And tell me what can I do today ’cause everybody needs a helping out

Been after DH to help me in the kitchen for a long time (read all our marriage). Simply because I think it's more fun to prepare food with people than on my own. The kids I can command to join me both for lessons and general gofer status, but how do you get a grown man in the kitchen when he has no interest in anything other than the final product?

Turns out the trick is to break my hand.

He chopped and seasoned our tiny potatoes that were steamed/boiled, mixed up and formed the mini meatloaves/giant burgers, stirred, flipped and helped dish out plates. I love him!

On to the food!

Field Peas and Collard Greens, plus 2 packets of Ham flavor and enough water to cover in my large cast iron pan (I didn't mean for them to be mixed, but this was the one job I could do last night, cut the bags open and dump them in a pot, and I wasn't paying attention and dumped them in the SAME pot! DOH!!, it was yum anyway). Simmer till Peas are tender.

Mini potatoes washed and cut (I'm not sure how many potatoes were involved since I bought a prepacked bag at the Japanese market) into bite size bits, then seasoned with 2 packets of that Sazon seasoning, and about 2/3 of a stick of butter and salt to taste, in a medium bowl with some water, a plate as a lid and then used the baked potato setting to cook them (pushed it like I had 6 large potatoes in there). The seasoning will turn the parts of the potato it touches a pretty orange but under that they're still white.

The mini meat loaves/giant hamburgers (depending on who you are serving them to in the house) are 2lb 97% lean grd beef, 3 eggs, a handfull of Italian bread crumbs and 1 Tbs(ish) of Gourmet Burger seasoning (it's got dehydrated bell peppers and onions and all kinds of stuff in it). Mash up and then we divide into 4 large loaves/patties. Sometimes I bake these and sometimes I cook them on the stove top, to night we did them on the stove top (cause DH wanted to man the spatula, and he prefers to think of them as giant hamburgers and not mini meatloaf, having been traumatized sometime before me by a meatloaf).

I'm back in the saddle again

DH is home, and was uber helpful in the kitchen last night!

We made some grilled chicken strips seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, onion and sage. Angelhair pasta with Alfredo sauce and 2 kinds of fresh mushrooms that I sauteed in some butter first, then combined. And lastly steamed some fresh (and frozen, cause I didn't have enough of either) green beans, then sauteed them with butter and soy sauce and a handfull of mushrooms too. MMM mushrooms.

Kids ate their dinner, DD#2 fell asleep at the table tho, poor baby is cutting 6 teeth at once. Fun for the whole house!

I was so busy enjoying DH's company and bossing him around (um I mean directing) that I forgot to take a pic (also the one arm thing makes taking pics a little awkward).

It's the final countdown

The ER Dr was the same I'd seen Monday, which saved me a lot of talking. I just explained the horror of my NON appointment the day before.

She was aghast. Looked at my xray again, gave me a half-cast and an appointment for orthopedics herself as part of my discharge instructions. Thus sidestepping my own Dr entirely. YAY!

Turns out not only did I bang up my knuckle I also fractured a bone in my hand in a couple places so I get a half cast (it's removable) for the next month. I can take it off for showering and if I'm resting, but if I'm lifting anything or moving around the house or driving or anything other than, sitting or sleeping I get to have it on.

She also gave me Percocet (man I love that stuff). But it turns out the half cast was what did the trick because it immobilized my hand and not just my finger.

The ladies at Church are bringing us supper for the next few days, and DH should be home early next week (cross your fingers he's on the first plane out, and that it doesn't get grounded for repairs).

I fall to pieces

Yesterday was a MESS.

I woke up and called the Radiologist about my hand, who just said I needed a new X-ray and to see the orthopedic. GREAT. To do that I need a referral from my regular Dr. (free health care comes with lots of hoops).

I got an appointment with my Dr. and someone to watch the littlest two kids, circle the parking lot twice to find and parking spot and then have to try parking 3ish times (it's difficult to park when your hand is in a splint) all that makes me a few min late for the apt. I'm informed at the front desk that the Dr has moved on to the next patient and will NOT BE SEEING ME now, because I was supposed to be there 20 min early (the Tech who I was on the phone with neglected to mention this) so even had I been "on time" I would have been late.

She then hands me a slip of paper and says most helpfully how I've been rescheduled for Friday.

FRIDAY!

The vicodin has stopped working for the pain that this is causing, and the Dr won't give me anything stronger with out having seen me first ( the irony is not lost on me). Try icing it and continue with the Mortin they say. I'm in tears at the front desk (me crying in public here, that's how bad it hurts) because I have to wait 2 more days for my hand to get a fresh xray so that I can get the referral to the orthopedic clinic (that is walk-ins only!).

I pick up the little ones from my friends house, and then get home just before the bus drops of the older two.

That morning I had started a Chuck Roast in the crock pot with 1 box of beef stock and some water and a heafty few shakes of Gourmet burger seasoning and salt. I set it on high and let it do it's thing all day.

By 4 pm I'm in so much pain from my hand that I try taking 2 of the vicodin (in hopes that it'll take the edge off) and I can finish supper, no dice. DD#2 thinks she needs to grab either at the splint or the ice pack that are on my hand, and I just can't take much more.

Thank goodness for neighbors and friends, I took her next door to play with her BFF (another baby only a few months older than her).

I also realize that there is NO way I am going to be able to cut up the cabbage or carrots or be able to lift the pot of water for the pasta, let alone shred the roast for the beef and cabbage gravy I have planned for supper. And this is where I get to say, I LOVE MISSIONARIES! (for those of you who don't know I am LDS)

The single missionaries came over and gave me a blessing (which helped me to calm down), and the Couple missionaries came over and the Sister finished preparing our supper for me. It turned out beautifully, and there is enough for tonight.

I'm debating on going back to the ER this morning since the meds aren't doing anything for the pain. But I'm not looking forward to driving at all. And I'm afraid they'd just tell me there's nothing they can do till my Dr refers me to otrho anyway.

For it won't be long 'Til I'm gonna need Somebody to lean on

I've never had a friend as bossy as me before, and I'm still on the fence with how much I enjoy it. Most of the time it's hilarious, because I understand the bossy personality, listen if you want, you're not going to hurt my feelings if you don't. But, with an injury, it's a little different.

My neighbor and friend had planned a pot luck style cook out for yesterday. It rained.

SURPRISE (only not really cause it's a tropical island and it does that).

All the other neighbors decided not to come, but I was told to bring my already thawed steaks over anyway "since now I'm a gimp". Also her DD (who's 5) wanted to play with my DD#1 (who's 9). So, her DH grilled the steaks in the rain, and she made mashed taters, I was allowed to make salad since I am mostly one handed.

My neighbors really have been taking good care of me and I should do more for them. (also, now I know how all MY friends feel! LOL)

There's no pic since it wasn't at my house sorry.

Been crazy all day long and it's only Monday,

I got an X-ray last night for my right pinky (where the pinky meets the hand) the Dr is not pleased about the bruising and not sure about the xray, said she will have the radiologist look at it and have him call me tomorrow. I banged it on a corner of a wall last Monday, wish me luck!

I came home with a metal splint and 2 bottles of pills, Motrin for day time swelling and pain, and vicodin for night time (to help me sleep, and boy howdy, 2 of those do the trick).

While that was happening the sitter made Dirty Spaghetti for the kids.

The night before (while still in denial about my finger); Fried pork chops, not quite mashed potatoes, and corn with spinach.

I just seasoned the pork chops with Salt, pepper, garlic, onion and Marjoram. then pan fried in veg oil till golden and crisp. I boiled some red potatoes till tender and then stirred in nearly a half a stick of butter and 1/4 cup light ricotta cheese, salt and pepper, garlic powder. they were TASTY potatoes, I will do that again. The corn and spinach are a standard in our house, a 1lb bag each with 2 pkg ham flavor and enough water to simmer till tender. salt to taste.

Note to those of you in denial about hurting your hands, cast iron pans are heavy, so if you cook in them like I do, perhaps you should let them have the night off when you're injured, or just not lift them, or just send the children out of the kitchen when you need to lift them because you will probably swear, a lot, on accident.

Now if you wanna go to get away from it all

So, thankfully Spring Break happened during DH's trip. I had the kids home to help keep my mind off missing him, and lets face it with 4 kids home a week, and a camping trip planned you don't have a lot of time for pinning away!

The week started off superbly, picnics, lookey-loo shopping, gardening, light dinners, no real cooking. Just some throw together stuff and movies and running around like we had no concerns.

The closer and closer it got to our camping trip the worse the weather looked, and then it hit.

It rained, and rained. We tried to have fun anyway.

And then, cause 4 kids and a mom in a camper tailor for 3 days 2 nights isn't enough, we'll toss in 12 hrs of stomach flu too.

We had hot dogs the first night (boiled on the gas stove) with avocado and tomato dip, and fruit salad (I made at home before we headed out). Night 2 the rain cleared up enough for grilled burgers (the culprit of the tummy troubles?) and grilled veg shishka-bobs. Just some Deli Sandwiches on Pita bread during the day and some eggs and potato stuff for breakfast (the first day, the second day we had dry cereal, LOL).

Our tummies were a tad tender still the last week, so we took it easy with light things not blog worthy.