The Blame

You are the one who will have to assume all blame if you do not like the furniture we selected in Hickory, because you have remained silent and missed out on an actual prize. Conversely, we are the ones who will gladly claim all of the kudos for our fantastic new furniture! We had a great time and I was happy to be able to tow something with the truck for the first time. We brought a few pieces back to tide us over while we wait for the remaining pieces to be shipped. In the meantime we set about placing the pieces we have and Wifey and MIL surprised me with a well-accessorized library when I returned home from work. They had a fun time shopping at HomeGoods and discovered some reasonably priced items that really made the library come alive. We are excited to see the finished project, but it is great fun watching it all come together. I am finally feeling 100% with no hint of weakness from the back procedures today! It feels good to be back. Have a great evening, but don't blame us.

Daddy's new library rug 

Rock the Vote!

Here's your chance to put your two cents in regarding our furniture choices. Let us know how you feel about our selections and you may be eligible to win an actual prize(shipping not included). Let's get those comments coming, designers!

Don't worry, that kitchenette price includes table, chairs, curio cabinet, two first class tickets to paradise, and three hedgehogs! 

The "ultimate" console table! 

What to put here? 

Goodbye old couch 

Hello entertainment center 

Old. 

New? 

Hmmm, family room, I presume? 

Possible new sectional(excluding color) 

Current family room (sofa Nanna view) 

Possible dining room table 

Current Dining Room 

Previous dining room 

 

 

 

Hello

I just wanted to wish everyone a great morning. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Got Guinness?

After all the errands were done yesterday, Wifey called me and asked what I wanted to eat for dinner. It was a little overcast with the occasional drizzle; the kind of day that begs for comfort food. I only pondered a moment before suggesting corned beef and cabbage as our entree. After stopping by the store for the necessary ingredients(and a few Guinness, of course), I headed home. As we prepared to cook our meal, I remembered seeing a recipe somewhere for corned beef that involved Guinness. I hunted for it briefly on the internet and came across this gem. After some minor modifications we started the cooking and then sat down to enjoy the rest of our day. Three and a half hours later we were enjoying the most delicious meal imaginable. If you are ever in need of fantastic rainy day food, look no further. Our changes: We did not brown/sear the brisket, we roasted the meat and liquid and onions and garlic in the oven at 325 for 2 hours and 45 minutes, after the meat was done we removed it to a plate to cool and added the cabbage, carrots, diced new potatoes, and parsnips. We turned up the heat to 400 and cooked the veggies in the broth for about 35-45 minutes. No sauce reduction, everything was perfect!

Day off

Today is my first day off without a medical reason in quite some time and it feels incredible. I am almost back to full strength and feeling great. My back feels stronger and my headaches are gone completely. Things are good. Annabelle is doing well and Wifey is happy to reduce her role as nurse. We all have the day off together and have made the most of it so far. The decorator came by to help us solidify our vision before our furniture shopping trip next week. She did a great job and we both feel empowered after the consultation. Cassidy is looking super-cute after her visit to the new groomer. They even put barretts in her ear hair! I have an appointment with my doctor today for a routine check-up after the previous medical issue. I am anticipating it going smoothly as I have been well cared for and well rested. Later I am going to drop my truck off for some routine service to insure it is ready for our trek to the Smokies. After that it is nuthin' but relaxation city for this Daddy! Have a great day and remember to smile a lot!

Welcome back people! 

 

 

Happy Easter! 

Annabelle and Nona time 

Baby Steps

Hiya blogfans, the Wizard is back and better than before! It seems the second blood patch I received yesterday was a roaring success and I enjoyed my first full night of sleep in over a week. My back is more than a little tender, but the sun is shining and all is right with the world. This whole experience has been a real rollercoaster ride and I will be glad when it is over, but the care and love I received from friends and family alike has been completely overwhelming. I feel blessed to have you all in my life, thank you. I feel like I have gotten a new lease on life this Easter season and it has put things into perspective. I was reminded again that the truly important things in this time we're given are family, friends, and spending time with both as much as possible. I am thankful for each day and will continue to better myself spiritually, mentally, and physically. I am so grateful for the opportunity. Thank you all again for keeping me in your hearts and prayers, it has made all the difference. God bless!

On the Mend

Sorry about the absence, I have had an interesting few days. I was admitted to the hospital Saturday morning because I was experiencing something called expressive aphasia. I have never had this symptom before and I stumped several doctors and a neurologist who are treating me. I still don't know what caused this issue, but by Sunday I was back to normal, save a debilitating headache from the lumbar punctures I underwent. Yesterday I returned to the hospital for a epidural blood patch and today I am feeling better. I am on bed rest and must lie down, drink caffeine, and take Percoset periodically. Sleep has been elusive and I have not been feeling myself. Luckily the in-laws are in town to help us manage this difficult time. I have to keep this post short because I get tired easily these days. Bottom line is I am feeling better and thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers. I will keep you updated as best as I can. Have a great day and stay healthy.

Hello again

and welcome back to the blog! It has been busy around here recently and I have not had much spare time. It is my day off today and I wanted to take the opportunity to say hi and let everyone know that we are still kicking. Annabelle is doing well and has really taken to spitting. She motorboats almost all the time and covers everything in a three foot radius with spittle. Fun! Wifey had a blast hosting trivia night last night. She is really enjoying her role as Mellow Mushroom personality and the crowd seems to eat it up. Today we are hoping for nice weather so we can all go to the dog park and give Cassidy some much-needed playtime. The trees are beginning to leaf out and I have discovered that we have three Dogwoods on our property. I will try to get some snaps of them beginning to blossom for your viewing pleasure. I am going to cuddle with my sweetie now, so have a great day!

April Fool's

Gotcha! Tee Hee.