The Best Eggnog I've Ever Had

 ... And it's also Keto safe. I make no claims as to calorie count or nutrition.

This is, without a doubt, the thickest and richest eggnog I've ever had. Never mind as compared with any that I've made. A happy accident, in the kitchen, lead me to try using at least 4 times the nutmeg I would normally use for a recipe this size. Honestly I accidentally dumped in up to a teaspoon. Using ginger just occurred to me, out of the blue. And what the heck, ginger is healthy anyway.

Ingredients:

• 1 qt    Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2        Whole Eggs
• .25 c  Stevia Crystals (or to taste) *
• .5 t     Ground Nutmeg (or to taste) approximated
  
• .25 t   Ground Ginger (or to taste)
• pinch  Sea Salt (or to taste)

Gently whisk all ingredients together, in a 1.5 quart or larger saucepan. When all ingredients are fully  incorporated, turn the heat on low. Continue stirring constantly. I chose to keep using my whisk but you can use any implement you prefer, so long as you keep any buildup from occurring on the bottom or sides of the pan. As with any custard, burning even a thin layer will ruin the whole batch.

This will make a little over a whole quart.

As it cooks, this will get really thick. In fact, if you prefer, you can apportion the completed product into custard cups, refrigerate and enjoy like pudding. Personally I like to store it in a quart bottle, with a mouth large enough to use a good size serving spoon. As I feel the desire, I spoon out several tablespoons into a small mug, mix in about half again as much fresh cream, then heat and enjoy. As preferred, you might also try using a quantity of whole milk instead. I'd recommend against using some of this in your coffee. It was quite unsatisfying, when I tried. As a home made product, it can get the tiniest bit clotted. This only seems to be a problem when introduced to a thinner hot liquid.

Image may be added later, if I can keep from drinking it first.  ;-D

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* I'm not talking about the puffed stuff. I use the crystals that come in a small canister type container and weigh around 10-16 oz, depending on the size of the container.

Migraine - keeping track

I have been getting more migraines, in the last several months. So I think it prudent to at least try to keep a record of them. If I can at least make a note each time I have one, the next time I'm asked about frequency, I'll have something better to say than; 'I can't say for sure.'

Anyway, I woke up today with the start of a migraine. Before taking my usual migraine cocktail  (1 Naproxen and 1 Midol), I tried manually adjusting my neck. It helped a little, but not enough. And after just a few minutes, it started getting worse again. It's accompanied by the usual light and sound sensitivity. So I went ahead and medicated.

As for possible triggers, I can't imagine much that I did, could have been exposed to, ate or drank that could be responsible.  I am chronically sleep-deprived, as well as possibly a bit dehydrated, in spite of my best. And there's always the chance that my next-door-neighbor's efforts to work on other people's vehicles in his driveway may have exposed me to some chemicals I'm not aware of. I eat and drink much of the same things, every day.  And that consists almost entirely of real food, as "clean" as possible, that I cook for myself.

I'm a big label reader. Even on my minuscule budget, I go out of my way to buy food and other products without risky additives. And I do my best to keep up with the hazardous additives/chemicals, that may effect my environment or get into my food. Having already had cancer, I'm extremely keen to prevent a recurrence! And I think it reasonable to expect that my precautions, to that end, should reduce my migraine risk as well.

For the record, this small update has taken me close to 2 hours, most of it needing to be typed (my tablet no longer seems capable of efficient speech to text). This is part of why I post so rarely. It is also why I have difficulty keeping up with any food journal attempts.

What I'm Thankful For Today

 Mostly it's the people that I love and that love me, that I'm the most grateful for;

• My "Bonus-Mom", who continues to make my life possible, in spite of the hardship it causes to her own.
• My dear sister and her family who, besides occasionally providing much needed food for my precious fur baby when I can't, are among the most special people in my life.
• My precious fur baby, who keeps me as centered and sane as anyone can, and without whom I could not bear to continue.
• My "boyfriends", who are there for me in a myriad of ways, in spite of my own shortcomings.
• More other family and friends than I can easily count, let alone have the 'hands' left to praise nearly as highly as they deserve.
• My home and what possessions I still have.
• My own highly developed ability to "make do" with what I have. I've been doing it for more years than I care to count.
  
• And in spite of the recently imposed restrictions, my Food Stamps and Disability benefits, without which I could not even feed myself.
• Medicaid, without which it's extremely likely that I'd be dead already or dying a slow and horrible death.

I'm sure there is more that I'm grateful for but this covers the vast majority.

Make no mistake, there is much that I wish for, to make my life better and possibly even allow me to make a small living for myself. However that is another post entirely.

I will say that the greatest thing I wish for is to live a small and relatively simple life, with enough money to support myself and my fur baby for the rest of our shared life. I'd prefer to stop being dependent on those who love me most. I've found it to be contrary to my own good self-image and mental health.

Never Ask "How Much Worse Can Things Get?" ...

 ... or "What Else Could Happen?" or anything like that.

About a weak ago, I started my day with a niggling migraine. And this was a weird one. It started inside my right eye socket and felt like that location was being "stabbed" with a narrow blunt instrument. Still, as usual, I tried various methods to reduce the effect. Eventually I wound up giving in and taking my full migraine cocktail (1 naproxen, 1 Midol and 7.5mg BuSpar). Most of my migraines are eliminated by this "cocktail", in one shot.

Unfortunately, though my pain abated for a while, I was forced to take the same as often as each could be taken safely (naproxen is a 1 per 12 hour pain reliever). I managed to get some sleep and had high hopes of waking migraine free. You may be familiar with the adage; "wish in one hand and c--p in the other and see which fills up first. Well the same goes for hoping, more often than we want to admit.

And if that's not bad enough, while still dealing with the migraine, only minutes before heading to bed, I realized that my home heat had stopped working. So I went downstairs and did everything I could think of. My efforts concluded with my HVAC off at the thermostat as well as at the connected breaker (to ensure no additional damage to the unit).

So I cranked up the electric heater, in my bedroom, put on an extra blanket and went to bed hoping for the best.

I awoke the next day in pretty much the same condition, having shivered my way through the night. Same procedures (omitting the hopeful attempts to stave off taking med's) and same outcome. I had little hope left in me, as I bunked down in my office that night, as my bedroom windows would work better as sieves. The ones in my office at least keep heat/ac in. And I have another heater in my office. So, uncomfortable as it was, I managed a few hours sleep.

To my amazement I woke with only a little migraine "residue", even though I was quite tired still. So I went about the extremely tedious and taxing procedure of getting the heat fixed. For me that has the added complexity of needing to ask for help. I haven't nearly enough money to even begin to cover those sort of costs.

So anyway, two more uncomfortable nights later, my heat got fixed. And I'm still doing my very best to keep utility costs to a minimum, per normal.

Under the heading of "Insult to Injury", somewhere in all that, I had to do my SNAP interview for the year. While it was technically "successful", my monthly amount got shredded. I was "... getting the Max ... of $280 a month", before I had to report that I finally got my Disability, even though my total was well below the poverty line. Now I only get $109 a month.

* What finally prompted me to make this post is that, only about two days later, I just spent another whole day dealing with yet another migraine. So I've spent the last 12+ hours medicating and drinking a LOT of warm or hot tea, in an attempt to keep my pain to a minimum. Being cold is one of my worst enemies, when I have a migraine.

I'm so very tired of feeling like the ball, in an exciting soccer game. ... My own physiology. ... Cancer! ... "The System." ... and so on.  So may things kicking me when I'm already down and making my head spin.

All I really want is to live a quiet, reasonably comfortable life, in better health and less pain. Obviously that takes money. More than I can get through The System. That is unless there's a lot I don't know. At this point, I'd be happy to take such information as tips or a sign of appreciation. Alternately, donations are welcome at the following link:

Thank LilMischif

ChocZero !

I think I finally found a company that actually shares my own sensibilities regarding chocolate and sugar free products! Here's a link to that company:  ChocZero.

• Many of their products are vegan and keto friendly.
• They only use natural extracts and the like, as sweeteners. No sugar. No last-century toxic waste. Not even the more recent sugar alcohols. And while I'll admit that I haven't looked at each and every offering, so far it appears they don't even use stevia, leaf or purified.
• They focus on making a healthful and delicious product. That does mean that less attention is paid to calorie count. For years now I've been of the opinion that this is the correct approach. So long as moderation is employed, the extra calories need not be a "deal breaker".
  
• And then there's the fact that all the ingredient lists I've seen provide assurances that the oils used are sustainably sourced. While their ethics MAY not all be as unimpeachable, I have high hopes that they will continue to build on their environmentally friendly and health conscious approach.
  

Personally, I'm not a vegan. I don't even follow keto with any real devotion (not that I can afford to). I have found that eating with keto in mind does generally make *me* feel and function better. With that focus, I've glanced at each of the items posted on their site and can not wait to try many of them! And I find it worth mentioning that every one I've noticed appears to have a 5 of 5 customer rating.

I haven't created an account with them yet. I try to limit the number of places I disseminate my personal information, in order to keep my anxiety in check. If I decide that I can manage another, I hope to create an account and registry. And either way, if I'm able to obtain samples of any of their products, I'll be sure to post a brief review. 

Please don't wait on me to guide your choices. If anyone is able to sample this company's offerings ahead of me, I'd love to hear about your experience!

If you appreciate the information I'm providing, please feel free to use the following link:

Thank LilMischif

Is Work Really Just a Dream for Me

I just created a new Private registry, with Target.

It's starting out small but I'll be adding more items, that could give me a chance to earn some money for myself. Some of these may be similar. I'm looking for the very best PC I can get, to make it possible to run high resource art software. Eventually I hope to create my own world, where others can relax and enjoy various environments.

Only using the link below will it be possible to view or order from it. Orders are not expected but they surely would be appreciated!

I'll be delighted if anyone is willing to help me fulfill my lifelong desire. In fact, if there is a prepared promotional post that I could share for you, I'd be happy to post it here, in my blog.

I should probably mention that I have had bad experiences with "refurbished" computers. If it's intended to allow me to Work, I simply can't contemplate trying another one, unless someone is willing to guarantee me that it will Actually perform like a brand new one. It's also noteworthy that it's REALLY hard to get a tower PC into my registry, new or used.

Replacement Items Registry

I just created a new Private registry, with Target.

Only using the link below will it be possible to view or order from it. Orders are not expected but they surely would be appreciated!

The items listed here are things that wind up wearing out regularly. You're sure to see quite a few computer and gaming related items. These are necessary to help me keep my stress level manageable. So I'll be extremely grateful to anyone who is willing to help out. In fact, if there is a prepared promotional post that I could share for you, I'd be happy to post it here, in my blog.

Margyt's Desires

I just created a new Private registry, with Target.

It's starting out small but I'll be adding more items, that I need or really want. Some of these will be similar to those in my Walmart registry. Both lists tend to have a "multiple choice" approach. In other words, if you see several of the same item, it's generally an invitation to the purchaser to make a more personal choice.

Only using the link below will it be possible to view or order from it. Orders are not expected but they surely would be appreciated!

 

Even though I've FINALLY managed to secure my Disability payments, I'm far from financially secure. I was hoping for close to $800. Sadly I'm getting closer to $500. And that only covers my shelter expenses with a TINY bit left over. So between that and Food Stamps (which are getting less and less valuable with every passing month), I'll be lucky to maintain.

So I'll be very grateful to anyone who is willing to help me out. In fact, if there is a prepared promotional post that I could share for you, I'd be happy to post it here, in my blog.

Welcome Gamers

For those coming to my blog for the first time, from the DDO forums, Welcome to my EXTREMELY random life.

For the most part, it's unfiltered content. Just what ever I find interesting or stuff that might be helpful to people. I do try to keep it PG13-ish. If you're squeamish, avoid the medical posts.

If you're just trying to see what I look like, you will be sorely disappointed. I don't post pic's of my face.

Here's a link to the rest of it;  Artist, Lunatic & Vagrant

 

For anyone else who has just clicked on this because you saw the Tip tag, I would like to encourage you to check out Dungeons & Dragons Online. I've been playing it for something over a decade now.

Anyone can try it out for FREE. And while "Free to Play" is limited, it's still a great way to check out the game.

Good News!

Recently (for at least the last month or two) I've been dealing with some really serious stuff. Not least of which being that I managed to injure my left knee. It should be noted that I had roughly the same injury, to my right knee, around a year ago. It was soon after that first injury that I started doing yoga, in an attempt to increase the strength of my knees.

And while still dealing with the pain from the most recent injury, I was also anticipating my upcoming (now past) Disability hearing, with a serious amount of dread. Not my first hearing of this nature, though the first video hearing.

The good news is that, for the first time in weeks, I was finally able to feel comfortable trying to do yoga again. And in doing so I was greatly rewarded! 

To start with, I felt no extra pain in either of my knees. I appear to have lost much less condition and flexibility than I had feared. I'm even feeling a decrease in back pain and predilection towards intercostal muscle cramps, already! And now I feel more confident, both mentally and physically. That is to say I have more confidence in my own body and my mental outlook is quite improved.

It also doesn't hurt any that I am optimistic (albeit consciously so) regarding the outcome of my recently completed disability hearing.  This judge was the most compassionate, by far, of the ones that I've dealt with thus far.

It would be so totally amazing to finally be able to have a little money to spend on the things I need. I haven't had any income to speak of in quite a few years now. Therefore, so many things are wearing out or have already worn out. So I'm greatly looking forward to the possibility of replacing them, without having to beg for the money!

STOP Taking That Calcium Supplement (Need to Know) 2022

I sincerely hope everyone will give both of these videos a complete viewing at a time when they can have your full and undivided attention.

 

I have actually experienced some of what he says. I've found that if I regularly take the "recommended dose" of Calcium, in supplement form, after a while I start to feel a small pain indicating that a kidney stone is forming (location confirmed with my primary care doctor). Furthermore, that pain begins to subside soon after I stop or reduce my calcium supplement intake.

 

Some of the information provided here sounds kind of scary, at first "glance". But I'm of the opinion that is because it goes firmly against the False Information we've all been fed since birth. But don't blame your parents or even the media. They were misled as well. If you must assign blame, place it on whoever decided that a consensus of doctors' opinions should be considered fact. I'm choosing not to place blame though.

The one thing that is not mentioned, that I strongly believe is important to note here, is that Protein will be needed if you begin to do more Weight Bearing exercise. The simple consequence of weight bearing exercise is muscle development. If you fail to include enough protein in your diet, you just can not support building new muscle. And it is my experience that building muscle is the very best most sustainable way to lose weight and reshape your body.

Over all, I believe the information provided in these videos to be valid. And besides that, I believe that following this advise would make us all healthier and less prone to other common ailments as well. Cancer included! I personally have been trying to work towards a more natural diet for years now. More or less since my own cancer diagnosis.

Help LilMischif

Yoga Workouts for Me

It occurred to me that some folks might actually be interested in what I'm up to lately. 

I have been under a great deal of stress recently. More even than normal and for extremely personal reasons. Many times, over the course of the last several years, I have seriously considered trying yoga. 

I remember a program, that I saw several times, when I was quite young, The female instructor seemed kind, gentle and patient. And that is exactly what I need. So I decided to go with Hatha Yoga. 

Quit recently, something in my head just kind of clicked into place. Shortly after that, I began searching Hatha Yoga for beginners, on YouTube. Of course, that brought up a lot of results, some of which were not suitable. I managed to mentally filter out most of the ones that didn't look like they were really for beginners, or at least were not for me.

I decided my best course of action was to create myself a playlist. On one hand it is easier that way for me to go back to videos I like. It also allows me to add a bunch of videos, that appear to have potential and go through them as I have time.

So here's what you've been waiting for:   Yoga Workouts for Me

As my notation in the playlist says;  This is a "work-in-progress". It is planned to change and evolve, as my journey progresses.  So, if you find something that you love, be sure to "like" it yourself, in case it fails to be useful for me. 

I should probably mention that the account this playlist is created on is connected to an email I don't look at often at all. In fact it's mostly just for junk mail.I will gratefully accept comments about the playlist here though.

And for this next bit, I want to start by saying that I actually expect nothing. However, in the event that someone wants to be particularly generous to me, I have a registry at Walmart. As they say: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Specifically for the purpose at hand, I am adding yoga equipment, to make my journey easier and hopefully help me progress more efficiently. Obviously, the other items are also welcome.  My registry is publicly listed with the name; 

"Help A Kitty Out"

For my personal safety, I prefer that people search for it, on Walmart, rather than copying and pasting it from my login. I hope everybody can understand that security precautions.

Or if you prefer to donate money:

Help LilMischif

 

Migraine Again

Yesterday, I woke up feeling kind of crappy. I had fairly indistinct symptoms, with mild nausea and associated lack of appetite. Needing to take my med's, I managed to eat some breakfast. Later on, I started noticing more classic symptoms of a migraine. As soon as it became clear, that it was in fact a migraine, I went ahead and took my normal migraine "cocktail"; 1 Midol, 1 Naproxen & a regular dose of  buspirone. As usual, it took a while, but it did finally kick the migraine to the curb.

Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, the migraine came back today. At least so far, it's been less intense than yesterday. And apparently the full normal dose of buspirone, that I took earlier for my anxiety, seems to have been enough. At least for now. 

I wish I could say that I had any idea what brought on yesterday's migraine. Unfortunately, I do not. Today's migraine, on the other hand, I suspect was simply the result of  some kind of biochemical instability relating to yesterday's migraine, as well as insufficient restful sleep last night.

About all I can do now is keep my fingers crossed, for a migraine free day tomorrow. 

Stuck In My Own Head

For those of you who've never gotten completely lost in thought, yes, it's a thing.  I tend to think of it as hyper-focusing on my own thoughts. Sometimes just one thought or problem. I'm going to include as thorough a description as possible here.  It is as much for medical personnel as for anyone else dealing with something similar. 

It actually happens to me quite often.  I think of something I want/need to fix, solve, make, etc. And then it just goes from there. It doesn't even have to be anything big or important.

Unless I figure it out/solve it, in less time, it can go on for hours. I've had it go through multiple tangents and/or double back, to explore  branches previously not taken. And it's so engrossing that I lose track of time completely.  I have even lost hours of sleep, because of this issue. That frequently happens, when the process begins soon before I was supposed to go to bed.

You might think that I should have control over this. Unfortunately it seems to be quite the reverse. The only "control" I seem able to assert, is if I'm able to solve it. Then it just comes naturally to an end. And that's when I see how much time I've lost.

I even tried making a note about such things. But instead of being able to just put it away after that, My mind starts going immediately. IF I catch it, right as it starts, I have a chance to push it away. But that is pretty rare! Perhaps kind of like trying to dodge rain.

To be perfectly honest, I don't know if another person could help me get out of it. Since it  doesn't seem to occur around other people. It's pretty much always when I'm home by myself.

I'm sorry to say that this particular issue, as well as a couple of others, has been responsible for my lack of posting recently.  I do hope it has not caused anyone too much  concern. And in case anyone would like to connect with me, I get notifications for comments.

What Everyone NEEDS to Know About AVOCADOS

I had no idea how much I didn't know about Avocados, until I saw this video (Not an ad);

An Avocado A Day 

My mother would be so pleased to know that I have developed a taste for them. She was a big fan. I'm going to have to see if they are reasonably priced, where I shop. They are usually a bit expensive. Especially to be eating a whole one every day.

It does occur to me that, with the offered benefits, it might even be worth cutting back on meat. It would help me to afford them.

Suffice to say, if I can afford them, I'll be adding more of these to my regular menu!

If you'd like to help, or you just found something useful in the provided information, please use the following link:

Help LilMischif

​Message Well and Truley Received

Quite freakishly, today, while I was cooking breakfast, all my radio stations went on commercial breaks at once. So, on a whim, I tried going to the beginning of the dial and finding the first station that was playing music.

It happened to be WSIE 88.7. And, after a few minutes, it started playing the following song below. 

Although this is a song I don't recall ever hearing before, it really resonated for me. I find it to be at least as relevant today as it was when it came out. And I really hope, when you hear it, you will share it as much as possible. I think this country could stand to hear this song a lot.

In fact, if anyone seeing this post is good at promotion, please consider promoting this song to every radio station you can find, as far across the country as possible. Who knows, perhaps such a thing might push us a little further in the right direction, socially and politically.

And, just an interesting side note, the same station later played a lovely instrumental smooth jazz version of "I'll Be Home for Christmas". It had a muted horn instead of vocals. I don't think I've ever heard the song ​done better.

So, my doctors keep asking if I've fallen recently

This post is at least as much for the record, as it is to share and commiserate.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to pull the trash and recycling rolling "dumpsters" back up to the top of the driveway from, the curb. While doing so, my right ankle went out from under me.I fell, as gracefully as possible. Which mostly means not. I did at least manage to land without breaking anything. However I scraped my knee a bit ...

 

Not to mention ...

I'm not sure how, but I also seem to have sprained two of my smaller toes. Second and third, for the record. 

In the secons pic, it's difficult to see the bruising on the second toe. But the swelling shows in this shot, And there isn't any, of either, evident on the middle toe.

 

 

In the third pic. the bruising shows more, right on the second joint of the toe. Sorry but lighting in my house, for pics and video, is always a challenge. 

Due to Covid, I'm choosing to stay home and do my own diagnosis and treatment. I have has a sprain before. And I know the difference between that and a break.

So anyway, this is what I came up with to protect my injured foot. It consists of a regular stretchy joint wrap, a medium size padded shipping envelope and an old ankle sock.

 

I'm also using a crutch, that I already had. Walking is fairly painful just now. But this set up helps ... a little. It's more about how I walk.

Wish me luck, that it will heal quickly!

What A Cool Idea!

I'm posting this, for my own memory, as well as the prospect of helping others. I first saw it on YouTube, in the form of an ad. The link below is direct to the company's website.

CleanT | The toothbrush of the 21st century

To be perfectly honest, if I had the money, I would have already ordered one. In fact, part of the reason I'm posting this is so that I can find it again, if and when I do have the money. I think it sounds positively brilliant.

It occurs to me to note here This is a new company. I do hope that anyone with any interested all considers supporting them. It would be a real shame to have such a good idea vanish, due to lack of interest.

I would also like to note that It doesn't appear to require toothpaste. So that could moderate the cost somewhat, over time. And while useful, the whitening agent isn't necessary, for the tooth cleaning process. It's also reasonable to suggest using baking soda, instead of toothpaste.

I hope I'm not the only one that finds this useful.

If you'd like to help, or you just found something useful in the provided information, please use the following link:

Help LilMischif

Revolutionary lnformation Regarding Weight Loss

I stumbled across this, as an ad on YouTube. So be advised it is trying to sell something. But it also offers some revolutionary advice, for FREE. You don't need to spend the money to make use of much of the information.

Please be aware that you will have to do a brief, simple quiz to get to the video. But don't let that hold you back. The available information is worth the effort. And they don't record any of your personal information. Of course, the downside of that is that you will have to do the quiz each time you want to look at the video.

V Shred Diet / Exercise Guru

Currently, my plan is to use the free information, provided in the ad, to my best advantage. I personally just don't have money to afford such a program. And that, even though it sounds like it really could be worth it.

I don't even mind sharing my results from the quiz. The quiz determined that I am an "endomorph". And based on things I've heard, from one source or another over the years, I have to assume I'm not remotely alone.

So all you other endomorphs out there, take heart! Don't be afraid to check this out. Even if you can't, like myself, afford to buy the program, certainly you can get some useful information out of the video. Good luck and I hope it helps! 

And even if you're not an endomorph, you should still check this out. Watching the video is free. And although I have not seen the videos for the other types, if they are as insightful as the one I did get to see, it should still be worth checking out.

Very best of luck, to all of you, in your struggles.  And as always, please do Stay Safe.

Should you be feeling generous, there is a link to PayPal for donations, in many of my posts.

These days my world has gotten extremely small.  Some might say claustrophobic.  My cat is frequently bored out of her mind.  And frankly, if it weren't for my art and gaming, I'd be the same.  But at least she and I manage, mostly, to keep eachother company.  I sincerely hope you are doing well, in these extremely trying times.

Comments, regarding this blog, my experiences, your experiences (as related to mine), etc. and words of encouragement, are welcome. And if you'd like to help, or you just found something useful, comforting or entertaining, in the provided information, please use the following link:

Help LilMischif