Grandma Lydia

First of all...let me thank you for your sweet birthday wishes. I randomly picked a winner for the bread & jelly. Anna. Congrats. Your sweet words warm my heart.

Sunday night we got a call that Donovan's grandma had died. She was 86. It was such a shock to us. Her and Grandpa spend winters in Florida. This is where she was when she went home to Jesus. This sweet woman was a special part of our lives.

Often when we went to Florida we stayed with Grandma & Grandpa. This was a neat time that we got to know them better.

And most years when we went down, Grandma would invite family that lived in Florida over for a meal. Grandma liked to make excuses to celebrate, and have all of us together.

And she sure loved the babies. The last few years she would be pretty unstable to carry them around but would sit and ask that we bring the baby to her. Here she is loving on Karis & Suzy. Loved how much she loved my kids.

And for sure when we had a new baby to meet, she was often our first company to come to our house when we got home from the hospital.

I remember how she loved Suzanna's name. Commenting that she loved her middle name "Faye" given to her for my mom's name. She had a way of making a person feel very special & smart.

I also loved how she was quick to greet us with hugs.

Grandma also loved helping with canning our applesauce EVERY year. She was eager to come, and would often ask when we were getting together for our annual event. This picture was taken back when we lived in Millersburg. About 6 years ago. I think that year we did about 5 bushel. How sad it will be not to have her a part of that this fall.

Another year of helping.

And this was this past fall. Since we were in the middle of building~we had apple day at Donovan's mom's house. It was pretty cool to see how Suzy warmed up to Grandpa and Grandma had fun just talking to her and making her feel special and loved. Loved the connection she had with my kids. I love how much she worked at getting to know them better.

This was a reunion that was about 6 years ago. Not quite all of the family....some live down south. Some were not able to be there. But wow, what a crew!

What a legacy she left for us. What a peace of mind to know she's sitting at the feet of Jesus. To know that she is pain free & with a new body.

Quote of the day:
Yesterday.
Suzy: "I wish Grandma could come down here and see me. I miss her."
Me: "Do you know where she is?"
Suzy: "She's with Jesus and God in Heaven."
Me: "right."
Suzy: "MOM! YOU know who else is in heaven with Grandma, and Jesus, and God? Baby Olive is there too! But Olives mom & dad are not there. And grandpa is not there in Heaven, Grandpa is still in Florida. "

35

How I spent the day a couple of weeks ago.......

the day I turned 35! :) Along with some shopping with a friend.

That night was dinner at Carrabbas....and here are kids who did almost no fighting all the way there. I had to take a picture because they were getting along so well.

My sister, her boyfriend, and daughter met us at Carrabbas.

The day after....lunch with my sister in law and nephew.

And as if I hadn't celebrated enough....we went to Olive Garden to celebrate my niece's birthday that was 2 days after mine.

Two days after my birthday I was still getting asked to go to lunch....now why didn't I take my camera along??? Thank you Rosetta for a delightful lunch!!

Then the next week after this little snow bird came back from down south~ she blessed me with lunch.

Also got tons of sweet pick me ups during the WHOLE week. My favorite magazine, cute note paper for grocery lists, yummy treats!, a book by my favorite author, bath & body works delights, an hour massage!!, ONE dozen roses, gift cards to Target (count them4!), gift card for a favorite scrap booking store of mine, gift card to a chocolate/coffee house, my favorite lip gloss X 2 , my favorite chocolate~, a facial, bath towels, & a sundae ice cream set. How do I rate?? Much better than deserved. Amazing. Thank you sweet friends for the sweet sweet love. You make turning one year older a joy.

And rather than a quote of the day...
It's give back bloggy day.

To you my sweet sweet friends.
For those who comment and those who want to but forget to. tee hee. Now here's your chance.

I made homemade grape jelly today and bread is rising for baking tomorrow. Sour dough that is. So leave a comment and I will pick a random winner to win one of each.

bonus

Don't know if you knew....we had a room we finished after we moved in. But really?? We moved Dec. 4th. SO that didn't leave a lot of "time" for Donovan to be doing construction. That is after he finished his 9-5. But after the eggnog, family feuds, and mistletoe....He began the framing, wiring, & hanging the drywall. Next came painting, trimming, putting in closets & shelving... Yeah, it was kind of a process. But the day came and we were ready to move the girls up to the bonus room above the garage, opening up a room for an office for Donovan.

My girls have a little issue with keeping. OR maybe it's mama not keeping on top of it. Let's say it's the option #1. So...before we moved up I worked with Isabella on weeding through her "treasures". I gave her instructions to count her stuffed animals and divide that by 1/2 and that is what she can keep. So really? She had 18. I don't think I bought ANY of these. But someone who was special bought them. She could remember who got them, when and why. But agreed that she had "outgrown" some of them and it actually was a very pain-free process.

Working on Suzy's things...well that's another story. It's a process people.

The carpet install guy came....

And there was joy throughout the house.

That first night we had a little overnight guest.

As you walk in the bathroom is on the right. A little trim work there needs to be done.

Looking into the bathroom just to the right.

Making use of every little space in that little bathroom.

The closets are across from the bathroom on the left as you walk in.

Some beds Donovan made a couple of years ago. Pretty handy to have a personal handy man. I'm just sayin'.

Room for Isabella's desk now.

What fun...to make use out of the space. So very much appreciating it. And what a bonus to have the work behind us.

poof!

First of all I want to thank you for the gobs and gobs of comments y'all left on my last post. I was a bit emotional and on the verge of an emotional breakdown when I last wrote. Your kind comments and facebook messages sure lifted my soul to know you were lifting me up in prayer. As for Jack he is well. He is adjusting well to his new medication and he has been seizure free for
12 days now. I'm praying for a longer record, but for now I better just take one day at a time & rejoice for those. And for the grace to handle it if we see another seizure. I feel a little better each day and releasing him back to God....because really I can't change one thing whether I worry or not. It's a process people. I feel like I'm on a 12 step plan. So thanks for praying. Thanks for your encouraging words~knowing you care means a lot.

So anyways....Our computer is in the kitchen, if you didn't know. And when not in use (very little of the time) there is a slide show/screensaver that goes through the last 6 years of our lives. (Before that it was film & developing baby) GAG.

So does this little girl look familiar to you? It reminds me so much of Suzanna...but really it is Isabella & she is holding William.

And here Isabella is again, she is 4. Awwww....how the time flies. And at this time in our life we were buying 3 different sizes of diapers. So kinda glad that part has flown past us. Isabella needed a diaper just at night...but just the same needed her own package. Jack was almost 2, and William was born in April~the time this picture was taken. The sweet little chocolate baby is Caedmon (William must be taking a nap~somewhere) I remember on this day my cousin Sherri came to babysit while I took William to a check-up, brought dinner and gifts. :) What a sweet memory.

Another awww moment....Here she is again...I have to look twice is this my Suzy?? :) Nope~ It's Isabella. Hard to believe she will be 10 this summer!
On this day we were meeting my friend Bobbie and her kids at Mc'D's. Isabella is holding Clayton. I had seen him born and then Poof! He was 5 months old! That's what living 2 hours apart will do to ya. Good times at Mc'D's trying to talk while the kiddos played.

And here's Suzy for reference. Wow! Do Isabella and Suzy look alike or is it just me?

I was reading this blog and was reminded of all the "last's" we have when raising our children. It was a good reminder of how fast time slips past. Little did I know when I snapped this picture above almost 3 weeks ago....It would be her last time she needed me to stand right beside her. Wow! how did you grow up so fast little 3 1/2 year old? A sweet friend took me to lunch yesterday and after lunch I let Suzy ride a different Carousel...And you know what??

She wanted to ride "all by herself!" What? Really?? Wow! You little honey. I kept staring at her wondering how she got so big!

P.S. if you are wondering why she has the same sweater in different colors that would be because TCP had them for $1.97. :)

quote of the day:
while watching Viktor Pfeifer on the Olympics...
William: "wow, I didn't know boys could wear girl clothes."

jack

My fear monster is back. The nagging little tug that pulls these strings and teeters between almost forgetting what happened last night and then remembering and having this fear pierce through my heart. Making me want to find that little 7 year old of mine and not let him out of my sight. Last night another seizure came. It lasted about 5 minutes. It was awful & scary. We held him, and felt helpless and we watched Jack's lips turn blue, his face grey, and him be totally unaware that we were there. Watching as he seemed to be choking on his tongue, wishing there was something~anything we could do to stop it. After it was done, he passed out. We carried him to our bed...and watched. Wanting to sleep...wishing I could get the ugly fear to stop replaying the seizure in my head. Telling myself....He will be o.k., far more children~have it far worse, this seizure could've been longer~more severe. Praying for him. But then giving way to tears...again. Glad for once to listen to Jack snore~knowing he's sleeping peacefully. And listening to his daddy snore beside him, knowing he got it from him. It has been 6 months since he has had a seizure. I wrote about it here.

Our Neurologist has told us when his seizures are over 10 minutes that we should call 911~ under that time frame to keep him home and follow up with him the next day. Which is what we did today. He changed Jack's medication and increased the dosage. We follow up with the Dr. for bloodwork in 2 weeks and again in 6 weeks. The triggers are many~we suspect that it was because he was over-tired and exahusted. It was around 11 p.m. when he got to bed.

I need your prayers if you can support me that way. I'm trying to balance healthy concern and fear. Letting go and letting him return to normal everyday activities. Letting him be in the basement to play with his sister, letting him go off to school in the morning, and this little guy has a birthday party this Friday to go to for his best friend. Wanting him to go and not all at the same time. Wanting to let go and let God be God~Wanting to let Him strengthen me, and refine me. But letting my fear get the best of me at times.

sweet little cookies

SO I was looking at one of my favorite web-sites for some Valentine ideas here. And I saw this picture.....

I needed to take a sweet treat for William's valentine party tomorrow. So I improvised just a little and used a recipe that was NOT from scratch...and very easy. Cake mix, oil, and eggs. Roll in balls and put on pan. Insert cookie stick into. After cookies were cool, I melted white chocolate chips with just a little oil in the microwave. Then put that into a freezer baggie, snipping off the corner to make a disposable cake decorating bag. Zig Zagged some stripes, sprinkled some hearts, and wah lah!!!

Do not think I will be putting sweet little pink ribbons on them all for the kindergartners...but did just for you, my little bloggy friends.

I love when I get an idea...and instead of being something that turns into a 3 hour event in the kitchen~Turns out sweet and short~and kinda cute.


quote of the day:
Suzy: "Daddy, I told the children all about my day."
Donovan: "What children?"
Suzy: "All my brothers and sisters silly."
Donovan: Oh, how you are going to the resale shop with Camden & Ava?"
Suzy: "Daddy, NO! Ava goes to the babysitter. It's just me and Camden. Silly Daddy"

Want a simple and yummy supper for tonight? Go and get these ingredients....you won't be sorry you made the special trip to the store if you don't have these things on hand. :)

Three-Cheese Calzones

1 pound refrigerated pizza dough

• 1 cup fresh ricotta
• 1 cup grated mozzarella (4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
• 1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed and roughly chopped (5 cups)
• black pepper
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced salami
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup jarred marinara sauce, warmed

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll and stretch them into 8-inch rounds.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. Layer the salami on one side of each round of dough and top with the cheese mixture. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges to seal.
4. Brush the tops of the calzones with the oil. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with the sauce.

I used Prego~my fav spaghetti sauce. I also have done it with the pre-made pizza dough and without. It's excellent either way. And my kids loved them. I actually keep spinach in the freezer that has been cooked and put through the food processor. Just so I can add a little green once in a while. So I just used that. (In case your kids are skiddish about spinach)
Let me know what you think!!!