Valentines day dinner and goodmail

I got some cute cupcake dinnerware at Joann's on sale and saved it for our valentines dinner. Here's the place mats.
Traditionally we always have chicken cordon blue for valentines dinner. This year we also had new potatoes, fruit cocktail and orange juice mixed with sprite.

Kyler, Bridger and Kimber had their drinks in these (although one of them was really Kennas to take home)

Desert was smores, which were really hard to get the chocolate to melt outside, it was so cold, even with the fire. hehe

I also made cupcakes for Kyler to take to school this week for his class for valentines.

I made some candy for Kevin to take to his lunch buddies at school. These are so easy, lay out the waffle pretzels, place either a candy kiss (the light pink ones are reg kisses) (the dark pink ones were cherry filled kisses, wouldn't recommend kisses with filling, they were messy) and the (red ones were Rollo's, so good) anyway, place a kiss or Rollo on the pretzel and place in a 200* oven for 5 minutes (ONLY) remove and squish a M&M on top, place in freezer for just a couple minutes to set.

I received good mail from Jody S and Chelsea this month (my kids ran off with it as soon as they saw the fun cupcake stuff) so I had a hard time getting it all back from them to take the picture) Thanks J&C, I love them!

Christmas Eve and bloggy housekeeping

When we bought our half a beef this last fall, I had them tie up a prime rib. It was YUMMR. Kevin did a great job cooking it. (tomorrow it will be sandwiches on homemade french onion bread)
we also had oven roasted asparagus, that Kevins niece Jamie made at their house for thanksgiving. She got the recipe here
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/11/oven-roasted-asparagus/ I got to try out my new baking sheet from Demarle. It worked wonderful. This is just before it went into the oven.

I knew it was a bad and I do mean BAD idea to let the kids open one present Christmas eve. We always have but this year... BRIDGER cant let go or go with the flow......

Kyler with his new PJ's. Kylers are nice warm flannel to keep him toasty at dialysis.

Bridger with his new PJ's. Bridger thought he should open just one more. And ended up in tears.

Kimber with her new PJ's. (Kimbers top to her PJ's had a cupcake on it, the same as Kenna got for her birthday back in October)

I received good mail from my good mail sisters recently. Jodi gave me a Mary Englebreit note pad, an ice cream cone magnet and a cupcake card (I am going to frame that card to put in Kimbers room, that's cupcakes) I also got from Tina and Debbie, some yummr sounding recipes and very nice Christmas letter. THANKS girls.

The other night Bridger, Kimber and I made a gingerbread tree. Every time they put on the little candies, it tree leaned to one side or the other. hehe. Someone was eating the frosting

In December I made cupcakes for my good friend Shelly's daughter Maddy. She wanted snowmen, but doesn't like coconut. So I used white sprinkles and the edible glitter from Wilton.

I think they turned out pretty cute even without the coconut (which would have been a bit fluffier and hid the frosting mistakes)

The reason I made Maddys cupcakes is because her older sister Makayla saw my piggy cupcakes and wanted them for her birthday back in September. They were both fun to make cupcakes for and were so happy.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

Good mail and bad school

We will start with good mail. Jen sent me good mail this week. It came at a perfect time. I have had a sore throat all week with a headache. The card was very sweet, she knows all that I am going through and love. And the little hand made pin for Halloween is so cute. Thanks Jen
Kyler has been in school for 7 weeks and the other day he mentioned to me that they wont give him his medication at lunch time! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? So for now, I have to drive down to his school at lunch and give him his medication myself. All I do in this world is try to keep my son alive. I had the doctor fill out the form at the beginning of the school year for them to give his medication (not having it will not kill him but it will not keep him as healthy as possible, infact it will deplete his bones of there calcium because of phosphorus in food) Anyway, theres a nurse at the school, but I guess she is not allowed to give medication because she is not a "district nurse" . Shouldn't she have said something when her and I spoke on the phone a few times this year? There wasn't even a nurse at the school last year, who gave it to him then? why didn't anyone bother to tell me? How can I trust "them" when he actually has a transplant and the meds are life or death meds? So now the entire staff has been trained to give medication. But the bottle they have was from last year and doesn't match the doctors orders for this year. One bottle has enough pills for 7.5 months. We are STILL using last years bottle at school.......HELLO! The prescription is 50.00. So now even though we don't NEED more pills I have to go get another prescription so it will match. My children have had some wonderful teachers. I have met some wonderful principals, nurses, aids, attendance staff, counselors, my husbands a teacher and besides the fact that he has a wonderful personality, I believe being a teacher of teens has helped our marriage (for him to have to deal with two teenage step sons when we got married (they were good boys overall though) but really I love alot about schools. I would never consider home schooling. I don't have it in me, unless it were maybe preschool. hehe I am as smart as a 3 or 4 year old! There are many things I HATE about schools and medication has been one of them. This wasn't the first issue with it.

He was so tired today. He has dialysis on T, TH and S at 6am. It really drains him (in more than one way hehe)

Good Mail and my children

I got more good mail. Last week I got the Crystal Light on the go from Jen. The red ones are the immunity flavor. I am pretty excited to try those out this fall with Bridger starting pre school. Then today I got a custom made check book cover from Cindy. Just when its so drizzly out (yes it is August and I live in the Pacific NW) and its rained ALL day. I know we need it and its a nice change from being 90 but rain in August?!!
Here is Kyler on Sunday. All the kids were ready for church but do you think they would sit for a picture? B&K both went running off crying. Thanks for the picture Kyler!

See this little pig (that Kimber is looking at) I bought both Ryan and Kyler many pigs. Some are 20+ years old. They never played with them (they both showed pigs in 4H) now the next (or same) generation is playing with them. She loves all the piggys around the house.
When Kevin was working on the windows.....Bridger was also working. Do you see this? this is what we live with every day with him.

Here's a close up in case your not seeing it...........Sometimes it gets old or annoying. But other times we cant wait to see what he grows up to be.

More Good Mail

I got more good mail yesterday. From a good mail buddy who lives in Texas. Her name is Elaine. Isn't this card just the cutest. I love the icey strawberry milky thing in the summer and hot vanilla steamers in the winter. Yummr. Oh and I do have Starbucks stock so please everyone get out there and purchase your favorite drinks. They have alot of things even if you don't drink coffee or tea. And the stock is down a bit (probably due to gas prices!) Thanks Again Elaine. I love this card its so cute. I am going to have to steal your card idea.

Good Mail

I belong to a group of woman from all over the US that send out good mail every now and then. I received some today. Its so much fun to get good mail and not just bills or junk mail. And how often do we even get cards and things in the mail (unless its our birthdays anymore) so this is so nice. Thanks Debbie from TN

More Good Mail. YIPPEE

More good mail. Yippee for me. This has been a very draining week so it couldn't have come at a better time. This good mail, $5.00 worth of McIceCream will be used when I am out on my own. hehe 5.00 worth of McIceCream all to myself. YUMMR. Jody S, has been a great new bloggy friend. While she does payroll and I clean my house we IM (wink wink) its nice to have friends all over the country that have alot of the same interest that we both can relate to. You can visti Jody here http://djshelley.blogspot.com/2008/04/good-mail.html

Good Mail

I joined a fun little group of sistas and they send each other Good Mail. I received my first mail drop today. Yeah ME. This is just he week I needed it, its been a ruff week. Thanks to Kristin whom you can meet here http://krisicute.blogspot.com/ She sent me this little book....The best things in life begin with "K". I love the first page it says Keep in mind that strangers are friends that you have yet to meet. (Roberta Lieberman) isn't that true in the blog world? Thanks Again Kristin. It couldn't have come at a better time, this was a ruff week.

Last week I was thinking I should join up with them. I had read a bit on Tinas blog about good mail and then some on Jody's blog, which at the time I didn't realize both my bloggy friends were part of this little group. If you want to check them out go here http://thegoldensblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Good%20Mail to visit Tina or Jodi and her daughter Chelsea who I believe started it all. http://djshelley.blogspot.com/2008/04/good-mail.html