Monthly Roundup - February

What reading/learning did I do this month? 

I started my BSW program this month!  My first class was wonderful.  I am the youngest person in my class.  That is a HUGE change from my associates degree classes.

What entertainment did I watch/listen to this month? (movies, tv shows, plays, music, concerts, etc.)

I started watching the new series, Smash.  I really liked the first episode, the second one was ok, and now I can't decide if I will continue to watch it or not.

I don't remember who, but someone posted this Elmo video on Facebook and Julia has been hooked ever since!  We watch it a couple times a week at least.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

Julia and I spent a week with Casey and her family in Flint.  When Lou started the living room project, I decided it would be best to just get Julia out of dodge!

We celebrated Logan's 2nd birthday with a dinosaur party!

We celebrated Oliver's 2nd birthday at the Children's Museum with a Sesame Street theme!

Keira has started using the "Big Girl Potty" so we celebrated with her at Chuck E. Cheese.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

We bought new carpet for the living room as well as drywall and paint!  I am so excited for it to be completed Friday.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

I managed to deep fry my fingers while making crab cakes.  I think the burn was the worst pain I can remember having in my life.  And don't forget, I have given birth!  On top of that I had to get a tetanus shot.  That is something I'm glad I won't have to do again for at least 10 years!!!

What were my disappointments this month?

I tried to potty train Julia.  We started trying the 7-days no diapers method.  By day 3, she was not having it.  I didn't want to traumatize her by forcing her to do it, so we will let it go for now and try again in a few months.

How did I do on my goals for the month? (Or any current short or long term goals)

I got a little behind with Project Life.  I ended up taking a couple weeks off from my Sunday scrap days due to the living room project.  I have printed pictures and put them into the pages, but I have to go back and add my journaling.

Anything else noteworthy to include?


HUGE project in our house this month.  We did the overhaul of the living/dining room.  The ceiling was drywalled, new crown moulding was installed, the walls and trim was painted, old carpet was removed, and new carpet will be here Friday!!!

Freezer Cooking Day

Well, on a good note, my living room ceiling no longer looks like this...

But, unfortunately, it still looks like this...

Which means that Julia and I aren't able to hangout in the living room yet. This means that we are spending a lot of time in the kitchen, her bedroom, and my bedroom! Why not make use of that time in the living room and make a few meals for the freezer as well as making a few freezer meals to share with a few mom's in my Mom's Group that are expecting new babies soon.


Here is the plan for the day:


Lazy Lasagna Chili (made 4 - 3C bags)
1C chopped zucchini
1/2C chopped onion
1-1/2lbs Italian sausage
3 garlic cloves, pressed
26oz jar spaghetti sauce
30oz beef broth
1C water
1-1/2C uncooked pasta (egg noodles, radiatore, ziti work well)
basil

Chop zucchini & set aside (I cut it in slices and then cut the slices in half but I like bigger chunks). Cook sausage until no longer pink, add onions & garlic. Add spaghetti sauce, broth & water - bring to a boil. Stir in zucchini, cook 2-4 minutes until tender, add basil.

**Don't add the noodles before bagging. When reheating, add the noodles, another cup or two of water and cook them in at that point.**


BBQ Chicken (Crock Pot) (2 bagged meals)
Everything for this recipe goes into the bag raw.
Chop the following ingredients & divide them between the 2 bags...
3 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 zucchini, chopped
1 onion, sliced
2 green bell peppers, sliced
1 red bell peper, sliced
4-5 chicken breasts, diced

In each bag, place...
8oz tomato paste
1T Worcestershire
2T brown sugar
1T mustard powder
1 garlic clove
1/4tsp salt

Close up the bags, mix a bit and voila!
Reheating - This can go in the crock pot while still frozen. Add about 3/4C water or chicken broth. Cook on low for about 8 hours.


Baked Ziti (2 meals)
8 oz. container Ricotta cheese
4 cups Mozzarella cheese (divided)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce
16 oz box penne pasta


Cook pasta according to package for al dente pasta. While the pasta is cooking, in stock pot combine spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and 2 cups of Mozzarella cheese. Drain pasta and add to sauce mixture. Divide pasta and sauce mixture into two baking dishes or foil pans. Top each with 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese.

**Reheating- Take dish out of freezer and thaw in refrigerator. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove cover and bake for additional 10 minutes to brown cheese on top.

All of this cooking will make 8 meals. I will be giving 3 away, eating one, and and have 4 to freeze for later! Not bad!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Snag A Camera Giveaway: Win a Canon 5D MKII or Nikon D700 from mcp actions!

Follow think link: http://bit.ly/xYrnpt  to Enter the MCP Actions 2012 “Snag a Canon or Nikon Camera Giveaway,” sponsored by PunchTab, the world’s first instant online loyalty and rewards platform!

Good luck to all that enter!

Benefit for Oakley Savickas

OAKLEY’S STORY

Dear Friend,

            I want to tell you about a wonderful one-year-old boy named Oakley. 

“The baby’s kidneys are measuring too big.”  Life was changed when Oakley’s parents went in for a routine prenatal ultrasound.  They had to transfer care to the High Risk clinic.  This consisted of weekly ultrasounds to try to see what exactly was wrong with the baby.  One thing they knew for sure is that Oakley had a blockage somewhere in his urinary system, which caused several complications.  A few of these were an enlarged abdomen, extremely enlarged kidneys, bladder, ureters, and he has also been given the diagnosis of Posterior Urethral Valves or PUV.

“We have to discuss some options.”  There was talk that due to his enlarged stomach, his lungs may be too compressed to breathe when he was born.  However, on 9/23/10, Oakley was born 3 weeks early and crying!  Oakley’s parents chose life for their son even though it was suggested he may not make it to birth.  They gave him a chance when nobody else would.  Never give up, never give in! Oakley was transferred to the NICU immediately after birth and a urinary catheter, feeding tube, and monitors were placed.  Around the clock blood work was done.  On Oakley’s 3^rd day of life, he underwent his first surgery.  When they went in to perform the surgery, they realized they had misdiagnosed his condition.  The original diagnosis of PUV was ruled out.

“He looks great on the outside, but is very sick on the inside.” Oakley has several diagnoses.  He has a variant of Prune Belly Syndrome which is found in 1 in 40,000 births. Along with PBS, there are a multitude of other urinary and renal issues.  For treatment, multiple blood draws and specialty visits to the Urologist and Nephrologist are required. You see, when dealing with a ‘kidney kid’, unfortunately the future is very uncertain.  Oakley has been under anesthesia 3 times and under sedation 1 time in his first 15 months.  He has had 3 surgeries, 2 MRI’s and uncountable renal and bladder ultrasounds.  He has had to have invasive nuclear scans. (VCUG & MAG 3).  There is also a special diet, prescription formula, and daily medications that are taken.  There is one thing they are sure of - Oakley will need an inevitable kidney transplant in his life.

            Oakley is not the only person that is living the lifestyle with a multitude of medical issues.  His mom, dad, two sisters & two brothers have shared in all of Oakley’s experiences; yet, this young family endures with determination and courage.  It is extremely difficult and emotionally draining for every member of the family. Hope prevails!

This family needs our help.  They have been given a gift of life that requires prayers, diligence, and persistence.  However, let alone in today’s economic hard times this family endures a financial burden that few of us will ever experience. 

 “For every negative in life, there is a positive.”  Oakley’s mother believes that God has chosen them to be parents to this special boy for a reason.  She has made it her will to raise awareness of Organ Donation.  Not only for Oakley, but for the other people who are awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant.

            If you could find it in your means to contribute ANYTHING to a benefit auction that will be held at Sts. Peter and Paul School gym on March 24, 2012, we would greatly appreciate it.  We are in need of large-scale items for a raffle as well as auction items.  Monetary donations may be made out to Sarah Savickas and mailed to: J’s Journey Attn: Sarah Savickas – 5796 Rollaway Dr. Comstock Park, MI 49321

Sincerely,

Kim Poplaski (KimL141@aol.com) we are also able to pick donated items up.  Please call or email.

Mary Ann and Nick Friar – J’s Journey – Families Helping Families Fundraising Events 616-785-3240

Mark your calendars...

With all the daily demands on our time, it's often difficult to take time away to scrap. Well, this year there is an extra day on the calendar. There's no better way to use it than to scrap!!!

We would like to invite you to join us for the Leap Into Scrapping Crop.

The fun will begin on Friday Feb. 24 and go until Sunday Feb. 26. There will be great challenges, games, and FUN FUN FUN!!!

If you haven't already, join www.scrapfreak.com so you are ready for all the great inspiration!

Scrapfreak.com ~ 2.10 Freaky Friday - Storytelling:Snapshots and Lists

This month's storytelling challenge: Snapshots and Lists{here}

We all have lots of pictures that don't really have a story. They might be quick pictures you've just taken at home, extra photos from a vacation or an event, or just a pretty snapshot.

We also have lots of interesting quirks and stories that we don't have photos for.

Our challenge this week is to match them up and create a project

. 

Tip: If you can't think of a story, use a list! Here are a couple of lists that might get you started. 

List ideas:

• Favorite Movies, Books, Music (any form of entertainment)
• Me (or your kid/husband/dog) Right Now
• My goals in the next year (5 years, 10 years, etc).
• Personality Types/Zodiac Signs

**This is a great way to use up all of your extra photos from a vacation set, or those super cute cell phone pictures you've been saving.**



For my layout, I used a picture of Julia watching TV and making sure no one else tried to change the channel.  It was the perfect picture to use with a list of her favorite shows at the moment.

You can take a closer look at it {here}

Monthly Roundup - January

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

After hearing several people talk about the Hunger Games series, and then seeing previews for the Hunger Games movie, I decided to see what people were talking about.  I flew through Hunger Games wanting more, so I started Catching Fire within hours of finishing Hunger Games.  By the end of Catching Fire, I was still liking the series, but not like I was in the beginning.  Mocking Jay took me a bit to finish.  In all, I liked the series and I can't wait to see the movie!

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?

The biggest "must-see" show this month was season 5 of Jersey Shore!  I can't help my sick obsession with reality TV.  Cristen came over for the season premier night.  We had Moscato and snacks.  It was fun to have girl time.

My other tv weakness, Shameless!  I had to get Showtime back into our cable line-up for this one.  I tried watching the UK version (which came first) on Netflix, but I had already watched this version first, so I was already attached to the US cast and couldn't watch the exact same thing, just different characters and based in the UK.

And finally, FOOTBALL!  This is Lou and Julia doing the "Tebow" after a Bronco win in the playoffs.  Their success in the playoffs was short lived.  It will be the Giants and the Patriots in the Superbowl this year.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

This was my and Julia's first month without a car.  Lou's truck isn't running well and I am off of school until the end of Feb, so we went down to a one car family.  I thought that would mean a lot of being stuck home (don't get me wrong, we have been stuck several days!), but we actually got out and had a lot of fun this month.  It helps that we didn't get much snow!

We went with Gramma and Aunt Kacie to the Meijer Gardens to check out the Christmas Around the World exhibit.  We waited until after all the kids were back in school after Christmas break so it wasn't crowded.  Julia loved following the train around and seeing where is would come from next!

We spent an afternoon at the Children's Museum with Cristen and Oliver.  The kids had a lot of fun, but unfortunately, they also ended up with colds!  I forgot how many germs are in a place like that in the winter!

I spent my birthday weekend scrapping at Pages in Time with my mom, Casey and Cristen.  We were there from 6p-12 on Friday, then back at it from 9a-6p on Saturday!  It was fun to get away with friends.  Cristen and Casey are both moms of young kids, so it's rare that we get to hang out together without kids!

We took our annual trip to the Huntin' Time Expo with Lou's dad.  Julia had so much fun people watching and hanging out with her Grandpa.  It was so cute watching her walk around holding hands with her Grandpa and Daddy.  This year they had the crazy taxidermy, but it was partitioned off so we couldn't get close.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

I celebrated my birthday this month.  We haven't been spending a lot of money on extra things for a while since we just got the new house and are using our extra money to do things around the house, so I wasn't expecting much for my birthday.  Add that with the fact that I got a hefty ticket right before Christmas, and I REALLY wasn't expecting much.  But, Lou surprised me.  He bought me a spinning 4 tier storage bin from Harbor Freight.  It wasn't an expensive gift by any means, but I was happy that he remembered something that I showed him online a while before my birthday and took Julia on a trip across town to make sure that he got me something I really wanted for scrapping.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

I finally broke down and bought myself a Cricut!  I have always thought they were ok, but not something I wanted to spend the money on.  When Cristen mentioned wanting one, I remembered that The Outlet carried them for cheap and we could use the 50% off weekly coupon.  I ended up buying the Cricut Mini for about $30!  I couldn't pass that up.  And I really like the fact that it works with my laptop so I can see what I am going to cut before I cut.

What were my accomplishments this month?

Julia got a big girl bed to start the new year.  The first few days without a crib were disasterous!  I seriously thought about bringing the crib back, but knew we couldn't since she learned how to jump out.  After a few sleepless nights she loved her new bed.  Now the only problem is that she can get out of bed in the morning, so she doesn't sleep in as much anymore.




How did I do on my goals for the month? (Or any current short or long term goals)

I took on Project Life for 2012.  It is a big project and takes dedication, but I have stayed up to date scrapping my weeks so far.  (Now I just need to remember to blog them!)

Anything else noteworthy to include?

I turned the big 3-0 this year!  I am no longer in my twenties. :(  The last few weeks before my birthday were a bit rough, but I made it to 30 and so far it's the same as before!