Tuesday, December 30, 2008

2008 Wasn't That Great

No, really, it wasn't. As a matter of fact, I would chalk it up to being one of the hardest years I have had to date. So tonight, I get to say...
GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE to 2008!
Things didn't really go according to plans in 2008... and if you know me, or even if you DON'T know me, you may have noticed that I am a planner... I like to have things go according to THE PLAN, and when they don't I have a hard time adjusting. This year, has been particularly trying, but, I AM TRYING!!!! I don't know if I am trying to overlook it, get past it, or just plain forget it... but I am definitely giving it my best shot.
We aren't quite out of the woods yet so to speak. Peter is still looking for work, and I am just about to have a BABY! As you may, or may not have heard, she isn't really cooperating. Leave it up to one of MY kids to have a mind of their own! SHEESH!
So, in effort to focus on the POSITIVE (2008 being OVER) I will post the
Top 8 of 2008.
If you just started reading my blog, this oughtta be a good recap for ya! Actually, these are going to be MY FAVORITE top 8... You might have your own favorites and if so, you can make up your own list if you want!
(I love Scared Spitless because I truly almost had a nervous breakdown)
(Truly the most memorable "vacation" EVER!)
(If you haven't seen this performance, it is worth at least ONE watch)
HONORABLE MENTION
Bachelorette Spoilers (Because I got the most hits EVER, and you know me, it is all about visitors and you KNOW I can't wait to blog about the NEW SEASON OF THE BACHELOR!!)
CHEERS to a HAPPY New Year... Really, can we just put this one BEHIND US?

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas Aftermath

I see all of you diligent bloggers out there kept blogging RIGHT UP UNTIL CHRISTMAS DAY! (Over achievers) Don't get me wrong, I had some serious ambitions. I wanted to blog about this (ornaments in particular), and this (great idea, especially since I didn't send out cards this year) and I was probably going to expound upon that theme with a history of bad Santa photos... but as you can see, it never materialized. I guess I will save those ideas for next year.

Truth be told, I just couldn't do it all. (I know!) So, I didn't. Instead, I have been enjoying time with family who is visiting for the Holiday. More on that when I feel like getting out of bed to get my camera and download cord. Know what I mean? All this hub-ub has contributed to my latest pregnancy challenge, cankles. (I am sooooooooooo not posting a picture of those!)

I hope yours was MERRY and BRIGHT! More plus pix when I get outta bed. Please pray for my cankles.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

AUTISM UPDATE


Ok, I know most of you don't read my blog because I have a son with Autism. HOWEVER, sometimes I feel the need to share for people who might 'come across' my blog, or have a friend with a son recently diagnosed. For someone with a child who is recently diagnosed, Autism can be an extremely scary unknown world. If you know someone, maybe this will help you, understand them. All opinions are based on my personal experience and knowledge about MY SON. Autism is a WIDE spectrum of behaviors and symptoms. Very few are related to each other. There will never be a case where I say to another mother, THAT IS EXACTLY LIKE MY SON! It just won't happen. Technically speaking, my son has (currently) been diagnosed with PDD-NOS. It is considered on the "spectrum" and most of his issues are with developmental delays both educational and social.




Luckily, Jaxon has GREAT DESIRES to be social. He doesn't have classic "stimming" issues (hand flapping, high pitched noises) but can occasionally get too aggressive in playing. Not that he wants to be mean, just that he gets "overly excited" and can't control his desire to jump on someone (it is a sensory issue). He can talk, tell you what he wants, but many children with Autism have problems answering W questions concerning, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN. They just don't have the ability to handle it cognitively. He will answer the question, but usually not accurately, or he will say, "I don't know". Overall, he is a fun kid who keeps us laughing and we enjoy his personality... If you have read any of my Jaxonisms, you will know why.




Jaxon was diagnosed around the age of 3 when I tried to put him into pre-school and he couldn't handle the social aspects of it. He played too aggressively with some kids (usually other boys who wanted to play rough, but Jaxon didn't get boundaries), didn't want to transition to different activities (follow the crowd) and would "melt down" when he was asked to conform. Not to say he never had issues before then. He had a hard time sharing, would get too aggressive with other kids, and has absolutely NO fear of strangers as well as a very high pain threshold. But, we would chalk it up to being two. I mean, how can you tell the difference between 2 and Autism. It is tough when you have a mild child like Jaxon.




Of course, there is lots of controversy around Autism and how/if it is treatable. I think Jaxon has a very specific case. He had chronic ear infections from the time he was 5 months old to 2 years old when we finally decided to put tubes in his ears. He was on antibiotics pretty much that whole time all the while getting his immunizations along the way. I am sure any of you who have put your child on an antibiotic EVEN ONCE know what it does to their bowels system.. usually causing diarrhea. I am sure it isn't a stretch for anyone to realize that back to back antibiotics for 2 years would hurt anyones' digestion, not to mention a small child. In regards to the immunizations. I don't think it was those that CAUSED his Autism, but, the fact that he continued to receive them when he wasn't well didn't help. Your child should be well, and have not had any sicknesses for a week or so. That was never so in Jaxon's case.




Our philosophy with Jaxon has always been, "we will give it a try". I had a friend in Spokane who started her son on a Gluten Free/Casein Free Diet and was doing a Vitamin Regimen to help cure some of her sons symptoms. They were using a specialist in TX. It seemed too drastic for us.. No wheat, No dairy. If you know ANYTHING about me it is that I love to cook and bake. Changing our lifestyle this way seemed out of the question. Not to mention the fact I wasn't going to take Jaxon to TX to see a specialist. But, once we moved to Arizona, there were many specialists here and many people who had seen great results from this method. With it being so close, I had a hard time telling myself it wasn't worth it. These types of Dr. s are called DAN Dr.s which stands for Defeat Autism Now.




I went in blindly at first. Not really knowing the science behind it, but thinking, why not try it? I wondered why wheat would be such an issue, but then I started to learn more about Celiacs Disease. Celiacs is becoming more and more common and is wide problem among children with Autism. Actually, allergies IN GENERAL are very common among children with Autism.




What I found it that Celiacs is not just an allergy, but, a problem with the way that the bowels react to Wheat. The villi in the intestine cannot process the wheat, so they lay flat, prohibiting absorption of anything into your system. So, celiacs is a problem not because of an allergic reaction, but, people can actually die of malnutrition because their bodies are not absorbing critical nutrients. Now, back to Jaxon. Two years of antibiotics I think had caused his digestive system to shut down. Not only prohibiting essential nutrients for brain function, but at the same time we were injecting him with immunizations that his body could not process, causing a toxic environment. After hundreds of blood tests and lab work, that evidence came out and Jaxon was found to be lacking in several essential nutrients in his body that would allow his body to function properly not to mention the finding that he had very high levels of toxic materials in his body.




We have had him on the GF/CF diet for about 6 months now and have seen some great results. No, there is no magic bullet and I am not sure Autism can be "cured". Maybe in some very specific cases, but definitely not ALL. He responded almost instantaneously with taking Dairy out of his diet. He had increased eye contact and decreased melt-downs. He didn't even melt down very often, but, in situations where he would have normally melted down, he was having many more "typical" responses.




The best result we have seen from the is Jaxon's ability to work with those W questions. We went to the Temple a few weeks ago to see the lights. Jaxon asked about the pool of water outside and asked if that is where they do baptisms (that would be the first miracle.. how he would assume that is beyond me) I said, no, and told him that they do those INSIDE. The missionaries came to dinner a week later and asked if we had been to visit the lights. Jaxon told them, with perfect recall, that he had been to see the lights at the temples and thought the water was for baptisms, and that his mom told him they do the baptisms inside. It was astonishing, truly. Sometimes it is hard to tell if what you are doing is really helping, but, in this case, it most certainly is.




Our goal with the diet has always been to try it for 3 months. We have been on for 6, and have decided to take him off for the Holiday because it is just too hard to police with plates of cookies around. It will be an interesting test to see if there is any difference in his behavior, but one I am excited for! We will see how it goes, and may put him back on the GF/CF Diet after the Holidays. We are grateful for these kinds of "interventions" and we do others as well such as Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and ABA Therapy that help teach him more of the social aspects of being in society. Hopefully, with all of these things put together, Jaxon will be able to enjoy life like all of the rest of us. He will probably still have challenges throughout much of life, but we want to give him the best chance we can.








Saturday, December 20, 2008

Wade Meets Santa

Our ward Christmas party was this morning from 8-10 a.m. I like the idea of having kids involved and having Santa come. (I know, kinda sacreligious) But I liked it! I thought it would be more "casual" but I was sooooooooo wrong. All the ladies in the ward were all dolled up with their skinny jeans, hot boots and holiday colors at 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday. I guess I can't show my face at church anymore because I was in my pajamas... Yep, my "house clothes". Oh well, I refuse to conform.. I guess I will just have to move.



Most importantly, the kids LOVED it. The line for Santa was kinda long (tooooooooo long) but the excitement still held strong.



Wade was pretty excited to see Santa, as you can see in this video. . . His excitement seemed to disappear sometime between the video and this picture. . .



MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Love, Abby, Jaxon, and Wade

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Last Minute Giving or More Candy Making.. You Decide

Yesterday my kids came home with gifts from their bus driver... THEIR BUS DRIVER! (stinkin' over achiever!) It was then that I realized that I had done NOTHING in preparation for Holiday giving for the last day of school which is... Today. Cool. So, after dinner, I got crackin' on the job at hand. Fortunately, I had a no fail treat that I have done before.

You can check out the recipe here. But what is a recipe without a picture tutorial?

Pop your corn.

Make your candy (remember, it is not rocket science. Just a few ingredients and a candy thermometer.)

Stir your popcorn, almonds and candy in a BIG BOWL.

Spread it on a cookie sheet to dry. (Grease the sheet with butter to avoid sticking)DON'T leave it on the edge of the counter where a crafty 21 month old has learned to climb up and retrieve whatever he darn well pleases. (Look at the intensity in his face!)


Temper some milk chocolate in the micro (remember 40 seconds, then 20 at a time until is is melted. Stir vigorously after each heating. Don't overheat. Remember slow melt.)

Then shake with a spoon over the popcorn.

Now do it with White Chocolate. Same process... Mmmmmmmm Good. Don't be stingy.

Put in a super cute package and DELIVER!! :) JUST IN TIME!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Gourmet MId-Night Snacking with Abby

Doesn't it look delicious? Mmmmmmmm raw Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti Noodles...

I found this opened package in our food storage room, which just happens to be across from Abby's room downstairs. I noticed a little trend.. .10:30 at night, Hall light on... Pantry Door open, but it took me a while to figure out what was going on in there until I went down to search for some canned mushrooms.

Jaxon was the first person interrogated. He denied having ANY part in the missing noodles.. but you know, he IS my SNEAKER.. so he has a pretty BAD WRAP for sneaking food. Especially contraband, since he is on a Gluten Free Diet . (I am going to do a Gluten Free Progress Post soon)

Next was Abby, (the shelf was too high for Wade) she has been on a little "lying" streak lately, so, before I approached her I said... Just tell me the truth, FIRST. This seems to work, and it is easier to show clemency when the truth comes out, isn't it? She admitted plainly that after she is tucked into bed, she goes in for a "mid-night" snack, because she is hungry.

She had blazed through almost an entire bag of dried spaghetti noodles all on her own for what she CLAIMS was about a two week period. . . . Weird, since there were LUCKY CHARMS on the top shelf... Just a little more climbing, and her "mid-night snack" would have been a LOT more rewarding.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

For all you TWILIGHT CRAZED FANS

*Photo by INF and Poached from People.com

Ok, just so you are up to date. There is a new director for "New Moon". That is right, no indy female director for this baby.. However, the NEW director directed movies like... AMERICAN PIE... Hmmmmm, Weird.

So, moving on. I know there are MANY of you out there who did NOT like the choice for Jacob and are hoping for someone new.. (You know who you are) Well, just so you are up to date with all things celebrity, People Mag has given you an alternative and Iwant YOU to vote... So do it, exercise your right.. Make yourself HAPPY by NOT choosing Taylor Lautner... Just do it!

Plan "B" is lookin' MUCH better to me.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Decorating with Abby

Nothing like a few Littlest Pet Shop Friends to jazz up your Holiday Season! Did you know that Pet Shops are Magnetic? I didn't either, but if you look closely, you will find one hanging upside down.


Saturday, December 13, 2008

Saturday Morning with ZE FRANK!

*All misspellings and puncutations are to emphasize my false FrEnch AccEnt! If it is capatilzed in the middle of a word, emphasize that letter!


Oh hohoh!!! (Said in my most snotty french accent)

We are a PBS family around here (no commercials) However, on Saturday morning you have to find an alternative and I personally prefer the Mickey Mouse Club House. Why? Because that song is catchy, and the other reason would be ZE FRANK!

ZE FRANK is a dog, who just happens to be a chef (a French Chef no less) he gives healthy snack ideas...

So, in honor of ZE FRANK, I decided to post our Saturday morning breakfast, because it was oh sooooooooo ZE FRANK! Oh lala!

Abby requested CREPES... and before you go zinking dat crepes are too difficult an' fussy, simply...ze are not!

FIRST: You put 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 cup flouEr, 1 Tablespoon of Oil and a dash of salt! Whip it up with a wisk and VOILA! You have crepe battEr! (I can't figure out how to do an accent grave)

Zen, you put a few Tablespoons of your batter on a skillet... medium heat.. Oh ho ho!!! Roll your skillet around to make ze circle. (Don't worry! It will not be pErfEct!) It will look like dis!


Zen, you will make a little fresh berry sauce (don't worrEy! Jam will do!) You take frozen fruit, add a little orAnge juice and sugAr and if you want your sauce a little zickEr you can add some corn stArch! You bring it to a boil.. snap snap and it is finIshed! It will look like dis!


Zen, you simply take your crepe, add ze sauce and top with powdEred sUgEr, and Whip cream and VOILA! Zuddenly you are a FRENCH CHEF! And, your breakfast looks so....... oh lala! Yet, it iz not!

(Sorry about ze dIrty plate.. I did not get our ze cAmerA until round two!)

Your childrEn will smile with GLEE because who does not like WHIP CREAM FOR BREAKFAST, NO?

Be careful with ze wee one's because fruit crepes are VERY messy... VERY.....

Enjoy your CREPES! It is a fun festive idea, No?

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Knocking it off.

A while ago ... a LONG while ago Jessica did a post and had her daughter pictured in a Shabby Apple Dress.. Ever heard of 'em? I hadn't.. until then. But I went to their site and loved the idea of a huge pattern on a small dress. Soooooooo cute.



My MIL was just in town for Thanksgiving... I just went to post a link of their visit and I don't have one! They were here for 10 days and we really packed it in while they were here. My MIL is the goddess of all things sewing.. and somehow, I persuaded her to help me sew a dress for Abby to try to knock off the Shabby Apple look. I have never sewn clothing.. so I leaned on her for help, DESPERATELY.



First stop: Joann's - At the time, their dress patterns were $2 (that is right, I said $2) What a deal! We were looking for Amy Butler Fabric as well (because that is what the Shabby Apple uses) but, we couldn't find any at Joann's or even the specialty fabric stores around here. So, we just got something that looked similar and went for it. Here are the results...

I say, not so Shabby Apple... after all, it ended up only costing about $12 vs. $36. I think it turned out pretty cute.. Maybe I will be inspired to create looks for Abby and our newest addition to model TOGETHER!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Tree Love

I am a tree snob. I blame my mom. She always wanted a certain kind of tree. A Noble to be exact, because it had lots of space to put ornaments and other fun tree adornments. It is a perfect kind of Christmas tree. It is just that way... it was that way every year growing up, and now, I am a tree snob. Always fresh... Always a Noble.. Tree Snob.

My mom has a fake tree now (heretic). I am not sure why. But she does. I am not even sure when it started to happen.. I must have been gone that year. Nevertheless, it is fake now.

This year, we had a tree budget due to unforseen circumstances. I really couldn't spend $80-100 bones on a tree. (They seem more expensive here in AZ). We needed to go with a Douglas Fir. Lots cheaper... Half. I thought, for a moment about getting a fake tree... but, really, if I am going to go out and spend THAT MUCH on a tree.. I might as well get a fresh one. Just trying to do my part for the environment. It didn't make much sense to get a $125 fake one when I could get a fresh one for $35.

My husband and I fought for about it for 7 days because I didn't want to go get it, because it wasn't going to be the perfect tree. But he didn't want to pick it out without me (bad history in general) So, he finally took the kids to get the tree... and it is finally decorated... none too soon.
Jaxon was starting to melt down each day there wasn't a Christmas Tree in our house because he was certain that it meant impending doom.. or no presents.. or no Christmas.

SO, in effort to not focus on my imperfect tree, I thought I would focus on my decorations, because as I lifted each one out of the boxes... my indifference about our tree finally lifted and looking at each little detail started to bring me the Spirit of Christmas.
I love this fairy Christmas Santa Elf... (what would YOU call it) I don't know why, but when I pulled it out of that box, it just made me happy. I wrapped its little elfish legs around the tree and voila.. my tree became a masterpiece.


I love those little berry circular things. (I obviously don't have a formal name for ANYTHING) They looked much better in my (ahem) Noble, but I shoved 'em into the bushy tree somehow, and so far, they have stayed.

My husband and I fought about colored lights vs. white lights for oh, I don't know, 5 years or so... He finally gave up. My concession was the bubble lights and guess what. I like 'em. Oh, and the ribbon... it is perfect.. It is green on one side and red with green polka dots on the other. I only found one spool so there are no bows.. just draped ribbon on the tree stuffed into the branches now and again.

Of course, most of these items were purchased at the Mecca Tai Pan. Just get there.. Quit making excuses. I love the funky stars and fun letters they have to stuff in the tree.
For the GRANDE finale... Jaxon insisted that we join hands around the tree and sing Da-hoo Doray (From the Original Grinch Video) and surprisingly, Peter and I got through three verses and made it sound like we knew all the words. In perfect unison. A new Family TRADITION. (It was hilarious, and I would have taken a picture of our children's faces GLOWING with GLEE, but I was holding hands with Abby)


Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The Battle

There has been a little battle going on between my pants and my ever expanding belly... My pants have been hanging on to the belly.... trying to hang on for dear life.
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But it looks as if the belly has finally won.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Christie, this is for you.


I thought I would join Stie.. one of my favorite blog reads... by joining her in the effort to make all of you other people in the world just a wee bit... Oh, how does she put it so nicely? Let's just say, add a little more junk to your trunk.. m'kay? I mean, it is the Holiday Season after all. (And if you are anything like my husband or myself, you just added "so, whooped dee doo and fiddle dee dumb" to that last statement)

I made this little treat last year and bottled it for our friends and neighbors. I know I got a few addicts from sharing. I hope you enjoy it as well. I made it again last night, and let me assure you.. it is as good as EVER!!!! Only one problem, if you have some left over, and store it in your refrigerator, you will most CERTAINLY be tempted to sneak to the refrigerator while no one is looking and stick a spoon in it.. just for a little taste. (Think more like the yummiest carmel/butterscotch sauce you have ever TASTED!)


So, without further delay.. I will share with you... BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE... think.. Ice Cream... Think Bananas.. Think a little whip cream, and think HEAVEN. From my lips to your hips baby.. ENJOY!


Trust me, you have the ingredients. Just walk to the kitchen... It comes together in a snap.. just go make it, and enjoy.. Oh, and when you do, be sure to come back and tell me what you thought! :)

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Easy Rider

I know that we have speculated as to Jaxon's future in the past. But after today, it is clear, he has a future modeling for Easy Rider. After repeated requests for us to "take pictures" of him while he was out riding his bike, Peter finally relented and got the camera. He walked over to the site of "the shoot" and started snapping.

Peter came back a few minutes later and said, "I promise, he came up with all of these poses on his own." I can attest to that because although they were around the corner, I didn't hear ANY instructions being given by Peter. Here is what I found on the camera.
Timid/Shy
Barrel of Laughs

Too Cool for School

Union!

Alternative Grunge

Parade Wave?

Very OCC (Orange County Choppers)


Catalog

Editorial

As proven by the lovely people on America's Next Top Model, I am CERTAIN you don't need an education to work as model. Maybe it will work out.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Making Candy Like Martha

I have a confession. I have a candy problem. I only have a candy problem during the Holidays. Suddenly, I can't help but make candy. At a very young age, I took an interest in candy making and would make Taffy and Divinity regularly during the holidays. I used to have a few ladies in my old hood [If you girls still even read my blog, I miss you] There were a few of us who would get together during the Holidays just to make candy. I can recall from last year at least one third degree burn and candy splatters that reached the curtain over my sink. GOOD TIMES, GOOD TIMES.



This year, I will have to candy on my own and so candy I will. I was feeling adventuresome and felt like making a kind of candy I had never made before, so, I asked Peter what his favorite home made candy was to which he informed me... ALMOND ROCA. I coulda guessed. I mean, who doesn't walk by that 5 pound box at Costco and think... oooooooooh.. I could eat that. [Ok, I guess that is just me].



Believe it or not, candy making is FUN! (YES IT IS!) And really not that complicated (NO IT IS NOT!). All you really need is a good candy thermometer, and if you don't have one of those, you can do the water test which my old neighbor Karen can do with total precision.. (truly amazing, I have never seen anything like that and I can't do it). Just buy a candy thermometer, ok?



I had never made Almond Roca before, so I decided to document it for you, and it really was easy! I debated between a recipe from recipezaar.com or Martha Stewart. Martha and I are tight and I have tried many of her recipes from her website and have not been disappointed, so, I decided to stay with the tried and true. She did not disappoint. So, from Martha, to me, to you.. here is how to make Almond Roca.


Toast yourself some raw almonds. 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes.

Put your stuff in a pot and add the candy thermometer. Cook until it reads 300.


(See, I told you it was easy)




Add 1 cup of your chopped Almonds to your candy goo and stir... pour it into a buttered dish. I used a rimmed cookie sheet, but, you could use somethin' else.






Temper your chocolate (no picture) just heat it slow, stirring often in the mircowave... 40 second the first time, less than 20 seconds every time after that. Stir it after each time. Make sure your candy has cooled a bit and spread the chocolate over your candy. Sprinkle one more cup of nuts over the chocolate. If you want to be REALLY fancy, like Martha, you can chocolate both sides.. (her recipe tells you how). Let the chocolate cure in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.


If you have buttered your pan, you should be able to lift the roca out of the pan and chop it up. If you have already scored it, it will break along the lines, (do that while it is still warm) if you have not, it will break into random pieces. Store in the refrigerator.


NEXT STEP MOST IMPORTANT: *Lay on your couch, with your airtight container propped on your unborn child and eat Almond Roca until your tongue is raw and you have developed sores all over the inside of your mouth.. Ahhhhhhhhh.. Candy.



*(note feet and body in prone position on said couch)

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

I ACTUALLY WON.

I enter giveaways.. SURE I DO! I am a hopeful person. I feel lucky... most of the time. But THIS TIME, I actually WON! I am the PROUD recipent of all of this,

Thanks sooooooooo much Calibosmom! It arrived today, perfectly packaged with no breaks or spills! You are the best!

Isn't the blogosphere GREAT?

Monday, December 1, 2008

Christmas Shopping in a DAY!

I used to think those hard core Black Friday shoppers were completely BONKERS! I mean, 5 am? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I have a date with my BED at 5:00 a.m. and have REPEATEDLY stated that NO CHILD should get out of bed before 7:00 a.m. I am a firm believer in that.

I started perusing the ads on Thursday afternoon and realized there might be a few great deals out there to be had. That getting up early MIGHT NOT be such a bad idea. Tis the year to save some dough, you know? Better yet, since I have a night owl husband, I might as well take advantage of the fact that SOME of the sales start at midnight. There were only a few items that were on a GREAT discount, but I figured, why not just send him with a list and let him go at it with the other millions of crazy people in the world. (And we all heard how crazy they were, right?) My husband said there were at least 250 people at the doors at Toys R Us and he was able to get around to what we were looking for, but did not take any ADDITIONAL time in looking for those "mystery deals" as the madness was just too much. He arrived home at 1:30 (not bad beings that it is 20 minutes away) and showed me the goods. (I am sleeping light these days). Much was accomplished, but a few things were still missing.


I decided to get up when Wade got up (hopefully not before 7:00 a.m.) and just go see what I could see. After all, I am a big fan of "crowd mentality". Sure enough, the parking lot was packed and people were walking out with their bags and bags of loot. No crazy attacks at our local Walmart, and I DID find a few deals! Like THIS for $140 (enclosure included)!!! You better believe it! The workers SAID they were all gone, but there were a few left thrown in with the regularly priced ones. I BEGGED the worker to scan it so I could verify it was the right one, and, IT WAS! I started to attract some attention and a few other stalkers... I mean, shoppers, realized that there WERE a few more available. I got some help out, and headed out the door before anyone could jump me. Mission accomplished.

We might not have snow here in AZ, but the other complaint that the children have is their lack of that big blue thing in our yard...

We sold it before we left. Hopefully this will minimize the complaining around here. One out of two ain't bad, is it? BESIDES, we DID get some of the white stuff on Thanksgiving.

Do you see it? LOOK CLOSELY! It is hail. Isn't that close enough? You better believe I made them go outside and play in it.. It IS a form a snow after all. They were dreaming of a white Christmas and GOT ONE! :)

Here is to more answered WISHES this Holiday Season!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Shorn

My baby is gone. When I would pick him up to snuggle him, sometimes I would get little tufts of fine baby hair up my nose, and I loved it. He was cute, he was baby... Now, he is not.



Now he is shorn, and I hate it. Now he looks older, and I hate it. Now, he has almost voluntarily given up his binky and started saying a TON more words almost simultaneously with his hair cut and I hate it . My friend from church said she hardly even recognized him and was so sad that his curls were gone... .I almost cried. A few months ago, I didn't think this day would come! But now, it has come and gone, and although he is still professing MANY toddler issues, I miss my baby. Good thing I am having another one I guess.


Good bye baby Wade, we will miss you. TONS. I wish you would drop the drooling as part of your growing up phase! :)

*Why did I do it? It was starting to lose its curl, and beginning to look like a complete rats nest. You can only prolong growing up for so long...

Friday, November 28, 2008

How was your BUTTERBALL?


Mine was good. . .


If you have some left over, try my favorite family tradition of left overs...



Monty Cristo's

Get your favorite white bread

(Grandma Sycamore's Please. . . affectionately referred to as Granny Bread)

Get some sliced ham and Swiss cheese

Make a french toast batter minus spices (maybe just vanilla and a wee bit o' sugar)
Make a turkey, ham and Swiss sandwich

(With mayo and mustard if you like, I think it is better that way)

Dip both sides in the french toast batter

Cook on a buttered griddle (did I say this was low fat? No.)

Over low heat (covered if you have a lid you can throw over it)


Serve with Raspberry Jam and


MMMMMMMMMMMM .....


Enjoy!


PS- DO NOT omit the Raspberry Jam. It is the key to the best Monty Cristo EVAH!!! If you are worried, serve it on the side, and dip it in. YOU WILL BE HOOKED!

Go Ahead, Elf Yourself.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards
Silly me, I thought I could post last years elf yourself too! It was in December but the ID no longer works. Enjoy this year anyway!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Today, it rained . . . .

By the way my kids acted, you would think they had never seen it before! It has rained in PHX since we moved here, but it was back in August, and, they weren't so far removed from rain because we had just moved here in June and before our move, rain was a part of our regular living.

They loved sloshing around in it and I have to admit, I didn't have a problem with it. I let them jump in puddles with their school shoes and sock on... Wade even ran around outside with no shoes on, soaking the bottoms of his pajamas. When the grandparents started to get concerned, I said, "Don't worry about it, they don't see rain that much" ME!!! I SAID THAT! I couldn't even believe it came out of my mouth!

This is someone who when it rained, kept the kids inside, swore I would lock them up if they got their school shoes wet and DESPISED muddy footprints ANYWHERE! Truth be told, my kids have been complaining that there is no snow here. I can't believe it. Who would complain about NO SNOW? (Besides my husband) Apparently they have forgotten about the 15 inches of slush on our street last year from January to March. I HAVEN'T and I DON'T MISS IT! I will admit, it is kind of hard to get into the Holiday season when you look outside to palm trees, cactus and 80 degree weather, but that is not a complaint, it is just a reality.

I have promised the kids that in the future, we will spend the holidays at the grandparents houses where there is a much better prospect for snow.. and I will MOST CERTAINLY push them outside with all their snow gear and when they want to come in after 15 minutes I will say, "OH NO! NO YOU DON'T! You miss the snow! Remember? You complain about missing it all the time! So, go play in it.... and you can come back inside in an 2 hours and tell me how WONDERFUL the snow is, and how GLAD YOU ARE that you got to stay outside and enjoy it." Think that'll happen? humpf.

In the mean time, the rain today DID add a little to our Holiday season. Just made it feel a little more like fall.. and I guess I kind of enjoyed it. (For once)

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

My Husband

Jessica tagged me to do a My Husband Tag. Most of you don't know my husband, and even if you DO, you probably don't know him well. Peter and I have been married for 8 years and I am pretty much the social butterfly for us both! I do all of the activity planning and he pretty much just follows along.

Our deal when we got married was that he would "BE A FAN" which means that whenever I got a crazy hair to do something fun i.e. party, parade, or other wild crowd related activity he would oblige. Little did I know, he has his limits... Like attending this. There is no way that he would have attended that in this life time OR the next. I guess that is ok, you can't win 'em all.

I get in trouble sometimes with Peter re: THE BLOG. He was NOT happy when it went from a "Family Blog" to my personal place for self expression. He doesn't like it much when I say our kids look like me either...So, in an effort to not step on any TOES, I decided to ASK Peter what the answer to these questions would be. It started off kind of racy so I mentioned it was "for the blog" and he fixed it up a bit.

5 Things he loves to do:

Play Games - (He LOVES playing games and I sometimes don't LOVE playing with him. He recently played an 86 point word on scrabble against me)

Watch Movies (He has been Tivoing black and white movies on AMC and watching them at night)

Eat his Wife's Cooking (What can I say)

Playing Basketball (Too bad the guys in our ward here play at 6:00 a.m!)

Tickling the Kids (This would happen to be a nightly activity. He likes tickling me too, but of course didn't state that because I HATE IT! )

5 Things on his to do list ** Again, I did NOT make this list.

Lose weight

Quit eating so much of his wife's cooking

Do Nice things for his wife (He is very good at this)

Read More

Do Home teaching

5 of Favorite Foods

PIE- (unfortunately for him, Pie doesn't float my boat. But, I accommodate him at least a COUPLE of times a year!)

Frog Eye Salad (Again, I make this twice a year. Thanksgiving and 4th of July... Just for Peter)

Pizza (No brainer... we love FRIDAY NIGHT PIZZA NIGHT!)

Sushi (Why else do you think I married him?)

No Bake Cookies

5 Things People Don't know About Him

He is an AMAZING lover (Again, his words)

He can paint! (I have been meaning to blog about this, but have been waiting for a photo of a picture he recently painted of his parents. He has also illustrated a children's book for my mom and has painted pictures hanging in his Aunt's house and in his office.)

He used to be in a band and played the bass for a band in Seattle (grunge hair doo and all)

He has watched every Marx Brother's movies and has hundreds of their quotes memorized and does a great Harpo impersonation.

He was going to teach English in Japan instead, he decided to stay here. (Because of this, he didn't end up with a very small Asian woman.. he ended up with a VERY TALL AMERICAN woman.)

5 Things he Doesn't like

People in the kitchen when he is cooking- (He HATES it when I even ENTER the kitchen if he is in there. He routinely makes grilled cheese tortillas after church on Sunday and is known as the SANDWICH MAKER in our house)

Getting up early

Speeder upper slower downers (You know who you are... you people on the freeway that refuse to use cruise control)

An angry/mad or sad wife

Going to bed- (Because this would be prime time for watching his movies or playing games. )

Monday, November 24, 2008

Mm MMMMMm Good.


I know I have not posted recipes here in AGES! That is because I started a recipe blog a long time ago.. however, I made a recipe that I had posted on my recipe blog LAST holiday season, and BOY was I glad I pulled it out again. I think you need to try it too. Surprise the kids before school in the morning, or, if you don't get your fill of pumpkin PIE over the holiday, make THESE on the weekend! They were sooooooooooo good. Not to mention, they filled my house with the smell of pumpkin PIE! (oh, I skipped the rum)

Sunday, November 23, 2008

What to do here....

This weekend we went to the Desert Botanical Gardens here in PHX. I must say, it is not someplace I would visit in the afternoon or in the summer (way, waayy, waaaayyyy too hot people) However, I would HIGHLY recommend it in the morning (they open at 8:00 a.m.) and ESPECIALLY while the Dale Chihuly Display is going on. WHO IS DALE CHIHULY you might ask? Well, click on the link silly.

You MIGHT know him if you have been to the Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV. He created the chandelier that is hanging in the entry.. he has created thousands of glass sculptures and luckily, we get to have his display here at the Desert Botanical Gardens. I was sooooooooo excited when I found out that Peter's parents would be here during the display. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to "SURPRISE!" them with it because they had already read about it on the plane. Oh well.

It was still a stunning display of artistry, and if you are a budding (or experienced) photog it would be the place to come and have a day taking FABULOUS pix! I am not a pro- nor do I have a pro camera, and I think my pix turned out pretty awesome. Here are a few of my favs.
The best part is when I handed my camera over to Abby when I was done snapping shots... Here is her subject matter....
Nice picture of my big pregnant butt Abby, thanks. You are awesome! I love looking at what she took pictures of. I was happy to hand over my camera... I wish I would have let her keep it because we went back later that night (we kept our wrist bands on) to see the display lit up at night.. and I took this picture ...
Right before I dropped my camera (WHICH HAPPENS TO BE MY BACK UP BACK UP CAMERA) and it broke.

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