Fingerprint Friday....

Beki, from "The Rusted Chain," encourages us to cherish God's fingerprints in our lives... those fingerprints are all around us... sometimes we may have to look around our world for a bit, but most of the time, they're quite obvious... :)
to me, fingerprints are things that give you goosebumps, make you smile, or warm your heart...somtimes they may even make you want to cry, too... to me, most fingerprints provide me with a forever memory...



i took this photo in the summer of 2006 while visiting my grandma with my mom... my grandmother lives in a town of fewer than 800 people...she's surrounded by beautiful farms in Eastern Illinois... She has lived in the same general area all of her life (she's 88), still lives in the house where my mom grew up... I love going there...

i've always been fastinated with my ancestors...and on the day this photo was taken, we went to Bodkin's Cemetary. it's a very small cemetary that must have been visited with wagons and horses...or maybe even people just walking to bury their loved ones. it happens to be where our family (grandfather's side) was buried for years...dating back to the 1700s... my great great greats are there...

it's a very neat place to visit...it's literally out in the middle of corn and soybean fields and we travel on lots of dirt roads just to get there...

it's a beautifully quiet area... you can hear the birds and the bugs...you can enjoy the fresh air...and i just feel so peaceful walking among the graves of my ancestors... i wish i knew them...

as we were there, this beautiful butterfly landed on the lush green grass...it appeared out of nowhere...almost like a little visitor... :) i didn't get its full wings, however...it flew away too quickly. for the few seconds that i saw her, she was breath-taking...the darkest black wings with a beautiful spectrum blue, tiny flecks of white, and a little dot of orange...

it's no doubt that something this beautiful was created by God... :)

15 month check :)

K turned 15 months on saturday and had her check-up appointment today with our pediatrician...

can i just say how much i love our pediatrician? we didn't "choose" him...we chose his office and another doctor to be our primary pediatrician...but we've never even met her... :) long story short, when K was born, our ped's office sends in a pediatrician each morning...and on the morning i had K, Dr. Michel was the one who got the chance to see my very new baby girl. i don't think she was even 2 hours old when he came in to visit...

after nearly 24 hours of hard labor, i was instantly in love with his quiet demeanor and his comforting presence... and, i have to say, the cherry on top of that first visit was seeing him sport a bow tie...and a real one at that (not one of those clip on doozies)... he was so sweet... :) he treated K like the most amazing and beautiful baby in the world from the moment he met her... and we've never seen anyone else... :)

we've always joked with K & Dr. Michel, even when she was only a few days old and visiting him for a weight check, that she was there for her self-esteem boost... he always had something wonderful and sweet to say to her... :)

so today was our 15 month check... :)

K continues to be on the small side...except for her head... :) (somehow, even 15 months later, i remember that fact quite vividly!)


~height: 29.2 inches (15th %ile)

~weight: 18 lbs. 9 oz. (3rd %ile)

~head circumference: 47 cm (75%ile)


today, we chatted a bit about her refusal to eat most meals... she eats pretty well at breakfast...but chooses to eat very little at lunch and dinner...
she doesn't even like our old stand-bys any more... she won't eat grilled cheese, mac n cheese (homemade OR box), raviollis, spaghetti... we can count on her to eat cheese, crackers, fruit, and sweet potatoes... and, if the mood suits, yogurt and cottage cheese...

it's so hard to sit with her at meal time...a struggle in patience...BUT, Dr. Michel says that we're experiencing a typical behavior...and that things will get better... let's hope! :)

our self-esteem booster this visit was hearing how well she was developing...walking, playing, speaking, social skills, etc.

and he always ends our visit together with..."Well Katherine...you sound and look absolutely perfect and beautiful..." :)

i love him...he makes a momma feel good... :)

now our SHOTS this time...not such a fun experience...

K knows when the nurse walks back in with her little white basket, it's all down hill... today, 3 shots - DTap, Hib, and Flu #2... the first two are fine...tears...but we can deal with that...

the third shot, which i think is the flu shot #2...not so good... K's arm "broke free" from my vulcan death grip...and she hit the nurse's shot hand... OUCH... i think she still got the shot, but there's a nice scratch from the needle on her little leg...

ouchhhhhhhhhhh....

and she stopped crying when the nurse left... :) heheh :) she's not stupid... :)

she has a low-grade fever tonight and was quite cranky... a tylenol squirt, a warm bath...and to bed... let's hope for a good night's sleep and a day of smiles tomorrow...

i still can't believe my sweet girl is 15 months... wow.... :)

meals for 1.24.10 to 1.30.10

i don't really feel like planning this week for meals... i don't know why... :) probably just in one of those "i don't care what we eat" funks that i get into every once in awhile... :) maybe it's because i don't want to go to the grocery store (i'd rather just send my dear husband :))... :) we have enough in the house to pick at... :) but, i will go with this for now... :) ry stopped at the store tonight to pick up a few things that we'd need to get through the week. :)


so i hereby call this week........leftovers week... :)


S: turkey burgers (used toasted whole wheat English muffins - very good!), mac n cheese (with a secret ingredient of pureed cauliflower - i'm desperately trying to get some veggies into K's diet - but she refused it), french fries w/ provolone cheese


*dessert: cookie bars (choc. chip cookie dough) made with mostly whole wheat flour - not bad! :)



M: pizza from Papa Johns (Ry had a Dr's appt. in town...his hankering :))

*dessert: ice cream...we never have dessert - but here's for two nights in a row! :)

T: leftover veggie soup

W: leftovers again, probably - spaghetti, soup, pizza



Th: macaroni soup



F: chicken (breaded with honey mustard and French's fried onions), potatoes



S: we may eat out - but if not, yep, you guessed it - leftovers

fingerprint Friday

Beki, from "The Rusted Chain," provides a wonderful opportunity for anyone to stop and think about how God's fingerprints have imprinted upon our lives...

sometimes it's in nature...or in random objects... frankly, every week, i could post a picture of a child...because they are such an incredible gift and and obvious fingerprint from our God...

if my mom knew i was posting this picture of her, she'd probably not be happy... but it's ok... i have a few reasons why it doesn't matter...

you see, in august of 2007, on the first day of school (i used to be a teacher), my mom was diagnosed with mid-stage 2 cancer in her tonsils...

it was an incredibly emotional time for us... but i saw my life with my mom possibly ending... and that just made me so sad and almost physically ill...

my mom is the strongest person i know, but she's also stubborn... i feared that she'd look at her quality of life in her possible fight and turn down options for treatment...

she had just seen her father, some 6 years earlier, fight almost the same exact cancer... and he left his Earthly life a mere 6 weeks after his diagnosis... he chose no treatment because it was so advanced...

but she didn't turn down treatment...

instead, from October until February, she went through the most awful fight of her life... intense radiation and simultaneous chemo...and then surgery to remove lymph nodes...

i spent many hours in the car going back and forth between home and HOME...and helping my dad care for her...and sitting in her hospital room and watching her sleep...or holding the trashcan and rubbing her back when she was sick...or helped her to the bathroom because she was so weak...or spending the night in the ER with her...
it was a very hard time...
i learned many things that i'm glad i learned...
and in February of 2008, as i stayed by her side all night after her surgery, i knew that something was happening in me...
my daughter was beginning to form inside of me...
our little surprise...
i spent a lot of time very scared that i'd be a momma without my own mom... but i wasn't ready to have a baby....
but my plans are not my own...

K was born in October - 6 days after my mom's birthday (my due date was my mom's birthday, though - another "goosebumps" experience when i heard this and knew about God's hand in this...)
and this picture...

...it was taken 3 days after K was born... less than a year after my mom's treatments and surgery.... she still looks so grey and pale... and tired... but i love the way my mom looks in this picture with her new granddaughter...

instant love...

God's fingerprint is on this relationship between my mom and K... it's so incredibly special...

in the last year or so, i've watched my mom regain strength to eat...and walk the dog...drive...and work... i've heard her laugh...and smile...and i had missed those sounds and sights so very much. she struggled in the months after her treatments and surgery... but K's arrival...it was just what my sweet mom needed to nudge her along...

God knew what He was doing with my little surprise... :) i think He may have saved my mom by bringing her into our lives when we least expected...

quite a fingerprint...

Private Eyes

we live in a small neighborhood... i'd say there are probably 25 or so houses on 2 streets... we are a neighborhood of dog lovers... there are several people with dogs who enjoy walking on our quiet streets... it's really quite nice...

the houses in the neighborhood are on lots with fairly large yards... the houses set pretty far back on the lot, so the front yards are probably 50 or so yards from the road...

now, i hate to cast judgement about a family that i don't even know (other than their name on the mailbox)... but there is one neighbor who is just... *sigh*

we have 2 dogs that are walked at least twice a day... obviously, aside from some fresh air and a little exercise, the objective of these walks is also to give them the chance to relieve themselves - #2... at the start of the new year, i decided to walk the dogs in the morning... i LOVE it...it's quiet...it's peaceful...and i enjoy the time outside getting some fresh air and time to think so early in the morning (we leave around 7:10)...

this morning wasn't unlike any other morning...we may have been out the door a little earlier...but that was about it... we walk out the door and the school bus is stopped at the above mentioned neighbor's house - blue house neighbor - and who i assume is her son, maybe of middle school age, runs out to the bus and i hear the blue house neighbor mom yell, "i love you" from the door as her son gets on the bus some 50 ft. away... i'm not sure why he doesn't ride the other buses that come through our neighborhood (maybe he has special needs?)...but that's besides the point...

so we go on our walk...we walk on the opposite of the side at the beginning of our walk...stopping for the usual sniffing every 2 feet... remember, many dogs in the neighborhood equals lots of smelling areas for the dogs... now, on my walk, i see a plethora of poop...and, i'm embarrassed to tell you that i know it's not my dogs' poop...it's not the right shape or color... i've even seen that someone lets their dog poop right NEXT to people's mailboxes... that's just a stepping hazard and shoe disaster waiting to happen...eww

so while passing the blue house neighbor on my way up the street, the lights are all out and i can see the glow of their flat screen TV in the living room... on some mornings, i can see Anne Curry broadcasting on Today...

we round the area of the cul-de-sac and come up the other side of the street...my smaller dog has already pooped...and i picked up his deposit with my trusty poop rake... Beezer sniffs for awhile longer and decides to poop at the blue house neighbor's lawn...

the lights come on in the house...

the door opens...

and "i love you" mom steps out of her house and watches me...

i look at her as my dog is stooping on her lawn dropping his load... i'm holding my poop rake below him to catch his deposits... and my other dog's leash is in my other hand as he is standing there waiting...

she continues to watch me...

now, for real... she can clearly see that i'm picking up his poop as i travel down the road with my poop rake full of the dogs' poop...

after walking about 20 more feet, she closes the door and turns out the lights again...

i'm not one to retaliate or anything...but it was pretty obvious that she was watching me and would say something to me if i hadn't picked up my dog's poop...

why am i so sure?
the "i love you" mom's husband spoke to my very sweet mom about my parents' dog's poop last spring (she forgot the bag she takes with her on EVERY walking trip with her dog), and he asked her if she was planning on picking up the dog's poop... my parents were visiting and i assure you that my mom, who ALWAYS picks up after their dog, was planning on it - she was coming back to the house for a bag b/c she forgot where i put them...

but, at least he said "thank you" to her when she came back and picked up her 15 lb. dog's 2 nugget load...

i hope "i love you" mom in the blue house does this again... i think i just might speak to her when she comes out to watch me and the dogs... i won't be mean...but i plan on letting her know that i'm no dummy and see her private eyes watching my dog's and my every move...literally and figuratively...

in my passing, i think i need to suggest that she might want to stand at her doorway from around 3 PM until late in the evening when the other neighborhood dogs go on their walks with their owners... perhaps, then, she mght find someone else walking their dog without means to pick up after their furry friend.

and i will assure her that this girl right here...she picks up after her dogs...



and just for effect...here are my cute pooches... ;)

beezer (black lab/terrier mix)


shorty (cairn terrier)

Meals for 1.17.10-1.23.10

a little late... better late than never, right? :)

after a wonderful week of the stomach virus last week *ugh*, we're HAPPY to be back to normal eating! :)

Sunday: chicken fingers (homemade - coated w/ honey mustard, dipped in egg and then in crushed French's fried onions - they were AMAZING!), mashed potatoes, stuffing, and green beans

Monday: Boboli pizza - mixed cheeses, diced tomatoes w/ sweet onion, green peppers, and onions

Tuesday: leftovers - Matzo ball soup and dinners from Sun. & Mon.

Wednesday: omelets and toast (but maybe take out at our fav. pizza place (End Zone) - they have a Wed. special and we just happen to have an appt. right next to End Zone - darn! :))

Thursday: Veggie soup & grilled cheese

Friday: Spaghetti, salad, & garlic bread

Saturday: leftovers or out with friends?

*also plan on making some banana muffins for breakfasts and possibly a very healthy brownies recipe...we'll see! :)*

i could have been arrested...

it was a balmy 57 degrees here yesterday after lunch (goodbye 1 month old snow?!) so i was excited to take a nice walk with K and the dogs...
well, if you've ever watched a woman walk with a 15 lb. dog (Shorty), a 110 lb. dog (Beezer), a poop rake, and a stroller, you would know what true entertainment is... as Beezer pulls me to sniff every newly exposed area of muddy grass...and Shorty tries to clothesline K in the stroller...it's quite humorous...
i've learned to put Shorty's leash on the handle of the stroller and set the break on his leash...and i carry the poop rake with my left hand...and have Beezer on my right wrist...i can pretty effectively travel down the road...
of course, by the end of the nice walk and 3 poop loads on the rake later (with the poop rake HITTING my leg several times - ew), i'm ready to hang the dogs....
so we get back in the driveway...i drag the dogs inside and leave K in her stroller while i get them in the door, brake on, of course, and want to go on a REAL walk with my girl...
so i mumble under my breath a few times and get them inside...throw their leashes on the ledge...lock the door, and smile as we have a new walking freedom...
about 15 steps later, i feel in my pocket...no key...
fabulous...
i had thrown their leashes, with the key, onto the ledge...and i didn't realize it...
i started to panic a little...it was 1:35...ry wouldn't be able to leave for another 2 hours or so...(but i figured he COULD come home if i needed him to that badly)... my spare key that should be in the "secret hiding place" was safely locked in the neighbor's house from months ago... lovely...
i decided to walk a little and think... i had to come up with a plan of attack...
my thoughts went something like this...
i am glad i changed K's diaper before lunch...but what if she poops and we can't get in the house? i wonder if i could find any neighbor who is home and ask them to use their phone even tho they don't even know me...oh, there's that lady who lives up the road who stays home, i think...i could look really nice and with K, she would know that i'm not some stranger to be scared of...but she still doesn't know me...and when i tell her i have to call ry at work and it's long distance...will she care? i wonder if i left the sliding door on the deck open this morning when i was tossing out some old bread for the birds... i guess we could enjoy this walk and then hang out in the van for the rest of the afternoon together...but there wouldn't be a lot to do to keep her entertained...but we do have a big comforter in there for her to nap on, if we were there for awhile...i should have taken my cell phone...if i would have taken the regular keys, attached to the lanyard, i would have not thrown THOSE on the ledge mistakenly b/c they're so loud and heavier... i could walk to the grocery store, on the main roads, and ask them if i could use a phone...

i turned around and looked at the house...and started to walk back home... i was eyeing the spare bedroom window that i figured was probably unlocked...but how would i get up there? oh yah, we have that cool ladder...locked...in the basement (duh)...
maybe i could drive the van up to the window and get in...but the keys to the van are...inside the house...
maybe i could pick the lock to the door? i had no tool to do that...

we have a split level house, so our basement windows are right at ground level... i looked at one of these windows...and checked to see if it was locked...it wasn't... score...
so i lock the wheels of the stroller, all the while talking to K...and do some investigating... i remove the screen...clean off the ledge from a plethora of dried insect bodies...and get the window open by pushing up on the window... the blinds are down, but i reach in and feel for the cord...and up they go with a little effort...
i size up the window and my body...yep, this fat body can make it through...
so i look around to make sure no one is watching or about to stop at the stop sign providing a perfect view of my rear end...and i say to K, "momma will be right back..." in i go, toppling over the back of the sofa...and onto the floor...up the stairs and to the front door...all the while, hearing K going, "momma momma momma momma mommy."
i open the front door, grab the key...lock the door again, and we go on a REAL walk...where i can enjoy the sounds and sights of the thawing world around me...

i am sure that the average passer by would have probably called the police if they saw someone trying to get into the house like i was...i would have LOVED explaining that one to the officer...

i don't know what's worse... :) the fact that i found it very easy to break into my own house...or that the dogs didn't even BARK! :)

today, we'll be heading to the nearby home improvement store (my husband’s most favorite hated store) to get some super thick dowel rods to make a few “locks” to protect us from being robbed by EXPERT robbers… (the windows in the basement haven’t been replaced yet, and they no longer lock) i spend lots of time here, alone, with kids… and i don’t like sitting here and wondering if every little sound is someone trying to break in like i did last night while ry was out doing some work for a friend until after midnight…

i need to go now…so i can begin my life of crime grab a quick shower before Sweet Baby Girl walks up…

in the meantime, call if you need any robbing advice…

Fingerprint Friday...

it's been a week of not feeling well here...survival of the fittest... :) and i need a little uplifting message to post...

i love checking TheRustedChain each day to see what she posts... on Friday, she always does what's called "Fingerprint Friday" - which is based on a great Steven Curtis Chapman song... you can go to her site and read the lyrics of the song, etc.

i love to take pictures...but i'm not a professional photographer or anything... i took this last year... i love the color...and the rain drops on it...

and, in the dead of winter here, it just reminds me that spring and summer will come...and so will the beautiful flowers...



but, it's kind of symbolic in other ways, too... everyone is talking about the awful tragedy in Haiti... i can't even imagine... i can't imagine having to bury your own family members... i can't imagine having to watch loved ones, friends, or even strangers, laying in the streets...
but being a momma, i am just wondering how in the world these people are surviving with their babies...and infants... food? water? and, God forbid...babies with injuries... i can't even imagine it! it has to be...just awful...


the symbolism... in the darkness, i know that God is with these people... i pray for miracles...and for quick responses... but i mostly pray for the people to know that, soon, despite the pain and grief that they're facing first hand, God will bring beauty and renewal...
maybe in the form of a pretty pink rose in destroyed gardens...
maybe in the form of a smile...
maybe in the form of a someone providing medical attention...

if you check out TheRustedChain link above, you will see that she makes some beautiful jewelry (i just got a piece myself! :))... she's donating a portion of her price for each piece towards Haiti...and there are other ways to get her to donate, too...

we are so blessed...and if you have the means, please feel free to share your blessings with the people of Haiti on this Fingerprint Friday... :)

what i learned today...

and it's been a very long day for us here...

~bedtime: almost 1 AM (don't ask... i would think that we'd learn to do things during the weekend and not wait until the last minute to do everything...)

~3:30 am: wahhhhh wahhhhhhhhhhh in the monitor... my semi-conscious thoughts: "Oh dear Lord, i've been sleeping for 2 1/2 hours...Sweet Baby Girl, please find your paci in the crib...you can do it..."

~3:32: cough cough cough...wahhhhhhhhhhh... my thoughts: "She needs a drink...let me get
my water and take it to her..."

i wish she just needed a sip of water...
we are in the throws (haha, pun intended) of the glories of our first experience with a baby and a stomach virus... those coughs weren't for a dry throat...
she was throwing up...

on the crib bumper (can't wash that...)...
all over herself...
all over the sheet and the mattress pad
but not on her stuffed animals... :) the girl knows where to point... :)

and she proceeded to throw up every 20-30 minutes, without warning, for the next 3 hours...
(oh, maybe a warning...she would spit out her pacifer as she was vomiting...)

i learned i could do laundry at 4 AM...

i learned that you shouldn't leave clothes in the dryer and a load in the washer waiting to be dried when your baby girl gets a stomach virus...

i learned that at this wee hour of the morning, i could fold a few pairs of pants in the dryer...but promptly shoved the rest of the clothes in the basket and put the other load in the dryer when ry calls, "Robin...don't run the washer yet...she got sick again...all over herself...all over me..."

wow...

poor Sweet Baby Girl...

i learned that my sweet husband can strip a crib of yucky sheets while i'm trying to calm Sweet Girl in the midst of throwing up... and he was wonderful enough to take a sick day so that he could be home to "help me because i have never had to do this before" (my words)...plus, we had about 2 1/2 hours of sleep...

i learned that when you spend time with your friends on Saturday night, they get the stomach virus, too...

i learned that you can never have enough onesies for a baby with a stomach virus...or blankets...

i learned that it's not smart to try to keep putting clothes on Baby Girl when she keeps throwing up... (you'd think i would have learned this when my water broke and i kept changing my pants every 20 minutes wondering why a contraction would push out even more fluid)

i learned you should probably keep some Pedialite in your cabinet, just in case... but if we had known that, we wouldn't have learned that Food Lion opens at 7 AM (and that interesting people shop at that time, according to Ry)

i learned that it's ok to reschedule (for the third time) your doctor's appointment to meet your new doctor... (we switched doctors...maybe another blog topic on that later)..

i learned that there's pretty much nothing more pitiful than your baby getting sick...

i learned that some pedialite, crackers, banana, and a few graham cracker bunnies can make a little girl feel better (after not throwing up for 6-8 hours)...

let's pray for a quiet night...the nurse at the doctor's office said to be prepared for more vomiting, a fever, and diarrhea, through the night... apparently this virus is showing itself in this way... hopefully not, but if it does, we'll be ready... :) we're pros now, right?! :)

*no meal plan for the week yet...will get it done later, maybe...*

The minute you have a child...

i have thought about this a lot but i haven't really said a whole lot about it to too many people for fear of being "morbid..."

i am watching CMT (i don't know why...don't ask...) and they have a top 20 countdown going on... they're interviewing the stars of the movie "The Lovely Bones" - which will come out in a week... (a side note - great book...read it a few years ago...will be eager to see what the movie holds...)

anyway, in the book/movie, a child (i think she's 14 years old?) dies...she's murdered... she hovers between living and heaven and can observe how her family reacts to her death... it's very interesting...

Susan Sarandon, who plays the grandmother in the movie, was just interviewed...and she made a pretty personally powerful statement:

"I think the minute you have a child, you're suddenly thinking about death...that's what nobody tells you..."

that statement describes me to a "T."

Since I've become a momma, the mild obsession about dying...me, ryan, and, God forbid, her...it's at the forefront of my mind at various times... it's horrifying...scary...emotional...it leaves me nervous... i could list my emotions...

i immediately cry when i know of tragedy that strikes a family - real or fictional... when they lose a child, i wonder why...and how in the world any momma or dad...or grandma or grandpa...can cope... i look at K and wonder if she's perfectly healthy...or if something is brewing under her beautiful skin... or if she will slip through my tight hold in another way...

i have a hard time watching Law and Order: SVU now...or any of those types of shows where children are involved...

i am so saddened by terminal illnesses... i just read about a lady who died of breast cancer (who has a very powerful message right here @ Death is not Dying)......leaving her two very young children... i couldn't help but read her letters that she posted in sort of a diary style...it ripped my heart out. i can't even begin to imagine how a mother can face death while watching her two young and beautiful children grow...and how you can cope with the knowledge that you won't be there any more for rocking them to sleep while smelling their sweetness...kissing them...watching them splash in the bath...feeding them...and for their teenage years...as they graduate...when they get married...when they have children...
and i will tell you i've had a fear of dying of breast cancer in my 30s for years...long before i had a child...

i guess that we can't live in constant fear all the time... but i won't lie and tell you that the fear isn't there... it is... but you can't let it consume you... you can't live life in a happy and healthy way dwelling on the what ifs and could've beens... and of course, there's the promise of a wonderful new life in Heaven...

it's hard to think that life could be any better than rocking your baby girl to sleep each night... but we have to believe in the promises...

day to day...that's how you need to live... cherish each minute...each second...and know that nothing is more important than a minute with your child... :) i want to remember that every day... :)

Meals for 1.3.10 to 1.10.10

(gosh it's hard to type '10' for the year... :))

sunday: Beef & Peas w/ rice - Ry makes dinner :)
monday: Navajo soup
tuesday: leftovers - stuffed shells (from friday 1/1/10), soup, beef & peas
wednesday: cream of tomato soup & grilled cheese (i will post recipe if you're interested - just send me a message :))
thursday: pancakes, turkey sausage/bacon, and fruit salad
friday: breaded chicken w/ macaroni & cheese & veggies
saturday & sunday: i'm sure we'll eat out, cheaply, on one of these days... and we'll probably have leftovers or i'll make the "bigger meal" - that's still to be figured out! :)

what about breakfast and lunch??!
we're usually on our own for breakfast...except on the weekends. i usually make something yummy - french toast, egg & cheese sandwich, omlettes, etc.
for lunch, K and i have various things for lunch that we find around the house (cheese sandwich, yogurt, etc.)
and dessert?
we don't usually have dessert, either... :) i know, we're party poopers, aren't we!? hehe :)

happy eating! :)

Meals for the Week

since i'm staying home now, i have had to find ways to save money since we're not making what we used to... we used to overspend at the grocery store, without a doubt, and to be honest, there were weeks we'd go to the store, drop $150, and i couldn't figure out a meal from what we bought to save my life...
i knew our spending habits had to change...

so, in my faithful blog stalking adventures, i came across some ladies (like Little Home) who post a weekly meal plan for their families. what a great idea! :) so, i decided to start doing the same thing... i had the time to plan out meals, and to be honest, making a decent and nice home-cooked meal is a little theraputic for me... :)

i started by making a list of our old "standby" favorites. i keep this list in my notebook... i am always interested in new recipes and good ideas (like from my very talented "blog friend" at "Whatever" - who has 5 kids and i remain amazed at her organization and creativity ), so i copy/paste recipes into emails and send them to myself... i also have written recipes in my notebook...

on the weekends, i sit down and write the days of the week on each line in my notebook... we pick our meals (or i mostly do, but i ask ry if he has any special hungers or wants for meals), and i plan them out. i try to put meals that are "more involved" on days where i know it will be a little less stressful. i also try to make a "bigger" meal on the weekend so that we can have left overs during the week. then, once i plan the menu, i make a grocery list... so, we stick to the meals, for the most part, and we don't overspend at the grocery store.

granted, we have days when the meal doesn't happen for whatever reason. the great part of that is that, then, we have the ingredients on hand for another day... and, i always keep "stand by" meals available that are quicker or less involved in case the plan for that day just doesn't happen... our stand bys - breaded chicken (usually tysons), spaghetti, soup, etc. - basically things we have on hand all of the time...

so far, it has been wonderful! has helped us in more ways than just financially... we were the classic couple saying, "what do you want for dinner?...i don't know...what do you want? i don't know..." meanwhile, we were standing there snacking on anything we could find... :) we don't have to do that any more... :)

well, i have decided to post my meal plans... mostly for the good of others (assuming others read the blog :))... i know other ppl's blog help me come up with ideas...and i have gathered some really delicious recipes from seeing other meal plans... :) (like from my new "blog friend," Sarah)

so, if you read my blog, i hope you can find a recipe that you'd like to try...or i help you come up with ideas for eating during your week... but mostly, i'm posting because it's important for us, together, to try and make our lives easier...and it would be fabulous and a priviledge if i could make it more possible for you gather around your dinner table, with your family and/or friends, and have a nice, delicious meal without working up too much of a sweat... :)

eat well! :)

Mom update...

amazing what some news does to you...whether good or bad, huh?
of course, i couldn't wait until the afternoon (as we had agreed) to call my mom to see what the doctor had reported... i called her when both of the kids (mine and the one who i was sitting yesterday) went down for a nap, the telephone was in my hand and it was dialing...
home...no answer...
cell...no answer...
it had been nearly 3 hours since her appointment time...of course, my first instinct was to panic...she was at the hospital...they admitted her for immediate testing... then i just stopped myself from being rediculous... my mind was too negative...so i thought, then, they were probably at WaWa getting some coffee... :)
within about 10 minutes, my mom called... they had just left the doctor's office... 3 hours... wow...
she had a cat scan and it was clear (Thank GOD!)...the area where her jaw bone is exposed is due to the root canal, probably...but basically, the doctor told them that she has NO ability to heal due to her treatments. apparently, the radiation she had, which was extremely powerful in its dosage amount, destroys the vessels that carry your blood, esp. to the jaw and the gums. (since her radiation was specific to the head and neck area, this is not surprising) without that blood flow, you don't heal...and the bone and the gums die... that's what's going on right now... BUT, because she's NEVER taken any osteoporosis medications (like Fosomax ?sp?)...she can have treatment...
(by the way, I hope you don't take those calcium meds - like Fosomax - they're showing, now that they can destroy the bone of your jaw, and it's NOT repairable or treatable...just take calcium and vit. D, if you ever need it)
sooo...the treatment is... she has to have 20 hyper baric chamber treatments, which will stimulate the blood flow to her gums/teeth/jaw (and her whole body, for that matter!)... after those 20 treatments, she is going to have surgery, outpatient, but still put under, and the oral surgeon will basically scrape away the dead bone and i guess repair that area (not sure what all that entails) and possibly extract any teeth that need to come out... then, she has 10 more hyper baric treatments to help her heal even more...

sounds like a little adventure...kinda neat, if you ask me... i have heard that hyper baric treatments are EXPENSIVE, but it will be well worth it, no doubt... :) and, now that i'm hearing this, it's "dusting off" the memories of the research that i did 2+ years ago when she was first diagnosed... i seem to remember reading something about hyper baric chambers for patients...

she's doing well, especially now, i think... after she told me everything, she said "just another bump in the road..."
i know she feels a tremendous amount of relief... and, honestly, so do i... :)

Monday randoms...

i have a lot on my mind but don't know how to put it all down without it seeming rediculous... :) so i will just write a few things.... :)

~K is finally walking almost "full-time" right now... she's so cute...still a little unsteady, but we're excited to see her moving in new ways... i know this will bring a whole NEW adventure for us... :)
~We're seeing more of a temper from K...probably frustration from not being able to communicate everything that's going on in her mind... We see it at various times...at mealtimes, when changing diapers, getting dressed/undressed, and when playing... right now, we just kind of laugh after trying to redirect her... :)
~K's still dancing her heart out... i love to watch her bounce, twist, and clap... :) sights that do your heart good... :)
~K has LOTS of new toys that are keeping her entertained...most of the time... i love having a tea party with her (she actually brought me a cup from her tea set yesterday for me to "drink" - and she quickly reciprocates when you give her the cup back...so cute)... she also enjoys "placing" figures on her toys -nothing like building a Little People "wall" :) hehe :)
~K has weened herself from nursing... she was not at all interesting in nursing when she was sick...and hasn't regained the desire. i knew it was coming soon b/c she was so uninterested in nursing... when she turned one, i dropped to 2 times a day without any problem... she was very "quick" with nursing during those remaining times....if she nursed for 5 minutes, it was a long time... i don't know how i feel about it...part of me misses that closeness...but i also know that it's natural for it to end... :) i guess i should be glad that she's not going around, crying, throwing herself down, and trying to expose her not so svelt mother to try and nurse!! :)
so, we now rock in the rocking chair each evening...and that's sweet time with her...so i will take the new "normal" with a smile and a warm heart... :) i love it...

~we still have snow covering most of our ground... :) the 27 inches has "stuck around" and with the temperatures, i don't know that it will be leaving anytime soon... :) it looks pretty...and i guess i don't really mind it that much! :) hehe :)
~the birds have been so interesting to watch in the last few days since we've been home... i don't know if they're struggling to find food with the ground being snow covered, etc., but i've set up the feeder again... the cardinals against the white background - simply breathtaking!


~my heart is worried...and i'm trying to be as positive as possible...my mom battled a bout with tonsil cancer beginning in Aug. of 2007... treatment was very challenging and took almost all of the life out of her...but in the last year, she's worked so hard to pretty much return to normal... :)
one of the side effects from her radiation treatments is dental issues... she had a root canal a few months ago to deal with a tooth that was cracked... it didn't heal (not abnormal b/c of the radition) but no one did anything about it b/c it wasn't causing her any trouble or pain... then, a few weeks ago, she complained of a "bristly" feeling in her mouth...along her gums... apparently, in the area where the root canal was performed, her jaw bone is now exposed... it's an area of about 2 inches... now, i believe it's related to the root canal...but you never know...
she's seeing a surgical dentist today to get an opinion from him...and she sees her Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) tomorrow... i'm praying that it's not at all related to the evil "c" word...and that it's easily treatable... :) i'll keep you updated...

:)
that's enough for now... :) hope everyone is enjoying the new year...2010...it seems so incredible to think we're already here! :)

be well! :)