Dirt

It is both a blessing and a curse to have wood floors and a bag less vacuum.  I promise I vacuum often.  It was empty before I started.  This is just the upstairs.  GROSS!!

 

 

Meet the Digger Family

 

Princess M's new pets arrived today.  She is a mix of nerves and excitement.  Princess E burst into tears and was so scared of them and didn't want me to open the vial to dump them in the farm. 

 

We taped the lid back on tight, air holes are on the sides.  As long as they stay in their own home and out of my home we should all get along just fine.

30 things - 5

If I could have 3 wishes today what would I wish for?

1- A new house, complete with all new matching furniture, a family room, a big kitchen with a pantry, less stairs, less trees, no bugs, organized craft room and laundry room.

2-  King J to have a job where he can work from home and make the big bucks. 

3- That all my hard work to loose more weight would start working and I would see results on the scale again.

30 things - 4

10 things I would tell my 16 year old self

10- You are beautiful!!  Even if you only hear it from your mom and dad.  Believe them!
9- It's going to hurt your heart, a lot,  for several years that you don't get asked out on many dates.  Both in college and High school. But don't  loose hope.  A man, who is more than anything your heart can even imagine, is right around the corner.  But you have to go through these rough years of not feeling good enough for anyone to want to be with you to truly realize just how special this man is and to truly appreciate the magic that the two of you together create.
8- You are talented! Be grateful that you found out young what some of your talents are.  Work hard to develop those talents and know that God will open many doors and be able to touch many hearts because of your talent to create beautiful things with nature.
7- Be kind to your little brother.  He will be one of your best friends someday.
6- Being a mom will be everything you have always thought it would be.  But again you will have to be brave.  Where much is given, much is required.  Heavenly Father knows just how truly wonderful you are so he is going to put you to the test.  Keep close to him.  The reward is worth far more than pain and trials and discomfort.
5- You are going to be a ROCKSTAR missionary!  Believe what it says in your patriarchal blessing.  The lessons you learn while serving will stay with you for the rest of your life.  And you will join the ranks of those annoying RM's who always have a story about their mission to go with every Sunday lesson or talk they give.  But you will understand why and love telling them too.
4- You have more friends than you think.
3- Don't worry, you won't work at KFC forever, and you will eventually crave it again. :)
2- Even though you don't think it will ever happen in a 1000 years.  You will own a minivan someday, and you will LOVE it!
1- Enjoy life more.  Don't be so afraid of what others will think of you if you let loose and act a little crazy from time to time.  It's OK to be silly.  SMILE!!

Family Game Day

So we are having a family game day. In the line up is pickup sticks. I put all my sticks on my upper lip and say, "I mustache you a question!" Without missing a beat princess M says, "ask my mustache a question!" We are in stiches

 Lol she is gold today. 

"What did the pistachio say to the mustache? 

Get on my face so I can be a mustachio!"

Wild about cookies

We had our first cookie booth today. 

There is a contest this year for the troop that has the best "blinged" booth.  So since we are using the funds we raise this year to go to the Pine Acers Wild Animal Safari we decided to

Go Wild for Cookies.

 

Turned out pretty good if you ask me. :)

Circus

 

We had such a fun night tonight as a family.  Such talented performers. 

Love that we have had so much fun this week thanks to the Girl Scouts and all the great opportunities that are offered to us.

Day with the girls

I am SO glad I was feeling a little better today and I didn't have to send the girls to their fun activities today without me.  Still haven't passed the stone, as I am still feeling a little discomfort, but I was able to be a normal mom today and it felt great!!

We got to go on a behind the scenes tour of Stevie B's pizza.  They got to make their own, eat it, and use tokens to win prizes.  Then we went roller skating.  They had a ball.

Princess M was the bravest, even though she used the walker the whole time, she did most of her skating out on the regular rink instead of the carpeted sidelines.  (where were the awesome walkers when we were kids.  Genius!!)

Lemon anyone??

 

I'm getting desperate.  Ready to try anything. 

I found another home remedy that I thought I would try.

 

You start by drinking 8 oz of fresh squeezed lemon juice.  Wait 10 minutes and drink 8 oz of water.  Then every hour for 12 hours drink another oz of lemon and 8 oz of water. 

 

I decided to do it fasting so it would have a better chance of it getting to the stone.  As a side benefit it is not only a kidney cleanse but a liver and colon cleanse as well.

 

Just in case anyone was wondering....drinking 8 oz of fresh squeezed lemon juice is nasty. But if it does the trick I will do it 12 more times with a smile.

 

 

 

Update, I haven't passed it yet,  still feel a little pain back there.  But it definitely shrunk it.  It is almost 5 pm and I haven't had any pain meds today and I have had lots of fun with the kids on girl scout outings.

 

 

Still waiting.....

Frustrated!!  Still down, flushing fluids.  It's weird because the last time I had a stone, 7 years ago, I felt like I was being stabbed to death.  But this time it is more annoying than anything.

 It hurts, but it's a different kind of hurt.  Kinda like someone has a fist in my back and I just need them to remove it.  I wake up and feel fine and think, hey it passed while I was sleeping.  Then around lunch time there it is.  I think everything just gets settled in the night and I'm not drinking.  Then once I am up and doing stuff and downing the water it says hello again.

Well at least I am have time to gut the girls room before they come home this afternoon.

Didn't work

I had high hopes for the miracle cure.  But still down with a pain in my back.  Still pumping the fluids. 

Had a fun concert to go to tonight (Juke box the Ghost) that was part of King J's Christmas present.  But had to ask someone to use them for us instead.  I feel really crappy.  Just one more thing we have to miss out on because of my body.  Can't wait to be resurrected and have it made perfect someday. 

Hope it passes soon.

Home Remedy

 

Trying a home remedy to pass this 5 mm sucker. 2 liters of coke with lemon juice within 15 minutes. Wait 10 minutes and down 1 bunch of pureed asparagus. Phosphoric acid in the coke dissolves the sharp edges, citric acid in lemons shrinks it and asparagus is natural diuretic.

 Found the recipe and reviews here.

Finished the coke. Feel like I'm going to puke. Don't know how the asparagus is going to fit. Hope this works.

 

Asparagus puree, pretty darn tasty. Tastes like split pea soup.

 

Oh my....stomach so full...

 

2 hours later.......Nothing yet. But I can feel that it has moved. 

And no drugs today (well some Tylenol this morning). 

Change of plans

Spending the day in the Chattanooga ER with a kidney stone is not how I envisioned our romantic kidless weekend to begin. At least the drugs kicked in. Waiting to see if they are going to blast it or let me try and pass it on my own. :'(

5mm that has a 50/50 chance of passing by itself.  Verdict, pain meds and pee meds and drink lots to help it pass. 

This isn't the kind of stones a girl hopes to get for Valentines Day.  At least my sweetie is by my side and already had a few days scheduled off.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

 

I won!  I won!  So you know on FB how people are always trying to get you to like their page if they have a home business?  As an incentive for liking and spreading the word you are entered into a free giveaway?  Well a friend of a friend just started selling Origami Owl Living lockets.  I saw one a few weeks ago and thought it was SO cool. 

 

You start by choosing a locket and chain style and then choose from several hundred charms to go inside.  There are also metal plates with words that can go inside as well as cool dangles for the outside.  Well the gift certificate I won was for the locket, chain and 3 charms.

 

So I chose the diamond birthstone to represent both of my princess', the pearl for King J, and the I love you hand for them all. 

 

I am going to host a party and earn the other charms I would like, a ctr shield, a flower and probably another diamond.  As well as a silver plate that says blessed.  I can't wait.

Valentines Day 2013

 

It all started when my man told me the night before V day to lay down and he was going to give me a foot rub.  I had been on my feet from 9 am-5 pm helping at the school for teacher appreciation.  It was HEAVEN!!  Then I woke up to a gift certificate for a hour long massage at a place here in town.  SO excited and happy he listened to all of my hints. :)

 

For our V day dinner we decided to do something we haven't ever done.  We borrowed a really cool crockpot that had 3 itty bitty pots.  Perfect for fondue.  (on my list of must haves it's really cool) 

I made 2 different cheese sauces and 1 chocolate.  The cheese was awesome!!  But the chocolate seized up.  Still tasted good, but looked terrible.  We dipped chicken, little smokies, cheesy bread, mixed veggies, strawberries and angle food cake.  SO good.  We liked it so much we decided we want to make it a tradition every year.

 

Here's the recipe for the cheese, I split the recipe and did half the swiss (which was the favorite) and the other with the Mexican blend of cheese.

 

2 c. swiss cheese*
2 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
a few dashes of nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste


directions:
1. Peel garlic and mince into a large sauce pan. Rub the sauce pan with the minced garlic for flavor.

2. Grate cheese and mix with 1 Tbsp. of flour.

3. Melt the butter in the sauce pan over med-low heat. Add the rest of the flour. Stir well until smooth roue is formed. Add 1/2 cup of milk and continue to stir until smooth. Add the remaining milk, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to about the consistency of light cream.

4. Add a handful of the grated cheese. Continue to stir, letting the cheese melt. Add another handful of cheese and stir until it melts. Continue this until all the cheese is added and melted.

5. Once the cheese is smooth stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper

6. Add the lemon juice, stirring more until the mixture is smooth.

7. Warm your fondue pot and add in the cheese. Serve immediately with your favorite dippers.

 

 

Teacher Appreciation part 2

 

I was sneaky at Christmas time when I was in helping in the classrooms and I traced all of the kids hands and made a quilt for both of their teachers. 

 

 They loved them.

Teacher Appreciation

 

It's teacher appreciation week.

 

I am so busy....

 

All of the room moms have been decorating each day and making fun treats to take in for all of the faculty and staff.  This is one of the fun treats I made.  Chocolate covered spoons with crushed peppermint for the hot chocolate bar.  So fun. So easy.

 



Valentine Dog and Cat

We made the princess' valentine boxes for FHE tonight.  I found some great inspiration on pintrest and they made them their own.  I think they turned out pretty darn cute.

Black Bean Brownies

I have a friend who peaked my interest last year when she told me she made black bean brownies and they were delicious.  I hadn't ever heard of such a thing.  Brownies made out of beans???  What???  Gross!

Well a year later I finally got around to making some.  Let me just say, they aren't your normal brownie, more of the fudgy consistency than the cake kind.  We did find they were better completely cool than warm out of the oven.  The opposite of traditional brownies. 

We were a little skeptical, considering they don't have any sugar or flour in them, but they are phenomenal.  And who wouldn't want brownies for breakfast without the guilt?  Try them at least once.  It's a great, healthier option to have a great dessert.

 

 

 

No Flour (Black Bean) Brownies

Ingredients

• 1-15.5 oz. can black beans, WELL-RINSED and drained
• 3 eggs
• 2 T butter (I used the coconut oil, too)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 dash of salt
• 2 T vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup honey (I've also used organic sugar)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional (I like it with nuts better, myself:)
• 1/4-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend all ingredients except the chocolate chips and nuts in a high powered blender (I don't know, but I am guessing a food processor would work, too).
3. Grease an 8x8 baking pan.
4. Pour batter in the pan.
5. Top with walnuts and chocolate chips if you wish.
6. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick can come out of the middle clean (if you use chocolate chips, this may not happen since they melt in the oven).

Millions of Cookies, Cookies for Me

Today was cookie day.  4 hours in the car.  But we got all but 4 of the orders delivered. 

 Now just to mail a few and for dad to take the rest to work.

The girls did a great job and were so cute.

Peanut butta cookie time!!

 

Today I packed 66 cases of girl scout cookies into the back of our van.  I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to be the cookie mom this year.  LOTS of responsibility.  As I was unloading the cookies from the van into the garage it occurred to me, we sometimes have mice.  I PRAY we don't get any while all those cookies are down there. 

 

Good thing 2/3 of them are already farmed out to the girls in our troop.

30 things--3

List 5 things that make you the most happy right now.


*The sun.  We recently had about a 3 week period of rain and gloom.  The day the sun came out it was as if there were solar panels to my soul.  It has amazing how good I felt when nothing else had changed. 

*Having my hubby hold and use the priesthood.  I will never take that for granted again.

*My children having good friends and feeling good about themselves.  Nothing tears a mom's heart apart more than when their children are hurting.  Especially when it is at the hands of others.  In recent weeks the girls have found some great friends, who genuinely care for them and want to be around them.  It makes me SO happy, to see them happy.

*Having a knowledge that God knows who I am, and he cares about the details in my life. 

*Knowing my hubby adores me.  Every part of me, exactly as I am, even when I feel unlovable or having a fat day.  He makes me feel like I am his whole world.  I can't wait to spend forever with him.

30 things--2

Explain 3 legitimate fears you have and how they became fears.

Well, first I am really afraid of ostriches.  When I was a toddler we were visiting the zoo.  In those days they would let the ostriches roam free among the crowd, and they would let you feed certain animals.  I was in the stroller with a loaf of bread in between my legs and an ostrich came right over my head and into the bag of bread.  Hate those things.

Second, I am really afraid of passing on my crappy health gene's to my girls.   I have worried since they were small that they would get my health history and not King J's.  Especially the cysts on the tail bone and not having a body that is meant to birth children.  As well as the other hundred or so things in my history. 

Third, I am afraid of King J dying before me.  I just plan on us both going out together or Christ returning first. :)

30 things--1

I came across a cool list on Pintrest the other day that was a list of "30 things I want my kids to know about me."  I thought what a great idea for those days when I am stumped on my blog.  Today is the perfect day for #1.


20 random facts about me....

1-I LOVE to go grocery shopping.  I would be a personal grocery shopper for a career if there was such a thing.
2-I love cop shows. (got that one from my dad)
3-I love reality shows (I think it all started back in the day with daytime talk shows.  Loved me some Ricki Lake, Jenny Jones. )  My favorites are Big Brother, Bachelor, and singing shows like American Idol.
4-I hate eating meat that is on a bone.  Like ribs or chicken legs GROSS!!
5-Hate it when people leave crumbs on the counter or table.
6-I didn't learn how to drive a stick shift until after I was married, we sold our automatic, and I had to learn so I didn't have to stay at home all the time.
7-I was once in a beauty pageant.  Miss Teen Utah.
8-I used to do WWF wrestling with my room mates in college.  We even did it for the ward talent show once.
9-I was the record holder of the saltine cracker challenge on my mission.  (15 saltines in 1 minute without a drink)
10-My favorite color is, well I really like a lot of colors, but if I had to choose 1, green.  Because nature is mostly green.
11-I LOVE Saturdays when nothing is planned and we can just hang out together as a family.  Especially when we have been really busy, or been around lots of people.
12-I am the most productive when I am stressed.  Not the most fun to be around, but I get way more done.
13-My favorite pizza is philly cheese steak from dominos.
14-My favorite drink is water.  (serious it is)
15-My favorite fast food is Chick-fil-a
16-I avoid shopping at Wal-Mart if I can help it.
17-My favorite veggie is squash, all variety's.
18-I prefer banana's that are still a little green.
19-Thrift stores are my favorite places to shop.
20-My dream vacation is to Jerusalem. 

Beautiful Sunrise

 

This is what I saw this morning as I drove the girls to school.  Absolutely breath taking.

God is good.



 

New Friends

 We have just recently started hanging out with a family in our ward, and are having a great time.  It's great to have good friends that we all get along with again.

I have been doing things with the mom for several years now, but we haven't really gotten our families together.  Well she offered to watch the kids while King J and I went on our date on Saturday.  Our kids had a ball and were in love with each other.  So we made plans to spend Super Bowl Sunday together.

After church the girls and I came home and made our finger food contributions.  Princess E got busy making us all tuna sandwiches  (she did a GREAT job) while I made Cool whip cookies, and Princess M made bean dip.  It turned out AMAZING and she did it all by herself.  We also made lettuce wraps, pumpkin fluff, and cowboy caviar. 

We also enjoyed shrimp po boys, spicy buffalo dip, spicy corn dip, and magic cookie bars.  Needless to say, no one went hungry.

The kids had a ball playing together making forts and playing with the hamster (so happy we have moved on from the german shepherd puppy), dress up, dinosaurs, and of course cats.

 

They even let us moms come inside for a bit.  My friend April took this great picture of me coming out.  I haven't looked this thin in years. I think I found my best side for picture taking. :)

 

 

 

 

Date Night

King J and I went out for a much needed date night tonight.  We decided to try out a Sushi place that we had heard good things about.  I had some great Mongolian beef and King J had the sushi.  He was a little disappointed because it was loaded with panko bread crumbs.  Here is a copy of the hilarious post from facebook about it.

 

 

 

 Cornbread SUSHI!?! What the @%#*& kind of abomination is that? And where can I try some?

 

 Yum!!! That looks really good!!

 

 Sushi is the best !!!!!!

 

 yeah I didn't like the crumbs in the roll. If they want to add crunch, I prefer a vegetable of some kind...at least that is what I am used to. On a side note, I was happy to see I still have chopstick skills. The Koreans I work with are usually surprised to see my form/technique. I am like the kung fu panda...if it is a way to eat I can do some amazing things!

 

 So how many can you fit in your mouth at once? And seriously, what is in them? I was torn between thinking it was cornbread or cut up pieces of bunt cake.

 

 Favorite Asian place. We have it here.

 

 Will they make the sushi with donut holes?

 

 Inside was just crumbs and fish. And the crumbs were very dry.I thought it might be fish eggs or something at first but it was definitely crumbs or a bread-like material

 

 Gross! "So what should we put in with the fist to give it some crunch?" "I don't know. How about this biscotti?" "Brilliant!" "Chocolate chip or almond flavor? "Surprise me."

 

 

 



 

 

Fire

We have had crazy weather this winter.  It will be 70 one day.  A tornado the next and a balmy 28 the next.  (probably why we are having tornado's in January)  Whatever the reason, I LOVE it when it is fire weather.  Not to toot my horn, too much :),  but I make a GREAT!!!  fire. 

 

Seriously, I am good. 

 

 I love the warmth comes from it.  How it will heat up the whole house with just 2-3 logs burning.  For Christmas we had our first fire where as we were opening presents we just tossed the paper and watched it burn.  Too bad it was like 60 degrees outside so a fire wasn't really that great of an idea.  But it sure made for great ambience.

 

Anywho, we have a great fire going in the hearth right now.  Keeping our tootsies warm while we have a family movie night snuggled up watching the Lorax.