Living with Cerebral Palsy

Today, it was time to do something constructive. It was time to make bread. When, I moved into the house, some ladies from my church gave us a bread maker. They are wonderful, if you don’t want to deal with the mess. But, mine bit the dust. So, I made whole wheat bread from scratch – the old fashioned way.

I don’t know where I found the recipe, but it is sooooooooooo easy. It is only 4 ingredients – five, if you want whole wheat.

1 1/4 cup warm water (not too hot, or it will kill the yeast)
2 tbsp yeast
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour (half white and half wheat, if you want whole wheat bread)

Mix water, sugar and yeast. (If you are not sure if your yeast is good, leave it sit for 5-10 minutes. You should see the mixture kinda bubbling)

A recipe with say three and a half cups of flour. But, I have done it enough times, I don’t even have to measure anymore. Don’t add all of your flour at once. Add about 1/3 at a time. When it is still sticky, but getting hard to stir, it is time for . . .

The Two for One Deal

It is time to get some arm and hand exercise!

Dust your hands with flour, or the dough will really cling to your fingers. Put some flour on top of the dough and dive in – so to speak. Squeeze the dough, turning it and flipping it, kneading every time.

You do not want to put two much flour in your dough, or it will be too heavy. You will know it is ready to raise, when the dough is still stretchy, but not too sticky. Cover it with a dish cloth and let it raise in a warm place for about an hour. (I usually barely turn the oven on, just so it is warm, not toasty. Then, I turn it off, when I put the dough in to raise.

After an hour, knead the dough again. It will probably stick to the sides of the bowl, so you will need to dust it, and your hands with more flour. Don’t worry about getting messy. Anything that sticks to your hands will wash off.

After you have kneaded it again, roll it around in your hands until it is about the size of a small loaf of bread. Plop it in a bread pan and let it raise for another hour.

Make your House Smell GOOD!

Take the dough out of the oven and set it aside. Heat the oven to 350. Put the dough back in, and bake for about 25 minutes. Ovens vary, so I usually check a couple minutes early. When the top is golden brown, take it out of the oven.

To cut the bread, I use an electric knife and a bread slicing guide. Then, it isn’t hard to cut nice pieces, even when it is just out of the oven. If you don’t want to use an electric knife, you need to get a bread knife with a serrated edge. It will be harder to cut when warm. The slices will still taste good. But, the slices might not maintain their shape.

Two for One

Making homemade bread is a great way to exercise your hands, even if you are living with cerebral palsy, and have something yummy to show for your efforts.

Many bread recipes want you to add milk, honey, oil, etc. I don’t know if I found this recipe because I didn’t have the other ingredients, or because I like recipes with 5 ingredients or less. Either way, it is yummy!

But, don’t worry if your first loaf doesn’t turn out spectacular. If you know me, you KNOW I don’t like to cook. But, I have made this bread often enough that I know when the dough feels right, and I don’t ever cook it quite as long as most recipes say, otherwise the crust is too done.

Also, if you double the recipe, you can split the dough in half and roll it out for yummy cinnamon rolls. I made a loaf of bread and a pan of rolls on Tuesday. Thanks to my growing son, they were gone on Wednesday. Today, I made two loaves of bread. We will see if it lasts beyond tomorrow.

How quickly life changes . . . and ends!

Yesterday was a day of celebration honoring my sister’s birth; and, it was also the annual anticipation whether THE groundhog would see his shadow.

Sad Tidings

This morning, I got one of those phone calls that NOBODY wants to get.

The mother of my nieces and nephew was killed in a car accident last night. Presumably, she was on her way home from work. It was just another day.

Ginger was the mother of 3 beautiful daughters and a handsome son. She was also blessed with 4 granddaughters and 2 grandsons. Her son is engaged to be married on August 11th.

It was just another day.

So . . .

Even if you think it is just another day like yesterday, don’t forget to tell people you love them. Don’t put off something really important, assuming you will get to it tomorrow.

Not one of us knows if we will have just another day.

Happy Birthday to my WONDERFUL sister

My Aunt and Sister

and

Happy Groundhog Day

Today, someone posted this link on my FaceBook page. It only takes a minute to watch; but, it is so worth the time.

Don’t let other people tell you that you can’t!
Don’t tell yourself you can’t, until you try more than once or twice!
Don’t give up!
Push yourself to do the best you can!

. . . and this goes for able-bodied readers as well.

(BTW, you might want tissues close by.

Babies are so wonderfully made. Everything is in miniature and so cute! Even their butts are adorable, which is probably a good thing, since parents have to wipe them thousands of times.

However, I think most people don’t give their butt a second thought, when they are older. Usually, it is only because they see a larger than expected backside in the mirror or photographs.

Butt Seriously . . .!

If you literally sit on your butt all day, or you are confined to a wheelchair, you had better take your butt VERY SERIOUSLY!

A couple of years ago, I got what felt like blood blisters on my backside. I meticulously cared for them. Some would go away, only to be replaced by others. (I will spare you the details; but, it was VERY uncomfortable.)

My mother convinced me that I should visit my doctor, just in case. Someone knowledgeable needed to see them. So, I swallowed my pride and went to the doctor. Thankfully, I had done the right things and they were healing well.

Fortunately, she said they didn’t look like pressure sores. Unfortunately, I also suffer from crohn’s disease; and, I was probably blessed with the sores, because my crohns was active again.

She was very glad I came in, though. We discussed pressure sores. Usually, they appear when the bones under the skin are under the most pressure. However, they are also called bed sores. No matter what you call them; they are really bad news.

Bed/Pressure sores generally appear in the vicinity of the tailbone or hip bones. If a person is bedridden the heels and other pressure points are potential sore spots.

The doctor told me that these sores can become infected very easily; but, they are very hard to cure. This is what ultimately took the life of actor Christopher Reeves.

So, if I suspect I have a pressure sore, and even if I think it is minor, I need to go to the doctor right away. This is something that no one in a wheelchair should mess around with – ever!

Why I am Discussing taking a Butt Seriously

As you know, if you have been keeping up with my blog, I LOVE my adjustable bed. In fact, I spend most of my time here, because it is more comfortable and easier to transition from/to than any piece of furniture in the house. (Also, if I get chilly, a few minutes under the electric blanket feels so good – especially when I hurt)

But, transition from/to the bed has not been without adventures. For padding, to help prevent pressure sores, I bought on of those egg crate foam pads. The friends who gave me the bed also brought another one. So, I had the two pads and a queen size padded mattress cover from my old bed. Even though it didn’t fit exactly, I could tuck the excess away.

This was not my best plan. Since I literally slide off/on the bed, the two foam pads and the mattress cover would slide with me. More than once, I thought I was on the bed and would end up sliding onto the floor.

From the waist down I am dead weight. Coupled with being overweight, getting off the floor is a time consuming, exhausting, and bruising process. Not surprisingly, my butt takes the brunt of the torture. In addition, I have to scoot on it, in order to get to where I KNOW I can eventually pull myself up.

A Present to Myself

Not only have I made changes to the process of getting on/off the bed; but, I also bought myself a present.

My electric bed will also raise or lower in height, with the push of a button. After the last unexpected slide, I now raise the bed above the height of the wheelchair, before I transition to it. Likewise, I lower the bed before transitioning from the wheelchair.

But, I definitely needed to do something about the padding. First, I have thrown away the egg crate pads. I got tired of half the pad hanging off the bed and rolling up, etc. Unfortunately, the quilted mattress cover is not enough. My butt has been complaining.

I went online looking for good padding, so I wouldn’t get pressure soars. However, the Invacare Mattress Pad that is gel filled like my wheelchair cushion was almost 200 bucks and very heavy. I needed something I could handle both financially and physically.

I am currently waiting for a gel fiber filled mattress cover that advertises it is like sleeping on a down mattress. It was under $60 bucks, with my credit points, and it is made for a single mattress. The reviews were mixed. Some people really liked it and were on their second one. Others would never purchase another.

Most of the negative comments were due to a shifting of the filling, when the pad was put through the washer. So, I hope I have also purchased a solution to that problem. I have purchased a moisture-proof pad that goes on top of the sheet. If I spill anything, have trouble like a bladder infection, or simply get to hot, I can peel it off and wash it with the sheets, keeping the mattress pad clean and like new. (It will also make it easier to make the bed, if I don’t have to stretch the mattress cover on every time.

Butt Seriously!

I don’t know about you. But, I am learning to take my butt very seriously. For a person that sits on it all day, it can be my greatest ass-set or liability. (Pun intended) I am really looking forward to the new mattress cover coming in the mail. I just hope it lives up to the praise of the satisfied consumers.