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Buttery Sweet Goodness

Thursday, February 25, 2010

In my previous post, my friend, Anna, suggested that I make Jenna some cinnamon rolls. I took her suggestion literally and made these :)

It was kind of challenging because the recipe is quite a bit of work and is time consuming. I took a few shortcuts because it seemed like I had a dozen kids instead of three. There was crying, whining, temper throwing, and that was just me--imagine the kids! Anyway, as far as the shortcuts--the rolls didn't rise as much as I'd like, but now I know for next time.

I did do part of it while Rori was at school and had a helper
It was serious business--but not so serious that he needed to put down his sucker!
Then, after they were all finished, Bill came home. He surveyed my hard work and then proceeded to pick which pans were his

And now after having my buttery sweet goodness, I have to answer to her

There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters

Monday, February 22, 2010

My sister is my best friend. She would do anything for me and I would do anything for her. We are only 13 months apart and I think we are bonded as close as twins. She was my playmate growing up--she would play barbies with me and I would play G.I. Joe with her. (Thank God she was a tomboy so now I know a little bit about those things so I can play with Liam and Brendan!) I always looked up to her--even when the day came that I was taller than her ;)

She has walked with me along all of my journeys. She put up with my hissy fit when she got engaged (I was annoyed that some guy was taking her away). In fact, she understood it. I am horrified at the way I acted (sorry Ryan) but she didn't hold a grudge. I was her maid of honor. She was my matron of honor. She was at the hospital when we found out we would lose Faith, she was there when we lost her, and she and Ryan stayed at our house in the days following. The two of them would give us the shirts off their back if we needed them. In fact, I am pretty sure that she made a pretty big sacrifice for me. I think they would have had their first baby a little earlier than they did, but Jenna wanted to wait until we were able to have a baby. I think she knew that, while I would love her baby and be happy for her, it would be very difficult for me to watch her have a baby while I was grieving for mine. That was an incredible sacrifice and I feel selfish even talking about it, but that's my sister. Selfless.

My sister is incredibly strong. She has dealt with sometimes debilitating headaches for most of her life. She spent a great deal of her high school life in and out of the hospital trying to get them under control. She watched while I went away to college and she had to stay home because my parents wanted to make sure her health was under control (she was able to go away for her Junior and Senior years--where she met her hubby). She became one of the most beloved teachers in her school. If you check out her facebook page, you can see how much her students adore her. She suffered a brain injury several years ago that would probably cause most people to need to quit their jobs, was just another obstacle that she overcame.

Now, I am asking for prayers for her, her husband Ryan and their sweet baby girl, Juliana. Juliana eats very little. They have taken her to multiple specialists to try to get her to eat. Every calorie this sweet girl gets goes to her brain (thankfully) but she really needs more. Fortunately her head grows with every appointment, which means her brain is growing, but she is very small. The stress is taking its toll on Jenna and Ryan. You can hear it in her voice, and see it in her own physical well being. I have asked my sister what I can do to help them, but she hasn't been able to come up with anything. So all I can do is pray, which isn't nothing, but I feel helpless for them. The Bible tells us that the "Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." That verse has always given me comfort. When I just want to cry out to Jesus and have no words, I know that the Holy Spirit is crying out the words that I don't have. And He is doing that for us now. Jenna is taking Juliana to a specialist at Children's Memorial this Friday. She told me that she just needs some good news. Please pray that the doctor will have something positive to say. They really need to hear it. Pray that this burden of stress will be relieved, pray for a miracle!

The Old Ball and Chain

Sunday, February 21, 2010

I have been trying for the last several weeks to get my wedding rings on and today, Ta Da! They fit! It makes me so happy because, one, it means I've lost weight, and two, because my fingers aren't naked anymore! Excuse my nasty nails, and dry hands. This girl needs a manicure!



Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Bill got me these


And this
So that I could do this


To make these

Those are butter cookies on sticks (like a cookie boquet), truffle pops, and homemade marshmallows cut out in heart shapes and dipped in dark chocolate. I am completely uncrafty, so I really have to pat myself on the back for these. I did have some help from my chief assistant Rori and my mom. Grandma Rose was our marshmallow taste tester...

How Big Are Those Suckers?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Every year, growing up, my grandma from Florida used to send us oranges. These are not your typical grocery store oranges. They're about twice the size and four times as juicy. They even ship them with a bib because they are so messy. My dad has kept the tradition alive with my sister and me. He orders us fresh Florida oranges that arrive every January. Check out these suckers!
Muy impressive, don't you think?
Thanks, Dad!
(please don't be offended by the picture, I couldn't resist)

Getting the Crazy Out

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Bill and I have been pretty busy in the evenings and that is when I usually do my blog posts. One or both of us have been working out, or we've been catching up on our very full DVR so I haven't had much time or energy to post. The kids, on the other hand have been full of energy. I have been lamenting the fact that the kids haven't had much opportunity to "get the crazy out" by running around. Honestly, I do not like winter. We usually have cabin fever by the middle of January--and there are still several more months of winter. Yuck. The other day it snowed, but wasn't too cold out, so I brought Rori and Liam out with me while I shoveled. Papa stayed inside with Brendan. After we shoveled, the kids wanted to stay out and play in the backyard.
Liam got some serious speed on the slide!
Rori wasn't too shabby, either!

Ok, we had fun, I'm done with winter now...