I took a layout class at The Scrapbook Shoppe with Adriane last night. We made a 2-page layout using Basic Grey Cupcake paper. It turned out pretty cute. I decided to use it for Imac's 3rd birthday photos. Take a look:

Thanks for looking!

This is you 3 years ago:

This is you today:

Happy Birthday, Imac!

Today I had to go to Toys R Us to get a last minute birthday gift for one of GA's friends. While we were there, she started looking at all the back to school supplies, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc... She fell in love with an adorable Hello Kitty backpack. It ended up being a pretty good deal because if you bought a backpack you got to choose a lunch box for free, and I had a 20% of coupon - so the backpack and lunch box total was only $11! Can't beat that.

School begins in about 4.5 weeks! Now on to complete the rest of the required supply list and uniforms.

I wasn't a huge granola fan until we started making our own. It is great by itself or sprinkled on yogurt. I made a half-batch today and have been munching on it this evening. Here's how to make it:

Full Batch Vanilla Almond Granola

1 & 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

8 cups of old fashioned oats (not the quick kind)

2 cups sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Spray 2 cookie sheets with Pam and set aside.
Combine brown sugar and water in a 4-cup microwave proof glass measuring cup or bowl. Place in microwave on high for 5 minutes and cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from microwave, add vanilla extract and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, and brown sugar syrup mixture. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Spread the granola onto cookie sheets and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and crunchy.
When the mixture comes out of the oven, it is still very pliable. You may choose to add in 1 cup of dried fruit as a finishing touch at this time. When granola has cooled completely, store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

I had my 6 month check up with the Neurologist today. I was diagnosed with Vertigo, migraines and vertebrobasilar migraine last year after having several dizzy spells where I could not function for 2-4 days. I have been able to control most of my symptoms and migraines with medication. I use a combination of Fioricet and Meclazine to control my episodes. So far, so good.

I had a whopper of a migraine yesterday and my Fioricet was doing the trick. I asked the Dr. about it and he said that now I can take 1-2 of the Fioricet pills and then continue taking 1 every 4-6 hours or until my headache goes away. This is great news as sometimes I take one pill and it does nothing for the pain.

I go back in January unless I have any new issues pop up. Sounds good to me. I am thankful that I have finally found some "relief" for my migraines - I have suffered with migraine pain for most of my life. I remember getting them when I was 12 or 13 years old and they have progressively gotten worse and more frequent through the years. The dizzy spells started right after I had Imac (about 3 years ago) and that's when I got to my breaking point to do something about it. Ahh, the joy of drugs. I'm probably killing my liver, but at least my head won't hurt!