Recipe: Barbeque Meatballs

Trying something new here: posting a recipe to my blog :)

This recipe, along with many others in my recipe box, comes from my dear friend Kathie Quisenberry, who is one of the best cooks I know.  She has cooked many times for my family over the years, including weekly meals when our twins were in the NICU.  This recipe is Noah's absolute favorite and the girls love it too.

Okay so I even took some fancy pictures as I was cooking today, so you can get the full effect.  Well, not the full effect I guess, since you didn't get to smell how awesome my kitchen smelled today while they were cooking!

Barbeque Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 lbs hamburger
8 oz evaporated milk
2/3 cup old fashioned oatmeal
2/3 cup cracker crumbs
1 large egg
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 & 1/2 tsp chili powder



Mix all together using hands.  Roll into balls.  Place into baking dish.

Sauce Ingredients:

2 & 1/2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup diced onion

1 & 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

Pour sauce over and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

And enjoy :)

Couple tips:

If you follow the recipe as is, it makes A LOT of meatballs.  So this is great if you have a large family to feed.

But for us, halving the recipe works just fine and makes plenty for the 5 of us.

Also, this is a great recipe for freezer cooking!  Sometimes I will make up a whole batch, then only cook half, and freeze the other half.  If you are going to freeze the meatballs raw, I would recommend setting them on a cookie sheet and placing them in the freezer overnight.  Once they are frozen, just pile them into a freezer bag marked with the date and freeze them for up to 6 months.  The sauce freezes great too.  Just pour it into a freezer bag and freeze.  When you are ready to use it, just thaw it out and cut a corner off the bag to make pouring over the meatballs super easy. 

So that's it!  Let me know what you guys think :)

Lenay's Little Heart

Lenay saw her cardiologist this morning.

We were there for about 3 hours.  Luckily I brought lots of snacks! 

She laid very still for her echocardiogram.  I was shocked!  It takes about 25-30 minutes so thats a long time for a 2 year old to sit still.  But they had cartoons on and Mommy was feeding her little princess grapes (literally) so that helped.

She also tolerated her EKG extremely well.  Another shock.  A test that should take a total of one minute usually takes more like twenty along with the help of several adults.  This time, she acted very interested in the whole process, and then even helped to attach and detach the cables when asked!

She's such a big girl.  But I mean come on, she is two now.

Our doctor peeked his head in after he reviewed the tests and told me he needed to get more blood pressures on her.  He wanted pressures on her arms and legs.

She has had elevated blood pressure for a while now, due to the increased pressure gradient in her aorta from the obstruction, and we knew this.

But it dawned on me today that I have never asked what her pressure should be.

Turns out her top number should be right around 100.

And hers is consistently in the 130s.

The good news is that according to the pictures from the echo, her heart is unchanged.  It is no better, but it is no worse.

We thank God for this, because if it was any worse, meaning any thicker, then we would be talking more surgical intervention.

But since it is no worse, we can continue to play the waiting game.

Patience.

And since we are in "uncharted territory" as the doc said today, we can't really know how long it will take.

He is concerned about her pressures, so he prescribed a blood pressure medicine for her today.

She is now on 3 cardiac meds.

We will go back in a week for blood work to see how she is reacting to the new med, and then we will see him again in 2 months to see where we are with her blood pressure at that time.

The funny thing about Lenay is that you would never know she is a heart baby.  I've had several medical professionals read her chart and then tell me they are shocked when they see and observe her.  Because she just doesn't let it get her down.  We could all take a lesson from her. 

I mean just look at her.  Singing and snacking while she waits.

Love you babe.  I am so blessed.

Cam's GI update

Campbell went back to see the gastroenterologist last week. 

She gained a pound and a half in six weeks!

She is now just shy of 20 pounds.

He said I don't know what you are doing but it is working!

I said we are doing ice cream three times a day :)

He thinks that if she continues on this path she may actually be on the growth chart here very soon.

I am just absolutely amazed by her.  A short couple months ago they were talking about putting a g tube in her.  And just look at her now!  She is doing such a great job eating.

God is so good.  Our prayers were answered :)

We also saw the pediatrician last week and it was a big day for Miss Lenay.  She is now in the 10th percentile for height and weight!  Who knew something as simple as gracing the growth chart would be such a milestone?  The things we take for granted when we have a healthy baby.

Lenay goes in to see her cardiologist tomorrow.  She will have an echocardiogram and EKG.  We will see how that little heart of hers is doing. 

Praying for more good news.

I Will Carry You

I just read the most beautiful book.

Its called "I Will Carry You" by Angie Smith.

Angie tells the true story of she and her husband Todd's 4th child, a daughter they named Audrey Caroline, and how they found out during a routine ultrasound that she would not survive beyond birth.  She had conditions that were deemed "incompatible with life."

It was recommended that they terminate the pregnancy.  But they made the decision to carry the child anyway.

Their story was heart wrenching.

Angie and Todd never wanted to give up on their daughter.  Their faith in God was strong as they prayed for a miracle.

Audrey Caroline lived for two and a half hours after she was born, which was a miracle in itself.  She was tiny, weighing in at only a little more than three pounds.  And she was beautiful.

I believe this story would hit home with any mother. 

Unfailing and undying love for your child.

From the moment it is known that she exists inside you.

And the grief and loss when the unthinkable and the unexplainable happens.

It was God's perfect timing that this book was placed in my hands within the week of the anniversary of the loss of our second pregnancy.

8/28/07.  A date I have tattooed on my body in memorial of a baby we never had the chance to meet.

We sisters in Christ know that we will see our babies again someday.

Todd Smith is in the Christian band, Selah.  And they wrote this song for Audrey.

August Chaos

The most important events in our lives all happen in 9 days.  Our three children's birthdays and our wedding anniversary.  Throw in a trip to Vegas and the start to a new school year and you can get a glimpse into our crazy life :)  Oh, and why not add a CT scan and abdominal ultrasound?

Noah turned 7 years old.  He wears size 10 jeans.  The kid is gigantic.  :) 

He had his friend party at a Chiefs game.  We had 7 kids.  And 6 adults.  When I was planning this out, I thought that was a good kid:adult ratio.  Turns out a few more grownups might have been nice :)  The kids had a good time though.  Noah got to throw out the first pitch and he thought that was pretty cool.  The weather was perfect and it was a fireworks night.  So fun :)

Eric and I celebrated our anniversary by going to the Miss Marigold Pageant rehearsal (super romantic I know) and out to dinner at Granite City, my fave.  We also celebrated the week before by going to Las Vegas with 6 of our closest friends.  We had a lot of fun, but were glad to get home.  Especially since the flight home was a little scary.  On our descent into Peoria, the guy across the aisle from us had a seizure and passed out.  People were panicking but luckily there was a nurse on board to help.  Keep in mind this is happening while we are going down.  I think the pilot may have been a little rattled by this medical emergency, and we hit the runway hard (I don't want to say we crash landed...but it was rough) and then the pilot was putting on the brakes but we were still racing down the runway at what seemed like full speed.  We were looking out the window at everything flying by, thinking are we ever going to stop?!  We did, just in time, but it was seriously frightening.  Never so glad to be back on the ground and in one piece :)

Lenay and Campbell turned 2 years old.  2 years old!  We did a family party for all three kids.  I said gifts were optional, yet now my house is somehow filled with new toys?  Its crazy how spoiled my kids are.

I made a new video for the girls' birthday and put it on youtube.  You can view it here.

Noah started the first grade this week.  He loves his teacher, loves going to school all day, loves riding the bus, loves lunch and recess, and loves earning "Kober Bucks."  I'm so glad :)  I just pray that it continues.

Last week I went in for my CT scan and abdominal ultrasound.  I was thankful that Eric was able to get time off work to go with me.  The ultrasound was no big deal. 

Have you ever had an ultrasound before? The tech asks me as I pull up my shirt.

Um, tons.

This was different than anything I've had in my life though.

As she starts the sono, Eric leans over to her and says:

There better not be a baby in there.

We laughed.

Next was the CT scan.  They had to start an IV, which is never easy.  They ended up calling in the veteran, and she got it on the first try.

They told me that when they inject the dye, I would feel a warm sensation all over, and it would feel like I peed my pants.  Nice.

I went through the machine 3 times.  Once before the dye, once with a little dye, and once with the bulk of the dye.

What a weird feeling.  I mostly felt it in the back of my throat.

We went out for bagel sandwiches and headed home.

I got a call the next day from my doctor.  When I saw the caller ID, I was initially worried.  See they had told me it would be 3-4 days before I would hear back since it was such a specialized scan, and I know from past experience that when they get back to you right away with results, it can be bad news.

I was wrong.

No aneurysms!!  Woo hoo :)

We've got more craziness coming up.  The girls will see the pediatrician, Campbell sees her gastroenterologist, and Lenay will see the cardiologist for an EKG and echocardiogram.

Will keep you posted.

Aneurysm

That's a scary word.

And its become all too familiar a topic of conversation in our house here in recent times.

In the last four years, four of my family members have had aneurysms.  Three of which were cerebral, one aortic.  All from my mom's side of the family.

The first one was a shock.  My uncle, 4 years ago.

The second seemed all too familiar.  My aunt, 2 years ago. 

The third happened right after the second.  My other uncle, 2 years ago. 

And the fourth was perhaps the most concerning.  My 22 year old cousin, this year.

So, when I saw my doctor for my annual physical last week, we discussed my concerns about this family history I now have.  And she told me she would like to have a look at my own brain and aorta.

Let me tell you this is not good for my hypochondria.

My dad died of AML at age 57.  And you should know that because of that, every time I get a bruise of any sort, I watch it like a hawk to make sure it disappears. 

Kind of morbid, I realize.

So I am looking forward to getting some peace of mind in regards to this aneurysm threat.  In 2 weeks, I am scheduled for a CT scan of my brain and an abdominal ultrasound to check my aorta.

My mom has been tested, and everything checked out okay.  What a huge relief.

I'll be okay too.

Prepared for a Throw Down

Campbell has been doing great with her eating! 

I am so proud of her :)

We've been having ice cream at least 3 times a day.

Even so, I've been dreading her gastroenterologist appointment.

This would be the first time we would see him since the surgical consult, when the other doc vetoed his decision that Cam needs a g tube.

He wouldn't be happy about this.

And honestly, I'm a huge chicken.  I made sure Eric could meet me so I didn't have to face him alone.

We went in prepared.  Prepared to be told off.  Prepared to tell him off.  Prepared to walk out of his office, never to return.

As we waited in the exam room, I had some weird thoughts.

Do we still stop at the desk on our way out after we have our big throw down?

Will the other patients hear us screaming at each other through the walls?

Is Eric going to physically assault this doctor?

Do we need a lawyer?

Just then, there was a familiar knock at the door.  Eric and I looked at each other and put our game faces on.  Expecting the worst.

And we could not have been more wrong.

He came in, Campbell's chart in hand, smiling from ear to ear.

Well, I don't know what you are doing, but you are doing something right!

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

I also heard, I am so proud of her!

And pinching her arms, Look at this fat!

Not a word was mentioned about the surgeon.  Not a word about the g tube.  Not a word!

He shook our hands like five times I swear.

He said to keep up the good work, and come back and see him in six weeks.

Eric and I walked out of his office smiling and laughing.

Pretty much the opposite of what I had pictured in my head :)