Monday Meatballs Made Easy

Good friends, bottle of Italian wine, garlic bread and Caesar salad. Great way to start off the week! These meatballs are the base to add to any sauce, any pasta or just freeze and have on hand. I prefer to add to my 24hour slow cook homemade sauce but you can add to any store bought sauce and your good to go! Enjoy~
Monday Meatballs
1 pound hamburger
2 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup panko or bread crumbs
1 small onion, minced or grated (1/2 a large onion)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley or basil

Mix all ingredients with hands. Form into golfball sized meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Ancient Ali'i Fishpond

It's a kakou thing! There's a saying in Hawaii that means "to help" just another expression of the aloha spirit that brings many visitors to experience paradise. For those looking for a free cultural experience visit the ali'i (royal) fishpond known by it's ancient name, Ko'ie'ie fishpond. Swim up to the rock wall, snorkel, help with the ongoing revitalization or simply soak up all the history of this ancient Hawaiian spot.

Long before the big hotels and restaurants, Maui was a sustainable island utilizing fishponds as a way to unite community and feed villages.

Ko'ie'ie fish pond, the best preserved royal fishpond on Maui, dates back to 1400-1500AD. Throughout Polynesia, fishponds were commonly used as an early type of aquaculture. Hawaiians studied the tides, moon, and sun and realized that they could harvest fish within a confined area.

Loko Kuapa were the most common type of fishpond in ancient Hawaii. Approximately 127 of these ponds were built throughout the islands. This ancient fishpond consists of a wall and a sluice gate built in shallow waters. The loko kuapa (walled pond) are formed by a rock wall that encloses a portion of the ocean. The wall was made of boulders and stones of all sizes. They were constructed of coral and permeable rock such as basalt (volcanic rock) to allow the wall to absorb the pounding action of the water. These materials also allowed water to flow into the pond to reduce stagnation. The walls were designed to curve so prevailing currents pushed sand and debris around the wall rather than collecting it at one side. Stones on the outer wall angled downwards so wave action worked to pull them tighter. A sluice gate or makaha was placed at precise locations where currents occurred. The building of these fishponds took into account many factors, social, environmental, cultural and geological criteria in order to create a fully functioning fishpond where entire villages were built around their existence.

Today, off Maui's south shore you will find this ancient fishpond (almost 3 acres large) is being revitalized in order to teach future generations about how fishponds used to work, provide an area for teaching of biology, history, geology and most importantly culture to residents and visitors alike.

Located on the south shore of Maui in Kihei next to Menehune Shores and Kaleolepo Park is the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary office overlooking the ancient Ko'ie'ie fish pond, the best preserved royal fishpond on Maui.

Visitors can get free information about Maui's Humpback Whales here and read about the area's historic past on the signs at the park. Free parking.

For more information on ways you can "kakou" (help), please visit www.mauifishpond.com.

Happy Anniversary

Everything changed when he held out his hand and took mine. So happy to share my life with this man who makes me laugh and makes me cry who unselfishly gives more then he takes. Marriage isnt always easy some days it's pretty hard but when you play for the same team, victory over hard times feels like sweet triumph. Celebrating our anniversary every year isn't about what we ate or where we went its about stopping to recognize the journey. We joke about giving our marriage a grade. I'm thinking it's an A, he gives it a B+. Wait what?! He says "always need room to grow together and never sit back and take it all for granted" ok that's good. So here's to our B+ marriage and 13 years of a wonderfully messy truly loved life together!

Christmas Cupcakes

Nothing says Merry Christmas better then creating holiday cheer together with friends. Raising twins usually means where there is one there is usually the other. It's not often they are separated but Saturday was deliciously fun! One daughter was invited to a "hang out" (I've been told I can no longer refer to this as a play date) at a friends house without her twin; that meant I new what was coming... "what about me" feelings. Trying to ease her separation anxiety we decided to host an afternoon date at our house for one of her friends. It was an afternoon of candy cane cocktails(non-alcoholic of course) and making Christmas cupcakes while Christmas music streamed in the background. It was a fun way to spend a December Saturday.

Candy Cane Cocktails for kids:
Ingredients:
Clear glass tumbler
3 large candy canes
1 mortar and pestle
1 small bowl of hot water
1 bottle of ginger ale
Ice

Crush candy canes with mortar &pestle and place on small plate.
Dip rim of glass tumbler in hot water then into plate of crushed candy canes.
Fill glass with ice and pour in ginger ale.
Festive Fun for kids! Cheers~

Celebrating Her Life

Farewell to Donna, a tribute to who she was, what she stood for and how she made a giant impact in my life. Like many things she did, she started with a theme, like giving all her kids a name that started with the same letter. In her honor my selected theme is the letter F because these words best define her true spirit. Faith- Family-Friends-Fellowship-Food-Fashion- Fun and Forgiveness.

Faith: John 3:16 For God so loved the world He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have ever lasting life. She was the most beautiful Christian wife, mother and friend. She cared about living her life in a way that was pleasing to God. She cared about sharing her faith with others. When life had its struggles she stood by her faith, leaned on the Lord and persevered with praise. When life brought joy and accomplishments she made sure the Glory went to God.

Family: Donna had her life prioritized in the right way. God first then Family. Maybe it was because of this priority God choose to have our paths meet. I was a single mom to a then 8 year old daughter, having a hard time accepting my divorce, working two jobs and feeling very much alone. My prayers at that time in my life were all about my daughter; her happiness, her wellbeing. Sometimes our prayers are answered in unexpected ways. For the answer I received, came in the form of a Mother’s influence, exactly what I was missing and what I so desperately needed. She loved on me, guided me, influenced me and took me right under her wing like an adopted child. She shared her family with me and I gained a sister. Her relationship with her daughter was the single most beautiful relationship I had ever seen for a mother and a daughter. And just like the blooming of a beautiful peony there I was woven into her life and the tapestry of God’s plan for me. The amount of love that was poured into me from someone who was choosing me will forever impact my life.

Friends: Two years ago Donna threw herself a 60th birthday party at her house. The guest list was big. She wanted all her close friends with her to celebrate. She said, “ you can never have too many friends. It’s not a competition, each one holds a different gift and makes that specific friendship unique. You may have childhood history with one, girlfriends you would call to shop with, a few to travel with, some that love cooking, some that need comfort and counseling and some that just make you laugh.” She said her friends were like flowers in a garden coming together to create unduplicated beauty. She was a friend down to the end making sure that her unsaved friends knew in order for her to see them again in Heaven, they needed to accept the Lord.

Fellowship: This word best exemplifies Donna’s dedication to helping others by giving of her time. In today’s hurried up lifestyle and frustrations waiting for a page to load on the computer, Donna believed her time was best spent being there for others. She had the capability to find humor in the midst of trying times. She wasn’t afraid to get into the guts of a problem and find a solution. She loved throwing parties and cooking food for family and friends. Time was a noun that we all wish we had more of, but she made sure that she always had time available for you.

Food: Where there is food there is loved ones. She was an amazing cook! She understood the concept of pouring love into her recipes. She loved to cook and she loved to try new things. Food Network was an inspiration and she had her favorites. A beautifully set table (themed of course), the anticipation of expected guests, the blessing on the food and conversation that’s shared created such a joy for her.

Fashion: Oh my, how she loved fashion! She would spend hours perusing through Marshalls like it was shopping therapy and sometimes it was. She could put together complete outfits for the fraction of the cost at Mall stores. She was always put together and new when to dress to the nines and when to just show up as is. Although she loved it all, the hair, the make-up, the clothes and the accessories, she knew her self-worth was based on her character, integrity and God’s love for her. Her beauty shined through from the inside out.

Fun: Donna had a sense of adventure. These adventures took her on amazing experiences and travel destinations. Her most favorite spot was Maui, Hawaii. She felt at home there. Hawaii has a sense of rest, relaxation and healing and this rang true for Donna. This was her go to destination and many years were spent with family and girlfriends with toes in the sand.

Forgiveness: This perhaps was one of her greatest gifts. She had the ability to speak the truth in love and spirit and to forgive. Her counsel to me on this subject was grand in size. Forgiveness sets you free and boundaries protect you. We will be judged according to the measure of how we judge others. She had the understanding to go deeper in relationships and get to the real issue. Recognizing flaws in others and choosing to move past them whether you get an apology for being wronged or not, will free you to accept the love that waits for you on the other side of holding a grudge. It’s a leap of faith, remember Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you...”

God knew what I needed. We had a common denominator when we met, an unconditional love for God and for our daughters. Through the years I’ve learned from her life and her example. She taught me how to be a better wife, mother and friend. I am grateful for having known her, having felt her love and spending the time that I did have with her. Cancer is an ugly word but it did not define her. God had her in His hands the whole time. His love reflected through her words, her actions and her trials. I will forever be changed by loving her and I will miss her deeply every day of my life.

What If?

Two small words, "what"and "if," on their own they are insignificant and small but put together the meaning is unmeasurable, without boundaries, endless possibilities. Over the past 75 days I have found myself searching my mind, my faith, my heart and my beliefs about our physical bodies, medical doctors, family and God. The words "what if" at the beginning of so many thoughts that at times seem to stop me in my tracks and the weight of "what if" is too much to bare. What if she didn't get cancer, what if chemotherapy worked, what if she went into remission, what if we could go back to our life before cancer, what if the doctors didn't know what to do, what if they found a cure, what if she goes to meet the Lord, what if my heart actually breaks open from the sadness, what if she dies?......Stanford University Cancer Center is a busy place. You can at any given Monday through Friday find medical students draped in lab coats not much older then Doogie Houser all walking around going somewhere, discussing something, learning something and planning the course of treatment with their Resident, Fellow and nursing staff. These teams rotate in and out every 2 weeks like clockwork. The beds in the oncology ground floor are coveted for occupancy from around the world. My S.A.M. (self adopted mom) felt lucky to be able to seek treatment at this highly sought after place. After 75 days as a live in guest on ground floor and numerous rounds of failed chemotherapy she is being sent home to die. "You have maybe 2 weeks". The words not quite penetrating my brain cells, just echos of sound bouncing around my head. How can this be? How did we get here? Why is this happening? She was perfectly healthy her entire 62 years of life. How do you make 2 weeks last a lifetime? "What if this is the end," the words we didn't want to think about, the words we pushed out of our minds is staring straight at us in the face. I want to push the rewind button to when it didn't seem like she was sick, when I could ask her questions and she would have hours for an answer. This beautiful Christian wife and mother will go to meet our Lord and Savior in as little as 2 weeks. She has known Him her whole life. His love has been poured out through her to all that she has loved and touched, He will say,"welcome home, my good and faithful servant." And while I should find joy in this fact I can't get past the hollow void of what's to come....the absence of her. I have 2 weeks to memorize her face, her hands, her voice, her touch, her beautiful eyes and place them in my heart and seal them there for what will seem like eternity until we meet again. I don't want to say goodbye.

Catching up with Life

Life has a way of detouring the best laden plans, hence the absence of my writing. In the past 2 months I've been spending a lot of time with my youngest daughter who's been diagnosed with Abdominal Migraines a rare form of a Migraine Variant. Basically she goes to bed with normal vitals, healthy hydrated happy child and wakes up in the middle of the night with acute onset violent vomiting for several hours. Once the episode stops she is able to rest and we can rehydrate her. We have struggled with this for one year and has had many tests and several misdiagnosis. She is now seeing the director of Neurology at Children's Hospital (they have such a wonderful caring staff). In his 25 years he has only seen this condition 50 times. Phenergan has become our choice of "management" for the episodes which sometimes are 3x a week. We use the ER for bagged fluids if needed. She continues to have a sweet loving disposition and as I lay with her on the bathroom floor wiping her head with a wet washcloth I say a prayer and ask God to heal my baby. I don't understand why but I know that these trials we face draw us closer to the Lord and we know that we are not alone. There is strength as we wait upon the Lord. We are going on 11 days now without an episode and just so happen to be on day one of our Spring Break vacation. Looking forward to relaxing together as a family.