Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Cookies and Cream Cake
And the final piece of yumminess for the evening was a cookies and cream cake. My family is cookies and cream crazy! We love everything cookies and cream so I thought I would make it into a cake. I started with a dark chocolate fudge boxed cake mix (gasp! a boxed cake mix, there will be more short cuts, but the end result is delicious!) and 1 C. of white chocolate chips and mixed them into the dry cake mix, coating the chips with the mix before adding my water, oil and eggs. This way all my chips would not sink to the bottom. I mixed my cake according to the box directions and poured into and greased and floured 9x13 pan, ( I highly recommend using 2 - 8" round or square pans for this, it will make your life a whole lot easier), I gave the cake a light tap before putting it in the oven, to level it out and baked according to package directions. I removed it from the oven and let sit in the pan for 5 minutes, no more, no less! VERY important! At 5 minutes, get that sucker out of the pan and flip it onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely. Once the cake has cooled, place one layer on a cake board or plate and spread a container (yes the whole container) of vanilla icing on top of the layer. You will then crush about 15 chocolate sandwich cookies either in a food processor or in a sandwich bag with a spoon and place on top of the vanilla icing.
Then place the next layer of cake on top of this. You will then use another container of store bought icing, ( I used whipped chocolate) and ice the whole cake. I had a little left over so I put a border around the top of the cake. I had some cookies and cream candies that I put on top of the cake. I underestimated the amount I had, that is why they are neat on one side and spread out on the other. The kids love them, the hubby and I decided it would be better with more crushed cookies on top. Your choice. I hope you enjoy this recipe. This is a rich and decadent cake that definitely needs a glass of milk with it.
Lasagna Roll Ups
For dinner I had leftovers from Pinterest inspired recipe in the freezer, so those were partially thawed and put into the oven. Dinner was Lasagna Roll Ups, I combined several recipes and came up with one of my own. I made two different kinds at the same time to try to appease picky eaters and get rid of spinach that was going bad in my fridge.
1 box of lasagna noodles
3-4 roma tomatoes, sliced
fresh spinach leaves
1 container ricotta cheese (I used skim)
2 T Parmesan cheese
2 C. mozzarella cheese
pepperoni sliced
Marinara sauce either homemade or jar sauce works well too.
Simple Marinara:
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato puree
2 1/2 T dried Italian seasoning
Heat oil, sauté onion until almost transparent, add garlic and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes and puree and seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer.
Boil noodles until al dente, drain. Mix together ricotta and parmesan cheese. Place a cup of marinara in bottom of 9x13 pan. Lay out noodle, spread cheese mixture on it, layer with tomato & spinach, or pepperoni slices, roll up and lay seam side down in pan. Cover with remaining marinara and mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until warm and bubbly. Left overs freeze well and reheat from frozen in pan in about an hour.
Not the prettiest picture but they are oh so yummy!
1 box of lasagna noodles
3-4 roma tomatoes, sliced
fresh spinach leaves
1 container ricotta cheese (I used skim)
2 T Parmesan cheese
2 C. mozzarella cheese
pepperoni sliced
Marinara sauce either homemade or jar sauce works well too.
Simple Marinara:
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato puree
2 1/2 T dried Italian seasoning
Heat oil, sauté onion until almost transparent, add garlic and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes and puree and seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer.
Boil noodles until al dente, drain. Mix together ricotta and parmesan cheese. Place a cup of marinara in bottom of 9x13 pan. Lay out noodle, spread cheese mixture on it, layer with tomato & spinach, or pepperoni slices, roll up and lay seam side down in pan. Cover with remaining marinara and mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until warm and bubbly. Left overs freeze well and reheat from frozen in pan in about an hour.
My Domestic Diva Day
Today as I was making blueberry jam, I decided that I would try my best to post my results to recipes that I use online and post the links I use. I am trying my best to try a new recipe a week, today 3 new recipes were used so I will post them all here today and I hope you will enjoy them.
Monday we went blueberry picking at a local farm, this is a great activity and is so much cheaper and the farm we went to did not use pesticides. I froze a lot of the berries and some of the ones that were mushy I decided to make jam out of. I searched on Pinterest for a sugar free recipe and came across this one: http://michmeisner.blogspot.com/2013/04/homemade-bread-jam.html?m=1 . This recipe calls for 4 cups of Blueberries, 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce, and 2 T no sugar needed pectin. I had about 6 cups of blueberries and about 1 3/4 cups of my own homemade unsweetened applesauce on hand and it was made out of tart apples so I added 1 cup of Splenda for baking, so I increased my pectin to about 3 1/2 - 4 T. As you may be able to tell I am not into exact measurements. I processed my blueberries in the food processor and then poured them in my sauce pan. I then poured my applesauce and pectin in the food processor and pulsed them until they were blended and them added to my blueberries. I placed over medium heat and stirred constantly until the mixture reached a boil and then continued to stir for 15 more minutes until it reached a jam consistency. I put the jam into sterilized jelly jar and processed them in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
My Finished Jam!!!
For dinner I had leftovers from Pinterest inspired recipe in the freezer, so those were partially thawed and put into the oven. Dinner was Lasagna Roll Ups, I combined several recipes and came up with one of my own. I made two different kinds at the same time to try to appease picky eaters and get rid of spinach that was going bad in my fridge.
1 box of lasagna noodles
3-4 roma tomatoes, sliced
fresh spinach leaves
1 container ricotta cheese (I used skim)
2 T Parmesan cheese
2 C. mozzarella cheese
pepperoni sliced
Marinara sauce either homemade or jar sauce works well too.
Simple Marinara:
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato puree
2 1/2 T dried Italian seasoning
Heat oil, sauté onion until almost transparent, add garlic and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes and puree and seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer.
Boil noodles until al dente, drain. Mix together ricotta and parmesan cheese. Place a cup of marinara in bottom of 9x13 pan. Lay out noodle, spread cheese mixture on it, layer with tomato & spinach, or pepperoni slices, roll up and lay seam side down in pan. Cover with remaining marinara and mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until warm and bubbly. Left overs freeze well and reheat from frozen in pan in about an hour.
Not the prettiest picture but they are oh so yummy!
And the final piece of yumminess for the evening was a cookies and cream cake. My family is cookies and cream crazy! We love everything cookies and cream so I thought I would make it into a cake. I started with a dark chocolate fudge boxed cake mix (gasp! a boxed cake mix, there will be more short cuts, but the end result is delicious!) and 1 C. of white chocolate chips and mixed them into the dry cake mix, coating the chips with the mix before adding my water, oil and eggs. This way all my chips would not sink to the bottom. I mixed my cake according to the box directions and poured into and greased and floured 9x13 pan, ( I highly recommend using 2 - 8" round or square pans for this, it will make your life a whole lot easier), I gave the cake a light tap before putting it in the oven, to level it out and baked according to package directions. I removed it from the oven and let sit in the pan for 5 minutes, no more, no less! VERY important! At 5 minutes, get that sucker out of the pan and flip it onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely. Once the cake has cooled, place one layer on a cake board or plate and spread a container (yes the whole container) of vanilla icing on top of the layer. You will then crush about 15 chocolate sandwich cookies either in a food processor or in a sandwich bag with a spoon and place on top of the vanilla icing.
Then place the next layer of cake on top of this. You will then use another container of store bought icing, ( I used whipped chocolate) and ice the whole cake. I had a little left over so I put a border around the top of the cake. I had some cookies and cream candies that I put on top of the cake. I underestimated the amount I had, that is why they are neat on one side and spread out on the other. The kids love them, the hubby and I decided it would be better with more crushed cookies on top. Your choice. I hope you enjoy this recipe. This is a rich and decadent cake that definitely needs a glass of milk with it.
Monday we went blueberry picking at a local farm, this is a great activity and is so much cheaper and the farm we went to did not use pesticides. I froze a lot of the berries and some of the ones that were mushy I decided to make jam out of. I searched on Pinterest for a sugar free recipe and came across this one: http://michmeisner.blogspot.com/2013/04/homemade-bread-jam.html?m=1 . This recipe calls for 4 cups of Blueberries, 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce, and 2 T no sugar needed pectin. I had about 6 cups of blueberries and about 1 3/4 cups of my own homemade unsweetened applesauce on hand and it was made out of tart apples so I added 1 cup of Splenda for baking, so I increased my pectin to about 3 1/2 - 4 T. As you may be able to tell I am not into exact measurements. I processed my blueberries in the food processor and then poured them in my sauce pan. I then poured my applesauce and pectin in the food processor and pulsed them until they were blended and them added to my blueberries. I placed over medium heat and stirred constantly until the mixture reached a boil and then continued to stir for 15 more minutes until it reached a jam consistency. I put the jam into sterilized jelly jar and processed them in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
For dinner I had leftovers from Pinterest inspired recipe in the freezer, so those were partially thawed and put into the oven. Dinner was Lasagna Roll Ups, I combined several recipes and came up with one of my own. I made two different kinds at the same time to try to appease picky eaters and get rid of spinach that was going bad in my fridge.
1 box of lasagna noodles
3-4 roma tomatoes, sliced
fresh spinach leaves
1 container ricotta cheese (I used skim)
2 T Parmesan cheese
2 C. mozzarella cheese
pepperoni sliced
Marinara sauce either homemade or jar sauce works well too.
Simple Marinara:
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato puree
2 1/2 T dried Italian seasoning
Heat oil, sauté onion until almost transparent, add garlic and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes and puree and seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer.
Boil noodles until al dente, drain. Mix together ricotta and parmesan cheese. Place a cup of marinara in bottom of 9x13 pan. Lay out noodle, spread cheese mixture on it, layer with tomato & spinach, or pepperoni slices, roll up and lay seam side down in pan. Cover with remaining marinara and mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until warm and bubbly. Left overs freeze well and reheat from frozen in pan in about an hour.
And the final piece of yumminess for the evening was a cookies and cream cake. My family is cookies and cream crazy! We love everything cookies and cream so I thought I would make it into a cake. I started with a dark chocolate fudge boxed cake mix (gasp! a boxed cake mix, there will be more short cuts, but the end result is delicious!) and 1 C. of white chocolate chips and mixed them into the dry cake mix, coating the chips with the mix before adding my water, oil and eggs. This way all my chips would not sink to the bottom. I mixed my cake according to the box directions and poured into and greased and floured 9x13 pan, ( I highly recommend using 2 - 8" round or square pans for this, it will make your life a whole lot easier), I gave the cake a light tap before putting it in the oven, to level it out and baked according to package directions. I removed it from the oven and let sit in the pan for 5 minutes, no more, no less! VERY important! At 5 minutes, get that sucker out of the pan and flip it onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely. Once the cake has cooled, place one layer on a cake board or plate and spread a container (yes the whole container) of vanilla icing on top of the layer. You will then crush about 15 chocolate sandwich cookies either in a food processor or in a sandwich bag with a spoon and place on top of the vanilla icing.
My next project is Frozen birthday invitations for my girls 5th birthday party, but that will have to wait until morning.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Back to school
Yesterday my girls returned back to their preschool after a two week long Christmas break. I'm not sure who was more ready to go back, me or them. That three hours twice a week has become my time to run my errands and enjoy some quiet time. The girls enjoy school, they craft and do gymnastics and enjoy the interaction with the other children.
My first stop was Wal-Mart, prepared with coupons in hand, I was excited to find that the entire garden center was filled with clearance items. After some searching, I found some Christmas items at 70%off and a few other odds and ends. Our Wal-Mart stopped doubling coupons prior to Christmas which means less savings for me, which means less money I spend with them. I did pick up a couple of things using coupons, hand soap for $.50, toothpaste and toothbrush for $.25 each. Rarely do I get these things for free like the people on TV claim you can but I am happy with paying only $.25.
Next I was off to Jo-Ann Fabrics to pick up some crafting supplies. I am in the process of making ribbon wreaths and I will post pics when finished. With a little Internet surfing the night before, I had a 20% off coupon sent to my phone and saved an additional $12.60 off my total. I love saving money!
My alone time was over and it was back to pick up my babies.
A couple of nights a week I teach cake decorating classes at Michael's. This month is proving to be a very slow month, I only have one class scheduled with one student signed up. Yesterday evening she called and said that she would be unable to attend but as this was the first class I still needed to go and make sure no one else came for the class. After a 20 minute drive and 10 minutes of waiting, no one else showed. I purchased a couple of items in the store, paying with my debit card which I put in my coat pocket as I don't carry my whole purse in the store when I teach my class and proceeded to my car. My plan wad to run to Target to purchase some diapers and go home. As I was getting out of my car at Target, I checked my pocket for my debit card, then the other pocket, then my pants pockets, then back in my car to check my purse, under the seat, then panic set in, somewhere in the 100 yards between the cash register and my car I had lost my debit card. I drove back to Michael's searching the parking lot, retracing my steps, back inside no one had turned it in. CRAP!!! I look up my bank information online and call and report it lost. It is around 7 at night so I am connected to a company overseas which aggravates me. They ask if I have the card number, I know you are supposed to do this in the event your cards are lost or stolen but it just never seemed like a good idea to me to write all my card numbers down in one place. After spelling my last name 5 times, I was assured my card was cancelled (only to call the bank this morning and find out that it was not).
Hopefully today is better.
My first stop was Wal-Mart, prepared with coupons in hand, I was excited to find that the entire garden center was filled with clearance items. After some searching, I found some Christmas items at 70%off and a few other odds and ends. Our Wal-Mart stopped doubling coupons prior to Christmas which means less savings for me, which means less money I spend with them. I did pick up a couple of things using coupons, hand soap for $.50, toothpaste and toothbrush for $.25 each. Rarely do I get these things for free like the people on TV claim you can but I am happy with paying only $.25.
Next I was off to Jo-Ann Fabrics to pick up some crafting supplies. I am in the process of making ribbon wreaths and I will post pics when finished. With a little Internet surfing the night before, I had a 20% off coupon sent to my phone and saved an additional $12.60 off my total. I love saving money!
My alone time was over and it was back to pick up my babies.
A couple of nights a week I teach cake decorating classes at Michael's. This month is proving to be a very slow month, I only have one class scheduled with one student signed up. Yesterday evening she called and said that she would be unable to attend but as this was the first class I still needed to go and make sure no one else came for the class. After a 20 minute drive and 10 minutes of waiting, no one else showed. I purchased a couple of items in the store, paying with my debit card which I put in my coat pocket as I don't carry my whole purse in the store when I teach my class and proceeded to my car. My plan wad to run to Target to purchase some diapers and go home. As I was getting out of my car at Target, I checked my pocket for my debit card, then the other pocket, then my pants pockets, then back in my car to check my purse, under the seat, then panic set in, somewhere in the 100 yards between the cash register and my car I had lost my debit card. I drove back to Michael's searching the parking lot, retracing my steps, back inside no one had turned it in. CRAP!!! I look up my bank information online and call and report it lost. It is around 7 at night so I am connected to a company overseas which aggravates me. They ask if I have the card number, I know you are supposed to do this in the event your cards are lost or stolen but it just never seemed like a good idea to me to write all my card numbers down in one place. After spelling my last name 5 times, I was assured my card was cancelled (only to call the bank this morning and find out that it was not).
Hopefully today is better.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Creamy Chicken Noodles
I am always looking for quick easy fixes for dinner. Tonight I made this in a slow cooker, I have also made it on the stovetop when I had the time to boil the chicken and the noodles.
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were thawed, but you could put them in frozen, just adjust the cooking time)
3-4 cups (or 2 cans) chicken broth
1/2 large onion chopped
2 cups carrots chopped
1 tbls garlic pepper seasoning
1 tsp. Poultry seasoning
1 can evaporated milk
1 package egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
Combine first 5 ingredients in slow cooker and cook in low for 4 hours. (I lined my slow cooker with a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner, I highly recommend this product, easy meal with no clean up, what more could you ask for.)
Remove chicken and place on plate and shred with fork, return to slow cooker. Add evaporated milk and egg noodles and stir. Continue stirring about every 15 minutes until noodles are tender. I add sour cream at the end for extra creaminess as well as salt and pepper to taste.
Hope you enjoy!
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were thawed, but you could put them in frozen, just adjust the cooking time)
3-4 cups (or 2 cans) chicken broth
1/2 large onion chopped
2 cups carrots chopped
1 tbls garlic pepper seasoning
1 tsp. Poultry seasoning
1 can evaporated milk
1 package egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
Combine first 5 ingredients in slow cooker and cook in low for 4 hours. (I lined my slow cooker with a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner, I highly recommend this product, easy meal with no clean up, what more could you ask for.)
Remove chicken and place on plate and shred with fork, return to slow cooker. Add evaporated milk and egg noodles and stir. Continue stirring about every 15 minutes until noodles are tender. I add sour cream at the end for extra creaminess as well as salt and pepper to taste.
Hope you enjoy!
New Year, New Me!
I know it's a couple of days late but I've had a New Years epiphany, I am going to blog my way to a new me. I figure writing it down will provide me with some accountability even if no one ever reads it. I am not only talking about living a healthier lifestyle but maintaining a better household, and a better mother and wife. This blog will kind of be my daily journal to keep me on track to making myself better.
As of today my two and a half yer old twin girls have been out of their twice weekly preschool for two weeks, they were supposed to return yesterday but we had a snow day. I believe that cabin fever is getting the best of all of us. While they received an absurd amount of toys for Christmas, they are playing with measuring tapes and watching the sane episodes of "Max and Ruby" we have seen a hundred times. (Oh that Ruby, there are days I would love to reach in the TV and smack her, but I digress as the girls love the show and it provides me some sanity.)
For Christmas I thought it would be a good idea to purchase the girls "big girl bedding" for them and make the transition out of their cribs. On New Years Day my husband and I removed the crib front and added the toddler bed rail. The girls were excited to sleep in their big girls beds and have done well at night but nap time seems to have stopped, I miss nap time and they are so grumpy by mid evening I am ready for them to go to bed. Maybe with their routine returning back to normal tomorrow with preschool, they will sneak a nap in the afternoon.
Dinner is in the crockpot, chicken and noodles. Quick and easy. I will post the recipe with some pics later. Laundry is calling my name and I am going to attempt to get the girls to nap.
As of today my two and a half yer old twin girls have been out of their twice weekly preschool for two weeks, they were supposed to return yesterday but we had a snow day. I believe that cabin fever is getting the best of all of us. While they received an absurd amount of toys for Christmas, they are playing with measuring tapes and watching the sane episodes of "Max and Ruby" we have seen a hundred times. (Oh that Ruby, there are days I would love to reach in the TV and smack her, but I digress as the girls love the show and it provides me some sanity.)
For Christmas I thought it would be a good idea to purchase the girls "big girl bedding" for them and make the transition out of their cribs. On New Years Day my husband and I removed the crib front and added the toddler bed rail. The girls were excited to sleep in their big girls beds and have done well at night but nap time seems to have stopped, I miss nap time and they are so grumpy by mid evening I am ready for them to go to bed. Maybe with their routine returning back to normal tomorrow with preschool, they will sneak a nap in the afternoon.
Dinner is in the crockpot, chicken and noodles. Quick and easy. I will post the recipe with some pics later. Laundry is calling my name and I am going to attempt to get the girls to nap.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Memories of Mom
As I was looking over Twitter I found an interesting daily blog prompt I thought would be easy for me to sit and write about. The prompt, "What is your most memorable time with your Mother and/or Grandmother? - Was it when you went on a special vacation? Did you have a heart to heart conversation? Why is she special to you? What makes her the best?" So here it goes.
My mom was my best friend, confidant and held a very special place in my heart. There are so many memorable times with my mom I don't even know where to begin. There is the time that she and I went to Myrtle Beach for a weekend getaway and decided to go on a casino boat. On this cruises you have to sail a hour out into international waters to begin the gambling. This hour of cruising can included some choppy waters and it can take a little while to get your "sea legs". While the boat was still docked I headed to the bar and took a motion sickness pill with a vodka cranberry. My mom on the other hand did not. She was so sick almost the entire cruise, she began to feel better just as they were ready to stop the gambling to return the boat dock. Word to the wise, if you have not been on one of these cruises before, there are barf bags everywhere, so they are ready at all times; if you have to use the restroom, use it before you leave as you will see nothing but the back of people's feet under the stalls as they are suffering from the motion sickness and finally and probably most importantly, DO NOT each greasy food before going. My mom and I had stopped at Johnny Rockets and shared Chili Cheese Fries and some Onion Rings before boarding. I am not sure if she was more sick from the boat or the greasy food bouncing around in her stomach.
There was the time that I surprised my mom for Mother's Day by buying her tickets to see Bob Segar. We had a blast at the concert and is a time I will never forget.
I will never forget how beautiful and nervous she was on my wedding day or the reminder that I was on my honeymoon when she was calling me daily.
Although we had our feuds, as I am sure that most moms and daughters do, I loved her more than anything in this world and now I am left with a whole in my heart.
On Sunday, June 8, 2008, I received a phone call stating that my mom had been in a car accident. Expecting nothing major, I made my way calmly to the hospital. Just weeks prior she had been diagnosed cancer free after a long battle with cervical cancer. The reality hit me when I walked into the ER and saw a chaplain and a social worker talking with my family who was already there. The hospital does not send these people unless it is serious. After waiting what seemed a lifetime, the doctors came and spoke with us and told us that she was being moved to the ICU but the prognosis was not good. Tearful, my family and I made our way to the ICU waiting room praying that things would take a turn for the better. Within minutes of arriving in the waiting room, a "Code Blue" was called over the load speaker, all nearby doctors and nurses took off running. I looked at my husband and told him that was it, she was gone. About fifteen minutes later, we were asked to go to the family room because the doctors wanted to speak with us. Once in there the doctors told us that due to the multiple injuries she had received her body was in shock and her heart could no longer handle it. They took a minute to "clean her up" and took us back to see her. She was so peaceful lying there. She was covered up to her neck with a sheet and her head was wrapped with a bandage, all we could see was her beautiful face which had a blackened eye. The reality of the situation hit me hard and panic sank in, my husband and a nurse did all they could just to get me to breath. My 90 year old grandfather was given a chair so he would not loose his footing. We were given a few minutes to say our goodbyes and we left.
This is the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with in my life. My mother was taken from us just a short three and a half months after I was married. She wanted nothing more than grandchildren, thirteen months after her accident, I gave birth to our beautiful twin girls. There are times when I am so angry that she never got to hold them but I know that she is the best guardian angel they could have.
I try to remember the good times we had and the way she laughed and her smile that could light up a room. Our last conversation was about making baked potatoes on the grill. These are things I will never forget. I hold tight to my memories of her and the love that we had for each other and I know that I will see her again one day.
Hold tight to the ones that you love as you never know that today could be their last.
For writing prompts, visit the following website:
http://www.socialmoms.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=writing+prompt
My mom was my best friend, confidant and held a very special place in my heart. There are so many memorable times with my mom I don't even know where to begin. There is the time that she and I went to Myrtle Beach for a weekend getaway and decided to go on a casino boat. On this cruises you have to sail a hour out into international waters to begin the gambling. This hour of cruising can included some choppy waters and it can take a little while to get your "sea legs". While the boat was still docked I headed to the bar and took a motion sickness pill with a vodka cranberry. My mom on the other hand did not. She was so sick almost the entire cruise, she began to feel better just as they were ready to stop the gambling to return the boat dock. Word to the wise, if you have not been on one of these cruises before, there are barf bags everywhere, so they are ready at all times; if you have to use the restroom, use it before you leave as you will see nothing but the back of people's feet under the stalls as they are suffering from the motion sickness and finally and probably most importantly, DO NOT each greasy food before going. My mom and I had stopped at Johnny Rockets and shared Chili Cheese Fries and some Onion Rings before boarding. I am not sure if she was more sick from the boat or the greasy food bouncing around in her stomach.
There was the time that I surprised my mom for Mother's Day by buying her tickets to see Bob Segar. We had a blast at the concert and is a time I will never forget.
I will never forget how beautiful and nervous she was on my wedding day or the reminder that I was on my honeymoon when she was calling me daily.
Although we had our feuds, as I am sure that most moms and daughters do, I loved her more than anything in this world and now I am left with a whole in my heart.
On Sunday, June 8, 2008, I received a phone call stating that my mom had been in a car accident. Expecting nothing major, I made my way calmly to the hospital. Just weeks prior she had been diagnosed cancer free after a long battle with cervical cancer. The reality hit me when I walked into the ER and saw a chaplain and a social worker talking with my family who was already there. The hospital does not send these people unless it is serious. After waiting what seemed a lifetime, the doctors came and spoke with us and told us that she was being moved to the ICU but the prognosis was not good. Tearful, my family and I made our way to the ICU waiting room praying that things would take a turn for the better. Within minutes of arriving in the waiting room, a "Code Blue" was called over the load speaker, all nearby doctors and nurses took off running. I looked at my husband and told him that was it, she was gone. About fifteen minutes later, we were asked to go to the family room because the doctors wanted to speak with us. Once in there the doctors told us that due to the multiple injuries she had received her body was in shock and her heart could no longer handle it. They took a minute to "clean her up" and took us back to see her. She was so peaceful lying there. She was covered up to her neck with a sheet and her head was wrapped with a bandage, all we could see was her beautiful face which had a blackened eye. The reality of the situation hit me hard and panic sank in, my husband and a nurse did all they could just to get me to breath. My 90 year old grandfather was given a chair so he would not loose his footing. We were given a few minutes to say our goodbyes and we left.
This is the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with in my life. My mother was taken from us just a short three and a half months after I was married. She wanted nothing more than grandchildren, thirteen months after her accident, I gave birth to our beautiful twin girls. There are times when I am so angry that she never got to hold them but I know that she is the best guardian angel they could have.
I try to remember the good times we had and the way she laughed and her smile that could light up a room. Our last conversation was about making baked potatoes on the grill. These are things I will never forget. I hold tight to my memories of her and the love that we had for each other and I know that I will see her again one day.
Hold tight to the ones that you love as you never know that today could be their last.
For writing prompts, visit the following website:
http://www.socialmoms.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=writing+prompt
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