requieted life

basketti and meat bulbs

2006-10-16T12:37:00.000-04:00

I am not being a very good blogger. I dont know whats up with that. I usually think of a million ideas to blog on.. unfortunatly you are getting another "whats goin on with us" blog. and not anything deep.

I am also fired as a foodie wanna be. I have been so lazy this week about cooking. Old standbys and (GASP) food out of a box has been the trend this week.

chicken nuggets (from a box)
instant mashed taters

neckbone bog
green beans
mac and cheese (from a box.. and not even the deluxe kind... Thing Two only likes the powdered kind.. ew? I know.)

15 bean soup
itty bitty baking powder biscuits

Basketti and Meat bulbs
(Translation: Spagetti and meatballs...one of the only "baby word phrases" that remains in Thing Two's vocabulary.. and probably my fault. Its so darn cute I never bothered to correct her. Reminds me of my cousin Joey. He called fig newtons "chewy chewies" and we never corrected him.. he is 20 something and only recently discovered that they are in fact called "newtons")I do make some really yummy meat"bulbs" that have italian sausage in them and the sauce is semi homemade with cruched tomatos and my own herbs and garlic. So thats better than just opening a jar and throwing in some browned turkey burger.
french bread
salad

Cheese grits (this recipe is Paula Dean. It is the BEST grits you will ever have.. ever. They are made with milk and velveeta (only Ms Paula could write VELVEETA into a recipe and still remain a respected chef) and parmessano and you wisk em until your arm falls off.)
sausage
poached eggs (who likes poached eggs anymore? MY KIDS.. wierdos)

dressed out dogs
oven fries

Pretty sad huh? I'll have to see if I can do better next week. I have a craving for some homemade enchiladas...although when I crave mexican I am so tempted to just make some mexican rice and make refried bean burritos with it. I make such a good guacamole that it really seems a waste of time to make the enchiladas when Id be just as happy with a rice burrito.Steven also mentioned a need for some steak. I saw a recipe that called for blue cheese butter to be melted over the top of a grilled steak and He said that it sounded tasty.

In other news we are busy the end of this week at the church.. setting up for the annual "Fall Festival" its a big time and the kids look forward to it all month. Im always glad to see it come along... but then glad to see it go too! Its a big set up and then over so fast. It includes a cake walk and I am still looking for my recipe this year. I set a precident last year with my pumpkin spice cake (I decorated it to look like an actual pumpkin and it sold for $35) So I gotta represent this year so people wont think it was a fluke.

Thing One's great grandma is dying.She has been moved to hospice house in Florence (about 45 miles from here.)Drs didnt expect her to live through the weekend so we rushed up there friday night. But she hung on and we may take a run out there tonight.. maybe. Am I selfish to think that maybe it isnt really my responsibility to get Jasmin back and forth since this is her mother's grandma? Should I have to pay for the gas money and all to run her back and forth since its her mama's people?

I am gearing up for the holidays. Shopping online and looking around.. I admit that I already started my shopping. I dunno if its me loving Christmas OR me loving the cold weather. :)

sick

2006-10-11T12:27:00.000-04:00

Thing one and I have the flu.. Its a nasty puking flu.. not so much on a fever or anything else.. But nothing wants to stay inside! UGH

I dont think I'll die. At least I dont think so.

Our Evie in the fall

2006-10-06T15:03:00.000-04:00

martha, pumpkins and death by chocolate

2006-10-06T14:26:00.000-04:00

What a great fall day! I loved the weather today. Allllmost chilly and a nice breeze. rainy and dark. Made me light all the candles and snuggle on the couch with the girls who were home today since it was a teacher work day.I have cinnamon sticks simmering on the stove and we plan to have soup and grilled cheese for supper. (wich spells comfort food to me) We were snuggling and watching a movie when Thing One said it was very "Martha Stewart" of me to do one thing or another.(smarta**)

I got to thinking about that, thing is? Those homey simple things that used to be Martha's trademark? They arent any more. Just watch her show! I used to ADORE her shows. I watched the old Marth Stewart Living show over and over in syndication (The first runs were a little before my time)I loved her magazine and all the great easy ideas that were in it. The new martha isnt like that at all. Its all commercialized and Buy This! (on our website martha.com) The show too is so much about hollywood and whatever happens to be going on there. (GAG!) I just cant get into it this season. Especially when I have Rachel Ray to compare to.. love that show. She shows me fun ideas.. but doesnt make me feel inferior. I always feel like Martha is mocking me.. "HA HA! try making THAT sucker!)

This morning on GMA there was a story about the Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2006. (GASP! Shocked? I know!) It was kind of amusing. They used all these graphics and had an on the scene reporter. Seems that the very wet very hot summer didn't grow a very good pumpkin crop this year.. and sellers are having to go as far as.. (get this!) SOUTHERN CANADA to get thier gourds this year!!! (Ohhh my GOD that is a travesty)There was a farmer who told the tale and he was a chocked up.. I suppose if pumpkins were your major cash income for the year it could be a bad thing.. but it did seem a little dramatic to be so torn up over vine rot.

It REALLY seemed over dramatic when it led over the funerals of those poor babies in Amish Country. My heart broke for those Mama's who burried thier little girls today and yesterday. I wished that all the press would just go away and leave them in peace to grieve. Its hard enough to say goodbye to a loved one without having cameras and reporters all over the place. Having girls of my own it hit home hard. No Mother should have to burry her children. I dont understand the wisdom.. and its one of those times when you ask God "why?" Especially innocent little girls.. ones who lived far more innocently than most kids. The forgiveness of the families has been amazing. I cant say that I'd have been so willing to reach out to the family of the man who shot and killed my babies.

I am baking a cake right now for one of my favorite cousins (yeah yeah.. I have favorites.. You do to. get over it) She is turning 27 today and I am making death by chocolate cake for her. Chocolate cake with toffee bits baked into it. Chocolate icing with chocolate chunks and toffee bits in it. Topped with chocolate curls.
YUMM-O! Happy Birthday Tammy!

"nobody is feeling me up!!"

2006-10-05T22:38:00.000-04:00

No.. that is not an invitation.

Tonights Greys Anatomy was great as usual.. I realize I gush about this show.. I know I know.. yeah yeah yeah get over it.

So the show opens with TAHDAH.. OMG Meredith in bed with BOTH MCDREAMYs. GAH! I hate that girl who gets to be in bed with Patrick Dempsey AND Chris ODonell AND get paid a zillion dollars for it? BLAH... I never get two cute guys in my bed and I change poopy diapers all day. Somewhere I went wrong.

The teaser at the end of the show really left me a little worried. Is Meredith pregnant? I think that this would be a FATAL writing error for them. That particular story line is so old. YICK.

Not to much else is going on. Steven's days off were very concentrated this pay period so he is on a 6 day stretch with no days off.. it sucks. But at least the shifts are varied so he can be really tired all of the time.

Yall know anyone who wants to buy a 1994 chevy lumina with major engine trouble? HA! For now its killing grass in our yard. Im hoping someone will need parts or whatever and we can sell it somehow.. at least get a little cash out of it.

I decorated for Halloween today. SHUT UP.. that is if you have opinions about Halloween as a holiday. Its fun and the kids like it.. and I didnt use any witches. Just tons of pumpkins. I like pumpkins. We are still in discussion about costumes for this year.. ha.. sounds a lot like last year at this time. We vacilated between ideas right up until the night of trick or treat. Thing Two wants to be a "china girl" Im not really that sure what that means.. she wants a red silk dress and her hair "up" and red lipstick. I dont know where I will come up with a red silk dress by then... anyone going to china?

Thing One is thinking about going as "Abbie" from NCIS.. you know all goth and cutsie in fishnets and lots of black. Its only one night and I will keep the sex appeal to a minimum. However, Steven, who has a really unhealthy attraction to the character is all freaked out by it.. (he wants her).. yeah its ok with me. We all gotta dream.. I figure if she ever comes along and wants him? He can have her.. as long as I can have Patrick Dempsey! He says if Thing One dresses as the character he wont be able to look at Abbie as sexy anymore.. Awwww poor baby. But I guess I can try to talk her into something a little less racy..I wouldnt want to de-sexy-ify his dream girl.. because after all.. what would life be if I couldnt imagine that Chris Odonell would bring ME homemade strawberry ice cream in the middle of the night.?

The man at Bethesda.

2006-10-05T22:37:00.001-04:00

Lately I have heard a few sermons on the man at Bethesda. You know the story.

In case you dont here is a synopsis. There is a guy. He is badly malformed, paralyzed somehow. He has been for most of his life. In his town there is a pool, a pond or small lake with a spring that is famed to heal people. The legend says that once in a while the water would begin to swirl, this was believed to be caused by angels, or God or whatever, but the first person in the pool when this occured was legend to be healed.

He believed he could be healed by the water, and sat by the pool for 38 years. (GAH! thats a long time) But when Jesus came to him and asked him why he had not been healed he said " I dont have anyone to put me into the water when the water stirs" Jesus just said. "Take up your bed and walk"

The messages Ive heard (three different preachers, three different sermons Think someone is trying to say something to me?) Have been not about the miracle, but making excuses. Jesus asked the man. Why havent you recieved your miracle. And the man handed him an excuse. Granted it was pretty valid. But how many of us dont have a valid excuse for not recieving our miracle? Do we like to lay in our filth and revel in our pain? Do we enjoy blaming, god, or whomever else for whatever we happen to be going through? Maybe.

Sometimes things cant be helped. They happen. Bad things do. Its the nature of life. Stuff breaks, people die, and $7000 mistakes get made on tax returns (ugh) A theme in my life lately is the way that I deal with my problem. Do I accept my situation and move on? Or do I sit on my bed and make excuses as to why things cant get better or resolve?

A friend recently said this.

Got a problem? Pray about it. Now go play.

The white load

2006-10-05T22:37:00.000-04:00

I got a silly little meme today and it asked. If you could obliterate one and only one household chore, what would it be and why?

Easy. The white load

I dont mind washing other loads.Jeans, Darks, colors, lights... but that one load that goes in with HOT water and bleach and is full of the most nasty parts of laundry? I hate it.In fact I hate the whites so much I usually save them for last to wash.. more often than not I lose interest in or run out of time for washing clothes and they go back into the hamper a couple times.. until steven threatens to turn his underwear inside out to wear a second time.Backwards right? Youd think Id want them to get done first and out of the way...

There are a lot of reasons why I hate doing whites First, I have to actually separate them. They are all usually inside out and wierd. Steven pulls his socks off in a way that one sock ends up inside out inside the other sock. They must be separated otherwise the inside sock is still dirty and they never dry all the way. Then, the smell. I do not care for the smell of bleach. EW. Its yuk.I also hate hate folding that particular load of clothes. There are also all those unmentionables belonging to my husband. I hate folding tighty whities. They dont have a good shape that folds easily and SOCKS. I hate to match socks. Mostly I have illiminated our sock matching problem. Steven has tiny pygme feet so he wears womens socks (this in no way threatens his manhood thank god) Thing One has really really impossibly huge feet (for an 11 yr old) and I am somewhere in the middle. SO I buy the same kind of socks for all three of us. White socks with no indentifying markings (like grey toes and heels.. or that weirdo pink stripe accros the toe) All the socks match with no problem now. Thing Two has hers.. but they are all also white. There is almost always one lone leftover sock without a mate.. but for the most part they match up easily..

But I still hate it.

"What does this mean Meredith?"

2006-10-05T22:36:00.000-04:00

Tonight was the season premiere of my most favorite show in the telesphere. ( telesphere: everything that is on television.. a word I heard on MSNBC this morning. YAY ME)

Grey's Anatomy is all new tonight. Sexy, smart with just a little bit of medical stuff to keep me interested. The characters are intense, but they seem real, like this stuff could actually happen to some medical interns in Seattle. It also leaves me thinking all the time.love that.

Basically it was great and everything that I expect out of the show We were left with a couple cliffhangers last season and with the death of a major character. I think had we had to wait all summer to know that he died.. I would have been really really mad.

One thing bothers me though. She slept with him.. HE IS MARRIED.. yet she did it. Before she knew he was married it wasnt like that.. she didnt know.. it was only adulterous on his part .She was all pissed at him for it.. But NOW? She is as bad as he was. She did to addison what Addison did to Derek. BLARGH. Does that make it ok? nah.

In the end she is still between her two beaus.. what a hard life eh? hmmm Should I do Patrick Dempsey or Chris Odonnell?

I am a stupidhead

2006-10-05T22:35:00.000-04:00

Today someone asked me why I hadnt blogged recently.. and I said. "uhhh I have.. in fact often.. well pretty often anyway" When I logged onto my computer I realized that I am a dork. I have been blogging and then putting them into a "post later" folder. Stupdhead.

So.. today you will get what will seem like a whole lot of blather from me.. but wont seem so much when you realize that it is over a weeks worth of thoughts.uhhh enjoy

And another thing...

2006-09-20T22:32:00.000-04:00

This month is the one year anniversary of my blog.. I took some time off here and there. But there is a pretty good year of archives to read.. This year has been kind of rough... Weve been through a lot.. but we are in such a good place now. Things arent all smooth and yeah there are so many things that are still floating around wild and willy nilly. But mentally I am in such a great place.

We have kind of a major thing going on.. a possibility of a MAJOR life change for us in the next few months.Im trying not to invest to much into it emotionally, and get excited over nothing, but its a distant possibility. I cant really go into details yet, but when I can, I promise to share.

This is premire week for television. I have enjoyed the season premiers of CSI NY and CSI Miami. As well as for Two and a half Men. (funny stuff) and Tonight watched the opener of "dangerous minds". Mostly though I am looking forward to tommorow night and the return of Grey's Anatomy.(YEAH!)

As far as new stuff there isnt much I am happy about. I dont assume I'll be watching "SMITH" or "Jericho" I dont like all that dramatic stuff.. I didnt get into LOST and I am assuming that Jericho will be a lot like that kind of show. Nah.. no thanks.One new thing that I am LOVING is the new Rachel Ray talk show. She is a taaaad hyper for 9 am, but I am adjusting. That girl is just to darn happy all the time.. maybe thats the reason I like her. She reminds me of my friend Michelle McGarity.

I dont care to much for Katie Couric on the evening news... I havent really weighed in on the change yet. I wanted to give her a chance.. heck yay for the gals I say, you know? But I cant take her seriously. I miss grandpa news. Old guys who know what they are talking about... well Im sure.. actually positive that Katie more than knows what she is talking about. But I want an old guy in a suit. I want a Papa to tell me about Iraq and plane crashes...a Grandaddy to be strong when bad things happen. Katie just doesnt hold the reassurance in her voice that I need when things are going wrong.

Charlie Gibson is still kinda fresh from Good Morning America but he is growing on me.I actually LOVED him on that show. I still prefer it to the other morning shows..but I miss the chemistry between Dianne Sawyer, Robin Roberts and Charlie Gibson. The today show was OK before, but I HATE Meridith Vierra... She is sarcstic and way way to liberal. I hated her on The View (Actually I hate the whole show...and they didnt make it any better for me by adding Rosie Odonnell... whom I LOVED on her talk show..but have found her less and less appealing as I grow older and more conservative.. Her being a lesbian having NOTHING to do with it. I just dont care to listen to people who feel obligated to spew thier convictions and condenm others for thiers all the time... liberal OR conservative. She can have hers.. I can have mine. We can keep them to ourselves and talk about shoes and handbags and recipes and have a great time.. Yeah, we can ALL be Rachel Ray and the world would be SOOO much better.

lean into the wind

2006-09-15T14:42:00.000-04:00

We recently got satalite tv. Its an extravagance we never justified before now, but we figured we never go out, we spend a lot of time at home (especially me) so it was an expense that would be worth it. Since then we have watched a LOT of weirdness on tv..You cant imagine some of the pointless junk they put on television. You just cant look away.. its like a train wreck, you dont want to look, but you do.

The other day, when I should have been doing something constructive,I was watching a sailboat race of some kind. Some wierdo documentary about these guys who raced accross the Atlantic.Two teams were racing against eachother, and the time of another team who had completed the race another time for a world record. Things went well until there was a storm. A really really big bad one.

So you have team one and team two. Team one is floudering, so is team two. Seems like things are not going to turn out well for either team. They are bickering and fighting amoungst eachother and cant seem to get together on how to fight the storm and still make headway.Both teams head for safe harbor, drop anchor and batten down to ride out the storm stationary.Team one burries themselves in thier bunks and goes to sleep. Crying over thier loses and bitter over the circumstance.

Then team two makes a decision, They lean into the wind. The storm isnt blowing in the direction that they need to go, and they will surely lose time on the world record, and likely team one. The wind isnt sending them in the direction they THINK they need to go. But the yeild to the wind and follow it. They are flying at an AMAZING breakneck speed..wild and unsure but trusting in the strength of thier mast and in a direction they did not plan. They assume the race lost and resolve to just survive the storm.

Eventually they outrun the storm. They harness the wind of the hurricane to blow them ahead of it. Out of harms way they make thier way to the finish line. They are whole and unbroken revived by the new wind. They win the race beating the world record by hours and team one by 12 hours.. the 12 hours that they leaned into the storm. Team one finished... barely... broken, bitter, and battered by the storm.

The documentary struck me as ironic. How much are we like the sailboats? How often, when storms blow do we feel like dropping anchor and going to bed? What if we leaned into the wind? What if we allowed our storms to blow us in directions we didnt plan for? It might seem like the hurricane might sink us, and that we'd rather stay in safe harbor and venture out when things look safe. But what if we trusted the strength of the mast??

Lately it has seemed like my storm might break the ship apart. One storm after the other rocking my boat. "Such is life" they say.. Its all storms and trials.. but I guess its more how you weather them. How you deal with the problem that makes your life easier or harder.I was never promised calm seas. I wasnt even promised favorable winds. But what I was promised was that if I trusted the strength of the mast? Id make it to the end of the race in one piece.. possibly broken, possibly battered. But comepletely whole.

We wont forget.

2006-09-11T08:43:00.000-04:00

Today is the 5 year anniversary of the loss of 2973 americans. People like you and me who were just doing thier jobs.. making the coffee.. checking email.. making weekend plans...being a hero. All of them, just gone. I am listening to the loved ones of those we lost read the names at ground zero as I write this.I cant imagine the loss and pain this past 5 years has held for them. They gave up so much, just so someone who was angry could express thier madness.Steven just called, on his way to work, and left a message on our internet answering machine. Just everyday stuff, "I put this much money in the bank, I filled up the car... I love you, and I'll see you tonight." Usually I listen to the message and then erase it. But today... I think I'll leave it. How many wives did the same thing five years ago today?

I am watching President Bush stand bravely at the pentagon and listen. As much as he has been a disapointment. This is one instance where I am glad that he was there that day... and responded with words that still make me proud of him... even if living up to the promises he has been harder than even he imagined.

Tonight I plan to make a nice dinner and hold my kids till bedtime and to look at Steven with the eyes of a woman who lost her husband on a september morning five years ago.

2006-09-08T18:12:00.000-04:00

2006-09-08T18:10:00.000-04:00

This is our master bedroom. Pretty girly huh? Steven deals with it. I love the purple flowers above the bed. They were part of the trellis decoration at our wedding reception. The paint color on the wall looks more orange-y in the pictures but it matches the pink/salmon color in the bedspread exactly!

2006-09-08T18:06:00.000-04:00

bloggy parade of homes

2006-09-08T18:05:00.000-04:00

Roasted Pork Loin

2006-09-08T13:26:00.000-04:00

I got a really great deal on some really fresh pork loin and some muchrooms yesterday and this is what I did with it... I entered this particular recipe in a "Make it with Mushrooms" contest for the mushroom council of America (I didnt actually know there was a MCA before yesterday)when I was looking up the name of the mushrooms I had bought... They were BUTTON mushrooms... tasty.

Funny story about this recipe.. it has white wine in it. Every few months I have to buy a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine.I freeze it in ice cube trays and store it for cooking in the freezer.As I dont drink generally, and as I live in a really small town where everybody knows everybody else, its interesting to actually BUY the wine. I go to a conservative church and since I am involved in ministry it is especially sticky... so anyway yesterday I was in the wine aisle at our grocery store (Id really LIKE to get my wine from a real wine shop.. but GAH! Try explaining THAT to sister Bertha better-than-you!)I was deciding between an Australian white and something random from California (never cook with wine that wouldnt taste good to drink, luckily our local Bi-lo has a pretty good selection as far as my budget goes) and round the corner? You guessed it. I looked like a guilty little kid... I stammered something like.. "hellosisterberthahowareyou?I ambuyingthiswinetogoinarecipeIamtryingtonightallthealcoholcooksoutIpromise" She just kinda stood there looking at me.... and I noticed her hand slowly moving into her cart..to sneakily cover something up. And then I saw it. A six pack of winecoolers. I had to giggle to myself.

Here is my recipe entry.

2 lb pork loin trimmed of excess fat
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
3 or 4 garlic cloves minced
salt and pepper
1 lb mushrooms cleaned and cut in half
1 large onion sliced thinly

In a bowl combine wine,olive oil,rosemary and garlic. Salt and pepper the pork and place inside a roasting bag. Place onion and mushrooms over and around the pork and let rest in refrigerator at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pork loin for 35-45 minutes.
remove pork and vegtables. Strain drippings and thicken with flour and water until gravy consistency. Serve over potatoes.

rapidfire

2006-09-05T21:53:00.000-04:00

I havent really felt much like blogging lately. Just a lot of BLARGH! going on. Here is a rapidfure update of junk and whatever.

1. Things One and Two were sick over the weekend. Some mystery wierdness. Fever,sore throat and tummy ache. It went as mysteriously as it came. Both are right as rain today. hmmmm

2. Our waterheater finally gave up the ghost last week. Saturday we purchased another one. Monday my Dad, my cousin, and my husband went to war with it, won, and it was installed. After some fine tuning and reversing all of the connections.. we turned it on? The heating element is bad in our BRAND SPANKING NEW GE WATERHEATER. GAH! *&%&^$*^(*^$%%#$%@$&^(!!!!!!!!! Of course I didnt use the actual bad language.. but it came close. Its been a week since I have had reliable running water.. and even longer since my house was normal.

3. I am SO sad over the loss of Croc Hunter Steve Irwin. We all realize that in the back of our minds we are all thinking. "Umm yeah.. Im not surprised that a wild animal killed him" But still. He has little kids, and he was an amazing advocate for the animal kingdom. We lost a good guy Sunday.

4. Recently our Sr Pastor resigned when he was promoted to be the overseer of the Northwest Region in the Church of God. This Sunday a vote was made and Bishop Joe Grice from Columbia was elected as our new shepheard. I am pretty happy with the selection. Since Things One and Two were ill, I was not there to make the vote, but Id have agreed had I been there. Pastor Joe had formerly been a member of the staff at Dillon Church of God, so he is not a stranger, and will make a good leader.

5.I am making Tortilla soup this week. I saw several chefs make it this week on FN and Im going to try it on my family. Kinda a dumbed down version, since no one here eats many onions or ANY peppers. I might make my very own little pot of it with all the yummy veggies in it. Other menu items this week include meatloaf and augrautin potatoes, with sauteed cabbage and beet salad, breakfast casserole and homemade sourdough toast, baked pesto pene with grilled chicken, and dressed out hot dogs with curly fries.Want some?

Did I miss anything?

2006-09-01T13:43:00.000-04:00

2006-09-01T13:40:00.000-04:00

2006-09-01T13:25:00.000-04:00

2006-09-01T13:20:00.000-04:00

Bloggy Parade of homes bathrooms!

2006-09-01T13:13:00.000-04:00

In this weeks parade of homes we are showcasing our bathrooms.This is our master bath and I didnt realize it, but photographing a bathroom that size (teensie tinesie) is quite difficult. The angles dont allow for any sort of continuity. You cant tell that my theme really flows and it isnt so odd. I like our bathroom. The theme is dragonflies and I have had fun collecting them. I love the mosiac picture frames on the back of the toilet.. although I have yet to find an appropriate picture to go in them.. whos face do you put on the back of the pooper?

The other mosiac things I have in there are the garden stepping stones. I know they belong in the garden, but they were so cute I threw them up on the wall.
Cant wait to see how everyone else managed to photograph thier bathroom!

fun meme

2006-08-31T17:21:00.001-04:00

In order to keep my blogg from sucking your will to live :) I am going to perk up some.

I saw this meme on www.kaylynskitchen.blogspot.com and thought it was pretty neat. Id love to hear about your favorite MUST have foods. SO.. respond suckers!

give me a list of five of your most favorite food memories.. or your favorite foods in the world, I mean special foods that you go back to again and again.The eye rolling tummy rubbers..

Here are mine

1.King Crab... no, not just any king Crab. One summer I dated a proffesional fisherman on and off (in those days I dated a LOT of guys on and off)... in Alaska thats not a hard thing to come by.He often went to sea for days and days at a time and one day he called me out of the blue and said for me to drop whatever I was doing,grab some girlfriends and buy a case of Alaskan Pale Ale (a really yummy and VERY popular micro brew)some butter and a few pounds of lemons and get my butt to Homer. Homer is a fishing town on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska about 3-4 hours away from where I grew up. So being me ;> I was game. When I arrived on the beach there was a crowd of fishermen, and a huge bonfire.. on the bonfire were these giant pots of boiling water.. beside the pots were these orange garbage bags.. full of live Alaskan King Crabs. I swear I have never tasted better crab.. really better than anything I have ever tasted. It is litterally not possible to have fresher seafood. mmm mmm

2. Red Robin Buzzard wings.
Red Robin is a gourmet burger chain. I worked there when I was in college. They have this wing sauce that is SO good. I mean it is absolute perfection. There are things in there that I still cant figure out. Even better than on wings? They have chicken strips called "clucks" and you can have em tossed in the sauce. Then you dip them in the amazing cucumber ranch dressing they have? YUM

3. Phad Thai, Yellow curry over Jasmine rice,spring rolls and Thai iced tea from a genuine thai resturant

I know to those of you from more metropolitan areas this might seem less desireable. BUT we dont have a thai resturant. Not one.. not for 75 miles.. or even anywhere close.. Ive been craving it for 5 years. The person that takes me to a REAL thai resturant and not just a chinese place that has a few thai items on the menu would be my friend for life. Pad Thai is a rice noodle dish with chicken and shrimp, spring rolls are like super crispy egg rolls made on really thin wrappers. and yellow curry is curry made with coconut milk and chicken and potatos. Thai iced tea is a spicy creamy tea made with sweetened condensed milk.

4. Guidos Super Sub

In anchorage there is a pizza place that makes a calzone/sandwich that is sooo yummy. It has ham,turkey,pastrami, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, mayo and all kinds of good stuff... I havent had one in 5 years. We used to order them for delivery on friday nights when I was a kid and all sit around and watch tv together.

5 Basically anything I ate in Italy wood oven Roman pizza, tuna in olive oil on italian bread.. fresh olives, cheese, gelato,tirimisu, I honestly cant remember eating anything I didnt love,

But most memorably Fish Florentine...
I have had in several resturants including in Florence Italy. It was so perfect and fresh and makes me shiver when I eat itIf its on the menu? I want it. It is a simple sole or cod filet stuffed with spinach, bread crumbs, shrimp..usually parmessno depending on the place and then cooked in some kind of lemon garlic white wine sauce. Usually served with some kind of pasta here in America.. I think it came with potatoes of some sort in Italy. I love basically anything cooked in lemon white wine garlic sauce.

sooo what are your faves?

Oh no Earnesto!

2006-08-31T13:41:00.000-04:00

Here he comes! It has been raining cats and dogs here all day long. The wind is picking up and we are snuggling down here at Casa De Lane to weather the storm. We likely wont see much more action than what we are seeing now, but it sure is making for a messy day.

I am still having a hard time over the loss of our dog. I am not usually an overly emotional person, so this is new for me. I cant identify if I am mourning the loss of Jakey or the trauma of seeing what happened.. the pain of it for my Dad or what. Every time I close my eyes I see his happy little face..and then the scene of his death, and I cry.I keep telling myself to suck it up.. its just a dog.. puppies die.. things happen, its the way of nature. But it isnt helping. Im still so incredibly sad over it.

Things One and Two dealt SO well with it. Only a few tears from Thing Two..and that
surprisingly was over the loss of BOTH the dogs.. she felt compassion for Taynus.. the one who commited the crime. I was shocked, when my 6 yr old could feel such compassion, And I? punched him in the skull and ordered his execution.She is an incredible little kid. Thing One is stoic about such things. I remember when she was about 6 and her great grandad died. She tilted her head to one side and said "ohh thats too bad" or something equally as unemotional. A year later when Steven's Grandmother,someone Thing One had been very close to,died very suddenly she barely shed a tear. She is just more internal than most.

In other news about Thing Two, I am a little worried about her. She has something called "selective mutism" wich is basically a fancy term for "really really shy in certain situations" And it is getting worse.

It is debilatating for her in some situations. She clams up when men speak to her (and I know the first inclination would be to ask Who messed with her? She has rarely been out of my sight.. as a victim of abuse in my childhood (a teacher) It doesnt play out like that) and she REALLY freaks out over situations where she will be in a crowd or loud noise. Im trying to think of a way to deal with it, and to help her be more approachable by loved ones. Any advice?

RIP little buddy

2006-08-29T12:01:00.000-04:00

I barely have words. My heart is breaking...

We lost our little Jake puppy today.I find it very ironic that I just posted his little pug face here a few days ago. He escaped his fenced yard and our guard dog killed him. We had been calling and calling him all morning,looking and looking and somehow he snuck by me,behind the house and tangled with the german shephard.I screamed and punched him so hard I sprained my wrist.I pulled him out of his doghouse and just blindly beat at him ... in horror at what he had done and in grief of losing our friend.I didnt do much damage to the great brute, but I wanted to kill him.... I still do...and he wont survive the day. When Steven comes home he will go wherever bad mean dogs go.

I'll have to tell the babies this afternoon... worse, my Dad who is at work, will have to be told. Jake was his good best friend. They walked and talked and played together every single day. Daddy had taught him some little tricks and Jake pined for him whenever he was gone from the house.Just last night we shared ice cream with him and he played with the kids..."speaking" for his share of the goodies. Going through his repetoire without being told in hopes of a scoop. I am having a hard time imagining our evenings without him.

I called my uncle to come take care of him.. so Daddy wouldnt have to... He burried him in our pet cemetary near the garden where he can hear the kids playing...and he can be close to my Dad.

recipe repeats and general news

2006-08-26T23:18:00.000-04:00

hello kids. Things are pretty quiet here at Casa De Lane. Steven is working all weekend and Things One and Two after doing chores went off to play.

Our car is on the fritz.. really sick. Hopefully not TOO sick though. But for now Steven is driving the Mamamobile (My mom's van) to work. BLAH!

I am a chronic recipe repeater, so tonight I revisited the zuppa Tuscana that I made last weekend. It was a winner then and with less spicy sausage it was an even bigger hit. I didnt however get around to making any rolls. Store bought had to suffice.

This weeks menu is kinda boring. I found that it was exhausting to go all Food Network Foodie wannabe on the food last week. So I went a little simpler this week.

Chicken breast sandwiches
fries

Zupa Tuscana
Rolls

Shrimp and Grits (Im pretty excited about this one.. I got some shrimp on special and plan to toss them with some fried chicken tenders,mushrooms,smoked sausage and pour it all over some really creamy cheese grits. YUMM-O!)

Salmon Patties
Homemade mac and cheese
speckled butterbeans

Hamburger Helper ( ew. but the kids like it)
Corn

Baked Potatoes with a choice of chili and/or
broccoli and cheese

I am planning on working on another cookie recipe this week.Its never to early to get ready for Christmas! I lost my favorite Lemon White Chocolate Cashew cookie recipe so I gotta find one online. Im thinking it shouldnt be tooo hard. I just wish I could remember where I got that recipe from. They are AWESOME. I am also going to try and replicate the sweet spicy sauce from Zaxby's. That stuff is like ummm liquid joy. mmmm MMMM mmmm

Whats in Your Bag???

2006-08-25T19:06:00.000-04:00

I got tagged to do this fun little meme.. and here you are.. what I lug around in my pocketbook.

gum,oragel(Thing One is cutting 12 yr molars and often has sore gums) carmex, a fuzzy purple pen (for obviously, no one should live life without a fuzzy purple pen) children's pepto (Thing Two has a delicate tummy) dramamine (I have a delicate tummy)
hand sanitizer, hairbows (until yesterday I had hair that was to the middle of my back.. today? right at my neckline AKK!) lip glossy, change, a little cash, checkbook, various ID and insurance cards, copies of the custody thingee so that I can take Thing Two to the Dr (they ask every single time If I have authority to take her for medical attention)various coupons and a little black bag that holds all the little junk and a mirror, it is embroidered with my church's name.

thats it.. sooo... Whats in YOUR bag?

2006-08-25T14:37:00.000-04:00

2006-08-25T14:36:00.000-04:00

2006-08-25T14:35:00.000-04:00

Bloggy parade of Homes week 4

2006-08-25T14:32:00.000-04:00

This is my cute Coke kitchen. It is SMALL. Dinky, Tiny and otherwise LITTLE. But fo rnow Ive tried to make it fun and workable. As a cook I rely a lot on my kitchen table for workspace.

This is our Pug friend JAKE

2006-08-22T22:27:00.000-04:00

This is our sweet family puppy Jake. He is 3 years old. Ive been reading other people's blogs that included thier pets. I cant be outdone. ;)

Foodie wannabe day 3

2006-08-22T22:16:00.000-04:00

Hang on Brian.. just a few more days :)

Tonight I tried making Manicotti from "almost" scratch. (I didnt make my own noodles) It was tasty.. like a really gloppy and badly constructed lasagna. I have no idea what I did that made it all fall apart. But it did. Luckily it all goes to the same place. Im not even going to include the recipe.. since obviously it isnt a good one. Maybe I'll try again next time riccotta cheese is on special at bi-lo.

Ever find a product that you just LOVE? I love soap and bathtime and pretty much anything having to do with warm water and me being in it. BUT, I am out of my favorite body soap. It is making me SAD. I use Johnson and Johnsons Moisture wash with the amber/tan label(there is a scent with pink in the label..but it doesnt smell as good)I cant find it ANYWHERE. It has a pleasing yet mild scent.. and believe me with Steven's allergies? When I find one that pleases both of us I hang on to it..Bath and Body Works makes one he can pretty much handle (Moonlight Path) but I get sick of the same ole same ole.If you see some J&J let me know? I hate when I find something really good and the company discontinues it. GRRR

2006-08-22T13:20:00.000-04:00

Snickerdoodles

2006-08-22T13:12:00.000-04:00

Today I decided to give the girls one of the great benefits of having a Stay at Home Mom. Freshly baked cookies when they come home from school. This is a recipe that I saw on a food network show about a cookie competition.The dough is pretty sticky to work with, so keep it chilled. The cookies are awesome.They are moist and chewy with just a slight cinnamon flavor. You dont taste the cayanne at all, but I wouldnt want to leave it out since these taste so good.. it might be important! :)

Snickerdoodles

3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cookie dough:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground cayanne pepper

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
To make the cookie dough, stir together the dry ingredients.
In a bowl with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugar and continue to mix, then add the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Chill dough 1 hour if it's sticky or difficult to handle.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll balls of dough about the size of a walnut then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place on an un-greased sheet pan 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until puffed up and the surface is slightly cracked. Let cool on the sheet pan a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

2006-08-21T19:10:00.000-04:00

Foodie wannabee day 2

2006-08-21T18:42:00.000-04:00

Today was my second day of fun recipes for the week. Yesterday (Sunday) we ate viking style.. (pillage the fridge) just kinda whatever sounded good.Just making sure to use up leftovers and not open anything new. I made some quesadillas and guacamole for lunch and Steven ate the leftover soup. The kids ate bolgna and were pretty happy with it.

Tonights dinner menu was

Scarborough Fair Roasted Chicken
Garlic smashed potatoes
Steamed green beans and carrots
yeast rolls

I hadnt planned on making more rolls, but instead of sourdough pancakes for later this week I decided to make frenchtoast casserole and for that I wanted some great bread.. so I made another loaf of the Amish bread since we ate the other loaf as toast with fried eggs for sunday breakfast.(YUMM-OH!)
This time I used WAY less oil and baked it a little longer and it set up a little stiffer.. wich I think was better for bread.. but too stiff for the rolls.. should have watched them better so they didnt get dry.

The chicken is a creation of my own...A few months ago, I was bored with regular roasted chicken and was looking over my spice collection. I kept singing that Simon and Garfunkle song "Scarborough Fair".. you know the one "Parsley, Sage Rosemary and Thyme". And I thought, hmmm why not? I created... and I saw that it was good.

Scarborough Fair Roasted Chicken

chicken (I use leg quarters since they are cheap and nice and moist)
1 tsp each Parsley, Sage,and thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary ( I learned the first time that Rosemary is STRONG. You dont need much to give it a BIG flavor.)
salt and pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400
in a bowl mix together spices
trim excess fat off of chicken
genourously salt and pepper chicken and roll around in a bowl to coat totally.
Place in a baking pan youve sprayed with pam
sprinkle with spice mixture
Roast until juices run clear from a piece of chicken youve pierced at the joint.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes
6 or 7 potatoes peeled and cut in half and then into 1 inch cubes
1 can chicken stock
2 or 3 large cloves garlic whole (do not mince!)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a pot place potatoes, whole garlic cloves chicken stock and enough water to cover. Boil on med high heat until soft. Drain and fish out the garlic cloves. Discard. Smash potatoes with a masher until chunky. Dont smoosh them till they are smooth you want them to have some bite to them. I do not like them gluey. Fold in butter and sour cream again be careful.If you overmix them they will feel and look like wallpaper paste. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Tune in tommorow for adventures in Italian cooking..Baked Manicotti! I also watched a cookie competition on FN last night.. I might start working on some good cookie recipes I saw. mmmmm snickerdoodles.

2006-08-19T22:44:00.000-04:00

2006-08-19T22:42:00.000-04:00

2006-08-19T22:40:00.000-04:00

Food week Day 1.

2006-08-19T22:23:00.000-04:00

Much to the chagrin of my friend Brian.. today is day one of a week of food madness. I was a little bored with our recent dinner menus.. so I am spicing things up a little with some handmade, experimental dishes. I plan to make things from scratch and see how my family likes that versus the from the hamburger helper madness we have been experiencing lately. After this week I'll go back to my normal blathering about the day to day here at Casa'de Lane.

Today I made Zuppa Toscanna from a recipe that I got from Olive Garden. Its what Steve-o orders every time we go there so I thought Id try my hand at it. In a word? YUMM-OH! (as Rachel Ray would say)This stuff was fantastic. I cant say that I followed the recipe to the letter.. I substituted whipping cream for the heavy cream (it was on special) and I used chicken stock instead of water and chicken base.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

Author/Submitted by: Sonia Borges, guest relations for Olive Garden Italian Restaurant. Published 3/13/96 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune Taste Section.
Servings: 5

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Sausage links, spicy; about 12 links
3/4 cup Diced onions
6 slices Bacon
1 1/4 teaspoons Minced garlic
2 tablespoons Chicken stock base
1 quart Water
2 medium Potatoes, cut in half and then into 1/4 slices
2 cups Kale, cut in half and then sliced
1/3 cup Heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place sausage links onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until done; cut into half lengthwise, then cut at an angle into 1/2 inch slices. Place onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Add garlic and cook an additional 1 minute. Add chicken base, water and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes. Add sausage, kale and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve

I also attempted Tyler Florence's Amish Bread recipe. It was good also. Being that this was my very first attempt at making bread.. I am VERY pround of myself. Bread making is an art.. It takes a whole semester at most Culinary Arts schools to learn to make a proper loaf of good quility bread. Someday, (when I am independantly wealthy and have nothing else to do) I plan to go to culinary school. But for now? I'll be proud of my food network bread. I didnt have two loaf pans.. so I made some rolls out of half of the dough. We ended up eating those with dinner and I plan to make toast and poached eggs for breakfst before church tommorow with the loaf of bread.

Tyler FLorence's Amish Bread Recipe

2 cups warm water (110 degrees )
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

I wish I was a foodie

2006-08-18T21:52:00.000-04:00

I go through Blog phases. I go for long stretches reading about one subject or another. For a long time I read blogs written by people adopting from China... no particular reason. We wouldnt qualify for it at all, and arent interested in adopting for ourselves. But I am captivated by watching the drama of it unfold. Then I read tons and tons about people who own certain breeds of dogs, travel to foriegn lands, and make lots and lots of money.I also like reading blogs from other moms and thier adventures.

My latest obsession is foodie blogs.

According to www.Wikipedia.com

FOODIE: a person with a discriminating palate and who is knowledgeable in fine food and drink. The word is a corruption of the French word groumet, a valet in charge of the wines. It is often used as an adjective for meals of especially high quality, whose makers or preparers have used especial effort or art in presentation or cooking the meal, or for facilities equipped for preparing such meals, such as a restaurant.

These people arent merely COOKS.. I mean they make food an event. They plan all day what will be for dinner tonight and then immediatly begin planning breakfast.They go to green markets and gourmet food shops. They spend entire weekends searching for the perfect wine pairing and the most beautiful tomatoes. It looks to be a charmed life... of course they are mostly singles..or proffesionals with no kids.. or affluent couples with one wierdo precocious child... Still, it looks like a lot of fun.

Of course living in Dillon, (somewhat of a gourmet wasteland) and with a man whose idea of being gastronomically adventureous is eating a green salad that involves more than cucumbers and iceberg. I am limited.. BUT I am going to give a little shot to being more interesting with what I cook.

Heres a sample of this weeks menu

Zuppa Toscanna
homemade bread

sourdough blueberry pancakes
bacon

Rosemary Roasted Chicken
roasted red potatoes and carrots
almond green beans

Turkey Chili over baked potatoes

chicken quesadillas w fresh salsa

Baked Manicotti
breadsticks

Im going to make everything from scratch.. so wish me luck.. and enjoy the pictures..

Bloggy Parade of Homes week 3

2006-08-18T14:34:00.000-04:00

This is my dining "room"... well actually its the section of my kitchen in wich the dining table is resident. My kitchen is done in a coca cola motif and it spills into the dining area too. The flowers in the coke pitcher are silks that we used in the centerpieces at my wedding reception and the dried corsages are ones Steven has given me for one reason or another over the years.In case you cant tell I live in an old refurbished trailer house. It is a 1978 model and in pretty unique. You step up three stairs into the kitchen area.. it makes it really interesting and allows for a really high ceiling in the livingroom.I love the BIG window in the dining area and am looking for the right coke themed window treatment. But havent found the right one yet.

Cant wait to see everyones dining rooms!

2006-08-18T14:26:00.000-04:00

2006-08-18T14:24:00.000-04:00

only on a monday

2006-08-14T23:01:00.000-04:00

This is what my livingroom looks like tonight.. and where we will be sleeping to save Steven from breathing the mold spores caused by the water.

This is Thing Two's room.. where all the stuff that belongs in my bedroom was hastily thrown.. and remains for me to sort out...to save it from the water.

All Because of this... stupidhead waterheater... and all the wet that it allowed to seap under the carpet in the master bedroom and cause a breach in the floor.. wich thankfully my DADDY and HONEY fixed today with a LOT of hard wet uncomfortable work but thankfully without tooo much financial disaster. Add two babies to the mix and it was a LONG LONG day.

Im embarassed to admit that I had a total meltdown though. The kids were just home from school... I was leaning against the boxsprings from my bedroom that was perched against our loveseat helping Thing One do the PILE of homework she brought home today (thats another post.. but it seems like TORTURE for her to be doing SO much homework IN FIRST GRADE when its still to darn hot to even play outside when she is done.)And my poor Daddy broke the news that my carpet must be completely bone dry before it can be reinstalled. It could be days. I lost it. Curly Top who had gotten to hot on the school bus ride home was puking.. Em was screaming at the top of her 2 month old lungs and Eve was banging a toy on the highchair tray where she had been banished until the homework could be finished since she insisted on stealing Thing Two's books. A bill collector called... and I totally lost it.

I put my head in my hands and cried... not like a few tears, but sobbing snot producing crying. My kids just sat and stared at me like I was an alien... I think at that moment if an alien ship was in the vacinity Id have gladly hitched a ride.
Tonight things are better.. But I'll be so glad for it not to be monday anymore!

2006-08-11T22:34:00.000-04:00

2006-08-11T22:33:00.000-04:00

The end of an era

2006-08-11T22:02:00.000-04:00

Today marked the end of an era in my life.

Most of you are aware that I am an at home mom that provides childcare for other children in my home. This began out of neccesity when Thing Two had a rediculously sickly winter. I was missing more and more work and it just wasnt good for her to be around so many germs as you find in a daycare center. When I left the childcare center I had been working at,a child I had been caring for who was just as sickly came home with me to escape the centers germs. This arrangement was more than satisfactory for both parties as it allowed him to have one on one attention at a reasonable price, and it supplemented my income.

Today the little man graduated.He is 2 1/2 and its time to go to preschool. We packed up his trucks and blocks and sent them home with him. He wont be back again on monday.

This has been comming on for a long time, and in many ways,I am ready for it. He needs more active activities than I can provide with my attention spread between two additional babies. He needs other boys to carouse with, he needs kids who can defend themselves to his rambunctious wrestling.He needs to grow up.

But I'll tell you. I did shed more than a few tears this week as today drew near. I held him a little longer each morning and played our games with deliberate care. As if taking a mental picture of each moment.I watched him sleep and indulged him with treats. I memorized his little boy smell and the feel of his soft hair against my cheek.

The pain that I feel at his departure emphasised to me the value of good childcare. The loss of private situations is to the detrement of our kids. Dont get me wrong. There are great daycare centers out there. Fantastic ones full of caregivers that are wonderful, educated people.But, the attatchment that I feel to him, and the good that being in my home did him is why I will continue to do what I do.. giving one little person at a time a safe nurturing place to be until they are old enough to move on to preschool

This evening The Little Man's parents came to pick him up and I kissed his little face and told his mom not to be a stranger. As they drove away he leaned out of the car and blew me a kiss.. screaming LUB YOU MEE MEE.

lub you too Dalty Ray.

Bloggy parade of Homes week 2

2006-08-11T00:08:00.000-04:00

This is week two of the bloggy parade of homes! This is my living room. In some of the pictures you can see that I have the baby toys in a toybox hidden behind the chair.. I am looking for a wicker or wooden chest to put them in so they dont look like toys hidden behind the chair anymore.

Yankee chicken

2006-08-08T12:13:00.000-04:00

My family comes from the midwest. Farm folk. I mean like bale the hay and chase the cows farm folk. Food in the midwest is quite different than traditional southern fare. Veggies arent flavored with "fat back". W
e eat aspargus and creamed spinach and avadacos.Mac and cheese is a MAIN dish, tea is (GASP) served without sugar or more commonly HOT.We eat foods like goulash and stoganoff and every casserole known to man. If you can mix some frozen mixed veggies and a can of cream of mushroom soup? We'll call it dinner! We have thick hearty stews and we eat oatmeal and cream of wheat for breakfast.

Add in my Alaskan upbringing and I crave seafood almost constantly. I grew up eating salmon and halibut so fresh you had to pull the lure out of its mouth to cook it.Ive eaten Alaskan King Crab on the beach in Homer. Ive picked wild blueberries and salmonberries and yes. Ive eaten Muktuk. (Its whale blubber.. its not pleasant really. Much like a fishy tasting rubberband that expands in your mouth as you chew it.)Alaskan Ice cream is seal oil whipped until creamy and then berries mixed in. Its not Ben and Jerry, but I can say that Ive eaten it. I say all this to explain that I am not a southern cook. I have mastered a few key dishes like the local chicken bog and can make a pretty passable homemade mac and cheese. I cannot however make grits. My collard greens are bitter. I tried red velvet cake, and it was a total disaster. I am trying REALLY hard to learn to make good biscuits.. but so far? not so much.

Mostly Steven has learned to deal. You marry a yankee? You eat yankee food. He gets it. But the one thing he misses more often than not is fried chicken.

Fried chicken in the midwest is different than southern fried chicken. Its rolled in seasoned flour and pan fried in about 1 inch of grease until nearly done. Then all the chicken is placed back in the pan and covered with a lid and steamed. Its not crisp. Its very good and is rarely dry. But its not crispy. Its just not the same.
I have watched my Father's sisters make fried chicken (his family is from right here in Dillon..) but I havent gotten it right yet. I cant get the batter to stay on, and I end up with nekkid chicken and floaters in the grease. I either get it too hot and burn the outside while the inside is bloddy, or I over cook it and it requires you eat pieces of white bread along with it to keep you from choking on it.

Whats a yankee girl to do?

She watches Food Network!The other day Thing One and I were watching Food Network (heh heh.. I got her hooked too!) and saw Paula Dean make this awesome looking fried chicken. It looked so great and crispy that I wanted to try making it.

MAN is it good. My kids are already asking when I'll make it again.And my little southern gentleman husband? He was SO happy. He keept looking at me and asking where I bought the chicken from.. or had his Mama been here today. YAY for me. Yay for Southern food.. (and YAY for Paula Dean!)I adjusted the recipe to add seasoned salt and garlic salt.. but Im sure she wont mind! Dont let the hot sauce scare you. The heat cooks out of it and it isnt spicy at ALL. The baby even liked it.

REAL southern FRIED CHICKEN.

1 chicken cut into pieces
1/2 bottle of Texas Pete Hot Sauce (the big one.. about 1 1/2 cups REALLLY!)
4 cups of all purpose flour
6 eggs beaten
salt and pepper
seasoned salt
garlic salt
about a quart of peanut oil

Cut up your chicken into pieces. ( I buy it from the store all butchered up and I added an additional pack of drumsticks)Rinse it. Its probably not neccesry anymore.. but it yucks me out to think of feeding my famiy chicken blood.

In a large bowl season chicken with salts and pepper. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
In another large bowl beat 6 eggs and add hot sauce. mix well and cover the chicken in it.

Heat oil to approx 375 degrees. ( USE A THERMOMETER. it totally helps)in a big pot. It needs to be deep enough to completely immerse the chicken.

Make sure the chicken is thouroghly with egg and then with flour.Really cover it. squeeze it a little to make sure that every nook and cranny is covered with flour. Shake it off a little before you put it into the oil.

Fry chicken for about 16 minutes. It will float when done.

Parade of homes

2006-08-04T11:33:00.000-04:00

Shannon from Bless Your heart came up with this idea. A bloggy parade of homes. Every week we'll feature a different room of our house.Showing where we live and how... to begin here is our front porch. The one of trees is the view from my door. THe plant beside the door is a Jasmin... I may or may not have a child named that (hee hee) so my husband bought it for me for mothers day. This is our little "for now" home. We are planning a bigger place next year sometime. But for a trailer it is pretty cute. LOVE this game. Enjoy!

chicken delight, fire, and Kidney infections

2006-07-24T19:20:00.000-04:00

OHHHHH my goodness. Zaxby's (If you are not aware of Zaxby's it is a casual chicken resturant that serves hot wings and chicken fingers. They have crushed ice and serve really good garlic toast) has a new delight that makes me so stinking happy that I can almost not even stand it.

Sweet and Spicy Boneless Wings.

They are a whole mouthful of sticky sweet thai tasting yumminess.
They have big chucks of garlic and crushed red pepper and something nutty like peanuts.

And the fact that I went out in a storm to get them is proof that television advertising totally works.

Moving along... there was a fire in Dillon last night. A big one. This town is pretty old and most of the buildings are older than that, and a really big warehouse was struck by lightening last night and burned to the ground. You could see the smoke and flames for miles. It even knocked out power to most of the town. Starved for entertainment that we are, we drove on over to see what the heck was burning. A lot of other people had the same idea. It made me kind of sad.. not because an old historic building was burning, but because I was pretty entertained by watching it. I gotta get out of this place.

It was however the first time I'd been out of the house in days. I have a UTI AND a kidney infection. I didnt even sense it sneaking up on me. With everything that was going on last week between the baby and all, I thought I was just tired and achy from not sleeping. But turns out I was/am sick. I felt crampy and wierd on saturday, and by the time Steven got home at 12 I was in major pain. So, being that I dont have health insurance,and I totally felt like spending a few hundred bucks, we went to the local ER. Luckily they werent busy at all and saw me right away. I wont go into gross detail, but let me tell you, a catheterization when you have a UTI hurts like nothing youd care to imagine. They gave me some meds and I went on my way. They arent working. Even a little. So I applied to a local low income clinic, was approved, and they will thankfully see me tommorow. I'll keep you posted.

fostering isnt for me

2006-07-22T23:21:00.000-04:00

A lot of times I have thought about becoming a foster parent. In the area that we live in there are a LOT of kids that could use a safe haven.Theres so much stuff that kids go through. I thought that if I could be Jesus to them for even a little while, and then send them on thier way. It would be a way of giving back, since we have been so blessed. I mean I love children, and I'm pretty good with them, and the two that I am raising are turning out pretty good. No drugs(although Thing Two REALLY enjoyed the laughing gas she had at the dentist the other day... she said it made her feel "floaty"), arrests, or sexual immorality to speak of. yay for our team.. they are only 6 and 11, but you gotta take your victories where you can find them I say.

Anyway my point is, I didnt think that Steven and I would do a bad job being foster parents... at least until I tried it a little. During the week I look after a 1 yr old DARLING little girl. She is the cutest little thing.. I mean extrodinarily cute. She is the youngest daughter of one of my cousins... who is not parenting her. My Uncle and his girlfriend who are in thier late 60's have custody of her.If you have been reading along, you will find that a few members of my family are interesting. some of them are misguided and some are a complete mess. This is NOT the same family I wrote about a few weeks ago.I am not sure of all of the situation that caused my cousin to lose custody of her kid, but there you have it. The girlfriend is the primary caregiver for both the baby and my aging uncle, and had needed a break for some time. SO she took a vacation leaving the little one in my care. My uncle called and asked us if they needed it would we be able to keep her more often even on a semi permanent basis. I of course agreed.

I didnt know what to expect and allowed myself to imagine what life might be like with another child. I bought her clothes and shoes since when she was left with me Monday for the week there werent any brought for her at all.Since she was teething this week I sat and rocked her, and was up at night with her. It brought so much back from when Thing Two was a baby. I know she isnt mine, and I knew that theyd probably come and take her.. but just for a second it soothed the ache that secondary infertility is causing.

They came for her friday evening. I kissed her like I always do on fridays and plugged her into her car seat. I was so tired from my work week and exhausted from being up nights all week that it didnt really hit me until this evening when the clothing she wore all week cycled through the loads of laundry I was folding. I thought about her, and the life that she will lead if some major changes dont take place. She isnt really in the best place for her right now even though my Uncle and his girlfriend love her very much. They are old, and both have health issues.I cant do anything other than offer my help and make the suggestion that they leave her with me again and again. It just isnt my place.

There is NO way I could put myself through that on a regular basis. No thank you.

Thats all I have to say about that.

the tooth fairy

2006-07-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

The tooth fairy is coming to my house tonight.This time for Thing One. If you read back in my blogs, early this spring she went to see a butcher in Florence. She had an absessed tooth and it HAD to come out. Due to probably to long on the bottle and wayyy to many antibiotics for ear infections her baby teeth are pretty lame. But anyway all said and done she had a TRAUMATIC dentist experience and had THREE baby molars removed all in one day. Since then she has had NO baby teeth to fall out naturally.

For the past few weeks we have been easing her into a better experience. An aquaintance from church works in the office and she has been GREAT. She really made a big deal over Caitlin and made it so easy.

Not to mention the happy gas she had before the extraction! That was SO funny. Im not saying I like seeing my kid all high.. but I was amused beyond words. She was a comedian and had the staff in stitches. Poor baby.

That brings another issue. What the heck do I do with all those baby teeth? I am NOT a sentimental person. I dont keep stuff. I have ONE small box of memorablia from my teen years. I have a scrapbook of Caitie's first year.. and baby pictures on my wall. But I dont keep junk. YET I cant make myself throw away those teeth. They are all creepy and gross hidden in a Tony Stewart (yay Home Depot) tin in the bar of my house. (yeah we have a bar.. its odd in OUR house.. but there it is.)Anyway. What do you do with your kids baby teeth?

So if you see something flying low over my house tonight.. you'll know its the lady with the wings ;)

door knobs,bathtubs, pirates and sides of beef

2006-07-17T15:08:00.000-04:00

There is not tooo much going on around here. Yesterday we were heathens and skipped church. (GASP!) Steven has been working crazy hours and hadnt spent much time with the bambinos at all this week. So we slept in and then went to Florence. Thing Two was wondering where he was working so we took the girls to see HOME DEPOT. Thing Two was so funny,WE invented a game walking through the store. "If you were building your very own house what would you pick" Thing One was toooo coool to play along out loud, but I suspect she was playing in her head.Thing Two however was entertained beyond words.

I never saw a little kid so tickled with a home improvement store. She giggled and clapped at new doorknobs and bathtubs.. She is totally into home decor.To be honest she has pretty good taste too... I didnt think anything she picked was ugly.She DOES have expensive tastes though. The kitchen cabinets she chose were something like $5000 to START!

The whole time we were there she was all.. "If Tye Pennington (from Home Makeover on ABC) comes to Dillon Im gonna tell him we want THAT bathtub" I was near tears I was laughing so hard.

After exploring the FASCINATING world of Home Depot we took the kids to see Pirates of the Caribean 2. It was pretty decent. Thing Two I think had been a victim of Disney Channel hype. They have been playing "The making of" and "INside with Orlando Bloom" and she was dissapointed. It was a little intense for a 6 yr old. Davey Jones's crew I think almost did her in.She watched through covered eyes most of the movie. I think Thing Two liked it a lot. But as a pre-teen it is her job to be aloof and "cool" about it. I miss her getting exited about door knobs and Orlando Bloom.

We took them to eat at Golden Corral.. yah we are gourmets... Steven got to eat a side of beef for 8 bucks. Wich is always a happy thing for him.They have a new filet wrapped in applewood bacon on the bar that is SO good. Thing Two even ate pretty well. I on the otherhand established a fairly healthy migrane before dinner was over and didnt manage to keep it down for long (gross I know.) Its still here and nagging at me, making me nausiated. EW I think Im going to have to investigate these migranes before long. They are getting out of hand.

Big brother was last night. Kaysar is HOH and I think made a serious mistake in his nominations. He had the chance to spilt up the ONLY effectively operating aliance of Will and Mike Boogie. If it had been me Id have been ALL over nominating them and then working my BUTT off to get the veto.. Instead he nominated two almost harmless females. I wanted to smack his head with a big LOSER sign. Stupidhead.

anywho. GREAT sunday... minus the headache

hot hot hot

2006-07-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

Ohhh my gosh. It is soooo sooo hot. THIS is why I suggest moving to Alaska every spring. "I hate the hot. I hate the heat. I hate sweating. Lets move to Alaska" I say it every spring as it begins the steady uphill temp climb. But then I survive, and am happy that we live here in the south when it cools off again, because generally when it begins to get nice here in October? There is usually snow on the ground at home.

We are trying to think of something to do to beat the heat today.. Its to hot even to go to the beach. Hot and sticky AND sandy? No thanks.I wish there was a public pool around here. But alas there isnt.

In other news.

I know a millionaire. A couple years ago a close family friend was in a horrific car accident. She was driving a tiny little hatchback car and a HUGE truck smashed into her as she was making a legal turn off of Hwy 301 into my uncle's tire yard. It was the worst thing I have ever seen. She should have died. She went through MASSIVE medical problems and has really done well. Recovered SO well considering what she had to work with. This week the insurance company of the guy who crashed into her settled out of court. 1.3 million dollars.

Just to say it is surreal. And it didnt even happen to me. Can you imagine? 1.3 million dollars TAX FREE. Sure she has to pay her lawyers.But its all hers. I actually feel kind of bad for her. Her kids have been absent from her life, and there were few people who took an interest in helping her recover. Im SURE that suddenly she will have present and adoring children. I hope she tells them to talk a long walk off a short pier.

I suggested that she buy a case of books. The childrens fable about the rooster who makes a stew.. You know the one. He asks different family members and friends to help him with his garden

"Who will help me till the soil?" asked Papa Rooster
"Not I" said Henny Penny
"Who will help me plant the seeds?" asked Papa Rooster
"Not I" said Foxy Loxy
"Who will help me pull the weeds" asked Papa Rooster
"Not I" said Lucy Goosey
"Who will help me harvest the food?"

anyway you get the idea. The rooster asks and asks for help when the work is hard, and then when its time to eat the stew, reap the rewards everyone is all to happy to show thier faces.. But Papa Rooster sends them on thier way and enjoys his soup.Every time one of her kids or someone who wasnt available to help when she was sick asks for money,she needs to smile and tell them she has a gift for them. HA HA. Id laugh sSOO hard.

I think if I had 1.3 million dollars Id buy a BIG pool.

A funny I thought you'd enjoy.

2006-07-12T22:17:00.000-04:00

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough money in there in the first place?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end you try first ?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right"? It clearly isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot"?

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

selfish

2006-07-12T21:51:00.000-04:00

Tell me, Why do we as Mothers allow ourselves to feel guilty all the time? When we take a moment to ourself, or do something that doesnt neccesarily benefit the kids or our husband FIRST, why do we pause? Why do we second guess decisions when it comes to our own sanity?

Im pretty sure that it starts when we become Mothers, because I dont ever remember feeling guilty about taking a bubble bath, or eating the last of the ice cream before I had kids. I dont think I really thought much about how one decision or another might affect the other members of my household before the girls were in my life.

Today I caught myself feeling guilty for doing just that, and I am putting a stop to it.

In case you havent been reading along, I am a nanny, childcare technician, babysitter, whatever you want to call it. I keep a pack of kids at my house m-f roughly 7 am till roughly 7 pm. All are family members, save one little boy whom I have been caring for since he was 8 wks old.

Today the mother of one of said children called and asked what I would charge her to add her older daughter to the ranks for a week begining Monday while her summer program was on break. I paused. My daughters were clear on the matter. Not NO, but HECK NO. I saw Thing One roll her eyes and sigh, and Thing two throw herself dramatically onto the loveseat with her hand backward over her eyes in a faux faint. I ignored them.. but could not resist the urge to do the same and meekly use a word that I am not generally very well aquainted with. I peeped it carefully, rolling around in my mouth a little before I said it.

"no", I said.

Dont get me wrong,we could use the money. I dont work outside our home. I am a stay at home mom. At times financially its been a hardship. Mentally its been hard at times too... how can I stay home and play play-dough and read books, and watch sesame street when things get tight financially? Is it fair for me to send Steven off to work so hard when I am at home playing? Steven assures me that he prefers me to be home, and weve been over the numbers.. The cost of childcare for two kids is just too high for it to be worth my working some minimum wage job here in Dillon.Still, Ive tried to do whatever I could to help out and pull my share in our finances. Yet still I said it.

"no"

I dont get along well with the child, whatsmore she is a difficult child who is a HUGE presence in any group of kids.. I had to draw a line in the sand and put a cap on the number of kids I can handle. Any more in this little house, and I might go crazy.After the conversation ended I sat in mild shock. Not only had I said THE word. I had said it not for the dramatics of my daughters. I said it for my very own selfish sanity.

It felt SO good.

So good in fact that I think that Im going to be more careful with myself.I think I'll watch the commitments I make more carefully, and be less worried about things. I think Im going to say the "NO" word more often without worrying about what someone else might think. I think Im going to go take a bubble bath.

visiting old friends

2006-07-11T13:37:00.000-04:00

I love to read. I like pretty much all books. I always have. When I was a kid my vocabulary was always advanced because I read books that were too old for me. Ive worked in several bookstores and would again if trasportation wasnt an issue. If Dillon ever gets a good bookstore. Ill be all over working there!

What I like best is re-reading old favorites. This week I have pulled out a favorite series of fantasy books. The Belgariad by David Eddings. Its an allegory (a story that losely follows biblical themes)and I love it. Its all about an ordinary boy who discovers through a fantasical epic adventure that he is not an ordinary boy but the man who will save the world. Its so great. Its like eating macaroni and cheese or meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Comfort food. I am in a happy place this week. So be very quiet and dont try to send me any bad news! ;)

Refining Silver

2006-07-08T22:10:00.000-04:00

Im not usually overly churchy on this blog.. I dont flaunt my christianity or throw my opinions in peoples faces. In fact in the past Ive usually let my actions speak for my religion. Its become painfully obvious how successful Ive been at THAT lately.(urg!) Sometimes God can use the most unlikely people to correct you. I guess when you are "told" by the person you least expected to hear it from, it can be the most life changing. Im in the fire for sure. My spiritual self feels like a punished child. Addmitedly wrong, and now suffering the consequences.Thankfully though, the Father isnt my punisher.. its me.

Anyway my point is.. I dont usually put God Stuff on this site.. but when I read this it was so amazing. A simple truth and encouragment. Hopefully it will speak to others as much as it did me.

Refined Silver

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"

Things havent been "smooth sailing" around here for quite a while. Steven's unemployment has been a storm that at times I didnt think I would be able to weather. The heat has been so hot and the flames so high at times, my confidence was shaken.I didnt quit, although I felt some days like staying in bed, or even better just running away.Im so thankful that the "Silversmith" has his eyes on me, his total attention is placed on my life and that he wont quit holding me until he sees his image in me.

Allstars,Survivors, and Idols.

2006-07-07T09:37:00.000-04:00

Big Brother 7 ALLSTARS started last night. Reality tv is my guilty pleasure. I love it. Its so mindless and simpleheaded.. like brain candy. Other times I like medical dramas and PBS documentaries (They are doing a really great series on Great European Leader biographies this summer. I LOVE them)But there are a few shows I cant resist.

Thing One and I have found this in common and we have counted down to the begining of the shows the past couple years. She loves speculating on the game.. who will vote who out and who will win. She loves to guess who will get voted off the island and more than anything who will go home from American Idol. We've picked the right winner for AI right from the begining for the last 3 summers. Its fun to get her wound up about one show or another.. teasing her about her favorites and watching her get involved in the drama. She is funny.

Other things that are going on. Thing Two is home from camp. It seems like she had a great time. My cousin's daughter was in her dorm and from the sounds of it was a pain in her butt all week. But what can ya do? It sure felt good to have my babies all home again.

My flower garden is doing pretty well. My gladiolas are FINALLY starting to bloom a little. I am not known to be that much of a green thumb. In fact last years vegetable garden was terrible. It didnt produce a single thing.. but some really big weeds and bug bitten squash vines. It was sad indeed. This year I decided to be less ambitious and try some hardy flowers. All have survived except one potted impatient. It wouldnt have died had a certain husband remembered to water it when I was away at camp but thats ok. As soon as we get back on track financially I'll replace it, since I didnt officially kill it myself.

I am still feeling odd about the whole Steven's ex thing. I put myself out there for real. I sent her an apology and meant it. Its not an easy thing to admit when youre wrong. IN fact it quite bites the big one. I hate being wrong. I REALLY hate apologising.. According to AOL the email I sent was recieved and read yesterday some time. I dont know what I expected. Maybe some kind of response.. maybe not. I had a talk with Thing One and told her SOME of what has gone on.I have tried to keep my feelings about her Mother to myself when it came to her.. but I havent always been succesful.I guess Ive done everything I can do, except to be consistant in my resolve to be a real person where she is concerned.

Yall have a wonderful weekend.

humble pie

2006-07-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

Ive had to make some changes. I hate moderated comments. Makes me feel like the blogger doesnt trust me... and the reason for the changes is quite related to something like that. Please continue to comment. Ill approve them..just let me read them first.

If you recall, I had mentioned that lately Steven's ex had been acting strangely toward me. Odd.. distant... ugly even. Now, I know why.

She's been reading my blog.

Ive said some mean things.( I was never revealing when in reguards to her actual identity ect.. but still, I wasnt nice.)

She knows what I REALLY think.

Whats hardest is, I am sorry. I truely am. Not only that I got caught, but honestly for what I said. (If you know me, you realize how hard and rare this is for me) Ive been dealing with my "issues" when it comes to her. Its not an easy relationship to have. I am not a perfect person. I apologize if I came accoss as thinking that.

She made some comments about hypocrisy in the church.. and yeah. Im not a perfect vision of what a Christian should be. Who is? I have faults, and issues.I am changing, and growing, Trying to be a better person, everyone is. If we didnt then we'd be dead. Knowing Christ doesnt insure perfection, only forgiveness.

She also made comment about my insecurity... only she got it a little wrong. I am not insecure about my relationship with her exhusband. I dont worry that she'll try to get him back.. or that he would leave me for anyone. Steven loves me. I dont doubt us. We are good together. They have already written that book, I am secure in the fact that it is closed.

I am however, insecure about my relationship with my stepdaughter. Its so messy. If youve never been a step parent you cannot possibly know how it feels. I became a parental figure to Thing One suddenly. I didnt get to work into it. Suddenly I was responsible for this whole other person. AND she didnt really want me to be. She missed her Mama.She wanted her Mama to be around. Yes Thing One loves me. She really does.I dont doubt that either. Here is the thing.

Thing One's Mama will always be the "real thing" Her butter to my margarine. Good..but not quite best.There is a scene in a Julia Roberts movie "Stepmom", it kills me every time. Julia is talking with her stepchildren's mom who is dying. She talks about the daughter's wedding. She goes through the scenario, of doing her very best to be what the daughter needs, and all the daughter can think of is. "I wish my Mom was here." The biggest fear of my life? To have Thing One look back at her childhood and think. Miss Michele was there.. but man I wish my mom could have been.The very worst thing? It is already happening.

I am the "mean mom".. the enforcer. I have to be the heavy all the time. I do bedtime, and bathtime, and rules. I am all about sunblock and toothpaste and homework. I have the responsibilty of everyday. Dont get me wrong. I love it. Every second. Id fight to keep it.But rarely am I "fun mom". She on the otherhand? IS "fun mom". She swoops in every other weekend. She lives at the beach. Her house is all about eating out, swimming pools, and build-a-bear.Thing One doesnt have responsibilites there, and she gets to play with her half sister that she misses all the time. I cant compete.I wont try. It wouldnt be good for me, or for Thing One.

Here is something that WILL be good for her though. From here on out. I am promising to work hard at my additude. To recognize that my insecurities affect other people, namely Thing One. If I am annoyed? I will be quiet about it. If child support is late? I will leave it in Steven's hands to deal with.If something is said or done that I dont agree with. I promise to address the exact issue, and not everything that I have ever been annoyed with.

Im not promising perfection... only a concerted effort to do better.

4th fireworks

2006-07-04T15:09:00.000-04:00

***Warning. This is a vent.. there is nothing I can do about the situation, other than to pray. I am helpless, yet feel guilt.. I just gotta spill it****

So there is this part of my family.. another branch on the tree so to speak. An uncle and an aunt that together have 10 children. The Uncle is father to four and the Aunt mother to 6. They are reasonably well off,have a BEAUTIFUL property on a small lake and own a fairly prosperous business here in town. Most of the famly is close in a lot of ways...at least they always seem to want to be together since they are CONSTANTLY at the home of my Aunt and Uncle. They have become our "stand in" extended family since all our specific branch is on the west coast and in Alaska.

This is one of those mixed families that is like oil and water.. only no one wants to admit that they are.. except to accuse the other "half" of being the oil and to lay claim to who is more rightfully a "son/daughter" of their parents.(Im not taking sides here.. but just to be fair.. I am a blood relation to the FATHER and his official offspring. He is my father's brother) It seems more often that it is the children of the Wife who want to dissallow the children of the Husband and feel the entitlement.. its odd that it is that way since technically the money/properties/business belongs to the Husband, and if push came to shove without a propper will theyd get BUPKISS. ( I will also be fair and say that the children of the Father, my biologcial cousins, are pretty much screw ups.)They are absolutely in every sense of the word disfunctional.We're talking Days of Our Lives here.

One of the my Uncle's son's has a daughter. We'll call her "C" she is 8 yrs old or so. My cousin (the bioloical son of my uncle) is long gone. Wanted for child support evasion and God only knows what else. "C"'s mother is umm challenged. She was badly abused in her own childhood and did only what she knew.. allowed it to happen to "C". She is only what you could call a "wounded lamb" (at least that is the phrase I hear in my mind whenever I pray for her)She has very few socail skills and exhibits evidence of MASSIVE abuse in every area of her life. You name it? It probably happened to "C" Earlier this year something terrible happened, and Division of Social Services (DSS) had to step in and remove "C" from her Mother's care. She was placed in the care of my Aunt and Uncle (who are in thier late 60's by the way)

The CURRENT issue that is making me want to wash my hands of them is this. The children are behaving like spoiled brats over this child. YES she is a handful, and YES she needs intensive one on one attention, and YES she has caused problems. But the children still insist on bringing thier children and abandoning them to the care of my Aunt and Uncle (mostly my aunt) making the one on one attention that "C" needs impossible. They come early in the morning and stay till all hours of the night. They fill up the house and dont pay attention to thier kids.. and then are SHOCKED when "C" acts out toward thier children. She is wounded, and broken, and because of her early childhood mentally ill. And they treat her terribly. My aunt does the very best she can, but isnt able to keep up.

It makes me so sad... and if I thought for one moment that Steven and I could handle such a strain, we would offer to step in. But I know my limits and know that it wouldnt get "C" the help she needs.

Id LOVE to tell the children off. Scream at them...in rightous indignation. Dont they realize that one day.. all of us will stand before the King. He'll look at them and hang his head... "I sent you one of my wounded lambs. You could have held her up, cared for her wounds, and showed her my love through your actions.. instead you threw her to the roadside and cried about what you were entitled to" I wont though. Ill just hold "C" when I have the chance, and pray that her future will be left in His hands.

appron strings

2006-07-02T20:11:00.000-04:00

Thing two is making me crazy. This week she will be attending sleep away church camp. I drop her off Tuesday and she'll be there until friday at 9 am.THREE nights away. She is so exited. Every few minutes she makes this little squeal and does this little dance.Making a sound that sounds somthing like "imsoexcitedIcantwaittogotocamp" at pitches not formerly known to be human voice sounds. She has all of her camp clothes laid out in my livingroom,ready for me to iron and pack in a rollaway suitcase.Yall pray for her counselor!

I, on the otherhand am feeling panic-ish. My baby. The one whom I have not allowed to be babysat by anyone other than close family.The one whom I puked everyday for 9 mos for and went through 30 hours of labor for...is leaving me. I am sad. I know she'll be safe there...heck she wouldnt be going there if I didnt. I know she'll have the time of her life. She'll do all those things I loved at camp, and make friendships she'll treasure her whole life.. but AAAAAAAK. Three nights?

In other news. The weekend went by SO fast. Honestly I spent a lot of it sleeping. I have had a headache since Wednesday. It makes me ill to my stomach and cranky as a bear. My Aunt, who took classes to become a massuse has been working on my back and neck muscles to help them to relax. I took some muscle relaxers that hopefully will have dont the trick.. for now all they are doing is making my typing wonky.

My funeral Team leader thing went off ok. I got to the house and was stared at as I delivered dinner. It was an odd feeling... what do you say.. "uhh sorry your dad died.. here is some chicken. can I have the dishes back on sunday?" Strange southern customs.

death, church work, and saveway chicken

2006-06-29T21:40:00.000-04:00

There has been a rash of deaths in our church. No one I know. Thank goodness. but we have had a pile of funerals and the like.

I remember when my Grandparents died some people we knew brought some food... I remember some ham and a couple grocery store pies hanging around...when my Nana died.. and when my Papa died a month later no one brought much at all. Maybe a bucket of KFC or something.. but nothing like here in the South. Its a funny reaction people have.. OMG!! Your Daddy died? I'll make a chicken bog. A year or so ago Steven's great Uncle died.. when we got "the" call it wasn't so much about the funeral and stuff.. but more a call to come eat up some of the food. We ate and ate.. every time a new family came in.. We all got another plate of chicken or pie or whatever so as not to offend the offerer of whatever delicacy was being hauled in by the trunkfull.. His Aunt kept making sweet tea and coffee and someone kept going to the local convenience store for ice. Two liter drink bottle lined themselves up along the kitchen counter like tin soldiers. Finally I had to start doing dishes to keep my hands busy so his great Aunt wouldn't be offended when I didn't declare her poppyseed poundcake divine. it was either move away from the buffet or declare her poppyseed poundcake a sacrifice to the porcelain goddess ... to which everyone would have responded "awww bless her heart. She's overcome" Yeah no kidding. I needed some tums before I could even fold myself small enough to fit in the family limo.

Our specific church has a more mission impossible approach to feeding our bereaved families. We have "Bereavement Ministry Teams" (cue dramatic spy music) We are very high speed and have the art of feeding sad people down to an art. Recently I was asked to be a "team leader." I very quickly accepted the task. HAHHAHAHA I am "team leader".. you must bow to the "team leader"... of course I felt very very important.. then I realized that it was now MY job to arrange the casseroles for the family of the dead people. Ahhhh maaaaann Crap.

So when my team was "activated" yesterday I gathered the troops and planned a meal around the "ahem" scrumptious "Saveway Fried Chicken" that the ladies ministry of the church provides. I issued orders, delivery coordinates and we synchronized watches. I will be meeting with the ladies who agreed to provide a piece of the meal, picking up the yummy convenience store chicken and delivering the food at the home of the bereaved at 5pm.

Should be interesting since I have to pick Thing One and Curly top up at summer camp, will have The Little Man and Evie in tow and somewhere in there have to make an industrial sized vat of Mac and cheese, and a pound cake,AND plan and cook a dinner better than the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and tater tots we ate tonight. Steven was a trooper, but I think he was unhappy at working all day to come home to "kid food" Tune in to see how it turns out.

yay freaking hoo.

2006-06-29T21:34:00.000-04:00

Someone I care about announced this week that she and her husband are expecting. I want to be so happy for them. And to help or whatever, especially since her family is far away.

Im just not equipped to deal with it. Not again, not so soon after I was so involved with the birth of Em. I cant I cant I cant.... today. Ill get over it, But I hate it..today.

I know that there are others who deal with a lot more.. since I have a biological of my own already. BLAH.. Its still the same ache. The same missing feeling. The same self esteem issues. I want my body to do something.. and it wont. It hurts.

Thats all I have to say about that.

home again home again.

2006-06-24T23:53:00.000-04:00

I am back. We had a really great week. Camp was exactly as I remembered it. Little sleep and wide open all day long, only to have little sleep again. PHEW! I am not as young as I used to be. I rarely feel it. BUT wow. It took it out of me for sure! But honestly? If I weren't working? Id go back again next week! (I know I am a glutton for punishment)

Steven missed me.. and I really really missed him. Poor baby has pink eye really really bad. In fact he was sent home from his first week at work because he was oozing green stuff. (ew) We also lost a big chunk of the oak in our yard in a storm. Thankfully it just fell on the porch swing and nothing was damaged. Just knocked power off and reset the AC to 80 degrees so steven and the babies had one hot night.

A baby that I had been keeping, who's mother lost her joba few weeks ago, is back in my care. YAY! Means a little more money each week.. But should prove for interesting days when I start keeping tootsie. ( my cousin's baby Emma) But that isnt for another 2 weeks. So I'll be able to get everyone off and back from camp and my house back in order before I have six kdis from ages 2 mos -11 years to deal with.

I'll have something more meaningful to write about next time.. maybe ;)

hello muddah hello faddah...

2006-06-18T22:38:00.000-04:00

I wont be checking in next week. I am off to spend a week giving back.. counseling at summer youth camp. My childhood memories of camp are so awesome. We had a little church camp on a lake about an hour from home. Little Beaver is another of my "happy places" The plumbing was iffy, and there was a "smell" to the dorms.. like wet dog and hairspray. But my spiritual experiences there make it El Bethel.. my hidding place. I loved it there. I worked there every summer from when I was 15. I was a camper, a kitchen worker, a counselor, a babysitter for the speakers kids.. I worked in the "snack shack" and helped in the rec shack. I pulled canoes and logged in lifevests. Until I was old enough to be a counselor, and then I did it year after year.One summer I went to camp in the last week of June and was there every week until August in one capacity or another. Great great memories.

And now my baby will start her camp memories this year... she'll attend the first week of July. And I will be off this week.. its not Little Beaver.. but it will be the same camp. Awesome memories, and a great time. Terrible food and worse beds.. but a hidding place from the world.

Oh Boy Alberto!!!

2006-06-14T14:05:00.000-04:00

The first names storm of the season is blowing in my yard as we speak. Alberto is pretty tame.. just weepy. Weve had sooo much rain that everything in my house feels damp. The ceiling is leaky and I awoke this morning at 6 am to water pouring into my bedroom through the window where we have an air conditioner. Fortunatly I managed to catch it before it got all of the clean laundry that was in a basket below it. However my curtains did wick it up to make the folded t shirts that are stacked on top of a small dresser all wet.(we have NO storage space in this house, so our clothes are imaginatively stored in odd places) Thankfully though I think the rain is ending and the wind is pleasant. Tommorow is slated to be a scortcher though..

Thing two and I were delighted to be "puddle squishing" last evening,since it rarely rains here in summer, when there isnt lightening accompanying it we dont get to play in the rain too often, but since this was just rain she and I "squished" all the puddles in the yard on our way home from visiting with my parents. Her infectious giggle, and the delight she took in playing with me in the wet was worth cleaning up the muddy puddles in the hallway. After cleaning up, Things One and Two and I snuggled on the couch and watched one of my personal favorite movies "Summer Magic" with Hailey Mills and Burle Ives. Its a reaaly great one with fantastic songs that stick in your head for days... *sings* "Gotta crawl gotta crawl gotta crawl to the ugly bug ball to the ball to the ball, and a happy time we'll have there... one and all at the ugly bug ball"

Infertility Road

2006-06-12T14:10:00.000-04:00

This blog might get a little touchy feely and pretty transparent. Maybe even a little gross... no apologies. Ive said a million times, if you are easily offended or dont want to know things that are semi-personal in a semi-annonomous way.. then go read something else.

Just to recap or whatever. Steven and I have been trying to have a baby for.. a really long time.Most people wait till they have been married a few years.. or have been together awhile. But we have NEVER used anything to prevent pregnancy. But then our relationship is like nothing I have ever seen before. We met and we just were.Like we were two halves of a whole.. automatically an "us". There was no wierdness. We didnt "date" in a traditional sense. Honestly. Our relationship has changed very very little since we first met.We have grown together of course. But,I knew from the first date that he was the one and I wanted to make a family with him.

We just havent gotten there yet, I have whats called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Most commonly known as PCOS or PCOD. In its most basic description, and in my case, its just insulin resistance. My body spends so much time dealing with the insulin I cannot process that it forgets to make enough progesterone, whose job it is to notify my poor confused ovaries to release an egg every month rather than hang onto it. The egg matures and gets all packed for the trip.. but it has a crappy travel agent. So it gets all pissed off and bitter, and throws up hard walls around itself creating an ovarian cyst (that occasionally get inflamed nad nasty they hurt like.. WOAH NELLY!)
A few other fun things that come with PCOS include Irregular or absent menses,
High blood pressure ,Acne, Migranes,impossibly high Elevated insulin levels (like three times what is normal the last time we checked),or Diabetes (not yet thank you Lord!)Excess hair on the face and body (I dont even want to talk about that.. its painfully obvious that I deal with it though.) Thinning of the scalp hair (not tooo bad yet) and not least but last Weight Problems.

With the birth of yet ANOTHER baby,I was reminded again of the destination of the road Steven and I are on.That its not just annoying detours, crappy truckstops and visits from the dreaded "Aunt Flo". A "blogfriend" (someone you know only through reading eachothers blogs and commenting to eachother) had a baby girl this week. She has seriously been through some stuff to have that little kid.She not only had PCOS issues, but dealt with the inability to maintain a pregnancy after she finally achieved it. I dont have that problem. I produced Thing Two with no problems. So anyway. This "friend" had her little Victoria after a really hard scary emergency c-section and a whole long time of trying.. She is really cool and fun and is going to make a kick butt Mama. It was touching.

But mostly it gave me some new resolve. There are some things I could be doing to make this better that I am not. Carbs are the ultimate enemy when dealing with insulin resistance.. so I need not eat them.. at all. So I am going back to seriously limiting them. I can do better. So If you know me, and see me eating carbs. Slap me..or not.

The Wearing of the Orange

2006-06-08T22:34:00.000-04:00

Steven is now officially gainfully employed. He will be working at the brand spanking new HOME DEPOT in our local area, working in the paint department. I'll be frank, the pay isnt great. The benefits are so/so and there is a 40 minute commute involved. BUT its a job. And I am so happy just to have SOMETHING.. I cant tell you how happy. SOooo if any of you locals need paint? Steve-o is your man. The manager tells him that he has more paint and management experience than the dept manager... so there is room for upward movement. He starts week after next.

I havent been blogging much due to total full out busyness. Our church put on its annual Vacation Bible School FIESTA!! WOW, and we were wide open all week. It ran 400 nightly and was pretty successful. Tonight was the finale for the kids and they were all pretty wound up. There was a nightly offering contest between the boys and the girls... the childrens minister promising that the male staff members would COW TOUNGE TACO if the girls gave more, his wife and her counterparts promising to eat jalapenos if the boys were victorious. AMAZINGLY (and contrary to the laws of nature and probability) it was an EXACT tie... watching the staff choke down mexican cow tounge tacos was pretty funny. The youth pastor totally "tossed his toads" according to Thing Two, whom, as a lover of all things dissgusting was THRILLED.

We were on "vacation" from The Boy this week, and it was nice. He has been such a wild thing lately. But I am glad that they are home safely and will be back with us again next week. I'll be glad to be back into a routine with him once Steven goes back to work. Soon after I'll have Ms Em, since Steph is going back to work the week of July 4th.

Summer camps also start pretty soon. I will go Jun 19-23 and then Thing One the the week after. Finally Thing Two will venture out on her own.. soloing for the first time. THREE nights. Im struggling with the thought of it a little. But I know she will be in good hands since our own Kids minister will be preaching there that week meaning his wife and other staff memebers will be close at hand. She may even have a semi-family member as her "counselor" since Meg a cousin's girlfriend will be there.

We are heading to the beach tommorow to celebrate the new job. YAY

Raising kids is like yard gardening.

2006-05-31T10:13:00.000-04:00

Raising children is a lot like yard gardening. Just stay with me and I'll explain.

Lately I have been noticing different people's parenting styles. Comparing them to mine and I have observed some things. .

Its interesting to watch how a mother's upbringing and childhood experience can MASSIVELY affect her parenting. I have been watching my cousin who has been staying with us recovering from the birth of her daughter. She was basically neglected emotionally by her Mother growing up. In response to this she practially smothers her children with love. She tells them a million times a day that she loves them. However she is so afraid that they will feel slighted or neglected if she repremands them, she just doesnt.Her 8 year old is not required to respect adults and talks back. She basically just does as she pleases.

You can imagine how well this has gone over in MY household! I was aware of the behavior of the 8 yr old before now. But it never affected me personally, so I never thought much of it. I pity her mostly, because life will prove to be a hardship for her unless she learns to respect authority.

Also this week I have had to learn the hard way the old addage. "Parenting isnt a Popularity Contest". I never really understood it until I had my children. I always thought I could be best friends with my kids. I had a friend who was really his Mom's best friend and I admired thier relationship. It wasnt until recently that I learned that most times? Its not possible. You cannot be your kid's friend. They dont need a friend. They need a parent. Its a very different relationship and they NEED it. Kids thrive under structure, and they NEED to be molded with discipline.

If you are a frequent reader you will recall that Thing One is grounded this first week of summer vacation. If you havent read "In wich I am a CSI Agent" feel free.. its an amusing read. I hate punishing my girls. But I dont feel guilty when I do, not most of the time. This week has been particularly hard since her "offence" was so long ago and her behavior between then and now has been her really great. Her usual well behaved self.But one thing I do try to do with my girls is to keep my word. I say what I mean, and mean what I say.My word is my bond. When it comes to them if I say its raining? They better get an umbrella. I like it that way. They'll never wonder about trusting me to do as I say... both in the hard things and the fun stuff.

I also know that if I dont keep them at hand they will grow like wild weeds. Dandeliions,unruly and annoying, not really good for anything. I want them to be more like a well groomed hedge. With purpose and a direction. A good hedge takes work. Weeding and grooming. Constant direction. Like a beautiful rose bush, kids have to be corrected, sometimes even pruning them back to bare branches. Knowing that for a time it will be hard to look at them, but that in the end a beautiful garden will be produced. Great fruit, and beautiful blooms.

Im a AUNTIE.... again

2006-05-26T18:17:00.000-04:00

Emma Grace Hofferbert

May 25, 2006 6:58 pm

8 lbs 5 oz

20 inches long

Well.. she's here, and thank goodness its over, and I am home. Stephanie did pretty well. She did give us a scare when she got her epidural though. She had been having contractions about every 3 minutes for 5 hours. Her blood pressure had been pretty high all morning. When she finally dialated far enough to get her "good drugs" the anesthesiologist administered her epidural and her blood pressure immediatly crashed. She passed out and had a small seziure. Emma's heart rate also crashed. I felt pretty helpless except to stand there and pray. The Dr's sprang into action and gave her drugs to kick start her BP, hooked her up to some oxygen, and flipped her onto her side. Both sprang back pretty well. It was no big deal to the nurses and the Dr, since this happens pretty often I am told.. BUT I needed to put my head between my knees and take some big breaths for sure! Not long later she was able to push and Emma was born in just a half hour of pushing! It was fast and furious.Not at all like my own labor that took 30 hours. I got to cut the cord and hold her soon after she was born. AMAZING experience. It was like you could feel the angels in the room.

So anyway. Congrats to Stephanie, and to me, and whoever else wants to claim this kis :)

and shepherds kept thier watch by night...

2006-05-23T13:57:00.000-04:00

Yup, thats right STILL on baby watch. I think she will just stay in there forever. With the way I am talking you'd think it was ME that was pregnant.

Today is my mama's birthday. Its depressing me. I feel this funky wierdness creeping up on me. Not because its my mother's 55th birthday... but because with the arrival of HER day.. I know that there are only a few short days until MINE.

I am totally dreading my birthday this year.I do not wish to be THIRTY at all. I dont want presents or cake... I just want to go to bed and not wake up all day long. Maybe if I dont get up all day, it wont have happened and I will go on being "young" forever. I cant imagine that so much time has passed. ( Yes, Im whining, But its my blog and I'll whine if I want to)

OR I want a HUGE party where I can eat chocoalte cake and greasy pizza and not have to do the dishes from it.

NAH.. I just want the years I feel like Ive wasted back...and that set of lavendar 400 count egyptian cotton bedsheets I didnt buy tooday.

A few things

2006-05-16T14:01:00.000-04:00

I have a lot going on today. And nothing at all.

Ever see the "I Love Lucy" episode when they were waiting for little Ricky to be born? Like sitting around looking at her waiting for her to say "it's time" . Thats us. She has contractions.. but not regularly enough to be called actual labor. Her back hurts and she is carrying the baby so low that it looks like one good sneeze and shed shoot across the floor.

I read a lot of Blogs..And someone who wrote one called "Caner, baby" about cancer and infertility died this week, even though I didnt know her personally, I still feel this crazy sense of loss. So sad, she was just 33 yrs old. Three years older than me.

The season finale of Greys Anatomy was on last night. Gut wrenching. One character in particular Denny a heart patient, the love interest of Izzy, died. She lay on the bed with his body..in shock, and Alex, usually a cad and a lamehead someone whom she had been involved with before she met Denny. Picks her up and craddles her in the most amazing tender way. Both Steph and I were sobbing like two giant crybabies.
Meredith slept with McDreamy again.. it was lame. five steps forward Nine steps back. GRRRR. AND she could have had Chris FREAKING O'donell. He is sooo totally yummy. All scruffy and sexy. That show had almost to much going on.. like 4 major story lines. It was 3 hours worth of GA.. and I was HAPPY.

Cleaned all day like a mad woman. They say pregnant women "nest" right before they go into labor. If thats true I am going at it full force for stephanie who is on bedrest.

Anyone have some "get that labor started" home rememdies? Since she is single, having *ahem* "vigrorous relations" as one website suggested is out. We will be going out to get some raspberry leaf tea this evening and will be taking a lonnnng walk.
Anything else?

Gone

2006-05-16T13:50:00.000-04:00

In to the night
Over the moon
beyond the stars
and into His loving arms....

Jessica, I know you're holding your babies that never were in heaven right this very minute. I know they came running when they heard the call that you were approaching the gates.

Cancer, baby
Jessica

1970-2006

Some things about my Mom

2006-05-13T17:45:00.001-04:00

Being that tommorow is Mother's Day Ive been thinking about my Mother.
I am so blessed to be close to her.. both litterally and emotionally. I wanted you all to know some things about her.

My Mother's name is Leanna.She was born in Colorado May 23, 1952. She was the oldest daughter to Clinton and Faye Allison. She was raised in Fruita and Grand Junction and had two sisters. My Aunts Carrie and Cindy. When she was 13 Faye and Clinton divorced and Faye married my Papa Louie Marinelli. Making her the eldest of 7.A few years later the family moved to Washington state She graduated from Issaquah High School, and in March of 1973 she met my father Ed Martin while working at her stepfather's gas station. They were engaged in May and married August 18,1973. I was born 3 years later in 1976 with my sister to follow in 1979. She was a stay at home mom raising us, and many of her nieces and nephews along with all of our friends and the neighborhood with love and undivided attention.

She raised me to be a stong independant woman, yet she showed me by example how to be a good wife.

She taught me to cook, and to keep a good house, and to treat my husband with a firm, yet submissive hand.

She showed me how to pray, taught me that going to church was important, and that my relationship with the Lord was more important than anything else.

She taught me by example that when I place others ahead of myself it is only for my own gain.

She shows me that being cheerful about something is better than whining about it.

I think that I am quite likely the person that I am because of her.

She and I have been through a lot together.

She nearly died shortly after my birth due to a botched c section. I had only been home from the hospital a few days when she hemmoraged and nearly bled to death internally. When I was a difficult teenager she stood behind me and pushed me through. When I was pregnant out of wedlock she held my hair when I puked, bought me lemons when I craved them, went to every Dr appt and held my hand for over 30 hours of labor. She cried with me when early motherhood was difficult and walked the floor outside my room while I learned to do it myself... and then flew to the rescue the minute I called for her. She loves my choice of husband, and took his child from another relationship as her grandchild seamlessly.

I am so blessed and thankful for her.

The Divine Miss Emm

2006-05-12T12:37:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update. I am sooo stinking tired. We are still waiting for Miss Emma Grace to make her appearance. Stephanie and I spent most of the week in the hosptial (watching hours and hours of the FOOD network. Steph was tortured) Waiting for the OB to either induce her labor or let us go home. Finally this morning they gave us our walking papers and will have us back to the office on monday.. probably to addmit her to be induced. But I digress.

We are both wayy tired and glad to be home to the babies... Im sure Steven who has been running Daddy Daycare is glad we are home for the weekend.

I will keep you posted.

Thing Two's refuge

2006-05-05T14:50:00.000-04:00

I was thinking today about thing two. She really is a neat kid. She plays so imaginatively.. then I got to thinking about little girls and thier bedrooms. Her bedroom is a refuge. The only place on this earth that is uniquely her own. I have molded it a little.. provided decorations. But really she has made it her own. Its all full of her treasures. Her own designs and her personality.

She IS pink fluffy canopies and vanities. She IS a line up a flower laiden faires parading accross her wall. She is a Disney Princess. (How many kids do YOU know who have personally met ALL of them THREE times?)There are tiny piles of even tinier dolls and thier much tinier accesories. Ponys and thier playmates.. and piles and piles of clothes..that spill out of her dresser out of the closet that is not barred by a door but sparkling rows of tinkerbell beads.

There wont be another single place in her life that will be so indicative of her personality. She may have her own aparment, but she'll hide away her personality in leiu of being S"stylish" She certainly wont have piles of tiny dolls and rocks and shells hidden in shoeboxes.

I love that about being a little kid.. and I hope that it will be a long long time before she begins hiding her personality and making it look "stylish"

In wich I am a CSI agent

2006-05-05T14:33:00.000-04:00

I am CSI agent MOMMY. And I have cracked the case.

Thing One is busted.

Here's how it went down.

Sometime last week.. I suspect monday or Tuesday, a flyer was circulated at Thing One's school. I have not actually SEEN said flyer since it was detroyed in hopes of removing evidence of guilt..but I know it exists. AND since I am Judge, Jurry, and the prosecution in this case.. I will allow testimony to stand without the actual evidence.The flyer promoted a non school sanctioned PROM. (for 11 yr olds? yeah. for 5th graders) Said Prom was to take place friday evening in a very very seedy area of town.Yes indeedee booty shakin would be goin down in D town friday!

My cousin's daughter,the co-defendant (we'll call her curly top) and Thing One, who are often in cahoots, began the deception.. (attempted deception that is) when the flyer was not presented to thier parents upon reciept. Had this happened? This issue would have been closed and the problem stopped before it began.. but they conspired to commit treason.

Thing One spends every other weekend with her "biolgical female non-custodial parental unit". (hence refered to as JDL) Thing One aware that this was said weekend, and that her chances of talking JBL into allowing her to attend the PROM were FAR FAR greater than the than if she petitioned Steven or I.(she was correct in her deduction.. it'd be a cold day in hell before Id allow her to be DROPPED of at a place where I didnt know the adults or whatever. THERE IS NO WAY) She decpetivly kept the event to herself. The treasonous act was in play.

The day of the crime.

Things were going as planned. Thing One would clear said PROM with JBL. Upon hearing that Thing One would be allowed to attend the PROM, Curly Top's parental unit would assume that said approval was passed by Steven and I.Allowing for the fact that Steven and I are FAR more strict and more protective of Things One and Two than they are of Curly Top...Our approval would surely convince Curly Top's parents that attendance of said PROM was acceptable.

Thing One would then arrange for JBL to pick up both her and Curly Top here, dropping them off for later retrieval. They would attend said PROM without Steven or I's knowledge since we were conviently out of town chaperoning a Youth Worship Conference at Myrtle Beach with no ill effect.

This is where things went south for them.

JDL had car trouble. (as usual) Her alternator was broken and she would not be able to drive to Dillon to complete the plan of the defendant. I, who was unaware of the plotted scheme, didnt mention the fact that her Maternal Grandparents would be delivering her to her mother at the beach until directly before my departure in a last minute phone call. OH! To have seen the look on her face!

This was a major problem to the plan, It was sinking fast as the Titanic. Frantic, Thing One begged my Mother for the use of her cell phone to call JDL long distance,and clear the PROM with her so her Grandparents would make the drop off and the plan could be salvaged. My Mother (God Bless her) smelled a rat. She informed the defendant that since she would see her mother in a few short hours that communication was not neccesary. Defeated but not destroyed Thing One returned home to devise yet another plan.

In desparation, Thing One telephoned her Biological Maternal Step Grandfather and requested that he relay the message in refernce to the PROM to JBL and would he PLEASE have her to call back as soon as possible, thank you very much?

JBL completely unaware that treason was being commited, and assuming that Steven and I were informed, agreed to said prom and began to make arrangements for transpotation.Typical. SHe could have foiled the plan had she asked then if Steven and I were aware of the scheme.. but she was her usual uninformed self.

The snag that made all the diiference.

Curly top by now in full force, all systems go to convince her parents that since Thing One is allowed to attend the prom that she should too. The dad and mom were thinking... this didnt sound kosher. Something was amiss.. and when Curly Top's mama glanced outside and noticed our empty driveway, she KNEW something was very wrong.She made a call to my mother, whom she informed of the dance and the plan being hatched. Who called us (on the borrowed cell phone that we had in our possesion since I am the labor coach for my very very pregnant cousin and needed to be reachable)

Upon hearing this, Steven called JdL and put a stop to the plan. Thing One was busted and Curly Top thwarted. The plan was dead.

This court finds Thing One GUILTY of treason, the intent to attend unacceptable functions to commit illegal forms of bootie shaking, and the attempt to put on over on Mom and Dad. For these actions she is sentenced. One week complete and total, utter groundation. No phone, no friends, no tv. no Music, and no books other than the bible. There will be chores to be completed and this time is to be served from Monday at 6am until Friday at 6 pm the first week of summer vaction. This sentance may not be commuted, changed or otherwise altered. This is the word of the court.

We stand at recess.

A swift kick in the butt

2006-05-05T14:26:00.000-04:00

So,

I had to get over it.Sometimes you just have to have a good cry. Whine in your blog, and then wash your face with cold water, blow our nose, and suck it up soldier. I mean really. You cant go around all wierd and jealous all the time. I still want to have a baby, and Im still sad that we arent preggo yet. BUT You have bad days and good days. Sat was a bad day, today was ok. I went with my cousin to the Dr. She has been having some wierd swelling and cramping. Personally, usually I think she is a little wimpy and whinish. But seems that this is real and her OB is a little worried she might have preterm labor. Not super duper worried, but worried enough to have her in every week until the baby comes.so we have to go back again in a week... and then I think we'll NEED to go shopping and then to get ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery (yay for banana uce cream!!) Anyway. Its not terrible though since She is 33 weeks and a baby born after 28 weeks is viable, and anything after 35 weeks is within normal ranges. ( 38-42 weeks is ideal though) We just gotta keep her pregnant for at least 3 more weeks then everything will be cool. In other news I am speed crocheting a baby aphgan for my other pregnant cousin. She is having a boy.. we actually saw her at the OB in Florence (See why I am a raving jealous lunatic? Babies everywhere!!) Her shower is this Sunday.. so I gotta boogie on it. Miles to go still on it.

In wich I whine and confess my jealousy

2006-05-05T14:23:00.000-04:00

Warning... there is a lot of whining in this blog.. and wah wahing and a lot of other unattractive things.

I am jealous. There. I said it.I confess. I am so jealous it makes me feel a little ill at the stomach. Its SO unattractive and I cant make myself stop. My cousin is pregnant. And I am HATING it. Im trying so hard to be supportive, and a good friend and everything through it.Since she is a single Mom and going through a hard time. Im even her labor coach. But GRRR!!!! Today was SOOO hard.And it was unexpected too.. just out of the blue. Today I was jealous.

Today was our church's annual Family fun.. go sit in the hot sun and bake while the sportish ones play sportish games day. And since she goes to our church, she was there.. in a cute maternity top. Something that is really more my style than her usual one...something that I would totally have bought if I could ever get my stupid body to cooperate with me and get pregnant. I kept looking at her.. walking that "Im pregnant" walk and the way she stood with her hand on her tummy, and I wanted to die inside or worse, be rude and make snide comments about how maybe having one child out of wedlock should have taught her a lesson....Thankfully I didnt do either.. but as a man thinketh.. so is he.. ya know?

I know I know.. there are a lot of people who cant even have babies. and I should be so much more than thankful for the two that I have. I am. believe me. I love my girls.. to distraction. They are my whole life. But I guess since getting pregnant (and having it last long enough to be able to tell anyone. since I suspect at least one if not two misscarriages in the last year) is something I really really want...its just like any other infertility. Heartbreaking. Its a wierd feeling... like a failure of some kind. Like, Steven signed up to be married to a wife who could provide him with another child.. and Im not.(havent YET that is) So its hard not to feel like I am failing him. Even though I know that he would never want me to feel that way.

I do know someone who recently (like in the last year) found out that they cant have kids as a couple at all. Ever. Its one of those totally lame situations, since they would make really really good parents. She is a teacher, and he is like one giant kid.. Some things just dont make sense ya know? Anyway. I dont know them well enough to talk about it with either of them, but I know that it bothers them. So I try really hard not to mention our infertility since my life is already full of kids and family and all. But MAN today was so stinking lame.. I was like obsessed thinking about how unfair it is that she is pregnant and I cant be.. and then bummed, and then I got snippy with my her when she was whining about some pregnancy thing. (wich as a pregnant woman is her God given right) when we left I was ashamed for allowing myself to be that way.. and for sniping at her. I am so lame sometimes.

lame lame lame.

CALVIN!!!

2006-05-05T14:14:00.000-04:00

I am in deep deep trouble. I have come to the conclusion that Thing Two is far smarter than I first imagined. Dont get me wrong, in no way did I suspect that she was dumb, quite the oposite. This is only a further example of her intelligence... and my doom. She is way smarter than me.

Last night we had broccoli and cauliflower for dinner. I am in the school of thought that my kids really need to eat veggies.My mother thinks that they shouldnt be made to eat things they dont like (I want to know where THIS woman was when I was a kid.. BUTTERBEANS ew ew ew ew) But if they werent MADE to eat veggies they would get little if any fiber. Or all the other vitamins and minerals that are in green veggies, orange veggies and the like. There are comprimises I have made. Thing One doesnt have to eat lettuce..ever, and neither of them eat raw tomato or onion, or mushrooms, pretty much most veggies. BUT I do insist on some form of greenery most dinners. I dont get all exotic on them and I try to keep things pretty kid friendly.

Last night Thing Two won. She really got me. Tuesday and wednesday nights are hectic for us. Choir practice and church services call for quick dinners and generally a McMeal one out of two. Last night was no exception. I made a pork roast, brown rice, and a steamed veggie mix from the freezer (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower) Thing One choked hers down.. washing each bite down with koolaide like a pill.. I say Do what ya gotta. Thing Two pushed hers around the plate hiding it under the rice and generally whining and making me annoyed.Suddenly she beacme quiet and in minutes presented me with a fairly clean plate. Smiling my secret "Mom wins" smile. I excused her from the table.

I did not learn of my defeat until today when Steven was arranging the cushions on the dining room chairs. Neatly piled under Thing Two's chair cushion was..... You guessed it. 2 broccoli spears and a pile of mooshy cauliflower.What makes this her "point" is that I was sitting accros the table from her... and didnt see a thing.

trust

2006-05-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

trust

Ive been thinking a lot about trusting God.. Not meaning that I dont now, or that I am doubting him.Just about the actual act. Our goal is to worry about nothing. To completely release our lives in every aspect whether it be the mundane or the life shattering to his will.For me, I guess it isnt so much about TRUST than SUBMISSION

Historically I have a pretty hard time with authority. Ok a REALLY hard time with authority. I do not like to be told what to do. I do not deal well with structure.I am a free spirit that doesnt like to be held down. I even went to an alternative high school that totally fed my authority problems. As students we were self governed and had very very little structure. I have come to learn that it wasnt the actual authority figures that gave me a headache. But the submission that authority requires.

*** Bunny trail... Seeing as I personally have such a problem with structure and authority I find it totally strange that I am a strict parent. I am all about vegtables, bedtimes,homework and rules. I am WAY stricter than my parents were with me. hmmmm wierd.***end bunny trail.

I cant believe that I will EVER be in permanent submission to anything...sadly even God. Its turning into a daily thing.. And since it mentions something that effect in the bible I cant believe that I am the lone ranger in this problem. Submission is how we die to self and live in Christ.

This isnt my problem. I have a problem with submission, its established. But this is what I am afraid of. If I have to daily remind myself, repent and work so hard on it. Will we ever come out of this horrible spiral of financial hell? If I cant trust blindly will we be poor forever? I know that God as our Father doesnt punish us. He isnt in the business of throwing financial lightening rods at our checkbook. But truthfully? I cant help but feel a little punished. Im working on it though.

total comedy

2006-05-05T14:06:00.000-04:00

hahahahah haaa hhaaheee hee ohhh ha ha ha

So, i thought that everyone might like a good laugh...especially the ladies out there who TRUELY understand what this is about!!! This didnt happen to me.. however, I think that considering that it is certainly something I am capable of? I thought Youd enjoy it.

Subject: hair removal Hair removal-warning you may need a towel

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax.

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet." So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom.

It was one of those "cold wax" kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the one strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my *hoo-hoo* and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (Yes, it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself.... RRRRIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP!!! Another deep breath and RRIIPP!! Everything is swirly and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip. I touch. I am touching wax. CRAP! I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped up on the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. DANG!!!!!!!! I hear the slamming of a cell door. *hoo-hoo*? Sealed shut! Butt?? Sealed shut!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!" What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right??? WRONG!!!!!!!

I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax. So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cement-epoxied myself to the porcelain!!

God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter - "So, my butt and who-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or who-ha?" She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to scraping the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better then to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event.

My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works!!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up.

I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!! So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

in wich I feel like Forest Gump

2006-05-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

I feel like Forest Gump.

You know how when someone is in your life.. you know them?What I mean to say is, when someone is an active part of your life, you recognize every outfit they wear. You know that they recently got a new haircut.. when you see thier car riding down the street, you wave.. you know its them.. cause you know thier car. You also know thier friends, whats going on this weekend and whether they have seen the new movie that came out on DVD this week.

I am missing my sister today. Until recently (ok so its been almost a year) she was living right here on the Martin compound..

(let me explain that a little. We live in the country. On a certain dirt road, that half way along has some no tresspass signs on it... past the signs? I am related to every soul that lives there. Next door to me? My parents and Aunt.. Across the street? A cousin and her family. Down the road a little? My Aunt and Uncle. Its all family back here.Some days a blessing, some days a curse.)

and I knew her life. Tonight when I turned on my little myspace page.. there was a new picture of her and she looked so different from the last time I saw her that it hit me like a ton of bricks. I dont know her life anymore and I hated it.

I missed her being here so much I could barely breathe.

I know that she is where she ought to be. And that her life is so much fuller in Alaska.. better even. But just for tonight... I am selfish and wish she was here, and that I knew her clothes, her car, her friends and whether she has seen Chronicles of Narnia or not.I saw something funny and I wanted to take it to her.. I saw something at walmart that I thought shed love.. but she is in Malaska.

I want to call her and tell her to come home RIGHT NOW. But I wont, Im not a big bawl baby, so Im not crying.. but my eyes are all runny and my nose is all snotish...

SO in the words of Forest Gump...

"Thats all I have to say about that ."

triumphant return

2006-05-05T13:49:00.000-04:00

I didnt die

I know you thought I did.. or something else awful..

well sorta. I have been using MYSPACE to blog. But I tell ya, today I had a total meltdown trying to post a pic with my blog. I like to illustrate my blogs with pictures.. and on myspace you have to have a webhost.. and its a pain in my patooty.

SO here I am back at blogger.. and happy as a clam.

I will be back-blogging. A few of the worthwhile bloggs from myspace. SO happy reading.

goin to see the MOUSE

2006-02-20T19:52:00.000-05:00

One week from tonight, I will be packing to go to DISNEY WORLD!!!
After back and forthing about whether we could justify taking a vacation while Steven was unemployed, and if it was smart to go or not, we decided. If we could get a really good hotel rate and if we were careful with spending we could afford it. I am soooo exited.

A lot of people dont understand my affection (affliction?) with WDW. I really cant explain it. Only to say that it is our "Happy Place". No worries, no problems, just us. I really think that its where we first became a "family" three years ago. Everything there is good. People try to be better people when they are there. It really is magical.

Yes it is "magically expensive" and yes they really have a racket with all the gift shops and commercialism. But you just cant put a price on the sound Caitie makes when she is on an adrenaline rush. Or the look on Jasmin's face when she conquers a fear. The way that Steven feels when he opens that first turkey leg :) lol If I am ever having a bad day, I just get out our photo albumns from our trips and remember. Its worth it then

Soooo.. I am super exited, and you ll have to deal with me ranting about packing, and then the trip reports when we get back... deal with it :)

spinning gears

2006-02-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

This has been a pretty darn good weekend. I keep humming and smiling to myself. I am finding it difficult to contain my happiness... Here's why

Friday morning I awoke and as normal checked the bank account to balance our checkbook. my account balance read about 5 bazillion dollars more than I anticipated. YUP. The IRS had mercy and sent our tax refund. All of it. In a panic I called the IRS and asked about the "mistake" Thier response was... "Mrs Lane. You are in what you call a paperwork loop. Your income was low enough to not require you to set up a payment plan, and the amount of the bill has not been assesed to your account yet. You still owe the money, but youll just have to refile your income with us when you get another bill." I asked.. "umm so in enlglish? This money is mine?"
She responded "Have a nice day Mrs Lane"

wait... it gets better.

About 10 am Steven called our weekly call to check with Child Support enforcement to encourage the collection of what his ex owes us (Sometimes, when you want something you have to stand on thier feet until they pay you to go away IE If we bug them enough, they will do something) And they responded "Mr Lane, there was a payment made on Thursday. We'll be sending you a check out later today.. the amount? 3 bazillion dollars."

The check came saturday, along with the 401K payout check from Steven's last job, and a paycheck for me from the State for keeping the little man.

I could die. I can buy socks, and namebrand toilet paper.

YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY

God is so good.

Really a very good day

2006-02-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

It is so pretty out today.. feels almost like spring. It smells fresh and clean out and there is a pleasant breeze blowing.Its in the low 70's and just feels soo good out. Its days like today that make living in this wretched place bearable. Knowing that it is not above 20 degrees in Alaska and that I may have been able to send my kids out bundled like little eskimos for mayyybe 20 minutes, and here I have all the doors and windows open and will easily send the kids out to play until supertime with out jackets at all makes it livable.

It looks as if I may be made a liar of. Steven's ex may actually be coming through and paying her childsupport like she has been saying. reportedly she was on her way to town to pay the bill in order to see Jasmin this weekend. I am skeptical of course. But fact is? It looks good. Thank the Lord! There are so many "extras" that I love to get the girls but havent been able to justify them with Steven being unemployed. YAY for shopping. YAY for a short vacation. YAY for childsupport enforcement. (You realize that all of these "YAY's" are still contingent on her doing what she said.

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. Mostly this odd addiction I have. I love to read the blogs of families adopting from China. I love how exited they are to get thier daughters and how nervous and how wonderful they all are. There are TONS of them. They have a whole language (the adopters.. since obviously the Chinese do) of thier own and a network and a mascot! They put ladybugs on everything.. its soo cute. I think, that if Steven and I had ohhh like an extra $35 thou hanging around we'd totally adopt from there.

Thngs that make you go... " do what?"

2006-02-15T15:21:00.000-05:00

1. Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE
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2. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool? (My sentiments exactly)
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3 OK.... so if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the "Jags" and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the "Bucs," what does that make the Tennessee Titans?
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4. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one enjoys it?
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5. There are three religious truths:a. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.b. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.c. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or at Hooters.
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6. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
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7. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
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8. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
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9. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?
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10. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?
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11 If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
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12. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
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13. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
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14. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
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15. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me .....they're cramming for their final exam.
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16. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
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17 If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
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18. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
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19 Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
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20. If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?
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21. Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?

As income tax time approaches, did you ever notice: When you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together it spells
"THEIRS"?

warning mooshy super sappy post

2006-02-13T12:43:00.000-05:00

Last night's Grey's Anatomy was sooo good (of course it always is) I wont go into the story or anything because I know you all watched it :)

The part that has me thinking is where Meridith tells McDreamy that she cant remember their last kiss... the last moments they were together as a happy couple. She makes the point that you never know that a certain kiss will be the last one.(of course He CAN remember, in great detail, and recounts it so sweetly that she falls for him all over again)

And she's right, you dont. My husband just walked out the door a few minutes ago, and I blew him a kiss and didnt bother to get up and go downstairs to kiss him properly. Will I live to regret that? The fact is, its a possibility. Not a HUGE possibility since he just went accross the street to watch the WWF show that my cousin Tivo'd for him. But still.

I also thought about past relationships and other people in my life who are gone now. The last moments I talked with my grandparents, or a kid in our youth group that commited suicide. The last time I remember being happy with an old boyfriend before things went South. Its funny to think, in that moment, it was just like any other day. Nothing special.

I guess what I am saying is we need to be more careful with our loved ones. Live each moment like it was the last.

I'm Bananas

2006-02-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

Tonight Steven and I went to the grocery store to pick up something for Thing 2 to donate to her class's "not really a Valentine's Day Party" since you cant send home baked goods anymore (! How odd!) We were just shopping around, not really needing anything and just enjoying being out of the house and away from the kiddos. And I found something that made me so happy it was rediculus. I mean really.

These teeny tiny little bananas. They are soooo cute. And perfect since the Little Man only eats a few bites at a time. I was giddy with glee at these little baby bananas. Then I tasted one (I had to eat one right?) They are sweet and the texture is smoother than bigger bananas. They have a kind of apple-ish flavor and they leave a spicy aftertaste. I realize that I am discussing bananas not unlike you would a fine wine.. but seriously they are soo yummy.

So anyway, I got home and started thinking about bananas and looked them up. There is yards and yards of information on them... here is some of what I found.

Among the banana plant’s most remarkable features is that, despite its average height of 30 feet (about 9 meters), it is actually a perennial herb related to the orchid and lily. It bears huge, podlike purple flowers, and its individual long, slender fruits, or fingers, are technically berries. The banana is believed to have originated in Malaysia. India’s Islamic culture names it as the famed fruit of knowledge and in that version of the story it is said Adam and Eve covered themselves with banana, not fig, leaves. Today, the world’s greatest producers of bananas include Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, India, Brazil, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Indonesia.In many Latin American and Asian countries, banana leaves are used in place of plates. The leaves work well as wrappers in place of aluminum foil for holding and steaming foods. In Malaysia, the banana flower is cooked and eaten; in Africa, a beer is brewed from bananas.Because bananas emit a gas that promotes ripening, placing an unripe banana in a paper bag or breathable container with other produce will encourage the produce to ripen more quickly.

Banana, 1 medium
Calories: 108
Protein: 1.2g
Carbohydrate: 27.6g
Total Fat: 0.56g
Fiber: 2.83g
*Good source of: Potassium (467mg)

blogging away

2006-02-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

This has been a pretty hectic week. Crazy in fact.Mostly because Steven and I have been opperating on very little sleep since Saturday night.

Tanus. (TAY-NUS) is a yellow livered sheepish German Sheppherd puppy who until this week lived in our back yard. He was brought in oringinally as a guard dog But we quickly found out he was a wienee.Tanus is a baby, who barks all night long... and did so ALL night saturday night. I slept mayyybe 1 complete hour. Sunday night, the same thing, monday night, again with the barking, whining and howling. Thankfully last night was the begining of the reign of peace. Tanus has gone to be a "stud dog" with a family member FOREVER. Dont get me wrong. I love our pets, and I was sypathetic to Steven who got a little tearey eyed to watch his companion be driven away (to a FARM with room to run and play, wild animals to chase, and FEMALES who actually want his attentions.. I mean cmon its like big masculine doggie heaven) BUT THANK YOU GOD TANUS IS GONE. I slept sooo well last night in beautiful peaceful silence.

Today our lack of finance caught up with us. I am begining to get that "ohhh Lord pease tell me where the money for these bills is coming from" feeling again. Our insurances are due in 2 weeks. And then Thing 2 called from the elementary school. Her SHOES were pinching her feet and she was hobbling around (according to a slightly amused teacher.. I didnt think it was very funny at all)I am aware that it is time to buy both Things One and Two spring/summer clothes and shoes. Thing two especially is starting to look "raggedy". She has grown a LOT this school year and has gone up TWO shoe sizes since I last bought shoes for her.Daddy went to Wallyworld and bought her some tennis shoes and took them to her. (everyone say AWWW)I was so embarassed. Its the first time that my child has needed something and I truely could not provide it for her. I was hoping that she could hold out for just a couple more weeks until what little tax refund we are getting this year gets here. I know that it rested pretty heavy on Steven since he refused to discuss it. It'll work out. God knows the need as well or better than I do.My pride is being spanked pretty soundly though

Spanglish

2006-02-05T01:55:00.000-05:00

I just watched the first movie I have seen in a REALLY long time that I felt was worth anything.And shock of all shocks ADAM SANDLER was a headliner in it!

Spanglish is the story of a mexican immigrant who comes to work with an upperclass LA family as told by her daughter in her Princeton application essay. Adam Sandler,Tae Leoni, and Cloris Leachman are incredible. Even Penelope Cruise is really really good.

Its this mexican mama's battle to keep her daughter grounded, and normal, and the way a spoiled self involved white woman realizes that she loves her husband.

One scene I absolutely loved was when the white wife, who has been having an affair is talking with her mother and her mother says to her.. "This is when I say to you, your low self esteem is just pure common sense" OMG! How great is that?

I think the thing that I loved most about this movie was that the characters didnt disapoint me and give into what most people would. The father (Adam Sandler) and Flor (Penelope Cruise) are confronted with the opportunity and even the permission to commit adultery. And yet they dont. Flor says to the man who is holding her in his arms. "There are some risks you just dont take when you have children" And she was so right. When you have kids you cant always do just what is easy. You have to make the hard decisions and do what may be harder, but will bring the safer outcome.

LOVED LOVED LOVED this movie. I am still in shock that Adam Sandler can actually be a serious actor. He was amazing. Yay for him

Overtime

2006-02-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

Last night was our first "overtime" with the new rules in place. It was smoooooth. We were able to shut down the street between the family life center and the church and "bull pen" the kids into a specific area. They werent allowed to hang out at thier cars and they didnt run in and out. Everyone that was there had a pretty good time and we had no problems. It was so nice. Parents seemed to appreciate it too. It was nice to leave without worrying about what might happen.

When we were leaving I picked up some of the yellow "police line do not cross" tape and Steven and I wrapped it around My Dad's truck before going to bed last night. HAHA HA HAHA. I havent laughed more in recent days. My cousin woke up at 430 and began to panic and waited till 7 and came over to ask what had happened in Daddy's truck Daddy assumed it was another cousin being silly and he ranted and raved all morning about that stupid kid and how he was gonna light him up with the beebee gun when he came again.. Steven and I laughed the whole morning about it.. Finally we gave in and tol that it had been us.. only now I am afraid we have begun a war.. I'll be watching my back for the next few weeks for sure :)

Thing One and Thing Two

2006-02-03T16:41:00.000-05:00

It has come to my attention that maybe having my kids names listed on the internet is a little risky.. what with all the other information I have in my blog, and the fact that I suddenly had a HUGE spike in my blog readership (why? why? why?) some creepster might try to obscond with them.. so I have gone back through and edited it. I have a blogfriend that calls her kids "thing one" (the elder)and "thing two" (the younger) and I love that since it is a Dr. Suess reference, and it protects the "innocent" The other one will be dubbed "the boy". Call it plagerism call it cheating.. but I'm calling it mine. If you know me at all, you'll know wich child Im speaking of, and if you dont you can email me if you got a question.. and if I trust you not to be a creepster.. youll get my answer.

A new season

2006-02-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

We had our first week with the youth after Rodney departed (moved not died). Things went really really well. I was really happy. It amazed me how the kids repsponded to the changes. The structure is going to be awesome. The new security measures worked tonight. Let's hope that it continues to go so smoothly. I think a lot of the kids were here tonight to check things out.. see how it was going to be with the new people.. next week will tell the tale.. how many kids we'll retain, and who will leave. But I think we may keep more than I orginally thought. yay us.

Brian preached about sowing seeds and asked "What's growing in your garden" For some reason the subject seemed vaugly familiar.. like I'd heard a sermon not unlike it from someplace else.. maybe I have. Its a good analagy. In the very end, he bagan to touch on "a new season" and it struck chords in me.

I have been praying for direction for after Dalton goes to preschool. All this past year I have felt like he needed me. That there was a reason for my being home to care for him.. but I really feel like my time with him is over. I am ready to move on. Not to say that I wont miss him like crazy, and that it wont be traumatic for me to let him go... but I know that it's time.

I think that God may be birthing my career.. finally. I think I know what I want to be when I grow up. Ive been researching and looking into attending Massage therapy shcool. For years I've wanted to complete my nursing degree. I am nearly to my LPN only missing I think one or two classes. But something keeps getting in the way.. mostly the math classes. Something just didnt gel with me.

Now I know why. I have this philosophy. Americans dont touch each other enough. All things and notions sexual aside. Basic touch is lacking. As humans we need it. We need human contact. Ever accidentally "touch" someone? I bet you apologized. I know that massage has actual physical benefits.. muscle relaxation, toxin release. But I think it also has major emotional benefits. Its proven that it releases endorphins, seratonin and all the yummy feel good chemicals. It makes you emtionally feel better. So this is my vision.

I want to create a "feel better" place.Like a day spa only better. A quiet relaxing space where you could make an appointment for a massage, take an uninterupted bubbble bath in an awesome clawfoot tub or take a Vischy Shower. (a shower that has strategically placed shower heads) Have a seaweed scrub, a foot massage maybe drink a cup of tea or a smoothie. I know it seems like a lot. But I know that I'd pay good money to have a space like that... to have a place where I could actually schedule "me" time. "yes I have a 4pm appointment for a bubble bath and a massage" The exectution of the idea is still marinating in my mind. It'd have to be an imaculatly clean, and super super classy place, in order to escape the old west bath house feel. Id have to be choosy about my clients.. maybe limiting it only to women.. and then have something separate for male massage clients.

Im praying about it. In the mean time I am looking into massage therapy schools in the area and how I can pay for it. Id have to work in local hair salons to work up a clientle. But I want to make my own place an eventual goal. YAY me. It feels good to have a direction to be thinking of.