Monday, November 7, 2011

Pumpkins


I've been wanting to try this pumpkin soup I saw in a book Craig brought home years ago. I never got around to buying an extra pumpkin at Halloween. This year, I decided I wanted to try it. The cool thing about it is you fill up the pumpkin and cook the whole thing in the oven. It seemed really fancy. So I filled this pumpkin up with a ridiculous amount of cream, Gruyere cheese, and toasted french bread slices with some thyme and cooked the whole thing for 2 hours. Then I scraped the wall of the pumpkin and mixed it with the rest of the filling. It wasn't too bad either. (probably because I love Gruyere cheese) You couldn't even really taste the pumpkin though, which for me, was a good thing. I'm not a huge pumpkin fan.

Above was the end result. Yummy and cheesy. I think I even ate 2 bowls of it. I'd like to find other ways to use pumpkin other then pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. I made a pumpkin pie with Abby's pumpkin patch pumpkin from school and it was ok. I don't know if it was good because I don't really like pumpkin pie. I want to grown my own pumpkins nest year for Halloween and I need some good pumpkin recipes so I can cook whatever we don't carve. Any one have any favorite recipes?

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Grandma Ney

This morning I found out that my last living grandparent had passed away. I got a call right in the middle of church (how embarrassing - I didn't turn off my cell phone) It was my mom who had left a message for me to call her. I didn't even check the message until after I had come home. I was nursing Charlie and the thought came to me that it was probably about my Grandma. My mom is not usually one to call on a Sunday morning. She died in her sleep early this morning and it was really a blessing. I think that's the way I would want to go. She suffered from dementia and alzheimers, so although we are sad, we are happy that her suffering has ended. I'm sure there is great rejoicing in heaven today and I think she is mostly happy to be back with my grandpa again.

Here are my favorite Grandma memories:

I remember her always having red hair until one time we came to visit and it was grey. I almost didn't recognize her. She said she just stopped dying it. I was shocked because it never occurred to me that old people dyed their hair.

She loved to cook eggs in bacon grease or butter. yummmmmmmmm

She had a bunch of Hummel figurines stacked on her tv and she had a record player too.

When we'd go visit her as kids, right after we got there she would send us downstairs to get a soda or juice. For us this was quite a treat.

She always kept a candy jar in her dining room, which we helped ourselves to quite often.

She could never sit still and had to be reminded to sit down and quit working.

Finally, the last time we were able to see her was last Christmas. She was pretty coherent that day. She really opened up when she saw babies. My favorite comments from her that day:
She told Dan he had a nice neck and my mom started talking about Mr. Potato Head and she interrupted and said she didn't care. Too funny. The picture above was taken during this visit.

I'll miss my Grandma, but I'm glad she's back home with her Heavenly Father and my grandpa.
She was 88 years old. A good life lived.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Feelin' Thrifty

Today, I'm feeling pretty thrifty and pretty dang proud of myself. Last week, I roasted a whole chicken and we ate it for dinner. Later that week, I used the leftover meat to make chicken enchiladas. Today I used the bones and gizzards to make some chicken stock and then I canned it for later use. Talk about stretching out $5!! I try not to waste anything, so this was perfect! I used every part of that chicken. Booyah!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Earthquakes

A couple nights ago Craig bolted up in bed while I was changing Charlie's diaper and said, "Was that an earthquake?" I calmly told him no while I called him a freak under my breath. He was half asleep and didn't remember it the next morning. The next night he asked again but was joking. And last night, or morning, I should say there really was an earthquake!! A 3.5 right here in town. What are the odds?? Craig must be psychic. Maybe I should put Samson in a bag so he won't suffocate like he told me in his sleep when we first got married.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Rice Krispy glue?

Is it just me, or does any one else think that rice krispies are made out of glue? I give them to my kids and they, of course, spill all over the table. If I'm feeling particularly lazy and don't clean it up right away, it hardens and sticks to the table. I think last time I had to scrape it off with a knife. Come on, Snap, Crackle, and Pop-I expect more from you.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

A trip down memory lane

When I'm nursing my baby, my mind usually wanders all over the place. Sometimes I remember things I need to do. Sometimes I think about how fast my kids are growing up. And then I usually fall asleep or become very drowsy. This afternoon, as I was about to drift off to dreamland I remembered something from a long time ago:

Do you remember Reese's peanut butter?? I remember when it first came out and I was so excited. Why so excited about peanut butter, besides the fact that it is so yummy and delicious? You see, I expected it to taste like the peanut butter in this:



I was sorely disappointed. It just tasted like normal peanut butter and not the candy peanut butter I had come to love. I mean, how good would that be in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?? Reese's, I'm still waiting for my jar of candy peanut butter.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Foxy Roxy


This is Roxy. She is our new puppy. Here's the story. A friend from Craig's work found this dog in the street about to get run over by a car. She saved her and brought her home, but couldn't keep her because her pit bull was trying to eat her. So she asked Craig if we wanted it. We were thinking about getting a boxer pretty soon anyway, for whenever we end up buying a house. This dog is a boxer mix and is so well-tempered that we went ahead and took her. This is the best looking stray I've ever seen. She is so good with the kids and she loves to cuddle. Yay for free dogs!!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Mud Run

Craig and I have been talking about doing a lot of things this summer so we can cross things off our bucket list. For years I've wanted to do a mud run, but the ones I knew of sold out so fast or I was pregnant when they were happening. This year, Valley Wide hosted their 1st annual mud run and I couldn't pass the opportunity up. You see, I had a baby just under 8 weeks ago. I started to train at 5 weeks post partum but only got to run for about a week and a half before A) Craig had to be at work at 6am and B) I just was too tired to get up and run. I figured, hey, a 5k is a piece of cake, I don't need to train. Ha! I'm feeling the pain today. I am sore and stiff like the old lady that I am. The good news is that I didn't finish last and got a decent time of 44:06 which I think is pretty good considering the circumstances. I would do it again in a heartbeat.



There were a lot of obstacles but unfortunately we couldn't get pictures of them. Now, onto the next adventures! I'll give you a hint of what the next one will be: it involves airplanes and me flying one. :)

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Charlie's photos








Thanks Shandee, for some amazing pictures. :)

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Story of Baby Charlie


Some of you may be wondering how the labor and delivery went with baby Charlie. Did I make it to the hospital? I sure did! Here's what happened:

On Monday night I started to have some contractions - about 10 minutes apart. I had 3 of them and they were strong enough to make me groan a little bit, so I thought this might be it. The next one was 7 minutes later. I decided to wake up Craig. He got up and was casually calling our friend Taylor to come over and watch our kids so we could go to the hospital. At this point, I'm starting to panic a little because the contractions are starting to come faster and stronger. I told him we needed to go and we were going to Moreno Valley hospital, not Riverside - I wasn't sure I would make it all that way. While Craig was piddling around doing who knows what, I told him I would be waiting in the car. After taking his sweet time to get to the car, he opens the car door and whacks his head on it and gets a huge goose egg. Then, in the car, he starts complaining to me about how much it hurts and how big the goose egg is, etc. I told him I didn't care about his dang head and to just drive and get me to the hospital. I mean, really, comparing a little bump to labor?? Bad move Craig.

So the drive wasn't too bad. I actually got some breaks in between my contractions, so I was excited about that. I think Craig got me there in about 30 minutes. Impressive. So we pull up to the emergency entrance and I barely waited for the car to stop before I bolted out of the car and into the hospital. A security guard knew that I was in labor immediately and they checked me in super-fast and got me up to labor and delivery. The first thing I told them was that I wanted an epidural NOW. (A little backstory - I had been so sick for the previous 3 weeks that I could barely get out of bed. At this point I didn't want to feel anything.) So the nurses are slowly getting the IV's hooked up and the antibiotics going. I'm thinking, you people don't understand!! If I don't get the epidural NOW it will be too late!! So they check me and I'm between a 4 and 5. The contractions are coming superfast now and I started to freak out a little. Ok, so maybe a lot. It had been about 15 minutes and they checked me again - 8 cm!!! About 2 contractions later, I started to feel the urge to push, but they wouldn't let me because the doctor wasn't there. Lame. At this point I'm screaming bloody murder and the nurse is saying to me "calm down." I'm thinking "YOU calm down!! Why don't you trade me places!" So anyway, the doctor finally gets there and they have me start pushing. Here's the worst part: they have me lie flat on my back to push! What?? That makes no sense at all. I told them I needed to sit up and they wouldn't let me. I was thinking, "I've done this before. I know how to do it and pushing on my back is the wrong way!" So because of this, it was a lot harder to push him out than it should have been. Even so, my labor was about 2 hours from start to finish. At least Charlie gave me an extra 45 minutes to get to a hospital.

Because I was strep positive, I had to stay in the hospital an extra day, since I had only gotten about 30 minutes of antibiotics during labor. They needed to run some blood and urine cultures on Charlie to make sure he was ok, which he was. He's a strong little baby. He can already hold his head pretty steady and can roll to his side. Oh, and he was 7lbs 1 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Welcome baby Charlie!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Update

I had my 39 week appointment today. The result? STILL 3cm dilated. I've been that way for about 2 weeks now. So my doctor decided to give me a "vigorous" pelvic exam to get things going, or in other words, she stripped my membranes. Oh, and I'm not being induced, by the way. I decided against it, unless, of course, the baby decides to stay in too long. Anyhow, I am now taking bets on if I'll make it to my due date or not. Let the fun begin!

Monday, February 28, 2011

To be or not to be...

I've recently had a conversation on facebook about religion. It has basically been a discussion between those that are religious versus those that aren't. It started with one person saying she was baffled by educated people who were religious. Now, I consider myself to be educated. I have a bachelor's degree. I keep up with current events (mostly). It surprises me to hear a comment like this, because I would think an educated person would not be devoted to a religion without going through a trial period to see if they believed that it was a true religion. To assume that someone educated would choose against religion, I believe, is ignorant.

Here is why I am for religion, not necessarily any particular faith, but religion in general:

George Washington best stated it in his farewell address of September 19, 1796. (This is long, but so good)

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of the religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice. And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

'Tis substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule indeed extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?...

Observe good faith and justice toward all Nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be that good policy does not equally enjoin it? It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and at no distant period, a great nation to give to mankind the magnanimous and too novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence. Who can doubt that in the course of time and things the fruit of such a plan would richly replay any temporary advantages which might be lost by a steady adherence to it? Can it be, that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a nation with its virtue? The experiment, at least, is recommended by every sentiment which ennobles human nature. Alas! is it rendered impossible by its vices?"

The quote is a little lengthy and wordy, but it does have a valid point. In a religious society, there is a moral obligation to a higher power, which guides moral conduct. Without this sense of accountability, society starts to degrade. The current social state of our country is a prime example. Values that were once considered essential have now been pushed to the way-side as people abandon religion and are left to figure out how to live on their own. Families are disintegrating, more and more children are being born into broken homes, and morality among all ages is rapidly decreasing. If there is no consequence, beyond the laws of the land, to our actions, why try to be a good person? There's no law against being a jerk and being selfish, so there's no consequence. But if you believe in the existence of an afterlife, where there are consequences to your actions, you tend to be a lot more careful about what you do. You try to help others, you try to be compassionate, you try to be a good person. Without religion, you take away morality, and that, my friends, is why I believe religion is vital.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

My Amish quest

For the past couple of years, I have found myself becoming more and more Amish. It started when I decided to make my own jam. I would get these delicious strawberries from a stand and make it into the best strawberry jam ever. So much better than store bought. Then Craig bought a 10 lb box of peaches from a farmer in Beaumont and there was no way we would be able to eat those before they went bad, so I canned them. They, also, were way better than the store bought canned peaches. Then, people with apricot trees and pear trees let me pick a ton of fruit from their trees to take home and I canned those also. Way better then store bought. Well, maybe not the pears. I still need to perfect my canning methods for those. All this got me wanting to have everything fresh right in my own back yard. I bought an apricot, peach, and avocado tree and was given a pomegranate tree. All are still small and not really producing yet, but they will. I'm dying for a new house where I can plant all the things I want and can hopefully get the majority of my produce from my own home.

All of this slowly turned into me not wanting to have any processed food in the house. I started making everything from scratch, including bread, so we could have fresh, home cooked meals. Don't worry, I haven't gone completely overboard, yet. I still buy goldfish and granola bars and all the kid snack stuff, but slowly, I am weeding out all the junk that you can buy in stores. Someday, I hope to make my own cheese. I'm thinking this is the best kind of food storage you can get because it is self sustaining. You don't have to rely on someone else for your food. So there you have it. I am slowly turning Amish. Well, except for the internet. I think it would take a lot for me to become unplugged.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Decisions, Decisions...

or




Right now I am 33 weeks pregnant, which has got me thinking a lot about how I am going to deliver. My doctor has been talking about inducing me early, on account of my last very fast labor, but I'm not sure how I feel about that. I was induced with Abby and I think she could have been cooked a little longer, given how small she was when she was born, which makes me anti-induction. Then I think of my experience with Rex...do I really want that again?? I don't want to be soiling our awesome new van. But I'm also strep-positive this pregnancy, which means that they want to run IV antibiotics during labor. If I'm not induced, the worst that will happen is that they'll keep us in the hospital longer to make sure the new baby isn't sick. So I'm kinda torn between the two. While I would love to have a fast labor again, I would not love to have the baby in the car again, especially because it takes a million years to get a birth certificate and social security card that way. But with being induced, I can plan for everything in advance, like who's going to watch my kids, etc. What do you guys think?


Monday, January 24, 2011

Cauliflower Alfredo sauce

So I was over at a friends house yesterday, and she made some yummy Alfredo sauce. But here's the kicker...she added a whole head of pureed cauliflower to it!! What an added nutritional bonus! It made the sauce nice and creamy and cut out a ton of fat. Add some chicken, broccoli and pasta and you've actually got a pretty healthy meal! Next time I make Alfredo, I'm doing it this way. Thanks, Taylor!

1 head of Cauliflower (pureed makes about 3-4cups)

1 small oinion
2 cloves of garlic
3-4 tbs butter
3-4 tbs flour

1 cup half and half
1 cup Chicken broth
1/2-1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste.

Cut up cauliflower cook in water with a little bit of salt and pepper for about 10 mins or until soft with the lid on. Then cook with lid off until the water is almost gone. While the cauliflower is cooking I sauteed the onions and garlic in a little butter until soft. Once the cauliflower is done I put in a blender or you can use a hand blender add the onions and garlic to the cauliflower then blend until creamy.

Now in a sauce pan create a Rue by melting the butter then add the flour and whisk it. let the flour cook for a min to cook out the flour taste. Then whisk in the cauliflower mixture, half and half, and chicken broth. I also added some salt and pepper. Once it has thickened then add the cheese and salt again to taste.

You can add in chicken and broccoli too like I did.

This recipe feeds 5-7 people.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

New Years Resolutions

Well, the new year is here. It's that time to revisit old goals, blah, blah, blah. My trick with resolutions is to only make one a year that I can actually stick to. Last year, it was to do my visiting teaching and I must say, I failed miserably. I started out good, but then I just slacked off. I was thinking about doing it again this year, until I could actually do it for the whole year, but then realized that probably won't happen. Since I'm expecting baby #3 in March, I figure there will be at least one month I don't do it, so I'm going to make my resolution one that is attainable. So here it is...........(drum roll please!)


No More White Trash Yard!!!!!!!!!!

I know what you're thinking. You live in a mobile home. That's impossible. But I beg to differ. About a month ago I was trimming trees and blowing some leafs off the rocks and one of our neighbors gave me the thumbs up. I then realized that we are the house on the street that the neighbors are embarrassed of.

We have a so-called easy care yard. Let me tell you something. They are liars. Every time it rains, those stinking weeds start growing up through the rocks with a vengeance. It's not like I can just mow them up like I would on a normal lawn. I have to either pull them up individually or blast them with weed killer, which is hard to do when you have a 3 year old and 1 year old following you around.

So my goal is to take one section of yard to work on each Saturday. If I can do this, maybe by spring it will look good and I can plant some bushes or something where the weeds usually get the worst. We'll see how that goes.

So Happy New Year to you all and may all your resolutions be attainable!