Fondue Soup

Ingredients:

2 boxes Swanson Organic Vegetarian Vegetable broth, 32 oz. each
9-12 pork chops, trimmed and cubed
2-3 cups broccoli
2-3 cups cauliflower
1 orange bell pepper,cut in to small pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut in to small pieces

Add vege broth, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley (all to taste) to a pot to simmer.

Once to boiling point, transfer to fondue pot over flame.

Stab ingredients with fondue skewers and set in pot that is no longer boiling.

Wait three minutes.

Check food for doneness.

Put back in pot.

Wait another five.

Check again.

Put back in pot.

Wait another two.

Take a bite.

Decide this is stupid, dump broth back in to original pot and add all of above ingredients.

Simmer for about 10 minutes while you boil some rice.

Put some rice into a bowl, pour soup over top.

Note the plethora of colors; the savory blend of all the flavors dancing together in the broth... and then...

YOU EAT.

No more of this waiting-for-a-single-bite-to-cook nonsense. ;)

Moral of this story:  When life doesn't work out the way you planned, throw everything in the pot and eat it with rice.

p.s. Unless you're at The Melting Pot and you've got a couple hours to kill, save the fondue stuff for chocolate and cheese. ;)

p.p.s.  I really wish I had taken a picture, it really was a pretty dish.  But, dude, I was HUNGRY.  My whole family loved it - it's official name on my recipe card is, "(Used to be) Fondue Soup".  YUM

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR

That's what I put on the cake I gave to Matt to tell him we're pregnant.  :)

He came home while I was doing the letters so they're a tad rushed... lol

I wasn't sure how long I could wait before I told people.  It was two days, for the record.  hahaha! (Karen, you know me better than to expect me to wait a few months! hee hee!)

I also wasn't sure if I was going to tell yet because it still doesn't seem real.  The test says it is.  My lack of period today says it is.  But nothing else does.  I hate this feeling, because then I worry that there's nothing there and I'll get my hopes up for nothing.

I've had a miscarriage, before, and the worst part about it was telling people.  Not because it was a hard thing to get through (though it was for reasons not of the normal sort), but because I really hated how people reacted.  Don't feel sorry for me, people, I'm stronger than you think.  Just say, "Oh.  Well, life goes on.", then walk away.  No hugs, no sob stories, no whining... just let. it. go.  lol

Anyway, we're excited! I've started exercising, so I'm hoping to keep that up in hopes for a healthy, strong pregnant body. 

There's a story behind this pregnancy, though.  It's sort of funny.  To us, anyway.

So, a while ago, I was really gung ho for this baby thing, right? Plastered it all over facebook, might have even blogged about it...

Then I started the new get-healthy thing.  I started to reconsider the whole baby thing.  So we started preventing.  For a good part of this month (except for six days after my last period - I know, TMI.  Deal with it.), we've been "preventing".  Apparently, though, my ovulation days aren't "by the book".  That or our prophylactic paraphernalia didn't work.  Either way, we got a baby, anyway.  All we can do is laugh and be excited.  :)

Haven't been to the doctor yet for the blood test, which, to me, will be the reality point.  I have to wait till June 9th for that.  That's going to be a long time.  :)

Resident Weed Puller

My Natalie has brought me more flowers than anyone else in this whole wide world.

And I've loved them.  Even if they do look like this:

She called this one lucky:

You know, sort of like a four leaf clover! :)

Morbidity at its finest

My kids are so weird.

What's really sad, is this is not the first time this has happened to a poor, unsuspecting toy at my house.  I swear we don't watch rated R movies, don't even own any.  The most violence my kids get out of TV is Star Wars, and I can't say there are any hangin's on those movies.  Not too sure where they got it from.  LOL

Bragging Rights

Alright, they're not really my bragging rights since I'm not the one I'm bragging about, but my daughter has them 100%.

Remember this?

Well, Natalie's MAP scores caught the GATE teacher's attention, so I gave my consent for her to be tested into GATE.

She rocked that test! I got a call today from the teacher saying she "rarely sees a score that high".  She was supposed to get at least a 120.  She got a 137!! The teacher said if a student gets a 130, that's high. 

To say I'm so proud of my smarty pants daughter would be putting it lightly.  Yep, they get it from me.  ;)

 :) << (me beaming with pride)

A Little Something I've Learned From Doing Daycare...

1. Never babysit for moms who know each other or work together.  They talk.
2. Watch what you say.  You may think what you said was harmless, but words can be twisted and passed along.  See #1.
3. Have a plan for every day.  Kids love and need structure.  So do I.
4. Don't say "yes" to someone thinking you can handle one more kid.  Stick with what you've got.
5. Be sure you know the childcare laws inside and out.  Then follow them.
6. Have separate toys - your kids' toys and daycare toys.
7. Patience really is a virtue.  If you don't have it, don't do daycare.
8. Be careful how you discipline.  Ask the parents what they expect in this area and work together.
9. Parents don't need to know everything you do or don't do during the day.  Be trustworthy, but it's your "business".  You wouldn't go into Walmart and tell them how to run their business, would you?
10. And the biggest thing I've learned from doing daycare - some people are made for this, some are not.  I'm not.  (lol)

So why do I do it? I like the extra money more than I don't like the parental gossip/extra poop/extra mess/whining/crying/naughtiness.  Mostly.  And I won't to do it forever.  Next year, I'm only watching ONE BOY, the one that's Quin's age.  And, of course, the little girl I've been watching since babyhood.  TAKE THAT, DFS! I DARE SOMEONE TO TURN ME IN, NOW! (jerks)

Two more weeks till summer vacation!!! Hallelujah!

New Toy

How did you spend your last 24 hours?

We spent our last 24 hours going to and from Rapid City, SD.  What a quick trip!

We drove there (two hour drive)

The five of us were crammed into my small Envoy, watching a rigged portable DVD player

Unloaded into our hotel room (I love hotels!)

Watched some TV

Tried to get the two year old to sleep (he and I got the bed - a plank on springs - daddy ended up on the floor - I had to whisper/sing Twinkle Little Star over and over and over...)

Woke up WAY too early

Ate free food

Swam

Did quick walk-through of Toys-R-Us

Ate lunch

Bought me new sunglasses at Walmart (sat on my old ones - oops)

Oh, and I got 3/4 through a book I started when we left

Then, we took my crowded little Envoy, and went and got this:

We've been looking for one for a while.  The dealership here was lame, so we looked at a bigger one in Rapid.  They didn't have one, but they looked and looked for well over a month for the exact year, make, model, extras, mileage, and price that we wanted, and they found one for us! We were able to trade my car in (they paid it completely off!), and drove off with this beauty.  We love it! (I love the sunroof and dvd player!)

Gimme an L! Gimme a T!

The other day, Quin brought me his newest Lego creation.  He held it up and said, "T, Mommy, T!" So I hurried to grab the camera... He saw this and ran away.  I literally had to chase after him, made him hold up his T, then tried to take a picture.  The first one came out too fuzzy, but the second one came out well - though, you can tell his attention was quickly being averted elsewhere:

Then, he made an L and brought it to me.  This time, he held a little more still for the photo op:

Such a smarty.  :)

I'll take that as a compliment!

I've been debating posting this for a while, but it's just too cool (to me) to keep to myself.  :)

The other day, we went to Home Depot for some garden goods.  I got out of the car, first, and meandered over to the flowers to have a look-see. 

When my husband joined me, he was laughing and said, "I looked over and saw some woman bent over and I thought 'she has a nice butt.'  Then you stood up and I saw that it was you! I thought you were still in the car!"

He hesitated in telling me because he didn't want me to think he was checking out other women, but had to tell me because he thought I would get a kick out of that.

I did.  I think it's awesome that if my husband didn't know who I was, he'd still find me attractive.  :)

IFO's

Imagine you're the nursery leader... The kids are all at the table, eating their snack... You decide to do a little pick-up of things ending up on the floor...

You go to reach for what you think reminds you of a black wrapper or something... get a closer look... and find this:

A bat.

We didn't take this picture, but it looked just like this, minus the hand. 

Imagine this little thing on the floor.  In the nursery.  Just feet away from your kids. 

And you almost picked it up.

I'll wait while you shiver and wring your hands free from the furry, wriggly feeling of holding a bat.

Better now? Ok.

We quickly ushered the kids across the hall and I went and got a member of our bishopric.  He quickly disposed of it, saying it's heart was beating fast and he was breathing hard and squeaking.

We were in nursery for an hour and half before we noticed it! HOW?? What if a child had picked it up???

It was funny, they all learned a new word today.  "Bat! Bat! See the bat!"

Quin was obsessed with them for the rest of the day and kept saying "Scary!".

So, we had to make him a bat he could fly around himself.  I was remembering that when Andur was Quin's age, he had an obsessive fear of bats.  I made him one, too.  :)

Natalie made Quin's:

Speaking of cool flying things... (Yeah, bats are cool - when they're in a ZOO!)

We saw this in our neighbors backyard tree, today! I ran over to get a pic from their back patio, but we didn't want to scare it by opening the door.  So I took one through the glass.  Very cool!

Who said Sundays are boring?!

Sunday Funnies

We recently acquired some new church movies for Sunday viewing...

Today, we were introducing our kids to "Legacy", which, apparently, they've seen somewhere, before.

Anyway, we were all taking note how the Joseph they used was a little, um, how you say... cheesy.

Andur said:  "He looks like an actor from the 80's or something..."

Natalie said:  "He looks like Han Solo with Princess Leia's hair!"

If you've seen it, you probably know just what they're talking about.  :)  Nevertheless, it was a good flick.  :)

NEW BLOG ALERT

I did it.  I finally decided to go public.  Curious? Go here to check it out.  :)

Things my two year old can open, and does...

• Bedroom doors
• Front door
• Water bottles
• Pantry doors
• Fridge doors
• Bum cream lid
• Wipes
• Essential oils lids
• Cupboards
• Silverwear drawer
• Pencil drawer
• Linen closet
• Cracker boxes that he got from the pantry
• Printer cover
• Bluray player
• DVD cases
• My chapstick
• His car window when he's in my car 
• Coat closet
• Diaper bag

Every day is an adventure at my house.  We're in trouble when he figures out how to unlock things or climb gates.

Puke Stains

I already knew that, actually... that puke stains.  I've struggled to clean it out of carpet WITH MY HANDS many times.  (Someone really needs to buy me an upholstry/carpet cleaner.)

But did you know it can also stain toilet lids?

Guess how I know?!

If you guessed it's because my well-meaning, but very slow daughter somehow made it just in time to spew all over the TOP of the toilet instead of inside, you'd be right!

Now I have a pink splotch on my toilet lid.  Haven't tried Magic Eraser, yet.  It also managed to get on the floor, the rug, the back side of the toilet and my hand-wash only shower curtain. 

Fun, fun things.

I'm not complaining, though.  We've managed to avoid every other stomach bug/strep/flu this season.  (Quick, get me some wood to knock on!)

Getting wiser...

One of my Washington friends is celebrating her 10th anniversary this month (congrats, guys!) and posted some pretty great things one should remember in a marriage.  I wanted to have them for my very own, so I put them on my blog, too.  Feel free to share them with me - she's pretty smart!

Selfishness is the #1 cause of divorce. I didn't understand it when I first heard that (pre-marriage), but selfishness can creep into finances, affections, time, energy. Be a giver.

Communicate, communicate, communicate. About everything. (But if you're like me, don't communicate about important things after ~10pm because I'm too tired/sensitive/offendable to communicate effectively.) Oh, and don't assume you know what your spouse is thinking.

We're on the same team. This was a big one for me when we were first getting used to marriage. I often felt defensive about silly things and needed this reminder.

Read "The 5 Love Languages" and take the quiz together. Not only did I learn what love languages John needs, I learned what I really need isn't what I thought I needed. It was eye-opening and a huge blessing to our marriage.

Your spouse can't fill all of your needs all of the time. They can maybe fill 80%, but if you focus on the 20% they don't fill, you'll be unhappy (and when people go elsewhere for what they aren't getting from their spouse, they discover that spouse #2 can only fill about 80% of their needs).

Always give 100% and accept your partner's best. Marriage isn't a competition, nor is it about justice or equality. It's about being a team.

Is nagging and criticizing my spouse about [insert pet peeve] worth wrecking my marriage? The small choices you make today determine the path your marriage is on tomorrow. So what if he/she leaves their clothes on the floor every single day? Or doesn't change as many diapers as you? etc. etc. Be patient with your spouse's faults. Decide that marital bliss is more important than dirty socks on the floor.

Don't bash your spouse. Especially to friends or your mother. There are two instances when I think it's okay to talk bad about your spouse: 1) to God, because you'll feel rebuked before you can get the words out. 2) to an ecclesiastical leader or marriage counselor, because ideally, they won't take sides or harbor resentment.

Go on dates and getaways. Spend a little money now, on having fun and nurturing your friendship, instead of later, on marriage counseling. Have common interests and support your spouse's interests.

Include Heavenly Father in your relationship. He wants you to succeed, and He will give you the help you seek.

Good stuff, isn't it? :) Thanks, Laura!

To the Mothers in life

I didn't get on the computer much on Saturday to do this, nor do I get on on Sundays... so, I wanted to do it, now.

I want to say thank you to the mothers in my life.

To my mom, Mom - you rock.  Raising nine kids to perfection is no laughing matter.  But you did it.  At least, with your first one.  (haha!) Thanks for teaching me my greatest quality - strength - and for telling me over and over again that I had a lot of it.  I believed you and still do, perhaps because you did tell me over and over.  I hold on to that.  Thank you for teaching me "When there's a will, there's a way." I don't know many people who's will is stronger than mine.  Call it stubbornness, call it annoyingly persevering, but it's done me good.  I use it whenever I can to get my way.  ;) Thank you for teaching me how to handle life with humor and patience.  I'd like to think I've mastered the humor part, but patience is a life-long quest, I've decided.  You used to tell me how patient I was, I held on to that, too.  Thank you for teaching me not to judge others, to be accepting of everyone and to see the good in any situation.  Thank you for being my rock when I needed something to lean on.  Thank you for teaching me about hope.  Thank you for always listening to the bad stuff, even when you feel like you can't do anything but listen.  I will always listen to my kids because you taught me that.  Thank you for passing down your love of reading.  Books rock, too.  :) Thanks for being a great mom, for teaching me how to be a great mom and for being my friend.  I love you!

To my mother-in-law, Karen - you rock, too.  Thanks for raising me a good husband.  Thanks for always being so generous and willing to help.  Thank you for supplying my kids' wardrobe for as long as I can remember.  Thank you for coming to visit and letting us stay with you when we come to visit.  Thank you for the advice you've given over the years.  Thank you for the recipes, the answers to food questions, and the support during some hard times.  Thank you for welcoming me in to your family and making me feel like I've always belonged.  Thank you for being my friend! :) I love you!

Now, to the mother of my children, Self - you rock, too! Thanks for not bailing on our first baby when he wouldn't stop crying and wouldn't nurse well.  Thanks for sticking around when our second baby almost did you in and seperated you from your family for two weeks at birth.  Thanks for welcoming our third baby when he decided we weren't done having kids and then cried and cried and cried for four months straight.  Thanks for not beating our children when they probably deserved it.  Thanks for loving them no matter what.  Thanks for teaching them good things; how to be happy and laugh and work.  Thanks for marrying someone great who's willing to help you raise these great people.  Thanks for always keeping the house clean and making sure you're not the only one making that happen.  Thank you for waking up every morning to do the same monotonous thing you've done every day for the past 9+ years.  Thank you for coming up with creative ways to keep their lives interesting and their minds ever developing.  Thank you for not working outside of the home so your kids have a mom to come home to after school and a mom to call should they get sick or get in trouble.  You do so much for our kids! Never second-guess yourself, you're a very smart person.  You're a good mom and always strive to do what's best for our family! I love you!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Tramp Talk and Gardening

The weather's finally almost nice enough that we're starting our garden (June 5th is actually the statistically safe day for planting in my town).  We've been growing little plants in our bedroom window for a couple months, now, and I think they're more than ready to stretch their little legs.

Garden season also means tramp season around here.  We took the tarp off for the winter and put it back up today.

While we were discussing further garden plans (it's gonna be a little haven!), we overheard our son calling a time-out:  "Hold on, hold on, I just got kicked in the face - by myself!"

How a person can manage that is beyond me.  I can only imagine such flexibility, but I suppose anything's possible when your body's flopping around in sub-gravity conditions.  ;)

We finally reached 70 degrees, today! Bring on the warm!

Couldn't have said it better...

For the past few days, there have been a lot of different perspectives on a recent turn of events.  I'm speaking of the death of Osama Bin Laden.  Some have celebrated.  Well, most have celebrated.  Some have put forth the question, "How is our killing better than his killing?" Some even wonder when retaliation will take place.  My feelings have been mixed.  Yes, a bad man is dead, one we've been hunting for TEN years, but I haven't been able to bring myself to "celebrate" his death.  I came across this article today, here, and I thought I'd repost it, as it expresses what I've failed to be able to do: 

Osama & the Atonement

Wed, 05/04/2011 - 21:46

In light of the recent death of Osama bin Laden, I think it is the perfect time to take note of the importance of forgiveness and compassion.

Don’t get me wrong, I am glad to be rid of his direct influence, but there is a bigger lesson to be learned here.

It is easy to forget that this man is our brother. He didn’t make great decisions on this earth and in due time justice will be served.

However, I cannot think of him without compassion in my heart. He is our brother and we should show him the mercy and love that we would show to our biological siblings when they make mistakes.

Never forget that the hymn “I Am a Child of God” applies to all people on the earth, including the ones who cause great harm. The profound words of “Love One Another” have much greater meaning in this context.

Instead of bashing the memory of Osama, let us take the higher road and remember the atonement is for his benefit as well.

Micaela Anderson
Chantilly, Va.

Wonder Boy

This morning, after breakfast, my son asks me, "Are eggs dairy?"

I said, "Um, no.", kind of sarcastically, because this kid likes to ask dumb questions that we both know he knows the answer to.

Or at least that's what I'd like to think, because then he says, "Well, they go in dairy foods, like cookies and cake. 

Imagine me with a look of utter... yeah, I don't even know how to describe it.

This coming from the kid who, minutes before, told me he scored 214 wpm on his Dibels test.  They were aiming for 100 wpm. 

Some times I wonder about that kid.  :)

Christmas in...May?

During one of my gardening classes, one of our teachers brought in a couple plants to show comparison in sizes due to containers and such... they were all from the same plant, which was a Christmas Cactus that was cultivated from another cactus that's been around for years in a restaurant that used to be a hotel many moons ago.  At the end of the class, the teacher did a drawing to see who would be taking these babies home.

I was the first name drawn!! So, I've been loving on this re-birthed cactus since I got it a couple months ago, and it's starting to bloom!

This was a couple days ago:

This is today:

Love it! I have a piece of Gillette "history" (haha) blooming on my kitchen window sill!

To Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars.  See if they slow down.


2. Page yourself over the intercom.  Don't disguise your voice!

3. Every time someone asks you to do soemething, ask if they want fries with that.

4. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks.  Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.

5. In the memo field of all your checks, write "For marijuana".

6. Skip down the hall rather than walk and see how many looks you get.

7. Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

8. Specify that your drive-through order is "to-go".

9. Sing along at the opera.

10. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you have a headache.

11. When the money comes out of the ATM, scream "I won! I won!".

12. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot yelling "Run for your lives! They're loose!".

13. Tell your children over dinner, "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go.".

Enjoy The Ride, Life is Short!!