Please pray for Daniel!!!!

Meet our nephew Danny. As most of you know Danny's brother and his wife adopted him back in August. He has been in their care since he was 3 days old. Danny has suffered severe epilepsy for about 8 months now without any relief. They have tried all sorts of medicine etc... Everyone has been baffled. He is behind developmentally due to the siezures he is 26 months old and has not been able to do what a boy his age does because he is missing out on half of his life due the hundreds of siezures a day.

This is what Steve told my husband Danny on the phone today and Danny asked him to email it so I took it upon myself to post it so prayer could be made on his behalf. We know the Lord can take this away but if this is his lot pray that he can endure this and never remember it.... Thanks

Hi All,

Danny and Cyndie O here is a brief summary of the prep work for the procedure Danny had done this week end.

1. He was completely wrapped in a large bed sheet, like a burrito. Every thing except his head was wrapped.

2. He was then strapped down to the bed with 28 strips of tape. Each starting on one side of the bed, crossing his body and attaching to the opposite side. He was now completely unable to move his body.


3. He had 36 electrodes attached to his head. One on each Temple and four on his upper back. The area for each electrode had to be rubbed with a solution for good contact and a special adhesive gel applied to attach the electrode. Then a piece of tape put over each electrode. This was repeated 42 times. During all of two adults held his head to keep it from moving while a third adult applied the electrodes.

4. When this was done his head was completely wrapped in gauze to cover the electrodes. The gauze also wrapped under his chin to keep it secured onto his head. The gauze was then tapped down to make it secure. Finally, a rubber mesh netting was pulled over all of this and tapped down tho prevent him from pulling any thing off. All the electrodes were passed through this netting in back is his head like a giant pony tail. All the wires were tapped every ten inches to keep them together. He would have about 4 ft to move for 48 hours. Steps 1-4 took about 45 minutes

5. When this was completed, the nurse freed up his left arm and five vials of blood were taken while he was still strapped down. This took about 10 minutes.

6. All together he was strapped down for about an hour. He cried for help the whole time saying "All Done".

7. For the next 48 hours he was confined to a 4 ft space. He had to sleep with all this on his head and needed to be watched all night to make sure he did not strangle himself while he slept.

He did such a great job! He played, ate, slept with little frustration. We could not have wished for him to have done any better. We will now be waiting for the doctor's to review the EEG and Video. Please keep him in your prayers. He is such a gentle and joyful child.

Sausage Soup!!!!!

Have you ever been to Bertucci's? Well they have this great sausage soup. Of course it is loaded with fat (that is probably why it tastes so good) anyway i recreated it in my kitchen and I think it tasted better.

1lb good italian sausage you can buy it bulk or you could use turkey sausage
1 medium onion
3-4 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 can tomato paste
beef stock- I use my own but you could use 3-4 cans i recommend low sodium
1 can of water
1 package of frozen spinach
1 small zucchini chopped
fresh basil leaves i use lots use to your preference
brown rice
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

1. saute the onion and the sausage meat til the meat is browned, if you don't buy bulk make sure to take it out of the casing. be sure that you break the meat up well

2. add the zucchini,garlic and then add the paste then the stock,water and spinach. Simmer on low for a couple of hours

3. This is the part when you step in and make it your own. I always make the rice on the side then add it at the end as well as the basil.

This is so yummy on a cold new england day. Ask ??? if you have any...

I got tagged.....

Beth tagged me…


For those of you who don’t know….
In the context of web logs / ‘blogs / blogging and other kinds of personal web sites it’s some kind of list of questions that you saw somewhere else and you decided to answer the questions. Then someone else sees them and does them and so on and so on. I generally consider these to be actual questions and not some multiple choice quizzes that determine some result at the end (what color you are most like, what cartoon character are you, what 80s movie are you).
- Thedailymeme.com

Sometimes these show up in the form of “tag”.
Here’s how this tag goes:

1) Grab the book closest to you
2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3) Post the text of the following 3 sentences
4) Name the author and book title
5) Tag three people to do the same

Now, to love thy neighbor so heartily, that thouw art ready to bestow they money, thy goods, thine eyes, and all that thou hast for his salvation, and moreover to suffer patiently all adversities and afflicitions, these no doubt, are effects and fruits of the Spirit, and these saith he, ye received and enjoyed before these false teachers came among you.

Martin Luther/ Commentary on Galatians

I posted one sentence cuz that is one mighty long and powerful sentence.

I tag Danny O, Sacha and hmmmmm not so sure..... Lisa Noble?

Took a small hiatus......

Sorry I have gone for so long but it took me this long to post as I didn't want to push Eileen down. I realize that even though my post of her may be pushed down she will always always be special to us. Life has been hard adjusting without her but once again the Lord has been faithful to us.

I have realized these past few months that even though people disappoint you and death creeps into our lives without warning and old friendship disintegrate and new friendships appear. The Lord is ever faithful never changing, never disappointing, never ending and of course never dying.


1Deu 31:614 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

Rest in peace my friend

Today our dear friend Eileen passed away, she has been like a mother to me and Danny and a Nana to our girls. The Lord crossed our paths in 2000 and she has been a part of our family ever since. Lord I pray that today she stands before you and yousay to her "Welcome home Eileen, I have been waiting for you".
You will never be forgotten.....WE LOVE YOU!!!!

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

He's home, he's home!!!!!

Lord,

Thank you for bringing my honey home safely. We all missed him terribly...... This trip was all for your Glory. Continue to show yourself to us and direct our paths clearly.....

It's the weather....

Tuscan Tomato Soup

1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 carrots, peeled and finely diced
4 stalks celery, finely diced
3 medium onions, minced
3 quarts canned tomatoes with juice or 14 large, ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 leaves fresh basil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Croutons, for serving, recipe follows

Heat the oil and butter in a Dutch oven. Cook the carrots, celery, and onions for about 20 minutes, or until very tender. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking over moderate heat for 25 to 30 minutes longer. Stir in the parsley and basil, season with salt and pepper, cook a minute or so longer, and serve hot with croutons.


French Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup minced onion

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

12 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus finely chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

1/2 bay leaf

Pinch dried thyme

3 pounds button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 large egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream



In a Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook over low heat, without browning, for 4 minutes. Whisk in the stock until smooth and combined. Add the parsley, bay leaf, and thyme. Simmer for 20 minutes. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, stirring to coat with butter. Add the salt and lemon juice, and cook 5 minutes.



Add the cooked mushrooms to the stock mixture, and simmer 5 minutes.



In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cream until combined. While whisking constantly, slowly add 1 cup of hot soup into the cream mixture. Add to the soup, and heat until warmed through. Be sure not to let the soup get too hot or the egg yolks will curdle. Season with salt.

Ahhh Fall, Soup time!!!!!!

Pasta Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)



8 T good olive oil
2T fresh basil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
2 small cans of tomato paste and 2 small cans of water
1/2 lb ditalini pasta
2 cans of white beans undrained
16 cups of water or chicken stock

Heat pan and add oil then add the onion and garlic to pan and sauté for 5 minutes. Then add the basil, salt, pepper, tomato paste and water. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans undrained. Cook 10 minutes. Boil the water for the pasta and cook pasta for 8 minutes. DO NOT DRAIN THE PASTA. Add the tomato mixture to the pasta with the water take off the heat and cover for 10 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and some grated cheese!

Reflecting on Summer

Here are some pictures from our summer travels. The Lord's blessings are like the waves on the shore, they never cease!

Ahhhhhh the beach!!!

Couldn't get there today (Dad just home from the hospital)
Hitting it tomorrow! YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our girls are getting so big!!!

They are growing like weeds. Here are pics from their first days at school.

Off to school!!!!

What am I gonna do when my big girl is gone all day long and my little girl is gone 5 hours a week?

Coffee you say, maybe the gym, shopping possibly, cleaning the house? Nope crying..... Pray the Lord protects them at school and give them the opportunity to declare His name!!!

The beauty of the Lord!!!!

Isn't he lovely?

Texas Sweet Texas

Here are some pictures of our trip. Please pray for us as we consider a relocation to San Antonio and that we may know clearly what the Lord has for us.

Oh yeah what do you get when you cross an Emma-bean and a 4 month old, 3 pound yorkie named Story? A BROKEN LEG!!!!!! Sorry Story Emma didn't meant it :(

The stars at night are big and bright!!!!!

Deep in the heart of Texas!!!! We are outta here!!!!!

Have you ever seen a cuter ball player?

Our MVP!!!!!

The Flood of 2006!!!

Thought you may be interested in looking at some pictures from the flood. Remember the Lord is sovereign over ALL things......

Prayer for the Bean!!!

Samantha (5) and Emma(3) were in children's church on Sunday and Peg asked the kids if they needed prayer for anything. Samantha chirped up and said could you pray for my sister that she knows Jesus better. Peg of course let me know how Godly my daughter is ;)

Later when I had the chance to ask her why she prayed that she replied that she needs to get serious about the Lord. I asked her why and she claims if she knew Jesus better she wouldn't be so silly. Boy does anyone smell self righteousness.

Isn't it just like the Lord again trying to tell me something...Again

Well yesterday was a very humbling day for me. Paul preached on 1 Corinthians 16: 1-4

As I sat there yesterday listening to Paul preach (which btw was awesome, thanks Paul) the Lord put some things on my heart. I do not experience or live my life in a kingdom of generosity. Paul ask what really makes you excited and as I drifted off into thinking about winning Mass millions or megabucks. I started thinking if I only won I could buy us a church and help our families and then honestly want to know what I thought about? SHOPPING..... All the cute littles sandals I could buy and not only for me but my kids.... Oh yeah and my friends too. Like I always say you can never have too many sandals, capris or flip flops....

Does my heart beat like that when I think about eternity with Jesus? When I think about all the wrongs I have done that he suffered for? To clean my slate? To take away my F's and give me all His A's?

I constantly wonder about finances where will they come from, how will we pay this or that? Yesterday was a great day for me the Lord really showed me where my heart is and what He wants for my heart. What we have in this world does not define who we are. The one who dies with the best toys does not win..... The one who dies with Christ is truly the one who wins....

Thank you Lord for loving me enough to show me my sin and correcting me with love....

Jer 17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord

Is God trying to show me something....

So Danny comes home for lunch and I must say the lunch I prepared was great, yummy.... Homemade cornbeef hash with eggs. Anyway we can chat about that another day. So Danny asks me why I haven't been blogging and know what my response to him was? I have nothing to say. Boy is that funny or what, all of you that know me know that I always have something to say. So I was thinking of all the things I have to be grateful and thankful to the Lord for.

1. Life in eternity with Him
2. A completely and absoultely wonderful husband, who is kind, patient and all the things I am not and might I mention a babe. (Ace got nuttin on him)
3. Two adorable children who I love with all my heart
4. Wonderful friends and family a girl couldn't ask for more
5. A passion for cooking that the Lord gave to me to show his glory


So I guess I do have something to say..... Thanks for the reminder sweetie...