures of the rehearsal dinner but I'll go ahead and share some of the the photos now. And there are so many pictures it's going to take me awhile to go through them all and decide which ones to share here so I'll post a few pictures every once in awhile. I don't want y'all getting wedding picture overload!


This is Jeremy, my son, on the church steps


And here's Lydia, his beloved, on those steps


And the happy couple on the steps. Aren't they beautiful? The people, not the steps!


And another of the newlyweds


The bride and her 'girls'


The groom and his 'boys' - the young man in the front to your far right, is my other son, Jon


The bride and groom playing around at the reception

That's it for now. I'll try to share some more tomorrow or the next day.

Between a rock and a hard place and slidin' into the weekend

I spent most of Wednesday at my mother's house. While I was there I made a great beef and vegetable soup. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of it but I'll post the recipe over the weekend. I'm off today and should have time to do that.

Right now I want to discuss something that is preying on my mind.

I went to Mom's house to help her clean and organize the house but we didn't get a lot of that done. What we did get done was some talking about a lot of things that needed to be discussed.

Mom is 73, Pop is a tad younger. Pop never had children and with him recently being told he has dementia and being put on Aricept, he seems to worry about what's going to happen to him. Who can blame him? But he has Mom and me and my three sisters and hopefully we'll be enough. At any rate, Mom and I talked about their finances, which are pretty dismal, and what my sisters and I can do to help. Now, one of my sisters lives about 150 miles away and the other is several states away. My youngest son just recently moved back to east Texas and the other is in Austin. I have a niece in Iowa and the rest of my nieces and nephews are around Dallas. So basically, my youngest son and I are the closest, physically, to Mom and Pop. That means that most of the things they need done, things like yard work, house cleaning, shopping, and such, will be up to us. I'm okay with that and so is my son. I know the others will help in whatever ways they can.

But I'm really struggling with my parents finances. In the last two months Mom and Pop have made at least two major bad decisions regarding finances. Neither of them have doomed them to a life of poverty but one decision led to them giving away several thousands of dollars and the other almost destroyed the credit they've worked 40 years to build. Neither of these decisions/actions is in character for Mom and this has me concerned. But my sisters and I can't just take their checkbooks and credit cards away. We can't stop them from giving money to whomever they choose. They are grown adults, they're still competent and independent so there isn't anything we can do, right?

I'm very concerned about these recent developments and haven't a clue just what to do about them. If you have experience with aging parents and/or dementia, please give me your insights on this.

A quick look at Caffe Medici in Austin Texas

Caffe Medici is where the wedding rehearsal dinner for my son and soon to be daughter in love will be held next weekend. Jeremy and Lydia met there when the place was still Metro and it has sentimental value to them so that's where the dinner will be. I haven't been there but Lorenzo, Caffe Medici's person in charge of catering, sent me these photos today.



This is what you see when you walk in the door. I just love the look of this place!




A closer view of the espresso bar and Patrick, one of their champion baristas.




Upstairs. I just love the brick/red walls and the shelves!




More upstairs.

Confession time...I want to move in to Caffee Medici!