Hi.... AGAIN!!

It's been a while since I have written, so I will catch y'all up on our past 6 weeks. Feb. 21 - 23, we spent in the hospital with our sweet girl. We were trying to figure out why her blood pressure and heart rate were dropping during the middle of the day and also, why she was having palpitations frequently- very scary for sure. -For those who do not know, Samantha was born at 34 weeks because she was in tachycardia- she has been on heart meds her entire life until she had her ablation in April of 2011. After her ablation (surgery to destroy the extra pieces of electricity around her heart) she was put back on medicine and has been at the same dose that she was on prior to the ablation because the procedure unmasked other arrhythmias.- Back to the hospital- the cardiologists and her EP dr decided to take her off of her medicine and put her on telemetry (heart monitor) and keep her at the hospital to observe her (her last dose of meds were given on 2/22 in the am). Samantha did great, her heart was strong and they were not able to detect and issues at that time. Samantha enjoyed the child life specialists that came in and brought fun things to keep her busy and she also enjoyed getting to eat Mc Donald's and Chipotle chips and cheese- we never eat out! GG and Pop also came to help Mommy and Daddy and we were all so happy to have the company! The following week, we met Samantha's new cardiologist and we really liked her. She had an ECG and an EKG and both looked good- next the dr ordered a 24 hr halter monitor that records every heart beat. The dr also told us that she wanted Samantha to increase her fluids to 60 - 80 oz per day (hoping this would keep the palpitations at bay). Fast forward 5 weeks.... Samantha is doing great! The halter reading did not detect any issues and she has not had a problem to date. I truly believe our prayers have been answered. I don't know if this is 'forever', but I like to say that it is a 'for now' and enjoy each and every day together!

The funny thing is, that when we were in the hospital with Samantha, there were a lot of tears and emotions (from me of course). I was so afraid to let them take her off of the meds. The 'what if's' that ran thru my mind were not positive to say the least. I prayed and prayed for peace and for Samantha to be well. What I didn't realize until recently, is that all along, our prayers were being answered, I just had to let go of the control (and as a mom, that is really hard to do!) and let God's plans work in her life and in ours. I'm not sure what tomorrow holds, but I do know that today was great and that is what matters.

I hope that everyone had a great weekend with their families, friends, loved ones, etc.

~Casey

Lent

We are now in the Lenten season and this is a time to take the focus away from our selves and put our focus back on Jesus.  We do this by giving up something that we really like for Lent and using this time, energy, etc. to put our focus back on Jesus and His 40 days and 40 nights, walking thru the desert, bearing the Cross.  So, this year I thought long and hard about what I am going to give up and the one thing that I rely on when I am having a bad day is my ice cream.  Yes, I know that it sounds crazy, but thru everything, ice cream was the one thing that would make me feel better.  I am going to take these moments, instead, to pray and to think of what Jesus went through for all of us.  I guess what I am saying is, instead of feeling better from a scoop of ice cream everyday (and yes I look forward to that scoop everyday) I am going to take the focus off of myself and use this time to thank Him for dying for our sins.  I hope that everyone has thought a lot about what they are going to give up for Lent, or even better, what they can do for Jesus during this Lenten season. 

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend with their friends and families. 

Love,
Casey

Pizza Pockets!

Sorry that it has been so long since my last post.  I have been a very busy momma and with that being said, I figured out a quick and easy dinner that my daughter and husband love!! 

Ingredients are:
1 can of Pillsbury crescent sheets (not crescent rolls)
mild cheddar and mozzarella cheeses
spaghetti sauce

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Use a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spread the crescent sheet on the parchment paper.  take a spoon and dollop the sauce in 4 spots on the bottom half of the dough.  Then sprinkle both cheeses over the sauce.  Fold the top 1/2 of dough over the bottom and using a pizza cutter cut it into 4 pieces.  Using your fingers press the edges together so the sauce and cheese stays inside the pocket.  Bake for 8-10 min.  They are YUMMY!
*You can add other things to the inside of the pocket; pepperoni, spinach, sausage, etc.

I hope th you all enjoy these as much as we have!! I will post pics next time I make them- they get eaten so quickly, I have not been able to get a picture.

Have a GREAT day!
~Casey
   

Happy New Year!!

What a wonderful few days we have had with family around! We have shopped, cooked, sewed, knitted, played, etc!!! We have definitely been busy bees around this house! I can not wait to see what 2013 has up 'its' sleeve- I am very optimistic that there are many blessings in store for us this year!

I was thinking of resolutions today and then we talked about it at the dinner table this evening and our daughter asked me what a resolution was. I thought to say its a promise that we make to lose weight, be healthier, etc. Instead, I told her that it is something that you do- so with that, she is resolving to knit caps for the children at the hospital that need hats to keep their heads warm. What a great idea! I thought that walking as a family on the weekends is good idea and I think I am going to do something for myself (maybe an art class, more golf lessons, etc.) I am going to also continue to volunteer and be an advocate for congenital heart disease and food allergies. I am so happy that Samantha 'gets it'- she really makes me proud! So, with that, what is your resolution?

I hope and pray that everyone has a wonderful year full of many blessings!

- Casey