Perspective is Everything

Bucket List-Who I'd like to Meet

2011-09-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last week was a busy one, my friends.

If you read my last post, you see how I spent my Labor Day (covered in spinach).

On Tuesday,the library re-opened after a week long mandatory furlough (stupid budget cuts),

Trinity started back to school,

she had her second gymnastics class,

Nice handstand :)

it was Bruce's birthday,

and the Packers played the Saints!

Exciting for our household, me being from Wisco and Bruce being from Louisiana

Nice game,guys! THAT is why the G stands for GREATNESS!

So, now it's officially a new week and to start it off, I'm gonna share with you my Bucket List category of Who I'd like to Meet.

Israelite leader BENJAMIN NETANYAU

Former NBA star and AIDS survivor Magic Johnson

Author and activist Michael Pollan

Actor Steve Carell

My favorite Steve Carell movie

Brit Karl Pilkington

teenage Muslim apostate, who converted to Christianity
Rifqa Bary(read about her story here)

Hookers for Jesus founder Annie Lobert

Last, but NOT least, I'd love to meet the children of my dear, lovely, wonderful friend Jacqueline, who is currently a missionary in Thailiand.

She has two boys, Aslan and Brayden whom I've never met.

That's my list for now. It is in no way static, but will surely be ever-changing and growing.

I decided to ask Trinity who she'd love to meet someday.

None other than the professional inline skater:

Jenna Downing

Who do you want to meet?

The Hazards of Smoothie Making

2011-09-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this regularly scheduled "Music Monday" post with a Public Service Announcement about the Hazards of making super thick icy spinach smoothies.

Generally, I only put water,spinach, and a frozen banana in the blender and it pours like a dream.

Today though, I switched it up a bit and decided to add about 10 ice cubes to the mixture and have a sort of slushy smoothie.

I forgot to take into account the difference in viscosity of the icier smoothie and was therefore taken by surprise by the resulting "kersploosh" into the bowl as I poured it.

Yes, kersploosh is a technical term. Don't act like you don't know what I mean.

I got this stuff all up in my hair, in my eyes, on my shirt, my shoulders, the countertop, the floor, the cabinets, etc.

Bruce walked in from walking the dog and immediately asked, "Where's the camera??!"

Thanks, Hon.


Me and the culprit

After this shot I actually had to take a shower. And throw this shirt in the washer with bleach.

Yeah, spinach stains, hardcore y'all. I have many shirts with spinach stains...I wear what I eat, alot. Always have. My nickname when I was a kid was, "Mess."

So, take it from me be aware of the kersploosh factor next time you add lots of ice to your next blender creation.

Happy Labor Day!

Bucket List-It's Not ALL About Me

2011-09-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

I don't want to be completely self-centered and have my bucket list be solely about me me me, so here's the list that involves helping others.

Numero uno:

I'd love to either spearhead or simply be a part of organizing a FREE COMMUNITY GARDEN.
I've actually had the opportunity to benefit from one when my friend Sarah took me to a patch of farmland in rural Wisconsin where her church had a ginormous garden. Everything was free for the taking. Believe me, I took!

I think many people steer clear of fresh produce because they find it intimidating and/or boring to manipulate in the kitchen.
Also, fresh produce can be expensive if you don't have the space to have your own garden.

To remedy that, I'd also want to offer free "classes" or tutorials whereby people could learn how to make the fruit and veggies into meals that their entire family could enjoy, as well as how to freeze/can/pickle the produce to use in the colder months.
I think to get the ball rollin' on this, I'd start with the SLOWFOOD organization.
Numero dos:
When I lived in Colorado there was a tiny building in town, probably 16x20 in size, called
The Clothes Closet.
It was sort of like a Goodwill, Value Village, and St.Vincent's wrapped into one, except EVERYTHING WAS FREE.
It wasn't crappy stuff either. Of course the volunteers had to sort through the donations and weed out all the unsuitable items, but there was some really awesome stuff.
I even found NEW items there.

Also, it wasn't like you had to "qualify" to be able to shop there and have some sort of stigma attached to going there. It was open to anyone and everyone, and anyone and everyone would "shop" there!
I miss that place.

Lastly, but certainly not finitely, I would relish the opportunity to help build a house with Habitat for Humanity.

I'm not gettin' any younger, so I sense I should really start to hunker down and dig my heels into one of these projects ASAP. No time like the present, eh? It's the only time we're guaranteed.
Have you ever been involved in any projects like these? What was your experience? What do you suggest?

Books and Busyness

2011-09-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

Dang, it's Thursday already and I'm out of sorts and exhausted.

I've been working more than usual this week, so I haven't posted as much as I've wanted.

It's been great though, because I've been able to bring The Princess with me and she has a GREAT time with the kids I'm watching-she's a big help, too.

In my (very limited) downtime, I've been doing lots of reading. I tend to read about 3-4 books at once, because I get bored very easily.

But, these books have actually kept me very entertained.

The top two cookbooks are incredible. Some of the best vegetarian cookbooks I've ever perused. HIGHLY recommended.

I love biographies and autobiographies, so the the book about Laura Ingalls Wilder has been quite entertaining. It also helps me feel not so guilty about all the times I've moved in my life.

Everyone who has a pre-teen, or anyone who IS a pre-teen should read My Teenage Were-Wolf.

It explains the physiology and biology of how the bodies, and primarily the brains of kids are changing who are becoming teenagers.

It's quite focused on the mother/daughter relationship and how that changes.

It pretty much slapped the Gilmore Girls type relationship ideal I had right out of me.

True, my daughter is only 7 years old, but I am the REIGNING QUEEN SUPREME of preparation and research.

I'm gonna be armed and ready for this situation (first off with prayer) once I'm faced with it.....and by the looks of it, it will probably happen much sooner than I anticipate. :(

I love how the author describes the mother/daughter relationship after having done her own research gathered from studies by psychologist, psychoanalysts, sociologists, social learning theorists, and feminist scholars.

"There is no relationship quite as primal, as vitally important, or as deeply conflicted. Mother daughter identities are enmeshed and interwoven, yet need to be individual and distinct. There is no other relationship that veers so sharply between intimacy and distance, between love and hate."

she's always gonna tell me she loves me about 27 times a day, right?

This is all so fascinating to me seeing as how my father raised me. I didn't have my mother around to form this relationship. We didn't start to develop a friendly and familial relationship until I was 22, so It's been awkward and frustrating, yet full of acceptance and unconditional love.

But, because I have a daughter, I already see things playing out, which are precursors of things to come.

Lord, help me. Thank you. Amen.

What was your relationship with your mother like as a teenager? Is it different now? The same?

Music Monday

2011-08-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, I've had this song stuck in my head for several days now.

Dolly's voice is so pure and effortless. So nice.

The story is that there really was a "Jolene" who was a bank teller with whom her husband was mildly infatuated.

Oh, and The White Stripes have a pretty cool version of this song, too.

She's Crafty

2011-08-26T03:14:00.000-07:00

Really though I am not crafty at all.

Sewing. Blech.

Painting. Meh.

Glitter, sparkles, etc. No thanks.

I attribute my lack of craftiness to my short attention span, practicality, and neat freakiness. Is that a word?

I highly and deeply admire all those who are creative and crafty though. It's just hard for me to make something simply for the sake of making it. I don't like having lots of "stuff" around.

BUT,

If there is a simple, low-maintenance, quick, practical, and non-messy craft, bring it on!

Which is why I love making magnets.

Grab a roll of flexible magnet strip with an adhesive back from your local craft store, and you can turn almost anything into a functional and practical magnet.

We have these little beads that have words on them, which are actually intended to be made into a neclace or bracelet. We made them into magnets.

Cut to appropriate size

Peel off back to expose adhesive

You can also just put the magnet strip directly on the back of a photo to avoid cluttering up and distracting from the photo.

You can also turn stickers into magnets! Put the sticker onto a lightweight type of cardboard, like the kind you find on the front or back of a notebook, or even a lightweight posterboard, and glue together.

Cut around the sticker and then add the magnet strip.

Back of sticker, stuck onto lightweight notebook cardboard

Our next magnet making endeavor involves bottle caps and craft-store googly eyes

What's your favorite practical craft?

Kind of a Big Deal

2011-08-25T02:14:00.000-07:00

I have a very athletic daughter. She picks things up quickly and has no fear. She is also very competitive. None of these things were inherited from me.

In her first grade phy. ed. class back in May, they had a unit in rollerblading.

When I was her age I thought those little square plastic things with four wheels we used in obstacle courses were a big deal.

The first pair of skates that lasted a whole month.

She loved it so much and begged so effectively, that her daddy went and bought her a pair of inline skates. She skated in those things so hard, she broke them. In one month. Bruce went to about 5 different stores in one day to find a replacement part. Apparently that part doesn't exist outside of the manufacturing plant of these skates. Fun times.

We decided that since she loved it so much and it wasn't just a phase, we'd buy her a higher quality pair of skates.

All padded up to hit the half pipe

She's having so much fun and getting so good from practicing at a local skate park, I thought I'd show her some inspirational videos of Jenna Downing, a professional female inline skater.

Trinity was in complete awe. She declared, "I want to be just like her!"

I found Jenna on twitter and wrote her a couple of tweets. One was about how much potential Trinity has and how Jenna is inspirational to her.

Well, Ms. Jenna Downing wrote back!

Jenna Downing @Jenna_Downing replied to you:

Jenna_Downing Jenna Downing

@hippiechristian Amazing! I was 7 years old when I started out :-) tell her I said good luck and I hope to skate with her one day!

Aug 23, 4:00 PM via Twitter for BlackBerry®

In reply to…

hippiechristian Heather

@Jenna_Downing Hi!,my 7y/o just started skating and has crazy potential! i'm showing her your vids as inspiration. :) http://t.co/Ktxer5g

Aug 22, 6:38 AM via web

How cool is that? Now, I don't know if Trinity is the next Jenna Downing or will ever take her skillz to that level, but it certainly is kind of a big deal for her to personally be encouraged by a professional.

Do you have any stories of being encouraged by someone who has achieved a lot in what you are working at?

It's not Pummus, Dad

2011-08-24T01:14:00.000-07:00

In my quest to incorporate more beans into the family diet, I decided to make a bean-based dessert. This is not my first endeavor in beany desserts. Remember the black bean brownies?

So good!
I had to cut my phone conversation with my dad short the other night, because I was in the middle of making cookies.
He asked, "They're not made with pummus or something are they?" Matter of fact, they ARE made with pummus (he means hummus), Dad!
He knows me so well :)

Anyway, I've seen different versions of dessert hummus balls all over the internet, but the one I liked best was at Purple Bird Blog.
She has much prettier pictures, including pics of all the ingredients. I just whipped all my ingredients together, put everything away, threw away the empty can, and then remembered to take pics. Sorry.
I split the batter and made two versions. The batter in the yellow bowl has chocolate chips, the batter in the green bowl doesn't.

Mine, all baked and yummy, ready to eat.

Trinity's

I didn't make these exactly the way Christin did, but adapted them a bit.
My version:
1 can garbanzo beans rinsed
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/4 cup Bob's red mill gluten free all purpose baking flour
8 packets Stevia in the Raw
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp almond milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
chocolate chips-optional
1* blend all together until you have a doughy consistency.
2*scoop out dough and form into balls
3*bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes

Pretty healthy as far as I'm concerned: The ones without chocolate chips are sugar,dairy,egg,cholesterol, and gluten free. Both versions are Full of fiber, iron, protein, and calcium.

Bucket List-MY world wonders

2011-08-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

I was first exposed to Karl Pilkington in the mini series "An Idiot Abroad," where he traveled to several world wonders and shared his unique insight on each visit.

I love Karl. He is so transparent and unfiltered in a charming way. PLEASE watch this if you want/need a good laugh.

Apparently there is another mini-series with the psuedo-daft Karl, entitled "An Idiot Abroad: The Bucket List." Producer Ricky Gervais explains it as "making Karl do things OTHER people want to do before they die."

I doubt we have the same things on our bucket lists, but I'd love to have Karl join me when I do visit my world wonders (just for his commentary).

First off, I love lighthouses and have already been to several. I'd like to visit as many as possible, but a few specific ones.

"La Jument" off the coast of Brittany, France


Coast of Tokyo

I'm a big fan of geothermal "pools" and "spas" as well. I've been to the Mt. Princeton hot springs in Colorado and seen many shallow geothermal pools in Yellowstone.

One day I want to go to the BLUE LAGOON spa in Iceland.

What is so super cool and kinda freaky about geothermal spas, is that they are heated by lava, under the earth's crust. A little close for comfort, but that just adds to the excitement!

This is something my dad and I heard about a couple years ago and for some reason find it extremely intriguing.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (also called the Doomsday Seed Vault) on the Norwegian Island of Spitsbergen. Click on the green/blue link to read more about this.

A city underground! Hotels, churches, homes, restaurants. Where can you find this man-made wonder? Coober Pedy, Australia.

HOTEL

CHURCH

HOUSE

Crazy, huh? Not for the claustrophobic.

Also on my world wonder bucket list is the Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. I'll visit any and all castles, but this is one of a very few that just takes my breath away. It's also the inspiration for Disney's Cinderella Castle!

C'mon, how incredible is that!?

Then there is Mt. Rainier. I foresee visiting this majestic peak very soon. I mean, I can see it on a clear day and it only takes 2 hours to drive to the national park.

Finally, the Grand Canyon. Yes, it's a common one, but it's just so incredible.

The skywalk thing-not sure if I'd do that. Especially after reading this book.

Thanks for joining me on my world wonder bucket list. I know they're not the traditional world wonders, but they're MY world wonders :)

What are YOUR world wonders you'd love to visit?

Music Monday

2011-08-22T04:52:00.000-07:00

I love this version of the song.

Kitchen adventures

2011-08-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

I've been on a cooking/baking kick lately. It's been awhile and I'm glad I'm back at it.

It's very therapeutic.

My last cooking creation was in the form of GLUTEN/DAIRY/EGG FREE

carrot-apple-zucchini muffins.

It's kinda ridiculous how easy these are to make.

I don't have a grater to create little shavings of the fruits and veggies, so I just busted out my juicer and used the pulp.

While I was sippin' on my fresh juice, I whipped up the muffin batter. I also pulled some frozen beet pulp out of the freezer, defrosted it, and added it to the batter.

Just enough for 6 muffins. :)

Donezo :)

Pretty, right? And super easy to make!

Recipe for 6 muffins:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix following together:

3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2Tbsp cinnamon

3/4 cup fruit and veggie pulp

1/4 cup almond milk

*Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes.

These are so tasty despite having no fat, gluten, dairy, casein, or egg. It's the cinnamon that really holds everything together, so don't skimp on it :)

I also decided to use some more collard leaves to make some wraps. The smaller of the leaves do work better for wraps, so I tried to find one NOT so freakishly large.
I placed some mashed and whole black beans,carrot slices, as well as red and yellow bell pepper slices on the leaf.

After minimizing/paring down the mid-rib of the leaf to simplify folding, I folded the bottom half up, the top half down over the bottom fold, and the turned it to the right and rolled 'er up.

Cut in half, and dipped in mustard or any kind of yummy sauce/dip, it's a super healthy snack.

Pretty :)

For $1.49 I sure am getting my money's worth out of these collard leaves!

Frugal Feasting

2011-08-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

It's summer and the fresh local produce is in great abundance! I've been so blessed to find such great deals.

This crazy big bunch of collard greens was $1.49. The leaves are huge and perfect for making into chips or using as wraps to stuff with other goodies.

I decided to use a couple leaves to make chips. Look how big! With the quantity of leaves in this bunch, I could easily make enough chips to fill my baking sheet 10-12 times. That's a lot of collard chips!

I basically used the same method/recipe that I use for kale chips.

1-Just rinse and pat dry, cut out the mid rib, and cut into your preferred size of chip.

2-Massage with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. You can also sprinkle on chili powder, garlic salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, or whatever savory seasoning you like.

3- Finally, bake at 35o degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I think I like these even better than the kale chips!

I also finally got around to making the 8 ball squash that my sister in law gave me.

Yum!!!

1-I sliced it in half and scooped out the innards. 2- I sauteed the innards with some salt, pepper, and garlic. 3-While I was doing that, I was also baking the squash "shells" and some carrots from my sister in law's garden.
4-After I sauteed the squash, I put it, along with the carrots back into the shells and continued baking for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

They turned out great! A mostly free, completely local meal. Total travel distance from source to plate? Less than one mile :)
I think today I'm going to make some zucchini carrot apple muffins. Again, with zucchini from my sister in law's garden and organic carrots I got on sale for .99 cents/lb.
I don't have a grater/shredder, so I'll just pull out the ol' juicer my mom sent me. While I'm sippin' on some carrot/zucchini/apple juice, I'll use the pulp for the muffins.
Waste not, want not.

What frugal meals have you made lately?

Bucket List

2011-08-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

So I've been playing around with the idea of a single bucket list post, and the more in depth my list got, I realized it's way too much information for one single post.

I LOVE reading other people's bucket lists. It's a glimpse into who they are, their hopes and dreams, and can also be very revealing and surprising.

Aaaanyway, I decided to do mine in a series of posts broken down into categories. I'm not committing the Bucket list post to one specific day a week, though. I'll do it when I'm feelin' it. But, it WILL be one day a week

I'm gonna start this week with ATHLETIC/SPORTY THINGS I want to try or go to.

DISCLAIMER:I am NOT a competitive person. At all. I love to watch or play certain games, but "in it to win it"? Nope, not me.

That's why the Dirty Girl Mud Run would be great for me! It's basically for fun.

I love being athletic and physical, but just for the sake of being athletic and physical. Not to beat anyone. This particular event is taking place mere minutes from my old home in Wisconsin SOON. Wish I could be there!

I'd love to attend the Summer Olympics in someday to watch women's gymnastics!

Now, in 1984 the 9 year old me would have been all about COMPETING in the 1988 Olympics as a gymnast. But, we all know that ship has sailed, docked, been decomissioned, dismantled, and sold for parts! ha ha ha!

I'd also LOVE to go to a Green Bay Packer game IN Green Bay!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!??

I'd also LOVE to hike up to the top of Pikes Peak. Despite having lived in that very area, seeing this gorgeous creation everyday, and been up it several times by Cog or truck, I've never actually hiked it. For shame, I know.

I will though!! I will.

The natives who inhabited the area years ago, called her Tava.

Last but not least, I would really love to try surfing someday!

i don't know who this girl is, but obviously she can surf :)

Share with me YOUR athletic endeavors??

I wanna know!! Really :)

Music Monday

2011-08-15T01:52:00.000-07:00

Baked Falafel

2011-08-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

I am notorious for getting into food "ruts."

I could eat the same thing over and over everyday for months. (I may or may not have eaten the same thing for breakfast for the past 2 1/2 years).

I have such a wonky digestive system, that I generally stick to easily digestible whole foods that don't cause too much GI distress.

One thing that usually falls by the wayside because of this, is beans.

I'm great at getting in gluten free whole grains, fruits, nuts, root vegetables, spinach, lettuce, kale, etc. But the beans...I have to make a concerted effort. It's a shame, too, because I LOVE beans, and they are so good for you.

I decided today I would bring the beans back and make a dish I've been wanting to try for a very long time.

Mini baked falafel!

To make, I added the following to a food processor/blender:

1 can of garbanzo beans (drain)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt/pepper/garlic powder

*blend well until you have a well mixed paste
*add 1/4 cup flour (i used Bob's red mill all purpose gluten free) and mix together well

*roll into balls. i made mine about the size of a ping pong ball.

*bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Yes, this angle makes my hand look ginormous, I know.

I didn't blend my garbanzos completely smooth. I left a couple of beans unblended for some added texture.

There are so many versions of this recipe and it's so easy to customize it to your own taste.

You can add chopped onion or whole garlic cloves.

You could also add tumeric, cumin, or other typical middle eastern spices.

For a Mexican version, you could add cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper,or even a little epazote.
For an Asian flair, you could add some ground ginger or top with some wasabi paste or soy sauce.

Since I have no gluten free pita bread, I wrapped 'em with a big ole lettuce leaf, and topped them with some hot sauce.

Typically falafel is also topped with or dipped in tahini sauce.

I'm even toying with the idea of making a sweet/dessert version.

Just add a little cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla, and again, bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

What's your favorite bean recipe??

WORDS are Powerful

2011-08-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

I've had a "thing" for words for as long as I can remember, and always been a good speller. Grammar, spelling, synonyms, antonyms-I love it all.

I'm convinced it's genetic. My mom is the same way. So is my daughter.

3 generations of super spellers right there!

My mom likes to call to tell me about a misspelling or grammar mistake on a news broadcast. She refers to herself as the Grammar Nazi.

My daughter? PRECIPITATION was one of the words on her very first spelling test EVER. She nailed it. She's nailed every single spelling test she's taken. O.k, she's only 7, but you get my point.

Words are powerful. There is no denying that. So, that stupid "sticks and stones" limerick nearly sends me into convulsions every time it's repeated to comfort someone being harassed.

Again, words are powerful and it's MEANT to be that way. It's biblical truth. I mean come on, God SPOKE the world into existence!!

My whole point is to encourage people to become more conscientious about the words they speak. Don't just talk to fill dead air.
Don't just spew out every single feeling and thought you have out of uncontrolled emotion!

If you're gonna speak, make it count.

I recently read a relevant quote that said,

"when you speak, make sure it's an improvement over silence."

AMEN!

I know a few people for whom this would be appropriate :)

Growing up....um, more like when I turned into an evil teenager that would say stupid and insensitive things, my dad would ALWAYS tell me to "THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK."

I heard a super cool acronym on the radio yesterday about teaching people to become more conscientious, selective, and sensitive about what they say. It was based on the wisdom my dad shared with me. Before you speak, T.H.I.N.K., and decide if it's worthy of being spoken using the following criteria:

T-is it TRUTHFUL?

H-is it HELPFUL?

I-is it INSPIRING?

N-is it NECESSARY?

K-is it KIND?

If the answer is no to any of these, hold your tongue. Until it bleeds if necessary. If what you are going to say does not meet these criteria, you will be as a clanging cymbal-annoying.
(1 Corinthians 13:1)

I can't say it enough-WORDS are powerful, and being the lover of words and grammar that I am, it's only natural that some of my favorite scriptures are about words.

In the Bible, it's written,

The power of life and death is in the tongue (Proverbs18:21)

The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking, the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words. (Proverbs 15:28)

Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. (Proverbs 17:28)

In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. (Proverbs 10:19)

And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! (James 3:10)

There are so many wonderful cautionary bits of wisdom about the words we speak in the Bible. I love it!

I'll leave you with what the Master has said,

"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Tell me, what is your favorite quote or bit of wisdom about words and what we speak??!

What I'm Reading

2011-08-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

I enjoy most types of books...autobiographies and biographies mostly.

At any given moment, I have at LEAST 2 things on hold at the local library, usually more.

In current rotation right now are:

I've had Bossypants on hold for MONTHS. Finally got to pick it up yesterday and read a few pages on a break at work. Currently there are 1072 holds on 31 copies in the Seattle Public Library System. Popular? A little :)

Clean Eating Magazine. Fave food magazine out there.

I've also been breezing through this fun find. There are both real and hypothetical questions answered by thousands of different twitterers.

Subtitle reads: 2.524 crowd-sourced tweets about life, the universe, and other pertinent stuff: first kiss stories, spam from the future, and proposals for the 11th Commandment

I've had the book The Collapse of Evolution for years, but just busted it out again recently. It just amazes me all the wonderful ways God uses nature and the sciences to show and glorify Himself. God and science are NOT mutually exclusive, they can and DO coexist harmoniously. He created science! He wants us to learn through science and see how He was there at the beginning.

And as always, I'm reading daily scriptures out of my Bible... you know, feeding ma soul :)

What are you reading these days?

Wacky Wednesday

2011-08-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

Technically, the wackiness happened Tuesday. But, since I'm sharing this on Wednesday and I couldn't think of a synonym for wacky that starts with T, you'll just have to deal. :)

Out walking with the baby (yes, we go on many walks) I was surprised and startled to suddenly find 2 dogs, one on each side of me, following me down the sidewalk.

Ok, I don't hate dogs, I mean, we have one. But, I'm not a huge fan either.

Dogs without leashes or owners nearby can nearly send me into a full on panic attack meltdown.

But, these little things seemed so happy, carefree, and glad to be out on the town with a total stranger.

I just kept walking, hoping the owners would come rushing down the sidewalk waving their hands yelling for their dogs.

Nope. Didn't happen.

These dogs followed me all the way back to the house where I work.

Once there, they just sat down and looked at me, like, "Now what?"

I was thinking, "I have to get this baby in the house and down for a nap dudes. Stay as long as you want though, ok?"

Thank goodness they had collars with numbers to the rescue organization on them.

So, I called and found out they were one year old sisters who were recently rescued from being euthanized and in foster care.

So, the neighbor helped me find ropes to tie them up until someone came to get them.

Eventually the foster mom's son came to pick them up and he was extremely grateful.

Oh yeah-funniest part of the whole situation. Apparently, during all this, I accidentally butt dialed my dad and left him a long message of me talking to the baby about the dogs, saying, "look at the cute puppies? Aren't they so funny?"

Music Monday-bucket list version

2011-08-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on my bucket list post. In the meantime, here's a little Tim McGraw to inspire you.

Even those who are not country music fans, can surely get into a little Tim McGraw, no? :)

Cascade Camping Adventure

2011-08-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

There was packing,unpacking,wading,dirt,roasting of food around a campfire,dirt, horseshoes,exploring,picture taking, doing our "business" in an outhouse, more dirt, and vomiting.

Yes, vomiting. We'll get to that epic tale in a bit.

My weekend, which technically starts Thursday night, started off crazy cool. I'll have to back up to Thursday morning though.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels we're in town for Seafair and they began their practice on Thursday. While out walking with the baby (I'm a nanny), they roared overhead so low that the sonic boom was nearly deafening. The noise stirred up an eagle, which shot past us about 20 feet above our heads.

First time ever seeing an eagle in person. SO.FRIGGIN.COOL. Some serious symbols of Americana right there.

I promptly rushed home with the baby so his little eardrums wouldn't be damaged from the noise of the jets :)

That evening my sister in law brought over a bunch of camping gear for us to borrow. She also brought some fresh veggies from her garden!

Yessssssssss!

tiny little round thing? that's an eight ball squash.

I have never heard of nor seen an "eight ball" squash before this, but I am ready to try this crazy lookin' bad boy. Recipes anyone?

Friday morning we loaded up and headed out!

First there was a stop at Starbucks of course....even the Princess got a hot cocoa.

The drive was super scenic and we went through lots of silly little tourist trap towns. But the one tourist town that topped them all was Leavenworth-which was the closest town to where we camped. And the closest place with cell reception!

This place is the Bavarian-themed kitschy tourist epicenter. Every single place of business has some Bavarian style font for their sign, and Bavarian-style name. Need a place to make copies?

Try DAS COPY SHOP. Seriously.

Anyway, 13 miles southwest of Leavenworth, deep into the Cascades we found our campsite along Icicle Creek.

So fun.

The kids spent most of the time down by the log that had fallen into the creek. They were there for hours.


If you look verrrry closely, you can see my bro in law sitting on the log, drinkin some wine, wearing his Vibram 5 finger shoes :)

We had great fun hanging out with our family, chatting, and having lots of laughs.

my handsome hubby

I brought several russet potatoes wrapped in foil to throw on the campfire. Bruce decided he wanted one with dinner the first night, but never ate it.

I was so stinkin' cold (daytime temps in the 80s, but once the sun goes down in the mountains-nasty cold).

So, I used that hot potato as a thermal body warmer. I put it in the front pocket of my hoodie and cuddled up in the sleeping bag. It emanated heat for hours!

So yeah-if you ever go camping and think you'll need an extra heat source at night-a hot baked potato will certainly do the trick!

Our humble abode for the weekend, where the hot potato action and vomiting occurred.

Oh yeah-the vomit story...

About 1:38 a.m. (why do kids invariably get sick in the middle of the night??!), Trinity woke up moaning saying her "heart" hurt. Turns out she had severe heart burn. Suddenly she woke up saying, "I have to throw uuuuuuuuup!"

So. She did. All over me. All over the huge sleeping bag all 3 of us were sharing.

I had on every piece of long sleeved, long panted clothing I had with. I had to take it all off and borrow Bruce's pant.

Not cute. We ended up using the child-sized sleeping bag for the rest of the night.

My potato was NOT warm anymore at this point :(

But, happy ending, Trinity felt better immediately and fell right back asleep. It helps when we are lulled back to sleep by the roaring rapids of the creek.

Thar's snow up in dem dar hills :)

The drive home provided some spectacular views.

Now we're home. We've taken fiercely needed showers. The laundry is done, and dinner is cooking. Exhausted? We are beyond that, but will surely have sweet dreams tonight of our monumental and memorable weekend, in our warm cozy beds.

On a Roll....(it would be a gluten/dairy/egg/casein free roll of course)

2011-08-02T05:56:00.002-07:00

Yes, I'm on a roll with the blogging again. My little hiatus was just what I needed and now I'm back to share the mundane, trivial, and even some significant things in life :)

Some recent awesome eats


Corn tortilla "pizza": spread tomato paste on tortilla, bake for 5 minutes at 350, sprinkle on nutritional yeast, add spinach. Donezo :)


homemade apple carrot juice made in my new juicer


so pretty, right?

Basically a spinach smoothie in bowl, topped with rice Chex

To make:

In a blender, put

3-4 large handfuls of fresh spinach

1 cup milk of choice (i used coconut)

1 banana

1 tablespoon peanut butter

Blend until smooth

Pour into a bowl and top with cereal of choice

~You can also add into blender different things like protein powder, ice cubes, oatmeal, or peanut flour

~You can top this with any favorite cereal, fruit, or nuts

Music Monday

2011-08-01T12:32:00.002-07:00

I've inadvertently or subconsciously or something started some sort of inspirational theme with my last few posts.

Not sure what that's about.

Anyway, here's a good one to sing in the face of adversity :)

Olympic Fever already?? Watch these videos :)

2011-07-31T18:17:00.001-07:00

I know the 2012 Summer Olympics are an entire year away, but for some reason I'm already excited about the games.

I love the summer Olympics. Especially gymnastics.

In 1984, as a 9 year old gymnast, I watched the Bio-pic about Nadia Comaneci and I cried. Hard.

Tomorrow we're signing the Princess up for gymnastics.

So, between my premature excitement of next summer's Olympics and her impending registration, I was inspired to play around on youtube & find some of my favorite past Olympic gymnastics performances.

First, was Dominique Dawes's 1992 floor routine. Incredible.

Then, the ankle sprain heard round the world:

Keri Strug's 1996 gold winning vault performance.

I showed Trinity, and while explaining what was going on, I got majorly choked up. I had to just stop.

Bruce walked in so I replayed it, started to explain it to him, and couldn't even speak.

I was BAWLING.

What the heck is wrong with me?

Watching Keri, I just lost it!

So, to pull myself together and get my emotions in check, I decided to watch some more routines-this time by the Svetlanas. Khorkina and Boginskaya, respectively.

Ah, much better.

So, what inspirational true sports stories get you choked up?

Getting back in the groove

2011-07-30T16:49:00.001-07:00

This whole getting back into blogging on a consistent basis has been more challenging than I anticipated!

I've got lots of things to share, I just need the time, energy, and motivation to do so. I got some more great books from the library, new recipes and food to share,thoughts and ideas.

I'm back to work full(ish) time, and also have a child, household, hubby, and animals to take care of.

But, with all those maintenance obligations, we've been able to have lots of fun adventures as well.

Playing at parks situated on the Puget Sound and hiking the area are some favorite activities.

Look how green and lush!

Even when it's not really sunny out, the shore of the Sound is an adventurous place!

So much fun interesting marine life!

We got to be chaperones on a field trip the Princess had.

We saw some geoducks(pronounced gooey-ducks), moon jellyfish, starfish, turtles,and even an octopus that some divers brought up for the kids to see.
God's creation is truly amazing. Such diversity and creativity to be admired!

The Princess and I took a trip back to Wisco, as mentioned in the previous post.Seeing my dad again is always a cherished and special time. I miss him already.

me and Dad. look no ponytail :)

Much time was spent in swimsuits and in or near water. Can't complain.

I found my mismatched, haphazard swimsuit at the local St.Vinnies thrift store for $4. A simple red and white top with a blue tennis skirt-esque bottom. Very patriotic. And frugal :)

Visiting the big kid was a blast as well. Serious bonding time was had. The Princess and I loved it.

We had so much fun with friends and had one of the best Independence Day celebrations ever!!

So, now we're back, unpacked, settled in, and once again into the groove of life in the PNW.
Bruce is relieved that the laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and other household chores are being taken care of on a regular basis.
He was Mr. Mom to the animals for 2 weeks and I think it just about wrecked him-ha!

I'm working on a "Bucket List" post, which is super fun.
I'm finding out there's really not too much I have a deep, intense desire to do or try, and that I've already lived a very rich and experienced filled life.

Contentment is hard to find and usually something one must strive to achieve.

Are you pretty content or restless?

2011-07-25T19:13:00.001-07:00

Technically it's still Monday, although not for long in these here parts.

I usually have the Music Monday video set to go early in the morning, but I was busy getting ready to go to my NEW JOB this morning.

So, I'm home now, the fam's fed and I'm chillin.

Here's a blast from the past that is super catchy and will no doubt get stuck in your head all day.

You're welcome.

Bruce likes to play around on youtube and share old school stuff with Trinity. She probably knows more about Run DMC than I do. Anyway, enjoy the Sugarhill Gang :)

Transitioning and Confusion

2011-07-22T09:21:00.004-07:00

As of this morning we've been back from Wisconsin for 4 days. It's taking a while to transition from heat and humidity to fall- like weather.

My dad has asked what everyone thinks of our newly acquired "tropical" tans. Truth is, the Princess and I have been out of the house twice and been in hoodies and sweatpants or jammies the entire time. Welcome to the PNW.

We've been having a good time juicin, cleaning, organizing, playing with the kitty, reading,writing, and watchin' cartoons. We've also been preparing the house for a major change-more on that at a later date ;)

One of the juices I was SO anxious to make was beet/carrot juice.

Isn't that gorgeous?! Hi Boomer.

Every single time I eat beets in any form, there is a distinct result. No matter if I eat them baked, pickled, as a hummus, mixed with rice and beans in a burger, or straight-up juiced, or there is a distinct, um...."after-effect."
Remember the beet ice cream/sorbet from last summer?

It never fails, that within hours of eating them, I've forgotten about this result and my hypochondria is triggered. Ever hear of BEETURIA?

Anyway, I now have this gorgeous pulp and really have the urge to use it in some muffins!

If I still had my dehydrator, I'd totally be making crackers with this stuff!

Since I've been back home I've been in full-on organizing mode. I started going through a folder that has important papers and I came across the paperwork for Boomer, our beloved crazy cat. Well, the paperwork says that our little boy Boomer is a female.

WHAT??!!

So, I stood there dazed and confused as to why we assumed Boomer was a boy. I remembered that the lady we got him from said that it was hard to tell, but most likely he's a boy. So, why the "female" written on the paperwork?

I think I made Bruce's head implode just a bit when I broke it to him. So, from that moment on for about an hour we alternated between checking Boomer's "junk" to looking up "feline genitalia images" on google.

If someone ever did a history search on our computer without having that knowledge/ explanation, that could look seriously wrong. LOL!

Guess what. We STILL aren't sure.

Our poor cat probably feels violated beyond comprehension and we're just not sure if certain parts are certain parts or not.

*sigh*

I guess at this point only a trip to a vet will confirm one way or the other.

Since the sun is out and it's not completely cold out, I think we'll try to make it to the Puget Sound or to a nearby park for a while today.
Or maybe we'll head to the Pacific Science Center and see a show at the Laser Dome!

I'm also gonna work on my blog post about an upcoming major change in demographics in our household:)

I'm Back-My Return to Blogging :)

2011-07-19T18:58:00.001-07:00

Wow-I cannot believe it's been 5 months since I actually had an original blog post! My last one in March was a "rerun," and a lame attempt at trying to spark in myself a renewed interest in blogging.

I lost interest and just wasn't feelin' it, so, I didn't do it.

And I didn't have to. It's not a source of income, as it is for many bloggers I know, so I had/have that luxury of blogging at my own convenience and interest.

People blog for many reasons and I do it to keep family and friends afar off, up to date, to share experiences and information I've learned, and because I like to write.

SO much has happened and I doubt I'll be able to fill you in on ALL of what's been going on, but I can share some highlights and events with ya. They probably won't be in chronological order, though, so bear with me! :)

Mt.Rainier from the airplane ride TO Wisconsin

Laaaaaaaaaaaaate Monday night, Trinity and I got back from a 2 week trip back to Wisconsin. It.Was.WONDERFUL. There was swimming, sunburns, fireflies, playdates, fireworks, pontoon boat rides, my yard sale, family visits, chigger bites, actual heat and humidity, thunderstorms, trips to Menards and the Oskri Organics store, kettle corn at the Farmer's Market, slip and slides, trampolines, movies and painting with Grandpa, mosquitoes, and hardcore midwestern "don'tcha know" accents to be heard all around.

Kettlecorn at the Farmer's Market

Out on the lake with our friends

Bruce picked us up from the airport with "Welcome Back" balloons in tow. I think we got back just in the nick of time. His tolerance of our cat's rambunctious boredom-induced behavior, was thisclose to running out. There was an incident with a box of Cheerios that nearly cost the poor kitty his life.

Seriously, how could you get mad at someone with a face like that?!

Today when I checked the mail I got a package I was expecting, but the contents of which were unknown....a surprise if you will. It was a belated birthday gift from my mom and stepdad, and when I opened it....I was SO excited!

Whoa. A Jack LaLanne Power-juicer. I am all over that.

I cleaned it up, set it up, and fired 'er up!

I made some carrot apple juice and it was SO good. Tomorrow is gonna be all about the beet, carrot, apple juice combo for me, and straight up OJ for Trinity.

Thanks Mom and Bobby!

Well, it's getting late and I'm still recovering from my late night 4 hour plane ride with 3 unhappy babies in our vicinity screaming their heads off and stinkin' up the plane with their poopy diapers.

I'm also trying to adjust to temps in the mid to upper 90s with a heat index of 104,

to this......

5 Day Forecast

Tuesday
High: 66 °
Low: 56 °
Chance of Rain

Wednesday
High: 67 °
Low: 54 °
Chance of Rain

Thursday
High: 65 °
Low: 52 °
Chance of Rain

Friday
High: 68 °
Low: 52 °
Partly Cloudy

Saturday
High: 72 °
Low: 54 °
Partly Cloudy

Yeah. One extreme to the other. Just like life :)

Tis the Season....

2011-03-17T13:17:00.001-07:00

For Shamrock Shakes!

While I have no reason to put a single item of "food" from McDonalds to my lips, I am intrigued and inspired by their seasonal delight,

The Shamrock Shake.

Of course since I'm unable to have dairy (among several other things), I'm left only with an option to

VEGANIZE IT!

No, it's not nearly as green as the artificially colored McDonald's version, but it sure is alot healthier :)

You could always add some food coloring if you need that visual stimulant.

I find the avocado induced color works fine.

Above, are the ingredients for my veganized version.

I used 1/3 c coconut milk, half the avocado, 6 cubes of frozen almond milk, and about a teaspoon of mint extract. To sweeten I used Stevia.
It was all thrown into the blender for about 30 seconds. That's it!

There are MANY variations on making this dessert.

You can use any combination of mint extract, sweetener, avocado, spinach, non-dairy milk, non-dairy yogurt, or even non-dairy ice cream.
I just used what I had on hand.
I think I'll definitely add some spinach next time :)

What I'm Reading

2011-03-08T10:52:00.003-08:00

So I finished up my last library book The 100 Thing Challenge. I sincerely recommend it. The author is not against buying things or having nice things. What he's against is mindlessly buying things just to have things, and how doing so can distract you from TRULY living an enjoyable life.

The phrase he repeats many times over, to reiterate his perspective of mindless purchases, is "American style consumerism."

He scaled down his personal possessions to 100 items (counting some things in groups, i.e. socks. he didn't count each sock or even his pairs of socks as an item. He counted his "collection" of socks as one item. He also DIDN'T count shared family items, i.e. couch, kitchen table, etc.)

I was also reminded by Katie, about a book by Judith Levine called "Not Buying It. My Year Without Shopping." Ouch. I can see that being even more of a challenge. I'm only 7 pages into it, but her disclaimer is this: "....will purchase only necessities for sustenance, health, and business, groceries, insulin for our diabetic cat, toilet paper, internet access."


I'm in the reading/narcolepsy chair. It's where we all go to read, but where I inevitably fall asleep drooling and snoring.

I also found another book at the library called "Why Gender Matters". I love this topic, so I'm super excited to start this one. I get so frustrated with the mindset that boys and girls are essentially the same apart from genitalia, so we should treat them the same. Uh. No, we're not. We're different physically, so it only makes sense we'd be made different emotionally and mentally as well. Therefore, we respond differently to situations and experiences.

The third book I had waiting for me at the library was For Women Only: what you need to know about the inner lives of men.

This topic is also sort of along the same lines as Why Gender Matters. I've only skimmed the Table of Contents, but I can see the wealth of information already!

Having been raised by my dad, I can attest to the reality and relevance of Chapter 2: Why Your respect means more to him than even your affection.

Growing up, I remember my dad CONSTANTLY touting his desire to be respected and its importance. I'm constantly praying about and trying to find ways to be a better wife, so hopefully this will help :)


Sorry it's hard to read the cover. But, a shot of my crazy cat on a catnip-fueled rampage should make up for it, no?

There ya have it. Hopefully I'll be able to finish these before they're due.

What kind of thought-provoking, non-work or school related books are you reading?

A Great Site I've recently found is called YOUR NEXT READ. It gives you recommendations based on other books you've read. Really cool.

Music Monday

2011-03-07T02:03:00.012-08:00

Ever hear a musical artist and are just simply blown away at the sheer God-given talent? You know that they truly have the "pipes" and don't need a lot of over-producing or distracting props, gimmicks, or costumes.

Adele is one such artist. Her voice is crazy good.

Frugal Fashion and Food

2011-03-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

I've been purging and donating some faded, stretched out, ill-fitting clothes recently, so I treated myself to a few new (to me) items.

I can't stand too much stuff, so If I plan on buying something, I HAVE to get rid of something else first. It's how I'm wired. (I may or may not have been known to do this with other people's things as well.) I'm sorry, but if the Princess is gonna be getting 3 new stuffed animals....3 "old" ones are gonna be "relocated" or "misplaced." Whatever you wanna call it, I refuse to be overtaken by stuff and things. It makes me feel.....claustrophobic.

So, behold my new favorite Tshirt for $2.99!!

pay no mind to my giraffe like neck. people think i'm joking when i say i get a majority of my height from my neck. i'm not kidding. i'd only be 5 feet tall instead of 5'3" if i had a normal length neck. :)

When I headed to Value Village yesterday to drop off my used stuff, and look for some new used stuff, I stumbled upon the above pictured Tshirt. I also found 3 more long sleeved Tees and this super cute sweater.

So, in honor of my new favorite Tshirt, I present you with some......

KALE!

Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips. Inhaled in about 5 minutes.

Why Kale? Why not? Yeah, I agree it's kind of random and many people have never even heard of kale.

Let's explore kale a bit shall we?

It makes an uber awesome healthy crispy crunchy snack when dehydrated or baked.

It is FULL of

calcium

fiber

Vitamin A

Carotenoids (disease fighting antioxidants)

Potassium

Vitamin C

Magnesium

And those are just a few beneficial things about kale.

Two questions:

Do you like kale?

Have you found any good thrift store items lately?

photo dump

2011-03-02T07:50:00.002-08:00

I have some photos on the camera that I had intended to use in specific blog posts, but....I think I'd rather just present a short synopsis instead of wordy posts.

Photos are more fun anyway, huh?

Prepare for randomness galore.

By the way-DAD: I'm still waiting for those jump shots of the Princess :)

This is actually one I found on the internet.

another recent jump shot

recent favorite food finds

another internet find-on a Starbucks cup

the Princess and Boomer in the reading chair

Ooooh! Some Peanut Butter and Jelly I won from Ashley!!

Library Book for hubby. It's so good! This would make a great gift for a special man in your life.

Second book by Brian Welch I've read. He used to be in KORN. Now he lives for God.

Truly inspirational book about downsizing "stuff" and increasing your funds,time,and energy to help others. Basically-not allowing the stuff you own, own you. When you have too much, that's what happens :)

That's my photo dump for today...whew. I feel better now. I can erase those photos from the camera and computer.

Any serious randomness, books, or fun photos in your life recently?

Music Monday

2011-02-28T03:00:00.001-08:00

Just Cuz

2011-02-27T11:55:00.000-08:00

It's been a pretty darn good weekend so far.

I enjoy running errands, grocery shopping, cleaning, and organizing. Always have. It just feels so good to get things in order. And when a trip to Trader Joe's is involved, it actually becomes exciting! I found some fun new eats including edamame hummus and spicy lentil chips.

We've also been having so much fun with our new kitty Boomer. His parkour skills have been improving quite significantly.

Apparently while the Princess and I are gone, hubby has fun with the kitty as well. I don't think Boomer enjoyed it as much though.

What's on his head? Oh, that's just my apple cozy my friend Emily got me. Oy vey.

The Princess and I have been having fun taking jumping shots, too. These are just too fun to do. My dad has a ton of "jump shots" of Trinity. I think he should email me some. *hint hint*

Below is a pic from our vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge 2 years ago. She was jumping from bed to bed.

So there's this ABC survey floatin' round on some blogs and I figured I'd join in just cuz. It's been super fun reading the ABCs on other blogs.
Age-old enough to have to do the math to remember how old I am :(
Bed-Queen sized sleigh bed in storage in another state. Currently borrowing one.
Chore you hate-putting laundry away
Dogs-one old senile border collie
Essential start to your day-caffeine
Favorite Color-purple
Gold or silver-silver or white gold, although i rarely wear jewelry besides my nose ring.
Height-short. technically 5'3"
Instrument you play(ed)-tried violin. hated it. I'm not musically inclined whatsoever.
Job title-nanny
Kids-7 yr old and 20 yr old
Live-nomad
Mom's Name-Donna
Nickname-when I was a kid it was Mess. I wore what I ate. Still do.
Overnight hospital stays-after giving birth and staying with daughter when she had the flu
Pet Peeve-just one? Laziness.
Quote from a Movie:
I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that. Righty or lefty? righty
Siblings-ONLY child.
Time you wake up-6 am. no alarm clock needed.
Underwear-no comment
Vegetable you hate-i honestly don't think i hate any....
What makes you run late? playing on the computer
XRAys? TONS of dental x rays, several ankle xrays, a couple chest xrays...
Yummy food you make-roasted veggies
Zoo-favorite animal-otters

Legacy Journals

2011-02-23T15:27:00.001-08:00

Inspired by my Grandma Genevieve, I decided to start a daily journal for my daughter when she was about 15 months old. My grandma did this for me for only a short period of time when I was a toddler, but looking at the entries in the journal was really fun and intriguing.

Anyway-I have accumulated MANY legacy journals, since the Princess is now 7 years old. There are about 2 or 3 journals not pictured, but as I wrote in this post about 2 years ago, I have not missed a day of daily entries.

On the left is my current journal and on the right is the new one I picked up today, since I only have a few pages left in the old one.

It's so fun to look back and see the funny things she said, who came to visit, or where we went.

We've both had the past 2 days off of work and school, respectively. Yesterday's post includes our activities, goings-on, thoughts and sentiments:

February 21, 2011: we were very busy and it snowed on and off all day

1-We went to the bank

2-We went to the mall and got your hair cut. You chatted up the hairdresser about Pokemon and started listing them. (thank goodness you didn't name all 649!)

3-We went to the toy store and you got a new Pokemon toy with the money Meemaw sent you

4-We went grocery shopping

5-We came home to have lunch and went to Daddy's work to see him for a little bit

6-You lamented about how you wish Pokemon were real.

7-We saw 2 people riding a tandem bike and the man wasn't wearing a shirt and had on shorts. It was only about 38 degrees outside.

8-Mommy worked out to an exercise video and you joined in.

*Mommy did lots of household chores, and we watched home videos in the evening until Daddy got home.*

It can be semi-mundane stuff at times, but when you look back on certain entries it totally brings back the day in a vivid way.

There's been a lot of kitty shenanigans as well. She left her coat on the floor and he decided to explore the sleeve.

We have off again today and hit up the library. I got The Engine 2 Diet. I've read this before, but it's been so long, and I needed a refresher and some new dinner ideas.

Trinity got some books, too. Can you guess what they're about?

Yup. Pokemon.

The Pokemon theme has been going strong for 4 years now. I foresee future employment involving Pokemon.

Maybe she can use my journal entries and my blog as references on her resume when she inevitably applies for a job with Nintendo. She'll have had decades worth of experience!

There are so many outlets now to document daily life.

Daily photos. Ever seen on youtube how a person will take a photo everyday of him/herself for several years?

Daily blogposts.

Daily videos or VLOGS.

Daily journal entries.

My Grandpa Max had about 20 cassette tapes of us singing, playing games, and having conversations at breakfast.

Do YOU do any daily documentation of your life or someone else's life aside from blogging?

Music Monday

2011-02-21T00:52:00.002-08:00

I don't know what it is guys, but the past 4 months I have been encountering some seriously incredible music. It's like the world of interesting music has finally penetrated the airwaves and made a beeline right for my ears.

I think it started with hearing Mumford and Sons
for the first time last September, then Florence and the Machine.

The musical volcano has continued to erupt and the euphonious landmass it's producing is growing bigger and bigger.

The latest "eruption" to help form this island of musical paradise include

Broken Bells

The Black Keys

Francesca Battistelli

Ray LaMontagne
Muse

I know, I KNOW....these artists have been making music for YEARS. I get it. I'm behind the times.
I'm actually quite picky about what music I allow to influence my soul, which is basically the reason for not stepping out of my musical comfort zone often. But now that I've found some intriguing and thought-provoking sounds, the zone has been widened.
That being said, it was REALLY hard to choose which artist to feature for today's Music Monday.
But, I ended up choosing Broken Bells

Maybe I should just head to Bonnaroo and my fix of "new" music in one shot.

Wanna come with??

100 Things Thursday

2011-02-17T01:48:00.029-08:00

Yup, it's Thursday once again. Time for 10 things from the list of 100 that the experts say we should know how to do. I realized from the get-go that this is geared toward a "westernized" society and in no way reflects what those in remote parts of the world should know how to do. I mean, really, do you think the remote indigenous peoples of Brazil really need to know how to Buy a Diamond or Decorate a Christmas Tree?!

But, in the interest of listing all 100 things, 10 at a time, we continue on with the list.

1-Do Push Ups and Sit Ups by Kathy Smith (pretty much)

2-Brew Coffee by Cecile Hudson (cold water, right ratio of water to grounds. got it)

3-Shave by Murian Zaoui and Eric Malka (yeah)

4-Make an Educated Guess by Stanley H. Kaplan (um...i think so?)

5-Tell a Story by Ira Glass (terrible at this. i get so caught up in insignificant details and lose my train of thought)

6-Prepare for a Disaster by Marsha J. Evans (depends on the disaster. now that we're in seattle, i should learn what to do in case of an earthquake)

7-Swing a Golf Club by Jim McLean (nope. don't even care)

8-Buy a Diamond by Ronald Winston (nope. care even less)

9-House train a Puppy by Andrea Arden (no. not a dog person)

10-Decorate a Christmas Tree by Tony Burroughs (well yeah)

Ok guys. What do YOU think everyone should know how to do?

I think everyone should know how to control their tongue and keep their mouth shut when necessary :) Sometimes I think people talk too much and don't really say anything.

Music Monday

2011-02-13T23:13:00.002-08:00

I love multi-purpose love songs. By multi-purpose, I mean the song can be attributed to a romantic companion, a child, or even God. I remember the first time I heard White Flag by Dido, my thoughts immediately focused on my daughter. Granted, it was about 2 weeks after she was born, and I was saturated in post-partem hormones that made me cry just looking at her.
A similar thing happened when I first heard "No One" by Alicia Keyes. My thoughts immediately focused on God and my relationship with Him.
Listen, can you do the same with this song?

A raw gluten free vegan cupcake?

2011-02-13T16:14:00.001-08:00

I recently discovered a little cafe here in Seattle that has food in it I can eat called THRIVE.

Every.Single.Item of food in that cafe, I can consume without fear of gastrointestinal distress.

I checked out their menu online and it seemed everything was gluten free, as well as free of eggs and dairy, but it seemed too good to be true.

So when I walked in and asked the guy if everything was indeed gluten free and vegan, he assured me it was.

I may or may not have almost hugged him.

I was a bit overwhelmed with all the options and oddly, not that hungry. So, I opted for a sweet treat, to go.

Behold, the Chai Chocolate cupcake

What exactly is in a raw gluten free vegan cupcake?

This delectable treat is made of:

cashews, chai tea, almonds, agave, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, coconut oil, dates, cacao powder, and almond milk.

I offered Bruce a bite, but I think everything about it scared him. Oh well, more for me! Trust me, there is NOTHING scary about it.

Clean Comedy

2011-02-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

Clean Comedy is the best comedy, because everyone (who "gets" it) can enjoy together and because crass comedy is just so...boring and predictable.

Seriously. I think truly funny, clean, relevant, situational comedy requires much more intelligence and is far more memorable and interesting.

Brian Regan is one of my all time fave comics. He takes real life situations and experiences and puts a comedic perspective on it.

For example, ironing boards.

Epically Frugal Meal

2011-02-11T01:25:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I made something so hearty, tasty, easy, and cheap that I even surprised myself.

I can't take 100 % credit for the recipe, since there are tons of variations of this kind of dish floating around the internet.

But, check out the frugality of it! I was amazed when I realized how little this dish cost, especially considering it will be 2 to 3 meals for me. It would probably be about 5-6 for the average person, but when it comes to consuming veggies and beans....I'm anything but average :D

I bought a 10 lb bag of potatoes for $1.80.

With an average of 25 potatoes per bag, it comes to about 8 cents per potato. I used 5, so 40 cents for potatoes.

$1.50 for bag of black beans. I used 1/4of bag, so 37 cents for beans

$2 for huge bag of frozen broccoli. I used 1/8th of bag, so 25 cents for broccoli

$1.50 for jar of salsa. I used about 1 cup, so 37 cents for salsa

The avocado was $1. I used 3/4 of it, so 75 cents for avocado

When it was finished baking, I sprinkled it with nutritional yeast. It was $1.22 for 8 oz., and I used 2 oz., so 30 cents of nutritional yeast.

Altogether $2.44 for about 2 to 3 meals. How awesome is that?
How to make this cheap delicious meal, you ask?
First, I prepped the dried black beans according to the directions on the bag.
So that part takes some pre-planning and you'll wanna get on it ASAP. Then again, you can always just use canned beans. Not as cheap, but work just as well.

The rest is easy peasy.
Into my pan went the following. You can ALWAYS customize this and use different veggies, types of beans and alter the size of the recipe)
5 cleaned and chopped potatoes
2 cups black beans
2 cups of broccoli
1 cup salsa
I baked it at 420 degrees for 45 minutes. I must admit one of my favorite parts was the baked broccoli.
Once it's done baking ready to eat, you can top it with some avocado and nutritional yeast, or even more salsa
Enjoy.

100 Things Thursday

2011-02-09T23:15:00.001-08:00

Here we are at Thursday again. How's everyone's week going?

Hopefully it's been productive, enlightening, and note-worthy.

So, here are 10 more things the "experts" think we should know how to do.

1-Wash your hands by Julie Gerberding (yes, i do. i've worked in health care and i have a 7 year old who reminds me to sing the ABCs while i do. that's about how long you should be washing)

2-Care for your skin by Sidra Shaukrat (i could be better at this for sure)

3-Shovel Snow by Mayor Anthony Masiello (growing up in Wisconsin you learn at birth. strangely enough i've met people who DON'T know how)

4-Ask for a Raise or promotion (eh.....not really)

5-Make a martini by Dale DeGruff (nope)

6-Change your oil by Ryan Newman (i could if i had to-i think)

7-Use chopsticks by Rick Federico (sort of)

8-Hold a baby by Bill Sears (i'm a nanny and a mom. it's kind of a prerequisite)

9-Fly a flag by Whitney Smith (i know the basics)

10-Read Aloud by Corey Booker (yup)

So, what do YOU think everyone should know how to do?
This week I think everyone should know how to make someone smile

Avocado Peanut Flour spread

2011-02-09T02:20:00.002-08:00

So I've had this super ripe avocado sittin' around that I had planned on using for some kind of dip to take the Superbowl get together we were supposed to go to.

Well, the Princess got sick, so she and I stayed home and I was therefore uninspired to do anything with this superfruit. Yes, the avocado is a fruit. OH! AND, it's avocado week. Who knew?

Yesterday I finally got an idea on how to use it with the peanut flour I picked up on Sunday.

I decided to make pancakes and use the avocado and peanut flour as a topping.


Pancake and topping ingredients

First I mixed all the pancake ingredients together

(makes one giant pancake or several small ones)

*1/4 cup Gluten Free All Purpose flour

*2 Tbsp ground flax seeds

*1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 Tbsp cinnamon

*2 packets of Stevia

*3/4 cup almond milk

Then, I mashed the avocado in with the peanut flour, Stevia, a pinch of salt, and some water. I would have preferred to use agave instead of Stevia to improve the viscosity of the topping, but I didn't have any on hand. Next time :)

Avocado Peanut Spread

*1/4 cup peanut flour

*1/4 of an avocado

*4 packets of stevia or Agave to taste

*2 Tbsp water

It would probably turn out better if it were mixed in a food processor or blender, but I just mashed and mixed, mixed and mashed.

After all that mixing and mashing, I made the pancake and topped it with the avocado peanut flour mix. What would you call it? sauce? spread?

I'm going with spread.

This big ole pancake totally hit the spot. Next time I'm definitely going to use some agave nectar, but this was still good.
So, what to do with the remaining 3/4 of the avocado? It's a huge avocado, so there's quite a bit left.
There are many tasty options
1-as a topping on baked potatoes (along with black beans, salsa, and nutritional yeast)
2-a small serving of chilled avocado soup
3-pureed and used as a butter or oil replacement in a muffin recipe
4-chocolate avocado pudding
5-guacamole, of course

What would you use it for?

Frugality for a Cause. Coolest. Ever.

2011-02-08T07:07:00.003-08:00

I initially posted this last year and was just in awe of the creativity of this project. While she honestly had more than one dress (I think she had 5), she still proves how you can do nearly infinite things with one style and accompanying accessories, and never suffer from fashion boredom or irrelevance.

This video is a perfect example of how being frugal and creative can raise money for a good cause.

NEVER AGAIN will I complain that I have nothing to wear. She, and Kristy Powell, who just started her own ONE DRESS PROTEST just may have inspired me to do something similar someday.
Although both projects are completely different in their motivation, both are incredibly intriguing and note worthy. Check out Kristy's site. She's very brave in sharing her unique and God-given motivation.

Uniform Project Picture Book from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

Music Monday in honor of black history month

2011-02-06T23:05:00.000-08:00

I love "soul" music....it's in my blood :)

Otis Redding is one of my all time favorite singers. But, today King Curtis and his awesome song "Memphis Soul Stew" is featured on Music Monday.

I remember the first time I heard this as I was driving around and flipping through the radio stations. I was in awe. Entranced. I wanted more. It just moved me.

Packer Backer

2011-02-04T12:30:00.001-08:00

It's Friday and that means it's almost time for the Superbowl!

Generally, I would not care about such an event, except this year the Green Bay Packers are playing!

I was born and raised in Wisconsin and lived there a total of 30 years. The Packers have always been a football fave no matter where I've lived. The team just has a super cool laid back vibe about them. They remind me of the humble, hard-workin',good ole boy in town that everybody knows and likes, who holds the door open for a lady, plays fair, and treats people with respect.

Everybody have their game day menu ready?

I'm keeping my menu uber simple, so I'm thinking of roasting some yellow and green bell peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, yellow squash and served with hummus and mustard.

Also, check out this savory pancake sandwich from SPA BETTIE.

I can't do eggs or cheese, but I could DEFINITELY slather on some hummus or mustard and call it a day!

Interesting facts about the Green Bay Packer football organization:
1-The G on their logo does NOT stand for Green Bay. It stands for GREATNESS. How very appropriate.
2-They won the first Superbowl EVER.
3-The Packers are the only community-owned non-profit organization in the NFL.

An Email from my Dad

2011-02-03T23:30:00.001-08:00

I've only been a parent for about 7 years now, but one thing I've known for a long time is that the urgency and desire to protect your child is not something that dissipates with age/time.

Don't think that the Princess won't have GPS on her phone, on her car, implanted in her backpack, in her shoes, as well as mobile watchdog on her phone. Just wait. You'll see.

Even though I'm 35 years old, my dad is compelled, and always will be, to inform, protect, and guide me.

This is the email I received from him yesterday.

Hi Heather

I think this is something you and your blog friends should read.

I love you

DAD

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :

The elbow is the strongest point

on your body.

If you are close enough to use it, do!
2.. Learned this from a tourist guide.

If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,

DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.

Toss it away from you....

Chances are that he is more interested

in your wallet and/or purse than you,

and he will go for the wallet/purse.

RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car,

kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole

and start waving like crazy..

The driver won't see you, but everybody else will.

This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars

after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit

(doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.

DON'T DO THIS!)

The predator will be watching you, and this

is the perfect opportunity for him to get in

on the passenger side, put a gun to your head,

and tell you where to go.

AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR ,

LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE..
If someone is in the car

with a gun to your head

DO NOT DRIVE OFF,

Repeat:

DO NOT DRIVE OFF!

Instead gun the engine and

speed into anything, wrecking the car.

Your Air Bag will save you.

If the person is in the back seat

they will get the worst of it.

As soon as the car crashes

bail out and run.

It is better than having them find your body

in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting

into your car in a parking lot,

or parking garage:

A.) Be aware:

look around you,

look into your car,

at the passenger side floor ,

and in the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van,

enter your car from the passenger door.

Most serial killers attack their victims

by pulling them into their vans while the women

are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car

parked on the driver's side of your vehicle,

and the passenger side.. If a male is sitting alone

in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back

into the mall, or work, and get a

guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator

instead of the stairs.

Stairwells are horrible places to be alone

and the perfect crime spot.

This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun

and you are not under his control,

ALWAYS RUN!

The predator will only hit you (a running target)

4 in 100 times; and even then,

it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ.

RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying

to be sympathetic:

STOP

It may get you raped, or killed.

Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking,

well educated man, who ALWAYS played

on the sympathies of unsuspecting women.

He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often

asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle,

which is when he abducted
his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point:

Someone just told me that her friend heard

a crying baby on her porch the night before last,

and she called the police because it was late

and she thought it was weird.. The police told her

'Whatever you do, DO NOT

open the door..'

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby

had crawled near a window, and she was worried

that it would crawl to the street and get run over.

The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way,

whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'

He told her that they think a serial killer

has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax

women out of their homes thinking that someone

dropped off a baby.. He said they have not verified it,

but have had several calls by women saying that

they hear baby's cries outside their doors

when they're home alone at night.

10. Water scam!

If you wake up in the middle
of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a
burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your
outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and
then attack.
Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors!

Please pass this on

This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because

the Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on

America 's Most Wanted when they profiled

the serial killer in Louisiana
I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know.

It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle..

100 Things Thursday

2011-02-02T23:58:00.028-08:00

Continuing with my new found tradition of 100 Things Thursday, I will list 10 more things from the book

"The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do."

1-Sleep (duh. of course I know how. This expert's advice is actually relevant in knowing how to sleep sounder and longer)

2-Jog (I know how. I hate it. not a fan. at all.)

3-Drive a Stick Shift (yup. thanks to my friend Tara and my dad)

4-Manage your Time (I'm pretty good at this. Could be better. But, not bad)

5-Remember names (I'm actually very good at this. Recognizing people is another story!)

6-Balance Your Checkbook (yup. my dad had me doing this for him when I was about 13)

7-Understand Your Pet ( I guess. Either they're hungry, in pain, want to play, pee, or poop. kind of like babies)

8-Wash A Car (for the most part)

9-Change a diaper (I have a child and I'm a nanny. I know how to change a diaper)

10-Learn a Foreign Language ( I know minimal Spanish and would like to learn Japanese)

Alright friends. 1-What can you do? 2-What do you think everyone should know how to do?

I think everyone should know how to forgive. Knowing how much God has forgiven me has been a huge catalyst and motivator in forgiving others.

Can't go back

2011-02-02T11:05:00.003-08:00

There are experiences in life that change you forever. You didn't expect them, they just happened, and now you're "ruined." You can never go back to they way things were.

For example:

Salt. Yes, salt. Once you've experienced the full-bodied honest to goodness flavor of SEA SALT, regular ole iodized table is like a chemical laden taste explosion of nastiness.

Then there is the tomato. A perfectly ripe, juicy, homegrown with love and care tomato will always beat out a store-bought, mealy, tough, and tasteless tomato.

Next is peanut butter. Yeah, if you think "peanut butter is peanut butter" you are SERIOUSLY mistaken my friend. I've found that most "peanut butters" now have labels that deem them "peanut spread" and are not actual peanut butters at all. They are but a sad conglomeration of peanuts, sugar, oils, molasses, and diglycerides.

No thanks. I'll take my peanut butter straight up, thank you. Peanuts and salt.The taste is so pure and real. Smucker's all natural is forever a favorite.

Coffee. Oh, I survived on gas station coffee for years while "on the go" thinking it was pretty good. I was wrong in thinking "coffee is coffee" and people only drink the expensive stuff for status and prestige.

Nope. You get what you pay for guys!

After experiencing the world-wide phenomenon known as Starbucks, I'm completely ruined. I recently had a coffee from 711 and could barely drink it. Even with sugar and those little dairy free creamers it tasted like what the cat's litter box smells like after he goes pee pee. No joke.
My friend Bobbie half-jokes that Starbucks must put crack in their coffee. It's hard to be frugal when you've experienced Starbucks ~~crack~~ coffee.

Next we have YOGURE. Yes, I'm lactose intolerant, BUT, since yogurt has bacteria in it that eats lactose and casein, I'm good to go. I try to limit my yogurt intake because the good stuff is pricey and I try not to do too much dairy.
Plain non-flavored yogurt is not bad, but it's not great. You can "dress it up" pretty well and you don't really notice its mediocrity.

Then, you experience FAGE, or another high quality Greek yogurt and it's all over. Thick tasty pure yogurt. That's it. No flavors or cornstarch or other weird crap in it. Just yogurt. Now, regular yogurt tastes like watered-down, tasteless, thicker skim milk. Doesn't cut it my friends.

Something non-food related that is VERY relevant right now that I could never go back to.

EXTREME TEMPS AND PRECIPITATION.

After college the main reason I left Wisconsin was because of the extreme temperatures. The winter before I left it was NEGATIVE 30 with windchill. The day I left in July it was 100 degrees.
Right now my Wisconsin family and friends are experiencing record-breaking blizzard conditions.
This is a picture of my friend's husband. They own a towing and repair service in Wisconsin and have been swamped with calls!

He has been out rescuing people from the frigid cold and snow. Look at that. Seriously people. If it's this nasty out, STAY HOME!!

Something else I could never return to: WEARING MAKEUP

It's been about 2 years since I quit wearing it on a daily basis and right now I can't even remember the last time I wore it. I don't even own any.
It was such a pain. Why? Let me count the ways:

1-Eyeliner and mascara flaking off and getting in my eyes.

2-Trying to find the right shade of foundation.

3-Eyeshadow clumping up in the crease of my eyelids.

4-Blush making me look like a clown.

5-Lipstick ending up on my teeth and only lasting about 15 minutes anyway.

6-Being afraid to touch my face in case I smear something.

See?! I am NOT meant to wear makeup! Waste of time, energy, and money for me.

Also, I could never go back to NOT wearing sunglasses. I think Nicole Ritchie would agree :) If there is even a hint of sun shining, my eyes scream for shade. It's like they've become addicted to the darkening effect of the sunglasses.

Lastly, I could never ever ever go back to living without a complete trust and faith in God through Christ. He has become my meaning, my reason for being, the forgiver of my sins, the lover of my soul, and the ONLY one who can make me right with God.
When I have cares, worries, issues, and problems-HE'S the first person I turn to and He's never let me down yet. When I'm happy, excited, experience any good thing, He's the first person I thank.

Ok friends-what have you experienced that has forever changed you? What can you never go back to doing, eating, wearing, using, etc.?

Black History Month

2011-01-31T22:40:00.006-08:00

Every year since starting my blog, I've honored my grandpa with a blog post in February.
My Grandpa Max.

What does Black History Month mean to me? It's a kind of Memorial Month dedicated to those of African-American descent, as well as "black" people from other parts of the world.
Because not all black people are African-American and not all African-Americans are black!

It's a time to reflect on the positive contributions of a race that has been oppressed, repressed, and struggled to rise above it all, to be treated as equal human beings created by the one true God.

I could list many famous people from history,and even from the present, who have made significant contributions in the world and helped shape it. But, I'm gonna focus on my grandpa, Max Johnson.

My Grandpa has been, and probably will be, the most significant black man in my life.

My dad's dad was a ward of the state for many years before being "adopted" by several different families throughout his childhood. I put adopted in quotes, because it was bordering on being an indentured servant.

I had the privilege to read many reports from his childhood from orphanage case workers that would routinely check up on him in each new foster home.

They concluded he was a well-behaved, clean, polite, yet nappy-headed negro, who was allowed to sit at the dinner table with the white children. Strange to read some of that considering it was around 1914, not 1814.

I also got to read some heartbreaking letters he wrote as a 10 year old pleading with the orphanage case workers to allow him to stay with a particular family whom he loved.

My Grandpa Max grew up to enlist and serve in the U.S. Army, be in the Korean War, learn to play the guitar and be in several bands. The Grand Ole Opry even asked him to join their association, but he declined. He had a beautiful and smooth deep singing voice, a cross between Ray Charles and Johnny Cash.

He had many jobs as a farm hand, a semi-pro wrestler, and eventually started his own successful lumberjack business. I still have some of the lumberjack company stationary with the Johnson and Nagle letterhead!

My grandpa was not perfect by any means. He had a very distant relationship with his 5 children, one of whom is my dad. But, the man I knew was very different from the man his children knew. My uncle Bill even said to me one time, "Your grandpa and my dad are not the same person." I knew what he meant.

I wish he could have had the relationship with his children that he had with me.

My grandpa was loving, attentive, and involved. For many of my early years we lived with him and my grandma. He taught me how to tap trees for maple sap, fish, canoe, "hunt" for night crawlers, grow a thriving garden, build an in ground smoker to smoke fish,along with many other things.

I was often his little white shadow!! I loved being with my grandpa and often called him Daddy.

I have so many wonderful memories of my Grandpa that I could dedicate several blog posts to him. And although there are MANY pictures of me in my preschool and adolescent years, there are few of him and I together, because he was taking the majority of the pictures.

He developed Alzheimer's disease and passed away in 1996. I still miss him and I always will.

Music Monday

2011-01-30T23:22:00.004-08:00

Today's Music Monday is sponsored by the Dead Milkmen. My other favorite song they have is Bitchin' Camaro, mostly because I had a friend in high school who did a remake of it about his Ford Ranger. It was appropriately entitled "Bitchin' Ford Ranger." I had it recorded on a cassette tape at one point. Wonder where that thing ended up.

100 Things Thursday

2011-01-26T22:34:00.006-08:00

HAPPY THURSDAY!

It's been a pretty good week so far, barring the litter box incident.

I'll be honest. I'm not a dog person. I think it stems from having my face bit off when I was a baby. That's a bit dramatic, but I do have a significant scar on my face from where my cousin's dog bit me.

I have many reasons for not being a dog person and reason #486 occurred earlier this week.

I walked into the hallway and noticed our dog chewing something like it was taffy. She had this twinkle in her eye like it was the best taffy she ever had. Then she started licking her chops. Then I noticed the cat litter on her nose.

AHHHHHHH!!! NASTY!!!

I knew she was prone to doing this, but figured since she doesn't go in the Princess's room anyway, we wouldn't have to worry about it. I was wrong. We turned the litter boxed around with the opening to the cover facing the wall. Just enough room for Boomer to get in and out. So far so good.

Moving on....

Thanks to the lovely Kat over at the blog Tenaciously Yours, I've decided to start a Thursday series, as well as my Music Monday series.

She suggested that each week I share some of the book The Expert's Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do

On Tuesday I shared these 10, including the name of the "expert" giving the tip and if I know how:

1-sew a button-Susan Khalje (check)

2-negotiate by Donald Trump (sort of)

3-improve your vocabulary- by Richard Lederer (check)

4-apologize-by Beverly Engel (check)

5-make conversation-by Morris Reid (not so great at this one)

6-change a tire-by Larry McReynolds (uhhhhh....i learned how, just don't know if i could do it)

7-relax-by Dr. Dean Ornish (check)

8-read body language- by Steve Cohen (sometimes)

9-build a fire-by Jim Paxon (learned in Girl Scouts, only remember a little bit)

10-shake hands-by Letitia Baldridge (check. i love good handshakes.)

Today I present you with these.

1-write a personal note by Lansing E. Crane (check)

2-give a massage by Dot Stein (good at foot massages. the rest, not so much)

3-make a toast by Carley Roney (nope)

4-relocate by Becki and Keith Dilley (uh. yeah. i've moved HOW many times since college?)

5-take a picture by Daniel A.Carp (most of the time....)

6-give a gift by Robyn Freedman Spizman (working on this)

7-bake chocolate chip cookies by Debbi Fields (check)

8-tell a joke by Howie Mandel (nope)

9-make tea by Mo Siegel (check)

10-pack for a trip by Anne McAlpin (check)

I'm gonna add a little twist to this. I'll add one thing I think everyone should know how to do and then I want YOU to do the same. K? Thanks :)

I think everyone should know how to give a great hug. I have a friend, (Sonsheree, if you must know) who gives THE BEST hugs. Strong, loving, sincere, and for just the right length of time.

Your turn.

The books the cat attacked

2011-01-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

Remember how I was trying to take nice pictures of neatly stacked books I've acquired from the library over the past week? Our new kitty Boomer was not havin' it.

One of my favorite things is learning. So many of the books we pick up are random facts and how-tos:

The Expert's Guide Book has 101 great tips given by people in particular areas of expertise:

Just a few things we are recommended to know to do are:

1-sew a button-Susan Khalje (check)

2-negotiate by Donald Trump (sort of)

3-improve your vocabulary-Richard Lederer (check)

4-apologize-Beverly Engel (check)

5-make conversation-Morris Reid (not so great at this one)

6-change a tire-Larry McReynolds (uhhhhh....i learned how, just don't know if i could do it)

7-relax-Dr. Dean Ornish (check)

8-read body language-Steve Cohen (sometimes)

9-build a fire-Jim Paxon (learned in Girl Scouts, only remember a little bit)

10-shake hands-Letitia Baldridge

Besides just learning about things, I figured we should get some sort of family hobby for those days when it's icky and rainy and we're sick of playing UNO and Sorry. So I picked up "GET A HOBBY."

It lists the typical things like collecting things and knitting. But also includes the all time family favorites of FALCONRY

It's not real clear, but I'm guessing this hobby is pretty exclusive. Notice the first requirement. A FALCON!

BELL RINGING

Again, a pretty exclusive hobby....but hey somebody needs to ring the bells, right?

and DUMPSTER DIVING

Finally, an easily accessible hobby!

Good times.

Actually, I've seen a documentary on this and the stuff people find is pretty amazing. New stuff. Nice stuff.It's crazy the stuff people throw away instead of donating.

Another book I picked up is the VEGETARIAN MEAT AND POTATOES cookbook pictured in the stack the kitty is attacking. I haven't made any recipes from it yet, but it must be having a subliminal affect on my hubby. He's been asking for lots of salads and roasted veggies lately. That makes my heart (and his)SMILE. You cannot get too many veggies y'all!

Michael Pollan would be proud :)

Two questions:

1-Out of the 10 things listed from the Experts Guide-what do you NOT know how to do?

2-If you have an unusual (or even not so unusual hobby), what is it?

Music Monday

2011-01-23T22:18:00.005-08:00

A fun little diddy which was originally released without any music at all.....simply Suzanne Vega singing a capella.

I actually prefer this remix :)

What the heck have I been doing?

2011-01-21T07:54:00.003-08:00

Wow, it's Friday already. I feel like I've been going non-stop this week, and I don't even know what I've been doing!

It's been a typical week of work, being Mommy and Wifey, cleaning, exercising, running errands, blah blah blah- the typical stuff. But, I've barely had any time to myself and I don't get it.

Meals have been mainly roasted veggies, apples, beans and greens-CAN'T complain :)

Maybe I've underestimated the time I've been spending watching our new kitty, Boomer, practice his parkour skillz. ....or squirting him with a water bottle to deter him from chewing the cord to the wireless router.

This kitten is NUTS. He'll freak out hardcore for 20 minutes, sliding across chairs, slamming into the wall, doing somersaults, and like a narcoleptic, fall asleep practically in the midst of his rampage.

I tried to take some pictures of all the books I've accumulated from the library the past week

Apparently he doesn't understand the protocol when someone is trying to take pictures of inanimate objects.

*SIGH*

I'll go over the books next time.

Also, while I sit here on the floor, trying to type, he is ferociously attacking the drawstrings on my Saints sweatshirt. I'm in pajamas, so pay no mind to the mismatched outfit.

Actually, I've also been spending time with the Princess practicing words for her FIRST EVER spelling test. I found out she and 2 other kids in the class are taking the advanced spelling tests.

I'm going to try to refrain from bragging as much as I can, but girlfriend can spell! It IS in her blood. She comes from a line of spelling and grammar fanatics. It makes this mama proud to see those strong genes displayed :)

This week one of the words is PRECIPITATION. What the? I know adults who can't spell precipitation :)

My Princess can spell it orally, without even writing it down.

Ok-bragging done.

So, as I wrap up a busy week of kitty wrangling and helping the Princess hone her spelling skills, I'm about to gear up for the big game this Sunday!! Go Packers!!

I also plan to get some "me" time in. Perhaps I'll utilize the kickboxing DVD I got from the library and dye my hair again-goodness, it needs it!

Must get back to the REDNESS!!:

What are your weekend plans? To all my friends in Wisco-STAY WARM, PLEASE!! :)

a very special Music Monday

2011-01-17T17:48:00.000-08:00

It's Music Monday AND it's my dad's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

I remember the first time I heard this song I was living in New Jersey and having a hard time acclimating. It totally reminded me of my dad.

He's quite a special guy, raising me from the age of 8 months old. In 1975 it was practically unheard of for a dad to get custody of a child, but he did. For MANY years he was both mother and father to me, made sure to tell me EVERY.SINGLE.DAY that he loved me, and always tried to see life from an adventurous point of view.

Kitty!!!!

2011-01-13T22:16:00.002-08:00

On Monday we finally decided that this Thursday, while Trinity was in school, we would go get the kitten we've been promising her. Wednesday night at bedtime we were excitedly talking about the kitty for quite a while. Finally, I told her it was getting late and we'd have to stop talking and just think about it.

Her reply, "Ok, but first I'm going to cry."

Oh.my.gosh. Totally melted my heart. This was not the first time she's cried tears of joy and I know it won't be the last. The first time she did,when she was about 5, it kind of freaked her out. She said, "I'm so happy and my heart is full of joy, but I'm crying. Why am I crying?!"

Anyway, here he is:

She must have been distracted by her cousin who was also in the car when we picked her up from school, because she didn't say a thing about the kitty, and we had to point it out to her when we walked in the house.

Her reaction: more tears of joy.

He's not very fond of our old senile dog yet, so he's a bit scared in this shot

Next up, naming the little guy.

We told her we'd have to approve, because well, sometimes kids are too excited to come up with a name we all feel comfortable yelling.

Good thing we made that arrangement!

Her ideas?

Cutie Pie

Loogie (like hockin' a ball of phlegm)

Dockle

Balls.

Final choice we all agreed upon?

BOOMER.

Welcome to the family, Boomer! We're so excited to have you join us :)