Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

I have seen this floating around Pinterest and thought I would give it a try! It is amazing!

5 pounds of potatoes
1 medium size onion
32 oz of chicken stock
6 cloves of garlic

Cube potatoes and put in the crock pot with chicken stock, onion and garlic.

Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours

Remove 2/3 of cooked potato soup and puree. Add back to crock pot. Add 2 packages of cream cheese cut into cubes. Continue cooking until cream cheese is melted.

Garnish with cheddar cheese, green onions and bacon. Salt and pepper to taste.

(Don't freak out in the initial 6 hours, it smells REALLY garlic-y. I thought for sure it was ruined and was already thinking I would try it without soon, but once it is pureed and the cream cheese is added, it is not so harsh)

Attachment . . .

We are having a rough go of it right now. Dustin typically has a difficult . . . DIFFICULT . . . D I F F I C U L T . . . time in October. This year will apparently be no exception. He has been pretty decent in recent weeks. He has not ran out of the house since just before school started, he has been sleeping well, and he has been quite helpful. The biggest issue we have been dealing with is a very smart mouth and a difficult attitude. I think that someone at school has been serving as a negative role model, the way he has been lipping off at home is new. His attitude is very "teenagery" yet he is still acting like a 6 year old much of the time.

The thing that I cannot stand the most is that when he hears the word no he melts into craziness. If he does not get his way, the crying, the whining and the jumping commences. It is almost always followed by some attachment junk that spews out of his mouth . . .

"You hate me."
"I don't want to live here any longer."
"I wish I would've never let you adopt me."
"I want you to call the police to take me away."
"Just kick me out."

It bothers me that after 9 years and countless stuff we have dealt with, he still thinks that leaving the family is an option. It breaks me heart that this is even a viable option in his mind. It hurts that he is that "broken" that he even thinks that it is possible.

I respond is mostly the same way . . .

"We love you."
"You have no choice, this is your family and your home."
"You needed a family and we love you."
"The police have no place to take you."
"Where will you live? This is your family. You are my child."

Agh! It makes me nutty. It kills me that we do this nearly every day. He truly thinks that you can simply throw someone out. He feels disposable. It also makes me crazy that he would rather live in a box on the street or ask to go to the psych hospital than live in my house. I know that neurotypical teens want to leave etc, but the difference for me is that he truly believes that it is possible for a mother or father to just be done and toss him out like trash.

Sometimes I believe it is for reassurance. Sometimes I think he just needs to hear that we will not do that to him. I think it is a dance that he feels is necessary to feel attached to us and know that we care. Other times, like tonight, he really thinks he would be better off without us.

If I wanted to be all selfish about it, I would be truly frustrated that he feels this way even after we have sacrificed so much of ourselves to give him the home he has. I would feel like it is a slap in the face that he had no one else who wanted him and we were willing to take on all these issues because we loved him and now he doesn't even want to be here. Of course, I know that he is not doing this to torture me, he is in more internal turmoil than I can ever imagine.

But sometimes, not feeling that way is hard.

Fun artwork . . .

I am still loving me some Pinterest . . .

Button art is all over the place. I love buttons. This one struck my fancy so I made one for my daughter's bedroom wall. Good stuff. The canvas is 8x10 and a two pack at the Mart of Walls costs less than $6.


I painteda small canvas with turquoise and a bit of white and navy thrown in to create some depth in the color. I let that dry for a few minutes while watching a movie.

Then I took a paint pen and drew a tree with some swirly branches and let that drip for a bit longer.


Lastly I took the glue gun and glues on some fun buttons. Voila! Cheap, easy, fun artwork!
(I was too lazy to get up and get my camera, so phone photos will have to suffice!)

Home . . .

We are home. Dustin is a pooping machine. Just a brief update while I get my world back together over here:)

Briefly home again . . .

So, my son is still in the hospital in Wisconsin and I am home. I left him and my husband there and I came home to get supplies and bring the littles home for school. My mother is graciously watching them for me until this is resolved. I will be returning north at some point to retrieve husband and son or to sit with them if surgery is necessary. Right now, we are still about 50/50 chance that surgery will be a necessity. Prayers still welcome. Thanks for all your good thoughts!

Wisconsin . . .

So I am in Wisconsin visiting a dear friend. Dustin began vomiting on the way here, just past Chicago. He was quite ill all the rest of the way here. It was quite a traumatic trip. By the time we got here last night he was acting fairly normal. He had stopped vomiting and I thought that perhaps we had turned the corner and it was just some motion sickness. This morning he had a small episode.

We traveled to a very large farmer's market and enjoyed downtown Madison. Within a couple hours it was obvious that he was not doing well. After more vomiting started I called the pediatrician at home and she directed us to the ER if it did not get better. About an hour later we were at a satellite hospital and having a CT scan done with contrast. things started moving quickly when they came in and said he had a high grade bowel obstruction meaning NOTHING was moving through his system. They transported him to the main hospital by ambulance and admitted him. He is laying downtown at a hospital in Madison with the hubby sleeping in the bed next to him.

Tomorrow I plan on taking my two littles home and sleeping at home. I need to collect some medication, hug my dogs, get some clean underwear and head back up here. My babies will stay with grandma so they can get to school.

One of two things will happen with Dustin. He will either start moving things through his system with the help of his IV fluids and his NG tube emptying his belly, or he will need surgery. Surgery will mean quite a stay and I hope we can avoid that. They said we will likely know what way we are headed in 48 hours. Prayers would be appreciated.

Johnny Appleseed 2011 . . .

Headed out to Johnny Appleseed today. Not such a bright idea with the broken leg! The uneven ground, the gravel and the crowds were not so easy to maneuver with the boot on, but I got some beef vegetable soup which made it all worth while!

Oh my he is getting so big!

Momma and her girl!

Sarsaparilla!

Apple Dumplings . . .

Today after we returned from the Johnny Appleseed Festival, I made apple dumplings. While I am sure theirs were good, I know mine are equally as good and I did not have to stand in line for an hour!

I made a half batch which makes 8. This is plenty for our family! If I am taking it to a carry in I will make a full batch. Here is the half batch ingredients:

1 can of crescent rolls
1 apple (I used one Granny Smith and one Macintosh)
1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon
About 6 oz of Mountain Dew

All you do is roll a few apple slices in each crescent roll triangle. Place in a 9x13 baking dish.

Melt butter and mix in sugar and cinnamon. Pour over dumplings.

This is what happens when you try to pour a 2 liter of Mountain Dew over the dumplings while trying to take a picture with your other hand. It is not pretty! You end up crushing the bottle and shooting MD all over the stove.

Pour Mountain Dew over and bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ham and Egg Cups . . .

Made these for dinner tonight, they are all over pinterest so I though I'd give them a try.

All you do is take thin sliced ham and fit it into a muffin tin that has been lightly greased. I sprayed mine with Canola oil. My ham was a bit thin so if there was a tear or a small hole, I just ripped another peice of ham into small bits and layered it on the bottom to "plug" the hole.


When the ham is all nestled in the muffin tins, crack an egg and pop them into the ham cup. I sprinkled with salt and pepper an added grated cheddar cheese on top of some. I also added green onions on a few others. I left a few plain in case the kids preferred those.

Here they are on their way to the oven . . .

They were yummy and the kids loved them! We ate a whole dozen! They called for 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven and the yolks were over done. Next time I will get them out a bit sooner to make the eggs dippers. But they were still yummy!

No Flour Peanut Butter Cookies. . .

I made these for my mommy tonight. She has been gluten free for some time as they found out she has Celiacs Disease. She feels so much better than she ever has. She doesn't really crave baked goods, but every now nad again she pines for cookies and cakes. I know you can bake with gluten free flours, but they are far too complicated for me. I thought I would give these a shot.

Totally gluten free peanut butter cookies.

1 c of peanut butter
1/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 t baking soda
1/2 t of vanilla

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove cookies from oven but leave on cookie sheet to cool.

Colors, Colors . . .

Today is my brother's birthday. What do you get a man who buys what he wants? He just moved into a new apartment a couple months ago, so I decided the kids and I needed to make him a piece of art!

This is floating around the internet and is all over Pinterest. (If you want an invite, send me an email or leave a comment with your email and I will send you an invite) I decided I could so do one and I thought Uncle Josh might like it, so we gave it a try.

I bought these wrapped canvases at Walmart for $6 for two! The crayons were only 40 cents. I definitely bought Crayola because I know that they color better because they are made with better wax so I thought they would melt much better.

First thing I did was to line up the crayons in a basic rainbow order. I hot glued the crayons on the end of the canvas (being careful to line up the label) and hot glued them on. You take a blow dryer on hot and melt the crayons letting the color drip down the canvas.

Watch yourself, the wax is hot and if you use the high setting it does tend to fling the wax around. See my hand? I used low and it was much more controlled.

This was our finished product. While I like it, I thought that the crayons looked a bit too kiddie for Uncle Josh. So I decided to try it a different way . . .


This time I glued the crayons onto a piece of 1x2 I had in the closet. This time I wasn't concerned with the labels so it was much faster. I glued the crayons so they are just barely off the wood peice and then glued the wood onto the end of the canvas. I once again melted the crayons with the blow dryer.

I also blew wax all over my arm!

The crayon-wood combo came apart from the canvas easily and I think I could use it one more time to melt onto another canvas. The crayons are less than half gone.


Here are the two different versions. I think the one with the crayons is fine, but I like the one without the crayons much better!

What do you think? Sound doable! Super easy, trust me. And for only $7 for two prints . . . totally affordable!

Happy Birthday Uncle Josh!

Thankfulness Project Monday. . .

I have recently started reading Musings of a Counselor. She sponsors a Thankfulness Project Monday post and I thought I would start today. . .

Today I am thankful for:

1. Soul Sisters who travel 6 hours one way to come hug my neck!
2. Soul Sister's kids who don't think my kids are crazy!
3. Husbands who understand when I want to spend lots of time with said Soul Sister.
4. Medications that work without too many side effects for my babies
5. Being able to walk on my broken leg, even with a very heavy "boot".
6. Being able to spend time with some pretty great family today at mom's cookout

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

-- Epictetus

If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.

-- Rabbi Harold Kushner .

Medication update . . .

We are so far thrilled with the Daytrana patch. Harrison is doing well and he is much happier. I spoke with the pediatrician today and she wants to up the dosage a bit since his teacher and family both noticed that he is a bit sporadic and still hyper. He is focused enough to get his work done at school but he bounces all over the place. We have noticed the same at home. He is able to focus, but he is still all over the place when he is not doing something that captivates him.

A bonus, he is getting along with his sister much, much better. They have always fought like cats and dogs and he is so much more agreeable on the patch that they are getting along famously! I think it is because he is a lot less irritable and he tolerates so much more. I am so happy to see them playing together for hours without arguing and smacking one another! I think they have only gotten mad at one another maybe twice in a week! That is a miracle!

It actually makes me sad that a medication he was on for 4 years made him so irritable and I did not notice it. I feel horrible that he had to live feeling like that and not understanding that it was preventable. We, as parents, have such an awesome responsibility to advocate for our kids and when we fail them in some way it is very sobering. I hope this medication continues to serve him well and always his mind to be calm and peaceful.

Free fabric and leather sofas . . .

We bought a leather sectional last winter. I love it. I wanted leather because it wipes really clean and with 3 kids, that is important. I love the way it looks, but I hate sitting on it. It is slippery in the summer when I am sweaty and cold in the winter. We usually put a blanket on it, but it slides around and I am constantly fixing it. It drives me bananas!

I was gifted some fabric from a friend who was purging her house. I scored a large curtain made out of this wonderful stripe and a bunch of left overs (at least 3 yards). I actually wavered between taking the left overs or not and finally decided that I would. I am so glad.

It has been sitting in my closet for the summer and I finally decided to break it out and do something about the sofa.

I made a couple coverlets for each side of the sectional. They were basically made from large rectangles with a smaller triangular top and I just hemmed the edges. On the tops, I made a channel similar to a curtain rod hole so I could tuck in a 1x2 peice of wood. That wood tucks into the crevice of the couch between the top and bottom cushions. The wood helps hold it in so it won't shift when we sit on it. (I learned that years ago on Decorating Cents on HGTV, I loved that show!) For the bottom, I simply made little straps that hooked on the legs of the sofa. I am hoping this helps the fabric not shift around and drive my nuts!


This is the top where the board tucks into the channel. This just got wedged in between the top and bottom cushions. Works great!


I was too lazy to take the bottom straps off to take a picture, but see how well it holds the fabric straight and taut.

The pillow covers are a simple envelope type and are made with the strips on the back and a pretty complimentary flowered on the top. The old pillows simply tucked right inside and are easily washable for the pesky kids.


Here's one side of the finished sofa. What'cha think?

Let it "bee" . . .

So, Harrison has been off his Focalin for 5 days. Yesterday I announced that we would be going to the park. He was less than thrilled. I forced the issue and he promised to give it a try.

My mom picked us up and we headed over to the splash pad. At first he was a little leery and I reassured him that the fear was from his medication and the last time that he was at the plash pad he was fine. He looked around and ran off to the playground equipment after his sister promised to stay near him. After about minutes I did see him screech about a bug but he recovered quickly and kept playing (without the hollering, the stiff body and the major vigilance). Within about 10 minutes he had left his sister's side and found a couple friends to play with. He played for 3 hours, ate fruit and ran like a maniac. He only noticed a bug 3 times and each time it was a quick recovery. I think we have this thing licked!

I do not know yet how school recess went, but I have confidence we can get through this! Yay!

*Update: he told me "I had no freak-outs at recess." He was so proud! So am I!

Side effects . . .

My bio-son has been on Focalin XR for ADHD for 4 years. From the first day he started it, it has been a perfect match for him. He did had some minor side effects such as no appetite and minor stomach aches, but for the most part it has been a god-send.

Over the summer we started seeing some difficult break through behaviors and I did not want to up the dose over the summer. The pediatrician decided to increase the dosage in August so he could get a good running-start into the new school year. Prior to the increase we started seeing a bit more agitation and some fears creeping in. The biggest fear was of bugs. He was not able to sleep at nights until after 1:00 pm some nights. He also started picking his fingers, his lips and any sores. You could tell there was some anxiety there and I thought it was simply that the increase was needed.

With the increase the symptoms just kept getting worse. The fear of bugs took over to the point where he refused to go outside. This is a child who lives to be outdoors. He would FREAK OUT if he saw a bug and was in constant vigilance for about a half hour after. There was no calming him down. When he as not with me it was even worse. He would scream like I have never heard before. It was as though he was being kidnapped. He was absolutely hysterical. He is 9 and in 4th grade. It was totally out of character.

With school starting I really thought the peer pressure would stop the behavior. He begged me not to tell them and swore he could control it at school. I was wrong. Three days into the school year and I was getting a call from the case manager at school. She was very concerned. They had just had a very severe reaction and I called the pediatrician. She asked me to bring him in the next morning concerned it was a reaction.

I googled Focalin XR and fear of bugs and lo' and behold, it is a common irrational phobia! Forums were packed with info about this. The ped said that it is fairly common and that his body was simply "saturated" with the drug and it was time to switch. He is now on the Daytrana patch. Yesterday he had a bit of a hiccup about 2 hours into wearing it and was complaining of chest pains. The ped said to remove it and he had an EKG this morning. Everything was fine so they put him back on it.

Hopefully this med will do the trick. She did say that it is known for less side effects concerning appetite since it is not going into his stomach. Another positive is that we can remove it earlier and the effects will stop so he can get more sleep. I am hoping the transition is an easy one and we get back on track quickly. The school is being very cooperative and quite kind about the whole thing. The bug thing should stop as the Focalin is cokmpletely out of his system in 4 days unless we end up dealing with it as alearned behavior. Last night I told him that his medication was causing the fear and he said, "Oh! That's why I am so afraid. I have never been afraid before so that makes sense." He is a logical kid so maybe it will be that easy! Fingers crossed.

Fifteen years ago . . .

Today marks the 15th anniversary of my dad's passing. I will never forget those last 5 days in the hospital that seem like just yesterday in so many ways. My dad went into the hospital in the early morning hours of Wednesday, was moved to a private room on Friday and lost his fight cancer on Sunday evening.

Friday evening was the last time I saw him conscious.

That Sunday evening is emblazoned on my brain. He had a corner room and it was filled with family and friends. We were all sitting around telling stories and just being with one another. I had something and we all laughed, and dad opened his eyes. Several of us jumped up and went to his bedside, but it was painfully obvious that he was not with us, but looking at something else, a better place. He was not seeing the hospital room filled with family and friends, but I like to think he was seeing the face of Jesus. The nurses came in and checked his vitals. His breathing was shallow and his heart was still beating. I hope he could feel us and the love we were sending as we waited patiently for his body to shut down. I recall my mother sitting on the right side of his bed and stroking his face while I held his hand, my brother was at our side. Our Sunday night church service had just ended and my parent's close friends came over to see how we were holding up. As soon as they walked into the room and up to the bed, my dad closed his eyes and it was over. I still believe he saw them and knew it was okay to give up. It was time to rest.

Leaving the hospital was surreal. Going home to my mom's house was even worse. Our new world had begun.

My dad was young, only 45 when he lost his fight with cancer. He fought hard up until the very end. I married the following summer. My biggest regret is that dad did not get to meet my husband or walk me down the isle. I did not get to have him walk me down the isle so I chose not to have a traditional wedding ceremony. I never got to see his face light up as my babies came running to him or get to see him lift them up into his arms. I know he is in the presence of Jesus and I know, one day, we will see him again.

My kind of town, my kind of people . . .

I am sitting in the car coming back from a whirlwind trip to meet another trauma mama in Chicago for the weekend. It has been a much needed break from feeling so very alone. It was more needed than I knew.

This summer has been difficult. Dustin has run out more times than I care to think about. My injury to my leg has been pretty catastrophic to the remainder of my summer. Being immobile with a child like Dustin simply invites him to misbehave. A child who is under constant and total supervision around others is difficult at best, let alone when one adult is not able to get up and see what is going on. I had no idea how depleted my stores of positivity were.

On Saturday, I was having a texting conversation with a momma who understands what our family is like because she has lived it. She has been through hell and back. She has survived so I know it is possible. Corey placed up in the same home for next year’s Orlando retreat and we started emailing. Emails turned to texts, texts to phone calls. Phone calls turned to middle of the night blubbering sessions on my end when I was medicated and laid up on bed rest for two weeks. We have become closer than I thought possible with someone who I have never laid eyes on. Saturday that all changed.

Her family decided to take an impromptu trip to the Windy City and we decided that since it was midway between us we would join them for a quick overnight trip. We ran around and packed quickly while she searched for rooms on a very busy weekend in Chicago. We found a really nice place that was just about exactly half way between us a bit out of the city.

When I hugged her neck I felt like I was hugging a long lost sister. The best part was that I knew she understood my family. I was completely relaxed around my kids’ behaviors because I knew she understood. She was completely relaxed around my kids’ behaviors because she has dealt with the same things. Oddly enough, Dustin sensed that feeling of at ease and did really well. He really only had a couple of issues and of talking back and being difficult which are so minor in the scheme of everyday life that I could not truly ask for better. It was amazing! Her bio kids and m biokids got along swimmingly (and not just in the pool! Har Har!) The hubs both got along well, it was slightly miraculous. I do however think that sticking all the kids in the car with her hubs while we rode in my car with my hubs was not so welcomed and we likely won’t get away with that one again!

The best part of the weekend is when I called Dustin back to stay behind me. He said, “Mom! I am okay with Gala, she can handle me. She is just like you!” The look of defeat on his face was priceless. It was fabulous. I did not feel like I was sitting with a mom of perfect children who was judging my kids and their not-so-perfect behaviors. She was real. She got it. And she loved us anyway.

I am not sure you understand how priceless that is. I am not sure I understood how priceless that was until today. I am not certain that I can live the remainder of my life without her in it. I am thankful that I don’t have to.

(In the craziness I forgot to take my camera. These pics are from my phone, not too shabby!)

I am not alone...

I am sitting at a hotel 3 hours from home and next door is a family who gets us. We spent a couple hours in the pool and I didn't worry about Dustin's behavior. He was actually quite well behaved. I think it was because I was relaxed and he could sense that.

Do you know what that is like? It is pure gold.

And my soul sister? I knew her before I hugged her neck.We have cried together and laughed together. It is like meeting a long lost friend. Tomorrow we will travel into the city and have some fun.

This is NOT the last time we will be together. I have a feeling I will be putting lots of miles on my car to spend time with someone who gets us and loves us anyway!

RRSAHM speaks out . . .

Random Ramblings of a Stay at Home mom.