Many different ways to tell if you're a crazy cat person.

It's no secret I love my cats. People always tell me I baby them too much, but really until I have an actual baby what harm is it doing. True my cat Oliver pretty much has a God complex because I always tell him he's a king. But he is the king of the kitties. Bagheera may think he owns our farm but so what? He keeps the rodent and bird population under control. Little miss Rochette pretty much thinks the world revolves around her and I but I'm alright with that. I have begun to notice some things that make me believe that I may take it too far. Here's a few examples of things I have noticed and you might want to watch out for so you don't become as crazy as I am.

• Having pictures of your pets in your phone is fine. Having more pictures then you have of family may be taking it a bit too far. 
• Snuggling your cat is great but if you have ever stayed still when you have important things to do (like work or pee) just so that you don't wake the cat, It's becoming an issue. 
• If you make your significant other move over in bed to make room for your cat because she prefers to sleep in between you two , under the covers, like a human. Is probably taking more of a relationship risk then you want to take. 
• If you judge whether or not you like someone by how your cat feels about them it's taking it a bit far. Mainly because my cats hate most people who aren't Me, Hubby, my Mom, or my Brothers. If I cut down my social circle that much it's going to be harmful to my sanity. 
• If you hold your cats like a baby even when they weigh about twice the size of an average baby. It's pushing it a tad. Plus really not good on your arms and shoulders especially if you have a torn rotator cuff. (That one may just be me)
• If you rock your cats to sleep when you get home from work because you know that they missed you and had a big day. (never mind that you are exhausted and have better things to do)
• It's true that some cats meow in different ways for different things they want. My cats can all say the only 4 words a cat really needs to say, Mom, Dad, Out, and NOW. But responding to them as if they are a teen-aged human is not really normal. Nor is dropping everything to feed them because they are sitting by there food bowl (which is not empty but apparently not full enough for them.) yelling NOW.
• Playing games with your cat that are really more for five year old humans. I may or may not play both hide and seek and the floor is lava with my cat Rochette. 
• If you baby-talk to your cat more then you do actual babies. You probably need to tone it down a bit. 
• If you are badly allergic to cats and yet own three of them and do all of the above things and let them lay on your head until you can barely breathe. Maybe take a look at what you're doing to yourself. 

I adore my cats and will most likely continue to baby them. They and my other fur babies bring me happiness the least I can do is try to return the favor. So, the next time someone calls me a crazy cat person my response will probably be, "Yes, but I'm a happy crazy cat person!"  

Allergies, can't leave home without them

Anytime I talk to people about my allergies they always say how much it must suck to not be able to eat chocolate or nuts or to not be able to pick all the beautiful flowers we have on the farm. Yes, all those things do suck but honestly I don't really mind too much that I can't eat chocolate or nuts or whole grain. I don't even mind so much having to avoid the beautiful flowers. What I really hate about my allergies is that I can't snuggle my cats or any long haired dogs without hives. I hate that I can never leave the house without my inhaler, benadryl, or my epi pen. I can't just try new things anymore. I have to be fully prepared at all times to fix any allergic reaction that might occur. I was lucky as a kid I was only allergic to dairy and chocolate. That didn't really have a huge affect on my life. My brothers got a chocolate candy bar I'd get nerds. That was about the extent of it. I could still run around outside and play. I could still ride bikes and make mud-pies and play with snakes. I never thought about my allergies. I miss that but I'm also thankful that I had that. Some kids are born with really bad allergies. Some kids never get to do that stuff. I'm 31 now and I don't need to be playing in the grass. What I do need is to be able to keep my pets around me without taking medications. I need to be able to just run out of the house with my wallet and keys and not a huge diaper bag like purse. I need to not be known as the girl that gets sick so easily or the girl with the bad  lungs or the girl who is allergic to life. I need to be able to be me and have fun. So allergies if you could kindly vacate the premises I would appreciate it!

My ultimate favorite Banana Bread recipe!

If you're like me you love how convenient store bought goodies are. However, I keep feeling more and more turned off by all the additives they put in. I know some of it is to make it stay fresh but I have been making a real effort to find cheap easy to make recipes for my favorite treats.

I have adored banana bread since birth pretty much. But with my nut allergy I can't usually buy store bought stuff because it has walnuts. If you can have walnuts and like them in your banana bread feel free to add some to this recipe! I have so many allergies and sensitivities that I prefer to make grow or raise most of what I eat. I'm blessed to live on a large ranch where that is possible! Anyway down to the nitty gritty here's the recipe for my favorite moist banana bread!

Cook: 1 hour Yield: Makes one loaf.

INGREDIENTS
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

You don't even need a mixer!

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

This recipe is sure to please and the best thing about recipes like this is you can do it with or without nuts or cinnamon. I love customizing my own recipes! Good luck and have fun baking!

CPAP machines and how to deal with them.

Approximately 3 years ago I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. There are lots of reasons a person could develop sleep apnea. Mine is  from having very small airways and asthma. I came very close to setting a record during my sleep study for times I quit breathing per hour. 152 times per hour was my average before they put a CPAP machine on me. Once the CPAP was on I slept like a baby. I wasn't getting much sleep before and the deepest sleep I went into was just the first stage of R.E.M. most people in that stage still think they are awake. So needless to say I was very tired. The doctors say I could have died at any time because of the strain that was putting on my body. I start by telling you this so that you understand how important it was for me to use a CPAP every night.

Using a CPAP is not an easy thing to get used to. They make noise, you're attached to a machine by a hose all night, they can dry out your mouth and sinuses, it can take a while to find the right mask for you, etc. So I thought I'd share what my issues were and how we eventually solved them.

First issue. I had no place to put it on my side of the bed since my bed is up against the wall. I talked to the place that handles my CPAP equipment and they gave me an extra hose so I could make it longer by connecting the two! My husband also uses a CPAP and we have a lamp with shelves that we use for our machines. They fit perfectly!

My second issue was masks. I have a very small head and face so I wear a size extra small in the masks which limited my choice of masks since they don't all come in extra small. Luckily when I realized that a nasal mask wasn't going to work for me they had one full face mask in extra small. It's actually still a little big but the company that makes this one just started making pediatric sizes! I just always have to call ahead to make sure they order my mask when I need a new one because they don't always keep my size in stock.

Third problem was I am hyper sensitive and have many skin allergies. So, I kept developing a rash on my forehead where the mask touched it. The rash would lighten but not go away by the end of the day. Luckily my brilliant husband came up with a solution. I now wear a thin beanie hat pulled down over my forehead under my mask. Since then I haven't had any rashes! Another problem solved.

Other then that I had some issues with drying out my sinuses and making me get sinus infections more frequently but I have a humidifier in my machine so that just took some trial and error with figuring out what setting worked best for me. Also I now apply Chapstick 8 hour hydration lock every night before bed to keep my lips from drying out. http://www.luvocracy.com/tuffygirl52/recommendations/chapstick-hydration-lock

Those were my issues and it took some time but I now can't even think about sleeping without my machine! I know it's a hard adjustment for anyone getting used to one but there are ways to figure it out and it's amazing how much better I feel now that I am not always sleepy. There is some maintenance with these machines but it's pretty minimal. I wash my mask and change my filters on a weekly basis. We get new tubes filters masks and water basins as needed through our sleep medicine company. Our insurance covers all of it. It may feel like a huge adjustment in the beginning but it quickly becomes a part of your routine and it takes like a minute at night to add water and get my mask on. I'm even so used to the noise that if my husband takes his off at night I wake right up! Good luck to anyone starting this journey. It can be daunting at first but it is well worth it!

Rohto Ice Astringent/Lubricant/Redness Reliever Eye Drops Review.

I recently tried some new eye drops. I must admit I was drawn in by unique packaging. The bottle is oval shaped and fits well in a purse pocket. Eye drops may be a boring subject for most of you, for me however they are very important. I have horrible allergies and until a recent trip to the optometrist I wasn't aware that my eyes do too. I have since tried expensive prescription eye drops and many over the counter drops for allergy relief. My eyes are constantly itchy which makes them swell and I have a bad habit of rubbing them which just starts the itchy back up again because I'm adding more irritants to my eyes. Nothing has ever provided relief to more then one issue. Drops tried until now would help with redness or itchiness or swelling but never all three. Until now. These drops are amazing! They have a cooling sensation which I thought sounded strange but it barely stung a little when first going in. Then all the itchiness was gone. I looked in the mirror a few minutes later and all of the redness was gone. I haven't seen my eyes look this white and healthy in years. I had no swelling anymore. My eyes felt like they were free of debris for the first time in years. They feel just amazing. Perfect mix of moisture and astringent! I can honestly say I don't think I will ever buy any other eye drops. These have even helped get rid of a stye I had. The best part of this all is that where my normal over the counter drops cost between fifteen and seventeen dollars. These bad boys cost me just over five dollars. .4 fl oz. I know I will use these faster because I keep reaching for them anytime my eyes start to itch at all. I use them 2-3 times a day! I never thought my eyes could feel so nice! I highly recommend these to anyone with eyes. Thanks for reading. Hugs and blessings! -Steph

Trying new things

So I am a city girl. In my family I am the princess. I love comfort. I LOVE the internet and books on my phone. I love sitting at home and watching Dance Moms. So last Wednesday I took a huge step for me. I went camping 5 hours from home in the desert. I did this because I have been with my wonderful husband for almost 7 years. In this time I have been asked every year to go with him to the spot where his family fishes every year. However they always go memorial weekend which just so happens to be my birthday weekend most of the time. So being the pampered city girl princess that I am I have passed on the opportunity every time. Last year I planned to go I got time off from work and then my father had a heart attack and a quintuple bypass surgery. So I stayed home. Well this year I agreed to go for their second trip in the year. Which was September 18th. I was excited but also a little nervous about rattlesnakes and also how my asthma and allergies would be. Everyone said that my asthma may be worse at the higher altitude but my allergies should be better since there is much less plant life. So we went. I was so excited I made sure to pack my inhalers and epi pen and all the things I might need. I didn't however bring my CPAP machine. So we got to the spot and it was so different from any place I had ever been to. But so beautiful. I had my seizure dog and she was by my side the whole time. I was loving it. We fished and although I kept getting fish stealing my bait and never landing one. I had so much fun. My husbands aunts gave me tips and even let me reel in some that they hooked. I was so glad I let go of my fears and went. I ended up being there 3 days instead of 5 because of the fact that my throat swelled about half way shut, my nose never stopped bleeding because of the altitude, I couldn't sleep without my CPAP. But to spite all that and having to leave early, I had so much fun. I saw so many new sights. I spent some wonderful quality time with my husbands aunts. I got the dog out of the house and taking the lab mix by water was a very good thing. In short almost everything I worried about going wrong did. But I wouldn't change a second of it! I will always be open to trying new things and I'm hoping to go back next year but I'll bring my CPAP and allergy meds! Have fun and just say yes sometimes. You never know what wonderful things could happen!