Pictureless

I just noticed that I have hardly had a picture on my blog since August.  Sorry about that.  It's because someone must have eaten my memory card from my camera and the battery hardly charges.  So I can usually get a couple pictures before the camera dies and needs to be recharged.  I am looking for a new camera.  I do, however, have quite a few pics coming over the next few days, so in case you were about to boycot my blog due to the lack of photography, give it another day...

Apple Pie Anyone?

My friend picked up a 40-lb. box of apples for me the other day.  For $10.  Can't beat that!  But now that I had 40-lbs. of apples, I needed to do something with it.  So I made apple pie filling and am currently working on applesauce and apple butter.  The recipe for the apple pie filling is different than I've ever used and I LOVE it.  We made apple crisp last night and it was incredible.  It's a recipe I put together to suit my tastes because I like a lot of spice and flavor to my pies and crisps.  And I love how it turned out. 

Since I have a habit of losing things, I thought I'd get this written down so I could find it later.  And you get to benefit from it.  The first is my modified apple pie recipe for canning.  The second is just my apple pie recipe if you wanted to make it without canning the filling first.

CANNED APPLE PIE FILLING

2 cups white sugar
3 cups brown sugar
1 cup corn starch
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 cup lemon juice
9 cups water
Lots of apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Mix together sugars, cornstarch and spices in a large pot.  Add water and lemon juice. Stir well.  Simmer over medium-low heat until thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Add apples until well coated without a lot of excess sauce.  Pour into clean, prepared jars.  Boil lids for 3 minutes and place on clean rims of jars.  Process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes. 

BEST EVER APPLE PIE

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Dash of allspice
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp lemon juice

6 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
Pie pastries or crumble for top

Mix together sugars, flour, and spices.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Mix with apples until coated.  Pour into prepared pan, either lined with pie pastry or lightly sprayed.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

CRUMBLE

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
½ cup oats
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
5 Tbs butter, diced

CRUST

1 cup + 2 Tbs butter
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
½ cup ice water

ENJOY!

Update on the Goose

I've realized that I haven't been writing down anything about Avery's development.  Not like you necessarily care, but for my own sake, I need to at least document it.  I find development fascinating.

Avery is officially 14 months old.  She continues to amaze us with her incredible personality.  She is calm, forgiving, vibrant, sweet, adorable, and makes all of us laugh and smile so readily.  We can't help but absolutely adore her!

She started walking last month.  But to my embarassment, I can't remember when!  I'll have to go check out the videos to find out.  It was either a few days before or a few days after turning 13 months.  Now, she's a walking fiend and hardly ever crawls.  She climbs all over everything, chairs, couches, stools, beds and tries to get in and out of the bathtub on her own...which usually involves going in headfirst fully clothed.

She still loves water and the outdoors more than anything.  If the door is open, she'll escape...and head straight for the street.  She's also loving the crunchy leaves and can often be found diving into the leaf piles.  Keara goes to swimming lessons once a week and Avery always begs to get in the water too.  She also loves getting her hair done (not like she has much hair) and will stand very still to get it brushed.  It is one of her favorite things.

Avery eats and sleeps like a champ, was weaned at 11 months, and doesn't do baby food at all.  She has 8 teeth in and is getting 2 molars.  She signs "more", "please", "thank you", "all done", and "thirsty". 

She's also vocally saying

• mama
• dada
• tan tu (thank you)
• bye bye
• ni-ni (night-night)
• no
• yeah
• what?
• banie (blanket)
• binie (binkie)
• nana (banana)

I have no idea how much she weighs, but she's tiny.  Just like Keara, though a little bigger.  At one year, Keara was 14 pounds.  I believe Avery was 16 or 17 pounds at her 12 month appointment.  She is actually wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 shoes, but she looks itty-bitty.

Braden and I often wonder why we absolutely adore this little girl.  She is just so fun!

Laughing Thru Fatherhood

So, each night we put our girls to bed and they stall, because in Keara's words, "sleeping is boring". They have several tactics to make it take longer for us to actually leave the room. Sometimes it's tell me a very, very, very short story, or I want to give you a kiss and a love. And of course, Taryn picks up on anything Keara does. So, now it's "I just want to tell you something" which usually involves them whispering it in our ears; anything to get us back into the room, further from the door. So, Taryn tonight says I want to tell you something as I'm about to close the door. I don't want to go back in, so I tell her to tell me right now what it is. And she surprised me with "the next time we go home (pause) I'm going to run in my bed (long breath) and be a butt." "Good night Taryn" is all I can manage and I shut the door.

Braden

Happy Anniversary!

Six years...not long, yet so much has happened.  I think I said this last year, but when I think about how much has happened, it doesn't seem like it could all fit into 6 years.

If you're really bored, you can see last year's post here.  My list of what we'd done in the last five years (at the time) looked like this:

• three beautiful daughters
• I have had 2 jobs and Braden has had 7 or 8
• lived in 5 different homes in two different states
• started, opened, ran, and closed a business
• held dozens of callings
• had 3 cars (two of which we still have)
• had 5 pets (all fish, three of which lasted 12 hours total)
• grown 2 gardens, producing very little
• traveled to 6 states
• made incredible friends we hate to part with

This year, our list reads:
 

• three beautiful daughters
• me-2 jobs, Braden-10 jobs
• lived in 6 different homes in three states
• started, opened, ran, and closed a business
• held dozens of callings (including 3 current ones for Braden and one for me)
• had 3 cars (one of which we still have...looking for a second one)
• had 5 pets...and 4 mice in our house (that we've found)
• grown 3 gardens, producing the most this year--we went from too dry to too wet, though
• traveled to 10 states
• parted with incredible friends and have made new ones
• decided what we want to be when we grow up...finally
• started a new job
• started a new degree
• moved across the country
• experienced fall for the first time in 5 autumns
• actually broke the $40K mark for income...for about a month
• started paying off our business debt
• sold our home
• started an online business (mine) which has actually been doing well
• potty trained the untrainable child
• spent 15 nights apart...7 of which were in the last month
• strengthen our marriage and relationship daily

There's so much more that can be put on that list, but its hard to put into words how much we've learned and grown in the last 6 years.  These have been very hard years.  And there's no guarantee that they're going to get easier.  But while I wish we were in a different point in life after 6 years, I'd never trade the trials and struggles we've gone thru.  We are constantly being refined and I'm grateful that we're doing it together.

I'm so grateful for the man Braden is and who he is becoming each day.  I love watching him excel in his work.  It is fun for me to know that he is always performing the best on his teams.  I love that he starts a new job and within a short amount of time is outshining people who have been there for years.  I love that his brain works in a way that makes life easier.  He has great ideas and also supports me in my great ideas.  I love that he tries so hard to make me happy and does so well with the girls.  I know I need to be better to him and not let life get me frustrated.  I love spending time with him and miss him every day when he's at work.  I'm amazed at how our relationship and love has changed, how it is so much more, so much deeper than it was when we were dating and "so in love".  And I'm excited to watch it change over the next 6 years.

Happy Anniversary, Braden.  I love you!

How Clothes Affect Me

I distinctly remember being in 6th grade wearing a cream/orange/white plaid dress to school with leggings.  I loved the dress and I thought I looked good.  But then someone teased me in the hall.  I felt my face flush, my heart race, and I was humiliated.  I went to class, but was so embarrassed, sure that everyone was looking at me and thinking the same thing.  I suddenly felt ugly.  I couldn't concentrate on anything but keeping the tears at bay.  Finally, I got up the courage to ask Mrs. Gustafson if I could go to the hall.  She understood more than I spoke and I went to call my mom.  She came and picked me up, took me home to change, and brought me back to school.  While I was still embarrassed, I felt so much better.

Silly or not, I have always felt my self-confidence affected by the clothes I wear.  If I feel ugly in what I'm wearing, it doesn't matter how anything goes that day or what anyone says.  I am going to go all day long constantly pulling, tugging, hiding because of my clothes.  I am not going to walk tall, or say the right thing or feel like a success in anything I do because I feel ugly.  Do you ever feel that way?

You may hate me by this admission, but when I was younger, my parents placed value on looking our best.  We had household chores to do that we didn't get paid for, we didn't get an allowance, or anything like that.  But what we did get was a budget for clothes.  Each month, my parents allotted $10 for every year you were old for clothes.  Just clothes.  So if I was 12, I got $120 per month for clothes.  Why?  Well, because my parents believed in modesty and they didn't want us to feel inhibited by money in order to dress modestly.  They also believed in looking our best all the time.  So wearing cheap clothes that didn't fit or flatter, or that was really worn out was not really appropriate.  Granted, by the time I was a teenager, my parents were doing much better than they were when my brothers were kids.  I doubt they had this arrangement.  Still, my sisters and I benefited from it.

However, I didn't care about clothes.  So I would never spend my money.  I'd go shopping about once every 6 months and spend $200 and be done.  Once in a blue moon, I'd go crazy and spend more, but still it was only twice a year or so.  When I was getting married, my mom suggested that I buy a bunch of clothes before my "budget" ended.  I wish I had really taken her up on that offer.  Up until the day I got married, I had never really wanted for anything.  My parents gave us a life full of responsibilities, work, opportunity, and also supplied all our needs.  I am so grateful for that and hope to do the same for my kids.

But I never knew want.  I guess I should say, I never knew NEED.  Then I got married.  Up to that point, if a pair of pants ripped, I bought a new one.  If my swimming suit didn't flatter me anymore, I bought a new one.  If I suddenly HATED that shirt, I bought a new one.  Now, if my pants ripped, I learned to patch them.  If my swimming suit didn't flatter me, I covered it up with a tank top or t-shirt.  Or I made a skirt to go with it.  If I suddenly hated that shirt, I kept wearing it...or left it in my closet day after day still hating it. 

For some reason, if Braden needs clothes, we buy it, no question.  And we buy new.  Afterall, he needs it for work.  But for me, my wardrobe has not been a priority.  Unfortunately, my body changes every 18 months or so and I never have things that look good on me.  So day after day, I hate getting dressed.  Slowly, I learned how to accept second hand clothes and love them.  It started with clothes for my girls and then maternity clothes that were leant to me.  Over time, I found that if I was miraculously given $50 for clothes, I needed to make it stretch as far as I could.  I needed to buy a years' supply of clothes with that $50. 

I started shopping at Ross.  But, come on.  Ross is cheap clothes, both in price and quality.  So I could buy 6 shirts, 4 pairs of pants, and 2 skirts with that $50, but within 6 months they were either stretched out, faded, or holey.  What's the point of spending money on cheap things?  Still, I couldn't justify spending $50 on a pair of pants and one shirt either.  I needed clothes, and a lot of them to replace last year's worn out wardrobe.A few months ago, I started making my own shirts. It was a work in progress and for a bit there, I had a real passion about it. And I loved what I made. But then I stopped nursing and something weird happened to my body. I immediately gained 5 pounds...within a week. And no matter what I do, its not budging.  It is so not fair.

So suddenly all the shirts I made don't look as good. I have 4 shirts that fit well, and I rotate them day after day. When I was younger, I never dreamed I'd have this problem. I guess because I never had this problem when I was young. I'm grateful for the struggle. I'm grateful for how little we have had because it has taught me so much.  I learned how to sew, how to patch, how to upcycle clothes, how to mend and darn to make things last longer, how to modify and take things in that didn't quite fit right.  I learned how to be content with what I had and just make it do.  Make it do or do without, right?

For a while, I wore one pair of jeans every day because that's all that fit.  I wore those jeans until I had patched the crotch 3 times, patched the knees 2 times, patched the thigh twice, and finally cut them into capris.  Once I wore out the capris, I put them in the mending pile to be turned into a jean quilt someday.  And that was about 2 weeks ago. 

My BFF Jill taught me the joys of shopping at Goodwill.  Whereas I used to only have one pair of jeans, I now have 4 that fit.  And the others, I've learned how to adjust so they fit too.  I've learned that I can spend my $50 on high quality clothes and get more of them by shopping at thrift stores than at Ross and I'm going to be so much happier with it.

Last week, I was in Utah and decided to stop by Provo's Deseret Industries.  When I was in college, I shopped there for gag things...like halloween costumes.  But never for real clothes.  I donated all my clothes there, but never shopped.  To me, DI was dirty.  And everything was from the 80's.  I have a new perspective now.  I thought about it and realized that DI in Provo has the luxury of BYU students donating their clothes.  Most of those students dress modestly and most would probably be my body type and style.  Plus, DI's clothes are WAY cheaper than Goodwill's.  So Kerri and I made a mad dash there and pulled 60-80 things off the shelves, ran into a dressing room and started throwing things on.

In the end, I walked away with one dress for Keara, and one skirt and 14 shirts and sweaters for me.  Most of them are from Aeropostale or similar places, are in good condition, and were $2-$4 each.  Love.  I spent $50.  And I feel beautiful. 

As silly as it may be, clothes matter to me.  I still need Sunday clothes, but for the other 7 days of the week, for the first time in the last six years (tomorrow), I feel satisfied with my wardrobe.

Happy Anniversary, Braden.  This year, I will not ask for clothes.

I am SO Good at Setting Goals...

...reaching them, however, is another matter.  So here's the deal.  I've been thinking a lot about my sugar goal.  Or lack thereof.  See, I believe in moderation in all things.  Lately, my sugar consumption had gotten imbalanced and I knew I needed an overhaul.  So I set a really lofty goal, which I pretty much knew I couldn't keep.  But in doing so, I found myself much more conscious about what I WAS eating and how much of it I was consuming.  Therefore, my sugar consumption dropped considerably.  I've thrown caution to the wind and now will have the motto of moderation in all things.

Which leads me to my next goal.  See, I figure that whenever we have to approach the same topic multiple times, it indicates a need for improvement in our lives...more like a lifestyle change.  But I don't believe diets really work.  If you just diet or withhold a certain food group, you will inevitably rebound because you didn't change your habits, just what you were eating.  As soon as a goal is reached, and the forbidden fruit reintroduced, your old ways become your new ways again.

Anyway, moderation in all things.  Here's my current problem.  My menu for this month reads:

• Chicken Cobb Salad
• Teriyaki Chicken
• BBQ Meatball Sandwiches
• Pot Roast Dinner
• Crepes
• Moroccan Chicken
• Taco Soup
• Sweet Pork Burritos
• Spicy Honey Chicken Salad
• Yellow Chicken Curry
• White Chicken Chili
• BBQ Chicken and rice
• Egg Skillet
• Orange Chicken and rice
• Baked Potato Bar
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Sausage Egg Breakfast Bake
• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Spicy Chicken Sandwich
• Grilled Quesadillas
• Chicken, Bacon, and Bowtie Pasta
• Green Chile Beef Burritos
• Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
• Steak Fajitas
• Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
• Creamy Baked Tortellini
• Mary's Hamburger Casserole
• Taco Salad
• Chicken and Broccoli Fettucine Alfredo
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Green Chile Beef and Potato Burritos
• Bakes Chicken and Bacon Alfredo
• Beef, Beans, and Potatoes Casserole
• Three Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

Why do I share this with you?  Take a look.  Out of the 34 meals listed, only 5 do not contain meat.  Considering that we almost always have leftovers the next day for lunch, that means that out of 68 meals, only 10 will be meatless.  That's a problem.  Moderation in all things does NOT mean eating meat 85% of the time.  While I do not believe that our religious doctrine encourages vegetarianism in any way, I also don't believe that we should be consuming this much meat.  Eat meat sparingly, not in rabid abundance.

Now, here's my second problem.  We don't eat this much meat because we WANT to, so much as I simply don't have many recipes that DON'T call for meat.  We can only eat pasta so much!  I get so sick of italian.  I search online for meatless recipes and either I get wimpy meals (like my favorite Tomato and Cheese Fondue which seems so inadequate) or I get all veggies (which we like to a degree, but not in that much abundance) or I get meals loaded with cheese or other not as good for you things.  Or, I know the alternative is rice and beans for every meal, but coming from the land of mexican cooking, rice and beans are a PART of a meal, not the entire thing. 

So what do I do?  I set a lofty goal.  My goal is to reduce our meat consumption by at least 50%.  I would like to see us eating meat only 3 times a week, having 4 meals meatless, for a month.  But I can't do that without ideas and recipes.  Could you help me?  I know I've asked for favors in the past, and many of you have been hugely helpful!  But I don't want to bother you.  However, if it is easy and you have a favorite recipe or two (or ten) to share, I'd love it.  I want to learn to like things like quinoa and tofu more, too. 

For tonight, we had pasta primavera with a little spin on the usual.  It was fantastic.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

1 box pasta (spirals, manicotti, penne, etc.)
Fresh Green Beans, in 2 inch pieces
Red bell pepper, in 2 inch pieces
Any addtional veggies as desired (squash, asparagus, etc.)
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Garlic salt/powder
Dried Basil
Oregano
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped (add more if you have it!)
Tomato, diced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cook pasta according to directions until al dente; drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, spread beans and peppers (and other veggies) onto cookie sheet lined with foil.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, garlic salt, basil, and oregano.  Roast in oven for 15 minutes.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion.  Saute until translucent.  Add parsley, basil, and tomatoes.  Reduce slightly.  Add salt and pepper, garlic salt, dried basil and oregano to taste.  Add pasta and stir to coat.  Remove veggies and add to pasta.  Serve.  Top with parmesan cheese, if desired.

One day down, 29 to go.

HELP!

Ever have a movie in your mind but you don't know what its called, when you saw it, who was in it, or what it was about?  And it drives you crazy!!?!?

I need help.  Here's all I've got:

A guy (or girl?) is maybe sentenced to do community service (?) in a hospital/convalescent home/retirement home against their will.  They put up a huge stink about it.  But along the way, they make friends, start changing the atmosphere at the place.  There's a scene where they have a Christmas party with some of the staff and patients in their little rented "home" and another scene where they have to take the hospital's car to go...somewhere.  There's a scene at the beginning where the person is supposed to help take care of an old man by changing his diaper and he/she refuses to do it.  But as it goes along, he/she learns to care about the patients and does it willingly. 

Does any of this ring a bell with you?  Do you know what this movie is called?

I.....I Quit...I Quit...I Quit Mr. White

Okay, so that didn't last long.  Here's what I realized.  First, I have always HATED it when I have people over for dinner and we serve dessert and they say "Oh, I don't eat sweets."  Pooh on you.  I love to bake, I love to host, I love to serve desserts.  So you just turned your nose up at my favorite thing and all in the name of a diet.  Pooh on you.  (Not really, but still)

So I did great not having sugar for 3 days.  Then I went to an event where we were served dessert.  I didn't want to be rude.  The next day, we went to another event but it was more of a potluck so I didn't feel the need to indulge.  The next two days I did great.  We had someone over for dinner and I DIDN'T make dessert, though Braden served ice cream anyway.  I declined.  Now its been two more days and I'm doing well. 

However, I have decided to alter my goal a bit. 

1.  I will not purposely make junk food and serve it in my home unless it is a hostess opportunity (like this Saturday with our potluck and ice cream sundae bar).
2.  I will eat sugar if I am served it at someone else's event.
3.  All things in moderation. 

One thing I've found is just WANTING to cut back on sugars has really helped me be more concious of what I am eating and where it is coming from.  Like lunch today.  I served yogurt.  Normally yogurt is full of corn syrup and junk, totally negating most of its nutritious benefits.  So I took plain yogurt, added honey, blueberries, raspberries, and marionberries (thanks to sam's club) and made our own mixed berry yogurt.  It was delicious and we all had seconds.  Mmm...

Sorry to disappoint those who have more will power than me and who are joining me in this quest.  I'm sure you can do a better job than me.  I figure if I can be more self-disciplined in between the holiday events and parties coming up, partaking for the sake of graciousness and deliciousness will not be too damaging, right?

Who's With Me?

I've been thinking lately about health and nutrition.  See, I'm getting older.  Sure, I'm not 30 yet.  But I want to be HEALTHY til the day I die.  Since I strongly believe that a lot of our ailments, sicknesses, diseases, cancers, etc. are a result of our highly processed, chemical, fatty diets.  And I don't like it.  Plus, I want to have ENERGY.  And I'd like to not hate what I see when I look in the mirror, knowing I could do something about it.

My dear friend Jill inspired me when she went off refined sugars and white flour.  I was very impressed and thought, I could never do that.  I'm still not sure about the flour part, but I've been feeling that sugar is really a drain on my body right now.  I've had a sweet tooth since getting pregnant with Keara and it hasn't left.  I've caved in to it way too many times...like a few times daily.  I just love cookies, chocolate, brownies, quick breads, etc.  Love. 

So I know I need to stop.  I've decided to try going off added sugars for one week, just to see how it goes.  I know I'll go thru serious withdrawal.  But I'm going to try.  Here's my plan:

1.  No added sugars for one week (natrually occuring sugars are fine...like fruits, etc.)
2.  Increase water consumption to 10 8-oz. glasses of water per day
3.  Structured exercise for 45 minutes 3 days in a week

Do you want to try with me?  I know I never really stick to anything without someone doing it with me and since I don't have a Jill or Krista out here, I need someone else to be accountable with.  I'm trying to recruit Braden but its not the same. 

Music?

My brother in law introduced me to Pandora.com a couple years ago and I have LOVED it.  If you're unfamiliar, you can create your own radio stations  based on genre, artists, etc.  I have a country station, Disney station, Broadway station, Michael Buble station, etc.  I also have my go-to Christmas station.  And when ever weather starts feeling like it has lately around here, I get in the mood for Christmas music.

The downside of pandora is that you only get 40 hours of free listening per month.  Yeah, I've exceeded that.  Now I'm desperately searching for another way to listen to music.  I like having classical music or showtunes or disney music on while the girls are coloring or doing beads or whatever, and now I have nothing.  I know, I know, use my windows media player.  But that means I need to upload all our music onto our computer.  When our computer crashed and we lost all of that, I just never got around to doing it again.

Braden loves Jango, so I've been trying to build a station on there.  But it is the STUPIDEST site ever.  It takes pandora about 3 songs to figure out exactly what I'm looking for.  Sometimes, it has a hard time.  But here on Jango, I've told it about 50 songs I like...all Christmas songs, mind you.  And yet, I have to skip over 20 songs before it will play one Christmas song.  And the songs it is giving me is a mix of Aretha Franklin, Kiss and Alice Cooper, Metallica, ZZ Topp, Brad Paisley...no rhyme or reason.  Then, its tossing in these born again Christian songs.  Seriously, I'm so sick of getting it to figure out that all I want is CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!

Anyone have a better suggestion?

An Even Better Deal...

Now you can get those restaurant gift certificates for only $2 until Wednesday.  My sister commented that there was nothing in her area.  We thought the same thing but then decided to try places we've never heard of.   You know, try the local fare.  We'll see how it goes, but we figure at least this way we can try it without as much of an investment. 

If you want, go to restaurant.com

Quick! A Good Deal Ends Tomorrow! (Sunday)

Hey!  I just wanted to share with you a special deal we were emailed about and actually took advantage of.  My friends told us about restaurant.com a couple years ago and how they got gift certificates to local restaurants for like 70% less than the face value.  They loved it!  I always meant to check it out, but never did.  Our energy company sent us an email about this special restaurant.com is doing which ends tomorrow.  You can get a $25 gift certificate for just $3! 

Most national or franchised restaurants aren't included.  But a lot of local ones are, so check it out!  Also, most of them have a $35 minimum purchase at the restaurant plus 18% gratuity.  So you'll end up having to spend about $20 total for your bill if you only bought $35 worth of food.  Still, a good deal!

restaurant.com

Taryn Made a Funny

And she didn't even know it. 

The other day I offered Taryn a cheese stick for a snack.  Cheese stick a.k.a string cheese.

M: Taryn, do you want a cheese stick?
T: Does it have cheese?
M: Yes.
T: I don't want the cheese.  I just want the stick.

Please Post This On Your Blog

Hi everyone.  Haven't been blogging here much lately.  Sorry about that.

I'm coming tonight in need of a little support.  Braden's cousin passed away last Saturday after battling lyme disease for the last 7 years.  Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease that is originally caused by a tick bite which, if left untreated or treatment is delayed, can lead to joint, heart, and nervous system problems.  But it gets worse than that.  You can read more about it below. 

Doctor's believed that she was infected with the disease as a child but it didn't show major symptoms until 7 years ago, meaning the disease was too far spread to cure at that point.  Because many people CAN be cured from it, her insurance stopped covering her treatment 6 years ago!  Can you imagine the weight of not only slowly losing your wife, mother, and sister, but also having the medical expense too?  I can't.

Leigh Case was a mother to three young kids, with the oldest just 18 and the youngest 11.  Her husband is an incredible man and serves as a family counselor in Arizona.  They have endured SO much and are now grieving beyond my comprehension.  

I know that after the dust settles,  the reality of the expenses they will have to face will become a burden too heavy to carry.  While they are not asking for donations, they have set up an account in Leigh's honor for those who are seeking ways to try to ease the load.  If you are inclined to donate to charities and could spare a bit for this family, I assure you it will not go unappreciated.  I really can't say much more about it.

If you are so inclined, you can go to any Chase Bank and donate to account #903816270. 

If Chase Bank is not available in your area, I'm sure you can contact the bank at (480) 807-5387 or (877)242-7372.


If you could post this on your blog or email it out, I know they could use a lot more than I'm sure we are able to provide.  If you'd like to read her obituary, go to the Arizona Republic.  The funeral is on Saturday with a viewing tomorrow night (Friday) if you're interested.

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From Wikipedia "After several months, untreated or inadequately treated patients may go on to develop severe and chronic symptoms that affect many parts of the body, including the brain, nerves, eyes, joints and heart. Myriad disabling symptoms can occur, including permanent paraplegia in the most extreme cases.



Chronic neurologic symptoms occur in up to 5% of untreated patients.  A polyneuropathy that involves shooting pains, numbness, and tingling in the hands or feet may develop. A neurologic syndrome called Lyme encephalopathy is associated with subtle cognitive problems, such as difficulties with concentration and short-term memory. These patients may also experience profound fatigue.  However, other problems such as depression and fibromyalgia are no more common in people who have been infected with Lyme than in the general population. Chronic encephalomyelitis, which may be progressive, can involve cognitive impairment, weakness in the legs, awkward gait, facial palsy, bladder problems, vertigo, and back pain. In rare cases untreated Lyme disease may cause frank psychosis, which has been mis-diagnosed as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Panic attack and anxiety can occur, also delusional behavior, including somatoform delusions, sometimes accompanied by a depersonalization or derealization syndrome, where the person begins to feel detached from themselves or from reality.

Lyme arthritis usually affects the knees.  In a minority of patients arthritis can occur in other joints, including the ankles, elbows, wrist, hips, and shoulders. Pain is often mild or moderate, usually with swelling at the involved joint. Baker's cysts may form and rupture. In some cases joint erosion occurs.

Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) is a chronic skin disorder observed primarily in Europe among the elderly.  ACA begins as a reddish-blue patch of discolored skin, often on the backs of the hands or feet. The lesion slowly atrophies over several weeks or months, with the skin becoming first thin and wrinkled and then, if untreated, completely dry and hairless.

Gunny Bag, Part II

I've had bunch of people asking me about Gunny and how things are going with him.  I'm happy to report that things are going GREAT!  Let me try to answer your questions. 

Q:  Are your kids still afraid of him?
A: Yes and no.  Not like they were when they thought it was a real person coming.  But they are afraid when he's coming and their things are still not put away.  Otherwise, they BEG for him to come.  They ask a few times a day about when Gunny is coming.

Q:  Do they think he is real?
A:  I think this is like the Muppets Complex.  Yes, they know he is not real.  But they also truly believe that he is.  So they talk to him and look him in the eye.  They hug him, hold his "hand", and wonder what he is doing.  Even though they can see me talking for him, they somehow believe he is still real.

Q:  How long does he keep their toys?
A:  For about a week.  I tell them he'll give them back when he's done with them.  But when they get them back, they have to put it away immediately or he'll eat it again.

Q:  Is it working?
A:  Like a charm.  Taryn isn't as motivated as Keara is, but we've now made it a part of our routine to get the house tidied every night.  And it works.  Taryn's main issue is that she gets distracted by the toys she is putting away.  Sometimes she can get the entire basement cleaned by herself.  But often she needs one of us to be with her.  So, as long as daddy or mommy is helping, the girls do an awesome job getting their things picked up.  They are in charge of their room, the living room, and the basement.  I make sure the other rooms are ready.

Q:  Do they have other chores?
A:  Yes, we have this chore chart for meals.  You know, set, clear, load, unload, and floors.  They have a chore for every meal, including clearing their own plates to the table.  They are awesome at that and it has really helped the atmosphere in our home.  I am no longer the only one doing the work and they are great helpers.  Again, Keara is a star helper.  Taryn needs a lot more help.  But she's doing great!

Just Another Day in Paradise

That's the song playing on Pandora right now and I was JUST thinking that today is the most perfect, beautiful day I have seen in years.  We had 80s and 90s up to the last day of August and then September came.  WHAM!  60s and 70s.  September has been my favorite month of the year for a long time but this one is proving to be perfect.  I love 60s and 70s.  And today is absolutely gorgeous.  Its supposed to get up to 68! 

We opened up the doors and spent some time outside this morning.  I just worked in the garden and enjoyed every second of it.  Except removing my pumpkin plants.  They just didn't make it this year.  But my tomatoes are FINALLY red!  I've got to plan a meal that uses tomatoes now! 

This weather makes me want to pull out all my autumn decor, sweaters, and Christmas music.  I want to make apple pie filling, pumpkin cookies and ginger cookies, oreo truffles, and especially caramel apples!!  I can't wait!  I LOVE this time of year!!!

Happy September!

Avery's Birthday in Pictures

Avery's birthday was AWESOME this year!!!  Well, not like it wasn't awesome last year, but it was definitely more fun this year. 

There were so many great memories made that day. Like when Shaun and Nathan both won the "hot potato with Avery" game to determine who would help her blow out the candles. The music stopped with her perfectly held by both as they were passing from one to the other. Or when Jonathan asked if the beak on the cake was a cheeseburger. Or when Avery finally caught the cake and leaned over and licked it. Or when Shaun, when Susan awoke him off the couch to go home, asked in his delirious state, "Where's Brent? Did he go home?" Um...yeah, Brent (my other brother) is in Colorado.

First, we went to the pool, with cool slides that the girls loved, a fun kid area, a zipline, and diving board for the big boys.  It was awesome.  We got home around 7:20 to start dinner.  We ate about 8:30, after Nathan got back from Cross Country practice.  Around 9:30, we did games and cake, then presents.  Finally, the birthday girl was in bed a little after 10, exhausted.  We all were.

But it was SO fun and I'm so glad we got to do it with S&S and Co.  Thanks guys!

Happy birthday Goose!

Of course the cake had to be a Goose!

The Camera Fairy is At it Again!

Apparently, I need to keep better track of my camera.  I swore I'd keep it away from Nathan, and I'm failing.  Obviously, he's employed cohorts in crime since a couple were definitely not taken by him.  At the same time, I think its hilarious to find these random pics on my camera!  And I am appreciating those random moments pics that are actually precious.  Thanks for the entertainment Camera Fairy! 

Mrs. McTwitter...

You know the poem...

"Mrs. McTwitter, the babysitter,
I think she's a little bit crazy.
She thinks the babysitter
is supposed to sit upon the baby."

-Shel Silverstein

Babysitters are the bane of my existence.  I mean, I was an awesome babysitter.  I loved doing it, I loved the kids, I played with them, fed them, bathed them, dressed them, put them to bed, cleaned up after them...the whole nine yards.

But now, being a parent hiring babysitters, I'm finding most of them are total duds.  I know a lot of my friends only care that their children are alive when they get home.  But I really do expect more than that.  If I'm going to pay these kids around minimum wage for their work, then they'd better do a good job.  If they got a real job and did a crummy job of it, they would not longer have a real job.  So I don't want to pay them for doing nothing, even if it meant just keeping my kids alive.  I expect more than that from them.

I expect them to take care of my kids and play with them.  Follow my instructions, including putting them in pajamas for bed.  I expect my kids to be in their room with the light off when I get home.  Sure, it'd be great if they were all asleep, but you can't force a kid to sleep.  So at least in their room, lights off, jammies on.  I expect that if you fed them dinner, clean up dinner.  If the kids made a mess, clean it up.  If I made the mess, I would LOVE it if you helped with that, but you don't HAVE to.  But if you made it, please, clean it up.  I expect you to play with my kids and not just plop them in front of a movie the whole time.  Especially not 3 movies.  And please don't let them consume 64 ounces of juice at dinner.  If I say no TV, please don't turn on the TV for them.  Please don't finish my Christmas presents for me.  Please don't spend the whole time on the phone.  Please don't call and ask, on your first time babysitting for me, if you can bring a friend. 

That being said, if I come home and find the house a mess, dinner still on the table, and you on the computer or watching TV, I am going to reduce the amount I pay you.  And don't look at me like that when you count it in front of me only to find it is less that you hoped.  If you want to get paid for work, then actually work.

I know that's harsh, but after going thru dozens of babysitters and only finding 3 that are actually worth paying, I'm tired of searching for a great babysitter.  I love it when mom's train their kids.  When they really teach their daughters how to babysit.  I love those babysitters.  But the rest...??

How do you feel about babysitters?