WHAT?

Have you ever had a moment when something happens and your brain shuts down...the only thing you can say is ...uh? I had one of those, when the mechanic told us that it would be over 1000.00 to fix our 4,000.00 van. Uh? Yeah, that was an intelligent response! Well, now were left with, do we fix it? Or do we look for a new one? Decisions are hard....But I know what I'm not going to do! I'm not going to curl up into a fetal position! I'm not going to put on sappy movies so I can justify crying! I'm not going to resort to comfort food!!! .....oh....Sorry, I have to go, the oven dinged....my scones are done.

:)

Nana's Place

So, we've been helping Marks mom move into her new place. You always forget how hard it is to move until you do it again. It's been fun, especially for the kids, they LOVE Nana's place because she has fun toys and a pool. (direct quote from Marky) It's a nice place, we were fortunate to find it. It's been fun to see the memorabilia from Mark's past.

So, I've changed my background for St. Patricks Day. Who celebrates it anymore? (Over the age of 12) We know kids like to pinch others who don't wear green. It's a forgotten holliday. So I've decided to make a green dinner! I'll let you know how it goes and post a picture later!!

ER

TACO!!

So I thought, maybe I should make this blog domestic and...add a recipe!! So this dressing, and rice add flair to any taco....really anyone!! Fish tacos especially!!! Shredded pork is my favorite!! Shredded beef as well!!! You guess it, it works! (Good on other things as well!)

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

This makes A LOT too, but that's ok, you will want to put it on everything.

1 cup buttermilk ( you can make buttermilk by putting 1 Tablespoon of vinegar in 1 cup regular milk and let it sit for 10 min)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 package buttermilk ranch dressing mix

1/2 bunch cilantro

2 cloves garlic

2 Jalapeno's

2-3 Tomatillos

Peel husk from tomatillos, wash cut in quarters. Cut Jalapenos in half and take out seeds. Roast them on a tray at 400 for 20 min. (I totally did this in the toaster oven.)

Puree all ingredients in a food processor/blender. Chill for one hour or longer.

Assembling the Taco's

Heat corn tortilla's in a pan with some oil, or as desired.

put on shredded cabbage and shreded pork, and squeeze fresh limes juice over it.

Top with dressing.

We made simple spanish rice as a side dish.

Simple Spanish Rice

Saute a chopped onion in a sauce pan till soft, add 1/2 can of diced tomato's, or fresh and cook 2 min. Add rice and toast with veggies for a min. Add water (2 cups water to one cup rice) and 1/2 packets of seasoning like "Sazon Goya" if you have it. ( they have it at Kroger).

When rice is done, squeeze a little fresh lime on it, and stir in some chopped cilantro

Life

Have you ever had one of those days that everything goes as it should...as it always does...and you wonder why it does? Today was one of those days.

I woke up with inspiration and determination to clean and reorganize

--we have too much stuff that never gets used and takes up way to much space--so back to my story. I woke up, determined to get rid of the "stuff".

I jumped right on in! Organizing and cleaning the living room, scrubbing down the kitchen on my hands and knees. Back into the living room to pick up all the tiny pieces of paper Shawn ripped up. Pause a moment when I realize that the paper was my Primary Presidency Meeting minutes...deep breath...deep breath...okay I'm not going to let this ruin my day!

Onward!! The toilet needs scrubbing! oh. First I must remove the curling iron Shawn thought should go in the toilet....deep breath...deep breath....okay, he's a toddler, it happens....moving on! Toilet, check. Onto the kitchen for some water. oh. Deep Breath! Deep Breath! Shawn has decided to redecorate the cabinet fronts with pen...DEEP BREATH DEEP BREATH! Oh! I think I've hyperventilated!

I look down at my little home-wrecking hobbit and exclaim..."What do you have to say for yourself Shawn-Bo Baggyend!" ....."Uh-oh!" he says, and smiles. Suddenly it's all okay. Just paint and a curling Iron I never have time to use. Who needs a house free of "stuff" anyway.

Somewhat better.

Hello,

Daddy Mark is feeling somewhat better. He stopped taking the narcotic, it wouldn't let him sleep. He's only on super IBprofin right now, but says it's dropped to a dull pain. He's actually up and about, cleaning and helping around the house. That's amazing!! He hasn't been this happy since Thanksgiving. What a blessing. The doctors tell us he will need another shot in 6 months. Then 6 months after that another MRI to see if the degeneration is worse. If it is it means surgery next year. If it isn't another shot until it is. So, these shots are just biding us time. But it's like your teeth, you want to keep them as long as possible because you are just not the same without them.

Love you all!

ER

Daddy Mark

Here's the info! Mark received his corizone epidural in his C7 disc at the base of his neck. It is a pretty severe bulge. We're hoping it works. He called the doctor yesterday because his scalp was itching and he had shooting pains down his arm and in his eye. That was one of the warning signs of the shot. The doctor had him come in yesterday. He examined him and put him on a different medication for the pain. Unfortunately it's a narcotic. He's going to only take it at night so he can sleep. The doctor thinks that the pains in his arm and his scalp and eye are from his Shingles last year. He said the pain returned because of the manipulation of the nerves in his spine. Hopefully it'll go away without the spots appearing. To get shingles on top of all this would be a nightmare. Anyway, the doctor is hoping he'll feel better in 2 weeks. He's now in physical therapy to help his movement and muscle memory. He's protected that side of his body for so long now that his muscles arn't willing to relax. It's nice to know what is causing all this pain. It's also nice to know his MRI is clear, and the doctor is confident that his residual symptoms are due to the shingles and not MS. Good, and sad news. These next 2 weeks will tell us if we need surgery to fuse those two spine together and take out the disc. Pray!!!

love ya

ER

Toddler'

So,

It was a pleasant morning....got marky off to school right on time. Haley dressed herself (colorfully) and Shawn was playing quietly. So, I sat down to read for a minute, it's been a while since I've had a moment to myself. Then I woke up. Shawn was playing quietly? Oh No!! Running to the kitchen I discovered a toddler dressed in white, covered in orange. Somehow he had managed to get the refrigerator open, get a yogurt, and climbed on the table, opened it, and dressed himself in orange, as well as finger painting the table. I may have a budding artist on my hands...eh? Anyway, I started laughing, good choice. I could have screamed. He thought it was hysterical and laughed too, then offered me some yogurt. When I said no, he pointed to the table and said Uh-OH! yep. that about sums it up!

derranged?

So, Marks Brain MRI came back normal (do we really believe his brain is normal? I was kind of hoping he was odd like me!) , now we focus on his neck and try to stop that pain. He's in the doctor this morning, they will see if they can give him an injection, or if he is too bad and needs surgery. So, I was reading his shoulder MRI report. Have you ever read medical records? They are quite interesting! For example, on Mark's history report it reads: "Upper extremity pain. Left arm pain. Concern for internal derangement." Derangement? Well, we all knew he couldn't be perfect! It also states: "There is normal muscle mass..." Sorry Mark, despite your belief you are not superman. Have a happy day, find the little things that make you laugh!

ER