Okay, so we were in tornado warnings last night...we saw on the TV, and kept trying to figure out if we were in the path of the tornados...however, since it was DRIZZLING in Denver, that was FAR more important than us!!! So, right about the time we finally went to bed figuring that the tornado whistle would (hopefully! We're all heavy sleepers in this house) wake us up it started to hail. We had a nice pile of pea sized hail just sheeting off of our roof, and the street was white with hail...we figured there was pretty much no chance of hearing the whistle with all the hail, and thought we'd leave our existance up to God (obviously, we were not hit by a tornado, since I am typing this...
At about 1 in the morning the phone rang...I jumped out of bed and ran to get it, worrying that it was a reverse 911 telling us that a tornado was about to wipe our town out of existence...
It was a reverse 911...to let us know that we were no longer in a tornado warning...
So, I ask you...why on EARTH did they do that at 1 am, but not call earlier in the evening to let us KNOW that we were in a tornado warning???
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Friday, May 04, 2007
Our Blessed Mother had an accident...
Okay, I've always wanted a Mary garden...but to have one, you need two things...a statue of Mary, and some sort of flower garden. I had gotten one step closer recently. My MIL let me have a statue of Mary that her ex-step-mother had given her when she lost her mind and left the Catholic church for a cult (and then divorced her husband and moved to "find Jesus" and sell "Holy Tea"...) So, we brought Mary home and placed her inside our fence until we could plant a garden underneath the bedroom windows.
Now, Eva LOVES Mary, and has several small Mary and Joseph statues that she plays with in the house. Naturally, she loved this larger, outdoor Mary. Mary rode Eva's bike with her...Mary was put down for naps on the step...Mary was carried up to the top of Eva's slide with all of Eva's other treasures (It looked like a redneck Catholic shrine...I really wish I had gotten a picture!) Mary even slid down the slide (not because I thought it was a good idea...) and she survived all of that.
Well, unfortunately today Eva apparently dropped her on our sidewalk, and broke her base into pieces...so I am waiting for hubby to get home to see if Mary is repairable...If she is, then I am sure he will have the good sense to place her OUTSIDE of our fence!
Now, Eva LOVES Mary, and has several small Mary and Joseph statues that she plays with in the house. Naturally, she loved this larger, outdoor Mary. Mary rode Eva's bike with her...Mary was put down for naps on the step...Mary was carried up to the top of Eva's slide with all of Eva's other treasures (It looked like a redneck Catholic shrine...I really wish I had gotten a picture!) Mary even slid down the slide (not because I thought it was a good idea...) and she survived all of that.
Well, unfortunately today Eva apparently dropped her on our sidewalk, and broke her base into pieces...so I am waiting for hubby to get home to see if Mary is repairable...If she is, then I am sure he will have the good sense to place her OUTSIDE of our fence!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Pork Chops with Rhubarb Sauce
Okay, I was watching "Everyday Food" on PBS on Sunday, and they did this recipe...of course, I'll list what I actually did, not what they told me to do! (I enjoy the show, but those New Yorkers have no idea what is available in the supermarkets of rural America...honestly, they said that you could get rhubarb year round in the produce department...you can't even get it at the store in the summer here...maybe the farmer's market, or 95% of backyards!)
Okay, here it is!
Brown 4 (or more) pork chops in a little bit of olive oil.
In a sauce pan, cook 1/2 an onion in a little bit of olive oil
In a small bowl mix 1/2 c. dried currants (or raisins, if that's what is in your pantry) with 1/4 c. water and 1 T. balsamic vinegar
Add to sauce pan 2 c. chopped rhubarb, bowl of water, currants, etc. and 3 T. white sugar
Cook until thickened and mushy, serve over pork chops.
We had it with leftover brown rice and brussel sprouts (frozen ones, naturally!)
Okay, here it is!
Brown 4 (or more) pork chops in a little bit of olive oil.
In a sauce pan, cook 1/2 an onion in a little bit of olive oil
In a small bowl mix 1/2 c. dried currants (or raisins, if that's what is in your pantry) with 1/4 c. water and 1 T. balsamic vinegar
Add to sauce pan 2 c. chopped rhubarb, bowl of water, currants, etc. and 3 T. white sugar
Cook until thickened and mushy, serve over pork chops.
We had it with leftover brown rice and brussel sprouts (frozen ones, naturally!)
Beating a cake mix with a whisk counts as a workout, right?
Of course the subtitle of this post could be "Why I am a fat you-know-what"! I have no particular reason for baking a cake other than we had a chocolate cake mix and chocolate frosting in the pantry. I'm contemplating looking up the Saint of the day, and arguing it is a celebration in honor of that Saint...but who would I be kidding? Hubby and Eva are a-okay with me baking, to say the least.
Not much else going on here...I'm still behind on laundry and dishes (a perpetual state) and I tried a new recipe for supper, so I'll post that in a minute for anyone else with hills of rhubarb that came with their house who doesn't know what to do with rhubarb!
Not much else going on here...I'm still behind on laundry and dishes (a perpetual state) and I tried a new recipe for supper, so I'll post that in a minute for anyone else with hills of rhubarb that came with their house who doesn't know what to do with rhubarb!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Today's church marathon...
Okay, don't get me wrong...I love going to church on Sundays...it's just that by the end, I am completely wiped out! First of all, we have CCD (catechism/religious education/sunday school or whatever else you want to call it!) before Mass. Eva is in the preschool class and has to be there at 9, I don't have to teach my 4th graders until 9:30 (they have music class first!) Today was the last day for classes, and apparently there is a tradition to let the kids walk to the local quick-e-mart for snacks on the last day (I made them take a test after they got snacks) never mind that they are all old enough to recieve communion. The other 4th grade teacher and I told them that they shouldn't take communion because of the candy/pop right before church. Then, we had a very nice mass, but all the little kids in the church were restless today, so it was very noisy! Finally, we had a LOT of announcements about upcoming stuff, and a blessing for a young man going off to pursue the Franciscan way of life. After Mass there was a potluck followed by sexual abuse training (we both fortunately did the training several years ago!) which we skipped and went instead to a local restaurant. Afterwards, I decided we might as well pick up some groceries while we were out. (I go back and forth on that no shopping on Sundays thing...) Finally, 5 hours later we got home...
Since Sundays are hubby's only day off work during the week, 3 hours of church tends to wear on us...I am so not ready for the work week to start again!
Since Sundays are hubby's only day off work during the week, 3 hours of church tends to wear on us...I am so not ready for the work week to start again!
A toddler with a step stool is just NOT a good idea!
Okay, so we've always had a step ladder in our house. It currently resides in the laundry room, and we drag it out when we need to reach something high up. We acquired a step stool when I got home from the hospital because I couldn't get up into our bed (normal sized box spring with a pillowtop mattress.) It is a $10 rubbermaid one, and it is Eva's best friend...ninety five times a day she asks "Where's my step stool?" It is a great aid for getting into trouble. Here is today's example...
I was lying down with Charlotte trying to get her to nap after our 5 hour church marathon/lunch/shopping trip (more on that later!) when I noticed a buzzing sound. When Charlie fell asleep, I went investigating. Due to my severe "Harry Potter" addiction, I have all 6 books on tape (I'm thinking about upgrading to CDs sometime soon...) and I listen to them virtually every night while falling asleep. My stereo is on top of a lingere chest (about 4 1/2 ft tall, I'd bet) and the rewind button was pressed in and buzzing. Where was the step stool? Right in front of the chest! Go figure, my little toddler was probably trying to "listen to music?" which she asks to do everytime we go into my bedroom throughout the day.
I was lying down with Charlotte trying to get her to nap after our 5 hour church marathon/lunch/shopping trip (more on that later!) when I noticed a buzzing sound. When Charlie fell asleep, I went investigating. Due to my severe "Harry Potter" addiction, I have all 6 books on tape (I'm thinking about upgrading to CDs sometime soon...) and I listen to them virtually every night while falling asleep. My stereo is on top of a lingere chest (about 4 1/2 ft tall, I'd bet) and the rewind button was pressed in and buzzing. Where was the step stool? Right in front of the chest! Go figure, my little toddler was probably trying to "listen to music?" which she asks to do everytime we go into my bedroom throughout the day.
Friday, April 27, 2007
The real question is, what would I be in the box of 72?
You are most like: | ||
|---|---|---|
 The feeling of spring follows you. Newness, surprise, beginnings and growth. Your fresh perspective gives others much to consider.
| ||
| Take this quiz: Which Crayola Box of 8 Color Are You? | ||
Obviously, I have no life...
| Gummy Bears |
 You may be smooshie and taste unnatural, but you're so darn cute. |
Another TMI post...
So, I complained about pants about a year ago, so now I will move on to another of my clothing nemesis (and I have many!) and that is BRAS! Now, I know that not all plus-sized women are big chested, but I have the pleasure of being both fat and busty. So busty in fact that I have difficulty wearing all sorts of cute styles of clothing. Empire waists always fall mid chest for me, for instance. So, obviously I dread buying bras!
Recently, we went up to Denver to visit my parents. By a happy coincidence, I had gotten an ad from Lane Bryant (for those of you skinny people, it's a plus sized clothing chain) that they had their brand of bras on sale, buy one get one for $9.99. With this ad was a coupon for $15 off a purchase of $15 or more. So, while we were up, we left the kiddos with my mom and dad and did a little bit of shopping.
It was a fairly tolerable bra shopping experience, thanks in large part to getting a bossy black woman to help me! (There just tends to be a difference between a bossy black woman and a bossy white woman...since I am the latter, I know how I can be bossy!) You see, I had the right size in mind (46DDD, yes, that is 3Ds), but I honestly haven't worn an underwire bra since the beginning of college. This nice (but bossy) lady told me I needed an underwire, gave me a bra to try on, fixed the straps, told me to put on my shirt and look at it in the mirror. Honestly, it made a huge difference in looks.
Being a comfort person, however, I don't mind being saggy and comfortable. However, when hubby said it looked MUCH better, I figured I'd suck it up and go with an underwire. I asked the lady if there were any other styles of underwires that might work for me. She flat out told me that the style I tried on was the only style she would recommend for my figure. So, I bought two for the price of one after the sale and coupon, and got out of the store in under 20 minutes. What more could I ask for when bra shopping?
Recently, we went up to Denver to visit my parents. By a happy coincidence, I had gotten an ad from Lane Bryant (for those of you skinny people, it's a plus sized clothing chain) that they had their brand of bras on sale, buy one get one for $9.99. With this ad was a coupon for $15 off a purchase of $15 or more. So, while we were up, we left the kiddos with my mom and dad and did a little bit of shopping.
It was a fairly tolerable bra shopping experience, thanks in large part to getting a bossy black woman to help me! (There just tends to be a difference between a bossy black woman and a bossy white woman...since I am the latter, I know how I can be bossy!) You see, I had the right size in mind (46DDD, yes, that is 3Ds), but I honestly haven't worn an underwire bra since the beginning of college. This nice (but bossy) lady told me I needed an underwire, gave me a bra to try on, fixed the straps, told me to put on my shirt and look at it in the mirror. Honestly, it made a huge difference in looks.
Being a comfort person, however, I don't mind being saggy and comfortable. However, when hubby said it looked MUCH better, I figured I'd suck it up and go with an underwire. I asked the lady if there were any other styles of underwires that might work for me. She flat out told me that the style I tried on was the only style she would recommend for my figure. So, I bought two for the price of one after the sale and coupon, and got out of the store in under 20 minutes. What more could I ask for when bra shopping?
Grrrr...
So, should a person really be allowed to have a blog when it takes them twenty minutes to sign on to blogger?? I remember a day not long ago when I could handle simple tasks like remembering a username and password from one day to the next...
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Book recommendation
So, yesterday I got a book in the mail (through Paperback Swap, see my links) and spent yesterday afternoon reading it and doing a lot of crying. Then, after work, hubby started reading it (and doing a lot of crying as well) and he stayed up until after midnight (a huge feat considering the kids and his work schedule...that and the fact that we are getting old and tired) to finish it. The book was "Letters to Gabriel" by Karen Garver Santorum.
Basically, it was letters she wrote to her baby while pregnant. I highly recommend reading it. I won't go into all the details, but she ended up delivering Gabriel Michael prematurely at 20 weeks. He lived two hours. It has a wonderful prolife message in it, and is the story of a mother and her baby.
I was just amazed and related to it as a mother. Not a book I'd want to read while pregnant, though...I really don't cry that much normally, but pregnancy makes me weep over cereal commercials!
Basically, it was letters she wrote to her baby while pregnant. I highly recommend reading it. I won't go into all the details, but she ended up delivering Gabriel Michael prematurely at 20 weeks. He lived two hours. It has a wonderful prolife message in it, and is the story of a mother and her baby.
I was just amazed and related to it as a mother. Not a book I'd want to read while pregnant, though...I really don't cry that much normally, but pregnancy makes me weep over cereal commercials!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Laundry...
So, the penance I recieved at my last confession was to do a load of laundry lovingly, carefully, and with prayerfulness for the gift of my family. (I thought laundry for penance was a bit harsh considering I didn't have any mortal sins to confess...but I guess that just shows how much I like doing it!)
Now, I believe I may be the laziest person on the planet when it comes to laundry. I never did any until I was married, and made hubby do half of the laundry up until I became a housewife...When we lived in the city, we would wait until every last piece of clothing was dirty, then we would both go to the laundromat together and sit there for several hours with several triple load washers going. In fact, one time hubby insisted on going to Smiley's Laundromat on Colfax in Denver because he thought it would be more fun to go somewhere exciting to do laundry (it wasn't...trust me!)
I don't sort colors, I don't usually pretreat (I did with Eva's clothes when she was little, but for some reason, I washed her clothes alone...not different detergent or anything...) and I wash everything except diapers on cold/cold.
So, this laundry with love thing was difficult for me, to say the least. In fact, I thought that since I spend so little time or effort on the family laundry, I might use this penance as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf! So, I went and bought a Clorox bleach pen, and got a pretreater for set in stains called Zout. I did three loads of laundry after pretreating...I even checked the really badly stained clothes (mostly Eva's) to see if the stains came out, and if they didn't I hung them to dry. I even finished the drying, folding and putting away.
After doing those loads, I realized that our laundry room was pretty much useless for laundry because it had become a dumping ground for everything that we didn't know what to do with! So, hubby and I cleared out so much stuff that our dumpster was full on Sunday (our trash day is Thursday) so we've had to be very creative in trying to get the rest of our trash for the week out there!
So, I brought our two hampers into the laundry room, one for whites, one for everything else, and I am attempting to sort our laundry everyday. Whites do not get pretreated until I have a whole load. Colors get pretreated as I put them in the hamper. When I have a load, I do a load. I am hanging certain items to dry rather than just not caring and tossing them in the drier. So far, so good in terms of my resolution.
However, this resolution is conflicting with another one of my resolutions...We are in the process of paying off all our debts (mostly student loans) and have paid off $10,000 since August. We have under $2500 to go, so pretty much all excess money should be going to debt payment...but I desperately want a laundry sorter (rather than the two mismatched hampers) and a wall mounting drying rack...
Maybe I'll ask hubby for them for my birthday in August...
Now, I believe I may be the laziest person on the planet when it comes to laundry. I never did any until I was married, and made hubby do half of the laundry up until I became a housewife...When we lived in the city, we would wait until every last piece of clothing was dirty, then we would both go to the laundromat together and sit there for several hours with several triple load washers going. In fact, one time hubby insisted on going to Smiley's Laundromat on Colfax in Denver because he thought it would be more fun to go somewhere exciting to do laundry (it wasn't...trust me!)
I don't sort colors, I don't usually pretreat (I did with Eva's clothes when she was little, but for some reason, I washed her clothes alone...not different detergent or anything...) and I wash everything except diapers on cold/cold.
So, this laundry with love thing was difficult for me, to say the least. In fact, I thought that since I spend so little time or effort on the family laundry, I might use this penance as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf! So, I went and bought a Clorox bleach pen, and got a pretreater for set in stains called Zout. I did three loads of laundry after pretreating...I even checked the really badly stained clothes (mostly Eva's) to see if the stains came out, and if they didn't I hung them to dry. I even finished the drying, folding and putting away.
After doing those loads, I realized that our laundry room was pretty much useless for laundry because it had become a dumping ground for everything that we didn't know what to do with! So, hubby and I cleared out so much stuff that our dumpster was full on Sunday (our trash day is Thursday) so we've had to be very creative in trying to get the rest of our trash for the week out there!
So, I brought our two hampers into the laundry room, one for whites, one for everything else, and I am attempting to sort our laundry everyday. Whites do not get pretreated until I have a whole load. Colors get pretreated as I put them in the hamper. When I have a load, I do a load. I am hanging certain items to dry rather than just not caring and tossing them in the drier. So far, so good in terms of my resolution.
However, this resolution is conflicting with another one of my resolutions...We are in the process of paying off all our debts (mostly student loans) and have paid off $10,000 since August. We have under $2500 to go, so pretty much all excess money should be going to debt payment...but I desperately want a laundry sorter (rather than the two mismatched hampers) and a wall mounting drying rack...
Maybe I'll ask hubby for them for my birthday in August...
Monday, April 23, 2007
And of course, most importantly...
| You Are Guinness |
 You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around. |
Not sure how accurate this one is...
| You Have a Choleric Temperament |
 You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things. Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life. You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation. You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon. Strong willed, nothing can keep you down. Your energy can break down any wall. You're an instantly passionate person - and this passion gives you an intoxicating power over others. At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults. Stubborn and opinionated, you know what you think is right. End of discussion. A bit of a misanthrope, you often see others as weak, ignorant, and inferior. |
Okay, this really shouldn't surprise anyone!
| Your Geek Profile: |
 Music Geekiness: Highest Academic Geekiness: High Fashion Geekiness: High SciFi Geekiness: High Geekiness in Love: Low General Geekiness: Low Internet Geekiness: Low Movie Geekiness: Low Gamer Geekiness: None |
I am alive!!!
Okay, so I really dropped the ball back in October of 2006...but 6 months later, I'm back! (There's a really good reason I didn't e-mail everyone I know with my blog address...but I think maybe I will to keep myself on top of posting!)
Charlotte was born November 11th with a scheduled c-section, thanks once again to breech positioning. She is a very sweet mama's girl now, and at five months is rolling all over and grabbing everything within reach. Mostly she drools on things she finds, or talks to them. Every night when we are trying to go to sleep, she sings an ode to her pacifier, as far as I can tell.
Eva is still as goofy as ever, and is a great big sister. She likes to help out when I need her (at least most of the time) and pretty much always wants to help me when I DON'T need help.
Charlotte was born November 11th with a scheduled c-section, thanks once again to breech positioning. She is a very sweet mama's girl now, and at five months is rolling all over and grabbing everything within reach. Mostly she drools on things she finds, or talks to them. Every night when we are trying to go to sleep, she sings an ode to her pacifier, as far as I can tell.
Eva is still as goofy as ever, and is a great big sister. She likes to help out when I need her (at least most of the time) and pretty much always wants to help me when I DON'T need help.
So, I am back, and I will actually go and e-mail some friends and family to let them know that I have a blog, in hopes that THAT will make me write in it!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Okay, I am officially a slacker...
Can't say I haven't blogged because nothing has been going on...that would be a lie...
I'm just tired and grumpy and huge and uncomfortable, and it is so much more theraputic to whine about it to hubby rather than blog about it!
So, I guess the big update is that at my 34 week appointment, my OB really thought that he felt a baby butt at the top of my uterus...but I asked him to take a look anyway, and sure enough...BABY IS BREECH!!!! Just my rotten luck! But, I had a feeling this kid was too. Also, no shot of genitals (in fact, the OB couldn't even get a femur measurement, but did irritate my scar from Eva!)
So, the plan is this...
No external version because OB doesn't suggest "mashing on the uterus" with a c-section scar.
Will try the webster chiropractic technique (of course, when I called today to make an appointment, turns out the chiropractor doesn't work on Fridays!)
Can't go up next week for that because we close on the house on Thursday
Won't go up at the beginning of the next week because I want to spend Halloween with Eva.
So, hopefully it will be November 1st for the first chiropractic technique, then again on the 2nd. Apparently, not on the 3rd, as the chiropractor doesn't work then!
Then, on the 3rd, I will have another appointment with OB, and we'll see what position Charlie is in.
Then, I guess I'll just spend the weekend up there, maybe meet with my doula. The next week, I may try up to three more treatments with the Webster technique. Then, at my 37 week appointment, I figure we will have one more ultrasound to confirm positioning.
If Charlie is still breech at that point, it will be scheduled c-section the next week (assuming I make it that far!)
I'm kind of wondering if I am just destined to have breech babies. My OB asked if my doc had mentioned me having a uterine abnormality...apparently, my OB standardly checks the uterus for certain abnormalities when he delivers a breech baby. I told him that I doubted anyone thought of it with as many things that went wrong with Eva's delivery!
So, I am not sure at all what is going to happen. The good news is, the chiropractic care will only have $15 per treatment copay, plus we will have to pay 10% (not as nice as the no copay no coinsurance on maternity services!). Also, we found out about length of stay. 48 hours with a vaginal delivery, or 96 hours for a c-section. So, at least if I have surgery, I'll have a lot of help for the first 4 days.
So, that's where I am...slightly disappointed, but at least there seems to be an end in sight (particularly if Charlie doesn't flip over!)
For the next week and a half, I'm going to try all the old wives tales...frozen peas on baby's head, handstands in the pool, pelvic tilts, etc.
Wish me luck!!!
I'm just tired and grumpy and huge and uncomfortable, and it is so much more theraputic to whine about it to hubby rather than blog about it!
So, I guess the big update is that at my 34 week appointment, my OB really thought that he felt a baby butt at the top of my uterus...but I asked him to take a look anyway, and sure enough...BABY IS BREECH!!!! Just my rotten luck! But, I had a feeling this kid was too. Also, no shot of genitals (in fact, the OB couldn't even get a femur measurement, but did irritate my scar from Eva!)
So, the plan is this...
No external version because OB doesn't suggest "mashing on the uterus" with a c-section scar.
Will try the webster chiropractic technique (of course, when I called today to make an appointment, turns out the chiropractor doesn't work on Fridays!)
Can't go up next week for that because we close on the house on Thursday
Won't go up at the beginning of the next week because I want to spend Halloween with Eva.
So, hopefully it will be November 1st for the first chiropractic technique, then again on the 2nd. Apparently, not on the 3rd, as the chiropractor doesn't work then!
Then, on the 3rd, I will have another appointment with OB, and we'll see what position Charlie is in.
Then, I guess I'll just spend the weekend up there, maybe meet with my doula. The next week, I may try up to three more treatments with the Webster technique. Then, at my 37 week appointment, I figure we will have one more ultrasound to confirm positioning.
If Charlie is still breech at that point, it will be scheduled c-section the next week (assuming I make it that far!)
I'm kind of wondering if I am just destined to have breech babies. My OB asked if my doc had mentioned me having a uterine abnormality...apparently, my OB standardly checks the uterus for certain abnormalities when he delivers a breech baby. I told him that I doubted anyone thought of it with as many things that went wrong with Eva's delivery!
So, I am not sure at all what is going to happen. The good news is, the chiropractic care will only have $15 per treatment copay, plus we will have to pay 10% (not as nice as the no copay no coinsurance on maternity services!). Also, we found out about length of stay. 48 hours with a vaginal delivery, or 96 hours for a c-section. So, at least if I have surgery, I'll have a lot of help for the first 4 days.
So, that's where I am...slightly disappointed, but at least there seems to be an end in sight (particularly if Charlie doesn't flip over!)
For the next week and a half, I'm going to try all the old wives tales...frozen peas on baby's head, handstands in the pool, pelvic tilts, etc.
Wish me luck!!!
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