When Spaghetti Attacks

Uh Oh Momma......

Look at that face!!!  Gotta love this girl!!!

Who Cares If I Posted Late?

Is there really such a thing as being too late to post on being thankful?  No!  So, I am doing it two days after Thanksgiving and I am ok with that.  Not to mention that I left the house early on Thursday and arrived home late, followed by an early wake up on Black Friday and again not getting home until late.  Therefore the feeling of hopping online and posting anything or even just looking at the illuminating light of my laptop made me cringe, so enjoy this thankful post 2 days late :)  This year was spent with wonderful family and great memories but I was constantly thinking of last year.  Last year this was our Thanksgiving......

(aren't we lovely?)

Those two gentlemen in the picture with our family?  Those were Marines that we hosted for our Thanksgiving meal.  When we signed up for the Host A Marine program we thought it would be nice to have some guys over who haven't had a home cooked meal in a while and let them relax and watch football.  What we got was so much more.  These guys were amazing and we still have them in our lives.  Unfortunately, both of them are overseas right now fighting for our freedom and this year, there Thanksgiving was not spent at home.  I felt a pit in my stomach each time I thought of these guys and how much I wished they could be state side this year.  Not to mention back in my home.  I really do need to make them each a better apple pie sometime!!  Last year I made it and it went bad.  As I was making the apple part of the pie I didn't realize until later that my bowl I was using to mix had a crack in the bottom so most of the juices ran out of the bowl and therefore the pie was not the way it should be.  Anyways, wherever these gentlemen are this year, I hope they had a decent meal.  And please make sure when you say your prayers at night that you pray for all of our men and women over seas who do not get to be home this year.

And another memory I think of? Black Friday approximately  3 or 4 years ago with my amazing friend Julie.  We spent all of Thanksgiving with her family at a retirement home (she had an organization called KNOTS that was amazing, I will have to get into that one later), but it was a great day and that night at midnight, we headed out for my very first ever Black Friday.  We even got cool sunglasses......I miss my Julie!!!



No words needed

I think this is how I feel every day



Chicken Tortilla Soup

I said yesterday that I would be posting my embarrassing post but I have yet to take a picture of the outcome so I cannot post yet, hopefully tomorrow......yay!!  Until then, enjoy this super yummy recipe for chicken tortilla soup.  I made it a couple of weeks ago when it was still warm out but I am really craving it right now when my toes are freezing cold and the weather outside is frightful :)

What you need:

1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
1 can of Rotel
1 (1 ounce) taco seasoning packet
6-7 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
10 corn tortillas
Monterey Jack Cheese (12 ounce package), shredded
1 cup milk

What to do:

In a large pot (soup pot), saute the carrots, celery, onions, garlic, salt and pepper in the vegetable oil.  When the onions are translucent and the vegetables are somewhat tender, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add the tomatoes, rotel, taco seasoning and chicken.  Take the corn totrtillas and quarter them, add them to the pot.  Let the soup boil for about 20 minutes and make sure you stir and scrape the bottom frequently so that the tortillas do not stick.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the milk and simmer for another 8-10 minutes.  When finished, top with more cheese and some sour cream.  Green onions and crunchy tortilla strips would be good as well. 

Enjoy :)

Tired

I planned on a fun post, a post that embarrasses me but that will need to wait.  For  am one exhausted momma.  My oldest had a sleep over last night and at one point I found 29 empty candy wrappers scattered about my floor.  And because my oldest was having a friend over, my middle asked if she could have a sleep over with me.   How could I not oblige when her baby blues look right at me smiling?!  So, with Toy Story 3 in hand and bowl of popcorn we had ourselves a great night, we watched, we ate, we chatted like old girlfriends, it was great.  Then we tried to sleep......I think she slept.  But with a constant foot in my side and arm across my face, I didn't get much sleep.  So, I sit here wanting to talk about my latest adventures but all I want to do is cuddle up under my covers and wait for Monday to come.  However, that never happens with 3 kids, one who has had way too much sugar that it may not wear off until next week.  See you tomorrow everybody.

Emfit

I have mentioned before that the Danny Did Foundation was very generous and has provided our family with an Emfit monitor.  I also know I have had people ask exactly what an Emfit is.  So, I am going to tell you :)  First just let me explain a little bit.  The Emfit monitor is a device that goes under a persons mattress and will detect seizure activity that will then trigger an alarm.  Why might someone need a monitor while they sleep?  During the day if someone were to have a seizure, there would hopefully be someone around to see them having one and be able to help or call for help.  If it were to happen in their sleep, there is no one around and they can end up dying or suffering from severe complications.  This is not uncommon, it is far more prevalent than you may think.  Unfortunately children like Danny Stanton and Chelsea Hutchison.  And age does not always matter, ask the family and friends of Donna Evans.  The Emfit gives us all a better nights sleep.  I now know that if my daughter were to have a seizure in her sleep, I would be notified and be able to help her.  Now, lets get to the actual monitor.  The main part is the sensor that goes under the mattress. 

Please take note.  This part goes under the mattress, let me say it again for those whose brain is like mine, it goes UNDER the bed.  Ok, so I knew before I even had one that it went under but to be honest I was pretty darn confused after reading the instructions it came with. The monitor went off 5 times the first night and when I called the company to see what was happening, was my child really seizing that much?!  She seemed fine when I went into her room after hearing the alarm, I was confused.  After telling me what i could do, the lady asked me nicely if it was indeed UNDER the mattress.  I thought about lying at first..."are you kidding me?  Of course it is under, I know how to read!!!", but I told the truth and told her that the instructions confused me.  She asked what page confused me and it turns out that the page I read was removed from the instructions long ago because it was confusing people and she didn't know why mine still had that page in it.  So, I didn't feel as lame.  So, the picture above was after we put the sensor on top of her mattress cover and then proceeded to put a mattress pad on top of it and her sheets.  Needless to say, we could have broke the darn thing and I would have felt awful.  So, the sensor goes UNDER the bed which is where ours resides safely now.  Ok, so the sensor has a cord that plugs into a little box.  That little box contains all the settings and computer techy stuff (yes, I did major in computer techy stuff, how could you tell?......and if you are like me, let me point out that I am saying that with total sarcasm, yes, sometimes I need things pointed out).  How do I get off on so many tangents, lets get back to the Emfit........the box that attaches to the sensor is mounted on our wall and besides it containing the techy stuff, it also sounds the alarm when a seizure is detected and the lights that flash on and off let me know it is working properly. 

That blue light?  That was flashing in between the green and blue flashing together.  That meant that it was not detecting anyone on the sensor (which would make sense because no one was on it, I was testing it out).  It really is a brilliant piece of equipment and unfortunately not covered by insurance in the United States.  It is covered by insurance if you live in Canada and Europe, but not he United States.  I will be helping to get this changed one day!!!!!  Until then I was blessed by having the Danny Did Foundation come along side me and help me get one for my sweet girl.  I am hoping you never have to own one of these because that would mean you are suffering from seizures.  But let me tell you, if it ever does happen to you or your family, there is help out there.  There are a ton of people who care and who are making it their life's mission to get the word out on Epilepsy and help others who are affected.  I am honored to now say that I am an Epilepsy Advocate and will do all I can for my child and everyone out there who is living with Epilepsy!!!

So You Think You Can Dance

This past weekend I went  to my second annual So You Think You Can Dance Tour.  The show was amazing, I was not shocked.  And to top it off, we had amazing seats!!!!!  We were so close I felt like I could reach out and touch them.........I guess it was good for them that I wasn't that close, haha.  The show was amazing like I said before and we stayed after to meet them all, of course.  2 of the girls got to meet Dominick which was the ultimate and my ultimate was meeting Robert.  Oh Roberto, had I been 8 years younger and single without kids, we would totally be the best couple ever :)

I have completely lost my train of thought.....what was I saying?  Oh yes, oh Roberto.....oh wait, no, I think I was moving on from that.  Anyways, I am super excited for this next season to start so that I can go on the tour and stalk meet the amazing dancers again.  Oh, and the highlight of the night?  Courtney!!  Cass loves Camp Rock and Courtney was one of the back up dancers.  Since she watches SYTYCD with me, she knew who Courtney was.  She would pick her out every time the movie comes on.  Demi Lovato who?  Not that she doesn't love Demi but she kept picking Courtney out dancing behind her, lol.  I told this to Courtney (well, after I was laughing with my Aunt and totally snorted and she told me she totally heard that, lovely, thanks genetics) and she was so touched and told me to tell my lovely girl hello for her.  Oh the squeals that came from my girl!!!!  It made her night!!!!  Ok, that is all, I am now headed to Target to super size the pic of me and Robert and frame it on my bedroom wall :)