Staying busy

So in the wake of the Corona Virus comes anxiety and uncertainty and I have been finding my adrenaline racing. With listening to too much news, I am inclined to get depressed and so, I am staying busy. Well, as busy as fibromyalgia and spoons allow.

I am finding by keeping busy that my mind slows down and this brings my blood pressure and heart rate down as well. There is less adrenaline pumping through me. And less angina.

My friend, Mrs Sylvia Britton of Christian HomeKeeper is a very gifted writer. She has blessed me so much with writing her Lists for the chronically ill woman. I follow them most days and they have helped me so much for many years now. 

Sylvia graciously allowed me to post her Lists here and on my other blog and I am eternally grateful.

Recently she has written a post which is so very helpful for us concerning coping with isolation and the Corona Virus.  Once again, she has graciously allowed me to share this with you. Thanks again, my friend.

Sylvia's advice is always scriptural and sensible, and I have found a sense of peace since staying busy.

So today I have:

1. Done a load of washing
2. Put it away as well as a load I found in the dryer! :)
3. Cleaned my kitchen
4. Made some Jewish Penicillin 
5. Roasted some chicken drumsticks for dinner
6. Sorted out our medications for the week
7. Watched Episode 7 of The Chosen  very moving... 

Highly recommend watching it.  He is our Hope and I am so grateful to Jesus for His sacrifice, His salvation and His grace to me.

My body is hurting with the fibromyalgia flaring, but I would prefer that to sitting fretting about Rona. 

I really think the answer to anxiety sometimes is staying busy.

Horace wants more!

So earlier today we heard our almost tame magpie, Horace pecking at our back garden door. He is getting very cheeky and comes right up onto the porch.

When he has finished whatever we give him, he often calls us to give him more. We find him irresistable.

My fibromyalgia was a little better today and I actually had some spoons, so I was able to get a few things done. Not a lot by normal standards, but a fibromite, it is quite the feat. 

On my to do list today were:

1. Change our sheets
2. Make the scones that Chris loves
3. Cook sausages, eggs, baked beans and mashed potatoes for dinner

The scones turned out nice and I served them with butter and strawberry jam. I also ordered repeat prescriptions from the chemist and will pick them up tomorrow. 

It is such a joy to be living where we are: we are grateful to God for not only the house, but for a little magpie who always wants more! 

Staying home for real comfort.

So like most  of the world at the moment, we are staying at home to help stop the spread of the Corona Virus. 

We have accepted that this will be the new normal for at least six months and with acceptance comes a certain amount of peace.

As we talked about earlier, Chris and I are focussing on making our home a cosy nest. We have been getting a lot done that makes us both glad we have this home to nest in.

I have been cooking things I know Chris loves and have joined the local chemist's phone app for ordering our repeat prescriptions without going in. They make them up, then phone us when we can come and pick them up.

As spoons allow, I am doing my cleaning by zone according to FlyLady  However with my fibromyalgia flaring due to changing weather- lots of rain, that hasn't been a regular thing.

By and large I have enjoyed being home. There's a peace knowing we won't be likely to get Rona and also that by staying home, we in turn will not be passing it on should we get it.

I have been playing scripture in the background and changing to worship music at times as well. Whenever I find I am worried about Rona, I start praying. That is such a wonderful tool and brings an immediate sense of peace.

I have a few things I want to do today:

1. Do my dinner dishes as I just didn't have the spoons last night.
2. Bake some scones for afternoon tea
3. Make another veggie intensive chicken chow mein with rice for dinner

That will probably be it for today as I am feeling extremely sore and tired. Just another reason staying at home is real comfort.

Enjoying my time in the kitchen

So we have a lovely large kitchen which is a novelty for me. There's so much storage space and lots of drawers and  bench space. I love it.

It's just as well I am enjoying my kitchen because I have been doing a lot of cooking from scratch here. With the Corona Virus, and not wanting to shop too often, I am trying to rotate and use the oldest vegetables and canned stuff first.

Being at home all day, I have endeavoured to make Chris things he enjoys eating. There's nothing like the smell of a cake cooking or a soup simmering. It's important to me that I cook nourishing meals no matter whether we are isolated at home or not. 

I have some things that I haven't completed from the previous days, and hopefully my spoons will be sufficient to get the jobs done. On my to do list still are:

1. Fold clothes from yesterday and put them away
2. Mop the vinyl areas
3. Cook a shepherd's pie with mashed potato and peas for dinner

I already have cleaned the toilet and done a load of washing and sorted out our weeks' worth of medication. I also have made some pumpkin soup just to keep on the stove.

By keeping a blog like this, I can see areas that I have to still do or have fallen down on. Oh yes: and to remind myself on bluer days how much I am enjoying my time in the kitchen! lol 

Jewish Penicillin

The last few days I have been busy making sure we have enough food and medications for a possible lockdown for two weeks. It's not coming yet here in Australia, but I want to be prepared if it does. I know we are all sick of hearing about the Corona Virus, but it's no good treating it like it isn't a real issue. 

I have been making good use of my slow cooker lately, making and freezing soups to help extend the life of the poultry and meat that I have bought. In particular I have made a large batch of "Jewish Penicillin". It is so nice and also it is very nourishing if someone is under the weather. It just made sense to me to prepare some.

Whilst I believe in a healing God, I also believe in being sensible in heeding the advice of our goverment health department. I want to do whatever it takes to protect my family. That is not lacking in faith, in fact, we are called to be good stewards of our belongings and caring of our family.

I did not panic buy like so many did over the last few weeks. I did however, grab some extra things like bottled water, cans of milk powder (all the long life UHT milk was gone), canned goods and meat. A few frozen dinners as a standby were added to the mix. I also got some extra hand soaps and washing powder. Plus some tissues as all the toilet paper was gone..

As Chris and I are on quite a lot of medications, I got extra scripts made up in case we can't get them later on. I was not the only one: the average wait was two hours! I also bought some paracetamol tablets at the chemist as they also were sold out at the supermarket. By the way, don't use ibruprofen or aspirin if you think you have the C Virus... it makes it worse apparently.

My spoons are few and my efforts certainly made me what I class a Sacrificial Home Keeper! Nothing like trying to keep on top of things with a hefty dose of Fibromyalgia and angina!

I need to eat something that will give me a boost: I'm off to heat up a bowl of my Jewish Penicillin! 

Nothing like country life!

So this morning I came out to see this from our back window. We love it here and this window is like a screen saver. It is always changing! Chris grabbed my phone and took a video to show you.

It is lovely outside today. The weather is forecast to be 23C and is perfect autumn weather.  I have to go out to the chemist for some refills of our medications and I can see a sit out in the sun in my future.

My fibromyalgia flare is a bit better today, but I am still going to pace myself because if I don't, I know I will be in a flare again tomorrow.

So today I am following Tuesday's List and making a Shepherd's Pie with peas for dinner. Shepherd's Pie is one of Chris's favourite meals.

Oh, and when I get home, if I don't need a nana nap, I will be sitting in the garden seat taking in this lovely view!  We are grateful that God gave us this place to live in. There's nothing like country life!

Are there any spoons out there?

So it's morning and with it comes the stiffness, the muscle pain and tiredness that belies the fact that I actually slept for nine hours. It sure doesn't feel like I slept at all.

I have to go to the chemist this morning as I am out of blood pressure tablets. As I have been home all week, mostly in bed, I will enjoy being out of the house a bit. But I know I will be glad when I get back home as well. Fibromyalgia makes you like that.

Accepting that I will be exhausted by just going to the chemist seems laughable to people who are not ill: but to us Sacrificial Home Keepers, it's a reality and part of our new normal. So I will take this necessary trip out today with gladness that I am getting out of the house but with the knowledge that I will probably need to go to bed for a bit afterwards.

Before I go to the chemist, which is a twenty minute drive from home, I will be cooking the evening meal in my slow cooker so that it is one less thing to worry about when I need to rest later on.

So once again, my to do list will be very simple:

1. Follow Saturday's List
2. Cook some sweet curry sausages with rice in the slow cooker
3. Go to chemist
4. Fill our tablet dispenser for the week

We will have to see if I can get it all done. If not, this picture will be of me searching for any spoons out there! 

More tea, Dear?

So whilst writing this post, I bought in some water and a cup of tea to take my morning medications. I was interrupted by a knock at the door which was the Woolworths delivery man with my online grocery delivery.

When I came back, I was horrified to see my little cat, Xena drinking happily from my tea cup! Knowing that the tea had already been spoilt for me, I stood back and let her finish drinking. Luckily, my phone was on my computer desk and I was able to take a picture of her lapping my tea.

She's a lover of Vegemite too. I found her a few weeks ago licking a plate that was stacked by the sink ready to be washed. She was really enjoying the saltiness of my Vegemite from my leftover breakfast toast. I guess she's a true Australian then! We love our Vegemite from the first tentative suck on a piece of toast our mothers offered us as babies. 

My sugars this morning were 10.1 which is better than 18.6 plus Ketones last night. I am avoiding sugar like the plague! I think I went wrong with eating a pear before going to bed last night...

I have a few things on my to do list today:

1. Make our bed
2. Clean my kitchen
3. Dust
4. Make another cup of tea to replace Xena's...
5. Cook a Shepherd's Pie for dinner tonight:  not necessarily in that order :)

I think from now on I will have to make a cup of tea and pour it into Xena's drinking bowl with a piece of toast and Vegemite in her feed bowl. After all, in her mind she's not a cat: she's a human child who is very loved and spoilt. "More tea, Dear?"

A busy day

So yesterday our little township had its annual Festival. All along the strip of parkland outside our home, food tents, stalls selling all manner of things apart from homegrown produce and beauty products, lead happy customers to them.

The weather was perfect for the Festival and the townsfolk enjoyed rock bands, concerts and school bands until the evening. Horses pulled carts of people around the parkland borders. It was fun.

Chris and I had intended to go yesterday, but my fibromyalgia flare which seems never ending put me in bed. There was no way I could have even walked there inspite of it being just across the road. So whilst all this was taking place, I was sleeping the exhausted sleep of the flaring fibromite.

Chris took a short video from our front garden to show me some of the fun. I hated missing out.

Today's weather is 29C which is lovely. I got up, did breakfast, took my medications and fed Xena and that has wiped out my spoons for the day.

My sugars were 11.4 this morning and I feel quite off. My eyes are blurry and my toes are burning and stinging. I am getting quite worried. My diabetes is out of control.

I have brought the minced steak out of the freezer and will be doing some spaghetti bolognaise for dinner.  That's it. Nothing much going on today, yet my body feels like it's been a busy day.

Done and dusted

So as you know, I spent nearly all of yesterday in bed, recovering from a fibromyalgia flare. When I crawled back to bed last night, I fell asleep dreaming of waking with spoons and planning what I would do in the morning.

When I woke up this morning, I felt just like this picture portrays: today is going to be more of the same.

So on today's to do list is:

1. Rest and medication
2. Prepare a salad to go with tonight's frozen lasagna

I know if I don't rest up that this flare will drag on. My home needs some attention, but I can hardly lift my head.  I want this flare to be like my house: done and dusted.

As the stomach churns

 

Today has gotten off to a good start. Although my fibromyalgia muscle pain is really bad, I can live with it. What I can't live with is lack of spoons, but today I awoke with a bit of energy. It is like winning the lottery!

So far today, I have taken my bloods- 10.2!, done a load of washing, made bacon and eggs for breakfast, made our bed and taken the pork chops out to thaw for dinner tonight.

On my to do list today is:

1. Declutter my computer desk
2. Go to Officeworks for a FOR SALE sign for selling our fifth wheeler
3. Fold the clothes from the wash this morning
4. Prepare a pork sweet curry in the slow cooker for dinner

It was a good day until I noticed Xena our cat had vomited on the carpet. There is one thing I cannot stand and that is cat poop or vomit. Chris has cleaned it up for me and sprayed it with Glen 20. There's no evidence of it now.  

I am so grateful to him for doing that for me: I have enough problem keeping my medications down in the morning without cleaning cat vomit. In the mornings my chapter in my life's book is called As The Stomach Churns.... 

Ending the chapter

So today we put our fifth wheeler up for sale. We were travelling round Australia but 3 months into it, I tore my meniscus in my left knee and I couldn't manage the 5 steps into the fiver. Eventually I became housebound and 3 months later, we decided to sell it and rent again.

We live in a country township which is quite a distance from my family and friends, so we have made a point of having them over each weekend.

Today my old friend from school days, Ann and her partner are coming to see us. We met when we were 11 and we are both 67 now. I am so grateful to God that we are still close. After seeing the house and a cuppa, we will be going to the local pub for a meal.

Yesterday and today I didn't take the new diabetes medication called Forxiga. It gave me thrush and a kidney infection. Plus my sugars went from 9 to 10-12.3! Fasting... still you have to try don't you?

So on my to do list today is

1. Tidy the house
2. Enjoy my friends

Oh, and check the advertisments to see if anyone has responded to the ads for the fiver. It's sad that we didn't manage to travel like we hoped, and selling the fiver is ending the chapter.

House of happiness

We love our new home, but it sure gets cold up here. This morning we woke to 10C and the windows were running inside. Thank goodness we have a large reverse cycle air conditioner/heater.

Today I plan to vacuum and wash the floors, dust and clean the bath and toilet. This will have to be after the usual morning chores. God willing, I will have enough spoons.

On today's to do list is:

1. Clean the kitchen
2. Make our bed
3. Do a couple of loads of washing
4. Dust
5. Vaccuum and wash the floors
6. Make a slow cooker bolognaise sauce for spaghetti tonight.

I have chucked out some leftover cake for the birds. It is like an airport here this morning. 

I am planning on getting some plants in baskets to hang along the front verandah. Currently, I am doing a google search to know which ones would be not only pretty, but hardy. Our house is a house of happiness and the plants can reflect that...  

We are it!

Tomorrow night we are having guests for dinner. I am pacing myself so as to not use all my spoons today and be unwell tomorrow.

The last couple of days I have had severe fibromyalgia and have had to push myself to get to doctors and chemists. I have let the dishes go a bit and there's about 4 loads of washing to do today. In spite of my resolve to use the dryer, the weather's been so nice today(28C) that I have hung a load of clothes out on my clothesline. 

Today is the second day of my new diabetes medication: (Forxiga). Yesterday I felt a bit nauseous on it, but today is a bit better. My sugars this morning were still high: 9.2. But I guess it will have to be at least a fortnight before I see any change.

The doctor said my magnesium levels were low but he just kept on talking about the other results... I am wondering if I should buy some magnesium tablets. Apparently cramps and muscle/joint pain can come from lack of it...

Tomorrow I plan to serve roasted chicken, potatoes and vegetables in chicken gravy. Followed by creme caramel for desert. I can prepare that tomorrow..

For today I am following the Fridays' List and my to do list looks like this:

1. Do a load of washing
2. Wash dishes, let dry and put them away
3. Cook pork chops in the slow cooker for dinner. I will serve them with Spanish rice and veg

I have run out of spoons already, so I will try to have a nana nap in order to be able to finish the days' few chores. I really don't feel like doing anything, but we Sacrificial Home Keepers can't always act the way we feel: exhausted. So, we push on because we know the Fairy God Mother isn't coming: we are it! 

The life is in the blood!

Today we went to see our new doctor for our blood test results. Basically we are doing OK except for our diabetes. Our sugars are quite high. But I have low magnesium and vitamin D. I will have to get some supplements for those.

So we are both on new diabetes medications with strict instructions to cut out sugar and to visit the chronic illness management nurse next month for a care plan.

I have grocery shopped today with weight loss and lowering of sugars in mind. It has been a busy day and I am almost ready for bed.

Today was a wipe out as far as housework is concerned. I didn't follow any list, in fact I had enough energy to blink my eyes and breathe. Good job it is involuntary.

Hopefully tomorrow will  be easier. Tomorrow being the first day of my new resolve to lower the sugars. 

We like this new doctor and we know he would be genuinely pleased if we did as he suggested. There's no hiding from him if we don't become proactive in regaining our health: the next blood tests will tell the tale- the life is in the blood! 

Flat out in bed

So today is going to be busy for me. First thing this morning a technician from Telstra  is coming to install the NBN for us. Hopefully our connection will be faster.

When that's done, I have to go to the Post Office and request another invoice to renew our post office box. They have overcharged us on the invoice. As the post man doesn't home deliver here due to us living in a tiny country township, we must all have a PO Box. They charged us as having a mail delivery but wanting a PO Box. A lot more expensive! 

I have also to change our bed and refill the weekly pill container for our medications. I will be taking note what medications we need a prescription or a refill for at the chemist,  for the doctors' visit tomorrow.

So todays' list of to do's looks like this:

1. Change our bed
2. Finish cleaning the kitchen
3. Refill the medications
4. Do some washing but using the dryer: it is going to rain for the next 3 days
5. Sweep the vinyl floors
6. Bake a cake for afternoon tea
7. Dinner for tonight is quiche with vegies.

This is a pretty full on day for me. I will have to pace myself so as not to prolong my fibromyalgia flare, or instead of being busy flat out like a lizard drinking, I will just be flat out- in bed.

Like a beetle on its' back

Today I have woken up tired. Fibromyalgia and angina are vying with back pain to see which is going to be the one to send me back to bed.

So far I have taken my medications, made some toast and tea for our breakfast and thrown some fruit bread out to our delightful birds.

I was planning on following Mondays' List but instead I will be following Thursdays which is a day of rest. God willing, I will be able to do Monday's List tomorrow..

I have a pre cooked slow cooker meal in the freezer for dinner tonight. So no need to cook. I don't like using frozen dinners, but I learned years ago to accept what is and not be a perfectionist...

We are experiencing thunder and rain and I am wondering if that is what is causing my renewed fibro flare, or if it was making the effort to go to church yesterday. Whatever it is, one thing is for sure: today I am as weak as a kitten and as helpless as a beetle on its' back! 

Cat fur and tickling whiskers!

The sun is sinking under the nearby hills, leaving pink streaks in the sky. I have drawn the drapes and lit the lamps. 

My dishes from dinner are drying in the drainer. Xena has been fed and is indoors sitting with her Dad, Chris. 

The weather is slightly cool and we have put our fire on low which gives a cosy effect. I love my home, my husband and my cat... and of course, my God. 

Not only has He  blessed us with a lovely home to live in, but He graciously gave me a few surprise spoons (energy) this afternoon.  I managed to do what was on my list, plus I finished off putting all my clean washing away.

We live a simple life, but it is one of contentment and joy. I am believing for a good sleep tonight. I have already taken my medications and I can retire any time after an hour. I must remain upright and awake for an hour after taking them or my sleep is fitful and sore. I know that if I lay down soon after taking them that I can either have GERD or aspirate some acid and develop pneumonia. I have had pneumonia three times. I don't know why my sleep is fitful and my muscles sore if I don't wait an hour, but I am sick of trying to work it out: It is what it is.

Soon I will join Chris in the lounge room and no doubt Xena will jump up onto my lap for a cuddle and cat nap. As soon as she hears me say I am going to B.E.D. she springs off my lap and nearly trips me up to get there before me.  I have to spell B.E.D. because she knows the word- yes she does. She's a smart girlie! 

As I lay thanking God for the good in each day before I sleep, I can be sure of one thing: my little feline mate will be under the covers, pressed up against my back. She is always purring at night and I have no doubt that she too is grateful for the ending day. And for a Mum who overlooks cat fur and her tickling cat whiskers! 

Scarce as hens' teeth!

It is quite cold here today: 8C! By midday we should be hitting 24C which is quite pleasant. I have the reverse cycle air con set on 22C which is quite comfortable.  Xena our little white cat got up, used her tray, had some kibbles and went back to bed. Before I came out to the study, she was seen nestled next to Chris under the doona. So when she does that, you know it's cold!

My plans for today are

1. Catch up on last night's dishes
2. Do some washing
3. Go to the doctor and chemist
4. Do some grocery shopping
5. Cook sausages, veg and mashed sweet potato and potato

Fibromyalgia has me aching everywhere but there's no time to go to bed.  Today we are going to see a new doctor here. We only know his name but haven't seen him yet. Our little township has a drought on doctors with the average wait a week.  With all of our many illnesses, we are praying that this guy knows his stuff. But even so, beggars can't be choosers: doctors in the country are scarce as hens' teeth!

A joyful day

Today has started out to be most joyful. I have been watching the birdlife in our back garden and you can see some of the birds enjoying the bread I have just thrown out to them.

Another happy event was the heavy rain just stopping at the taking of the video. With many bushfires around us still burning-(they can burn slowly for months with all the undergrowth), it is good to know the rain will be helping put some of them out. 

Weather is strangely cold for the hottest month of the year. We are sitting on 17C with temperatures set in the middle to high 20's next week. 

My fibromyalgia is still flaring with weather changes making for great muscle pain and fatigue. So today I will be following the Monday List

On today's to do list includes:

1. Folding up some of the washing that I didn't get round to on Saturday
2. Making a Shepherd's Pie with vegetables for dinner
3. Sorting my pills out for next week and recording prescriptions repeats needed

All in all, I will be resting as well as working, pacing myself as I go. And you can be sure I will be looking out at the flowers lifting up their heads to the rain as the birds fly into my garden.