TKR Lavender's getting a new left knee for Christmas

[Minnie's knees]

@lavender sorry I am just now getting to your posts but I am not getting my alerts. As @tiredwife explained the Vegas trip is virtual. I have actually never been to Las Vegas. But I appreciate your concern. My blood sugars are leveling out and my liver functions are way down and getting better. Diabetes management is a daily challenge for me. I have only been on insulin since the surgery so very new for me. I was on oral medication prior to the surgery.

I am about 1/2 way done with my Chrismas shopping but I am usually done by now. I am waiting on my grandsons to give me their list this weekend so I can finish up. I have several presents that I need to get wrapped. I used to enjoy wrapping but now it feels like a chore. I will probably be going back to work before Christmas so I need to get as much done as I can before then. I know the first couple of weeks back to work I will be very tired when I get home.

I am cooking a turkey for dinner tomorrow with a few sides but not too much as it is only the 5 of us. My son and his family are in Tennessee and it is too far away. My husband and daughter will help and I am cheating and buying pies from a local restaurant for dessert.

Regarding family issues, I think most families have them. I have a brother here in town and haven't seen him in over 3 years because it is nothing but drama with his family and it got to be too much to deal with. They would ask to borrow money for non essential things because I have a good job and they aren't good with money and never a repayment. Dont get me wrong if it was something essential I would be glad to help but that was never the case. And they talk about everyone when you are not around..small town gossip. I miss the good times when his kids were small but now that they are grown I don't miss the ups and downs. Life goes on and is much less stressful without the drama.

I was glad to read that you have been able to visit your park. Life is meant to be enjoyed.

 

[tiredwife]

@lavender with camping coming up and I have to bake stuff today for tomorrow I won't be on here much today so I wanted to with you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you have a great rest of the week!

 

[lavender]

@Minnie's knees How great you are doing so well with your shopping still time to do it but 1/2 way done is great. We are usually finished by now but not buying for as many this year so lots of time. You are right about family stuff being just part of life. My Dad used to say it was amazing that people got along when you think about it putting two families together when someone gets married each having their own beliefs and customs no wonder things can get a little crazy and this is really so true. Growing up together in the same enviroment even though we had our own personalities grew up this basically the same values and shared what we had so adding more in easy to see how things can change.

My brothers are pretty easy going always were nice guys always very kind to me, but mixture with wives and kids and their relatives can complicate things that were once pretty calm. Just fortunate to have had the great days and so many wonderful memories of them. One of my brothers has a great outlook he said they are just trying to keep things going and none of them other then this brother are comfortable rocking the boat. and he only speaks up when things are not right. Oh well my life with my husband is all I need to worry about so things with us are very nice.

I miss a lot of alerts too not sure why and sometimes see when I visit other peoples threads that a message was sent to me but not received. Today we did a few things we had to pick up a form from my doctor so my husband popped in to bring it to me, after a month of not going we went to the restaurant we like in the town nearby with the price of gas we cut back on travelling the distance but needed to get out today so we went nice to get our for a ride and gas prices here have dropped so much over the past few weeks so nice treat, picked up a few prescriptions and went to our park very cold no snow but dropped in to give them some bread lots of sea gulls and some ducks they look cold and think they enjoyed the bread, then home to sit and watch a Christmas movie.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope you have a wonderful time with your family . The safety bars were installed yesterday and they are really nice they did a great job and left everything nice and clean . Building the transfer bench today so going to try it all out . They applied a solution treatment to the bottom of the tub to stop slipping so today it will now be dry and ready to get wet so ready to try it out and have a bath. Wishing you all the best Holly

 

[lavender]

Hi @tiredwife Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving . Hope you have a great one and enjoy the time spent at your trailer and very much like all of the little emotiocons you share with us brighten all of our days. Wishing you all the best Holly

 

[lavender]

My Mom and Dad took lots of pictures of us growing up My Gram and Grampa did to . My Dad bought a movie camera when we were small and he took movies of us as well and so did my Mom . My Gram took slides lots of them someone always had a camera with them so many of our special times and adventures together were put on film.

My Gram left her slides to my Mom when she died so many memories of things we did together , birthdays trips to go to the cottage we shared many summers up north and births everything. My Gram used to show us her slides when we got together for New Years, or other gatherings and we loved them. Remembering all sitting quietly waiting for the next picture to appear sitting in their rec room with the lights turned off her screen was set up at the end of the room and we saw the pictures she took it was exciting. My Dad would set up our movie screen and loading up his little projector he would show us movies of things we all did together always hoping that when we gathered we would get to see them again. As time went by the films started to deteriorate and parts with the heat from the lighting on the projector started to get harder to see. One Christmas he had tapes of these movies made for us a few each Christmas till we all had one and how much I enjoyed looking at the tape they had made for me for my gift one year he had the one I was given set so the music from the music box music played on it.

My Grams slides were left in the boxes as a keepsake nothing was done with them and one day my brother Bill asked if he could have them he was planning to do something with them. My Mom said yes so he took all of the slides of our family and my Gram and Grampa Mom and Dad and us kids and put them all together and slide by slide recorded them on a dvd and each of us received one for our own. He had enough of just the family ones to make a full dvd and then he took the newer ones the ones she took before she died pictures of my brothers little girls who were at that time the only grandchildren and made another disc of those as well.

My Gram died before the birth of my closest brothers little girls and before my youngest brother had his kids too so no slides of these little ones.

Today when we came home I decided to try the dvd in our computer I had watched the dvd with y husband when we received it and loved it then but for some reason it seemed even more important to watch it today. Pictures of my little brothers coming home brand new little babies having their baths, my oldest brother and my Grampa how my Grampa love going to the cottage we rented for many summers and how much he loved to fish. Pictures of Grampa teaching my oldest brother how to drive a boat my brother soon caught on a drove the boat on his own he was so young but had a talent. My Grampa took his own motor up he had a Johnsons motor and my parents and grandparents rented a boat to put the motor on for our trips to the little islands along Georgian bay to have our packed lunch even cooked hotdogs and stuff up on the rocks and swam in the little areas along the big rocks where the water was more shallow.

Times of such wonder we had such beautiful child hood days and so much times spent all together as a family thought I was the most luckiest girl every and I was still am. How important pictures are how much it seemed hard to believe they had taken place so many years before as some felt like just the other day how did we all get older so fast. I called him my boys loved them so and we all had such fun together, always something new and always finding some type of adventure days seemed to last forever lots of wonderful memories. Remembering the days when some of these pictures must have been taken showing my husband things we have talked about and now showing him how it really looked . Our first bicycles, and our trips to Parry Sound the water was so clear, sand castles we built together and my family and all of us enjoying time to be just all together.

Pictures of my brothers as babies, us kids waiting for Santa and the look of sheer delight on our faces as we all cuddled together for a story before bed, the tent we made in our backyard over the close line a blanket and a few clothes pegs put into the ground to make the tent. Halloween costumes bringing back memories and remembering the day we wore them, our garden was beautiful still is but the roses and the trees my Dad planted so tiny and now so very very tall. He loved trees and anything that grew so did my Mom.

The giant mud turtle our dog Daisy forgot how big she was she was a Saint Bernard she taught me not to be afraid of dogs and how much I loved her . Saying to my husband how nice it would be to go back to those days just for a day it would be nice to go and have another day with them but then remembering the things that I would loose., T hings that have made our lives nice now to. Going back would be nice to see my Dad , my Grandparents and have fun together again but that would mean that I would not have the things and memories of now. Marriage to my wonderful husband would not have happened, and the lives we have all built would not have happened, missing out on seeing my nieces and nephews born and the memories of time spent watching them grow up to. And yes as well the memories of the days not too long ago when still able to see my Dad and all of the people who have made my life as an adult full of memories to and so many more good ones then bad memories so counting blessing to have had time with all of those I have lost and with those who I can still share my time with and of course my time with the most wonderful husband for me I could have asked for. Today I tried to see if there was a way to save some of these pictures wanted to share a few with you but not sure how to do it we all looked so shiny and so happy and how little we were in some of them loved watching them and thinking will watch it all over again tomorrow so much enjoyment seeing them all again. Holly

 

[lavender]

Hi and hoping everyone had a nice day for their Thanksgiving celebrations today. We had a busy day the medical plan that we have needed a copy of a prescription of my Celebrex only one time needed but a special code to help put it through as it is one of the only medications that I have that now requires this code. So running back and forth to my doctor to get the copy of a past prescription then sending this in to my medical insurance. The message that I left with the secretary at the main desk was explaining what was needed so yesterday we received a phone call saying it was already.

The message that I left did not get to him it seems the same way that I explained as the paper we picked up was not completed as it should have been. So another phone call today and explained information was missing the code so another trip to fix it up but they were closed so off to the pharmacy to see if anyone could explain what I was supposed to have on this paper and thankful after all of this I was able to talk to someone who knew.

Three days of fussing and calling wishing I could have talked to my doctor but that is not easy to do unless you have an appointment and I had planned on taking it with me to my appointment to show him know he would understand but this was the day his wife gave birth to their brand new baby daughter so he had a lady who substituting for the assistant he usually has filling in and she was nice and said she would pass the message onto my doctor when he came back

The reception desk and others that took my call kept relaying the message so now after explaining because I talked to the pharmacist now ready to mail it what became very complicated is actually very simple. and returning back to the pharmacy tonight delaying supper time the form is ready , addressed , stamped, ready to mail , and how much easier this woman made it go. Why is it that simple things become so large and then in a few minutes they get easy again just have to talk to the right person.


I ended up with five forms that were prepared but without talking to my doctor only one paper was made out but the message must have said that I needed a repeat on my prescription but that was not what I had asked for. but even though the paper was not exactly what I needed it had a code and that was a nice surprise so pharmacy could process it. Pharmacy has solved the problem assured me it is all filled in correctly now and so happy that is over and not needing to run around more tomorrow or at least hoping so. I will be thankful after my operation when my knee is healed and hoping by then no longer needing the Celebrex only medication that needs this code so will be very when longer needing to take it.

My doctor was excited about the baby coming he has two little boys very busy ages 2 and 4 and they are really cute saw them one day but he was saying he wondered if little girls were easier he is a great daddy and his little boys are very busy nice little boys he would be very patient with them.

Still counting the days and now only 25 days till my knee surgery bath bench built now my husband helped me this morning and loving the new safety bars in the bathroom and the no slip treatment they put on the bottom of our tub is amazing did not think about it till realized that I did not feel like I was slipping nice they did it happy to be getting it all together not long now time is going fast. We called and thanked our landlords office and told them we are very appreciative of the safety bars they had installed for us the told us it was their pleasure. Holly

 

[lavender]

Well the days are flying by so fast . Next week starting first two appointments for pre-op . More the next few weeks after to then the doctor and my dentist and my husbands birthday in on the !14th of December so wanting to do something nice with him to celebrate. Doing our Christmas shopping for each other next week at our mall and then get it ready wrapped and all set for Christmas Day if I am home hoping so. Found the cinnamon buns we like for Christmas morning picked up some snack stuff in case someone comes if not we can enjoy them. Bath seat all build and love the shower bars so great and tub treatment is working wonderful.

Asking the surgeon next week at my appointment if I can re use the wrap I purchased last surgery just have to find out what to do about the ice packs on surgery day it costed a bit so with my wrap and my Mom gave me her wrap and a couple of ice packs that go with them so can't see why they can not be used at hospital again hoping so. A man and lady that we met at pre op last time around had planned to use his again the man had his surgery the morning I had mine before me so being it was his second replacement his wife told me that he would be using his again saving us money hopeful.

Think the paper work sent to our insurance plan is now all set mailed and hope everything for the celebrex is in order just for now. Tired we had a very busy day today and we both are looking forward to watching a movie tonight sitting together and I am going to have a nice hot shower and relax tonight . Time now to relax but we both had a really nice although busy day. Holly

 

[fiberlady]

Just stopping by to see how you are doing? Thought of you the other day when I made a trip to Mary Maxims in Port Huron. Hope you are gathering your projects to work on during your recovery, I was buying yarn for just that purpose.

Your surgery is much closer to Christmas than mine, will you be released from the hospital and home by Christmas?

The time is going by quickly now and it won't be long before we will have two new knees.

 

[tiredwife]

@lavender Sometimes they don't like using used wraps at the hospital because they don't know if they sterile or not. You can ask them. Hope they let you. We took hubby's ice machine the second time and they gave us a new part that goes against the leg. Hope you have a good day today!

 

[lavender]

@fiberlady

Hi Cindy We are both getting so much closer till we have our knee surgeries and time is going by so quick. Mine is on a Monday and after tomorrow two more Mondays and then the third Monday will be my surgery day. Yours is two days before mine so are you having your surgery on a Saturday. I have things all ready for when I come home from the hospital to work on some of my cross stitches keep changing my mind which one I am going to do at that time but hoping to come home before Christmas . My surgery last time I came home on the Sunday just before supper time supposed to wait till Monday but my surgeon was afraid with all of the flu in the hospital that it would be safer to go home before I caught anything so only stayed from Friday till then so hoping that I will be back home by Christmas eve.

Do you have anything special in mind that you are planning to make while recovering after your surgery. I love going to look at things like the things that you can see at Mary Maxims so many things to look at and such a nice variety of things to buy. We live just over an hour from the Mary Maxims here so we had planned to go before I have my surgery my husband had something he wanted to buy maybe for me for Christmas but not sure if we will get there but if he still wants to go we will go for the drive and see. Does your Mary Maxims offer a senior day ours has theirs on the first Tuesday of the month and just have to be over 50 years old so we both qualitfy and the 20 percent off makes such a difference at the cash register. We try to go only on senior day as it can save you on whatever you buy.

Are you getting anxious are you looking forward to your surgery how much better when we are all healed and ready to go we will both feel. The people we rent our townhouse from offered to put safety bars in our bathroom and as they told my husband they were more then happy to do it the people who put the bars in for us had just left another neighbors house just down from our house putting bars in for another elderly lady something they do want us safe. Very thankful never realized how much easier they would make things. Our countdown is on and not too much longer for us to wait now. I am excited everything is ready just waiting and happy to be going in for surgery not worried just ready to have it done and my knee is telling me it is ready to . Wishing you all the best we can recover together and happy to receive your post Cindy Holly

 

[lavender]

Hi @tiredwife Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving at your camper. Not sure if the wrap can be reused, it is made of a foam sponge type material three velcro straps and two pouches that hold the ice packs. If it can not be used second time around they are not that expensive with 4 ice packs and the well made wrap costed 40.00 which as my husband said today we are buying you another one just waiting till hospital visit and then when the form is given I am going down to the desk to pay for a new one why would you not want a new one.

I will see what my surgeon says on Wednesday at my visit remembering the lady who told me her husband would be using his wrap from before and wondering if they would let them do this but buying a new one would also give me 4 more ice packs so lots of ice to keep frozen when needing them. My knee is now saying it can't go too much longer starting to swell again and a bit sore feeling like it did before the cortisone shot so happy surgery is not far away .

Just 22 more days till I am at the hospital and happy the time is going fast. Thinking next week I will do some baking just a few things but we love shortbread, we also make a bar peanut butter bar , and the icing is made by spreading chocolate chips on them while they are still hot and then a drizzle of peanut butter glaze grew up with these every Christmas and they taste like Reese's peanut butter cups hoping to make those two they are pretty easy and quick to do , First set of pre-op appointments start on Wednesday and happy to see things coming closer. Hope you are having a nice weekend Holly

 

[tiredwife]

@lavender Holly, hold on, just a little while longer!
Hubby's favorite cookies is shortbread cookies, and I love Reese's. I need to make my Christmas cakes, and Christmas cards soon. Just can't get motivated. I've eaten so much this last few days I'm stuffed and want to hibernate. You have a great day!

 

[lavender]

Hi @tiredwife. I was planning to do some baking today but just could not get started. I think it is because we do not really need that much for us and not so many now for everybody else so not feeling in the mood. Wish I could get started but my husbands solution is that even though he loved home baking he said for all we need lets just buy some. Many of the stores we shop in sell nice packages of their own short breads and other stuff so adding up the cost of buying all we will need to make each baked thing we wanted to do we might just buy some of these cookies and things and then it will be all ready.

For many years we had a gathering of all of our family and baked like crazy made so many kinds made up plates to give to our families and always had Christmas baking ready for friends and family who visited but not needing as many now as we as a family do not get together as often so a few trays of cookies should be enough.

We had thought we would put our tree up today but both feeling a bit tired so planning tomorrow to put it together and then decorate it. Miss our hinged tree so easy to set up but still love this tree we have now as it is so pretty when all together just takes a bit longer. Taking it easy today , going now to have a little nap achey bones and my husband looks exhausted so off to sleep. Hope you get your baking started know once I get started I will be all set. We bought a couple of pretty Christmas cactus at our grocery store the other day the buds are now opening and so pretty. Hope you have had a nice day Holly

 

[tiredwife]

@lavender Holly sometimes it is better to buy than bake.
We have a Christmas cactus, but it likes to bloom in the summer. It's an odd little thing.

 

[Nana moon 27]

Hi Holly, @lavender

Could you post your peanut butter bar recipe please, if it's not a family secret. If it is no worries. It's just my husband adores Reeses. I would like to make him some you see near to Christmas for him to open Christmas morning or even a surprise after Christmas dinner x x x

Love Ann

 

[lavender]

Hi @tiredwife and @Nana moon 27 I think we will buy some of our baking not needing too many but today when laying down for our nap an idea came to me. It is usually how it works when we have a nap all of a sudden all kinds of ideas pop into my head. So I do not get much sleep but thinking why not use my short bread molds they make it easy. The recipe uses less sugar then some of my recipes that use a baking pan so to make a variety going to pick up a lemon tomorrow nice recipe for Lemon short bread made in the molds which are made of clay. We bought these close to 20 years ago my parents gave us one for Christmas one year which is shaped like a stop sign and wedge shapes with thistles on them, another is square and divided into squares all one mold that have candy canes and wreaths snow men , we bought another thistle as we liked it so much and the other has fruits I think all three dimensional shapes on it.

Easy to do just spray the mold with some Pam or no stick spray , the molds are like clay wipe off the excess if any of the spray. They were made by a company called Brown Bag cookie art and are nice very detailed. First you make
the dough most are made of just a few ingredients, press into the mold bake in the mold and then all I have to do is take the mold out of the oven when they are baked and turn upside down the baked dough will come out and cut while warm. They are really good and forgot till I looked the recipe in the booklet that came with them how easy so won't take too much time. Hoping to make the peanut butter bars to they are pretty easy to. For many many years I made candy at Christmas to fudge, peanut brittle, nougat, and almond brittle .

One year I made sponge toffee but the baking soda took me by surprise when it started to make the toffee candy expand and grow so ended up stuck to my parents drain board and hardened quick took a little while to get it off but the toffee was great, My brother and I used to peak at the cookies my Mom froze so sometimes there were less there when she looked. One year I decided to make chocolate covered cherries. I had to wrap the cherries in fondant and then dip them when the fondant had dried. It was my first try at making them and had them ready put them into the fruit cellar we had in our basement

the recipe said they had to sit for a for a while till they were ready so this is where they went. Coming back I was just a teenager then and finding so many were gone. They must have been good as during the time they were waiting they were being sampled and funny to see . My cherries never lasted long enough to let the centers turn liquid but not all were missing still a few left the innocence of just wanting to taste them.

We had a cookbook that came with our first microwave and it had a recipe for peanut brittle wish I had saved it as it was very easy to and turned out great gave it to a friend of mine who like the brittle we made so hoping to get a copy of it. I feel more energetic at night just after supper maybe because it is a quiet part of the day but probably this is when the shortbread will be made wiping out my molds and then getting started. I also have mold of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy that we bought one year on a bus trip to Cape Cod we bought them at the Quincy Market in Boston and used to make cookies for my nieces when they were small and a candy cane one too. Who knows maybe they will make cookies to. Holly

 

[tiredwife]

@lavender Holly the molds sound wonderful. I have seen ceramic mold before, never tried them.
I like chocolate covered strawberries, but this time of year the strawberries don't look to good here.
My dad loved peanut brittle! That was his favorite sweets.
You need to post a photo of your baked goods on the Christmas thread in the social area.

 

[lavender]

Hi I would be very happy to post the recipe @Nana moon 27. These bars are really good I can taste them now and the combination of the peanut butter and chocolate same great taste as the peanut butter cups. Grew up with them every Christmas one of our traditions and everybody loved them here is the recipe.

Peanut Butter Bars preheat your oven to 350 degrees
oblong pan I use 9" x 12" pan


1/2 cup butter of margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter smooth ( I use crunchy)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Add

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add 1 cup rolled oats

Cream together the peanut butter, butter or margarine, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Then add the flour and baking powder and the salt mix till blended and then add the rolled oats till blended.

Spread this mixture into a greased oblong pan smooth the top so fairly even and bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 20 minutes of till it looks done like a cake would.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle 1 cup of chocolate chips over the top while the bars are still hot and this will melt the chocolate chips. Gently spread the melted chocolate to coat the top of the bars. Just like icing a cake sometimes the top of the bars can come loose so you might get crumbs so I usually add a little more then I cup maybe a 1/4 more to make is easier when spreading the chocolate.

To make the peanut butter topping you

Mix 1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
4 tablespoons of milk

Mix these ingredients together in a small bowl and when smooth just drizzle it over the top of the chocolate on top of the bars. I just take a spoon and drop the mixture in little piles and Then you take a fork and gently move it along the top end to end side to side what every you like it will mix them together in a pattern kind of looking and then let the bars cool and chocolate and peanut butter icing get firm . Cut them into squares of however you like and then enjoy them I am sure you will love them if you like peanut butter and chocolate you will love these so good you might want to make more then one pan. Hope you enjoy them Holly

 

[lavender]

Hi @tiredwife Thanks for the encouragement. I remember when I could not wait to bake loved it and when I was growing up used to ask my Mom all the time can I make something today she usually said why not sure have fun. This is my inspiration planning tomorrow to make both and if I do will take a picture with my camera of how they turned out. Hoping to used to make so many so this is not too many just a few. Holly

 

[tiredwife]

@lavender Holly will be waiting for your photos. Tag me in so I don't miss them.