icing on the cake.

so to speak, it's the WORST icing imaginable. so, on top of the craziness with my son's health this week, i found out yesterday my dad has bronchitis. which is bad because he has one lung {the other had been removed in an effort to save him from terminal cancer a few years back}. i also found out today that my credit card number had been swiped at some point and someone had fun charging over $4K to it. {is it wrong of me to hope the person who did this gets nailed by karma BIG TIME?}.

like i said...it kind of tops off my week.

i'm also starting to believe that driver's licenses must be given away in cereal boxes. i thought about it today - quite a few times, actually - as i got behind one BAD driver after another. i thought how this has been happening all week - and, it's a scary trend in my mind. i mean, how do you ride BOTH lanes, not use signal lights when merging or switching lanes and think that it's OK to sit in the middle of an intersection in trying to make it through before the light turns red??? and, amusingly enough {but, not amusing when experiencing it in real time}, why do people act like they don't know how to drive in the rain when it has been raining for the past 8 days?????.

on a positive note, we got the green light for little dude's surgery. his congestion is better. and, now to work on getting him there and through it. what a hurdle.

at wit's end.

when i say i've been to the pediatrician's 1-2 times a week for the past 1-1/2 to 2 months, rest assured that it's no exaggeration. between amelia's pneumonia and getting her seasonal allergy attacks under control {finally} and james's ear infections and colds i swear the doctor's office has a room reserved for us. and, when i go in and they ask to see the insurance card and a verification on address, all i can do is chuckle {otherwise, i'd lose my mind}.

we have surgery for james scheduled next week. he needs a cyst removed from near the tear duct of his left eye. he also needs tubes at this point - his ears are red and inflammed. the poor kid. the latest and greatest: he's developed head and chest congestion. call it spring allergies...call it the 8 straight freakin' days - and counting - of rain stirring the pot...but we've got an issue on our hands. he's on two meds to try to clear things up and dry things out...otherwise we've got to reschedule the surgery and delay much needed procedures that have us otherwise bouncing in and out of the doctor's office. he goes back for a well-visit tomorrow. if you could just kindly keep him in your thoughts & prayers - hopefully, with any luck, we'll be trending in the right direction and can get the little guy back on track early next week with the procedures that need to be done.

a new kind of yum.

if you're stopping by for the first time, let me explain: i'm a baker. i've always been a baker. i love to bake - trying new recipes...whipping up the old as well. here's the proof:



so, this recipe was my latest adventure in the world of baking. and, it was very satisfying. =) this household is a huge fan of cupcakes. the kids love them. and, the adults...well...it's like the perfect portion of cake. i made giant vanilla coconut cupcakes for my husband's birthday - just take a peek at the picture on my blog banner.

but, pie has always been a huge favorite here, too. i'm just not the master of pie crust. so, i'm checking out a few options and i'm hoping to hone those skills a bit more. i've heard this recipe provides a no-fail promise to pie crust perfection. i mean...isn't everything better with a little vodka? now i just have to check it out for myself.