Indefinite Hiatus

Have decided to take a leave from blogging. I enjoy reading other blogs and will continue to do so, but right now time is so limited and I want to spend the time with family. I really thought I would get back into it once we returned from China, but never have. Time is just too short....Blessings!!!

Jet Lag

Oh, the jet lag is just killing us!!! We returned from China on March 5th with our precious 3 year old daughter!! She has had strep throat, I've got a sinus infection, and my husband has a cold, and one of our sons has a stuffy nose. At least the kidney stone thingy is doing much better. We haven't been doing much other than laying around the house. Some wonderful friends came in and painted our kitchen, left food for us, and did some housecleaning while we were gone. It was so nice to come into a clean home when we returned. But have not managed to stay on top of it because we're just utterly exhausted!! We know this will pass and hopefully soon! We did manage to go to church today and my husband commented that it just wiped him out!! I think we could have all spread out and went to sleep in the pews!! Am hoping to be able to start blogging again on a regular basis--some days it is just too difficult to get to. Blessings,

Out of Commission

Have been out of commission due to two cystoscopies this week--not fun!!! The first one was done on Monday. When dye was put in, it made the stone migrate back upwards--just like passing a kidney stone all over again--Aaarghh!! Our local hospital didn't have quite long enough equipment to get it out, so I had to go to a larger hospital in the city and have the same procedure done the following night---again not fun! They were able to extract the stone and, at that time, put in a stent. The stent was taken out yesterday, with spasms as a side effect. Little did I know that these spasms are as bad as passing the kidney stone itself. They typically last between 45 minutes to an hour and are quite painful (I call it the "take me to the emergency room" type pain) and put me flat on my back. But these spasms should start to decrease here in the next 24 hours. Taking lots of OTC pain medication and have been in bed most of the week. We are discussing the possibility of postponing our trip--are scheduled to leave Tuesday, and will see how the next few days go. We really want to bring our daughter home! Blessings.

And Away He Goes....

This past weekend, I took our son to Walmart--he had some gift cards for his birthday and he wanted a new sled. They were out of the round, plastic style sleds, so he decided to purchase this inner tube style sled which has really come in quite handy this week with the latest snowstorm. I must say he loves it! We have a gentle slope in our yard, but am hearing reports that the tube goes really fast on the slope, and there's already been one sledding accident involving a neighbor boy and a bloody nose--I'm sure you can imagine!! The boys were also outside trying to build forts--using tote boxes, cardboard remnants, and ice cream bucket molds. If nothing else, I give them an "A" for creativity.

Blessings,

I've Been Negligent....

in posting. Things around our household have just been nutty. We are going to be traveling internationally next month and I've been putting my energy into that, as well as dealing with a kidney stone. While at the doctor's yesterday, she thinks I have passed it because of a clean urine sample. If anyone knows a lot about kidney stones, please let me know. I still have a little bit of pain in my back, so I keep wondering. I will say that I've had a total of about 3 diet sodas since January 12th--I do believe I have weaned myself off of regular soda, but not without headaches. It didn't help that I went to Wal-mart this morning and spent way too much money. Does anything get less expensive? I'm rambling.

I've also have had some problems in posting pictures to Blogger lately. Will try and stop by and visit those blogs I normally do. I miss them!! Have a blessed day!!

Calendars for Kids

This was a calendar that I printed off from over at daniellesplace.com for the Sunday School children. I was looking for a project that would be good for K-2 grade and found these. I printed them off on stock paper, put two hole punches at the tops of the calendar, and then used elastic type string for the binding. Then the kids were able to decorate them with some stickers I brought, and it was a really easy project for them to do. Each month has a Bible verse and the children can color the picture that's at the top. Have a blessed day!!

Am still hoping and praying that this kidney stone passes. Had another CT scan today and it's still there-UGH!! Need to do lots more drinking of water tomorrow.

Four-Cheese Baked Ziti

If this looks rich, that's because it is, but it is oh so good!!! It sets up the same as lasagne and easily microwaves the next day!! This recipe was taken from the latest issue of Country Woman magazine.

Four-Cheese Baked Ziti

1 16-ounce package ziti or small tube pasta
2 cartons (10 ounce each) refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1 8-ounce cup sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 15-ounce carton Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese (I used a four-cheese blend that included Romano)
1/4 minced fresh parsley
1-3/4 cups shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese

Cook the ziti according to the directions on the package. Drain and return to pan. Stir in both cartons of the Alfredo sauce and sour cream. Spoon half of this mixture into a lightly greased baking dish.

Combine the eggs, Ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, the Romano cheese and parsley (I did not put any parsley in mine). Spread this mixture over the pasta. Put remaining pasta mixture on top and then sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.

Cover and bake this at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Uncover and let bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. (I actually broiled it for the last few minutes to get the cheese a little brown around the edges.) Enjoy!!

Water, Water, and More Water

Right now, I feel sooooooo waterlogged. This weekend, while hubby and I were in a class out of town, I started to develop abdominal pain, chills, and back pain. It went on pretty much all day, only letting up a little bit around lunch time. When the class ended, and we were headed home, I had him take me to the Emergency Room at our local hospital. After having tests runs, including a CT scan, it was determined I was passing a kidney stone!!! Yikes!! Not fun. They are very painful. The pain has subsided and I'm continuing to drink lots of water, but at this point all I'm doing is running to the bathroom. Am ready to give it a rest!! Have a blessed day!

Winter Scenes

During the last ice storm, the trees were just magnificent. Of course, later on we were really starting to worry as lying in bed at night, you could here the trees start to snap and pop and we were wondering if one of them would come through our roof. We were quite greatful we did not have the wind with the storm, otherwise there would have been no power. So many people hate the snow and ice, and it is difficult to drive in without a doubt. But the beauty of it all still takes my breath away. Blessings.

A New Year - Time to Sew

It's been a nice long break from blogging. I had been hinting to my dear husband that I would really love a sewing maching for Christmas. Guess what? I received this lovely sewing machine. I am definitely a beginning sewer and would really love to learn how to quilt eventually. It started a few years ago when our children started Scouts and needed patches sewn on their uniforms and I would hand do them, and it was just plain hard. Also, my husband usually needs his pants hemmed and so I would take them to a seamstress. Now that I've learned to do a double-fold hem with a little practice, I will be hemming his pants. Also, our children wanted pillows made during the holiday season, so I let them pick out a fleece fabric at the store and made them each their own pillow. I get a little teary eyed when I check on them at night and see them laying their heads on the pillows I've made--they seem to enjoy them so much. The pillows are nothing special--just square or rectangle pieces of fabric, but they really seem to like them. Our youngest has already mentioned he wants me to make him a blanket. We will see how that goes.

We have some big changes in store for our family this year--I will fill you in later. Have a blessed day!!