Been Busy...

Hi All! I am still alive and well. (In case anyone was wondering) I have been swamped with school work and stuff. Tonight I am writing...Well, I am supposed to be. I thought I would just let you all know that we are doing just fine over here and Evie is putting up one hell of a fight. Her prognosis is not good but she has never been one to just lie there and give up. We are doing the best we can taking care of her. (As much as she will let us do anyway.)

I better get back to my essay, or else I will be doomed! Doomed! DOOMED!!! But before I go, I thought I would leave you with some cute words I came across while studying (for real this time)

A Little Poem Regarding Computer Spell Checkers...

Eye halve a spelling checker
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is made
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.

Night~

A quickie!

So, today I was again at the eye Doctor. They changed my prescription for the third time in 5 months!!! I need bifocals. That makes a gal feel kind of old...but anyway, the lady helping me noticed Marks name and told me she went to high school with Mark. Then she asked me if he was my DAD! Ha ha hee hee ho ho! I couldnt wait to rub that in Marks face!

Picture Perfect!

Today Mark was in Heaven! Not only is his mother home but look...His boys!

Tylen also was in Heaven. His big brother Eric is one of his heros ! Tylen just loves him! Just like he loves his sister....
Who also happened to be home. And for the first time in 6 years... 6 YEARS! We were able to get all of our kids in the same place at the same time! So I, of course made them pose for me!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Day to All! Now, if you'll excuse me, Ive got some lovin to do!

Quick Note...

Hi all, I just wanted to let you know that right now as we speak, Evie is on the plane on her way home! I think we all were sort of holding our breaths until this point...We are no way relaxed, but just knowing she made it on the plane really helps!

Eric has made it home, and tomarrow Royce (Marks dad) will be visiting with us. I can NOT wait until Evie gets here. I have been cooking up a storm, just to pass the time. Right now its Better than Sex cake in the oven and a huge batch of sloppy joes so that Evie can feed her company tomarrow with out having to do anything. I dont want anyone to wear her out!

Thanks for all your prayers and Emails. Please dont stop them yet.

Up and Down and all around...

So, this morning we were told; "Come now, Evie is not doing well."
This afternoon we hear; "Maybe you better wait before you come, were sending Evie home on friday"
A little later..."The tumor has grown so large it is wrapping around Evies kidneys and bowels."
And tonight..."Evie is up and walking the halls. She'll have no problem with the flight home."


I think I may be going a little nuts... Its all so heart breaking and uplifting at the same time. Its like riding a roller coaster... On friday we are expecting Evie to arrive home. On Friday night and Saturday morning her family will start rolling in...

Leave it to that woman to give us 8 years to plan for this time and then still manage to surprise us and throw us for a loop...You just watch...8 years from now Evie and I will be laughing about this over an apple peeling party!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Evie! It is Evies Birthday today. Our prayers may be helping... The antibiotics are doing the trick so far. She had a CAT scan done and the results should be in this morning. I talked with her last night and she sounded better. Still so tired sounding. But true to her spirit she was rallying and promising to be home soon. so... heres hoping the doctor gives you some good news today and sends you home. Happy Birthday Evie! We love you so much!

Desperately seeking prayers...

They kept Evie at the hospital last night. She is undergoing testing and an IV antibiotic treatment. We all know what is happening. We have known it for 8 years now. Evie knows what is happening. She has planned for this. She has made her wishes clear. She wants to be at home.

So, prayers asking for healing for her are pointless. She will not be healed. This may just be her time. But, maybe we could redirect our prayers a bit...

Mark and his brother are planning on flying out sometime today, I think. Please pray that they are able to bring their mother home so that we can help her with her final wishs. It is a simple one. She wants to die at home.

Please pray that her doctors in Arizona dont waste her time and energy with too many tests. Please pray that the antibiotics help her enough to be able to endure the flight home.


Thank you.

UPDATE

Evie is in the ER. Please pray that it is a kidney infection and not kidney failure.

Evie

These flowers. They symbolize Evie's (My wonderful mother in law) determination, her love of life, and her love of us. I posted a story about them here some time ago. Instead of retelling it, tonight I am asking for your prayers. And good wishes. She is ill. And in alot of pain. And away from home. She is in Arizona until friday and can not get an earlier flight. Please send some good wishes her way. Tomarrow is Evies birthday.

Delicious with a capital Y.U.M.M.Y.!

Today was the first day of our family's "Healthier" eating plan. I have been learning a few things in my nutrition class at school and doing a little extra research online. But, my family is huge on our normal regular comfort foods...They will not take these changes I have planned for them lightly. So, for our first meal we enjoyed some fresh fish a friend brought us last night, a salad with fat free italian dressing and I snuck some spinach leaves in there (Tylen absolutely loved these because they had "good sauce on them" (fatfree italian...he he ha ha)) I also made a brown rice and black bean dish. I added some leeks into it, something we have never had before. I also made some whole wheat bread with flax seed added to it.

Flax seed is something I have been hearing about for a while now. I did a little research and it turns out it is good for Oh so many things... Diabetes (runs in my family), heart disease, osteoporosis, liver, breast and colon cancer... The list goes on and on. It also alleviates the inflamation of arthritis!

So I am going to give that stuff a try! So in honor of my new flax seed loving self I am going to give you the top secret recipe I came up with today (mostly on my own so I apologize if I am unable to give you exact measurements ;)

Dough:
2 pkgs active dry yeast
1 C warm water
a pinch or so of sugar
2/3 C sugar
1 C warm milk
2/3 C butter
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
7-8 c flour

In small bowl mix together warm water, yeast and pinch of sugar, set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, remaining sugar, melted butter, salt and eggs. still well and add yeast mixture. Add half the flour until dough is slightly stiff.(dough will be sticky)
Turn out onto a well floured board; knead 5 - 10 minutes. Place in well buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover and let rise in warm place, free from drafts until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When dough is risen make caramel:
1 c butter
1/2 cup maple pancake syrup
1/2 plus 1 shot of sugar free vanilla coffee syrup

boil for 3 minutes.
let cool slightly

now, roll out dough on floured surface. As thin as you can get it. butter the top with soft butter, sprinkle about 6 TBS ground flax seed, and as much cinamon as you like. top it all off with brown sugar. roll tightly as you dare, cut into 1 1/2 inch thick pieces.

Pour layer of caramel in bottom of buttered cake pan. Place rolls on top of caramel bake in oven set at 350 until golden brown. let cool for just a couple of minutes then turn onto a cookie sheet or something flat.

Let cool one more time and eat eat eat! These are soo good and I guarantee you would never know there is anything even remotely healthy or good for you in them! This batch made about 2.5 dozen rolls so they are perfect for sharing too!

Home Sweet Home.

We made it home safe and sound yesterday. We had a great time! We played with the kids at the pool and the arcade. We ate as if we had never seen food in our lives! And we spent ALOT of money at the casino. (Well, mostly Mark did as I was still a little bitter about not buying my new camera.) ;-}

Mark spent enough money gambling to make me feel better about the purchase of that camera for myself, so I have been thinking on going into town this morning to pick her up...but I had almost decided to wait a bit longer when I walked outside this morning to check on the dog...

It is the most beautiful morning of the year!

This photo is not my photo, I had to borrow it from the web. I took my camera out this morning to get myself some photos of our beautiful landscape, but it is not yet light enough to grab a shot of the trees wearing thier sunday best...

Well, Im off... I need to go check out that camera again. I wonder if it has an instruction manual on how to take photos in dim light... And I wonder if it can zoom in enough to capture the crystals...

You know... you only live once. You may as well enjoy the ride! Im going shopping!

Super Mini Vaca!

Thats right. We are going to be taking a little break from our regularily scheduled lives. I will be pulling the kids out of school. Mark will be staying away from the clinics. I have a couple of days off from work. We lined up someone to come over and fill up our woodstove tonight... So we are going here. Just for the night. We will be home tomarrow. (No matter how I can schedule time off for everyone else, I still have a huge test or THREE next week.)

We are going to meet up with my parents, brother, sister in law, sister, and two of my nieces for a pool party this afternoon. Then of course dinner tonight. Then a little gambling. I even bought myself a bathing suit! Its the first one Ive owned since I was about 15 or so. Of course owning one and wearing one are two different things.

I know its not like a "real" vacation, but close enough for now. Maybe during spring break we can go here for a couple of nights. Have a wonderful weekend all!

Tag! Im it!

Ive been tagged! And by the Queen no less! I thought I better
oblige. Here are the rules:
1. Go to the 4th picture folder on your computer.
2. Post the 4th picture in that folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 more people.

At first I wasnt even sure I had four folders on my computer. But I do. Here it is!

This was last Halloween. I was visited by two of my three wonderful nieces. And the Grim Reaper himself stopped by for an evening of trick or treating at the nursing community that I work at. We had a blast! Look how tan I got last year! Not bad for someone who avoids sunlight as much as humanly possible... sorta. ;-}

Now to get down to business! I tag....

Michelle

Jettie

Dana and

Wanda

Have fun ladies!!

Decisions..decisions.. decisions...

Sometimes doing the right thing just plain sucks! For months... MONTHS, I had been planning to do a little me shopping today. But, now just minutes before I leave, I have had a sudden change of heart, a burst of common sense surged through my mind uninvited! So instead of buying this... the thing I have wanted for a couple of years now...

I will be putting that money towards this...the thing Danika desperately needs...

I hate when that happens...

Ground Hogs Day!!!

Today is the day that will decide if spring really is upon us...It sort of feels that way, but I know better, I have been fooled before by this thing called a January thaw. I wont believe it until the ground hog tells me so...

In other news... see that man down there?

The one in blue? The one driving that lawn tractor? The bigger one... Its his birthday today! Whoo hoo!

Happy Birthday Baby.