Good Bye My Dearest Friend

After fighting cancer for almost 3 years, my best friend in the world, Cyndi, has gone home to Jesus.

Many of you have been praying for her and her family for a couple of years now, and I thank you so much for that. I know what your prayers meant to her - it gave her such comfort and strength to realize that so many people all over the world were praying for her.

I was going through my pictures today and gathering all the ones I had of Cyndi. I just had this need to see them and remember all of the great times we had [and the sad ones too that she helped me through so reliably]. I'm going to share some of my favorites of her here.

This is my favorite picture of Cyndi. She is holding her youngest child, my God daughter, and I love the way she looks in this photo:

This is Cyndi with her wonderful husband and her 6 amazing children [and I'm not just saying that - they really were as happy as they look in this picture]:


Cyndi was an amazing mother. She loved her children so much, and she sacrificed anything and everything for them - gladly and with good cheer.

Here is Cyndi with her 5th child [my God daughter]. Whenever I think of Cyndi, it is always in terms of her holding a child or helping a child:


Here is Cyndi on one of our many home school field trips. We went to a french bakery and got a tour [a very delicious tour]:


Here is Cyndi swimming with my Isabella [when she was a baby] and her Cynthia [also a baby!].
Here is Cyndi reading to some of her children and mine:

This is Cyndi helping me throw an awesome birthday party for my children:


Cyndi with Cynthia [my God daughter]:


Cyndi getting hugs from one of her sons:


Cyndi nursing one of her babies at the Renaissance Festival. She always gave her children the very best that she could give them:


Chilling at my house with her girls:

Cyndi with our kids at the Renaissance Festival [this was an annual tradition of ours, we went together every year]:


Cyndi laughing. One of the things I loved best about Cyndi was her sense of humor. She could always make people laugh and she never took life too seriously:


Cyndi and I being silly [that's powdered sugar from funnel cakes on our faces]:


Another thing I always loved about Cyndi was how amazingly talented and artistic she was. She often made cakes for people [along with sewing amazing things and doing many other creative things]. Below are two Star Wars cakes she made for a birthday party for my kids:


This one was amazingly detailed [It even had Darth Vader inside that Death Star]:


Cyndi with my daughter Samantha at a birthday party we had for Sam at Cyndi's house:

Cyndi was the Godmother of most of my children. She took her role very seriously and gave much thought and effort in to molding them into fine Catholic Children. She hand made Samantha's First Holy Communion Dress [it was beautiful]. She was amazing, and a Gift from God to my children and I.

Here is Cyndi with Angelica at Angelica's baptism:



Here are Cyndi and Bob with Samantha at Samantha's "re-baptism" [long story, but her first baptism as an infant wasn't valid because the Deacon did not touch her head with the water]:


Both of our families together with our Priest during happier days:


Cyndi praying for Gemma at Gemma's baptism:


Cyndi and Gemma at Gemma's Baptism:

Cyndi was always the one who was willing to go on the rides with the little kids when they were scared to go by themselves:


These two pictures are from Cyndi's pilgrimage to Lourdes [taken by my friend Vicki]:

God did not give Cyndi the Miracle healing that we all prayed for. I Trust His Wisdom, but I know that the whole world is diminished by the passing of this woman.

I will miss her more than I can express. She was always the one I called when I needed the "right" answer - she always answered with good Godly advice, even if that wasn't what I wanted to hear. She has been, in so many ways, my "Rock" through all of the hard [very hard!] times I have been through these last few years.

In 11 years of friendship, I never once heard Cyndi gossip about anyone. She was charitable and loving and without resentment or jealousy. She was extraordinary and she truly strove every day to live her faith in a heroic way. She was not perfect, but if ever a fault was sincerely pointed out to her, she earnestly sought to improve her character and overcome any weakness.

Cyndi was the kind of woman who would have taken you into her home when you were homeless, who would have split her last sandwich with you if you were hungry, who would have given you her own coat if you needed it.

Today the world is a sadder place. Today we have lost a woman who was Kind, Good, Creative, Loving, and Generous beyond measure. Someone who was full of Laughter and Love and Compassion. Someone who was genuinely devoted to God.

I cannot imagine the world without this woman.

I take great comfort in the knowledge that she is now in the Arms of Christ. I feel certain that He met her tonight with those amazing words "Well Done, Good And Faithful Servant".

That she was, indeed.

The 10 Plagues

Much like the ancient Egyptians, I feel that our family has been stricken with Plagues. [tongue in cheek here, bear with me!]

My oldest child and I came up with this list of the 9 plagues we have thus far endured since we had to move to our slum house:

1. Roaches [I have never seen such an infestation as what existed here in this house two exterminators and several hundred dollars ago]

2. Kidney Stones [this one was my private plague]

3. Mice [another massive infestation that we still can't seem to stem, though my exterminator came back out again last week - he's here on a bi-weekly basis at this point and I spend more quality time with him than any other adult male. We'll be announcing our engagement soon. ;) ]

4. Mold [this wretched rental house is infected with mold - you can smell it when you turn on the air or after it rains. I highly suspect this mold has led directly to some of the other plagues listed below.]

5. Flu [we have suffered no less than THREE confirmed flu outbreaks within the family in the last 8 months - one swine flu outbreak [the mildest] and two different strains of "seasonal flu"].

6. Pneumonia [I have had pneumonia 3 times in the last 8 months, my son has had it twice]

7. Rotovirus / Norovirus [two completely separate outbreaks of a highly contagious seven day stomach virus complete with scary high fevers - which destroyed both our Christmas and our Easter]

8. Tumors [I had to have surgery for thyroid tumors, my baby had to have surgery for a tumor on her ear. Thankfully the plague of Tumors was composed of benign tumors only - Praise God!]

9. Slugs [the ninth plague is upon us - giant slugs infesting my children's bedroom. I have never seen slugs this large. I do not know where they are coming from or how they are getting in [or why they only seem to like that one bedroom]. But last night I trod on one in the middle of the night and it was insanely ICKY!]

So, now I am off to buy a lamb. I must slaughter that sucker and get my doorposts painted in lamb's blood before the Angel of Death gets here to take my Firstborn. [I'm not letting her go!!!].

And people wonder why I sometimes suspect that God hates me.... ;)

Quote of the Day:

Again in the category of "Things I Never Thought I Would Hear".

My son comes running up to me with tears in his eyes, in obvious pain, and says "Mama! I kicked myself in the crotch!"

Indeed...???!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Recipe

Want something that has green stuff in it but tastes DIVINE and even my pickiest child loves? Try this Zucchini bread! I promise you that you will not be able to tell there is Zucchini [and applesauce!] in there at all - it tastes like rich chocolate cake!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups grated zucchini [I chopped mine very small in my food processor]. It took 3 medium sized zucchini to get 2 cups for me.
3 eggs
1 cup applesauce
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups flour
6 ounces chocolate chips [that's 1/2 a 12 oz bag]
1/2 cup cocoa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray two loaf pans with cooking spray. [I used 4 smaller loaf pans]. Set aside.

Add zucchini, eggs, applesauce, sugar, and oil and mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix just enough to incorporate everything.

Divide batter between the loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Watch closely, because this can vary a lot depending on the size of your loaf pans.

Kelly's Black Bean Soup

1 onion, diced
1 TBSP olive oil
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups of chicken broth [I use Swanson organic]
1 cup of your home made salsa [see recipe below] or store bought
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
scallions, chopped finely

optional:

mexican shredded cheese or any cheese of your choice
sour cream

saute your onion in olive oil until translucent. Add black beans, chicken broth, and salsa and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. I usually take a potato masher at this point and carefully mash up my beans a bit in the pot to give it a creamy texture.

Add lime juice and salt to taste. Dish up and top with scallions.

At this point, you have a nice, healthful black bean soup. [omit the olive oil and it is basically fat free].

If you care to make it not-fat-free-but-awesomely-delicious - stir in some sour cream and top with shredded cheese.

This also makes an amazing bean dip for chips if you cut the chicken broth in half [only use one cup] and then mash it well after it simmers - totally yummy!

Home Made Tomato Salsa

2 cans of diced tomatoes [or sub your more healthful home made stewed tomatoes in an equal amount if you have them!]
1 small can of tomato sauce [8 oz]
1 small can of green chilis
optional: 1 or 2 or more slices of pickled jalapeno [only if you like it hot]
large handful of cilantro
3 large scallions with the white parts
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or run through garlic press
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Throw all of this in a blender and puree till it is well mixed. Serve with anything and everything. :)

Mango Salsa

2 ripe mangoes
1/2 small sweet onion [or you can sub 3 scallions w/ white part]
1 handful of fresh cilantro
2 limes
1-2 cloves garlic [depending on how much you love garlic!]
Salt to taste
red pepper [optional]

Cut up your mangoes and throw them in the food processor with the onion, cilantro, and juice of two limes. [If you don't do food processors, you can certainly chop this all finely by hand and mix it together].

Put your garlic clove[s] through a garlic press or mince finely by hand and add them to the mango mixture. Then add salt to taste and red pepper if you like it.

This is awesome served with tortilla chips, pita chips, served over baked or grilled chicken or fish... eaten from a spoon by itself... ;) I love this salsa!