chicken and mushroom quesadillas

my mil gave me a quesadilla maker for christmas so we used it last night. it took me almost 1 1/2 hours to cut up all the ingredients to make enough for 8 people - the girls were studying for mid-terms so i didn't want to distrurb them and of course dave was glued to the xbox - although he did thake the maker out and clean it for me - we invited my mil over to since she gifted it to us and my fil is out of town. well by the time i was done cutting i was too tired to make them lol so mil made them - the quesadilla maker is pretty cool - except not when i am feeding all of us - it only makes one at a time so i think that i will stick to using it when i am just making some for dave and i for lunch - i also made guacamole but did not post the picture cuz it looked like baby poo in the plate lol!!!!!

chicken and mushroom quesadillas

this is the recipe i use to feed 7 of us

6 chicken breast - sauted with garlic salt and cayenne pepper to taste, cut into small pieces when cooked

4 garlic cloves, minced

12-16 white button mushrooms, sliced

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/4 white onion, chopped

shredded cheese - i buy the 8 cup bag

tortillas - i like to use flour for the kids and sometimes splurge on the tomato basil ones for mine ;)

i bake mine in the oven instead of stove top only because i have to make so many for one meal so i make two on a cookie sheet

lay 2 toritllas out in cookie sheet and layer cheese, chicken and veggies on top. place 2nd tortillas on top and press down - put in a 400 degree oven until brown

serve with spicy store bought salsa and chips and homemade guacamole

guacamole

6 avacados, chopped and slightly mashed

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

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New Pictures

i am just sitting here with my starbucks and i thought i would update with a few new pics of the kids. i have another mri scheduled for the 25th and my next dr. appt is on 2/16 so i have nothing better to do. i have almost run our of books to read - which if you have seen the amount of books that i ahve you would never believe i would run out - i am thinking of starting the janet e series over and hopefully i will get out on 2/5 for the new releases.

i had my first b12 shot on 12/21 so by the 23rd i was feeling better and had enough energy to help the girls bake some christmas cookies. mandi made chocolate covered cherry cookies, allie made a paula deen recipe of white chocolate chunk cherry cookies and sarah made designer chococate covered pretzels. we also made peanut butter cookies with and without kisses and ginger snaps

i will post some pics later - off to take a nap

I have not dropped of the planet, although I feel like I have

well, i finally remembered my password and can give anyone who is interested a short update on where the hell i have been. starting this past summer, i began to have some wierd, but not doctorable symptoms. i guess they really started a long time ago, but it wasn't until i could not get out of my car and walk in the house after work that i figured something was wrong. then in october i hurt my back at work - horrible pain - but figured i would go to the doc and he would fix it. went to the doc and he sent me to a neurosurgeon who ran tests and mri's. i have 4 bulging discs and some denegerative discs and a spinal cord compression. this happened as a result from my lifting boxes and setting up stores at work. but then i had other symptoms along with this like paralysis and numbeness in my left leg and foot and my back would not heal. after 6 weeks i still could not walk well and my speech was deteriorating. i have never before stuttered, but now i could not get a simple sentence out without messing it up. i was walking like i had a huge tree trunk - well you know where. so now the doc says i have a congenital defect which was aggravated and elevated by my job - great - ok - fix it!. but then he runs some blood tests - specifically to check for low b12 levels - and when that comes back - he looked at me and said - how the hell are you even walking - i took this to mean that my b12 level was significantly low. he told me that my b12 levels were low enough to cause significant central nervous system damage and temporary paralysis. so now he says not only do i have a dangerously low b12 level and will have to get a shot once a month for the rest of my life, but i also have something called chiari malformation type 2 -and that causes syringomyelia. i copied and pasted this info

The Chiari Malformation is considered a congenital malformation, although there have been some reported cases of an acquired form. It is characterized by a small or misshapen posterior fossa (the compartment in the back of the skull), a reduction in cerebrospinal fluid pathways and a protrusion of the cerebellar tonsils through the bottom of the skull (foramen magnum) into the spinal canal. The tonsils would normally be round but often become elongated as they protrude down the spinal canal. Diagnosis can be difficult because not all patients will have the classical sign of deeply herniated tonsils. Many people with the Chiari Malformation experience no symptoms. When symptoms are present, they usually do not appear until adolescence or early adulthood, but can occasionally be seen in young children. The majority of patients complain of severe head and neck pain. Headaches are often accentuated by coughing, sneezing or straining. Patients may complain of dizziness, vertigo, disequilibrium, muscle weakness or balance problems. Often fine motor skills and hand coordination will be affected. Vision problems can also occur. Some patients experience blurred or double vision, difficulty in tracking objects or a hypersensitivity to bright lights. Physical examination may reveal nystagmus (involuntary eye movements). Other symptoms include tinnitus (buzzing or ringing in the ear), hearing loss or vocal cord paralysis. Patients may have difficulty swallowing, frequent gagging and choking and, in some cases, sleep apnea may be present. The Chiari I Malformations may also be associated with other disorders such as hydrocephalus (build up of fluid in the ventricles of the brain) or Syringomyelia. Syringomyelia is a disorder in which cerebrospinal fluid enters the spinal cord, forming a cavity known as a syrinx. It is recommended that patients diagnosed with a Chiari Malformation have the entire spine imaged to rule out the presence of a syrinx, since it may be a consideration in treatment and prognosis.
Syringomyelia, often referred to as SM, is a chronic disorder involving the spinal cord. For reasons that are only now being understood, cerebrospinal fluid enters the spinal cord, forming a cavity known as a syrinx. (Doctors sometimes use other words such as cyst, hydromyelia or syringohydromyelia) This syrinx often expands and elongates over time, destroying the center of the spinal cord. As the nerve fibers inside the spinal cord are damaged, a wide variety of symptoms can occur, depending upon the size and location of the syrinx. There are two major types of SM. In most cases it is related to a congenital malformation involving the hindbrain (cerebellum) called a Chiari I Malformation, named after the physician who first described it. The symptoms of SM are numerous and a person may have various combinations of different symptoms. Symptoms tend to develop slowly, although sudden onset may occur with coughing and straining. Some common symptoms include: loss of sensitivity, especially to hot and cold, muscle weakness and spasticity, motor impairment, loss of bowel and bladder control, as well as osteoporosis and scoliosis. The majority of patients suffer from headaches and chronic pain.
Treatment
In cases involving a Chiari Malformation, the main goal of surgery is to provide more space for the cerebellum at the base of the skull and upper cervical spine. This often results in a flattening or disappearance of the syrinx as the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid is restored. In some cases it may be necessary to insert a shunt into the cavity, rerouting the cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal cord. A successful surgery will stabilize the condition and perhaps gain a modest improvement in symptoms, but over time surgery is not always successful and multiple surgeries may be necessary.

SO BASICALLY ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS - ALL I DID WAS FUCKING HURT MY BACK AT WORK!!!! WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS OTHER SHIT!!!!! - ok, done yelling and swearingso now i have to wear a hard collar neck brace whenever i am up doing something - i did go back to work for about 2 weeks right after christmas but was taken out again as disabled because i can't stand for very long and with working retail - you have to stand. it is frustrating because i still have all the strength - at least in my arms - that i did before, but i have very limited fine motor skills - if you have not already noticed there are no caps in this post that i have typed or anything else that would require me to hit more than one key at a time THANK GOR FOR SHIFT LOCK AND SPELL CHECK- i also have at times lost the ability to walk for no reason - 1 minute i can walk and the next i can't but an hour later i am ok again. i don't drive much anymore because i don't know when my leg is going to give out and don't want to be somewhere that i can't get home, plus my driveway is on a hill and i can't get the emergency brake down in my truck, let alone trying to get out of the truck lol.
so what are my options - basically brain surgery - NOT GONNA HAPPEN. the doc has given me 6 months to work with the b12 shots to see if there is any significant difference that will leave me functional. he does not know how bad the nerve damage is at this time. my back still has not healed and hurts as much as the day i did it. however, the b12 shots are kinda cool lol - there are no side effects from them and they can kinda make you feel slightly buzzed - not the bad narcotic buzzed - but the enjoying a few glasses of good wine with dinner buzzed. after 6 months we can see which symptoms have subsided and determine the amount of nerve damage and go from there. if i am functional enough i will wait to have surgery until my kids are older - if i am not - well i will deal with that then
so what's going on at home with this - well the kids are frustrated cuz i have good days and bad - some days i can walk and talk and seem perfectly normal and others i need help with everything from getting in/out of the shower to simply talking on the phone. the girls have been helpful and so has justin with household things, the other 2 try but are to young to understand - the husband on the other hand - not so good. i could fall on the ground in front of him and he says - what do you want me to do - i don't know if he is as scared and frustrated about this as i am and does not know how to handle it or if he is just an ass - for those of you who know him - i'll let you decide lol - wendy if you read this - feel free to respond lol lol lol
so basically the b12 has helped somewhat with the memory loss and speech, but that is about it - but he is giving it 6 months to work and my next shot is next week. i am also scheduled for a brain mri next week to measure the exact amount of herniation. i sit on the computer, play pogo - sweet tooth 2 yeah-, read alot - running out of books lol, and watch tv - have you ever noticed some of the whacked out recipes that make it to food network lol - i can't scrapbook or crochet cuz the fine motor skills are not there yet, but that does not stop me from buying lots of scrapbook stuff. i had my first b12 shot on 12/21 and by christmas eve was able to help the girls make some cookies. we made peanut butter cookies, peanut blossoms, chocolate covered cherry cookies, white chocolate chunky cherry cookies - a paula dean recipe - ginger snaps and sarah made chocolate covered pretzels. i'll post some pics later - i'm tired and need a nap and some vicodin

Wow, I haven't had time to update in almost a month :( Between working and baseball and my husband's midlfe crisis. I am behind on everything and just ready to quit!!! I have been on antibiotics since last Thursday and this morning my fever was almost 102 WTF!!?? I need a break - ok, enough whining, not enough hours in the day for it. I did get to go to one of the county fairs with DH and 3 of the kids - the girls had to work so they could not go, but here are some pics.

All the kids won these stupid little hammers and bats so the kids decided to beat up on Dad LOL!!!

So I will try to be a better blogger and update more often, off to the post office now so if you are expecting something from me, it is probably in this pile of packages LOL!!!!

Working until 2 a.m. to get these out tonight!! They think they are making me dress up HAHAHA we'll see about that LOL!! I might just to get into the spirit of things, but then again - probably not :)!!

Sarah & Kirsten on the 4th!

For those of you who do not know - my Sarahbear is in the pink

Sarah Softball Trophy

JJ Storm Player #7

Missy is sooo talented!!

I won these on Ebay from Missy. They are so cute!! She is sooo talented!! I have been buying punchart and paper piecings from her for years and I am declaring today Missy Made It Day!!! You can visit Missy's website here www.missymadeit.com and there is a link to visit her ebay store for all her gorgeous tear bear!!!!!

THANKS MISSY!!

Which Disney Character Are You

You scored as Donald Duck, Your alter ego is Donald Duck! Try as you might, you have a nasty temper that is hard to control. But you try hard to please, and you aren't one to go down without a fight. Donald Duck 81% The Beast 75% Peter Pan 75% Cinderella 69% Ariel 63% Sleeping Beauty 63% Goofy 63% Pinocchio 50% Snow White 50% Cruella De Ville 25% Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

GREAT LAKES DRAGAWAY - June 2007

Dave's first time racing the Nova!!! So he may not have been the fastest yet - but he was the hottest!!! :)

Sarah Graduated!

Sarah & Kirsten

Sarah, Jake & Mandi

Allie, Sarah, & Mandi

Grandma & Sarah

Sarah graduated 8th grade on June 8!!

The day after she turned 14!

She is now officially a High Schooler!

OMG - I'm getting old LOL!!!

And she graduated with a 3.98 GPA!!

CAR SHOW JUNE 9, 2007

So Dave decided to show his car at the car show on June 9th. There were a lot of cool cars there. His buddy Ryan came over with his Roadster - this is the 2nd pic. (Dave's car is the first pic!) Anyway, Ryan's car was covered in rust. He says he is not going to restore it in anyway - the rust is what makes it cool. It has the old Mexican style restaurant chairs in it for seats LOL!! Everyone was saying it was going to win best in show LOL!! Don't know if it did - we did not stay that long. We went again last night but I did not take any pics - really, how many do I need of the same car LOL!!

I've been tagged

I've been tagged by Michelle. Place an X by all the things you've done, or remove the X from the ones you have not, and tag your friends. Copy to your blog.

( ) Smoked a cigarette
(X) Drank so much you threw up
(X) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) Been arrested (knock on wood)
(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
( ) Seen someone die
( ) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Florida
(X) Been to Mexico
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Gone skinny dipping
( ) Felt like dying
( ) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang karaoke
( ) Paid for a meal with only coins
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) Made prank phone calls
( ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) Laughed until liquid came out the other end
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Made a bonfire on the beach
(X) Crashed a party
(X) Gone roller-skating
(X) Ice-skating

1. Any nicknames? MOMMY
2. Mothers Name? SHIRLEY
3. What is your favorite drink? LEMONADE
4. Tattoos? NO
5. Body piercing? YES
6. How much do you love your job? RIGHT NOW IT'S OK
7. Birthplace? WISCONSIN
8. Favorite vacation spot? IN THE MOUNTAINS
9. Have you ever been to Africa ? NO
10. Ever eaten Cookies for dinner? YES
11. Ever been on TV? NO
12. Ever steal any traffic signs? YES
13. Ever been in a car accident? YES
14. Was it your fault? NO
15. 4 Doors? YES
16. Favorite salad dressing? RANCH
17. Favorite Pie? PECAN
18. Favorite number? 7
19. Favorite Movie(s)? XXX - get your mind out of the gutter LOL!! Vin Diesel in XXX (triple XXX)
20. Favorite Holiday ? THANKSGIVING
21. Favorite alcoholic drink? PINA COLADA
22. Favorite Food? LASAGNE
23. Favorite day of the week? SATURDAY
24. Favorite brand of body soap? IVORY
25. Favorite TV show(s)? LAW & ORDER SVU, AI
26. Favorite toothpaste? CREST CINNAMON
27. What do you do to relax? SCRAPBOOK
28. Do you have a message to your friends reading this right now? BITE ME ;)
29. How do you see yourself in 10 years? HOPEFULLY ALIVE AND HAPPY
30. What do you do when you are bored? GET ON THE INTERNET
31. Furthest place you tag someone? FLORIDA
32. Your hero? DON'T HAVE ONE
33. Your middle name and be honest? ANN

Have a Pina Colada on Me

After the weekend I have had - CHEERS to all! LOL!!!!