Dinner and Planning Go Together...Really

No pictures of the taco feast or of the delicious salmon dinner we had last night. My family ate like the bunch of hogs they are. I did however manage to take one not-so-flattering shot of tonight's rice and sausage dinner.

This was cooked by my grandmother, not me, so she gets the credit. It was tasty.

I've had a bit of a lazy day today which has got to change tomorrow. My To-Do list keeps growing and doing one thing a day is not getting me anywhere. Still, mundane daily chores are hardly blog worthy so instead I'll blab about my backyard and my plans for it.

Actually, I have no plans. My backyard is a big sprawling doubleU-tee-eff. See for yourselves.

If you click on each picture you'll get a description and some planning ideas. Mostly I want to make it look clean, tidy, and making the grass green. Once that's achieved I'll worry about adding in new plants and a garden. I still want an orange tree.

I do not have a lot of experience with gardening so if anyone has any ideas, suggestions, or general comments, feel free to share.

Until next time,
<3 Jess

New Photos On Flickr

New photos on Flickr, including some of the Ronald McDonald House.

<3 Jess

And We're Back!

Hello hello! It has been too long since I updated this blog. The news:

Kyle is back home and doing much much better than he was a week ago. He is walking, talking, and acting like his usual self. The seizures stopped after they gave him an IV-IG treatment (that's immunoglobulin for those of us without PhDs). Apparently what happened is that he developed walking pneumonia and the antibodies wouldn't stop producing. That's what caused the encephalitis. He saw his pediatrician this past Friday and everything seems to be okay. A meeting with his school will be held on Monday to see when (and how) he will begin attending school again. I am so happy to have my boy home with me.

I'm so happy to be back home and with the rest of my family. I have to say, though, the Ronald McDonald House was wonderful. If you ever find yourself wanting to give to a good cause, they're an amazing organization. In the two weeks we were there we had a room, access to laundry facilities, a warm meal every night, television rooms on each floor, a play ground for kids...it really strives to be more of a home for people who can't be at their own homes while their children are getting the treatment they need. I loved being there.

Now that things have settled down considerably and I feel rested, I'm jumping back into the kitchen. Tonight I'll be making a taco buffet; chicken, beef, refried beans, black beans, salsa, guacamole, cheeses, rice, and hot sauces will be laid out for my family to make their own taco bowls. I'll try to snap a picture of the feast.

I'm glad to be back and posting again.

Until next time,
<3 Jess

Things Just Are

Kyle is still in ICU. I am staying at the Ronald McDonald House with my mom to be closer to the hospital.

Kyle is still having seizures and hallucinations. He's not always lucid and doesn't always recognize us. he is also not sleeping and very agitated. They did, however, remove the drain in his brain (a plastic tube that drained the liquid in his brain), which is good.

Gotta go.

Please keep him in your thoughts.

-Jess

Update on Kyle

I got to see Kyle today. He recognized me and cracked a few jokes. He's hallucinating though which was difficult to see. He's also continuing to have seizures. Still, the fact he's awake means the world to me. He can read, too; I kept holding up Godzilla DVDs and he could read the titles.

The hospital he's in is just grand. It's a really sweet place and I'm grateful they are taking such good care of him. I will be staying in the hospital with him for a few days so my mom can have some rest.

It's going to be a very long process. Once they treat the infection they need to see whether his brain will stop swelling and if the seizures stop. Once the figure out what to do on that front, they need to see how much therapy he will need to be able to walk, talk normally, do math...all kinds of things. I have a lot of hope that he will get through this. He is a strong kid that so many people love and a real sweetheart with so much love in his heart for others.

Please continue to have him in your thoughts and in your prayers.

<3 Jess

Kyle is in the hospital

My little brother has been in the ICU since Monday. He had a seizure and collapsed at school. They think it's meningitis. He is still not fully awake or responsive.

Please pray, send good vibes, send some love, light candles, dance around under the moon, whatever. This is my little boy and I want him back home, safe and sound.

Thank you.

Jess

It's Superbowl Sunday (pt I)

Let's play some football! Okay, well no. I guess I should say let's watch some football....hmmph. Anyway, it's Superbowl Sunday! I'm not that into the big game (although I am rooting for the Pats). Super Bowl Sunday is really just a great day to get together with family and play some Sorry! while the big game is on in the background.

Of course, I'm in charge of snacks and dinner. I've made the food easy, fast, and filling: BBQ wings, cheeseburgers, chips and dips, etc. It's typical party fare.

In other news, I've found it exciting to post pictures of my purse contents online and view what others carry around with them. It's an interesting insight into personalities. I don't really know what my grocery shopping purse says about me but I know it's cute. That and I've got an extremely adorable Nintendo DS.

Speaking of my DS, I just recently got into homebrewing. Basically, homebrews are games (or applications) done by amateurs and individuals as opposed to big software companies. There are some really great homebrew programs out there and I'll probably be doing a post about it on it's own. Right now my DS has MP3s, a few videos, and a PDA application on it. My poor Nano is shivering in fear. Will it become obsolete? Not likely. But you have to admit, it's damn cool.

Anyway, I'm off to start making the SuperBowl grub. I'll post another update in a few.

Let's go Patriots!

Until next time,
<3 Jess

I Have A Cold

And have done not much more than wrap myself in blankets and drink tea for the past two days. I feel so out of it and...blah. So if there's a lack of updates, a lack of emails, a lack of yummy pictures, I apologize. I should be back to good by Monday. Hopefully Sunday (I'm supposed to cook hamburgers and hot wings for the Superbowl). Speaking of the Superbowl...

Let's go Patriots!

Until next time,
<3 Jess