Archives for December 2011

My Miracle Cure For Plantar Fasciitis

bandage tape for plantar fasciitis — My Miracle

Last week when I went to visit Dr. Howell, we talked for quite a while about my foot that just continues to hurt. I have tried everything that has been suggested to me to help heal my foot. I have bought pair after pair after pair of shoes and boots, trying to get one pair that would be THE one that would help. I have bought several different types of insoles and inserts, even some that cost $39 a pair.I have taken prescription pain medication and Alleve almost daily. Alleve during the day, Rx at night.

I have tried the stand on the edge of a book exercies. I have tried the pick up a towel with your toes exercises. I have tried the making circles with your foot in the air exercises. I keep a tennis ball under my seat at my desk and roll my foot around on it often during the day. I even bought a brace to wear to bed at night to keep my foot bent, and that helped some.

waterproof bandage tape for wrapping your foot — When taped correctly, it supports your arches!

But, Dr. Howell and I talked about taping my foot. I thought it sounded like a bunch of hooey when I read about it online, but Dr. Howell said, yes, (enthusiastically) that taping would definitely help. So, I went to the pharmacy and bought some tape. Plain old tape like you use to tape up a wound. Like they use to wrap ankles for playing soccer. And guess what! My foot hasn’t hurt for two whole days! It is like a miracle! I can actually walk around without pain!

So, because some of my friends have asked, here is a link to the website that Dr. Howell printed off the taping instructions for me: How to tape your foot for relief of plantar fasciitis.

And here is what my foot looks like taped:

plantar fasciitis treatment — This looks weird but works great to releive pain of plantar fasciitis

The tape it thin, and even though you use four pieces of it, you can still wear your socks and shoes. I am so happy to have found something that works to relieve the pain of my plantar fasciitis!

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Ooooooo! Shiny!

Karen · Leave a Comment

Just in case you were wondering what I like, in case you were thinking of getting me a present, here is a new pin I just bought for myself. It is a perfect example of what I like: Rhinestones, glittery, shiney, and just a little bit different.

I call it Bourbon, Tequila, and Rum….

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A Chef Salad With A Twist!

Karen · 3 Comments

I decided that we should be eating, if not less, then at least, lighter. So, tonight I made these chef salad’s for us for dinner:

chef salad with a twist

Fabgrandpa loved them! He said a couple of times we should do this more often. Here is my “recipe”

Chef’s Salad Recipe

1 head of romaine lettuce, torn and separated on two plates

3 boiled eggs

1 1/4 inch slice of ham from the deli

1 1/4 inch slice of turkey from the deli

12 cherry tomatoes

6 large spanish olives

6 pitted kalamata olives

6 cloves roasted garlic

8 small balls of fresh mozzarella cheese

optional: shredded cheese, dried basil, dried oregano

Arrange the torn romaine on two dinner plates. Cut the deli ham and turkey slices in half, then cut each half in strips and place on top of the lettuce. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and put half on each plate. Add 3 spanish olives, 3 kalamata olives and 3 cloves of roasted garlic on each place. Cut the mozzarella balls in half, and place half on each plate. Add cheese if desired, sprinkle with dried basil and oregano if desired, and serve with your favorite salad dressing.

(I cheated and bought the olives, roasted garlic, and fresh mozzarella balls at the olive bar in the grocery store. Makes for really easy preparation of this salad)

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On The Road To Buying A House: Getting The Loan

Karen · 1 Comment

Today was the day we have been working towards: We got an email from the lender’s representative saying we have been approved for the loan. BUT. Yes, I did say BUT. We have to provide them with a little more documentation. The paper pile continues to grow.

We have a monthly deposit to our checking account from an annuity. We were not allowed to use that annuity as proof of income to qualify for the loan because we will only continue to receive it for less than 48 months. But, because the lender scrutinized our checking account statement, we are required to write a letter explaining why we are receiving that amount each month.

Also, because the origninal bank statements I provided were printed by ME off the internet, I have to provide them with either a copy of a bank statement mailed to me from the bank, or one that I have obtained from the bank in person and stamped with their official stamp. I can get that tomorrow.

We had to print off the termite treatment contract, sign it, scan it back in, and email it to the lender. They want positive proof that we have contracted to have the house treated for termites. Done, and emailed.

The last piece of paperwork they are asking for is our proof of employment. This is going to be tough to get. Because we are seasonal workers, we only work for six months out of the year. Each October, Fabgrandpa is taken off the payroll, and placed in “intermittent” status. This means he is still an employee, but he is not working AT THIS TIME. In April, he will be put back on the payroll. The problem is with MY employment status. I am terminated at the end of each season. I have to be re-hired every spring. So, AT THIS TIME, I am no longer employed. If you remember a few days ago, I had to write a letter explaining my seasonal status to the lender. So, if we can not find a person who will sign a form stating we both still have a job, we may not be able to get this loan, even though we told them in the beginning that we have been seasonal workers for more than 11 years. The main problem I had today is that while there are people who are employed year round, this is the OFF season and many people are on furlough until after Christmas. I am not giving up hope, just saying this could be a very difficult hurdle for us.

So, once we get all of those things together and presented to the lender, we should get a closing date. Y’all keep your fingers crossed for us!

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Red Clay Home

Karen ·

Have you heard of Red Clay Home? When Fabgrandpa and I had our last house, we collected pottery and various other forms of art that we loved. So, while we are waiting to hear whether or not we are approved by the lender to buy our next house, we have been looking at things we want to put in the house to make it our home. We want eco-friendly items, whether they are recycled from thrift stores, or they are new but made in environmentally friendly, sustainable ways. Red Clay Home is a website where you can get some very nice new pieces for your home that are absolutely gorgeous, without sacrificing the earth.

Incline At Sunset Bowl — Incline at Sunset Bowl

Their website describes their passion for art and design. When you purchase a Red Clay design, you are buying more than a vase or a pillow. You are supporting an idea, a community, a mission. Here is what they have to say:

“We stand by our belief that honest materials and honest manufacturing processes leaves little impact on the earth and its inhabitants with nothing to hide. Doing so can meet your unique needs and style at a competitive price. That standard is the future and we’re setting out to pave the way with your help.”

All prints are printed with soy ink

All Red Clay art prints are off-set lithograph prints done on archival quality, 100% post-consumer waste paper (that means no new paper was made to create this print!) with soy based ink (a renewable product and easier to recycle compared to the petrol-based inks traditionally used). Every product you buy from Red Clay is made in the USA from start to finish.

BUY IT! Check out the Red Clay Home website to see their beautiful designs.

WIN IT! One lucky reader will win a $59 gift code to shop for your own favorite piece from Red Clay Home. To win, just leave a comment telling me which piece you would choose!

For extra entries:

Follow Red Clay on Twitter

Like Red Clay on Facebook

Follow Fabgrandma on Twitter

Tweet this giveaway (once per day per twitter account) “@RedClayCo beautiful style that loves the earth #giveaway http://bit.ly/sPCn7R #CBias @fabgrandma ”

Follow me on Google+ in my sidebar

This giveaway will end on December 15, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. One winner will receive a $59 gift code to Red Clay. The winner will be selected using And The Winner Is…plugin. Giveaway open to US mailing addresses only. Winner will be notified by email, so please make sure you use a valid email address when entering. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification of winning. If the winner does not respond in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. You can enter once each day by tweeting about the giveaway one time each day per twitter account. Giveaway is open to residents of the United States and must be 18 years old or over. Prize is the responsibility of and will be shipped by the sponsor. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery after the giveaway closes.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own

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Got Gift Cards You Won’t Use?

Karen · Leave a Comment

I know everyone has at least one old gift card laying around, that still has money on it, and has not expired. You may no longer live near that store chain, or there is not enough money on the card to get something you really want. So, it lays around, collecting dust, while the store pockets the money paid without having to cash in on it. [Read more…] about Got Gift Cards You Won’t Use?

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Want To Play Santa? This Couple Could Really Use A Christmas Angel

Karen · 3 Comments

Fabgrandpa and I don’t celebrate Christmas in the traditional, spend all the money in the bank on useless gifts way. We DO send a small gift to each of our children and grandchildren, we just don’t buy gifts for each other. It is just not what we do. We feel blessed that we have reasonably good health (OK, I have plantar fasciitis, diabetes, and high blood pressure; and he has had oral cancer and has COPD, but we DO ok with our health), and that we have “enough”.And believe me when I say, I know what it is like to not have it.

In the course of my day today, I read about Kathryn and Bill. They live in Texas near a friend of mine, who is good friends with them. They have been married for 35 years, and raised six children together who gave them 21 grandchildren. In March of 2009, Kathryn followed her lifelong dream and opened up children’s boutique and consignment shop in Katy, Texas called The Children’s Carousel. In November, 2009, they received custody of six of their grandchildren. As a grandmother myself, I can see where that would change their life immensely! Taking care of children is a chore best fit for the young–being a grandparent parenting six grandchildren would be not just emotionally and physically exhausting, but financially draining as well.

In July 2011, Bill felt a sharp pain in his neck and developed a blood spot in his eye. This turn of events landed him in the hospital to have what they expected to be a simple stint proceedure, but actually turned out to be open heart surgery. After he surgery, Bill woke up to kidney problems and the realization that he was blind in both eyes, due to complications from the surgery.

He was moved to an assisted care facility, then home. He needs around the clock are that no one in the family is able to provide for him. Kathryn has tried to remain strong through this ordeal, but the realization set in that Bill is no longer able to see and can never work again. Now the legal guardians of only three of their grandchildren, they are the sole providers for them, and have the other three most of the time as well.

The events of the past several months have been hard enough to digest. Add to that the fact that their house is being sold in a short sale and they are forced to find somewhere else to live. As if that wasn’t enough, Kathryn fell on a makeshift fence at The Rice Harvest Festival and broke several teeth and is in constant pain.

I am asking you, my readers, to think about what you would do in any one of these circumstances, and try to find it in your heart to be a Christmas Angel for Bill and Kathryn and their grandchildren. You can make a cash donation via paypal, by using my email address, fabgrandma@gmail.com, or email me for the email address of their friend, Lisa, who can give you a mailing address if you want to send clothing, food, or toys, gifts other than money. If you send a paypal donation, please put Kathryn and Bill in the subject line. I will certainly make sure it gets to them. I only wish I could do more for them, or that I lived nearby so that I could lend a hand in some way. At the very least, if you could share this post with your friends and family, tweet it or share it on Facebook, I would very much appreciate it. Thank you. May the spirit of Christmas fill your heart tonight.

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Getting Myself Inspected Again

Karen · 12 Comments

With all the inspections being done on the prospective new house, I decided it was time for me to get in and get myself “inspected” again. Well, OK, it was time for me to get new prescriptions for my metformin and lysinopril, and since Dr. Lee is two hundred miles away in Alabama, I needed to find a new doctor to call my own.

I hate going to a new doctor for the first time–the new patient visit is the most intense, and they always want to do all the blood tests and other stuff involved with being a new patient, and I understand all that. How could they possibly treat me if they don’t know what’s going on with me. But, still, I hate it because for the last 12 years, with the exception of being Dr. Lee’s patient for two years, I have always been the “new patient”. Buying a house in this area will finally finally give me a doctor patient relationship that can go on for years to come!

So, it with all that apprehension that I arrived for my appointment with Dr. Howell at the Tallapoosa Family Medical Center.

Dr. Howell

I shouldn’t have been so afraid! This is my new doctor, Dr. Tara Howell. She looks like she is younger than my youngest daughter, but that doesn’t matter at all. She and I clicked right off the bat. She is smiley and cheerful, and put me at ease just by walking in the room! She seemed genuinely interested in me as her patient, and that is not something I have seen every time I have been to the doctor. And, she seemed quite knowledgeable about things that could be (well, ARE) wrong with me. Isn’t she just too cute to be a doctor? Ok, Dr. H, if you are reading this, please don’t be offended by that. You remind me so much of my niece, and that is a good thing.

After Dr. Howell got through with asking me questions about my health history, and discussing some options about that dang plantar fasciitis, she turned me over to the lab for blood work. And that where I usually DREAD sitting down. Those lab people, those, those, PHLEBOMOTISTS, they usually poke and prod and jab me a hundred times, trying to find a vein. I HATE that part of going to the doctor SO MUCH! I used to tell a joke that went like this “I hate going to the hospital because they poke me with needles and make me take a baby home”, and that was not far from the truth. I have actually had a medical person use an ultrasound machine to find a vein after she had poked me three times and I refused to let her try again.

But, let me tell you, MJ at Tallapoosa Family Medical is THE BEST PHLEBOTOMIST in the history of PHLEOBOTOMY! While I was telling her that people ALWAYS have a hard time finding my veins, she tied that rubber thing on my arm, gave me a ball to squeeze, poked the needle in and had the blood drawn and I DIDN’T FEEL A THING!. MJ, I could have kissed you on the lips! You deserve the Phlebotomist of the Year Award.

If you are in the west Georgia area and need a doctor, I would not hesitate to recommend the folks at Tallapoosa Family Medical. I’m glad that I found them, and while I hope I don’t have to give blood often, I hope that MJ is working the next time I have to. Thanks, y’all! You made an other dreadable situation almost fun! (and thanks for posing for the pics!) Oh, and I have to mention, Dr. Howell is NOT FAT! She is making a baby!

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