What a week... already !

Last weekend was a hectic one to say the least. With Michael's prom being on Friday night, Friday was full of preparations. I honestly thought that a son going to prom would be tons easier than a daughter but honestly there was little difference other than the time which it took to have her hair done was replaced by cleaning the car which was to be driven. Anyway, Michael had a great time at prom and I have over 100 pictures posted on my face book and will post some here for you non face bookers as soon as I can find some time. Saturday was spent running errands and other past due things and Sunday was Mother's Day which I spent a few hours with Mike and the kids before Mike had to go to bed before he went to work Sunday night. Then came Monday, It started out with a doctor's appointment for Mike and a meeting after. Since Mike was working midnight shift he met me at his doctor's appointment on his way home. Thankfully the doctor was not behind and we got right in but unfortunately not right out. There was the exam then x rays and then more exams and finally we were ushered into a room to schedule a MRI. The MRI was scheduled too close to our meeting time for me but that was the only available time so we went along with it. From there we took the two cars to our meeting which actually ended in time for us to head to the MRI appointment without Mike having to leave the meeting early.( this has become very common lately.... Heck I even finished his doctor's appointment for him a week ago while he went to work. ) Anyway I followed him to the appointment . When done there we headed home and I quickly made burgers and fries for dinner before he went to bed before going back to work for a double shift. Today hasn't been too bad except that when I get stressed I don't sleep so combine that with the rain and I am running on zero and I have to have dinner on the table when Mike walks in the door at 4:15 so that he can eat and then sleep three or four hours before doing it all again. Well, I Michael just got out of school so I best get busy.... Bye for now

Happy Birthday Michael.

Seventeen years ago today our seventeen year old, Michael came into this world, shaking things up . I knew that he would go far in karate when he used to punch and kick, from the womb , so hard that my muscles clamped down around his foot and arm and refused to release without the doctors help. Though you would never know it now, Michael was a born Mommy's boy. It was his refusal to stay with anyone else that prompted and clinched my destiny as a stay at home Mom. Yes Michael has been everything but your typical kid but we wouldn't have it any other way ! Happy Birthday Michael...... We love you !!!!!!

Here are a few pictures of tonight's not so orthodox celebration with ice cream cake.

I light the one candle that did not get broken when the pack was shoved into an overflowing drawer


Cindy serves Michael his piece of cake


Cindy even helps Michael take his first bite




resembles his first birthday, just a bit !


awwww they love each other

it's finally here !

My encyclopedia of food values has arived ! I am thrilled to have this handy resource back in my hands because I do not want to guess when it comes to a loved ones health whether he has really had twenty grams of carbs for dinner or forty. Now if I can only get a doctor , dietition, or another medical person to give me exact numbers. I can cook and am not stupid so telling me that if he tells you what he likes to eat, for a small fee, you will make him a meal plan, doesn't cut it. How about I pay teh fee and you tell me how many grams ( or a range)of protein, carbs, caleries, fats and everything else he should be eating and I will use these numbers to figure out my own plan with fresh meats vegitables, and other nutricious foods that are so much better for him than the processed crap that you suggest I " heat up" for his meals. Perhaps you see "urging" people to eat this processed garbage as job security.... but I'm not buying it !

Just tired

These last few days have been rainy, which always puts me into nap mode. My middle school ( & High school too) chemistry teacher once explained that it had something to do with the ozone during a storm or something, but regardless of the reason,I have been tired. Add to this that this is the week which Mike has been forced on afternoon turn, OK he was not really forced but he was pushed to be trained to operate a machine and the operator works afternoon, so it was a if you want the OT that comes with cross training, you play by our rules kind of thing. Anyway so lets recap ( because otherwise I will loose my train of thought and start talking about who knows what) The weather is rainy and my schedule is upside down. OK now add to this that yesterday was my Mom's birthday and just happened to be the day that my nephew's boy scout troop was having a spaghetti dinner. Because I do not eat spaghetti and Mike's diet restricts it, we did not go but I did send and pay for Michael as to not hold back support. Anyway, Mom & Dad, and several other relatives went to this dinner and even though the scouts gave Mom her own small cake,I baked her her favorite, German chocolate and was planning on taking it to her house after the dinner where we could all celebrate after. Unfortunately, Michael's car had an issue ( thankfully all seems fine now) on his way from the dinner back to my parents house so this threw a wrench into our plans. In the end it all worked out though we didn't eat until later and were later getting home. Once home Mike had a couple messages from people who needed computer help so he had to touch base with them and we were late going to bed. This morning we had the yearly conference for Robby's speech evaluation so we were there before school. Then it was rush here and there, order sushi for lunch, pack mike's Dinner lunch and he headed to work. The kids got home from school, I fed them and then ran some errands before falling asleep for an hour that I shouldn't have. Now I should be getting ready for bed but am wide awake, which would be OK but Mike is working over . So this assures that i will be up half of the night then just fall asleep before Mike gets home and the kids get up for school, and then it will start all over. So tell me, does anyone know how to stop the world while they catch up on sleep ????????? If so please call me and if I don't answer.... I'm probably sleeping so leave a message .

Happy Birthday Mom !!!!!!!

In honor of Mom's 67th birthday,I found this picture. Happy Birthday Mom !( MOm is on the left)

Don't get it !

Yesterday evening as I drove home from an errand I heard on the radio about a local school who had a lock down . It seems that while checking lockers, the Police found that twenty some students ( grade 6 to 12) had marijuana in their lockers. As if this was not news worthy enough the real news was that these students only received ten days suspension. The DJ was commenting that this little slap on the wrist was ridiculous for possession of an illegal drug, not to mention on school property. Though I was amazed at such a light punishment I didn't think much of it until I got home to where my own teens were talking about the lock down at their schools.In talking to them I found out that yesterday was actually known as marijuana day(having no drug related experience, myself, I was amazed that there was such a day) and that it was customary for every public school ( at least in our area) to have a lock down while the local Police brought in drug sniffing dogs to check lockers and cars in the parking lot. "Did you guys know there was going to be a lock down ?" I asked to which the boys replied "yes". So, perhaps I am missing something here but if someone is addicted to or dealing marijuana and is told that at such and such a date their locker and car will be searched for it, would these people really be stupid enough to have said marijuana( or other illegal drug)in said locker or car ?Obviously these people were. Now don't get me wrong, I realize that doing drugs is not smart to begin with but come on.... this is a new level of stupidity ! According to my research ( OK talking to high school kids) on this day, for years, lock downs are a given, so these kids know it is coming. Is it just a big game to "try to fool the cop dog" ? or have these illegal drugs just fried the brain beyond reasonable thought ? Either way parents of other students in these schools are outraged( as would I be) and have filed a law suite against the school to force the ten day suspension to expulsion. Their premise is that other students should not be forced to be exposed to criminals ( possession is a criminal offense)in school. As a Mother of teens, I would have to say that I agree but more than that.... where are these parents????????? If I found any illegal substance in my child's possession, they would not be physically able to go back to school in ten days when I got done with them. I am amazed that other parents don't feel the same. Honestly I would love to be inside of these parents heads. Lets see.... first of all your into illegal activity and then you are arrogant enough about it to parade it around when you know you'll get caught.... Wow.... where did your stupidity come from ! Furthermore,as far as the ten day slap on the wrist........ makes me wonder if the principal has his own stash ! You know somethings I just don't get. Maybe I'm missing something but I just don't get it !

six weeks and a day post op........ I made it !!!!!!

I seen the doctor this morning and he said that everything looks great. He lifted all restrictions and encouraged me to slowly start to go back to normal activities. Slowly, I asked, How does a man deprived of food for forty two days( yes I counted the days)slowly start to eat ? Though he seemed amused by my analogy( either that or was grinning while trying to find a way to ship me off to a not so well liked colleague) I got no answer. What I decided to do was to pick the things that I have missed most and go back to them.Then I will just fit in other things as time allows. So I think that I will go home and cook dinner using some of my heavier pots and pans, lifting each all by myself. Then after dinner perhaps a little unrestricted alone time with Hubby followed by a long hot soak in a bubble bath... Yep life is getting good !

Happy tax day everyone !

Did you all file your taxes????? I E-filed yesterday... nothing like waiting till the end !

six weeks post surgery

Today is my six week post surgery date. Though I do not see the doctor until tomorrow, I anticipate him taking away all of my restrictions at my appointment. Though there have been moments , like when I was cooking potatoes to mash and Cindy left and Mike and Michael were looking at something on Michael's car, and the potatoes finished cooking and needed drained before water logging and I was all alone considering if I should just pick up the pan or not, it seemed like forever until I got to this six week mark . Now that it is here, however, it seems like it were such a short time. On my last visit ( four weeks ago) the Doctor asked if I was ( so far) glad that I had the procedure and honestly, though I can not say for sure until I see how normal daily life goes, I really do think that I am happy. Since Mike and I were very adamant about only having the uterus, which had attached itself to my abdominal wall, removed and even though it caused more work for the doctor, keeping everything else, I do not expect any day to day changes. If my expectations are true, I will be very happy with this decision. That being said,I just wanted to encourage my friends who find themselves putting off procedures, be it the same or different, to just go for it. I spent years avoiding this procedure and it only got worse. I remember laying in the hospital post op and thinking.... If only I had listened years ago. Oh well that is all under the bridge now. Come tomorrow I will move on and boy am I ready !

Dilema

Mike's blood work came back with his glucose elevated and I can't find my encyclopedia of food values to figure out what he should and shouldn't eat carb wise. Michael said that I lent it to the neighbor lady but I have no recollection of this ( Could this is his way of trying to get out of looking for it?)Now I am trying to decide whether to buy a new copy on E bay or keep looking. I know that if I buy a new one the old will show up. Oh what to do !

twitter anyone?

When I started this blog I knew very few, except for teenagers who were on face book or my space but since then many old people like me have joined the face book craze. Heck my Mom even has a face book page... now how creepy is that ? Anyway I am starting to feel pressure to either make a face book page in addition to my blog or abandon my blog for face book. I may consider making a face book in addition to but would really hate to give up my blog.Maybe it sounds stupid but I like my blog.It has become my little place a place where I can talk about my insignificant life. You know kind of rejoice in the good and cry about the bad.
I did however add twitter to my blog awhile back . I originally added it so that I could tweet via cell phone. Too bad that I never was able to successfully set this feature up.However Michael actually mentioned the other day that he had made a twitter account to keep in touch with some friends. Wow I thought in the universe of the young and old... we meet ! Anyway Michael is now following me on twitter and I will turn the task of setting up my twitter by phone to him. This being said, I will probably be tweeting regular soon so if anyone wants to follow me and/or invite me to follow you,you know how !!!!!

About that time

Months ago I booked a cruise for our families summer vacation but figured that I would wait for a good airline deal before booking our flight.Unfortunately the deal that I had hoped for has not come along and since I don't want to wait too long and not get a flight( one airline is already booked for the days we need)I think that it may be time to just bite the bullet and book. Besides if I don't get on the stick I will not be able to get doggy boarding either. so if anyone needs me...... I'll be scanning the Internet for flight deals .

Easter Baskets

Easter egg fun

Off to bed now !

The eggs have been dyed,the bread for dinner baked.The ham is defrosting, and the side dishes ready to make. The baskets are filled , on the table they wait. Thanks be to God, this Mom( aka cook, baker,cleaner of egg dye covered table,Easter bunny, and so on) is off to bed.
Happy Easter all !!!!




A look at the baskets before they are dug into

Ethical ???????

Lets just say that someone, anyone really, has a sixteen year old son who happens to have his driver's license . Lets also hypothetically say that said sixteen year old wants to get a job but has parents who want said teenager to wait until summer. Lets further imagine that these parents ( who really are the most wonderful people that you would want to meet)have agreed to pay for their child's expenses. ( including gas so that said child can drive to school)
OK now lets just say that the wonderful parents of said child decide that a gift card for a local gas station would be a wonderful gift that would fit awesomely, amongst candy into this child's Easter basket.
Would this be an ethical gift or would it be more of a gift to the parents and therefore be an unethical gift ?
Not that I am planning to put the Sheetz gift card,(that I already bought)into my sixteen year old's basket or anything but I was just wondering :-)

Finally , pictures from Cindy's phlebotomy graduation

Cindy receives her certificate


Cindy with her Phlebotomy certificate and her "Class Brain" certificate


The phlebotomy winter class of 2010




Cindy with her cheering section ( Photo taken by Cindy's friend ( who happens to be a boy) Mike)

Congratulations Cindy

Today was what Cindy calls her dress rehearsal for Nursing school graduation. NO it really has nothing to do with graduation from nursing school but rather her graduation from Phlebotomy class. Though she still needs to take her state phlebotomy exam in May she has completed all of the requirements needed to take this test. In addition to earning her certificate, Cindy was also voted class brain,by her class mates which is a great honor. The ceremony was short and ended with the students treating their family and friends ( the ones who have been allowing them to draw their blood for a few weeks now)to a wonderful Hors d'oeuvres table complete with cake and drinks.
Please join me in Congratulating Cindy on a job well done !

PS pictures will follow as soon as I get the camera out of the car that Mike took to work.

This weekend was Palm Sunday

That means it was a busy busy weekend for our family. Friday night Mike and I were forced to make a shopping trip because some of us were missing the all black clothing that was required for our participation in the dramatization of this Sunday's passion. For some reason both Michael and Robby had both grown to the point that their black jeans ( I can't remember if we got them last Palm Sunday,or over the summer in preparation for Back to school)were Capri length( at best) and tight. Once prepared we went on about our lives until Saturday afternoon when we had to gather for our first mass. After Saturday evening's mass we headed home. Bright and early Sunday we arose as we had to be back at church for Sunday's masses. By afternoon we were ready to come home in the rain. Once home I wanted nothing more than to take a nap but tomorrow starts another week and so laundry needed done in addition to little things like everyone wanted to eat. Thankfully everyone pitched in and we got a lot done. Michael even found a few minutes to make me a wall cross ( and several little crosses too) out of palms.


Yes it has been a busy weekend and as this weekend draws to a close we find ourselves in the most Holy of all weeks. Though I will find myself making the final preparations for Easter dinner, picking up the last of the Gifts which will fill my children's Easter baskets, and even making sure that we have eggs to dye, none of this is of any importance compared to the reality of it all. Yes it is Holy week and throughout the week we will celebrate the final days of lent. WE will celebrate the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, Fast as we remember the Crucifixion on Good Friday and finally rejoice in the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Yes it will be a busy week but also a wonderful week. May you all have a Blessed Holy week !

What a quote for Palm Sunday

Borrowed from
Quote of the day - The Deacon's Bench
http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2010/03/quote-of-the-day-11.html

"To be connected with the (Catholic) church is to be associated with scoundrels, warmongers, fakes, child-molesters, murderers, adulterers and hypocrites of every description.

It also, at the same time, identifies you with saints and the finest persons of heroic soul of every time, country, race, and gender.

To be a member of the(Catholic) church is to carry the mantle of both the worst sin and the finest heroism of soul because the (Catholic)church always looks exactly as it looked at the original crucifixion, God hung among thieves."
-- Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I., "The Holy Longing"
H/T Fran

Phone working and on my soap box !

This morning, three days after I lost phone service, the man from the phone company showed up bright and early to fix my problem. Thankfully he found the problem and had it fixed in a short time. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to have my phone service back but honestly should it have taken three days especially when I am paying three hundred dollars a month to this company to provide my bundle of services ( OK my cell phones still worked but still) What if I were an elderly person with no cell phones ? Such a person could have an emergency and no way to even call 911.... This is unacceptable !

where did the time go ?

I just finished booking an appointment for Michael to have his senior photographs taken.(Yes I am a bit early but booking today is saving me 60% off his sitting fee and $75 off his pictures plus 40 free wallet size pictures) Though the appointment isn't for three months yet, it still seems so early to be doing so. Not early like in having them taken months before( in order to be in the yearbook they must be taken by September) but like How can he already be a junior, just yesterday he was in preschool, wasn't he?

And I was so happy

Last night I came home in such a good mood. Since Cindy has been seeking her phlebotomy certification, many family members have been selflessly flocking to her school to allow her to draw a few drops of their blood. Even though,for me getting blood drawn ranks about equal with smashing my head into a wall , I love my daughter and her education is very important to me so even though I was not allowed to participate for a few weeks due to my surgery I was back in the drawing chair as soon as her instructor would allow it. Last night was her last draw date and she started it needing twenty more draws to complete the hundred needed to apply for certification. Thankfully she , as usual , had a good turnout and soon she was down to one more. It just so happened that I had not yet taken a turn and so I headed to the draw area and without even feeling the pinch I became her number 100. Since I am a tough draw at best not to mention that my recent surgery and hospital stay had my veins ragged, I was so proud that she did so well.Add this pride to the pride that she will graduate with this degree on Monday and I was on cloud nine.Then I got home. As soon as I got home I decided to call my Mom and tell her the time of graduation. Unfortunately I had no dial tone and further inspection showed no DSL either. I called the phone company( via cell phone) but was told that they would not guarantee that anyone could fix my problem until Saturday.No phone or Internet for three days...( remember I have two driving teens) I couldn't imagine. Well after eight hours the DSL came back but I still have no home phone.This has me on pins and needles as even though I have a cell phone,what if something would happen and someone would need to get hold of me ? Seems that the phone company doesn't care how high this raises my anxiety level , they still are sticking to their maybe Saturday quote. So anyone who needs us... please try our cell phones and I will frantically bite my nails and pray that the issue gets resolved.......... And I was so happy !

Back in the saddle again

For quite a few years now my family has been part of our Parish's Palm Sunday's dramatization of the Passion. Though the kids have switched parts here and there Mike has maintained the part of Pontius Pilate and I Mary Magdalene for several years now. Because of this I felt terrible when my surgery ( which was supposed to be preformed in either January or February) was not scheduled until March and I realized that I would only be four weeks post surgery and still on six week restrictions. Because of this I regretfully told the director that I would have to bow out this year. Mike struggled with what to do but decided that he , not wanting to put a burden on the directors ( personal friends of ours)would stay in. The boys also stayed in but since Cindy's work schedule would conflict with at least one of the three masses anyway, said she would also step down. In an unfortunate turn of events, the director's mother, who lives in another state, required immediate surgery and the director had to go so the directing was passed to two new women. Since these women were overwhelmed, somehow my part as Mary Magdalene was never filled, and went unnoticed until yesterday's practice. Because I knew that there were a few minor parts that needed filled( one of the designated new directors is a fellow member of a group that Mike and I belong to) and I was asked if I could possibly be a person who needed healed, I showed up for practice willing to do what was needed.To make a long story shorter, it was noticed that I was never replaced (and nobody really wanted to play Mary Magdalene(go figure) and since my recovery is going well and I thought I could handle what I doubted I could handle a couple weeks ago, I ended up reclaiming my part. So next week I will once again play Mary Magdalene for our Parish's three masses.I only pray that I my recovering body can do the part justice.

Quote of the day !

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well dance.

Two weeks and a day post surgery

This morning was my two week post surgical doctor's visit.We were a bit concerned that one side of my incision had opened up a bit but other than that I seem to be doing pretty well.Even the (possible) infection site seems to be looking better. The doctor agreed that I was doing wonderful( he was not even alarmed by the opening but just taped me closed again) and though I still am restricted from lifting anything more than a couple pounds, he did give me the OK to drive, which is wonderful. These two weeks have gone by so fast that four more will probably be gone before I know it and this whole ordeal will be in the past. As for now, I think I will head to the grocery store.

Lucky (ummmm I guess that is a matter of opinion) you !

Since I have never been much of a TV person I am going crazy with my do not drive, lift, bend, or anything else rule.I can't even cook because most of my pans are too heavy to lift. Mike has taken me to the store a couple times and is glad to have me ride along wherever he goes but the fact is that he is on midnight turn and working overtime on top of that ( we have to pay my hospital deductible some how ya know)so much of his time home is spent sleeping.Cindy is also working midnights as well as going to school so that excludes her and Michael and Robby are in school all day with karate many nights. Because of this I am finding myself online more than usual. This is OK but today I found that several clothing stores have e mailed their new summer lines. Since I will need a few new pair of shorts anyway, I seen no harm in a little looking, right ???? Well I looked too much ! Yes, once my stuff is shipped and gets here I will be set but so much for saving money needed to pay bills. So now I have put myself on online shopping probation and though I hate me for doing it, this includes e bay. So now my choices are to watch Doppler radar ( yea and did I mention that we are now having sun shine without a cloud in the sky )or talk to your guys, so guess what?????

Putting it all into perspective !

I have to admit that I have done my share of complaining since my surgery.( Improperly placed cathider.... need I say more) Though I am trying to be cheerful and not complain unnecessarily( nobody wants to listen to someone whine while they try to help them), it is sometimes hard to smile while I try and try to pull myself out of bed but instead of accomplishing this task I just hurt myself more as I fail.Thankfully for the most part I have Mike or one of the older kids here to help me and this is how I usually get by. I have heard though that depression after this type of surgery is very common and can totally understand that. Just the other day as a matter of fact I sat unable to move from my position on the couch and thought about how I am sick of this already. For a minute I even went where I have been avoiding like the plague.... poor me-ville !Luckily Mike walked in and helped me to stand and I moved on. Yesterday, though I got an awakening.
Since I was unable to be left alone Mike decided that the boys would have to miss an out of town ( three hour drive each way)karate training. He then sent a couple E mails to tell why they were missing , Of course most responded with E mails promising prayers and wishes of well but one e mail put things into perspective. This E mail came from an older than us man who collaborates with Mike to document these events in photos while he wife trains and competes. Last we heard,in December, his wife, a wonderful woman, was recovering from surgery on her knee. Here as she was concentrating on knee recovery, cancer was found. This woman while recovering from knee surgery had no choice but to endure a complete hysterectomy. On top of it all after the surgery she contracted a viral infection. As if this isn't terrible enough, her viral infection was passed on to her husband who despite his own many health problems was trying to take care of her. I read this e mail, which was written in an upbeat, we are thankful that things aren't worse tone and felt like such a whiner. Here I don't have near the problems as this poor woman nor the problems of many who are fighting for their lives, or worse yet the lives of their children, or other unthinkable things and I feel justified to whine because of a little inconvenience and pain... I have no right ! So at least for now, I am trying to do my best to be cheerful..... after all I have that option.... some don't !

Our census form is in the mail !

Yesterday's mail brought our Census form. Since I am still on major restriction ( no lifting, driving, bending, and so on) I had a few minutes of sitting and staring into space and there was a pen near by that was just barely under the weight that I was allowed to pick up so I decided to do my duty and fill out the form. Since it only asked for the names birth dates,and ethnic back round of those living in our house, I finished within a couple minutes and had Michael drive it ( in it's postage paid envelope)to the Post office ( Thank God for teenagers with driver's licences:-) Oh the pride of coorperating with Uncle Sam !

Ever take a picture of yourself ? How about yourself and your wife ? How about yourself and your wife with your big heavy Nikon camera?

Yep my Husband has skill !

Nice and legal again !

Since Mike's birthday was Friday,As per Ohio's BMV laws,our cars' licence plates expired. Unfortunately with my post op doctor's appointment and it being my first time out since returning from the hospital and the noticing of infection and all,we forgot to renew our ( or our teenagers') licence plates. When we realized Saturday, the BMV was closed until today so we just vowed to rectify the situation (and pay the late fine of $20 per vehicle) today. When Mike got off work this morning,we went straight to the BMV and were pleasantly surprised to find out that we would not be charged the $80 fine because we had seven calendar days grace period, so we gladly paid the price for plate renewal( even though it has gone up yet again to between $56- $102 per car) and are now breathing a sigh of relief that we are legal again .

Happy Pi day all !

Come on.... How could the Wife of a Tool & Die maker forget ?

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi)

Baking Dad's cake

Last night Cindy decided that , due to my infirmity, she would take on the task of baking Mike's Birthday cake. Now this may not sound like a big deal as many girls bake cakes, cookies , and other wonderful things by the age of nineteen. I in fact was engaged at nineteen and it was a normal occurrence for me to cook dinners complete with deserts often. Cindy however, has lead a sheltered life where cooking is concerned and even though she has helped bake she has never done a solo cake, especially for Mike who is very picky about his cake. This made me nervous but since I had a doctor's appointment this morning I was not here to help her. Since she worked midnight shift last night and is scheduled again tonight she had the cake cooling and was in bed when I got home. When she got up for dinner, she pulled me aside and whispered that the cake had been messed up. Being level headed( must have been from the pain meds that I took because I am usually Mrs anxiety)I said no problem there is always Dairy Queen. No she said, it is OK, just the bottom layer cracked. Poor girl doesn't know a success when she sees one. Anyway, the cake looked fine and tasted wonderful too. Very moist and better than many that I have made. So here is a picture of Mike and his special Birthday cake. Thank you Cindy, Dad and I both appreciate it !

Comic relief curbs tense moment

We have all been there when that one well meaning person, who experiences times when his or her brain does not seem to keep up with their mouth, has just had a sentence escape that they and someone else both wish could be snatched back.
Today as Mike and I exited my OB/Gyn's office into his waiting room, I heard some random woman say..... "That's the problem with coming here. Everyone thinks that everyone else is pregnant" Since I was not in the conversation nor even sure who made the statement, I continued to the door where there were a couple women ahead of Mike and I. As we walked to the elevator there was one woman inside holding the door . As I waited for these two women to board, the one in front of me nervously asked.... " is there room for us ?" the woman inside responded" it's just me in here..... I know I'm big, but I think you can fit"( this woman was less than half of my size) The two women entered as did Mike and I. Once in, the first woman in said" gee... first you mistake me for being pregnant.... now you imply that I take up a whole elevator ! then the woman nervously laughed .The third woman repeated what I heard in the office "That's the problem with coming here. Everyone thinks that everyone else is pregnant" There was then silence as my eyes shifted to Mike he laughed and blurted out "Don't look at me !" everyone laughed as we exited the elevator. Yep sometimes comedy does break a tense situation.

Happy Birthday to my other half !

We love you !

One week post op and doing well

I just returned from my one week and one day post op doctor appointment and am proud to now be staple free ! I am also starting to feel more human and can even tolerate changing positions more than a couple times a day, Thanks be to God !

We did unfortunatly find what seems to be a possible infection. Please pray that the antibiotics that were perscribed, do the trick.

Day book March edition

Outside my window … I see sun shine and brown wet grass that was covered by so much snow for so long

I am thinking … about how my recovery is going so well but yet there are still so many snags that I wish I would just get through already.

I am thankful for … Mike and the kids who,though having a tendency to upset me at times, still love and care for me and would do anything I asked, even if it does include an eye roll. Also for friends and family who have been concerned enough to call, send flowers and cards and so many other thoughtful things that I never expected.

I am hoping … that I can soon get in and out of bed without pain

On my mind … looking forward to this summer's vacation and thinking that I should use my free time to finalize flight reservations, pre boarding passes and other things

Noticing that … The weather finally gets nice when I am unable to go out and enjoy it

A few plans for the week … Just to relax and try not to do anything that I am not supposed to

From the kitchen … We will be eating the food that I stockpiled with possibly a few takeout foods thrown in there.

Around the house … Much needs to be done but it is mostly on hold for right now

One of my favorite things … Moist chocolate cake with butter cream icing

A picture I am sharing …



get well balloons and one ( of several)vases of flowers that I received while in the hospital.

Home early

Though my doctor got more than he bargained for when his incision showed that my entire uterus had adhered to my abdominal wall( a sign common in those with autoimmune disorders like lupus) as well as a huge cyst had appeared on my ovary, the surgery went very well. A little more than two hours after its start I was awakening in recovery. Next thing I knew I was in a room. Though I feel like I have been beaten with a series of clubs and ball bats, I have to admit that this was not near as bad as I had expected. Many people had told me that it would be worse than a c section, which having three, I consider myself a pro at. In reality, this was not near as bad . Within hours after surgery I was setting in a chair, which impressed my doctor to the point that he suggested that I start walking at about twelve hours post surgery. Though I didn't do as perfectly as I would have liked to, I found myself way above schedule and discharged less than forty eight hours after surgery. Though this hospital was the best that I have ever been in, I still was happy to come home. As for now, I am feeling rather tired and the pain meds have kicked in so I think I will head for bed but first wanted to thank everyone for their prayers.

Surgery in less than 24 hours

Well I finished cooking pounds of pasta in meat sauce, huge pots of chili and chicken soup, baked a ham,grilled three pounds of chicken breast then cut it up into baggies for chicken salads or adding to another side dish and plan to make a couple potato casseroles , and have even prepared a Lenten Friday meatless meal of Parmesan encrusted tilapia and mac and cheese which simply need to be heated in the oven for a half an hour. This should take care of the families food needs while I spend three days in the hospital. A week ago there was a chance that I would be able to simply have an outpatient procedure and come home but after a doctor's consultation on Monday, Mike and I decided that the time is now to stop trying quick fixes ( that are not long lasting) and to just do what we have to do. I paid all of the bills yesterday so that will be done for a month while I recover and I will even have my roots dyed this afternoon ( Now that is important :-) Then tonight I will pack my bag and try to sleep a couple hours before getting ready to be the the surgical center at 5:00 AM( just updated to 6:00am). Mike has taken a couple days vacation so he will take me and Cindy , who also has taken a couple days off, will get Robby on the bus and then come to be with Mike and me post surgery.Michael will get home from school and wait for Robby then they will eat and come to the hospital later in the evening. Yes, I think that it is all worked out. Just a little more prep and lots of prayers. Many of you have asked if you can do anything and my reply has been pray. I know that a couple of you want to be at the hospital waiting with Mike which is great( come one come all...... BTW this surgical center offers free coffee and pop and sells huge brownies( with M&M's )for only seventy five cents so don't worry about stopping for coffee first) but Prayer is ultimately what we need and the best part is that you don't need to travel, get a sitter, spend money or anything else to help us out.
It will probably be a few days before I post ( unless the new pain meds that they told me about are as good as they say) so for now... Thank you all for your thoughts and Prayers... They are surely appreciated.

It must be true love

Yesterday Robby's Social studies teacher had scheduled a Roman feast. Evidently not realizing that the major religion in Rome is Catholicism or knowing his Catholic history, ( which prohibits the eating of meat on Lenten Fridays)the teacher had already had everything in place and a half full sign up list before he realized ( was informed by a group of Catholic Parents) the mockery that he had created. Anyway the feast was planned and so we were faced with finding an Italian food that did not contain meat, nor had anyone signed up to bring, for him to take. In the end we decided that biscotti was the way to go. I am embarrassed to admit that I did not even bake this biscotti but visited my local Giant Eagle. Anyway....Robby's friend (who is very much of Italian descent) and her family decided that spumoni*
would be a great food to share as many had probably never heard of it let alone tasted it. Robby, I believe was among those who had never experienced spumoni as my Mother in law( who is of Italian descent) and I whole heatedly agree that though it sounds good in description, spumoni has the distinct taste of Acetone based nail polish remover . Anyway, being that his girl was scooping it out Robby received a heaping helping. As he told me the story I cringed as even a spoonful would have me gagging, let alone a heaping bowl. "Did you eat it?" I asked. he replied "yes"., "How was it?" I asked "well it was OK", he answered. "I probably would have passed but if _____________ brought it , I figured it must be good".


Hmmmmmmm now I wonder if Mike really likes my cooking or just me ?


* Spumone (from spuma or "foam"), is a molded Italian ice cream made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts. Typically it is of three flavors, with a fruit/nut layer between them. The ice cream layers are often mixed with whipped cream. Chocolate and pistachio are the typical flavors of the ice cream layers, and the fruit/nut layer often contains cherry bits—causing the traditional red/pink, brown, and green color combination. It is popular in places with large Italian immigrant populations such as the United States and Argentina. August 21 is National Spumoni Day in the United States.

*** How funny that National Spumoni day is on Robby's Birthday*****

See my talented 90 Year old Grandma on YouTube !

http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=Dqh8twvflxY&v=EU0makWzvkc

Free 8x10 today at Walgreen's.com

Today is free 8x10 day at Walgreen's. just go to www.walgreens.com and upload a non copy written photo. Then select 1 8x10 and use the coupon code freephoto. Pick the Walgreen's nearest you or pay a small shipping charge to have your photo sent to you. click complete and you can pick up your free 8x10 in an hour or so. This offer is good all day today only.

For those who may not see me for a few days

I am now ten days from my surgery date. In hopes that the ablation procedure will work and make the surgery unnecessary, I am required to take medication that has me in a perpetual PMS. Add to this that ( despite just finishing a z pack)I have fluid in both ears,which has my equilibrium all messed up and causing me to feel dizzy and fall quite a bit(like walking out of church yesterday :-(
Because of this, I have decided that I will not be seeing many friends or family until after the procedure or surgery whichever ends up being necessary . It is nothing personal just that I prefer to have friends and family that still talk to me after this ordeal.So if you feel that you are being ignored, at least you know why. Hopefully If I don't need the surgery, I will be home the evening of March 4th and feel good enough by the weekend to resume normal activities ( maybe even see the Circus that is in town.)If surgery is necessary, I will probably be getting out of the hospital Saturday and though I will have six weeks of restrictions, I should be feeling better in a week or two . So if you all could spare a prayer or two, that the procedure works and that I recover quickly,as well as maybe a prayer or ten for my family who must see me through this, I would be most appreciative !

Off to a decent start

One of the things I decided to do this lent is to join into the forty bags in forty days movement that Faith and family is sponsoring. The idea is simple.... Get rid of forty bags of clutter during the forty days of lent. Since I have surgery coming up I have tweaked the rules a bit so instead of redding out one bag a day, I am working at simply getting rid of forty bags before Easter. Today I tackled one of the biggest clutter spots in the house and ended up clearing out eight bags. I have another full of bottles of perfume (when cleaning up after our Church's rummage sale last July, there were several bottles of Avon perfume and lotions still sealed in their boxes that were donated but didn't sell, so instead of then going to Good Will I brought them home. I intended to take them to the nursing home where Cindy works at Christmas time but I forgot about them. Today I found them so she will take them with her tonight. The activities director uses things like this as prizes for Bingo and other games so they are always glad to receive these things. As for the other eight bags, Goodwill has already accepted them. I will probably not have time to go through more clutter until the beginning of the week but for now I am feeling pretty good about my start.

It may be a mistake....

but I'll take it !


Oh shoot...... If only it could have lasted !

Now he's happy !

Despite the fact that we still have snow around, the roads were clear yesterday so Michael was able to take his driver's test as scheduled.


As soon as school let out he went to do one final practice of maneuverability at the driving school



Here he is with his official paperwork stating that he had passed



Officially a legal driver !



Congratulations !!!!!!!!!

BTW
As we walked out of the BMV I thought..... Cindy got her liscence in June 2008 and Michael got his permit the following November. It seems as though we have been teaching one or the other for quite some time. It was at this point that I thought Robby is only thirteen so we will have quite a break.... then I realized that it will only be seven hundred and thirty three days until he is eligable for a permit... Where have my babies gone ?????

Did you get your ashes?

Since my children were small we have always let them go into school late in order to attend morning mass on Ash Wednesday. We do this for a couple reasons,one being that they have always been excited about getting to go into school late and that excitement carries over to the point that they are excited about Ash Wednesday. Most Catholics do not look forward to Lent which Ash Wednesday officially starts as it is a season on penance, and who looks forward to that ? Though we do not look forward to this season, it is necessary in that it is a perfect opportunity to examine ones self and make changes accordingly. After all, we all have room for improvement. The second reason that we allow the kids to miss an hour or so of school is that we are very proud of our Catholic faith. More and more you hear of the bad done by some of the members of the Catholic faith . Does the media give any time to the wondrous things that this Awesome faith does ? Of course not but let a few of the flock fail to be perfect and it is Catholic bashing time.Another big thing to me is that one is also constantly hearing stupid things like "Yes, I was Catholic too.... until I found the Lord" Now I will not bash your "Born again Christian" crowd as there are good and bad, like every other crowd but to put a comment like this out there is pure arrogance and stupidity. Do these people actually think that Catholic's don't know the Lord ? This could not be more untrue. I could go on and on but I think you get the point. Anyway, we are proud that we are raising our kids to love the lord,Father , son , and Holy spirit in an environment that is regulated and not just the opinion of whomever is preaching that day. Furthermore, we are very proud to be part of a community that teaches our children that just because society accepts it, doesn't make it right , and give our children a reason not to do drugs,abuse alcohol, engage in premarital activities, or other things that have become societies norm. Not that we are perfect, as we all fall short, but it is just a good place to be. By going to morning mass on Ash Wednesday, our children wear their ashes all day long and are proud to be what they are raised to be, Children of the Catholic faith.

Almost forty one but still having young kid problems

Today was my doctor's appointment. Thankfully my EKG and everything else that I needed OK ed for surgery looked fine and I have medical clearance. I also took this opportunity to have a check up since my throat has been sore and my ears aching. The doctor didn't seem to concerned with my throat which is getting somewhat better but found that I have a lot of fluid behind both ear drums. If I were a child, I would be scheduled for ear tubes but we are going to try some high end antibiotics and hope that they help. The part that the Doctor and I find funny is that tomorrow I will turn 41 ( Yep ash Wednesday is my Birthday so my cake will be postponed) now at 1 or even four this would not be uncommon but at 41, it is a tad odd. Why is it that I can't hold on to youth with dark hair, or flawless skin.... but nooooooo I get to keep the ear infections !!!!!!! I should have never thrown that penny into that stupid fountain of youth !

Happy St. Valentine's Day !

Mike and I went out to our dinner as planned and had a wonderful time. Thankfully the ibuprofen that I took before we left took the pain out of my throat and ears through the entire meal. Everything on the the buffet was wonderful though I must admit that I ate very little of anything but the crab legs and a couple slices of prime rib. I probably would have went for more prime rib but by the time I had eaten a couple slices the rest was a tad too well done for me but that is OK because the crab legs were big fresh and wonderful add a little melted butter and they were perfect !After a wonderful dinner we stopped at Wal Mart to replace a hand held shower head that had gotten broken earlier. We also bought a couple bags of mini candy bars for the kids. I used to buy them each a small hart shaped box of chocolates but as they get older they get pickier and much prefer Hershey products. Since Mike did not get the upstairs bathroom floor finished today, the car repair has been put back until next weekend so he can finish today. While he does this, I will make sure that we have a nice dinner as a family as well as catch up on some other things I need to get done. I hope you all have a great Valentine's day !

Trying to lose the grumpies

For the fifth morning in a row I have woken up with a sore throat and ear ache. Five days ago I thought it was just a slight irritation from my sinuses that have been agitated from all of the snow storms and cold weather that NE Ohio is so known for this time of year. Unfortunately both throat and ears seem to be getting worse despite the sinus medicine that I took.( that did nothing so I decided not to keep taking it)I also tried ibuprofen and ear drops but other than the temporary reprieve from pain they, no surprise, are offering no healing power. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for Tuesday where I am sure that the doctor will take a look as she also clears my health for my upcoming surgery but the problem is that I am finding it hard to not give into the cranky mood that seems to want to engulf me.
This is especially hard when things just don't seem to be going my way. Like last week, Mike drove our Aztek to work as the snow was pretty deep. As usual, I talked to him via cell phone on his way. During much of the conversation he seemed preoccupied finally he told me that he was hearing a clunk that needed to be checked out. This ended with him being two hours late coming home and finding out that we needed some arms and bushings replaced. The arms were replaced immediately by the shop at a hefty price while Cindy picked up Mike and brought him home to a dinner that I had been trying to keep warm. The bushings still need installed, which Mike intends to do tomorrow because today he is putting the laminate flooring down on our upstairs bathroom, which of course has had it's snags. Not to mention that at six o'clock we have to be ready and make the Valentine's reservations for a nice prime rib/ crab leg buffet sponsored by a hotel an hour from here. Thankfully, we didn't opt for the overnight stay. Mike has put a lot of effort into planning this night out and I really do want to have a good time as I love spending time with just the two of us. For years the kids were too small to leave so we rarely got these opportunities. Now I don't want to ruin them. I guess that I will say a quick prayer, pop a couple ibuprofen ,put on some nice clothes, and have a good time. Grumpiness is something that I must choose ... and as for now I am refusing to make that choice !

Loving those half off deals

Mike and I are , one could say, picky eaters.In reality not so much picky eaters as much as picky eaters out. Though Mike was raised primarily on Italian foods he married someone (me:-) who is allergic to the essential oils in peppers ( green bell to the hottest habinero) one bite can cause my throat to go into full lock down almost instantly so anything like this is obviously out. In addition I detest the taste as well as the texture of onions and as for garlic..... let me just say, if I smell as bad as everyone else after eating it, I will do the world a favor and pass. My theory is that if ultra scope can't fight it ( sorry but it just makes for minty stink) it shouldn't be eaten. Anyway, I prefer to cook with natural flavoring. I buy mostly freshly butchered meat and grill it pairing it with side dishes that are as fresh or unprocessed as possible. Yes I do use miniute rice from time to time and here in Ohio fresh summer corn gives way to the flash frozen variety in the winter. I am not a big fan of sauces and gravy especially on my meats as this retracts from the natural flavors that I love as well as adds tons of fat and carbohydrates to the mix. I do add a touch of natural sea salt to a few of my foods and Mike is a fresh ground four mix pepper corn addict.
Throw in the fact that we are both overweight and Mike suffers from some hereditary conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, salt based spices ( most spices are) are just not good for him at all so why use them?
Because we are accustomed to eating fresh natural flavored (not spiced ) foods it can be rough to find food out that we enjoy. For this reason we have very few restaurants that we dine at on a regular basis. Though Boston Lobster Feast in Florida has got to be our favorite ( fresh steamed lobster and hot melted butter... no salt just plain mouth watering wonderfulness) but Florida is twenty hours away so that is not feasible on a regular basis.We have found a Mexican place locally that spices more with fresh peppers than salty spices for Mike and makes their foods fresh so I can get an awesome nacho dish with grilled chicken, beef , and shrimp all three mixed in. We also frequent Quaker steak and Lube for all you can eat wing night where I can get a Philly steak sandwich with only fresh grilled mushrooms and cheese and even sometimes eat a wing or two flavored with only black peppercorn ( dried doesn't bother me) and fresh grated Parmesan cheese or a wonderful honey mustard, while Mike enjoys huge amounts of there famous triple atomic wings. Recently we have also found another wonderful upscale but still casual enough to let us in restaurant called Rusty's.Rusty's makes an awesome calamari appetizer and honest to goodness fabulous steak sandwich served on pizza dough baked in a wood fire oven. Though Mike has ventured past these things and always been happy I stick with what I know I like. Anyway today was the day that a local TV station was selling $50 gift certificates to this very restaurant for $25 on their web site. The only problem is that quantities were limited and one had to be online immediately at 7:00 am or not even have a chance. Even though Mike went to work at 1:30 am and the kids were off school, I still set my alarm and guess what ??????? I got one. I do have to wait for it to come in the mail but I have it coming. I just love how we can go out and have an awsome meal , maybe even a drink , desert, and usually still bring food home for $25. especially a place that I know we will be happy with. Yes I just love those 1/2 price deals !!!!!!!

My Baby's first real Valentine ( pardon me while I cry)

and not just from one girl........


But the whole 7th grade cheer leading squad !!!!!!!


BTW..... Gabby is Robby's girlfriend( or whatever 7th graders call their main friend of the opposite sex) but he is a good friend of most of the cheerleaders as he loves to dance and practices with them. They have nicknamed him Turbo

Still not happy !

Michael and Robby both had a snow day Wednesday and Michael ( at the career & tech school)had another today then they are on a four day weekend. Even with a six day weekend Michael is not happy. No he isn't ungrateful for the days off but his drivers licence exam was supposed to be tomorrow and was canceled due to snow. Hopefully the weather will clear up enough for him to test within the next couple of weeks.

Will you watch the Super Bowl ?

I am not a big sports fan unless you count ShotoKan Karate tournaments. The only exception is when the Steelers play the Browns.( I do always cheer for the Steelers but I don't necessarily watch every game) This for years has stirred up a ton of fun between our family's Steeler fans(My brother's and I were raised less than an hour from Pittsburgh)and My Mom and Dad who, for a few years lived in Cleveland. Oh did mention that since my older brother and I were born in Cleveland(they moved when I was only weeks old) my parents are disgusted that Jim and I could turn our backs on their Browns. The highlight of these bi annual games is that the fans of Cleveland ( Ummmm I mean the losing team) must dress up in the Steeler ( ummmm the winning team's) jersey, hat and other accessory and pose for a picture. Anyway.... Since Pittsburgh is not in this year's Super Bowl and the world has not yet ended ( ummm I mean, neither are the Browns) my interest is just not there. I will probably turn the game on and catch some of the commercials but that will be it. What about you ? Are you cheering for the Colts or Saints ? Will you even bother watching ?

Snow snow snow

Isabella pops out of the deep snow



Clancy seeks shelter under the trampoline


Isabella tries to get a piggy back ride through the snow


Isabella helps Cindy shovel an area for her and Clancy



Michael uses the snow blower to clear two elderly neighbor's drives and ours

Birthday E mails

Because I am getting seriously close to my birthday,I have been receiving many e-mail birthday offers. They started with clothing stores like Fashion Bug and
Woman within, Stores that I buy bath and body products from, and even a coupon from Ambiance. None of these surprised me however, I just opened one that made my jaw drop. It was birthday wishes from Proctor & Gamble. Now it could have enclosed a coupon for a room freshener or a cleaning product that would make my life easier and I would have said OK but honestly coupons for OTC arthritis medication is not appreciated. Yes I will be 41 but gee...

A daybook

Outside my window … there is a only a dusting of snow left and the temps are now above twenty five degrees, which means I can leave my winter coat in the car and get by with a hoodie.

I am thinking … and praying for Cindy's Godmother who is in the hospital with a ruptured appendix and an abscessed gal bladder which is ready to rupture. She is stable but will be sedated for the next forty eight hours while the IV antibiotics work to enable surgery to remove the gal bladder

On my mind … and also in my prayers is Mike who worked eighteen hours yesterday only to come home get two hours sleep and go back to work four hours early this morning.He just called to say that he will be home at his regular time but will go to bed after dinner ( for four hours) so that he can go back for a double shift tonight


I am thankful for … Delphi offering and Mike being able and willing to work the overtime so that we can live a little more comfortable as well as afford to do some repairs that need done to the house

I am hoping … and praying that the procedure that has once failed, will work on my upcoming surgical date( march 4th) so that I will not have to have the major surgery that will be done immediately if the procedure fails again

Noticing that … Clancy and Isabella (are starting to get along pretty well and even playing lately


From the kitchen … I baked one batch of friendship bread(coffee cake) today which consisted of two loaves of cinnamon strudel ,one loaf of banana nut with chocolate chip , seven mini loaves of the same, and two loaves of cherry cheesecake. I am also in the process of making beef stroganoff and homemade bread for dinner

A few plans for the week … I have three more batches of friendship bread to mix up and bake as soon as I can fit them in with my full schedule this week

Around the house … Mike and I are planning to do some floor covering work in four rooms, stain my secretary desk, replace an old garage door, and a host of other improvements.Mike did use this weekend off to replace Robby's ceiling fan( the globe fell and broke and since 13 is really too old for a crayola ceiling fan anyway, we decided to replace the fan)and also replace our outside light that got cracked., filled up with rain,snow and sleet, froze and shorted out during our December series of snow storms


One of my favorite things … Is seeing one ( or all) of my children so happy that they are bubbling over. Unfortunately two, well actually all three at one point or another have had some disappointments within the last year and are now working to get where they had hoped to already be. I can't wait to see their happiness when this long awaited and worked for events arrive.


A picture I am sharing …
A shot of a worn out Robby after competing at the ISKF National tournament last November

Bump +

Have you heard of Bump+ ? (http://bumptheshow.com/) It a an Internet series that seems to be widely misunderstood. At first sight it appears to be a reality show where three women, each early in an unplanned pregnancy are struggling with the decision of either carrying their baby to term or having an abortion.The decision though, as I understand, would, in the end, not be the pregnant woman's but be voted on by the Internet audience. In reality, this is pretty much as I explained , except for one big thing, being that this is a mock reality show. The show is done by actresses who play the role of a woman pregnant unexpectedly and confused.( some more than others). Though this is all fake, in the end the audience will still have the opportunity to, after watching the episodes and seeing each situation, vote on whether they feel that each woman( if she were in fact in the portrayed situation)should choose life or abortion. Believe it or not, it is my understanding that this series is put out by a pro life group. This intrigued me and I watched the first two episodes ( at the above site) this morning. and wow, it is definitely food for thought.( especially when you hear the situations and then hear their answers to questions like "what kind of Mom would you be" to "when does life begin") Even for those who are either rock solid pro choice or pro life.I am not saying that this will change any minds but it just may give a look into how others feel or why people see abortion as their only option. Being a person who was a Psychology major in college, myself and totally fascinated at figuring out why people do or feel as they do, I am hooked. I will not give my opinions nor disclose which side of the pro choice/ pro life debate that I am on but I am excited to be along on the journey. (even though it is scripted) I do recommend, no matter what your opinion that, if you have the time, you take a look. Perhaps it will make those pro life people outside of an abortion clinic more compassionate to those who are confused. By the same token, perhaps it would make the pro choice, more understanding of why the pro life are so desperate to change laws. Just some food for thought and that can always , in my opinion be a good thing !

Almost

Well dinner is over and the soup was very good. Everyone ate it and everyone but Cindy complimented it. Cindy had a few complaints like... It looks odd! Then why is it kind of grainy ? The rest of the family all agree that she should be ignored as she was just in a bad mood. I did put some thought into it and here is what I decided. It looked odd because the beef stock and cheddar cheese changed the color from white to an orangish brown. The color was a little odd but the flavor was enhanced dramatically so perhaps I should serve it next time with a blindfold . As for the graininess,it had to be the sausage as I used bulk sausage( to mimic the ground beef)nothing else was grainy which did kind of leave the sausage standing out.Perhaps since she wasn't expecting sausage like everyone else who watched me make it, it shocked her. I have decided that in the future I will omit all ground meat and add a couple pounds of bacon instead.
All in all I will call it a success. I as I do not have many soups that everyone will even eat at all. Generally though our family is a meat and potato ( or meat and rice) family. We also all greatly enjoy most sea food, even sushi. but since lent starts in eighteen days we will save some of our awesome seafood dinners for then. Now off to figure out what is for Sunday dinner. I have three pounds of IQF chicken breasts thawing.

A cold day in Ohio

Since the weather here in Ohio is seriously cold( I even wore a coat the other night when it fell below twenty degrees)I wanted to make a pot of soup and homemade bread for dinner today. The problem is that in my family, not everyone eats the same kinds of soup. Cindy likes Tomato , chili, black bean, and a few others but refuses to eat most chicken soups. Robby loves chicken soups but doesn't eat tomato, chili or black bean.Usually I just make two pots of soup at a time but today I figured that I would try a Potato soup recipe that is highly recommended on the Faith and Family site. This is how the recipe reads
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, diced
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cups water
1 cup diced celery
4 cups milk
2 cups mashed potatoes (prepared with milk and butter)
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan or Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until browned. Add the cubed potatoes, water, and celery. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add milk, mashed potatoes, evaporated milk, salt and pepper. Heat through but do not boil.

Now this did sound like a good soup that perhaps everyone would eat but I had to make a few changes. here is the soup that I made

1 1/2 pounds ground sausage
a sprinkling of dehydrated onion
10 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups beef stock ( I cooked a roast the other day and saved the stock)
4 cups milk
2 cups mashed potatoes( Yukon Gold that were left over from dinner the other night)
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 lb mild Cheddar cheese grated
Butter flavored popcorn salt,fresh ground pepper and parsley
In a large pan or Dutch oven, cook sausage and dehydrated onion over medium heat until browned. Add the cubed potatoes, stock & 1/2 spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Mix milk, mashed potatoes,cheese, evaporated milk, other half butter flavored popcorn salt, parsley, and pepper with a wisk until blended. add this to the pot. Heat through but do not boil.
Though we have not had dinner yet, it sure is looking and smelling good to me.
As the saying always goes.... A great cook never follows a recipe completely but always tweaks it ........... So does a terrible cook !
Here's hoping that I am the former !

How many of us need to be praying this ?

( copied from : Faith & Family's "Serenity, The Alternative
as seen on some one's facebook status... "
Posted by Rebecca Teti January 29, 2010 10:19 AM)


“Lord,
grant me the serenity
to accept the people I cannot change;

The courage
to change the people I can;

And the wisdom
to know it’s me.


”Just had to share this wise and amusing variation on the famous “serenity prayer.”

Mike has put up some more pictures

Most are from the 2009 ISKF Nationals in Cherry Hill NJ ( November 2009)and the December 2009 Mid America ISKF clinic and Dan exam with Master Okazaki in Delaware, Ohio. Check out some of his photographic ability at


http://www.flickr.com/photos/42625375@N08/sets/

Thankful for the $50 fee

For a couple months now , Mike and I have been looking for a small secretary desk to put in our living room where I can set up a place to store and pay bills. Our current system has us usually placing incoming mail on the dining room table. From there most junk mail goes to the trash while bills and anything of importance gets moved ( when the table is being set for dinner) to the kitchen counter where it stays until I move the " stack" back to the table to figure out what to do with non bills and pay bills. As you can imagine, this is not the best system and ,though it does not happen very often, there is always the chance of things getting lost. Thankfully I am pretty used to what is due when so if something does get misplaced I usually catch it. Anyway, this system is getting more and more nerve racking and the kids can be careless about placing things on the kitchen counter so a couple months ago when it took me an hour to go through the stack and take out the junk mail that never got thrown away , I started to complain. Mike has never liked this set up and was glad to talk about change. A small secretary would be awesome, it was agreed and so we were looking to buy one. This is when we realized that small secretary desks are not readily available anymore.What we did find was made of flimsy particle board and looked like it would crumble under the weight of the bills.Others were made simply for looks and didn't even have any room to put a box of envelopes in them. We broadened our looking range to include small desks but still nothing acceptable was found. Finally Tuesday night we went to Ashley furniture. Believe it or not they had four different secretary desks and they were cheaper than we expected. Though three were the flimsy, no room for a box of envelopes type, one had extra drawers and even though it was also made of particle board and was more expensive it would work. I was excited that we had found something that would work and we called the sales lady who had greeted us earlier. It was then that we were informed that Ashley had no backroom stock. This meant that everything had to be ordered and took two to three weeks to come on.... We could live with this. Then we were informed that delivery would be fifty dollars for this item. (only thirty additional for each subsequent item so if we wanted the dining room chairs that we also looked at it was wise to order them too) I responded that we would not need delivery and would either fit it into our Aztek or borrow a truck. The sales lady then informed us that we would either have to pick up the secretary desk at their warehouse ( 45 -60 minutes away)or pay to have it delivered as their store did not offer pick up. " So what you are telling me" I asked "is that unless I drive to your warehouse, I have to pay the $50( for the first item ) fee?" "yes" she replied like I was an idiot for even asking. " then actually" I replied......" the price is $50 more than marked?" She looked dumbfounded but then replied "yes you will have $50 added on" "OK" I replied "we'll think about it" and we left. Once in the car Mike and I discussed how we hated to be forced to pay this ridiculous fee when we would gladly pick up our merchandise at the store a couple blocks from our home, but how these secretary desks were rare and this one had more room and what should we do ? We decided to check a couple places the next day, one a consignment furniture store and another an unfinished wood store. The consignment store had nothing but the unfinished wood store had a few things that might interest us, the man told Mike on the phone. The only problem was that the store closed at five o'clock so I would have to meet Mike there after work. So last night I met Mike and we went. Wow was I impressed ! first of all, everything was made of wood..... not particle board. Yes, we would have to stain anything we bought but the prices were the same as those for the flimsy stuff at Ashley's once we would have paid the $50 charge. They also had a beautiful small a roll top secretary that would fit. I fell in love ! While the store owner went to make sure he had one in the back, Mike and I also looked at dining room chairs and they were less expensive than those at furniture stores too. Of course those at furniture stores were already stained but these were real wood... some even oak or other hardwoods ! Gee add $20 in stain and a little work and you have such a superior product. We could not fit the chairs in the aztek with the desk but we will be going back for them. Though I now have to go pick out some stain, I will do it thankful that Ashley's has the messed up delivery policy because otherwise I would have surely ended up with an inferior product. Isn't it funny how things work out ?