My creations...

Apple Pie Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls

2012-01-28T17:48:00.006-05:00

Apple Pie Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls

This idea came to me at about 5am this morning, I couldn't get it out of my head so I got dressed and ran to the store for the ingredients. I'm so glad I did... a very yummy and satisfying breakfast was born!!

2 packages pillsbury cinnamon rolls with icing

1 can apple pie filling

With hands or rolling pin, flatten each cinnamon roll into a round thin disk. Top 8 of the disks with a small scoop (soup spoon size) of apple pie filling. Top the apples-topped cinnamon rolls with another flattened disk. Place onto baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until baked through and light brown in color. Cool a moment or two before adding icing to each cinnamon roll.

These were delicious fresh and hot eaten with a fork as well as once cooled you could pick it up like a turnover and eat it... yum!!

My Father's Day masterpiece!!

2009-06-03T07:57:00.004-04:00

I am so proud... took my over a week to find just the right pieces and to search for the old pictures! Also had to have the word created by a professional!! http://elegantwordart2.blogspot.com/ Thanks again Bethany!! So without further ado... I present my Father's Day gift for Russell from the girls.....

More pages I created...

2009-05-29T08:18:00.003-04:00

It took me forever to find the perfect cross embellishment for this page. I am very pleased with the choice I made. I found the floral cross at http://creativevictorian.com/boutique/index.php?main_page=index&zenid=35499cd0e884bd2c081a8b35808ef061 They have very beautiful art work.

A quick colorful of Evelyn at the beach. This was Rosemary Beach for Marina's wedding.

Some of my scrapbook projects

2009-05-28T11:17:00.005-04:00

I recently started playing around with digital scrapbooking. Here are a few of the pages I have made so far....

Another new hobby...

2009-05-01T10:38:00.002-04:00

I am completely addicted to knitting!!! You have no idea. I have gone crazy with knitting... finding patterns, yarns, needles... and time to knit. I bring it everywhere so I can just pick it up and do some and then put it down when I have to. I kind of goofed up on my first project. I was trying to make a baby blanket and discovered the needles I was using were too small. So I have started over with the correct size needles. I didn't scrape the first one totally... I think I will finish it up and just make it a smaller blanket. After I complete this blanket I plan to make a rug for Keilani's bedroom. I will redoing her room in subtle horse theme and wanted to make her a nice pinto colored throw rug. She's excited about her new room and I m excited about another project. I will post pictures of my work as I go.... as I am so proud of myself!!

Very personal post...

2009-04-20T10:05:00.002-04:00

Ok here it goes... my heart is going to be poured out. I am a confused mess lately. I have no idea if I am coming or going. I miss my family, my marriage, my husband.... and I will never have that back. For 10 years... and then all of sudden I am supposed to change and give up. I guess I just can't do that. I was hurt yesterday when my ex's family seemed to not want anything to do with me. That was a huge blow and still hurts today. I never wanted it to be that way, but I guess it's inevitable. They are after all his family, not "mine". BUt I still love them and care about them and miss them. They did nothing wrong, why do I have to let them go?!?!? It's not fair. I just want to curl up in a ball and cry again (like I did yesterday). I feel like I did when Russell left almost 7 months ago. A big part of me wants him to realize he made a mistake and that he does love me and wants his family back. And the other part knows thats not going to happen, but keeps hoping it will. Gosh... how do you get through this?!?!?!

A real vacation!!!

2009-04-16T22:30:00.002-04:00

I'm actually going on a real vacation!!! I can't believe it. In May I will be taking a nice long weekend trip to Myrtle Beach, SC. I have always wanted to go there! I am super excited. I'm kind of nervous to be leaving the girls behind, but they wil be with their Dad so I know they will be fine. And whenever they're away from me they know they can call anytime and as often as they like. And I ALWAYS call to say good night and good morning. I have a feeling I am gonna be a total mess while away....but to be honest, I can really use the break. The stress is really getting to be a lot to handle these days. Oh yay... a vacation!!

24 hours a day!! yeah right...

2009-04-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

There are not enough hours in the day for what I need to accomplish! Work, kids, soccer, cleaning, a relationship, friends, family, divorce lawyers, real estate agents.... it's too much to handle!!! Forget about me time, I'm lucky I can sleep at night even for just a couple of hours. I have to take time off from work just to mow my lawn!! I do laundry and sweeping/mopping at night after the girls have gone to bed. The couple of hours that Russell spends with the girls on Sunday I spend grocery shopping. It's very hectic and crazy and stressful. I love my girls, I love my house (sad that I have to sell it) and I love my job. I just do the best I can each and every day and try not to plan too much. I don't like getting disappointed when things don't work out as planned. So.... I wake each morning and go to sleep each night and enjoy the time in between as much as I can.

My new hobby...

2009-04-13T13:11:00.002-04:00

scherenschnitte!!!
Check it out. http://www.papercuttingsbyalison.com/
This is the site I order my supplies from. I have already made my first picture of a seashell. I have 4 more to go to complete the nautical series and then mount and frame them. Lighthouses are next!! Very therapuetic.

Hey.... I'm back!!!

2009-04-13T12:17:00.004-04:00

Updated the site... made some changes.... and ready to try this again. Figured it was easier to edit the site I already had instead of starting a whole new one.

So... where did I leave off??? Oh yeah, since I was last here my husband left. I am in the new home we bought and taking care of my girls. First of the year I put the house up for sale since I really just can't afford it on my own. I've been managing the best that I can, but times are tough as everyone knows. I feel like I can't give my girls the life they deserve. So I will sell (eventually) and downsize into something more affordable so I can give Keilani & Evelyn the best life I can.

I also meet someone new! His name is Dennis and he is a bit older than me (9 years) and has 2 boys the same ages as my girls! He is wonderful. Loving father, goal orientated, frugal, romantic, sweet, fun and energetic. He also has been the dad to 3 step-daughters for 12 years and loves them as his own. Thats a winner in my book! We always do fun family things with the kids and pretty much center our lives around them. Since Keilani & Evelyn are my world... it works.

Oh... here is a picture of him....

That was just taken yesterday when we took the kids to play.

Anyway... I will do my best to keep this blog updates regularly. I trying to change many things in my life, so this should be a good place to keep you all updated.

Subscribe or follow my blog!!!!

Wow! It's been a while...

2008-09-16T12:17:00.002-04:00

Sorry. I get so wrapped up in daily life that I forget to update this blog. Ok.... let's see. Whats new lately??? First, Evelyn is now jumping!! She can even do it without the trampoline. She has been running and kicking the soccer ball to. He gross motor skills have really improved lately. Keilani is off to a rough start this school year. She is in a 1st-2nd grade combo class. Her problem is the talking and the following of directions. Her time management sucks too and she has trouble completing assignments on time. In fact, Russell & I have a meeting with her teacher tomorrow to discuss her behavior int he class room. We had her on ADHD medication in January, but we didn't like what it did to her. She was not my little princess anymore. So we only had her on it for a month and stopped it all together. We need to figure out a way to deal with her besides medication. The new house is wonderful. We are pretty much all settled in besides a few boxes in the garage. We also desperately need to have a garage sale and then I should be able to park in the garage!! We still need to do somethings like complete the guest room and fence the yard. I told Russell we need to have the guest room done by Christmas so we can have the family at our house this year. Work has been busy for me, but what else is new?!?! Russell has been working extra hard at his job too lately. Trying to get business to pick up. But that's pretty much it. We've done some traveling/weekend trips, we're getting ready for my birthday and enjoying our new Wii play system. Life is good.

2008-07-08T10:37:00.003-04:00

Evelyn needs a little help learning how to jump so we purchased a trampoline for her. She likes to do it, but no for long periods of time; only about 30-60 seconds. We practice everyday and with each time she is figuring out how to get her feet off the ground!! Baby steps.

No longer on the Island...

2008-07-08T10:22:00.002-04:00

Thats right!! We have moved to the mainland!! We have been trying for over 5 years to move into a larger home and we finally did it!! It's so exciting. We are now in a beautiful house with a big yard. The neighborhood has sidewalks and a playground for the girls. The girls finally have their own bedrooms and a playroom. So much more room to spread out in. So wonderful!! Needless to say there has been many changes with the move. Evelyn went from her private babysitter to a preschool setting. Keilani had to change schools as well, but is in the same school as Evelyn! That really helped with the transisition for both I think. They are also closer to home which means a shorter morning commute for me. Russell however was transferred to another body shop just before our move so his commute is still about an hour each way. Because of this we sold his Jetta (so sad!!) and bought a 4-cylinder commuter car for him. It's working out very well and is great on gas. So all in all things are working out real swell with this move! Things are moving in a foward and positive direction in our lives and we're embracing every minute of it!!

Sorry...

2007-12-14T12:03:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy lately. I kept meaning to sit down and type out a quick blog here and there but just didn't have the time. So I will update you now on what's been going:

Russell got a part-time job for nights and weekends. He works at Circuit City 2-3 nights a week and on Saturday afternoon. It's very hard not having him at home. The girls miss their daddy. BUt we need the extra money right now. It's just a seasonal thing, but he may stay on after the holidays. So on nights he works I have a lot to do at home before going to bed myself. I try to stay awake and wait up for him to come home, but most of the time I pass out on the couch from exhaustion.

Keilani went to the doctor for her AHDH evalution. He feels she could benefit greatly from medication. She's too skinny because she doesn't sit down to eat. At school she talks and play too much that she can't eat in the time allowed. So he reccomends a medication without appetite suppresant side effect. He also said that the medication will slow her down so she can focus easier. I expressed my concern for her love of reading and learning and he said the medication will help her acheive a greater potential. If she can slow down her body her mind will be able to asorb more information. He'd like for her to have an IQ test done with a pyschologist before we start medication. So it looks like perhaps in January we will start this journey with her.

Evelyn has been walking everywhere!! Each day she gets more stable. I can't even remember the last time I saw her crawl. It is such a beautiful sight to watch her waddle to Daddy when he walks in the door, or straight to me and give me a big hug. I love it!! And she is so proud of herself. You can see the sense of pride and accomplishment on her face. She is still going to speech and occupational therapy but all other appointments, procedures and specialists have been cancelled. I'm just going to let her go at her own pace now and help where I can. But she is happy and proud and I am proud of her!!

Christmas is upon us and in full force at our house. Cards have been sent. I bought all the gifts for the girls already. And now I am baking cookies!! I plan to give trays of cookies this year to a lot of people... I am making over 30 dozen to start. I am also hosting Christmas at our house. We'll have Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas breakfast and Christmas dinner in our tiny place. Russell's parents will be coming up so they can share in the holiday with the girls. I'm happy they decided to stay at our house so they can be there when the girls wake up and see all the magic that Santa left behind!! I'm such a kid during this time of year!! Anyway... I have lots of planning, cooking, baking, freezing and sharing to do... oh and shopping!! Still have more shopping to do too.

I am trying to get better about posting... when time allows!!

Speechless...

2007-11-26T14:51:00.001-05:00

What to do?...

2007-11-19T15:36:00.000-05:00

OK... so Friday was Evelyn's MRI. The procedure itself went well. She was sedated and slept through the whole scan process. Afterward 2 people came in to draw the blood. They tried both arms and only got 1 tube of blood; she ended up blowing out a vein. They had to call in an IV nurse with a special needle to try again. We got Evelyn back to sleep and then the IV nurse showed up. Now just to let you know... they needed to fill about 10 tubes of blood for the 12 tests that were ordered from 2 different doctors. The first people got 1 tube and after 2 tries in both of Evelyn's ankles the IV nurse only got 1 tube! I refused to let them poke her again! She was sedated but would wake up and cry while they were tryng to draw the blood. Poor thing was so hungry and tired too because they made her fast for the MRI. No idea why! So now I have to take her back to the hospital to have the 12 blood tests done, and this time she won't be sedated! I don't know if I can handle that. I am starting to question myself. Is all of this really necessary? Maybe she is just a happy baby that doesn't want to walk? Maybe she will talk one day. She's in therapy. Perhaps I should just let the therapist do what they can to help her. I don't want to traumatize my child anymore than I already have. I'm just not sure what to do! The MRI did come back with normal results. So thats one less thing to worry about. I have a call into her pediatrician to see if maybe we can take a look at her legs physically. Maybe by a pediatric orthopedic who can determine if there is a problem with her legs. I always said her one leg seemed weak or less invlolved than the other. When she crawled at 12 months she would push with one leg like a sea turtle and drag the other behind her. So maybe there is something wrong with her legs like I said months ago. The doctors haven't really addressed that issue, they mainly focus on her brain, sensory issues and speech... along with her lack of walking. But I just don't know. Doctors don't know everything and sometimes things get overlooked. But I hate to feel like a hypocondriac too. God I hope I am doing the rights things by Evelyn. Will I ever know for sure?!?!

Evelyn's big test tomorrow

2007-11-15T09:39:00.000-05:00

I'm a bit nervous. A bit anxious as well. Friday is Evelyn's big test day. We've been trying to get this test scheduled for 2 months! Tomorrow morning... bright and early she will finally go. Part of me worries if I am doing the right thing. What if something goes wrong? But they do these tests all the time. It's just a MRI; no big deal. But they have to sedate her. We're not using anesthia (sp), just a liquid medication that will make her sleep. They will do the MRI scan and then draw blood. The neurologist has ordered 4 blood tests and her pediatrician has added a couple more to the list. She should wake up from the test as if she took a nap. The nurse told me she may act wobbly or drunk the remainder of the day. I am not looking foward to watch her body lay so still on the table of that scanning machine. And of course the fear... what if she doesn't wake up?!?! OMG! I'm getting more nervous than anxious now. The anxious part wants to know if these tests show anything conclusive. Is there a medical reason why her development is so slow? Is there something in her brain or body that is keeping her from walking? And why won't she talk or form letter sounds? If these tests come back negative then we only have the road of therapy ahead to help her. But if there is something more we can do to help her... than I want to know! She is my baby. My little angel. I want her to have a full, happy, productive life. For that I need to do anything and everything within my power to help her. So I will brave the giant MRI machine with her. I will hold her while she drinks this nasty sleep medication. I will comfort her as she drifts off to sleep. I will kiss her boo-boos from the bloodwork. And I will insist on fast results!! I hope and pray everything goes according to plan tomorrow.

Blogs of the past...

2007-11-14T07:44:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you like to look back on the past. Things you have done, thought or felt perhaps years or months ago. Well, as some of you know this not my first blog. Nope... I have gone down this road before. So I thought that I would share my previous blogs with you.

The first one was started before Evelyn was born.
http://www.happypumpkinpatch.blogspot.com/

And the second, more recent, is from myspace.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=86342564

Enjoy!

The things we do for love...

2007-11-13T10:23:00.000-05:00

I hate motorcycles. Always have. My Father drove a Harley for years and I never had the desire to get on and go for a ride. Even my brother, when he got into the whole motorcycle thing. I was just always afraid of them. Afraid of the danger. I had visions of my head splattered all over the pavement... not a pretty picture! When I was a little girl I witnessed an horrific motorcycle accident and I think that is where my fear started. It didn't help when I received a call at work one day from Nancy at Wuesthoff Hospital (and yes I remember the conversation in complete detail) telling me that my brother had just been brought in from a motorcycle related accident. I never want to relive a phone call like that again! My stomach sank and I barely remember sitting down, but luckily the chair was under me. After nursing my brother back to health for several weeks he again rode a motorcycle. I could never understand the power these things held over people. What was the attraction? Now you can imagine my surprise when my husband tells me he wants a motorcycle. Over my dead body!! I made every point in the book about we have young children that need their father, we can't afford an accident or for him to be out of work. Not to mention the added expensive of a third vehicle in the household. I was very clear with my arguments but nevertheless, one day he went and bought a japanese, rice-rocket, sport bike. I was livid, to put it mildly. I threatened him not to come home, that it was "the bike or me". He reluctently agreed to sell the bike. I'll admit, it killed me to see him so miserable. This bike made him so happy! Why? It was a machine. It couldn't provide him love and comfort. It wouldn't keep him warm at night. But he would just go out riding for an hour or so. He was so peaceful and happy while on that thing. For 3 months we tried to sell it. Listed it in the cycle-trader, posted fliers and used word-of-mouth. No takers. Lots of people wanting to trade or make payments, but no... I wanted it gone. I wanted the headache gone. I wanted my husband back. I felt this machine coming between us. He made new friends and wanted to go riding with them, where did that leave me. Home with the girls, thats where. He would beg me to go ride with him. I was too scared. Then he threw out a phrase I could not argue with. "Don't you trust me?" Well of course I do. So one day I got up the courage to ride down the street with him. Just around the block and back home... THATS IT! When we got home I said... maybe just down to the end of the island and back. I guess I kind of liked it. It took a couple more weeks until I braved going on the main roads, but I did. And in going on these little rides with him I realized something. I discovered why people enjoy this so much. When you're on a bike you feel so free. Almost like flying. The wind in your hair. Surrounded by nature. Just me and Russell on the bike and feeling so close to each other. Very intimate in fact. I'm still scared of the "what-ifs" and the visions of body parts on the highway still pop into my head, but I love my husband. I love him enough to put my fears aside and join him in something he loves. Because it makes him happy. He even has both girls falling for this motorcycle thing. Keilani begs to go for ride on it to the bus stop and Evelyn likes to play with daddys helmet. This giant piece of metal which once almost destroyed a marriage has wormed it's away into the affections of our family. Who knew?!?!

Sticky note hell...

2007-11-12T14:35:00.000-05:00

Those little yellow squares of sticky paper have become a staple in life for me. Much like the human body needs food and water to survive... I need sticky notes. As I sit an type this I am looking at 11 of these yellow squares. Each one lists an appointment for each of my girls. They hang on either side of my computer monitor in chronological order. After each appointment I take that note down and move the rest up into place. The next in line for tomorrow afternoon, followed by one for Wednesday morning and then Friday morning. I have become a slave to these sticky notes. If there is something I need to remember, it has to be written on one of these note pads. Even something as simple as a birthday needs to written down so I don't forget to wish someone a happy day. I carry them in my purse along with a pen so I can write notes down on the go. My life used to be more easy to manage than this. I could remember distant relatives birthday's and anniversaries with ease and now.... I am lucky I can remember to breathe at times. I'd like to say it's "old age"... but I am not old. I guess it's only due to the fact that my life has just become more complicated over the years. Especially with Evelyn's many appointments, it seems she must meet every form of specialist on the planet and have a million tests done to her. Plus the weekly therapy sessions... it's enough to drive a person insane! And yes... I think it's starting to happen.

First post....

2007-11-12T12:25:00.000-05:00

You have to begin somewhere, right?!?!

I'll have to be honest with you.... I don't have much experience or time for blogging. But I am trying to look at it as therapy for me. I work full time, have a husband I barely get to see, 1 daughter in kindergarten that needs constant stimulation and 1 daugter that needs.... special treatment. My oldest, Keilani is my prodigy child. Always asking questions and always has something to say. She is a sponge with knowledge and I gladly share it with her. Evelyn is our baby girl. She is almost 18-months but is developmentally still only 12 months. She is forever with doctors, specialist and therapists to help get her to her appropriate age level. I'd give anything to hear her talk to me and to see her walk! Even though I know one day I will be telling her to stop running through the house and to sit down and be quiet. But for right now.... I just want her to do it. My husband, Russell... is a sweetheart. I seriously lucked out and got myself a great husband, father and friend.

So I will use this blog as a journal to vent my thoughts on life through my eyes. Between work, appointments and trying to there for my family & freinds.... you will be there too. I encourage comments and look foward to receiving them!!