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Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad

Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad

1 16-20 oz Package of Elbow Macaroni

1 Cup of Salad Dressing (Miracle Whip)

1 Tablespoon of Yellow Mustard (French's)

1/2 Cup of Milk

1 Medium Minced Pickle (sweet or dill, or relish)

2 Tablespoons of Sugar

1 Teaspoon Dill Weed

1 Cup Finely Diced  Deli Ham, Turkey Ham, Turkey, or Chicken 

3/4 Cup Diced or Shredded American, Cheddar, or Colby Jack Cheese

1 Small Minced Sweet Vidalia Onion (optional)

Directions:

Cook pasta till al dente. Run under cold water to cool and stop the cooking process then set aside. 

In a bowl mix Salad Dressing, Yellow Mustard, Milk. Add Sugar, Dill Weed and mix thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients to the mixture. When thoroughly incorporated together add to pasta mixing throughout and refrigerate for at least a 1/2 hour before eating. Refrigerate leftovers. Kid approved.

Coffee Chat: What Inspires You?

Basically, there are three things that inspire me or motivate me. God, my family, and nature are the forces that inspire me to take a step forward in life and to make life worth every breath. These are probably average, but for me they all have a different way of inspiring me.

God, first and foremost, inspires me to want to be a better person. He inspires me to want to give to others of myself, my resources, and my heart. He inspires me to live in service to others.This isn't about what religion I am, although that has huge impact on my life. It is about wanting to please Him, wanting to be closer to Him, and wanting to walk with Him.

My family are also a huge contributor to the inspiration and motivation factor. I want to do whatever I can for them and would be nothing without them. Though my siblings and I, there are six of us, may argue from time to time, I know they are always there for me. Having lost both of my parents who were the stability that made us close and taught us what it means to be a family, I am so glad to have brothers and sisters that I can count on. This being said, my motivation to make sure that they can count on me is very important. There will inevitably be hard times in which I will be present for support, love, encouragement, and just a listening ear. 

My children are a very large factor in my inspiration and motivation. Teaching children to be the best people they can be, to love God and hold Him close, and to learn to be there for each other is so important these days. There are so many bad things going on in the world and I want them to know that not only do they have me but they have each other to lean on. From the youngest to the oldest they should know that their support to each other will be one of the most important and dear things they will need to get through life. Never forget your family.

 There may be a lot of bad things going on in the world but there are magnificent things all around us. Beauty, peace, diversity, power, harmony, melody, and inspiration are all around us on a daily basis if we look outside of the "rat race", look to nature. Fantastic views of life and renewal of life fill the senses. I love nature, from the worst part of it to the best. There is beauty in even the most horrifying looking storm. Unfortunately, their can be destruction and loss of life which always pains me. It hurts my heart to see any living being suffer, including our planet. Those that have no respect for the beautiful world around us and it's diversity more than likely have little respect for anything. Those that hurt animals for sport or just plain entertainment likely have no respect for life in general. Nature inspires me to want to protect it and revel in it and to pass it on with respect to the next generation so that they may be inspired by it to. Pollution, deforestation, littering, and the destruction or killing of the wildlife hurts us all. Just because it isn't standing in front of you or you can't see it does not mean that it isn't happening. We all have a responsibility to be proactive in protecting and securing our future and I am not talking about money. Money has little use when you can't breath, eat, drink, and live.

What inspires you? Take time to think of the inspirations in your life and what they mean to you. Rediscover yourself and the meaning of the people and things around you.

Never Take Your Health For Granted

Every day that we walk around healthy is a gift but as we do this we tend to take for granted that we will always feel this way. Sometimes we even feel that others must be doing things wrong if they are not healthy. During my recent illness I began to appreciate those days when I felt great and everything in my life was normal. I had to do nothing wrong in order for my health to start slipping away.

In just nine weeks time, I was pale, began to feel weak and tired all the time. I desperately missed the days that I could stay awake all day long, walk up and downstairs without being exhausted, walk anywhere without feeling exhausted. I felt horrible that I couldn't spend time with my son. Hours felt like they were wasting away.

I learned how to stop the weakness eventually but not without taking a huge amount, or what I think is huge compared to normal, of Iron, Vitamin C, B Vitamin Complex, hormones, and drinking Powerade like it was going out of style to replenish the large amount of blood I was losing. Even with those efforts I could feel myself not being able to keep up with life.  I was diagnosed with Endometrial Hyperplasia with heavy bleeding and later found that there were noncancerous tumors in my uterus along with cysts on my ovaries.

Needless to say, when my doctor said full hysterectomy after nine weeks of what felt like torture, I was more than ready to get it done with. A day after the surgery and I was home recovering which brings it's own frustrations. Not being able to sleep on my right side, I'm a side sleeper. Not being able to do anything outside for fear of falling. I was and am on a ten pound weight restriction which doesn't sound bad until you want to mow, move furniture because it was spring cleanup week, carry in groceries (one bag at a time), or hold my son. Anything that required bending over, like cleaning or the dropsies (because I seem to have that issue at times) was a no go because of the feeling that my skin was ripping open.

Yes, it was a robotic surgery and yes, the recovery is a lot less than regular surgery but it is still surgery and there is still recovery time. The recovery just takes a lot less out of you and you don't have some massive wound to recover from. Just four small incisions with deep rooted stitches that feel like they pull.

Fortunately, I am recovering to the point where I can get things done like cleaning, picking things up (light things) and taking care of my son. I'm not hurting, actually after the first day home I required no pain medication at all. I can go for walks and haven't really felt weak since after the second week of recovery. I am still not allowed to mow or lift heavy things, though on occasion I have lifted some things, carefully and with assistance.

One thing is for sure, I no longer take my health for granted. After weeks of feeling like I was falling apart, there was no way my health was gonna be taken for granted. My son and I have great things planned for this summer some of which I plan to blog about. 

A happy healthy life is nothing to sniff at. Don't take it for granted. Get regular checkups. Do self exams. Be proactive in your life. Don't put things off until your life is affected and you are in massive pain or are too weak to maintain your life. After all it is the only one you have and there are others counting on you to stick around. Do it for yourself, your family, and friends!