Hadley

MRI UPDATE

2012-02-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Isabel's MRI came back looking good, which leads Doctors to believe it was caused by the chemo. She will be administered her chemo as usual today, they will just watch a little closer.

Bad news

2012-02-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

The bad news keep rolling in. Isabels Doctor has stated that her treatment will now extend until August because of all the illness and inability to bounce back from each treatment. They are also cutting her chemo doses back by 25%, in hopes to help her stay on track.

Last night Isabel had a seizure, it lasted about 45 seconds. She is having an MRI done this morning. Jen is at the hospital now, Nate will be joining her later this morning.

5 day treatment approved

2012-02-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

Isabel had her counts tested today and it's a go for her 5 day treatment. She will be admitted on Wednesday. I will be E-mailing shortly for meals.

No treatment this weekend

2012-02-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

Isabel was admitted to the hospital last Sunday for a fever. She went home on Tuesday. While there, she received a blood and platelet transfusion. Her counts were tested on Thursday and were too low to go in for chemo. She will be tested again on Monday.

Fundraisers

2012-02-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

Crystal & I are planning on doing some fundraisers. Crystal will be selecting either Tony's, or Ligori's pizza and will be selling pizza's to anyone interested. This will be sometime in March.

In April, I will be doing a book party. I am looking into Scentsy, Pampered Chef, and Tupperware. If anyone in the family happens to work for any of these vendors, please let me know. I have a person in mind to ask for each of these, but I would rather use family if I can. These will be done around the first week or so of April. I am open to suggestions if you have any.

Things to help:
Isabel doesn't eat when she is in treatment- this causes a saliva build up. Gum has been helping. Any gum for Isabel would be great.

When she is out of treatment & feeling well, anything she likes to eat is strongly encouraged. She has given her approval on Jamba Juice, Panda Express (mainly orange chicken), any sweets like ice cream, doughnuts. Any gift cards for these places would be nice.

Gas Cards- Any over night or longer stay, usually means Nate & Jen are making daily trips to the hospital.

I am looking into information on a blood drive/plasma donation. So far I have been told for each pint donated, money will be taken off the amount charged to Isabel when she receives one. I am waiting on a call back for clarification.

5 day Treatment

2012-02-06T11:06:00.001-08:00

As long as Isabel's counts are good, she will go in for her 5 day treatment at the end of this week. This will be treatment # 7. Last weeks IV push went fairly quick. She ended up throwing up hard enough that her feeding tube came out. Jen was able to get it back in later that night. Once we find out on the counts, I will be arranging meals.

Treatment

2012-02-01T18:37:00.001-08:00

Isabel will be going in for her IV push treatment tomorrow. This seems to have been one of her better weeks since being diagnosed.

Released

2012-01-22T20:11:00.000-08:00

Isabel was released from the Hospital on Friday. She looks good and has been eating. She had a few transfusions during her hospital stay, that *should* ensure that she will be ready for treatment # 4 on Friday. This treatment is the 36 hour, so depending on when she gets admitted, it could be a 2 night stay. After the last week I am sure she will be happy to only be there for 2 nights or less. Jen mentioned to me that after doing the calculating- Since Isabel has started her treatments, she has been in the Hospital 50% of the time. We are hoping that number doesn't stay true for the remainder of her treatment.

FYI

2012-01-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you all know how much Nate & Jen appreciate all the support and meals that have been brought in. For those who have offered to spend time at the hospital or help watch the children at home, please understand and do not take offense that we haven't taken you up on your offers. Isabel currently has to bath 3 times a day (for this hospital stay) to help heal the the spots of infection. She is only comfortable with a handful of people helping her to do this. She also has a high intake of fluids to keep her bladder flushed of chemicals, therefore using the restroom about every 2 hours or so. Sometimes she needs help with this as she is attached to IV's. She only feels comfortable having certain people help her with this.

As for Maddie, Taylor and Easton, Maddie is in 1/2 day kindergarten. Taylor goes to preschool in the AM. Easton hangs out. Due to these circumstances, anyone watching them needs to have room in their car & car seats for travel. Maddie & Taylor have overcome the stranger danger stage, but Easton is leery of anyone that isn't his mom or dad. Once Isabel gets back on schedule for treatments (hopefully we don't have anymore set backs) It will give some of you the chance to help with babysitting. Mostly in the afternoon, once Maddie & Taylor are home & while Easton takes a nap.

Most of the meals since treatment has began have been last minute meals. Due to unforeseen issues, we have had to reschedule some of you and most haven't had a chance to bring one. Again, once we get back on track & hopefully don't have any more bumps on the road, this may be an easier way to help. If you are in a position to make and deliver a meal with about 24 hours notice please let me know, as that has been the trend thus far. Jen's work & ward have been doing meals this week. If Isabel is released tomorrow, she will have her 36 hour treatment next friday. I won't be planning any meals until she is released and her counts are high enough to be approved for treatment.

Bad Luck

2012-01-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

Talk about your bad luck. This week was supposed to be a week off of treatment for Isabel. However, she didn't feel well yesterday, had a fever and passed out. Jen took her to PCMC last night where she was admitted for having an infection in her body. The infection was bad enough that it had started showing red markings on the outside of her body. She was put on multiple antibiotics. If the antibiotics didn't work, she was facing surgery to drain the pockets of infection. It was decided tonight that enough improvement had been seen, that surgery was no longer necessary. She will be in for a few more days to monitor her progress.

Treatment 3- Done

2012-01-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

Treatment 3 is over. Isabel had lost 1 1/2 lbs during her stay, so they decided to go ahead with the feeding tube. It has already been placed. Jen mixes up a formula & hooks Isabel up to it. Hopefully this will give her more energy to recover from these treatments. She will have her next treatment January 24th.

Treatment # 3 almost done.

2012-01-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

Isabel is expected to be released tomorrow. Doctors have decided to try an appetite stimulant, rather than a feeding tube. She starts the pill tonight and they will watch her weight for 1 week. She hasn't been eating or drinking this stay because she doesn't want to throw up. So hopefully this pill will work.
She doesn't have a treatment this next week, as every 4th week is a week off.
Cassidy & I were able to visit her yesterday, she looks good.

Treatment # 3

2012-01-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

Treatment # 3 is currently under way. This is the first 5 day treatment. Isabel has lost 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks, so at the end of this treatment, they will be placing a feeding tube. Their are 2 types of feeding tubes, one that ends in the stomach and one that ends on the upper intestine. Isabel will have the one that ends in the stomach. It will be capped and placed behind the ear when not in use. Jen can choose to do a feeding all night long, one once at every meal. If Isabel is too nauseous, or mouth soars are too painful, or if the food tastes like metal, Jen will make a formula that she can hook up to the feeding tube. Having the proper nutrition should help her to have more energy and feel more like herself.

Treatment 3

2012-01-04T14:27:00.001-08:00

Treatment 3 should start on Friday. Since Isabel was sick in the hospital, the antibiotics she was on may have played a part in lowering her counts.

She should be in from Friday to Tuesday. If she happens to have a late admission friday, it could take until Wednesday.

Update

2012-01-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

Isabel was released Saturday night after a blood transfusion. She was feeling good for a few hours today, but it was short lived. They took her blood today, her numbers are not where they need to be to continue with her treatment tomorrow. Jen will find out tomorrow if they are going to take it day by day to test, or if they will wait a few days then test again. This will delay all weeks of treatment. If she happens to have her numbers high enough to start treatment on Thursday & she is released on Monday, they will wait until the following week before continuing treatment- IF her numbers are where they need to be.
After she got home Saturday night, her hair was falling out by the clumps. She to have it all buzzed off, so she did.

Update

2011-12-30T17:50:00.001-08:00

Isabel is still at the hospital. She can't come home until she goes 24 hours with out a fever. She had to get a platelet transfusion. Hopefully that will help her get rid of the fever, so she can come home before the next treatment.

Too good to be true

2011-12-29T15:47:00.000-08:00

As happy as we were that Isabel's treatment seemed to be an easier one this week, it was too good to be true. Jen checked her temp. and she has a fever of 102. She was admitted to Primary's earlier today. She will be in until her fever goes down, which could be 24-48 hours. Only to be admitted again on Tuesday for treatment. If she is not well enough for her treatment, she will be checked daily until she is well enough, so that the treatment goes on as planned. This does not mean Jen will be running her down every day to be checked, she will have a home health nurse come by to check her counts & make she her body can handle another treatment.

Treatment 2 of 22

2011-12-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

Week 2 treatment has come and gone. So far it didn't seem to make Isabel as sick as the first time. They tested her for anemia and checked her white blood cell count. Both are okay. She has started a shot to help boost the white blood cell count. If her red blood cell count gets too low (anemia) they will have to do a transfusion. During her treatment next week (5 day treatment) they are going to watch her food intake. If it is anything like the last admission they will put her on an appetite stimulant. She hasn't been eating well, but mashed potato's have been the food she has requested most.

We have the child care and hospital stays all set up for the upcoming treatment. If you weren't asked to help, don't worry, there will be plenty of chances.

Nate & Jen would like to thank everyone. The books and shirts are very appreciated, Isabel is very happy as well! Ü

On a lighter note, if you haven't already heard, Tyler & Stephanie had their baby. He was so close to being a Christmas baby. Trey Roland Hadley was born December 26th. 8lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long. Both are doing great!

As I was going through my pictures so I could post Isabel's hair cut, I passed some of these old ones. I got a little emotional to think that for the second time in 5 years, she is having to go through it all again. She is such an amazing girl. She is so strong and so determined.

Why not

2011-12-26T20:37:00.001-08:00

Getting psyched!

That was just a fraction of the hair.

Knowing that she was going to loose her hair anyway- She decided to get a little crazy. She got a cute sporty new cut and then dyed it purple. Not wanting to be the only one with purple hair, Cassidy got a few purple streaks in her hair.

Isabel's Birthday

2011-12-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Isabel turned 10. We went over for some cake and ice cream. Jen told me that she slept in until 11, which for Isabel is very unusual. Jen went & woke her up to eat, and Isabel couldn't believe she had slept so long. At her birthday party, she was in very good spirits. Running around playing tag with the kids, eating pizza, cake and ice cream.

Treatment 1 of 22

2011-12-21T10:44:00.000-08:00

Isabel has completed her first treatment. She got home about 9:30 last night. She was very sick the majority of the treatment. Anyone wanting to sign up for a meal for the first week of January, please E-mail me. This will be the first 5 day treatment. We will be doing meals:
Tuesday January 3
Wednesday January 4
Thursday January 5
Friday January 6
Saturday January 7
We will also need help taking hospital shifts and watching children. Nate will be going down with Isabel Tuesday day. That is as far as we have gotten. Please E-mail with any times you are able to help.

Treatment Week 1

2011-12-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

Isabel is having her first treatment today. It is a 36 hour treatment. They are using some different chemicals for this type. She & Jen will also have a little class going over the different types of treatment they are using, what the side effects are & what to watch for.

Isabel had an EKG today to make sure her heart was strong enough to handle the chemicals. Her EKG came out fine, they also got the bone marrow biopsy results, all good, no cancer in her bones.

I talked with Jen over the weekend- Anyone wondering what to so or how you can help; here are some ideas:

With the type of port Isabel has, they prefer her to wear a zipper, button, or snap shirt, one that can be undone at the top, so she doesn't have to change into a gown & still be comfortable. Anyone that has some hand-me-downs in a size 10 for girls- it would be much appreciated. This can be an every day shirt, or pajamas.

Also, Isabel loves to read. Anyone wanting to donate a book, magazine (or magazine subscription), activity book- Something that will help keep Isabel occupied during those long 5 day stays.

Meals- I have a calendar made up of when Jen will need meals. Next week, we are going to see how the IV push goes. If it is a quick shot & out the door, no meals will be needed. If it is an IV drip that will take a few hours, we will be scheduling meals for those treatment weeks as well.

Time- As independent as Isabel is, Jen would feel much more comfortable if on her 5 day stays & 36 hour stays, if someone was with her at all time, or as close as we can get. If you would like to take a shift at the hospital, or watch kids, so that Jen can be with Isabel, let me know.

If you need Nate & Jen's address, want to sign up for a meal, or have any other thoughts ideas or questions, E-mail me.
Amber_hadley@hotmail.com

Results are in

2011-12-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

Isabel has what is called Ewings Sarcoma. This is a newer form of cancer and is not recurrent. Her cure rate with this type of cancer if 80%. Had it been Rhabdo, it would have been 50-70%. This form of cancer only has a 22 week treatment plan, not the 40 originally thought. The Oncologist said this type of cancer is extremely rare, but a better type of cancer.

Treatment plan:
Week 1- a 36 hour (overnight) stay
Week 2- IV push (a few hours)
Week 3- a 5 Days (5 overnight) stay
Week 4- IV push (a few hours)
-- Then start over.
The first treatment will start Monday, December 19
I will be making an excel spreadsheet this weekend & we will map out dates of when Jen would like to have dinners brought in.

Port

2011-12-14T06:55:00.000-08:00

Isabel's port surgery went fine, they also did a bone marrow biopsy, so she is pretty soar.

Isabel

2011-12-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

Isabel is having her port put in today. Her surgery was pushed back to 4:30, so no updates on how it went yet. They haven't heard back on the labs yet as to what type of cancer it is.

What the hell? Isabel??

2011-12-07T13:11:00.001-08:00

Updates on Isabel:
As many of you have heard, Isabel went in for her routine 6 month scans last Monday. They found a spot that looked suspicious & Jen was told they would biopsy it with in the next week. They met with Isabel's Doctor the next day. He scheduled a surgery for the following day (Wednesday). The spot was found in the pelvis, looking to be about an inch. She went in for a biopsy & because it was so small they took out all they could. It turns out that the tumor was shaped like a lollipop. They were able to get the top off, but not the stem/stick looking part. She had a PET scan today, this test determines if the internal organs were affected by the cancer. Scans came out clean, so the cancer was spotted early and contained to one area. This is a sarcoma cancer. They are still waiting on tests to determine if it is rhabdomyo (same as last time) or if it is another type of sarcoma. The tests were sent across country to the leading physician specializing in sarcoma.
What the difference means-
If it is rabdo again, treatment will be similar to what it was last time. One treatment per week. 2 weeks of outpatient treatments & the third week will be an overnight treatment. Then start over.
If it is anything BUT rabdo, the treatment is quite a bit more involved. It would be 3 days of admitted treatment, 2-3 days off & then 5 days of admitted treatment, a few days off, then start over, which means she would pretty much live down at primarys.
Pray it is rabdo.
The Doctor has opted for a portacath instead of a central line. Anyone who remembers last time, Isabel had a little tube that came out of her chest, this was to hook up IVs for treatments. This time she will have a portacath. Which will be inserted under her skin on her chest. What the difference means- with a central line, she wasn't able to swim or bath, she had 1 shower a week to keep clean. With a portacath she will be able to take family trips to Bear Lake, swim & bath/shower with out any worries.
She will be getting her portacath placed Monday or Tuesday of next week.
She will have one year of treatment regardless of which type of cancer it turns out to be. She will also have radiation done later on in the treatment.
Not sure when the first treatment will be as she has to have 7-10 days recovery time from the portacath surgery. The Doctor did state that he would take the holidays into consideration. That can mean many things, depending on the type of sarcoma it turns out to be.

For anyone asking "What can I do?" Well, not much right now. We need to find out what type of Sarcoma it is before we make a game plan. If it is rabdo, Jen has stated that 1 meal per week on the treatment day, 2 meals the week of an overnight treatment will work out for her family needs.

I will keep this posted as I get the information.

LIttle League

2011-07-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

Swimming Lessons

2011-07-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hiking at Adams Canyon

2011-07-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hockey

2011-07-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

Stockton & Trent were out playing street hockey. Trent gave a good slap shot, which Stockton blocked, a little too well. Bad picture, but this is his thigh. He had layers of bruising.

As I was in the house I hear SMACK.. (the puck) then a loud scream followed by silence, then a lot more screaming & Trent trying to tell Stockton to let me see it. As I make my way outside, I see Trent pulling Stockton's pants down in the middle of the cul-de-sac. Stockton is fighting him & screaming.

WOW, hope the neighbors weren't watching.

Made the kids come in & reminded Trent his 8 years older than his brother.

Camera settings

2011-06-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

So I was messing with my camera settings & found Sunset. to be used when taking pictures of sunsets, so I fooled around with it in a low light situation & took some pictures of my kids. I had a better one of Stockton, but for some reason it wouldn't load & I didn't want to spend an hour trying to figure out why. My kids called them 80's pictures, because that seems old to them, I'd like to call them 60's pictures- you know, the ones that lost color as they got older... 80's isn't old.. Ü

Trent had a sunburn on his nose, so he looks a little red.

Tomato Cream Sauce recipe

2011-04-12T11:01:00.001-07:00

1 28 oz can diced tomato's

(I had 2 15oz cans, one was Italian flavor, so there was already onion & garlic flavor added)

2 Med garlic cloves minced

3 TBSP butter

2 TBSP chopped basil leaves

Salt to taste

1 Cup heave cream

Press garlic into small bowl, stir in 1 tsp water. Heat 2 Tbsp butter & garlic in med. saute pan- about 2 mins. Stir in tomatoes, simmer 10 mins. Stir in basil 1/2 tsp salt & cream. Simmer until sauce thickens 2-3 mins, adjust seasonings to your liking.

-Reserve 1/4 Cup of cooking water from pasta. Mix with sauce and remaining 1TBSP butter. Cook together over med. heat for 1 min. Stirring constantly.

This recipe goes well with 1lb of cooked pasta.

More Halloween

2010-11-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

More Halloween

The best darn "Snot" dip ever!
It's velveta cheese with green food coloring. I also added some parm cheese to make it a little chunky. It was great with pretzels & celery, but the kids were too grossed out to eat it!

Chournos Halloween

2010-11-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

I have had this post sitting in my edit box waiting for me to get it ready for being posted-- but I am behind now, so all pictures, not much words.

Multi-colored cheese rolls - inside the rolls there is cheese!

Grandkid Quilt

2010-11-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

For my moms birthday this year, I made a quilt & we had each grandchild slap on a hand print.
We are only missing one. Little Collin was born October 9th, & lives too far away to have gotten it done before the birthday.

Willow Park

2010-11-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Every year we make a trip to Willow Park in Logan, sometimes 2.
This is the first time I've ever seen this this critter awake.

Such pretty colors

Picking out Pumpkins

2010-10-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

For the last few years, my parent's neighbor has let us come & pick out pumpkins from their patch. This has become a fun tradition for us. Thanks Briggs Family.

I picked this pumpkin

Good looking pumpkins!

I was marching through the pumpkin patch and & right as I was about to take my next step, I saw this large beauty of a spider. I was carrying a pumpkin & tipped myself backward to avoid the spider, almost falling. & yes, I think I may have screamed- ahhhhh. I looked around to see which of my siblings were watching me & possibly laughing that I about toppled backward. I then proceeded to yell to my family about this "huge spider, biggest I've ever seen." It wasn't until about 3 minutes into my rant that someone decided to listen & came over to look. "Wow, that is a big spider" Then my younger brother came & said, awe. that's nothing, I've seen tarantula's- well ya, me too, but only in pet stores. This was in the wild & was beautiful. Such pretty striping. It's hard to tell just how big it was, but it's body length was about the size of my thumb, so with it's legs, it probably would have spanned bigger than my palm. Then I had the creepy crawly's all day. I was at the grocery store about 4 hours later, my hair in a hat- some of my hair had gotten loose & tickled my face. So I did what anyone would do right, I smacked myself in the face a few times in the middle of SMITH'S.

Then got a grip, when I figured out it was my hair, not a spider.

Pumpkins with the Hadley's

2010-10-30T20:08:00.001-07:00

I sifted through all the guts so I could get some pumpkin seeds to cook.

Bobbing for apples

Eating doughnuts off the floor, because they broke off the string.

Trent- being a cool teenager.

WITCHAPOLOOZA

2010-10-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

We went to opening night at WITCHAPOLOOZA'S dinner theater. Nothing like a girls night out!

Me, Jen, DeLaine, Crystal & Stephanie.

Steam Boat Springs

2010-09-16T05:52:00.001-07:00

A view from the top of the chair lift- on top of the next hill , on top of a ski run (currently not running) & I mean on top, I climbed to the mechanical room of the lift.

So pretty

So much for taking a picture of ourselves.

Nic was pretty impressed with the white house on the right- so I had to take a picture. Something about the design & architecture...

The ride up- WAY UP

Cheers to the party people who made sure we had a great time in Steam Boat.

It was awesome.

Look at that dinner- YUMMY!
Can't forget the jell-O

Not sure if Nic was impressed or intimidated by the fire hydrants.

Okay, now there is a semi good picture of us two on our anniversary trip.

Bear Lake

2010-09-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

Such a pretty Lake & Scenery!

We usually make it up to Bear Lake a few times a year. This was our 2nd trip. Much better than the first one. We had gone over the 4th of July, & the temps didn't make it to over 74. Yea, not much fun on the cold and it was very windy. So this trip was top notch.

Stockton likes the sand WAY more than the water.

Can't separate Cassidy & Isabel. Ever since they could walk, they have been best buddies, & up at bear lake, it's as if no one else exists but them.

Grandpa Hadley loves to take the kids out on the boat.

Poor Nic was still on crutches.

Which I hear isn't a fun way to spend time at Bear Lake.
He did it twice this year.

Always in the sand. It takes days to get all the sand off him.

Cassidy Birthday

2010-09-15T04:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my Cassidy

She chose a Princess Birthday.

Grandpa also joined in.I don't know how much longer I will be able to have Chournos family parties at my house-- this family is getting big!

Cassidy had all her girl cousins sleep over- Yup, that was a long night filled with cake & pop. We tried tiring them out with a little "Duck Duck Goose"
It was such a beautiful night! We took pictures of all the girls next to the princess of their choosing.
The colors of the sunset were amazing!
Trying to fit everyone in the family room.
The next day we took those who stayed the night along with my sister & mom to the sweets candy factory tour in SLC. It was pretty cool. They don't do much with chocolate, so we will be taking a tour of Mrs. Cavanoughs next.
Stockton picked some delicious sour balls. Cassidy got Orange sticks because it was her b-day. She chose wedding mints for her treat. Because it was a birthday party, all the kids were given a free bag of taffy. I am not usually a fan of taffy, but they had a caramel one that I bought a pound of.

All the kids with their goodies!

A snippet of duck duck goose.

more lake powell

2010-07-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

There was an eclipse that night, @ 4am. I was really excited to see it, but went to bed late. so I woke up a few times & each time I looked at the moon. Finally I saw that something was different. So here is the first picture I took, at 4 am, after rolling over to get my camera.

This one is much better. After I got home & was looking through my pictures, I noticed that I had taken about 10 pictures of this. One through the eye of some binoculars- didn't turn out half bad, but this one was better.

Cool looking fish- too bad it was dead.

Rainbow after a nice little shower

Pasta & Grilled carrots

2010-07-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

Lake Powel

2010-06-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Morning sunshine!

Pausing for a picture.

This smile looks kinda fake. After so many pictures, what did I expect?

John & Crystal - this picture, upon first glance, it looks like she is wearing a Chiquita banana hat, but really it is JD on a kayak behind her.

Just about everyone we went with, ready to plunge.

EXCLUDING ME- I have a minor water phobia.

Nate & Jen

JD, Natasha, & Jen.

A good place for a nap.

Lake Powel 2010

2010-06-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

This arch reminds me of the eye from Lord of the rings.

I started taking pictures of everything pointed out to me, then they all started looking the same. Look, a red rock. Look, a big red rock. Look, a big red rock that looks cool.

This is where we parked the house boat. Fun little place. A few of us (NOT ME) jumped off this fun looking rock. I did swim to the little island rock with my life jacket though.

This is the jumping rock.

Look, a red rock. LOL

Retirement cake

2010-06-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

This cake started out from the Wilton Lamb pan.

Add some fondant ears & a tail...

Some fur and a collar...

And my cake looks like a cat. Too bad I was trying to make a dog.

Now fun with making flowers.

I had my Friend Becky come & help shave down my cat so it would look like a dog. Where is Kim when you need her, she would have gotten it right the first time. She is awesome at cake carving.

End product, a chocolate dog cake. Happy retirement Sandy, this was a really fun cake to work on.

Sunshine

2010-06-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well for a day or 2 so far this year we have had some sunshine, as you can see from the background, this was taken on a day when we got some sun, after a day of rain.

Nothing like BMX'ing on a little girls bike.
Stockton's one handed trick. How do you like the helmet?
Cassidy is trying to ride my bike, which is 13 years old. Guess I didn't tighten the helmet.

I was outside going through some of my cook books, after about 20 mins I went in- it was getting a little warm. Nice tan line ehhh?

Trents Toe

2010-06-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

Poor Trent found out the hard way, that cutting a toe nail too short can only mean bad things. It took 7 shots to numb his toe. I was in the room with him, & watching his face, smelling the smells, it all came back to me... The time Nic had to get his bone marrow tested. Room started to get blurry, I started swaying, my stomach started turning. I was obviously not meant for a medical career. Closed my eyes-- okay, deep breaths, in. out, in, out. okay, opening my eyes. doing okay, that smell, room starts to look diagonal... Mind if I step outside for a drink. Splash a little water on my face, more deep breaths. ahhh, went back in only to see a bloody toe. Okay, I'm going to sit here, & play on my phone. That seemed to work. Maybe next time I'll send Nic. I'd hate to pass out, when I'm not the one going through the procedure.

Nic's Surgery

2010-06-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

So Nic has had knee problems for about the last year. Had it looked at by our family doctor who stated it wasn't repairable. Finally last week he went to an Orthopedist/Sports Medicine Doctor. & yup, needs surgery to make it better. So today we had surgery at Ogden Regional. We were really excited about using different hospital (other than Davis). We were disappointed though. 2.5 hours in the pre-op room. Nurse forgot to give Nic his anti-nausea meds. Surgery lasted about 40 mins- which was what we expected. It's a laser surgery, and we had planned on him being able to go to work tomorrow & just be a little sore. Once the Surgeon got started, the tear was worse than expected, he had extra cartilage on one side, & none on the other. So one side had the extra taken off, the other had little holes drilled in the bone. It was explained to me that once the blood is able to flow in and out of the bone holes, it will soften it & be a make shift cartilage. So all the extra things we weren't planning on, caused Nic to have to be on crutches for 2-4 weeks. Bummer, Lake Powell trip is in 1 week. Dr said he could swim, because that's not putting pressure on it. --Sure, okay, we'll take it, but how to get up & down the boat ladder? Any ideas? Ni doesn't do so well when he gets put out. Hence the anti nausea meds. he is at home, laying in bed, sick to his stomach, not eating, doesn't want to take a pain pill because it will add to his nausea. Bad spot to be in. He has his leg wrapped from his foot to his thigh. It will be worth it once he can go back to playing basketball without pain.

Karlie's Graduation

2010-06-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

Cassidy & I getting ready for a night out.

A night out with our friend Karlie.

She graduated from Beauty school

YEA! Congrats to Karlie!

We like to take pictures together

Zoo

2010-06-13T18:19:00.001-07:00

Finally a morning with out rain.
It was a little cold, but the animals are more active when it's not 90 degrees outside

I have until the end of the month until my zoo membership expires.

Won't be re-newing it, because 3 animals have died since January, & all bears have been shipped to other zoos while they re-construct their living quarters.

Lions are cool thoough, 4 really big ones. You could her him crunching into the piece of meat he was chewing on.

$10.00 Yogurt

2010-06-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

The $10.00 Yogurt. After an outing to gateway, all the kids go t a treat. I stopped at the chocolate factory & had a pretzel stick, dipped in caramel, then dipped in chocolate, then drizzled with white chocolate. Oh my, it was delicious! Cassidy & Stockton also picked out a treat from the chocolate factory. Trent decided he wanted some frozen yogurt, that was sold by the pound. He went in on his own while I was in line at the chocolate factory. Not thinking about how much it weighed, he went about his business filling up his gargantuan cup. When he got to the register & they gave him the total, I think he pooped a little. I had given him a $5.00 bill. & his cost was $10.00. He had to ask my sister to spot him another $5.00 to pay for his yogurt. It lasted the ride home, when it was put in the freezer, then eaten the next day.

Notice the 5 spoons, we all tried helping him eat but, but it was just too BIG!

Field Trip

2010-05-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

We decided to go on a field trip during Paren teachers back in April.

My with my kids, my sister with hers & my mom all went town to the planetarium.

Don't they look so excited? We watched Card board rocket in the dome theater.

Trent & Ryder acting like 2 cool cats from the old navy commercial.

Cassidy gives the weather report with her beautiful assistant Charly.

Good thing he has his goggles.

I sure am lucky that my camera doesn't work 100%

the tones in this picture were an accident.

Who knew space creatures could do ballet?

Such a happy group of kids!

Eye Candy... for me

2010-05-29T05:42:00.000-07:00

Look at this wonderful food- I got all the vegies from my Bountiful Basket order & the steaks were from Don's Meats. Oh man what a feast!

Mother's Day Quilt

2010-05-25T05:41:00.001-07:00

So, I've been working on this project since January.

At first it was going to be a birthday gift for my mother in law.

Her B-day was in March- I hadn't even started sewing this, so it turned into a mothers day gift.

I had all her grand kids do a hand print, except the baby, he did a foot print.

Then her kids drew some pictures. All in all I think it turned out pretty cute!

Cake

2010-05-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have had a chance to sit down and make a cake. This was for the birthday of a co-worker. I enjoyed it and realised how much I miss making a cake that gives me a little (not too much) challenge and where I also get to be a little creative. I was also able to try a combination of recipes that I hadn't used together. It was a lemon cake with raspberry filling & cream cheese frosting on top, & a chocolate cake with buttercream frosting on the bottom.

I am very excited for my next cake. It will be for a 60th wedding anniversery. I've got it all made up in my head & hope it comes out close to my vision. For now it will be a 3 layer cake. If more people RSVP to the event, it will turn into a 4 level.

Cooking show

2010-05-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

I want to remind anyone interested, that the next cooking class at the DATC is Monday, May 17th @ 6:00. It will be about pasta & noodles. Learning techniques from Italy, Asia, and Germany. Cost is $35.00- Very excited about that.
I want to thank Tiffany, for going to the cooking show with me. I was able to get a few cooking tips & a lot of new recipes. I was looking through one of the recipe books when I noticed Tif's hand in the air point at both us of-- We'll do it.

Huh What???

YUP, she volunteered us for a competition. We went against another pair of ladies, we both had to decorate a trifle made by http://www.chefshamy.com/

It looked somewhat like this, except the top just had cool whip & we had limited fruit to decorate it. Each team had 1 banana, 2 kiwis, 7 strawberries, 10 pieces of mandarin orange & about 5-6 maraschino cherries. I must say, we totally handed it to the other couple. I only WISH I had taken a picture. We got fancy red aprons that say Chef Shamy, a bottle of his sauce- I got teriyaki & Tif got sweet and sour. His products are preservative free -yea for no hives- and peanut free -yea for Cassidy-. I went and bought his pot sticker sauce which is also fabulous. I would love to get his vanilla honey butter & his garlic butter too, still trying to find someone who sells the vanilla honey butter. Thanks again to Tif for going with me, I wouldn't have had that much fun on my own.

Hibachi House

2010-05-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night, Nic & I went & got some take out from Hibachi House. They are in Clinton, kind of by Kohls. We had a coupon for free crab meat roll w/ purchase. I got some Vegetable Tempura to try, as well as a hibachi chicken and shrimp. Nic requested Teriyaki chicken. All were simply delish- EXCEPT the crab roll. I gave it a good honest try. Never had sushi in my life. The crab meat was good, the rice was good, but the seaweed or what ever it was, UGH. I love fish, but I couldn't handle that. The left overs lasted for 3 days (before we threw them out).

I highly recommend this place to anyone. The prices were comparable. We will be going again next time we Japanese. I would like to try the Hibachi Salmon, or the sesame chicken.

Easter 2010

2010-04-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

Trent is too cool to have pictures taken of him.

This girls giggle constantly

Has a smile- most of the time.

Likes to dress himself.

Stocktons Birthday

2010-04-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

So Excited!

He wanted a mario cake.

PASTA

2010-04-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Simple Tomato sauce

2 TBSP Extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

1 TBSP fresh basil

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

- Add olive oil along with garlic & saute- about 30 seconds (do not let it turn brown, it will get a bitter taste) Add tomato's, bring to a boil, simmer 10 minutes, stir in basil, pinch salt & pepper, add meatballs, stir occasionally, cook for about 5 more minutes or until meatballs are warmed through. this will be enough sauce for 1 lb pasta

-Side note-My kids would probably have preferred that I blend the can of tomatoes, for more of a sauce consistency.

Meatballs

2 slices white bread, no crusts, torn into bits

1/2 C buttermilk

1 lb ground meat

1/4 C grated parm cheese

2 TBSP parsley

1 large egg yolk

1 small garlic clove minced

3/4 tsp salt

ground pepper

-about 1/4 cup of veggie oil for frying

*Combine bread and buttermilk in small bowl, mashing until a paste. Mix all meatball ingredients including bread mixture & pepper to taste in a bowl. Lightly form 3 TBSP into meatballs. Will make approximately 14, can be refrigerated or cooked immediately. To brown, cook in veggie oil, turning to brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

-Side note-I made a double batch, using a hot & spicy sausage & a regular sausage. They were quite spicy, but added a great flavor to the spaghetti sauce. Probably won't use hot sausage again, because was too hot for the kids

~Fun things to do~

2010-03-20T11:22:00.001-07:00

I was looking through the paper this morning & found a few things I'd like to attend.
The first is a boutique from March 24-27 at Union Station.
Here is the info: http://www.simpletreasures.shopping.officelive.com/
I will probably be going on Thursday or Saturday. Holla you want to go with me.
On April 29th -yea, long time away I know, there is a cooking show at Shepherd Union Building -Doors open @ 5 show starts @ 7, tickets are $5.00 in advance or $8.00 at the door. First 600 get a cook book. Tickets on sale April 1st. Can't find any links on the web yet, I saw it on the back of the GO section from yesterday's Standard Examiner. Maybe I can get more info at a later date- Today was the first advertisement for it.
DATC cooking classes. I went to the last one, was totally worth it. Learned how to make some fancy sauces. I'd tell you what kinds, but can't spell them. They are once a month. Aprils' is French cooking- not sure if I am interested in that, but if I had enough friends to go with me, maybe I'd change my mind. I believe he said he was making ratatouille, apple tartaran (something like that) Some kind of brie cheese appetizer, & maybe a creme broule. This class is on April 12th.
Then in May class is Pasta and noodles from Italy, Asia, & Germany. I'll be taking that class as well. It is May 17th.
June 14th is the appetizers class. I'll be at that one as well.
They are all on a Monday night & $35.00. Paper states it is from 6-8, but last one went until 9:30. Totally worth it though.

What not to do at the gym

2010-02-09T11:43:00.000-08:00

I have recently started going back to the gym. I have found that I much prefer my music to theirs, so I take my little MP3. If something that keeps my attention happens to be on TV, I'll keep an eye on it & read the sub titles. Because I have an MP3, I figure I should have no control over the remote, because I have what I need to get through my work out.
When at the gym on Saturday, I get started on the ecliptic machine. about 40 mins through my workout, a gent, who looked about 50-60 hopped on the treadmill just in front of me. He takes the remote & doesn't seem to understand how Dish Network works. He ended up ordering a pay per view movie. I keep my eye on him, because at the moment he is my entertainment. Then I see him shake his head & mumble something. He then preceded to change the channel about 20 more times. Still not satisfied with what he has found, he continues to dink around with the controller. At some point the TV has had enough & looses reception. I see him shake his head again. At this point, I think everyone in the cardio area is watching him. He then pulled out a very nice looking IPOD or MP3- looks like it was made for working out. As he fumbles with that, he dropped it, then picked it up, then some how it flies 2 treadmills over & he goes to retrieve it. On his way back to his machine, which has been running the whole time while he straddled the sides, he grabs the remote for another TV. Remote in one hand, MP3 in the other. He then attempts to get back on his treadmill- no sure what he was thinking: could have been he forgot it was moving: could have been that he thought he could "step in time" & keep up. Really not sure. BAM- echo's throughout the gym. The gal on the treadmill next to him pulls the emergency cord. the other 2 ladies straddle their machines to make sure the old chap is okay. Me, I keep on going, things are taken care of. I do however happen to look in the managers office to see if he heard the commotion (not sure how you could miss it) & maybe he will come out. No, no manager. The dude hops up, says he is fine, then puts the remote on a vacant machine, and his MP3 in his shorts pocket. He then decided to check and see if he is really okay. Gives his elbow's, knees, nose & chin a good once over. All while 5-7 ladies are continually asking him if he is okay. He waves them off & starts walking on the treadmill- a much slower pace than what he had set it on while fidgeting with electronics. Beep Beep Beep- my hour work out is over. I clean my machine off, head back to the managers office - as I needed to update my card- & while he enters in my info, he said, did I just hear someone out there have an accident. I giggled, then I retold him the story. (I am such a bad person.) He just shook his head.
This silent movie I witnessed is why I will never control the TV or wait until I am on the machine to adjust my MP3.

HIVES

2010-02-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

When I woke up looking like this I thought I was having a bad day.

Then I woke up looking like this.

Yea- My kids were scared to.

Stockton compared me to Sandy Cheeks while hibernating

Pretty close comparison.

Yes they itch- they only seem to come in the AM.

I have been to the Doctor once- I will be going in again today.

It is from something I am eating.

Princess cake

2010-02-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest cake-

It was my first princess cake,

I think I did a prety good job!

Cassidy's tooth anventure

2010-01-26T18:46:00.000-08:00

Mom, can I try that thing where I try & pull out my tooth with floss?
Sure, lets try it.She decided last minute, that she wasn't ready to pull out her tooth. But was upset because she couldn't get the floss out. It was in between her tooth & gums. After about 10 minutes of crying about it & letting the floss dangle out of her mouth, I took the floss out. Tooth still attached.

1 week later- the tooth is still there.

Look close, it barely hanging on.

Finally it's out. After wrestling with dad.

Finally!!!

Hadley Family Christmas

2010-01-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Grandma Hadley's Pajamas

Grandpa singing us a song.

Grandma Hadley & Easton

Fun times, good memories.

Family Christmas dinner

2010-01-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas family party, Chournos Style!

Oh yea, we totally know how to celebrate!

Hadley Family Christmas Card

2009-12-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

2009

Merry Christmas everyone, Friends & Family so dear,

Sorry for the delay, this is our Christmas card this year.

We've had some trials, good and bad, as all of you may know,

We've cried, we've loved, we've lived, we've laughed-it helps us all to grow.

We Thank You for the love and support, that you all have given,

People like you are a MUST, in the times that we are livin'

The Hadley Family wishes all of you the best,

Be safe, have fun, make memories as we lay this year to rest.

2008

2007

2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRENT

2009-12-16T02:19:00.000-08:00

It's official. I am now the parent of a teenager!

Sure am glad he cut his hair.

Love ya Trent!

The official piñata breaker.

Such a man

He knows how to handle a wheeler.

AZ 2008. Look at that form.

He must like this shirt. Of all the pictures I went through, I posted 2 of him wearing this shirt.

All the other pictures, he was either wearing a Rainey Homes T-shirt, or Patriots attire.

Happy 13th Birthday Trent.

Your Family loves you!

Deals

2009-12-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

I called to order a 5 buck pizza last week & they gave me a total of 3 dollars and change-- so I asked them if I got my order right-- & sure enough they did. They said every Tuesday & Thursday in December a 5 buck pizza ($5.99) is 1/2 off ($2.99). What a deal- any number of toppings you want. I think their pizza is very good for the price, much better than Little Caesars.

Just passing along the savings on some yummy pizza!

Craft Fair - Botique

2009-12-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

My kids' school is having a craft fair/ boutique on December 5th.

Please come & look around.

*Syracuse Arts Academy*

at the cross road of Antelope Drive & 3000

My sister & I will be selling Cinnamon rolls & Orange rolls. Yummy!

Hope to see you there!

Other vendors will be;

Scentsy, pampered chef, Marykay,Usborne books, Miche Bags, Cookie Lee, Lia Sophia jewelry, Isagenix, not to mention crafters with car seat covers, watch bands, magnet boards, hair bows,chocolates, and even a lady who does eye lash extensions!

Mom & Dad B-day dinner

2009-11-20T17:50:00.001-08:00

A kid free dinner with the family to celebrate Mom & Pop's Birthdays.

I thought I had ordered this (What Nic got)

This is what I ended up with- A mushroom jack Fajita, a perfectly delicious mistake.

Me, my sister and my mom.

Monte & Clint

The guests of Honor.

We got 2 of these for the table- would you believe we had a hard time finishing off 2 plates of ice cream & brownies between 13 people.

Everyone that came minus Clint- He is taking the picture.

cake class, roses

2009-11-20T17:49:00.000-08:00

We were learning different types of fondant roses.

Who knew there were so many different ways to make a rose.

They turned out pretty cool

Cassidy was very excited to know that we were going toeat this cake.

After we took the flowers off, there was a little bit of color staining. If you look really close, it looks like a face.

Kiddo's

2009-11-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

Cassidy getting Silly before school

Stockton trying to keep up with Cassidy.

Things my dad taught me

2009-11-15T13:19:00.000-08:00

Things I have learned from my dad

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

When trying out a new dessert recipe, add coconut.

This holds true for:

Rice krispie treats

Oatmeal marble squares

Oatmeal cookies

Chocolate chip cookies

Coffee cake

Chocolate frosting on chocolate cake

White frosting on chocolate cake

and many more...

As my friend Kim would say-- If I say I have a secret ingredient or that I tried something new with this recipe, it's usually coconut. She caught on pretty quick.

Throwing a sloppy joe across the table doesn't make it taste any better.

Add lemon pepper to any meat for additional flavor.

When going to church, fill your scripture bag with candy instead of books, no one will ever tell on you, because they are happy to eat the candy.

When you try a new recipe, you have to make it at least 5 different times, a different way each time to perfect it.

"Pull my finger" is a given phrase to anyone new to our family.

Everyone has 2 or 3 nicknames.

Just ask any family member, I bet they can name 5 for any given member with out much thinking. I am not going to list any ones, or my own, we'll see if anyone names them in the comments.

Clint Eastwood is a great actor, except in "Paint your Wagons"

Next runner up is Chevy Chase

Always make extra food, having too much is better than not having enough.

A rule I swear by.

Fun Sunny day

2009-11-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

Fun having a little picnic

Jensen Nature park in Syracuse

One of the last good weather days of fall.

My camera still works good after taking a swim a few monthes ago.

Feeding the Ducks

Can you see the fish?

The kids & I had a lot of fun watching them swim & jump

Such a fun day

BEST DAY EVER!!!

2009-11-13T17:37:00.001-08:00

Who knew that I would experience the BEST day & worst day of my life, all this year, & both on Friday the 13th.
Friday the 13th of March, Nic was diagnosed with cancer.
Friday the 13th of November Nic was declared cancer free.
Such emotions, such gratitude, such love. This year has certainly been a learning experience for all, not to mention an emotional roller coaster. I think I will finally be able to sleep at night with out the aid of sleeping pills. Seeing Nic's dirty clothes on the floor will, will only make me smile, knowing that he is still here with me. I have developed a deep appreciation for everyone who has helped me out, let me vent, and just put up with my crappy attitude. I know my poor friend Kim has been put through the ringer by me, and yet, she is still my friend. For that, I thank God.
I really do appreciate all of you, I know many of you made sacrifices so that you could help out me & my family. I don't know that you will truly understand just how much we appreciate it all.
C A N C E R F R E E
words can not describe the elation I am feeling.

Old and Moldy

2009-11-05T05:34:00.000-08:00

So I bought this cute sandwich holder from the dollar store & Cassidy was so happy to have it that she took her lunch to school the next day. I have since wondered about it. & then it magically appeared, a few weeks later. It had been left in her friends car. I had to open it & look, kinda like the train wreck. & Holy Moly, or should I say Holdy Moldy.

No point in cleaning it out, I just tossed it. I got my $1.00 worth of use out of it.

Haloween Parties

2009-11-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

So I remembered to take my camera to 2 out of 3 costume parties Nic & I went to this year. I love that everyone dresses up and is so creative. I am especially glad to have talked Nic into dressing up with me!

T-dog trouble maker

2009-11-01T19:06:00.001-08:00

Trent decided to be kinda funny & toilet the little baby trees we have. At first Nic thought maybe a neighbor had done it... Really, a neighbor came &toilet papered the trees in our back yard--- Hmm sounds fishy to me. & how about the 2 empty toilet paper rolls in the bathroom garbage. Something doesn't match up.
As an avid toilet paper'er back in my youth, I knew all to well who it was. TRENT. But I must say, this day & age, you might get sued for it, so kudos on toilet papering someone who he knew wouldn't really get upset.

How do you respond.....

2009-11-01T18:34:00.000-08:00

So how do you respond?

I noticed Stockton's face seemed a little off... Upon a closer look, I found out that he had shaved off part of each of his eyebrows.

When I asked him about it, he got nervous, & I thought Maybe Trent had done it-but only because Trent had buzzed his eyebrow a few weeks earlier.

Stockton finally admitted to using daddy's razor to shave his eyebrow. (that's when you get hit with a dose of reality-- good thing that's all he did- Mother & Father of the year, yup, I've had quite a few nominations, but I think this is Nic's first one this year. Ü).

When I asked him why he did it, he said " I want to be like daddy and not have any eyebrows"

uhhhh, errr, ummmm okay.

How do you respond to that? I gave him a hug & thanked him for telling me the truth & told him not to do it again, because now it was a race to see who's grew back faster.

Halloween

2009-11-01T18:23:00.001-08:00

So Many pictures, My cute Nieces & Nephews at the Chournos Halloween party.

Gotta Love those who have the spirit of Halloween!

Trent decided on a last minute Bloody faced Skeleton

I got Nic to dress, I was quite pleased with out costumes!

Thanks to my mom for helping me sew it.

I pulled out all our old Halloween costumes & WOWSA the kids had fun.

Happy Birthday mom!

2009-10-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

(October 27th)

You are the best!

Always there when I need you, and even when I don't.

A few things I learned from my mom:

Always have a toy drawer in your kitchen, a bottom drawer that kids can reach. It keeps them out of the drawers they shouldn't be in.

My mom has one, her mom has one, her mom had one... Makes it easier to work in the kitchen with small children.

When you don't have a high chair--

Or have one in your basement covered in dust & don't feel like bringing it up and cleaning it off, because you are lazy...

The solution, well the picture says it all, or if you want them to reach the table, have them sit on a large pot, then tie the dish towel around them. Both work VERY well.

Don't have buttermilk & no time to run to the store... add vinegar to your milk- Example, recipe calls for 1 cup of milk, add a tablespoon of vinegar (I have used both white & apple cider, they both work) to your 1 cup & let it sit for about 3-5 minutes. Wah-laa buttermilk.

Sunbreeze cures anything.

Sip vinegar water for an upset stomach or when you have over eaten- it aids digestion.

Have a bad cough, pour some rubbing alcohol to a bandanna & tie loosely around your neck, the alcohol fumes calm down your cough, this has worked with Trent and his asthma. We use this mostly at bed time when you or the kids are coughing so hard that neither of you can sleep.

It's okay to add wheat flour to your recipes, it's healthy for you & adds a little something.

I was Lucky enough to have a stay at home mom, who taught me to cook and clean and sew. It started in Joy School- not sure what it's called now days, when Mom's swap kids for a day. Cheaper version of pre-school. Each mom takes a day where the kids go to their house & have a lesson, snack and play time (about 2 hours) so that on the off days, moms had some time to clean, shop, sleep- whatever it is that moms do when they find themselves with extra time and no kids.

My mom was also active in the PTA and was room Mother numerous times. She did 4-H classes cooking basics (cookies) and also on crocheting. She was always willing to teach. I remember sewing bean bags & barbie clothes. I remember picking out fabric to have her sew me a dress or outfit of my choosing. Then onto quilts, which was a harder concept for me to learn, because every square had to be exact, every seam had to be exact, & I am not an "exact" person. I still like to sew, I just don't get the chance to as often as I'd like. Not to mention that now days, some clothes are cheaper to buy than to get fabric & sew them.

I use many of my mom's home remedies or "witchcraft" as Nic likes to tease. ( I have plenty more than I have lited for anyone who might like them.) I have many, many memories of my mom. The one I am going to share, makes me giggle every time I think if it. Back in 1998, my grandma was serving a mission in Hawaii. My mom, sister & I all went, with my 2 aunts & my cousin, to pick her up. We were able to stay with my grandma (saved some $$) We had heard that grocery prices there were outrageous $5.00 for a gallon of milk. So we took a few groceries with us. We were there for about 5 days if I remember right. on about day 3, my mom pulled out an ocean spray & wondered who would pack a single ocean spray- really??? Well it was me, but before I got to tell her, she had already opened it & took a drink. It took me a moment to regain my composure. She had just taken a drink of Ocean Spray Cranberry juice CONCENTRATE. The look on her face-The only description that comes close to describing it, is bitter beer face, and yet, it still doesn't come close.

Oh Mom, you gave us a scare earlier this year, I am glad you are still here. I appreciate all you do & have done for me & my family, especially this year.

I love You!

First Time

2009-10-25T17:36:00.001-07:00

Okay, this picture has 2 "firsts" for me. I am sure you can see the first one.- Eyelashes. This was my first time putting on fake eyelashes. I had to get it right the first time, because they were self adhesive & pulling them off & trying to get then to have the same "stickiness" wasn't going to work. I could very well have them on the wrong eye, I am not sure if they have designated eyes. I don't know that I would wear them again. I found a GREAT mascara from Avon & it adds length to my eyelashes, so I'll keep to that.

The 2nd- 1st-- Well the red lipstick, I have never owned red lipstick until that night. My costume era, allows nothing BUT red Lipstick. Cassidy took the second picture of me & told me I looked like a vampire. I can see that. I have white teeth, which look even whiter when next to red lipstick! I also have very pointy K-9 teeth. Next full moon, watch out! Ü

Frosting Class

2009-10-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

Frosting class, so many edible flowers!

Day Care Reunion

2009-10-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

To protect the children in these photo's I won't be listing their names.

This is the house where my kids went to day care/ preschool up until about a year ago.

It was very hard to leave, however it was a great move for Debbie. She was always good with my kids, they learned so many fun songs and games. It was a nice reunion/Halloween party and good for my kids to see their old buddies. Sad how time flies & they all grow so fast, but such is life!

Katie Cupcake

2009-10-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

I bet you thought this was going to be a post about cake-- Well it's not.
I entered & hope to win this super cool contest!
http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2009/10/kati-cupcake-giveaway.html
No, not cake, just some sweet sewing stuff. Did you know I like to sew when I get the chance?

Witchapoluza

2009-10-18T12:48:00.001-07:00

So, I've never been to Gardner Village, but my friend Jessica raved about it last year. Nic's Mom & Sister had planned this outing for a few weeks. Nic's mom was in a car accident the night before & was not in any condition to go. So I took the ticket off her hands. I did some last minute dressing up (can you tell) and we went down, many little shops with over priced items, but still fun to look at. We then attended a dinner show, which was fabulous. I am positive I will be going again next year, with a better costume.

Don't we look scary???

The Witch costume fashion contest winners

Picture of people taking our pictures!

Witches shouldn't smile when they are trying to look mean.

A nice shot of my nose and eyelashes

The B.. I mean the Witches Ü

A really fun group to have gone with.

Like my Tights-- I am pretty scary.

Next year I will be all decked out in Witch attire.

By far the coolest witch we saw!

Panning around to get the full effect of all the witches.

It's getting closer!

2009-10-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Stockton was VERY proud of a spider had he made at preschool.

He is such a little stud!

My first Halloween cake this year.

Frosting Flowers

2009-10-10T21:12:00.001-07:00

Aren't they pretty, my kids wanted to eat them.

I have a friend who is an expert cake decorator, and was willing to teach me & a few of my friends how to make some frosting flowers.

The Pumpkin Garden

2009-10-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Look at those peepers!

That is going to be a lot of guts & seeds to clean out.

Yea for my pumpkin!

It's a fun time of year.

My mom & dads good friends invited our family to let each kid take a pumpkin. They had a blast! So did the adults Ü.

Thank You Briggs Family!!!

Zoo

2009-10-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

What a good day for the zoo!

tatonka

Gotta love that 2:03 minute train ride

Even thought he can't admit it, Trent did have fun

The kids excitedly wait for the carousel

Lots of new babies at the zoo this year.

Good to see the animals out and about!

some cool dudes!

Stockton

2009-10-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Results are in.

Good NEWS!

There is no reason for the lumps in Stocktons neck. Just being a kid. No cause for concern, we will take him in, in another month to make sure thay aren't getting bigger, but the scans are clean.

Hurray & thanks for all your prayers!

Tylers & Stephanie's Wedding

2009-09-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

The wedding lunch was at Corbins in Layton.
Temple pictures took a little longer than expected, we waited about 45 minutes for the bride & groom to arrive.

How could I not mention the food. Lemon pepper dill Chicken- was alright. More of a flavor that would compliment some Halibut. Delish mashed potatoes! Steamed veggies- I love my veggies! & a salad drenched in ranch. Yummy!

Waiting for pictures we goofed around.

Little boys can't keep clothes clean for long.

Trent, pondering over the good book.

(Diary of a wimpy kid or something like that)

A fun place to play.

Adelaide, such a doll.

Lil' buddies

Check out those blue eyes.

Nate & Jens girls

Say Cheese

Awe, he finally let me have a picture of us together.

Would you believe I don't have a picture of the bride & groom. Partially because my camera doesn't act like it should. It's still upset about the near drowning.

(You will have to look up past postings to read about that adventure)

40 years

2009-09-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

it's their 40th wedding anniversary!

Stockton

2009-09-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

For a while now we have been keeping some news about Stockton to ourselves, because we didn't want to worry you over nothing. We have told a few people & they have told a few people, so we figured we can talk about it openly now. About a month or so ago, Nic found a lump on Stocktons neck. You can bet I about crapped my pants when he showed me. Of course he found it on a Sunday, so we were panic stricken until Monday when I took him in. Our Doctor said that Swollen lymph nodes are VERY common in kids. He then gave Stockton a Z-Pack antibiotic to rid him of any infection. & told me to come back in 10 days. So we went back, lymph nodes still the same size. (I would guess it's about the size of a kidney bean) Obviously not caused by an infection. Did some blood work to try & determine Mono, & check CBC. Mono came back negative & CBC came back normal. So he said lets watch it another 2 weeks & then re-check. So being that they (one on each side & the Doctor could feel some under his jaw) were still there, no change in size he scheduled an ultra sound. We had that done on Thursday & got the results today. It ruled out that there wasn't any kind of infection. Which is kind of what we were hoping for. Those are easy to fix. So, the next step is to get a CT scan done. We will be doing that next week.

Tis' the season

2009-09-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

CANNING

I have frozen

peas

corn

raspberry jam

I have canned

pears

peaches

green beans

apricot juice

peach jam

strawberry jam

............................................................

and for the first time ever I am going to attempt

SALSA

I will take any recipes and tips you have to offer. I have gotten a few recipes, but what I like to do is, look at like 5 & then make my own. Silly I know, but that is how I am.

Last year was my first year for apple sauce & apple butter. I tried a few different recipes all were good in their own way. I did enough, however, to cover me for this year.

With Grattitude

2009-09-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

I want to thank the wonderful Young Women's group from West Haven, and Grandma Hadley for organizing the activity.

Grandma happened to look at my blog when I posted about my garden. You'll have to go back & look at the blog.

I never had time to weed it, so I just kept watering it, & that's it. I did pick some green beans and bottled them. When the weeds were taller than Stockton, I gave up. Then we got a call from Grandma that she was coming over with her young women's group to weed our garden. We tried to tell her that each girl could maybe pick a square foot & work on it for an hour & then go home.

I was trying to be sneaky & take a picture from my back door with out them seeing.

She said they would do what they could. My beans had been harvested, my herbs were WAY out of control. My cucumbers had been choked out by the weeds. I still have plenty of tomatoes & tomatillos. I asked Grandpa Hadley if he thought my potatoes had survived. I told him that that had grown for a while, but had since died. He took his shovel & did a little digging. It didn't take much & red potatoes started popping up everywhere. I was so happy. Every time I have planted potatoes in that garden, they have never really made it. This year I had a good crop. I made hash browns for breakfast & masked potatoes for dinner the following day. My family is still using the tomatoes, potatoes, and onions. I also had a zucchini plant make it, I now I've got too many. But I'm not complaining.

~Thank You Ladies~

You need to look back and find the post where it has a picture of how it looked when I gave up.

Hadley

**MRI UPDATE**

Bad news

5 day treatment approved

No treatment this weekend

Fundraisers

5 day Treatment

Treatment

Released

FYI

Bad Luck

Treatment 3- Done

Treatment # 3 almost done.

Treatment # 3

Treatment 3

Update

Update

Too good to be true

Treatment 2 of 22

Why not

Isabel's Birthday

Treatment 1 of 22

Treatment Week 1

Results are in

Port

Isabel

What the hell? Isabel??

LIttle League

Swimming Lessons

Hiking at Adams Canyon

Hockey

Camera settings

Tomato Cream Sauce recipe

More Halloween

Chournos Halloween

Grandkid Quilt

Willow Park

Picking out Pumpkins

Pumpkins with the Hadley's

WITCHAPOLOOZA

Steam Boat Springs

Bear Lake

Cassidy Birthday

more lake powell

Pasta & Grilled carrots

Lake Powel

Lake Powel 2010

Retirement cake

Sunshine

Trents Toe

Nic's Surgery

Karlie's Graduation

Zoo

$10.00 Yogurt

Field Trip

Eye Candy... for me

Mother's Day Quilt

Cake

Cooking show

Hibachi House

Easter 2010

Stocktons Birthday

PASTA

~Fun things to do~

What not to do at the gym

HIVES

Princess cake

Cassidy's tooth anventure

Hadley Family Christmas

Family Christmas dinner

Hadley Family Christmas Card

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRENT

*Deals*

Craft Fair - Botique

Mom & Dad B-day dinner

cake class, roses

Kiddo's

Things my dad taught me

Fun Sunny day

BEST DAY EVER!!!

MRI UPDATE

Deals