Another Month Gone By

Yesterday, Taryn "turned" 10 months old. Here's Taryn at a glance:

* Just broke her 8th tooth. Eight teeth! I guess if you love to eat, you'd better have the chompers to handle it!

* Figured out waving and LOVES to wave! She's also started saying "Buh" when she waves bye-bye

* Learned to clap (I know, a little late) a couple weeks ago and is so proud of herself being able to do it

*Is anemic so she's on iron fortified formula to help raise her iron levels. Because of this, she's also being weaned, much to our disappointment

*Leans against things more and more without her hands but still isn't brave enough to attempt standing without support at all

*Loves being outside and makes a break for it any time the door is opened

*Loves her daddy. She lights up all over whenever she sees him

*Is still allergic to all those things but doesn't know it. We're switching allergists next week so we'll see if anything changed

*Still refuses to go down the stairs so she is always going up and getting stuck at the top

*Obeys by spitting out whatever is in her mouth when we say "Blah"

*Is thankfully putting less in her mouth, besides food

*Is absolutely adored by her mommy

The Diaper that Keeps on Giving

Keara decided to take off her pants after dinner tonight. I was doing the dishes and the next thing I hear is Braden exclaim "Keara! What happened to your diaper?!" Keara came in to show me her diaper...full, sagging, and wagging between her knees, literally. Since it was just wet, I took it off as she stood there and wrapped it up. As I picked it up to take it to the trash, the diaper peed on me! {excuse my french} It was like a kid squeezing a juice box. Down my arm, on my clothes, and all over the floor. It was disgusting.

Apples! Apples! Git yer apples!

(Name the movie)

It's that time of year again! For those of you who've asked or already know and for those who haven't a clue what in the world I'm talking about, it's caramel apple time!

Last year, I sold caramel apples and fall gift baskets during October and November. I thought it was all fun and no one really thought much of it until this year when I've had a half dozen requests for them! Who knew?!

So, I've decided I'm going to start selling my caramel apples again. If you want to buy any, I'm selling them for $2 each or $20 per dozen. The caramel is homemade and is DELICIOUS! I dip them in your choice of peanuts or sprinkles (sorry I eliminated the other options from last year. But if you ordered last year and know what you like, you can request it and I'll make it for you. (hint, hint, Jill)) Or, you can order them plain. I use large, firm, fresh Gala Apples.

I am accepting orders starting today and will until October 22nd. Then, I will open for orders again on November 5th until November 18th.

No, I will not be shipping these across the country or the ocean, so before you ask, know that I don't think they'd look very good in the end. And yes, we will make some in Chicago in 2 1/2 weeks! (only if you want)

To order, you can email me, call me, leave a comment, or tell me in person. But if you comment as a joke and I don't realize it (unless you live out of town), you can expect me to knock on your door with apples!

**NOTE: This is a sales pitch. I do not accept any responsibility for various side effects due to reading the following content. These side effects include, but are not limited to, salivating, grumblings in the stomach, cravings, nausea, hunger, or a burning desire to pay me money. I also hope no one feels they have to buy these! It's just for those who wanted to and didn't know I'm doing them again!**

All I Want for Christmas...

I want a treadmill. For Christmas, for Easter, for National Treadmill Day, it doesn't matter. I want a treadmill. I guess I should say I want a more convenient, any-time-I-want-to, not out in the sun and heat, not with the kids in tow, early in the morning or late at night way to exercise. I've tried so many different ways to exercise and, though the weight has come off, the flabberty-jabberty hasn't budged...except it all sags, wags, and drags. So I want a treadmill. And so does Braden.

Trouble is, I think it is dumb to spend hundreds on exercise equipment. Especially because 9 out of 10 don't end up getting used. So, we want an inexpensive treadmill. But Braden, who has used many treadmills at the gym in his life, doesn't want to get a cheap treadmill because he wants one that is durable.

I've been searching on craigslist for months, never seriously looking, but always hoping to find that "Free Treadmill. If your name is Cheri Moore, come get it!" It's never been there. There are the 5 and 10 cent variety of treadmills that the reviews tell you to stay away from, like ProForm, which is most advertised on craigslist.

Do you have any experience? Do you have any reviews, warnings, advice? Do you know of a good place to find an inexpensive but not cheap treadmill? Oh, and when I say inexpensive, I mean REALLY inexpensive. Why spend $1000 when God gave me arms, legs, and the ability to do a lot for free? Well, because I don't want to do all that free stuff in the Arizona heat. But it's still not worth $1000. Or even $500. Or even...you get the idea.

A Year in Review: A Trilogy

This post comes to you in three parts: The Road, The Miracles, and The Journey. If you don't want to read them all, but want to know what they're all about, here's the spoiler...

BRADEN GOT A NEW JOB!!!

Now, you'll need to read the rest to find out more.

Part I-The Road

Part one of this trilogy takes us thru the last 3 months. From here, we will be going backwards, and then looking retrospectively at the last year. What a year its been.

To start, Braden has been working for USPS for the last 6 months. He got that job because he needed a job. It never was something he searched out because he wanted a career in it, but figured he could work at and, if necessary, stick with until something else came along. He was hired as a casual employee, meaning non-union, non-benefits, non-respected peon. Ooh, that was harsh. At first, he really enjoyed it. He still does, at least the work part. But the union is a pain and has created quite a few headaches for us. Also, because of the economy and other factors, in July, when a new manager came in, his hours were cut dramatically. So, since then, they have tried to keep him under 40 hours per week, even close to 30 some weeks.

So, he started applying for new jobs almost as soon as he got that one. He got an offer from a legal/technology data entry firm but we felt that it really wasn't a good fit for our family. He also basically got handed a job for a sports marketing company, but we both felt so sick about it that he told them no before his final interview. Since then, he's just been plugging away at the post office, working 6 days a week, 5 hours most days. Many times, like this morning, he gets called at 5 am to come in as soon as possible, because a coworker takes days off like they're going out of style, leaving Braden to clean up his mess.

In June, we had a new couple from our ward over for dinner. They are such great people and we really wanted to know them better. So, during a great meal, we enjoyed great getting-to-know-you conversation. Thru this, we learned that Jeff, the husband, works at the University of Phoenix as an enrollment counselor. In talking with them, it just felt like a road we should try venturing down. Braden really doesn't like sales (which is what an enrollment counselor does) but thought if he could just get in with the company, he could possibly move into a different department after the required 6 months. He was interested in either Finance or Academics, but for now, the only networking we had was with Enrollment, so he applied.

The interview turned out to be very different than he expected. Needless to say, he didn't knock them off their feet and they didn't give him the job. We were disappointed because everything about this opportunity (at least the company, not the job) seemed to be exactly what we were hoping for. The hours, the pay, the benefits, the security, the growth, the career paths. At the interview, he overheard someone mention that the University was interviewing for the financial positions. He asked about it and all he was told, besides that this interview wasn't for that, was to contact the recruiter. So he did. For 4 weeks. But the guy never returned his calls or emails.

Frustrated and wondering what to do next, he finished the paper work to be a Substitute teacher. The schools in our area are desperate for substitutes that they could guarantee him work 5 days a week. So he planned on getting his teaching certificate and quitting at the post office because he would make more money, work better hours, and save the $180 on gas each month with the commute. But first, he needed to get his fingerprint clearance card, a process that can take 3-10 weeks.

Meanwhile, miracles continued happening, at least they were miracles and tender mercies to us. But you can read about that in Part II, The Miracles. Yadda yadda yadda, another friend mentioned in conversation that she had worked as a financial counselor with the University of Phoenix (U o P). What!? And we've never talked about that?! She had a friend who was still a manager in that department, so she called her and later faxed her Braden's resume. That was on Saturday, September 13th. She sent his resume over the the correct recruiters for that position, but they were out of town for training in Las Vegas.

The recruiters returned to work on September 22nd, and we received a call that morning to set up an interview. The last interview process took a month between applying and interviewing for the first time. We expected the same here but we so pleased with the interview was scheduled for that coming Thursday, the 25th. Braden went to that interview with so much more preparation and confidence (again, see The Miracles) that he came out feeling like he did really well. Apparently he did, because that night, he got part II of the interview: situational scenarios. He finished those and emailed them back the next morning. We received another email stating he was moved to part III of the interview: the background check. Fortunately, his fingerprint clearance card came in the Friday before, so he was already in the DPS database, hopefully speeding up that process.

We were so excited that he had come this far, especially for the job he had been searching after since June. It was finally taking shape. Uh-oh. Wait a minute, it can't be that easy, can it? Nope, we were thrown a real scare that night. I picked up the mail on my way home from something and found a postcard from the Phoenix Police Department stating that Braden was being contacted by a detective who was investigating a case he was a part of. WHAT?! He racked his brain but couldn't think of what in the world this could be.

All the possibilities started flowing. Did he get a ticket that never arrived and he missed his court appearance? Did he witness a crime he didn't know he witnessed? Was our identity stolen? Had someone destroyed our credit? Was it about our store? Of all days, this was the day his new career could be starting and yet, as soon as they started their background and credit checks, he may have a serious and unknown dent on either or both records. Fortunately, he was already going to our friends' house that night who happened to be a Phoenix police officer. He called the detective and we found out the full story.

Apparently, the car we had sold last August, was then fixed, painted, and immediately sold (probably for a nice profit) to some 64-year old man. In September of last year, he went out of town and that little Mazda Protege was stolen. This September, it was found. But because they didn't know why our name was attached to the title when it wasn't us who reported it missing, they didn't know if we were involved in foul play. So, they had to be all discreet about it and force us to offer the information. In the end, she said there was nothing for us to worry about and our identity was not stolen. Phew.

So, now we waited. That was last Friday night. Now it is Friday again, so it's been one week. We got an email yesterday that said the background check was complete and they would call to formally extend the offer. Yeah! I called Braden to tell him and to warn him they might be calling. I hung up and no more than 3 minutes later, the phone rang. It was Megan from U o P, not Shannon, his recruiter, who was the only one allowed to offer employment. Who was Megan, and why was she calling?

Braden called her back and she introduced her self and asked how his interview went for the Academic Counselor position. What?! He didn't interview for that. He didn't even apply for that. Oh, great, is there really another hangup? We just wanted a job! He explained the situation to her and she said she would get in touch with Shannon and get it worked out. We hoped to hear back from Shannon yesterday, but didn't.

So, we were left with time to figure out the mix-up. What we came up with was that Shannon called Braden before his interview to make sure he knew that he qualified for the Academic Counselor position because he had a 4-year degree. Though it paid more, Braden knew he wanted to go into finance (see Part III, The Journey) so he told her he wanted to stick with his interview for the Financial Counselor. She must have reserved an interview spot for him for both and forgot to take his name off the list after he gave his decision. Problem solved.

This afternoon, Shannon finally called and formally extended the offer. So, he starts on October 20th and will work M-F (no Saturdays for the first time in 2 years...yeah!), is salaried, and gets full benefits. He also gets to take all classes for free and can get any degree he wants for free, as can his immediate family (no, I don't want another degree). That's not the reason he wanted the job, but sure is a blessing for him to be able to learn all he can about finance and accounting without us paying for it. From what we've heard from all our friends who have worked, do work, or know someone who works for the University of Phoenix, its a sweet gig. We are really excited.

Part II-The Miracles

Where to even begin? When we closed our store in January, we were very disappointed, but also knew that it wasn't a failure. It was just time to move on. And thus we found miracle #1. The economy in Arizona has been among the hardest hit in the country because our main industry here is construction. When the housing market was booming, the economy here was booming. But since, we are among the highest in job layoffs, foreclosures, businesses folding, and families losing everything. When we opened our store, the economy we teetering at the top of the mountain. About 4 months later, it started the decent and continued slowly, but surely until we closed the following January. After that, the pace quickened so much and it has only raced on. Had we stayed open, we would have lost a LOT more. We are SO grateful we closed when we did.

I guess we had another miracle before that. Last December, we were made a beautiful promise by our then-bishop. It was tender and sweet and really has sustained us this year. Shortly following that, we received the greatest blessing from an anonymous giver. Someone decided to do the 12 days of Christmas for our family. We have NEVER known anyone to be so generous in doing that. Taryn was born a few days into it and on the first day, we were given a diaper tree: 3 boxes of diapers, and a complete box of wipes from Costco. We didn't buy diapers for either of our girls for a few months.

Then another friend handed us a check, a very generous check, and begged we receive it. There have been more than a couple occasions where we would have dipped beyond the barrel if it weren't for that gift.

We've looked at our finances this year and with the little amount of hours and pay Braden is getting from the post office, there should be no way we could make all our payments each month. We should be very, very negative. Yet we aren't. We have not missed our bills and we are actually building our savings each month. How? Each time we are at the end of the rope, something has come to us that has pulled us up and out. Many miracles.

We had so many friends offer either employment or referrals for work, even people we hardly knew. They have been so kind and supportive. We are so grateful.

After Braden didn't get the job with U o P the first time, I went Visiting Teaching that night. I was so discouraged that night and it all came flooding out. The gal we were visiting offered her and her husband's expertise to help Braden improve his resume and interviewing skills. For the next month, they took his now-seemingly-pathetic resume and turned it into something he is truly proud of. And he should be. It is what gave him incredible confidence going into this last interview. They also lent him a book about interviewing which helped tremendously. Such a blessing.

Conversations have come up and connections have been made that have led us to this point, and we are so grateful. As we have talked on many many many occasions this year, we have tried to maintain faith that the Lord is guiding us and we are being compelled to be humble. After the trials come the blessings. We have been tried, and we know we have been incredibly blessed.

Part III-The Journey

When Braden and I were dating, he would counsel with me about his career. At that point, he was changing from a communications major to possibly pre-med to possibly business to finally history. He put so much weight on finding the perfect career that it was almost paralyzing for him. After some misguided guidance to NOT major in Business, he settled on history in hopes of going to business school for his masters. But by the time he graduated, he discovered that you have to have 3 years experience to apply for business school but they businesses won't hire you unless you have a business degree. Shoot.

By this time, Braden felt he really wanted to go into Retail Management and applied for various positions, but got none. So we opened our store and gained invaluable experience in so many areas, including retail management. After we closed, Braden knew he still wanted to go into management, but didn't know in what field. So he applied for Chase Bank and Enterprise but didn't get either job. He would get all the way to the final interview but then not get hired. It was so frustrating. He has so many skills, why couldn't he just get a good job so he could provide for his family?

He kept applying and picking up odd jobs, like working for our friend's landscaping company and for a farmer plowing his fields, and finally got the job at USPS. Still, he thought he wanted to be a manager. Slowly, though, people, random people at random times, started mentioning to him that they thought he should go into Finance or Accounting. Those are PERFECT jobs for Braden. He loves details, numbers, money, and organization. Slowly, he realized he doesn't like sales at all (hates it almost) and doesn't really love the rah-rah-rah managers often need to give to motivate a team. He works well on a team, but works really well doing his own thing.

When the first U o P job came around and then continued moving right out the window, he realized that he needed to focus his efforts into getting a job in the right field. A job that would be his career rather than just another money-maker. So, after some serious searching. He settled on Finance/Accounting. And not a few days later, the opportunity to apply with U o P in the Finance department came. The greatest celebration for me is that for the first time in our marriage, and really in Braden's life, he knows what he wants to be when he grows up and we are finally on the road to becoming that! Way to go, honey!

I just need to say that I am so proud of him for persevering. As moms, I think we often forget what it takes to go out there and get a job. We apply for a job, wait 9 months or so, and bam! here's our work for the next 18-100 years. Our job doesn't fire us, we can't quit, but we get incredible benefits. For our husbands, it is another story. Watching Braden develop over the last 4 years has been a blessing for me. To watch him come out of his shell, to go out of his comfort zone, to take jobs that are not glamorous and sometimes humiliating to support his family, and to work long days, long hours, and long weeks without much complaining. And then, to watch him apply for job after job after job and not get any of them, and to turn around and say, I know the Lord is guiding us and holding something better than this. I have been inspired and very grateful for his diligence, patience, faith, and hard work.

We don't know if this is the end of this journey. We know another journey is beginning, but we don't know how long it will last. Nothing, as we've learned, is guaranteed. So, we just pray we can continue faithful and grateful, recognizing the hand of the Lord in all things.

Stained

I am searching for a fail-proof stain remover. Because Taryn loves to eat and is such a messy eater, her clothes are on the brink of being thrown away because I can't get these darn stains out! So, do you have a favorite stain remover that really, truly gets your stains out? For the record, I've tried PreWash, Spray and Wash, OxyClean (but maybe I'm not using that one correctly), and concentrated detergent. I have to wash things a half dozen times and still some of the stains won't come out. Any help?

Fall is in the Air

It's September. I love September. Whenever I tell that to someone who lives here, they correct me that October and November are better. But I love September. It has always been my favorite month and here's why:

1. The weather changes. Everywhere else, it starts to get nippy. Here, we can finally go outside again. We are LOVING that!
2. The leaves start to chage...everywhere else. But I can hear the crunch in my mind.
3. The holidays are approaching. I can just feel it in my bones again. Things are starting to "smell" like Christmas or feel like Thanksgiving or sound like Halloween. I am really excited to change my blog playlist to Christmas songs so so so soon.
4. Life picks up a different pace. Everywhere else, it starts to hurry up as well as slow down for hibernation. Here, people are coming outside again, playing at the park, taking walks, shopping, and living. Summer is so depressing.

So, I love September. I can't believe it's almost over. But that just means the holidays are almost here! Who else is in a "state of complete shock!?" (Bonus points for whoever can name the movies all my quotes on this blog come from)

My Baby's Growing Up and Saving China!

I can't believe Taryn is really 9 months old already. She is growing so fast, I just can't grab each moment like I did with Keara. Here's Taryn at a glance:

Physical:

-She loves to move. Every where, every minute, every day.

-She sits, crawls, stands, cruises, climbs stairs and just about everything else

-She has 6 teeth. She broke her top 4 about a month ago.

-She sleeps SO well

Tempermental:

-She is very happy almost 100% of the time, besides at dinner time. Then she whines until we eat.

-She is patient, despite having a big sister who mauls her and a baby around who is always hitting her or taking her toys.

-She gets very excited about simple things, like getting up from her nap

-She loves to play and always wants to be in on the action

-She is affectionate and makes you feel so loved

-She rarely cries or throws fits or acts bothered or anything like that, unless she's hungry

Vocal:

-She babbles all the time

-She is discovering different sounds she can make with her mouth and will do them on repeat if you think its funny

-She loves to laugh

Digestive-al:

-She LOVES to eat

-She will eat just about anything and everything

I took her to her 9 month check up this week. Among other things (like blood tests that determined she is anemic), the doctor asked if she was saying mama and dada. I was surprised when he said she's behind since she's not. What!? I don't know many 9 month olds who are saying mama and dada unless they are just babbling. Most don't associate those words with the people. Anyway, I decided to work on it with Taryn. This video shows her progress. If you watch it, watch her mouth for the sounds. Alya is in the background babbling, clapping, and making a bunch of noise, so it's a little tough to differentiate what is Taryn and what is Ayla.

I think it's funny that Taryn is painfully camera shy in this video. Mind you, I am NOT behind the camera. It's just on the table. I'm actually right near Taryn, so she's not looking at me when she's looking at the camera. Have you ever seen the credits of "The Little Rascals" where they are showing Darla struggling to not look at the camera? That is Taryn here.

I also wanted to capture Taryn's growth in 9 months, not just how big she is but how much she has changed. Granted, these pictures are right after she woke up so her hair is fluffy and her face is swollen, but it captures the changes. We took the first picture when she was about 2 weeks old. The second is from the day before she "turned" 9 months.

You know your two year old is small when...she can still fit in the pot!

I adore Taryn. I am amazed how wonderful she is and tell her every day how glad I am that she is a girl! I love her so much and appreciate her personality.

Keara Made a Funny

Keara is really into knowing people's names right now. She asks us about a dozen times a day "What's your name?" So, now she knows my name is Cheri and daddy's name is Braden. When we tell her her name and Taryn's name, we use their full names: Keara Elaine Moore and Taryn Noelle Moore.

When I am trying to get Keara's attention, I often use her first and middle name. "Keara Elaine, please don't dump water on your sister's head!" "Keara Elaine, I just LOVE it when you see what needs to be done and do it without being asked!" You get the picture.

Well, I learned pretty quick that I do that too much when the other night we were in the Walmart parking lot and I started singing a song. Keara yells from the back seat, "Mommy Elaine, stop singing that!"

Allergic or Sensitive?

I am perplexed. In Taryn's allergy appointment, she came up as completely negative for milk. A week or so later, we gave her formula at church. She drooled out the side of her mouth and broke out into hives along the milk's path. Then, a couple days later, we gave her mac'n'cheese. This is what happened.

Since then, I've noticed that as long as it doesn't touch her skin, she can eat products with milk in them. But if it touches her skin, she breaks out. So, if she's not allergic to milk, what is she?

Three More Recipes

I have three more recipes to share. They are on opposite sides of the spectrum, but each holds its own charm.

*****

The first I actually got off a gal's website where she is trying to make something in her crockpot every day of 2008 without repeating anything. Since I love my crockpot and how it takes so much time out of dinner, I perused her site and found this recipe. As you know, Braden and I are trying to like fish, so I'm willing to try just about anything.

CROCKPOT PESTO FISH

1-2 lbs white fish
Bottled pesto
Shredded parmesan cheese
Aluminum foil

Spread a layer of foil on the counter top. Put a piece of fish in it. Cover it with a spoonful of pesto and sprinkle on some cheese. Fold over the foil to create a little packet. Put the packet in the Crockpot. Continue to layer in the foil packets until you run out of fish. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Check it after 3 hours. The fish is done when it is fully white and flakes nicely with a fork.

Verdict: This was good. Considering I don't really like fish, I ate the entire thing. Braden, on the other hand, likes fish even less tham me and he still didn't like this. But, if we're going to eat fish again, I will probably try this recipe again. He also says the picture looks like someone's lung, so sorry if it looks too gross to eat.

*****

This recipe is a variation of one I found on allrecipes.com. Braden LOVES fried chicken. I do not. It's not that I don't like the chicken part, it's that I don't like the fried part. So, if he's lucky, I make fried chicken once a year. Because I knew he would really love it if I made it, I was looking for a recipe that used less oil. I also wanted a better "crust" on the chicken. This is what I found with the changes I made. I also have an eggless option, which was really good.

FRIED CHICKEN

30 Saltine Crackers
2 Tbs Flour
2 Tbs dry potato flakes
1 tsp season salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp paprika
2 eggs
¼ cup flour
3 chicken breasts, pounded and cut into strips
¼ cup oil (truly)

Place crackers in a large resealable plastic bag or food processor; seal bag and crush crackers until they are coarse crumbs. Add flour, potato flakes, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic salt, and paprika to crumbs and mix well. Beat eggs in a shallow dish or bowl; pour crumbs in another bowl; heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Pour ¼ cup flour into resealable plastic bag and put all chicken strips in the bag and shake until well coated. One by one, dredge chicken pieces in egg, then dip in crumbs to coat. Reduce heat to medium and cook coated chicken in skillet for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown and juices run clear.
For eggless: Dip floured chicken in ranch dressing or other sauce and then coat with crumbs.

Verdict: Excellent! Oh so good. And beautiful too. The coating was perfect and delicious. Braden really enjoyed it the next 2 days for lunch by putting a couple strips on a hamburger bun with some pickles so it was like his favorite sandwich at Chik-fil-A.

*****

We were invited to our neighbor's for dinner last week (where they made the most amazing ribs...I'll get the recipe). They asked us to bring dessert. I have this thing about going to people's houses for dinner. If they ask me to bring something, I think I should put in as much effort as they are going to put into the dinner. I think it's tacky to show up to a big Sunday dinner with a plate of cookies, especially if they are store-bought. So, I'm going to make pies, cakes, or something beyond ordinary. Well, I needed something simple and cheap but fun, so I came up with this.

ANGEL FOOD PUDDING CAKE

1 Angel Food cake (from a mix, homemade, or store bought), cooked and cooled

1 pkg instant pudding, any flavor, made according to directions on package

2 cups whipped cream (I used whipping cream, but you could use cool-whip. I think Dream-whip would be too soft)

Fruit

Hershey chocolate bar

Powdered sugar

Cut the cake in half, horizontally. Place the bottom half on serving plate. Divide the pudding into two portions, one being about 2/3 and the other about 1/3 of the total. Divide the whipped cream the same way. Mix 2/3 pudding with 1/3 cream (in other words, this mixture will be predominantly pudding). Spread mixture over top of the bottom layer of cake. Top pudding with fruit of your choice. Place the top half of the cake on pudding/fruit. Mix 1/3 pudding with 2/3 cream (to make a predominantly cream based frosting). Spread this over the entire cake as a frosting. Grate the chocolate bar to create shavings or curls. Sprinkle over top of cake. Dust with powdered sugar.

Verdict: This was delicious. It looks good, tastes good, but even looks like it takes a ton of time when it doesn't. Also, it doesn't have a lot of fat or calories, depending on what you put in it. Ours was banana pudding and bananas, because that's what we had on hand. But we're looking forward to trying white chocolate pudding and raspberries. Mmmm. My sister made a chocolate variety last night, so I can't wait to hear how it turned out. Oh, and as you can see in the picture, I swirled in some chocolate angel food batter before I baked it. All I did was take a tablespoon or so of unsweeted cocoa powder and mixed it in about 1 cup of batter. Then I swirled it in the cake. It was a great addition. It made it taste like a very light non-donut boston cream donut.

Sweet Home Chicago!

I have the greatest news! Denver has an updates file! Oh, wrong greatest news...I'm going home! I think very few of you, not more than two or three, can really comprehend what that sentence does within my heart. I am more homesick than I ever thought I could be. I am so lonely here, lonelier than I ever thought I could be. I feel like I have lost so much of who I am and what made me shine. Its likely no one's fault but my own, but I think the realities of life, stress, money, jobs, and motherhood have finally caught up and I am ready to go home. Home. For the first time in 5 years, I'm going home just to be home. No weddings, no reunions, no open houses. Just home. It's making me cry just thinking about it.

I tried to convince my sister to come out here as tickets are just $79 each way right now for October. We've been talking about her family coming for a few months and she has always said that she'd rather fly us out there so I could go home than her family come here when I'd still be homesick. So, with prices this low, she decided she would foot the bill (with the help of my parents, though I'm determined to find a way to cover the cost...anyone need a baby blanket or something I can make?). So, at the end of October, the girls and I are going home. For a week. A full week.

The part that breaks my heart is that Braden cannot come. If we could figure out a way to make an extra $600 to cover him missing work, plus $200 to travel, I'd take him. But we cannot afford for him to miss work. So, he's staying behind but agrees that this is a good thing. I hope Keara loves being with Carter again and that Taryn and Addison can enjoy playing. I'm not concerned about enjoying Kerri and Steve, though I am guaranteed to come home 10 pounds heavier with her fantastic cooking and all the cookie dough we'll be eating. I'm also so glad Keara and Taryn will have their first focused time with both Grandma AND Grandpa. They hardly know them at all, except in pictures.

The leaves will be changing, it will be cold (freezing to us!), and it will feel like fall!!!!! Ah, to feel like fall again. Plus, we get to go trick-or-treating with Carter and Addison. What should we dress as?! So much to do, so much to plan. I am so grateful for this opportunity and hope it will at least sustain me for another few months before the homesickness sets in again.

I am SO excited!

A Mommy

Funny conversation I know almost every mother has with their child:

M: Keara, do you want to be a mommy when you grow up?
K: No! (looking at me with a shocked-how-could-you-ask-me-that look)
M: What do you want to be then?
K: I want to be Keara.

Ooh...did we not mention you could be both? I love the mind of a toddler!

Raindrops on Roses, Whiskers on Kittens...

I've been thinking lately about my favorite things. And then I thought how much favorites really tell you about a person. So I thought I'd share.

1. I love cooking.
2. I love being in the kitchen and creating things.
3. Because I love baking and cooking and almost all things kitchen, I have a lot of favorite appliances
a. Electric Griddle: I think I brought this into our marriage. We use it for everything, crepes, quesadillas, pancakes, french toast, bacon, tortillas...It doesn't burn things, fits a ton on it, and is so easy to clean up. Love it! That's why we used to give it as wedding presents.
b. Electric Wok: We were given this for our wedding. To be honest, I wondered if we would ever use it (Sorry Merks!) but indeed we do! We LOVE it. It also never burns things, fits a ton, and is so easy to clean up, plus it doesn't heat up my house and heats up and cools down really quickly. I love it.
c. My Cuisinart Mini-Processor: Again, we were given this for our wedding and we didn't use it one lick for the first couple years. Then we started pulling it out. Since Taryn was born, however, I use it at least once a day. I use it to blend all her baby food, for the crepe recipe (below), for chopping nuts (used to), and pretty much for whatever else I want to quickly zap/blend/grind/chop. I even use it to grind regular oats into quick oats and oat flour. It also works for grinding rice for baby cereal. LOVE IT!
d. My Crockpot! If you don't have one or don't use one, you must try it. I love making any meat in here and pretty much anything else I can think of. I wish I used it more, but it is also great for not heating up the house, saving money, and saving time. Love it!
4. I love babies. I know, most of you always knew that. So did I. But now, having a second baby, I realize that I truly love the baby stage. I absolutely delight in Taryn, just as I did in Keara when she was a baby. I love babies.
5. I love good music. Music that moves your soul. I just added two songs to my playlist that move my soul: Paul Potts' Nessun Dorma and Michael Buble's Home. Listen to them. Let your soul be moved.
6. I love peace. Stillness, happiness, joy, peace. I love being in the temple.
7. I love sunsets and thunderstorms. Two extremes, but two glorious manifestations of God's love. He could have made life boring, but didn't.
8. I love good sleep. Waking up and actually feeling awake. I can't remember the last time I really felt that, but I remember it happening.
9. I love giving birth. WHAT!?! Did you read that right? Yes, you did. I love it. I told Braden about 2 hours after Keara was born that, if not for 9 months of pregnancy and 1+ month(s) of recovery, I would want to give birth every day. After Taryn, it was the same thing. I love it. As my mom always told me, it is the most exhiliarating thing I have ever done. And it is peaceful, and another manifestation of God's love.
10. I love autumn. I love leaves changing. I love the crispness in the air. I love needing a jacket. I love the leaves crunching beneath my feet. I love starting to see my breath. I love the anticipation of the holidays. I love the holidays. I love all things autumn. Too bad we don't have autumn in Arizona.
11. I love allrecipes.com. It is my alltime favorite website. I love it and use it all the time. I now have a binder filled with new recipes, most of which I've found, tried, and loved from allrecipes.com
12. I love the internet. I know it has many terrible uses, but for good, it is incredible. I love that I know how to use it and use it well. I love being able to find anything I want on the internet. It blows my mind that someone took the time to post it but I love that they did so I can find it.
13. I love General Conference. Keara was born 3 days before April 06 GC so I slept thru most of that. In October 06, I was still tired and distracted with a 6 month old, so I caught half and missed half. In April 07, I was attentive. In October 07, I was 7 months pregnant and tired so I missed half. In March 08, I had a 3 month old and was tired, so again, I missed half. I'm still tired and I have a crazy 8 month old, but I'm so excited for October just the same!
14. I love learning. I love learning new skills, new information, new ways to better myself, new everything. I love learning. In fact, I've realized that when I am not engaged in learning of one kind or another, my life is less rich. I can do more, be more, love more, play more when I am learning.
15. I love a clean house. No, I shouldn't say clean. I hate "cleaning". I love tidying, organizing, decluttering, rearranging. I hate dusting, scrubbing baseboards, and cleaning corners, but I love having everything in its place. Even if its place is dusty.
16. I love home. I hope someday to find a home that competes with the tender feelings I have for the home I grew up in. Not just the house, but the whole experience. When I think of home, all those feelings, all those memories, all those emotions come flooding into me. Someday, I'll feel that for another place. But for now, I love my childhood home.
17. I love deep, lasting, meaningful, inspiring relationships. I have always had good, close friends. Deep friendships. I have a lot fewer now, but I cherish the few I have.
18. I love memories. I think it is an amazing gift we've been given, to be able to remember good things. Not just the event that occured, but all emotions, thoughts, even smells and touches associated with that. It's amazing how you can be taken right back to a place and time so quickly and easily, with everything that goes with it. I'm sure everyone has experiences where you smell something and it takes you right back to Mrs. Tribbey's 8th grade math class with Ian Brunswick and vanilla scented nail polish, or something like that.
19. I love the Spirit. I love the burst from the inside out. I love the quiet whisper. I love the warmth that spreads from head to toe. I love the thought, the idea, the reminder. I love the inspiration, the sudden learning. I love the feeling of arms around me.
20. I love love. Again, another huge blessing we have been given in this life. We could meander thru this existence without that all powerful emotion and yet, God gave us love. He gave us human emotion, human connection, a power that binds, comforts, lifts, edifies, strengthens, empowers, heals, and fills. It is an amazing gift.

Now that you know so very much about me, tell me some of your favorites. What brings you joy? Light? Happiness? Smiles? Gratitude? The simple or the deep, what moves you?

We got a pool!

I am proud to announce that we officially have a pool in our backyard. I don't know why we waited until the very end of summer to do it, though it'll be in the 100s for another few weeks yet, but still...

Keara had a great time and it entertained the girls for a while as I made dinner. That is, until Keara dumped all the water out of it using cups and Taryn was standing up making my heart jump.

Sometimes, poverty is a blessing.

Another Great Recipe

The other night, we had "Crepes" on the menu. But I felt like I was copping out by making just fruit filled crepes. I really wanted to find a recipe like my sister-in-laws great spinach filled crepes, just without the spinach. I had broccoli and wanted something that used that. But I found nothing. So I made it up. I got this crepe recipe off allrecipes.com and it's the best crepe recipe I've had. The filling is a variation off a filling my sister introduced us to. Rolled in the crepe, it is delicious!! Try it if you want and let me know what you think!

Savory Broccoli Chicken Crepes

Crepes:

4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cup milk
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 Tbs sugar
½ tsp salt

Whisk or blend all ingredients together until smooth. Grease pan or griddle with a little oil or butter. Cook 3 Tbs per crepe on medium heat 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden.

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese
2 Tbs cream or milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
¼ tsp garlic salt
1-2 Tbs parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
1 cup cooked and diced chicken (small but not too small)
1 cup steamed and chopped broccoli

Melt cream cheese and milk over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese. Stir well. Add chicken and broccoli and cook until heated thru. Fill crepes, wrap and serve.

Life without Eggs

I've come to the conclusion that having allergies really isn't that big of a deal. Now all I need to do is figure out a way to keep Taryn from ever turning 5 and going to kindergarten, ever wanting to go to a friends' house or birthday party, and ever being babysat. Any suggestions? I'm totally kidding, but I have found that living life without eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts in our home is quite simple. I haven't had to remove anything from our diet besides peanut butter sandwiches, with carrots, on ice cream, in granola bars, and with cereal. Other than that, I haven't yet come across something I will be remiss to not have in our diet. As for eggs, the substitute we've been using has been great. We did learn this morning, however, that it doesn't work great for Dutch Baby Pancakes, though it was really yummy, just without the puff.

We did have an interesting experience last Friday when I was cleaning out our pantry. We have these great crackers that have no hydrogenated oil in them. They're the only ones we can find that are delicious and cheap! So we've been eating them for a long time. Well, I had a bunch in the pantry, but no box to check the labels. While I went into the other pantry to get out a box to read the allergen warning, Taryn grabbed the bag of crackers, opened it, and shoved as many as she could in her mouth. Wouldn't you know that these crackers, though void of hydrog, have this on the label: "Contains milk, wheat, soybeans. Manufactured in a facility that processes eggs, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts" Great, pretty much histamine in a box. And yet, no reaction. Taryn has reacted before to things manufactured with eggs (like pasta), but not to these crackers. Then, we went to Braden's indoor soccer game that night and she immediately found the only peanut on the floor and shoved it in her mouth. Again, no reaction. But fun to go thru and she thinks its all a game.

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about allergies. Why do we have such an influx of allergies in this and the last generation? 40 years ago, 1 kid in 100 had food allergies. Today, it's 5 in 20. That's a ton. Here's what I've realized. In our home, the only thing I am having a hard time providing for Taryn are snacks. If we've run out of fruits, veggies, eggless yogurt, cheese, saltine crackers, cottage cheese, apple sauce, or bread, there is nothing else I can just give her. These allergies are only difficult at snack time. And that brings me to my hypothesis about child allergies. It's this: I believe that the things kids are allergic to nowadays have always been things our bodies are sensitive to. Whereas, in the past we were exposed to these things slowly and in low doses until our bodies had time to develop strong enough immune systems to handle them well, today kids are bombarded with these allergens from the time they are tiny.

How's that, you ask? Well, look at what we give our kids. Snacks, processed foods, convenience foods. Things that are manufactured in facilities that manufacture other products so there is cross-contamination. How many of you have given your babies crackers? Animal crackers? Pretzels? Yogurt? Pasta? And at what age? Pretty much when they are old enough to gum them, right? Or what about store bought baby food? So from the time our babies are introduced to foods, they are being introduced to eggs, wheat, milk, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. I think people innocently assume that just because they haven't served their baby scrambled eggs or peanut butter means their child hasn't been exposed to eggs and peanuts. Not so. Unless they have only eaten fruits, veggies, meat, rice, and potatoes that are all homemade, all children have been exposed to many of the top 10 allergens by the time they are a year old. And not just a little, but a lot.

So my theory is this. Forty years ago when allergies were so uncommon, what were the babies eating? Was mac'n'cheese the thing to feed your kids? Were the shelves lined with as many packaged foods as they are today? No. Most of what babies ate were prepared at home. And if they were given eggs or peanuts or cow's milk or wheat, it was in specific items, like eggs, peanut butter, and a glass of milk, instead of so many random items like crackers, pasta, and popcorn. So, what we have now are babies whose immune systems may be prone to allergies or are otherwise weak who are being overexposed to allergens from the time they get nourishment from something besides their mommy. And those weak immune systems are never given a chance to grow and strengthen because they just keep getting exposed over and over again. Those who are genetically more prone to allergies end up allergic to so many different things.

I really believe this. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but as I've been figuring out how to keep eggs, peanuts, and treenuts out of my house, I've realized that everything I make homemade is not a problem for Taryn. As I call it, the God-made foods (fruits/veggies, meats, grains, dairy, etc.) are great and non-contaminated. The man-made foods, which are wonderful for making our lives easier, faster, and less involved are chock full of the things that harm my baby and many thousands of babies around the world. Someday, in the very distant future, all factories will be uncontaminated, where things without nuts can be processed where no nuts are processed and kids can return to being healthy. But for now, as long as I steer away from convenience, I think we'll make it.