Happy Halloween

Just two quick pictures, one of the boys right before we got in the car to leave for the party last night and one of Kolin at the party.



Jeff Hardy {from WWE wrestling, I think it's WWE anyway?} and Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector {Silence of the Lambs}.



I'll be doing Kolin's more better Halloween portraits today. Not only did I not have time this week but I just bought his face paint late yesterday. :0(

I really, REALLY had this great plan for a Halloween picture today, but , as always, with the week turning into a complete disaster, I had no time at all to get it done.
So..look for it this week.
Better late then never, right? :0)

Happy Halloween everyone!!

Oh btw..the party ROCKED!!

Ups And Downs

UGH....Kody was feeling better yesterday but by late afternoon it was pretty clear he was going on the downward again, headache...dizziness.
About and hour ago he woke up feeling like someone was sitting on his chest. He took a couple puffs off an inhaler and went back to sleep...a really light sleep though, or maybe that's because I keep checking on him every 8-10 minutes or so. :0)

I'll call the Dr's office just as soon as I drop Kolin off at school this morning. They said it could take up to three days for him to feel better so I am really worried, but not completely panicked just yet. Or, maybe I am and it's just to darn early to realize it.

We are supposed to attend the karate schools annual Halloween bash tonight. Man, I do hope Kody will make it. Heck, I hope Kolin makes it too seeing as I haven't even got him what he needs to complete his outfit.
What's up with that? I am always three weeks early when it comes to Halloween. :0(

Anyway, here's one from yesterday, still not looking like the cheerful Kody, the one I am always says to "OK, Kody you can stop smiling so much...try to be serious". LOL...I had no problem at all with that yesterday as I clicked off a very fast four.



Have a great day everyone and Happy Halloween Eve!!

Shunt Troubles

The good news is it was all shunt trouble and the better news is it was fixable with just a small tweak in his program settings Kody went from being Bear 1.0 to an upgrade of Bear 1.5.

OK, so here it is explained in real terms. LOL!

Kody's shunt was over draining big time. Nobody really knows why, as all this year that he's had the new shunt it has worked at the 1.0 setting beautifully.
However, when they popped up the scans on the computer you could not see any ventricles at all, meaning Kody's ventricles has zero fluid in them what so ever.
This is bad because it means his noggin was pretty badly dehydrated and he has been feeling in hangover hell with severe headache pain and high blood pressure for the past week or so.

They reset his shunt setting with a magnetic tool that looks like a compass by closing down the valve so it doesn't release too much fluid, in this case releasing all the fluid leaving him with flat as a pancake ventricles. It is painless and non-invasive, btw.

It is possible that he isn't drinking enough during the day, which can mess up the shunt working to it's full potential.
I know when he's home he drinks plenty but Kody's school doesn't allow kids to walk around with water bottles all day BUT I asked Dr. O to write a note to his school and when I drop that note off tomorrow I know everything will be just fine.
Hopefully that is what happened to the shunt and everything will be OK from here on end. Fingers crossed.

If he is still feeling bad, or just not himself, in about a week he will have to go back and get a whole shunt series done to make sure nothing else is wrong. The shunt series is basically x-rays starting from the top of his head where the valve is, to his pelvis, which is where the tubing ends and the fluid is released into his stomach.

Also, they want him scheduled in one month for an MRI to check the status of the tumor, regardless of how he is feeling.

WHEW...well, I guess that's enough drama for the day, huh? :0)

Once again though, I have GOT to give Dr. Gegg, Dr. O, their entire staff and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children "Two Thumbs Up" and lots of props for being absolutely extraordinary and treating Kody and us, as a family, like we were family.
If I had to nominate one hospital as being the very, very best, it would definitely be Arnold Palmers in Orlando, Florida.

So here's our Bear, this afternoon, still tired, but starting to feel better.



Have a great day everyone!

Just keep swimming......

Life's Too Short....

Not to act like a complete goof with the one you love.



I know I said I was too tired to post a picture today {see post below} but I saw this one taken over the weekend and it made me smile, realizing that even after 29 years we can still do goofy selfies with the best of them. :0)

Back to ravioli making....

*Bear*

We have to have him at Arnold Palmer Hospital's ER at 8:30 AM tomorrow morning. Someone from Dr's Gegg's neuro/hydrocephalus office will meet us there for a Cat Scan and Shunt Series.

No pic's today, sorry. I am tired, no make that exhausted. :0(

TTYL!!

The Reader

Don't you just love it when your kid is quiet and you find him outside on the patio looking like this?



Yeppers, we got another James Patterson fan here. :0)

Speaking of Bear, shortly after that photo was snapped on Sunday he came down with another bad headache {he had a morning one as well}. It really hasn't gone away yet and he is sooooo, sooooo off balance.
I talked to a rep. at Florida KidCare and she said if they can rush his application it will take another 7 to 10 days to find out if he is approved.
Geez.....
I feel like the clock is just ticking away, will he see a Dr. soon or won't he?

In the meantime I got a letter from Shands asking how he was doing since they hadn't seen him for a while?
Ummm...it's been over a year and they finally noticed he was MIA? LOL!
Anyway, I filled out the comment section of the letter and will put it in the mailbox tomorrow.

Craziness, I swear.

Well, I better get a move on and make sure Kolin gets his butt in gear...shower/homework/etc.

Later Maters!!

Dang Easy Veggie Soup

I am in no way a professional cook/chef/wanna be Rachel Ray in any way. Truth be told, after what seemed like 100 years cooking three meals a day for a family of 8, I really don't enjoy cooking at all.
Decorating cakes.....well, that's different. :0)
Anyway, I like making sure my Hell Raisers eat healthy and fact is, we only let them have fast food maybe 4 times a year, or less. Bet'cha didn't know that. Hehe.
So, even though I'd rather do 10 loads of laundry, mop 6 floors and Clorox the heck out of two bathrooms, everyday without fail I have to drag myself into that room we call a kitchen and prepare that family of mine something that will put some good nutrition in their growing bodies.

One day last week when we were having some out of the ordinary cool weather I slapped together the easiest veggie soup ever. Seriously, I wouldn't make that up...just drop and go basically.

So here is what I started out with {cuz it happened to be what I had in the veggie bin that particular day}...



Yellow squash, zucchini, green onions, eggplan and Tootsie Rolls.
Wait...let me rephrase, the Tootsie Rolls are for picking on while you slave over the stove.

Then I pulled out all of these...



I chopped all the veggies and threw them into an enormous pot then added a bunch of water..



The eggplant started turning brownish as soon as they were cut. Oh well, you win some and sometimes things just turn color. No worries, it tastes just fine.

I started boiling away when it occurred to me Wife Swap was on. I didn't want to miss it so I took it upon myself to toss in everything else. Tomatoes, spices, everything.
It was smelling pretty darn good.

During commercial breaks, I scored a few more Tootsies, and stirred away.
After about oh 40 minutes I gave it a try. The veggies were perfect but the watery stuff...not so good.
So, I dumped about half that boring tasting water down the sink and raided the pantry.
I found tomato soup and threw that in.
Beef bullion cubes, threw like 6 of those in.
Added some more Italian Spices and a touch more garlic, let it simmer for another 30-40 minutes and what do you know? Perfecto Dude!

Somewhere, around 30 minutes before dinnertime I had this feeling that it needed one more thing, something perhaps to disguise the onions so K&K might miss them.
So, I took two bags of "boil-in-a-bag" rice and boiled, drained, opened the bags and threw that in too.
Now that's what I call....HOT DANG GOOD.

So, this is what we ended up with on the table that night.



Sprinkle some Parmesan on top and your totally good to go.
Low fat, not many calories, lots of healthy fiber and good for you too.
However, FYI, it is seedy so if you can't tolerate seedy stuff, just substitute other veggies...no problem. :0)

Happy Soup Slurpin'!!

Hannibel Lector

OMG, I still remember in every little detail my little boy who used to dress as Buzz Lightyear. Not just for Halloween, but for everyday.

Now, that same cute kidlet has transformed into, Hannibel Lector {Silence of the Lambs}.



Still though, I think it's awesome because, {a little trivia here} I am one of Hannibel's biggest fans. :0)

I am working on the soup pic's, actually they are ready but I think I might save it till tomorrow's blogger update.

Have a great day everyone!!

Sorry :0(

Lots going on that is keeping me beyond busy.

Kody has been having, I am 100% positive, a problem with his shunt. However, without any insurance I can't take him to his Dr's. So everyday we spend here in the morning dealing with morning headaches and swooshes of fluid he can feel in his head whenever he sits up or gets up from laying down, which makes him terribly dizzy, off balance and plain out miserable.
However, as he is up an about it gets better, till he has to sit for a long period of time and get up, that's when it starts again.
No seizures though, at least I hope so.

This was taken on Tuesday, or maybe it was Wednesday...heck I just don't remember.



Sheila {and a few others} I know you will understand just by seeing that picture which was taken at home.

On a happier note, the soup came out really good. I took a few snaps as I went along so by tomorrow I'll post them along with simple instructions as to what I did...which, trust me, was VERY simple cuz I am not big into hovering around the stove all day. LOL!

Well everyone, I apologize for being MIA. I am trying to get back on track.

Have a beautiful day everyone. :0)

PS. Yes, the boys will be getting hair trims/style/shape real soon. Not seeing Kody's eyes is even starting to get on my last nerve. Hehe...

Pumpkin Coffee

In my opinion, a perfect way to start the day....



...before the kids wake up, the phone starts ringing, the middle of the months bills get delivered, the neighbors dog starts its all day barking, and so on and so on. :0)

Comfort Soup

I never did get to make it yesterday cuz Karlio and the boys brought home chicken stir fry fixins', so in a little while I'll get it started.
I don't have a recipe, just winging it.
I'll let you all know how it turns out. :0)

In the meantime...here's one of Bear. Not a new one cuz honestly, I haven't been picking up the camera lately.
That's gotta change, I know.



Have a great day all...TTYL!!

Cold & Quiet Sunday Morning

49 degrees at 8 AM is not cool, not cool at all. Cold, yes but not cool.

So, while Karlio took the boys down South to drop off some important paperwork and to check out the main truck/construction shop {it's like 4 times the local one}, I decided to let the men have their time while I choose to hover around the coffee pot thinking of any excuse in the world as to why I should not go outside walking on this frigid morning. :0)

I think maybe I'll make a veggie soup today, squash, eggplant, zucchini, green onions and tomatoes. Yeah, that sounds like true comfort food. Unfortunately my boys won't touch it so for them...Campbell's Chicken Noodle will do just fine. LOL!

Just to get everyone out there in the stay inside and feed your face mood, I put this together. It's what we do when we are at the beach...which was just a week ago today, which really bums me out cuz today I sent my boys out with JACKETS and HATS! Dang crazy weather, Grrrrrr.....



As you can see, we are not fancy froo froo eaters around here. No way, no how, not ever. :0)

Have a great day everyone!!

The Cool Down

Finally we are feeling the fall weather. It was 63 degrees when I woke up at 7:30 this morning. So, I got me some coffee, shut off the A/C, opened every window, threw on the Nike's and went for a 2 mile walk.
That, to me, is a great way to start off the day.
But now..I got to go food shopping, at Wal-Mart, with the Hellians.
Have mercy, my day has done gone to toast. :0(

Leaving you with some seagulls on a warm day last weekend..



Have a great weekend everyone!!

Beach Babes Times 2

These two are my "water babies" for sure. Especially Bear, who was actually born in the shower. Yep...really, we called him "Splash" for the longest time. LOL!



Sorry about the absence yesterday. Karlio has me into James Patterson books now and I totally could not pull my face out of "Cross".

Sheila...it took everything in me not to start at the end, LOL, you know all about my back to front magazine issues.


Hope everyone out there has a great day today and an even better weekend.
Rainy here today and we are finally going to be breaking this record breaking heatwave. It should be in the upper 70's all weekend. Now that's what I call a cool down. :0)

Serenity Jewelry ROCKS!

Photographers or anyone in general..are you looking for some very unique and very photogenic jewelry pieces?
Look no more, you've got to check this out...



SERENITY JEWELRY

I personally have this coming {can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!}...



And I have my eye on this one {want it, want it, want it soooo bad!}...



Seriously, if your looking for something unique, something you can't find anywhere in any mall, get over to Serenity and tell Kayara that her Mama sent you. :0)

Also, for my blog friends only, use Coupon Code: Serenity 1
for an additional 15% off anything on the site.

Custom orders are no problem, just email her directly. {Email is on the Serenity site}

Have a great day everyone!!

The End Of The Day

Dang I love this "end of the day/tired/sweaty/starving" face.
He rocks my world. :0)

Beaching It In October

It was absolutely GORGEOUS yesterday even though one of us {ummm, me} didn't put the sunblock on and ended up a little one the burnt side. LOL, hey, it's color, right?!!
Since I haven't visited my "Zen" in two months, that burn will turn golden in about 4 days. Gotta love the way "Zen" primes you for future tans. :0)

Here's one of the boys, Kolin was very much into catching sea crabs and not so much into sitting for a photo...



Just over the horizon is the Gulf of Mexico.

I have a bunch more pictures to put up but thought I'd add this one which happened a little later in the day, although strangely enough..we saw no rain at all...



Today our new "gothic" style bed set was delivered and set up. With the way I have things in our room decorated in black and purple..OMG, this bed ROCKS!! It totally brings the whole room to life. I've wanted this style bed forever. Love the goth/mid evil/old cemetery gate style. I'll get some photos of it soon, promise.

Ness, sorry I just plain out forgot to answer you.
OK...here goes.
We LOVE our new home. It is way smaller then what we are used to. Going from 5/6 bedrooms and 3 baths to 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths was an adjustment, but it was a good adjustment.
It's bright, it's cheerful, it's got ceramic tile which is soooooo easy to keep clean.
The thing is, we were down to only two kids. Karlio and I figured, you know after having 6 kids always trash everything, living with the hand me downs from everyone, the boys are at the age where they know how to take care of things.
It's "our" time now. Time for out with the old, and in with the new.
We did get some new pieces of furniture and yes, it will take a while to pay it off but we will. It's finally what we like and not what we have to use.
I loved having tons of small kids calling me "Mommy" all day, I loved sippy cups and sticky fingers, cheerios and endless gifts colored in coloring book pages.
I have to tell you though, I am LOVING this stage of life, seriously loving it.
Plus, this house also represents a new beginning for Karlio and myself. Out with the old marraige and in with the new.
I finally have the house I have always wanted and Karlio, well he finally has the garage a/k/a "man-rage" he's always wanted.

I say go for it. Moving is a pain, that's true, but it is also an excellent way of purging and ridding yourself of the negative material things that tie you down.

Faith, Hope and Love Baby. :0)

Have an awesome night everyone!!

Workin' At The Carwash

One of the fastest ways around here to get yourself in trouble in this family is draw on the car windows with your fingers.
The kids, they know it...from the oldest to the youngest but yesterday when I picked them up from school and parked in Publix parking lot to pick up some horseradish and some fluff they tried me...yes they did, they tried me good.
The boys wrote "Clean Me Now" on the back window of the car.

Soooo..I did what any lesson learnin' Mama would do, I got them home and handed them a bucket, some dish soap, a sponge, a rag and a hose and told them to "go ahead and follow your own advice boys".

This is a preview of what I got, the last photo was about a split half second from me beating feet before my camera got a shower.
Yes, it turned into a full fledged water fight. :0)



I do hope they learned their lesson. Probably not though, their punishment ended up being way too much fun on a record breaking hot Florida day. LOL!

Have a great day everyone!!

We are off to the beach tomorrow, it's been months since we have had to time to go back there. :0)

For My Mom

"I look back on my childhood and thank the stars above.
For everything you gave me, but mostly for your love."
Wayne F. Winters



Your a fighter, always have been {Rambo...Hehe}.
Your a winner, always have been.
Kody gets his determination from you.
And you will be a survivor as well.
I love you Mommy!!

July In October?

Here it is almost the middle of October and we are having July weather.
93 degrees today and the real feel will be something like 102.
Yea...it's hot out there!
Bummer cuz I really though by now we could turn off the central air and cut down that electric bill by $100.00.
Sigh...not yet.

I've packed up most of my summertime deco and turned the autumn deco on full force, so at least with the A/C on, and the Air Wick Apple Cinnamon Scented Oil thing that I use, it sort of feels like fall.

Then I walk outside...maybe not. LOL!

Here's a quick snap of one of the shelves in that shelving unit I mentioned yesterday.
Mental note..never use glossy paint. LOL, yes we are taking it out and repainting it in flat black.



Bear is back in school today. He's not quite at 100% but he is much better then he was at this time yesterday. I guess it just takes him a little while longer to get over virus' that other kids get over in a day.
I have his IEP meeting today at 12:45. That should go well, his school is awesome and rated an "A" school in Lake County.

I better get, lots to do this morning before I can even think about getting in that car.

Have a wonderful day everyone!!

PS. FYI, the Lavender Tranquility scented oil is very nice too. :0)

Feel Better Bear

Taken this morning. :0(

Halloween Lanterns

In preparation of Halloween, I like to decorate the inside of the house too. It's just plain fun, plus walking in and seeing orange colors throughout the house gives you that warm fuzzy feeling, ya know?

I told you all how I love my paper lanterns, right? I have these hanging up in the dining area, I like them a lot. :0)



We just picked up a cool shelf unit for FREE! I love it when we happen to be in the right place at the right time. The backing of it was white and that didn't work well with me. So, per my request, Karlio painted it black and it is now holding various fall decorations on each shelf. The black in the back makes those pumpkin colors pop.

We figure it'll be great for an every holiday/season theme shelf.
I always wanted one...now I got one. Yay Me!
Yay Karlio for finding it and bringing it home!

Kolin went back to school today but Bear is still home and miserable. He's got a headache that refuses to budge no matter that he has had his max dosage of his pain med's.
It really sucks watching him in pain and there isn't anything else I can possibly give him. :0(

OK, well...I'm out for today.

Have a great day everyone!