My blog is a way for me to share in the wonder of each day. I know there are others like me that due to medical issues have our days numbered and would like to make the most of them in a positive and gifting way for ourselves and for those around us.



Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Thought for the Day;

"A please now and then really doesn't hurt!" I saw this sign and just had to smile. I stopped too at the consternation of the driver behind me as I pulled out my camera to take a snapshot before moving on.














I am once again late at updating my blog. This time not from illness but because my computer was so overloaded with pictures and stuff that it just couldn't compute anymore. I have spent the last 2-3 weeks cleaning out, organizing and creating backup disks for everything I want to keep. I have a 58 gig computer and I had used almost 40 gig with stuff. Since I have alot of programs and even junk that I can't figure out how to get rid of, there wasn't much space left for computer thinking room. Everything took forever to do and my email and internet finally just locked up. What a mess, but now I have all but about 10 gig free. Yea!

Just before heading to surgery

Well, incase you haven't read Amber's blog, my son David went in for his (hopefully) first and last major surgery to remove the rest of his melanoma cancer. They found a small spot on the inside of his left hip area that they had to remove and since they couldn't find anymore, they went ahead and removed his apendix while they were at it. He is doing pretty well so far but sure does want to get back home. I am hoping to go up tomorrow and visit him and bring him a homemade pepperoni pizza. Mr. Green Jeans modernized!
He insists he can't and won't eat any hospital food there cause he can't stand it. I think it wouldn't be so bad this time, but he is remembering how bad it tasted when he was on all of that strong kemo medicine all last fall.

David, Izaiah and girlfriend

Well, my sister Brenda and her family will be here to stay in just a few weeks and I'm really excited and jazzed about it. Grace, her daughter, is the same age as Mariah and they will be able to spend some quality time with her this summer which will help Grace to transition and feel more comfortable with the move I hope. I'm not worried about Brenda transitioning cause she's so ready to be here she won't even notice real life worries for awhile because she'll be so happy to be here already.

Here is a fun picture of one of my grandsons, Evan at mealtime when I was babysitting him last week. As you can tell, he fully enjoys his eating. He was so hungry he was going at it with two utensils. Evan at meal time!
Of course his abilities falter somewhat compared to his gusto, especially when it came to the peas. fingers do nicely for those little guys.


Just to end this up, I'm posting these pictures from around my area. The skies have been beautiful and the mountains of course majestic.
A snowly bluff near Castle Rock

Pikes Peak in April Sunshine
Pink Clouds at Sunset Pikes Peak near Sunset

Saturday, April 11, 2009

HAPPY EASTER

Easter is upon us. Here is a little project I have been working on and it turned out pretty cute.
Amber and her kids are doing something pretty similar and hopefully she will display the grandkids works of art on her blog soon.

I took some raw eggs and broke quarter size or larger holes in the top and removed all the yolk and whites. Then I rinsed them and let them dry.



In the meantime I started making the little chicks, using colorful fuzzy balls, googly eyes along with felt and a little glue. An easy and inexpensive fun project that kids can do too.


Then I painted the outside of the egg shell (I forgot and did it after I glued it into the yellow egg carton sections). The grass I cut from felt and glued around the carton and in a few I placed a few tiny silk flowers.
I made just enough for each grandchild that I'll be able to see soon and 2 mamas.




I am going to TRY to get busy and make each of the grandkids some summer outfits. Here are some of my patterns.
A couple of them can be used for more than one child since there are so many of them. I hope I can finish them in time to get some use out of them this summer. I'll have them model them when I'm finished eventually. Patterns for Summer.

Then, the other day the weather was just so beautiful I just had to get Myrtle, our bull dogge out for a walk. Since I've been struggling with Shingles in my right leg and the bottom of my right foot, it has been difficult to do much walking, even with plenty of pain pills on board. My foot has seemed a little better the last few days so I gulped a pill and off we went to the Fountain Creek Park. We walked almost half way around the little pond with some stops at two very handy park benches for me to get off my foot a little while. I had packed a little picnic lunch and we munched it down as I rested. I always bring her a slice of bologna and she even shared a few bites of my strawberries. It was fun though and she loves it. Myrtle didn't get much actual exercise but she got plenty of sniffing time in and I let her get into the water a few minutes too but it was pretty cold still and she got right back out in a jiffy. I always love looking at Pikes Peak and right now it has a wonderful snow cap so I took a picture of it before we headed back for the car.
Pikes Peak Snow Capped
At home the daffodils and crocusis and even the irises are coming up. I snapped a picture of one of them just coming up and blooming wide.


On Sunday I was surprised with a drop in visit of my previous foster daughter who I still think of as one of my daughters and she still calls me Mom.


She lived with me for 5 1/2 years from the age of almost 13 until 18. Her brother, James lived with me for 7 years until he emancipated also. I had guardianship of both of them and so they were truly a part of our family and still are.
Cerena's son, Ben, is just slightly younger than Mariah. (Another grandchild for me) He is a sweet boy and quite shy but he eventually warms up. I am so happy she keeps in touch with us and makes a point of calling and coming by so we can still feel like we are a part of her life. It is one of the rewards of fostering , when they come back! Adopting is also rewarding and sometimes painful just like any parenting situations when children find new and sometimes harmful ways of living. Anyway, I really enjoyed their visit.
Yesterday we had 3 nephews aged 11, 7 and 5 come and have a sleepover with us. They are very energetic but great behaved boys and it was a blast. We had planned on our grandson, Ethan, 4 1/2 joining us but he's been sick all week with a viral fever, etc and wasn't up to it.
The boys kept us busy and we started off our evening making personal pizzas. I had the dough ready and rising when they arrived and then they each had to spread their ball of dough out and top it with whatever they liked the best. Here is a picture of two of them 'guarding' the oven and their own ready to eat pizzas. After supper we made individual cakes in a mug with a special recipie that only takes 3 minutes in a microwave to cook. Yumm. I add the recipie at the bottom of my post.

After dessert we looked through my box of foreign coins and bills and very old American coins including a 1898 penny that was apparently tossed in the air and shot with a low caliber gun, probaby a 22 that left it dented with the shape and size of the penny. They also enjoyed holding a 14th century bronze brestshield piece from New Mexico area that a Spaniard apparently had on their armor.






Then came games, like good old 'Battle Ships'
And Lincoln Logs


and today we made more little Easter chicks and went to the Pioneer Museum in downtown Colorado Springs. Of course my husband had to take the oldest nephew to go to the "Man Store", which is what I call all of those wildlife and outdoor sports places that cater to fishermen and hunters and campers, and etc. I wouldn't be calling it a man store since I love doing all of the above too, but it just fits for my 'man' husband and many others I'm sure. Anyway, in all we had a great time.

Here is that very Yummy recipie:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking/unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 extra large coffee mug (MicroSafe)
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. (I used 'high' and it did just fine)
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

(It's a large chunk of cake and my husband and I shared halves and added a scoop of ice cream. Super chocolately and Yummy!

Thought for the Day:

"Everyday holds exactly the energy and happiness that we put into it." RJM

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Home Made and Home Grown

Thought for the Day!

"Old and New may seem ages apart but when accepted and tried, usually good can be found in both!" RJM


Home Made Bread! Modern and Early Nineteen Hundreds kinds!

Last week my husband got into a baking mode (one he get's into every so often) and decided to make some raisen bread. He uses the breadmaker I got him for Christmas several years ago and he makes some of the most wonderful breads, yumm. He started out making breads with the boxed kits that were recommended by the makers but he quickly graduated into making his own recipes he's found in some of the cooking books he's bought for himself.

I'm not sure what caused him to suddenly get a hankering for baking breads but I know he was great at coming up with some wonderful meals during the stretches of time that I've been laid up with my medical stuff. This loaf raised over 7 inches and when I sliced 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices of bread I had to then cut them in half to eat or for the toaster because they were so big.

I love homemade bread like my grandma's. I got her to show me how to make her special down home bread and rolls that she raised 9 kids (six boys) and a hungry husband on. It is wonderfully full and yummy but it takes some kneading which definitely made her a strong woman. She didn't use measuring cups or spoons, only a gallon bowl and her hands and eyes to measure. She taught me her technique step by step and I wrote it down and eventually put in the "Pikes Peak Foster Adopt Support Group Cook Book" that we made years ago.

Here is her recipie for those hardy enough to try it sometime. Me and my kids and foster kids made many loaves of it one Christmas time and gave the loaves away for gifts to family and friends. Instructions: Spread with real butter, homemade applebutter or jam. Fantastic and definitely not on the list for strict diet minded.

Grandma Cline's Bread

(makes 2 large loaves)

Use a 1 qt bowl
1 qt warm water
2 pkgs fresh yeast

Use a 1 gallon mixing bowl
Pour in sifted or unsifted flour until almost full, then make a deep well in the middle of the bowl of flour.

1 Tbl shortning
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbl salt

Disolve yeast in warm water until it rises to surface. pour the yeast into the flour well and add remaining ingredients.

Stir in - in layers from well toward outside of bowl.

After mixture is formed into a ball of dough, knead 500 strokes, adding flour as needed. (This can be done on a lightly floured table or counter top). Add only a little flour at a time as needed to keep from sticking. You don't want to make the dough too stiff.

Grease the same bowl and place dough in to rise. Set in a warm place and cover with a clean cloth.

Let rise 2 hours. Punch and pan in greased bread loaf pans or pull dough into small fist sized balls and place side by side in greased cake pans for rolls.

Let rise till double in bulk.

Bake 350 degrees
Lg Loaves - bake 1 hr
Med and Sm loaves - 45 min
Rolls - 1/2 hr.

Submitted by Reva J. McCandless
Guaranteed to be delicious
______________________________________

Notes from Home:


Our young Granddaughter who is autistic spent some time with us last weekend with her little sister and we had a grand time. She sure does enjoy my exercise ball and can navigate it all over the living area.
She is doing really well in school and at home now. When I asked her to color me a picture she immediately wrote her name and her age in color crayons and then jumped up as if her school assignment was all done.
Coloring just for fun isn't really her thing so far but at least she complied and tried for me. When I asked her to draw me a happy face she wasn't too sure until I said to draw a happy face of me, then she did and asked if it was happy face and she said 'definitively', "YOU." She told me!

Notes on my son David:
He went to Denver on Friday for the results of his last Pet Scan last Monday and they said there was nothing to be found in his neck (DID YOU HEAR THAT?) There was NOTHING in his lymph nodes in his neck. There are however, some tumors in his stomach that they will have to take out on April 27th. They are apparently pretty confident so we are hoping for the best and feel much better about things since the lymph nodes are clear at this time which is the most serious and since the spots that were in his lung are gone too, he definitely has a much better chance of beating this thing all together. YEA!

Here is how my wayward cancer surviver is looking now adays, along with his almost cousin (my best friends daughter). They have known each other since Stephanie was born a little over a year after he was. Soon I will post a picture of the two of them as they were in my oldest daughters wedding as ring bearer and flower girl. You would never have guessed they'd end up looking like this. Note the green hair. Also his hair has come back in very curyly after he lost it all from the chemo treatments. Stephanie just decided to shave her's all off.
Now David is trucking around the neighborhood on his new wheels, which aren't street licenced of course but so 'cool' with all the younger teenagers. At least he's only driving in side neighborhoods and not on maid streets with lots of traffic. What do ya say to a nineteen year old with ideas of his own. Right now I just stay out of the way except to pray for him and love him and let him know I care.

Actually, I can't stand 'crotch rockets' because I not only have heard of the deaths these cause but I've witnessed what happens. Several years ago I took my kids and foster kids on a drive down my old memory lanes and went to Pueblo to show them the places and schools I went to. As I stopped to talk to a homeowner about the area we were in, we heard a revving of a motorcycle engine several times, approaching from a distance. Suddenly, as the gears rachetted up once again we heard 1/2 half a block behind us a horribly loud crash and crunching sound. I glanced in my rearview mirror long enough to see red fenders and bike parts flying and spinning on the pavement. We turned around and found an old pickup truck with an old man at the wheel looking stunned and not sure what was happening. People were around the bed of the pickup helping the motorcycle driver.
The pickup turned left across the other lane, heading for his house. He never saw or heard the motorcycle who was speeding extrememly up a darkly tree shaded street on a red crotch rocket. (The drivers are laying forward just like a bullet ready to fly). He hit the right passenger door of the pickup while still shifting up on his gears. He flew over the bike, through the open passenger window of the pickup and out the small back window glass (no helmet by the way). If he had hit the old man, I'm sure the man wouldn't have lived. The young motorcyclist had just turned eighteen and graduated from highschool the day before and the bike was a gift from his parents. He of course died the next day. I cried everyday foar awhile over that. I hoped my kids would have heard and seen the message that day on the dangers of those kinds of bikes.

Notes of my Best Friend:

Now for one more picture of my best friend that I've known for 25 years and we've done foster kids and adoptive kids together and we co-founded the 501C3 non profit support group I mentioned above and ran it in some capacity for 5 years and kept our fingers in it even longer. She is the one I made the wedding cake for that is shown at the bottom of my blogging page here. She and Ray were married August of 2007.