Baked Mac & Cheese

Baked mac & cheese with Colby jack and mozzarella.

   Hey y'all, hope everyone is having a great and relaxing weekend! I am trying to relax and do a lot of nothing myself but I suck at sitting still. Last Friday morning I had my Synvisc-One injection done on my left knee. For the next 48 hours I can only walk to the bathroom or take a quick shower. It's actually doctors orders to do nothing but watch Netflix and read. The swelling has finally gone down but I am still very sore and grumpy. Synvisc-One is a wonderful gel that is shot into the knee joint to prevent swelling, and pain from arthritis. I began getting these injections after my ACL transplant and they have been a God send. I can work out harder, run farther, take the stairs all the time, and be a normal active adult. People who have had multiple knee surgeries should think about talking to their doctor about this gel to see if it is right for them. Since getting the injections I am not having to eat anti-inflammatory meds like candy anymore. Once in a great while I will take 2 Aleve for slight pain.

   Let's talk about that gorgeous container of mac & cheese. Tomorrow my church @St. Barnabus is having a Blessing of the Backpacks for all the kids going back to school on Monday. I am bringing my laptop, research materials, and books to be blessed. I think having the kids see that school can be fun and exciting when you get older will help their morale. Knowing that life gets better helped me in junior high and especially high school. College has been a wonderful experience and I am forever grateful that I was able to go. After church services we are having a pot luck and I am bringing baked mac & cheese along with chopped cantaloupe.

   Since I cannot move around much I enlisted the help of my mama to make this yummy dish. I got a cooking lesson while sitting in a chair inside the kitchen. I did get to grate the Colby Jack and Mozzarella so I kinda helped out. Mama taught me how to make a white rue sauce which is known as one of the great mother sauces. When you begin to learn how to cook, this sauce is a must have. It is versatile, velvety, and easy to make. I will write out the full recipe in the next blog post.

   What books or movies do y'all like to distract yourself with when you have to lie around the house?

I think we need to talk

    It has been almost three months that I have been in physical therapy. I think it is time to take my relationship up a notch with my physical therapist. Maybe I need more freedom to do what I want, I feel much more secure with myself. Add more weight to my leg raises, give me a challenge, and let's start some balancing exercises. I can be the worst kind of patient because I have a tendency to tug at the bit and go full throttle like a freight train. My PT team have been great at keeping me in line but now I am feeling better and really want to get stronger.

   This morning while on a coffee run at UTPB, I saw the girl's soccer team working out. Talk about inspiring me to want to live in the gym. All I can think about is getting my legs to look like they did pre-surgery. I understand that there is no true symmetry in nature but I want to get as close as possible. Let's hope my physical therapists agree to give me what I want. 

I need to add muscle but I also need cranberry Kombucha. Fermented tea makes everything better.

    After work I met up with a few girlfriends to get manicures/pedicures. Even though I had to fight traffic and got lost, it was worth the trip. The incredibly nice man who worked on my toes did a great job massaging my calves, and making my feet relax. Working out several times a week in tennis shoes is not conducive to making my feet look pretty. This man is the bombdiggitty and I am going back for a manicure next week.

The finished product :)!

Before manicure: not very cute feet with lemongrass lotion.