The Last Week

Wow...what a week it's been!  Work for me has been very crazy and a little sad...One of our kiddos is not doing great.  He is three years old and was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma (a nasty little cancer) about two years ago.  He's had lots of different treatments (radiation, chemo, a bone marrow transplant...) and the cancer just keeps coming back.  This week the doctors made him a DNR.  It's been really sad....one of those weeks where I think I really need to get out of this line of work...  Anywho - because of that new status, I felt weird about leaving town this weekend in case I got the phone call to come into work for the family.  So - Barrett went to Greenville to visit with Matt, Jenna, Landon, and Susan and I stayed home with Buddy.  I was sad to be here by myself for Easter weekend, but felt good about the decision to stay.  So far, no news from the hospital.  And in this case, no news is good news.  Pray for my little friend.

Barrett had a great time in Greenville with the family.  He got to play with Landon a lot and really enjoy the weather.  They went to a baseball game, played in the kiddie pool, and had a nice Easter lunch.  Wish I could have been there!! 

Landon and Uncle BB

Landon in his Easter best

Pirate Baseball

On an up note - it's been a really beautiful week in Charlotte!  We're talking 80 degrees (at least) and blue skies.  I think everone in NC has had the same weather.  It really makes you want to head to the beach!!  I sat out on the porch for a while with Buddy yesterday and today.  At one point it was so warm that Buddy actually got up, left me out there, and went inside!  I went to get a new book on Saturday and came home with two, plus a new cookbook.  I got The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.  I love Nicholas Sparks books...easy reads, sappy love stories, life lessons.  And - the movie is in theaters now, so I know I'll see it and I like to read books before I watch the movie.  I also got The Last Lecture and finished it!  If you haven't heard of it or haven't seen the TV specials...you should really You Tube it.  Or better yet - read it!  It's the story of a professor from Carnegie Mellon who is diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.  He's given about 6 months to live and in that time, he is asked to give a "Last Lecture" at the university.  Great story...

And - the new cookbook I got was a Hungry Girl cookbook.  I just love Hungry Girl.  I subscribe to her weekly emails.  She comes up with great tips and recipes - all Weight Watchers friendly!  So, we can make anything out of this cookbook, and I don't have to worry about it being 1000 calories!  :-)

Speaking of recipes, this week's Tasty Thursday Treat was VERY tasty!  I got the recipe from my sister.  Barrett gave it a 4.5 out of 5.  :-)

South of the Border Casserole

-Add 1 tsp of olive oil to a large pot.
-Add 1 lb 93% lean ground beef. Cook and drain.
-Add 3/4 cup chopped onions. Stir until onions are soft (bout 7-8 minutes).
-Turn up heat. Add a can of whole tomatoes (chop them up a little), 2 jalepenos chopped (I used pickled but fresh would be good. They are much hotter though so be careful) and 1/2 a green pepper
-Add 2 cups of fat free sour cream, 1 Tbs of chili powder and a little salt. Stir it all together.
-Once it starts to boil, add 8oz of pasta.
-Lower heat and cover. Stir every five minutes for 25 minutes or until noodles are soft.

Um...yum.  Really tasty, a little spicy, and very filling.

Another fun factoid - my mom and stepdad are moving back to NC!  They've been in Mississippi for about 3 1/2 years...and they are coming back!  My stepdad actually came back this weekend because he's starting work tomorrow.  My mom will probably be down in about 4 weeks or so.  We are excited that they'll be so much closer to us now....back in Burlington!  :-)

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Happy Easter!