Phew…February is OVER

I didn’t dare mention that it was coming to an end yesterday, for fear of jinxing myself and have something happen at the last moment.

I have come to the conclusion that February is just not a good month for this family.  While there are certainly other months that stand out as yucky ones, they are not consistently messed up…..February is though.  Consistently.  How we manage to get into the trouble we do in the shortest month of the year strikes me as funny…well, maybe funny isn’t the right word for it....

February 2009 brought with it Madison being diagnosed with both Mono and a Mycoplasma infection (walking pneumonia)…..Taz, our black lab, chews up (to some extent) and swallows an entire sock that then lodges in his intestines requiring emergency surgery and vet bills the likes of none we have ever seen…..and Chance and Abby both have surgery and are inpatient for 4 days.

February 2010 we spend 12 days in Houston for medical schtuff….Madison has two surgeries (one planned, one emergency)…..and Taz blows his knee out and as we contemplate another big vet bill, manages to blow the other one out too.

February 2011 we spend 10 days in Houston for medical schtuff….Abby’s sinus infection comes roaring back (that we just treated for 21 days)….and Madison is diagnosed with Mono again.  TAZ BEHAVED HIMSELF THOUGH!!!!

At this point, that Taz didn’t get himself into trouble is a huge relief!!  I actually told the vet last year that we were contemplating bringing him to her at the beginning of February and leaving him there all month, just to be on the safe side…LOL.

But it’s over!!  We made it to March.  I can officially breath a sigh of relief that it was not any worse than it was.

Spring is coming!!  My favorite little bush out front is blooming…..

The squirrels are tormenting CoCo…..

If only there was audio so you could really appreciate this

Which leads to the neighbors giggling at me as I go outside and chase the little brazen buggers back up the tree to keep my head from exploding (again, audio would make it clear why)

The birds are making a racket…..cannot wait to see who decides to nest in one of our tree’s this year.

Blue Jay babies 2009

The one who needed help 2009

There are pictures somewhere of the Cardinal babies we had last year, but cannot find them for the life of me.  They were in the nest for a much shorter time, and provided far less drama than the Blue Jay babies did.  I always thought those Blue Jays were drama queens!!

And wondering how much stress there will be when the babies start trying to fly (you know it’s bad when your husband is calling you from work to have you go and check on them….regularly….all day long…..for days).

The AC and heat are getting an equal work out, and it’s not clear from day to day which one will be needed.  Sometimes both in the same day!!

We survived February….phew.

Rare Disease Day USA 2011

Alone we are Rare. Together we are Strong.

rarediseaseday.us

http://rarediseases.org

What is a Rare Disease?

In the U.S., a rare disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 people. This definition comes from the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 and is slightly different from the definition used in Europe. There are nearly 7,000 rare diseases affecting nearly 30 million Americans. In other words, as many as one in ten Americans are suffering from a rare disease.

Besides dealing with their specific medical problems, people with rare diseases struggle to get a proper diagnosis, find information, and get treatment. The rarity of their conditions makes medical research more difficult. For 2011, our focus is on disparities in access to services and treatment.

Mitochondrial Disease is considered a rare disease.

Visit the website, find ways you can help, make a difference.

All five of the faces you see at the top of this blog depend on organizations like this to further the progress in research, treatment, and cures for the rare diseases we deal with daily.

Keep the prayers going…. 

Just click on a link in my Mito Friends blog list and you’ll know the specifics of the prayers needed. 

{FoodieFriday: Schweddy Balls}

Clearly I am not a food photographer

Go ahead....Google it...watch the video and laugh your butt off.  I giggle just writing it!!!  I giggled when I decided last night it’s what we will be calling my latest cooking creation.

Let me say up front….cooking is NOT my thing.  I occasionally create something I like and am proud of, but it’s not often.  Just ask the kids.  Like how some mom’s feel about laundry or cleaning the bathroom (which I don’t really mind), I mostly feel about cooking….and food shopping (I order from a menu really well though!!)…it’s tedious and after a few weeks of “being good” and cooking things at home, I am burnt out and begging for there to be some kind of food fairy to feed my family.  The local restaurants generally become those food fairies for me, much to my pocket books chagrin.

Now that we have that clear…..LOL.

On rare occasions I get it right……more often, other people get it right.  Either way, sometimes it’s worth sharing, so watch for occasional “food” posts from me.  Now, back to our Schweddy Balls<snicker>.

A long, long, long time ago I found a meatloaf recipe that has become one of a very few favorites around these parts.  One of our “comfort foods” (and after the month we have had, comfort was needed last night). On my side of the equation, it’s easy, takes few ingredients, and doesn’t take much time, but looks and tastes like it did.  On the family's side, all but Abby LOVE it.  As in, my children, since they were little, ASK for it.  Meatloaf being requested is not normal!! 

(As a side note, Abby doesn’t really eat red meat….and does not “do” sauce….and thinks the idea of sweet & meat in the same sentence is disgusting, thus her lack of interest in this particular dish)

Let me start with, this will work in a traditional way too….as in forming the meat into a loaf pan and making it look like “meatloaf”, however, it takes a little longer to cook this way (1 hour, 10 minutes or so) and well, last night I was in a hurry and I thought maybe shaped into meat balls would cook more quickly, which it did, which made me happy.

Schweddy Balls

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 40-45 minutes

Feeds: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 pound of lean Ground Beef

1 package Onion Soup Mix

¼  Red Onion, chopped

1/3 cup Milk

1 Egg

6 tbsp Brown Sugar

6 tbsp Catsup

3 tbsp mustard

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix meat, onion soup mix, onion, milk and egg together. (Note: if it’s not sticking together well, you can add some bread crumbs to firm things up).  Shape into good sized meatballs (should make about 9) and place in a shallow cooking dish.

Mix the remaining ingredients together and spoon over the meatballs.

Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes (until meat is cooked through).

Mmmmmmm….so good!!!

(Note: If your doing this in the old fashioned way, once you have formed the meat in the loaf pan, I have found that if I make indentions about half way down the pan side in the meat, as well as a dip down the middle of the loaf, the sauce gets to more of the meat. I have also found that doing it in the loaf pan, there is more fat that needs to be drained off before you remove the meat from the pan.  Mostly the sauce stays put while I drain it off and if nothing else, it “looks” prettier this way.  Finally, done this way, I like to put a bit of catsup on the slices once they are on the plate, just for a tad more moisture/flavor….did NOT have to do this with the meat balls though!!)

We like to have mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli with ours.  By the way, if you have not tried the Ziploc Zip ‘n Steam Bags, your missing out….these things are awesome!!! 

Now if only they'd pay me for the plug

Steamed Broccoli (using Ziploc Zip ‘n Steam Bags)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes (microwave)

Feeds: 4-5

Need:

1 Large Ziploc Zip ‘n Steam Bag

1 bunch broccoli

3 tbsp Margarine

3-4 shakes of Lawry’s Season Salt

Clean and cut the broccoli heads off and place into steamer bag.  Add margarine and season salt. Microwave for 6 minutes.  DELICIOUS!!  Better yet, EASY!!

ENJOY!!! We sure did  J

Comfort achieved.