Cindy A. Christiansen's Blog, page 6

Another Spooky Real-Life Story

A winter chill filled the night air. I couldn’t sleep. I jumped from the bed around one a.m. and headed to my computer email to see if I had received a message from my brother. He’d been on my mind constantly since his heart stress test. He’d told me he didn’t feel right after the test.

My inbox was empty. I quickly typed him a message that I was thinking of him. He responded immediately. He was up, not feeling well and couldn’t sleep, too. We chatted back and forth a few times, not as easily as you can on instant chat now, but at least I felt close to him.

The next morning, he was supposed to go the Veteran’s Hospital to get the results of his tests. I was busy with little kids and house cleaning. I started calling him around noon. Maybe he decided to do something fun after his appointment. Maybe he had errands he hadn’t told me about.

By late afternoon, my head hammered and my stomach permanently clenched with stress. He knew I was waiting to hear the results. Angry and worried, I called a friend and neighbor to go up to the farm and check on him. Within an hour, I got a call from the friend’s daughter. My brother was dead. He’d never made it through the night or to his appointment.

Our family descended on the farm, shocked and horrified. He was only 49. A police officer stood guard over his body and wouldn’t let us in the room with his body. It appeared my brother had stood up from the computer and then collapsed on the floor. Because he was alone, the police considered it a crime scene.

After much talk and contacting his physician, we finally got the police to leave. The mortuary personnel came to collect his body and then we took care of the animals. Heading back into the house, we began looking around.
What were we looking for?
When my mother died, she left a letter by her bedside table to tell us how she had felt about her life and each of us children. It was very heart-warming. Four of us searched, especially the bedroom, over and over again. We couldn’t find anything he’d written. Disappointed, we finally headed home.
I knew my brother had been ill for some time and had even been surprised by his last words to me in person. I think he knew he wouldn’t live long. Why didn’t he write something? He knew our mother’s letter meant so much to us. I tried to push the thought from my mind. It is what it is.
Still, when we went over to the house again, I found myself searching for something he wrote to us. Several days passed without finding anything. Many decisions had to be made, especially about the animals and the farm. A letter from him was forgotten.
Then about a week later, I was walking through the bedroom and spotted a red notebook in the headboard of his bed. RED? SERIOUSLY? We had all searched by his bed multiple times. I opened it and in my brother’s handwriting he had written the start of a message to us. It hadn’t been completed, but it was a note to us, expressing his feelings. I was astounded and still am after all these years!
We knew it hadn’t been there when we searched. How did it get there? By who? We were the only ones with keys to the house. We tried to pass it off as we were all too upset at his death to notice it before. Yeah, I don't think so.
What do you think?



Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs! Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com
Dog Copyright: innocent / 123RF Stock Photo


P.S. If you missed my popular Halloween story, you can read it here: A True Halloween Tale


Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Weekend Fun Post: Whatever You're Doing, Get Your Groove On!

Last weekend was my first mini-vacation away from home this year.I got to go to a concert with the Oakridge Boys and that hasn't happened in at least 25 years.Anyway, as I was enjoying the music, I realized how stiff and awkward I felt at having fun.We can get too caught up in life sometimes.It reminded me of how important it is to stop and enjoy life.Take a minute to enjoy this video with animals getting their groove on!

Have a wonderful weekend!


Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs! 
Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com 

Copyright for dog and cat photo: adogslifephoto / 123RF Stock PhotoCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Our New Griddle Cost Us $432.53!

For years, I have been trying to make a decent omelet. It only lead to stress and disappointment. It wasn't until I bought this new griddle that I mastered the kind of omelet I love. Yes, it cost us a lot of money, but it wasn't exactly the griddle's fault.
After another failed omelet made in a frying pan, I searched for knockoff restaurant recipes. That was a disaster!
Then as I was out with friends for brunch, I asked restaurant servers how their chefs made a good omelet. I got a few different answers. "Just use eggs." "Just add a little water." "Add a little pancake mix." "Never use milk."
I still failed. But, it made me more determined. Finally I got an answer that clicked. "Our chef makes them on a big griddle and pours it out thin and rolls it."
Lightbulb moment! I rushed to the Amazon site and purchased this wonderful ceramic griddle that is 10x18. The first omelet I made rolled up without breaking and tasted pretty good. It wasn't, however, as good as I had eaten out.
Now, I have to be honest. This wonderful Oster griddle only cost us $28.79, not $432.53. 

The problem was, we had no place to store it. So began the search for a new cabinet or cupboard. Our cabinets are specially-made knotty hickory with a golden finish and was done over fourteen years ago. I can't even remember the name of the cabinet maker, let alone know if he is still in business.
We searched for something completely different, but couldn't find anything we wanted. Then, we found this already made hickory cabinet with a natural finish at Home Depot. It's almost a perfect match!
We had to add all the trim; kickplate, back skin, crown moulding, outside corner and cove moulding, so it turned into quite a project. I love it, though!

It blends in well. I guess I get excited over silly things, but here is my new griddle nestled in our new storage cabinet. All the credit goes to my talented husband. He will probably think twice before agreeing to let me buy a new appliance again.  
So, back to the omelet. I am on a very strict diet where I can only have protein, no carbs. Adding meat to an egg base means I've avoided bread. My doctor suggested lettuce wraps, but I can't handle lettuce since my gallbladder surgery. Omelets are working out nice. I've found that if I add a tablespoon of cream, not milk, to two eggs and whip them well, it makes it thick enough to rotate the mixture around on the griddle without spilling it and also makes it fluffy. 
I do it on the lowest heat, 275 degrees, add ham and cheese, let it melt a little and then roll it up. It tastes better than any omelet I have ordered out. It is my new favorite thing. My family loves them with onions and tomatoes added, unfortunately I can't eat those veggies.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend with maybe one or two omelets to enjoy! And if you decide to buy a new griddle, I hope it doesn't cost you over $400.00.  :)


Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs! Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com 
Copyright for dog image: damedeeso / 123RF Stock PhotoCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

A Barrel of Fun Project!

I owe this barrel of fun project to my cousin, Amber. She posted a photo of a wine barrel porch light and I fell in love with it. I couldn't stop thinking about. However, wine barrels can cost between $110 - $250 a piece. That's a little out of my price range. So, I kept looking and finally got a fantastic deal at my favorite antique store for this barrel. It is a little smaller, was missing a ring and of course you can see one of the ends is missing.

I found a place in Salt Lake City that sold barrel rings individually. They couldn't match the width of the ring already on the barrel, so I bought two wider rings that matched. They were under $5.00 a piece. The first thing I did was sand the barrel to accept the finish.

Next came coming up with a design. I have punched enough tin that I knew how difficult this project could be. I kept the pattern simple. I didn't want a pattern that would be seasonal, like the snowflake pattern on the photo Amber had posted. I came up with this design.
I enlarged it to the size I needed for each section and photocopied the design.I decided on the spacing between the patterns. Don't panic if it doesn't turn out exactly perfect. The spacing on the last pattern is 1-1/2 inches between instead of the one inch on the rest. It's hardly noticeable. Just make sure you start at where you intend the back to be. If you don't end up with a full pattern, try repositioning. I just taped the pages (8-1/2 x 11 inches) right to the barrel with scotch tape.

It is extremely important to have the right drill bits for this project. I used brad-point wood drill bits; a 15/64 for the smaller holes and a 3/8 for the larger holes. Just center the point of the drill bit right in the middle of the hole on the paper pattern. Make sure your holes aren't going to be too close.Drill directly through the paper pattern. Don't worry if the paper hole tears bigger than the drill bit size. It will look fine underneath on the wood.

Here is the very first completed pattern.

What was so awesome about this project was my enthusiasm was contagious. My youngest son wanted to dive in and help. He had inherited his uncle Randy's drill and was just itching to give it a try. After he gave it a go and liked doing it, we headed to our local Harbor Freight store and bought a second set of drill bits ($14) so we could both be drilling at the same time. We had lots of fun, and he was so proud to use his uncle's tools.I used my dad's old drill, wondering if it was the same drill he used when he installed our swap cooler and drilled through his index finger.  Oh, the memories! 

And, of course, I couldn't have done this project without my husband. While we were drilling, he built the platform and light stand to go inside. I don't think I even asked him. He loves lighting. He treasures his antique lightbulb collection, and when we go to the hardware store, he always gets detained on the lighting aisle.
He used LED bulbs to make it more energy efficient and to keep it cooler.

So, here is the completely punched barrel with a test run on the lights. We blew out the holes with an air compressor. Each pattern took about 10 minutes to drill. We did it in an afternoon.
Next came the finish. I used Watco Golden Oak danish oil. This old wood was very dry. It took several coats. I finished the barrel with two coats of Minwax Tung oil. These are my favorite products on all wood projects. We turned it upside down and used the bottom for the top.



I just love it! And, what made it special was we worked on it together. Whatever you do, have fun doing it!




Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs! 
Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com 

Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

That Didn't Hurt!

As I am battling severe pain from an enlarged liver that is twice the size it should be, I am reminded of the following time I had a liver biopsy and the doctor's words to me. Let's just say there's good doctors and there is incompetent doctors and just leave it at that.  A number of years ago, a friend who had Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction like I do suggested I have a liver biopsy because his liver had been severely attacked by the illness.

I decided to schedule the test since I had been having pain in that area. The surgical nurse described the procedure, explained the liver has no feeling and therefore they would only be using a local anesthetic. She showed me the instrument used to take out a small core of the liver. It was similar to an apple corer, but only 2-3 cm in diameter and much longer.

I laid on the cold surgical table, anxious but not too concerned. After all, it was a procedure, not surgery.

“Are we ready?” the doctor asked.

The nurse nodded and handed him the tool. He raised it in his fist and plunged it hard into my chest just below the breast bone. With a quick intake of breath, my eyes flew open and so did my mouth. I couldn’t speak. My body stiffened, and I clutched the sheet in both hands at my sides. Choking out a sob, I stared at the doctor.

For a moment, I was transformed to a dark alley with a mugger thrusting a knife into my chest. So this is what it is like to be stabbed. Blood must be gushing from the wound. Pain radiated from my chest outward. The violence of the stabbing left me paralyzed.

“You…you…stabbed me,” I said, letting out a strained whimper.

“Doctor, she’s gone into shock,” the nurse stated.

Ya think? My heart hammered uncontrollably in my chest. I felt about to fall off the table with dizziness. I couldn’t catch my breath. Of course, I knew I wasn’t in that alley, and I couldn’t see any blood pouring from my body. But, the shock of the doctor thrusting that instrument into my chest, threw me into shock, not to mention, agony. Who said organs have no pain sensors?

The doctor looked at me in confusion. “That didn’t hurt.”

I wanted to belt him right in the mouth. “Yes, it did.”

“The liver has no nervous system.”

“Give me a knife and I’ll prove it to you,” I said through clenched teeth.

I don’t remember much of what happened after that. I’m assuming the nurse gave me something through my I.V. to calm me down. To this day, you’ll never convince me that organs can’t feel pain…joy…or any other emotion. If you’ve lived long at all, you know the heart can definitely feel pain. Believe me, so can your other organs.

Symptoms, then, are in reality nothing but the cry from suffering organs.
 ~Jean-Martin Charcot, translated from French
No man is a good doctor who has never been sick himself.
 ~Chinese Proverb


Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs!
Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com

Copyright of dog photo: absolutimages / 123RF Stock PhotoCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Weekend Fun Blog: Can't We All Just Get Along?

Another weekend; another video to enjoy!
This video of a skunk and a fox getting along with each other should remind all of us how important it is to work together to be kind and courteous to each other in these difficult political times.
We may have differences, but that's good.It doesn't mean that we have to be nasty to each other.Think before you post.
Give others the benefit of the doubt.
Ask questions before you accuse.Research the truth before you believe everything you see.
And most importantly, stop this weekend and take the time to smile. It will do your heart good!   

Have a wonderful weekend,


Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs! 
Fly into a good book at:http://www.dragonflyromance.com

Copyright of dogs in box: cynoclub / 123RF Stock PhotoCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

If You’ve Got Your Health…

My youngest son, Roo, was ill for nine months! At nineteen he has already learned that if you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything!
It started just after Halloween 2015. We thought Roo had the flu with diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, but it kept coming and going. He would miss a few days of school and then go back. He got weaker, fatigued, foggy-headed and a mysterious rash appeared on his back. His doctor was no longer covered under our insurance so we sought out a new doctor. It took time to get him an appointment.
Roo finally saw a new primary care doctor in December. By then, he was very ill. He was throwing up blood and passing blood in his stool. The doctor said his blood work was all out of whack; his sodium level dangerously low, his glucose moderately high and other tests were abnormal. The doctor tried to say it was my son’s autism medications and wanted to take him off them. He wasn’t specialized in that field and it concerned me. Our insurance had referred us to him as the best doctor in-network for autism. In truth, he was a general practitioner. He stated that there is a shortage of autism doctors for people aged 19 and older.
Truthfully, this doctor wasn’t even competent enough to stabilize his sugar levels. We went back to our insurance company and waited for approval to see his previous doctor in-network. They approved it. This doctor did manage to get his sugar levels stable but had no idea what was wrong and had never seen a rash like his before. Neither had the multiple ER doctors we saw.
Roo was referred to a gastroenterologist and a dermatologist. He had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. They found ulcers all through his throat but nothing in his stomach where most of his pain resided. The dermatologist biopsied the rash and said it looked like a contagious rash known as water warts, but we had to wait two weeks for the results.
Meanwhile, Roo continued to get worse. We had to keep taking him to the ER for IV fluids for dehydration. He ended up on release from school with a teacher who came to the house to keep his grades up. At one point, he was on four different medications for diabetes. The dermatologist could not determine what the rash was, even with the biopsy. It didn’t correlate with what his blood work told them. The rash continued to spread all over his body. I used Doterra oils to combat the rash, and it worked.
Month after month rolled by. Roo got sicker with severe stomach pain and a horrible, debilitating headache. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t walk. He ended up falling on the floor one day, and he couldn’t get up on his own. We took him back to the ER. The doctor found that he had a pilonidal cyst, so he lanced, drained, and packed it. Roo started to feel a little better.
It didn’t last long. Within a week, he was back feeling awful. One doctor after another prescribed antibiotics, more antibiotics and cocktails of antibiotics, all of which didn’t help. He got weaker and weaker. I begged doctors to test him for illnesses like Lyme’s disease, gallbladder disease, meningitis, appendicitis, but they refused. They didn’t know what was wrong, but they wouldn’t test for anything except the same standard CBC blood panel that didn’t lead them anywhere. His primary care doctor recommended surgery for the pilonidal cyst and narcolepsy medication to keep him moving. He was finished helping. Roo ended up bed-ridden, unable to stand light or sound.
After ten doctors, I finally got him into an internist that had come highly recommended for diagnosing illnesses. We had to wait six weeks to see her. On the first appointment, she said there was a medication that had helped a number of people with symptoms like his. The medication was Xifaxin. 

At some point through Halloween, he came in contact with the C-diff bacteria. It started his downhill spiral. As the doctor explained it, all of the antibiotics, combination of antibiotics, and, even the proton pump inhibitor prescribed for the ulcers in his throat, had caused “altered gut flora.” The Xifaxin is a counter medication, although labelled as an antibiotic. Within the first day of taking it, he felt 75% better. The doctor told us Roo might have to take it every time an antibiotic is prescribed for him for the rest of his life.


Unfortunately, Roo developed an infection at his incision site. He had to take more antibiotics. Then the site abscessed and required being cut open to heal from the inside out and more antibiotics prescribed. He got sick again and bed-ridden. He has had to take the Xifaxin again, and it is helping. This all happened over nine long grueling months.
I’m sharing this information to help you and everyone else know about this condition so you don’t have to go through what we did.
I’ve been studying about altered gut flora to see if there is any other treatment we can do. The site below states that the counter-medication gets less effective. There has been testing done on fecal transplants that sounds promising. However, the most recent doctor we saw says it is less effective than the article states.

I don't know what my son's future holds. The doctor states that probiotics are extremely important. However, he had been taking a quality probiotic throughout this whole ordeal. Maybe something more effective will be discovered in the future.  For now, we are thankful for the Xifaxin. It is expensive and not covered by our insurance.
The research I found states that a number of conditions might be affected or caused by altered gut flora, including anyone with an Autoimmune Disorder, C-diff, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Autism, Candida, IBS Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, IBS, Constipation, Obesity, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Anxiety and Depression. Here are a couple of links to get you started: 

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/symptoms-causes/dxc-20202389
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401247/Fecal-Transplants.htmlhttp://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/publications/inside_tract/inside_tract_fall_2013/the_benefits_of_fecal_transplant
Wishing you all a healthy future.
Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs! Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com
Dog photo copyright: http://www.123rf.com




Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Weekend Fun Blog: You've Got to Try A Little Kindness...

I'm really feeling the emotions of these troubled times.How about you?Don't forget: We need to accept the things we cannot change.

Step back this weekend and take an example from this video...Try A Little Kindness.

What can you do this weekend to feel good toward your neighbor and toward yourself?
Have a wonderful weekend!
Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs! 
Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com

Copyright of Zen dog: http://www.123rf.com


Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Weekend Fun Blog: Puppies on Ice!

Is it hot enough for you?Love the summer, but wow! I don't handle the heat well. Do you?I think we all need to do what these pups are doing in the video.Enjoy the weekend and try to keep cool and keep your cool!If all else fails curl up by a fan and read a good book. ;)



Stay hydrated, everybody, and have a wonderful weekend.

Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs!
Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com 

Photo of dog in pool copyright: innocent / 123RF Stock Photo

Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake Bars -- Just in Time for the Fourth of July!

I think this recipe is perfect for the Fourth of July weekend! My family is really enjoying it. Hope you will too!


Raspberry Lemonade Cheescake BarsCrust1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel (optional)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom only of 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray.

In large bowl, mix the crust ingredients with a spoon until soft dough forms.
Press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cooling rack; cool 10 minutes.

Filling
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel (optional)
2 eggs
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup fresh raspberries

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon peel with electric mixture on medium speed until smooth, scraping down side of bowl frequently.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just blended.
Beat in lemon juice.
Reserve 1/4 cup filling; set aside.
Spread remaining filling over cooled cookie crust.

In small bowl, mash raspberries with fork. Push mixture through small strainer with back of spoon to make 1/4 cup raspberry puree. Stir puree into reserved filling. Drop tablespoonfuls of raspberry mixture on cream cheese layer. With knife, carefully swirl into top of cream cheese layer.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is set. Cool 30 minutes on cooling rack. Refrigerate about 2 hours to cool completely.




Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs! 
Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com 

Photo and recipe from: Betty Crocker
Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author