Dallin: "What's that?"
Uncle Mikey: "It's an argyle sweater"
Dallin: "It's your gyle?"
Uncle Mikey: "No, ARgyle. A bunch of diamond shaped patterns."
Dallin: "My gyle sweater at home."
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Throw up: To project
We are here in the valley, minus our alpha male, surrounded by snow capped mountains.
We got in yesterday.
We missed checking our bags by 1 minute.
Waited four hours for the next flight.
Flew one hour to Atlanta.
Ellie fell asleep as we landed.
Dallin fell asleep waiting to get onto our 4 hour flight to SLC.
Ellie fell asleep an hour into the flight.
She slept for an hour, opened her eyes and her mouth and emptied the contents of her stomach all over the two of us.
We were covered.
I was in shock, Ellie was delirious, and Dallin complained of the two tiny little drops he got on his shirt.
Covered in throw up. Sweet!
The nice man sitting next to us, and his wife across the aisle, helped us by getting towels and plastic bags.
He also gave us two of his brand new undershirts so we wouldn't have to wait two more hours covered in contents of a stomach that were no longer contained.
Those airplane bathrooms are great, aren't they? A clean up in the bathroom and two fresh white shirts, we felt somewhat normal.
Then she threw up three more times. Luckily, her stomach was mostly empty by this point, however, we still departed the airport with now, slightly colorful shirts.
They just need to make those barf bags a little bigger.
Dallin was a trooper and sat quietly through it all, after we got his two spots cleaned up, of course.
Amazingly, I was calm through it all.
One thing is for sure, Ellie has my stomach when it comes to motion sickness!
Good times!
We got in yesterday.
We missed checking our bags by 1 minute.
Waited four hours for the next flight.
Flew one hour to Atlanta.
Ellie fell asleep as we landed.
Dallin fell asleep waiting to get onto our 4 hour flight to SLC.
Ellie fell asleep an hour into the flight.
She slept for an hour, opened her eyes and her mouth and emptied the contents of her stomach all over the two of us.
We were covered.
I was in shock, Ellie was delirious, and Dallin complained of the two tiny little drops he got on his shirt.
Covered in throw up. Sweet!
The nice man sitting next to us, and his wife across the aisle, helped us by getting towels and plastic bags.
He also gave us two of his brand new undershirts so we wouldn't have to wait two more hours covered in contents of a stomach that were no longer contained.
Those airplane bathrooms are great, aren't they? A clean up in the bathroom and two fresh white shirts, we felt somewhat normal.
Then she threw up three more times. Luckily, her stomach was mostly empty by this point, however, we still departed the airport with now, slightly colorful shirts.
They just need to make those barf bags a little bigger.
Dallin was a trooper and sat quietly through it all, after we got his two spots cleaned up, of course.
Amazingly, I was calm through it all.
One thing is for sure, Ellie has my stomach when it comes to motion sickness!
Good times!
Friday, April 17, 2009
washing dishes
Will this new obsession last until it becomes thorough and efficient?One can only hope!
strawberries
dear strawberries,you are yummy.
i like to eat you.
i like to cover you in chocolate.
i like to pour sugar all over you.
i like to put you on bread.
i like you indeed.
i really like it when you go on sale because you feel lonely and threaten to grow mold.
i like to make jam with you.
love, me
p.s. making jam with a 3 year old boy requires a lot of patience and a lot more clean up.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
vinaigrette
Hard word to spell, isn't it? Thank goodness for spell check!
Paul is not a fan. I, on the other hand, am a ceiling fan.
Lame joke, please feel free to roll your eyes.
In the last month, I have been fortunate enough to receive 2 great recipes for vinaigrettes.
One from scratch, the other from a mix.
Both delicious!
First-- Balsamic Vinaigrette (I had this amazing salad dressing on an amazing salad at our Relief Society B-day party last month.)
Buy an Italian Dressing packet at the store and follow all of the directions exactly, except substitute Balsamic vinegar for your regular vinegar. Delish!
Second-- Honey Mustard Dressing (A long two years ago, I had lunch with friends. Renee served this super salad. Then Renee moved and I thought I had lost this salad forever. I am so glad I have the recipe now! Thanks! Maybe she will post her lasagna recipe...;))
Here is the whole salad recipe, thank me (and Renee) later:
Renee's Salad is a Meal:
1 bag mixed salad greens
crumbled blue cheese or feta
2 handfuls of craisins (Ocean Spray is the best)
3-4 chopped green onions
sweet and spicy walnuts
honey mustard dressing
-Layer and enjoy.
Sugared walnuts:
-Make a simple syrup (water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat) and add a pinch of dried red pepper. Stir in walnuts and stir until the liquid is gone and the walnuts are coated with white sugar. Then put them on a cookie sheet and bake for just a few minutes at 350. Cool.
Honey Mustard Dressing:
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP of coarse ground Dijon mustard
5 TBSP of honey
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
1 green onion minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 C extra virgin olive oil
-Shake it up really well or put it in a food processor. Chill and pour over your salad. This is really good served with crispy chicken strips too! I hope you all try it and like it.
Paul is not a fan. I, on the other hand, am a ceiling fan.
Lame joke, please feel free to roll your eyes.
In the last month, I have been fortunate enough to receive 2 great recipes for vinaigrettes.
One from scratch, the other from a mix.
Both delicious!
First-- Balsamic Vinaigrette (I had this amazing salad dressing on an amazing salad at our Relief Society B-day party last month.)
Buy an Italian Dressing packet at the store and follow all of the directions exactly, except substitute Balsamic vinegar for your regular vinegar. Delish!
Second-- Honey Mustard Dressing (A long two years ago, I had lunch with friends. Renee served this super salad. Then Renee moved and I thought I had lost this salad forever. I am so glad I have the recipe now! Thanks! Maybe she will post her lasagna recipe...;))
Here is the whole salad recipe, thank me (and Renee) later:
Renee's Salad is a Meal:
1 bag mixed salad greens
crumbled blue cheese or feta
2 handfuls of craisins (Ocean Spray is the best)
3-4 chopped green onions
sweet and spicy walnuts
honey mustard dressing
-Layer and enjoy.
Sugared walnuts:
-Make a simple syrup (water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat) and add a pinch of dried red pepper. Stir in walnuts and stir until the liquid is gone and the walnuts are coated with white sugar. Then put them on a cookie sheet and bake for just a few minutes at 350. Cool.
Honey Mustard Dressing:
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP of coarse ground Dijon mustard
5 TBSP of honey
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
1 green onion minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 C extra virgin olive oil
-Shake it up really well or put it in a food processor. Chill and pour over your salad. This is really good served with crispy chicken strips too! I hope you all try it and like it.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
slap dance
Explorium
Paul had Good Friday (and Saturday!) off, so we had to party like it was 2009!
We went up to the Explorium in Lexington.
Our first stop, while Dallin was looking at the fish tank through a magnified glass, Ellie was staring at the ceiling with this look on her face. I took a picture because she just stared and stared. Even after the picture, she stared and stared. 
I finally looked up to see what she was so confused about.
I finally looked up to see what she was so confused about.Here is what produced such a funny look.
It would scare me, too!
Dallin's favorite part was the bubble room.
And Paul's was the art room ;)
Paul has to go back to work on Monday (boo), but we are so grateful for the long weekend!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Legacy
A wonderful woman passed away.
Paul's Aunt Roseanne.
We are grateful for your life here on earth.
We are grateful for your love and kindness.
We are grateful for your love of heritage.
We are grateful for your mad sewing skills.
We are grateful for the legacy that you have left behind.
We love you!
Here is a wonderful quote from Elder Bednar: "During our service at Brigham Young University–Idaho, Sister Bednar and I frequently hosted General Authorities in our home. Our family learned an important lesson about meaningful prayer as we knelt to pray one evening with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Earlier in the day Sister Bednar and I had been informed about the unexpected death of a dear friend, and our immediate desire was to pray for the surviving spouse and children. As I invited my wife to offer the prayer, the member of the Twelve, unaware of the tragedy, graciously suggested that in the prayer Sister Bednar express only appreciation for blessings received and ask for nothing. His counsel was similar to Alma’s instruction to the members of the ancient Church “to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things” (Mosiah 26:39). Given the unexpected tragedy, requesting blessings for our friends initially seemed to us more urgent than expressing thanks.
Sister Bednar responded in faith to the direction she received. She thanked Heavenly Father for meaningful and memorable experiences with this dear friend. She communicated sincere gratitude for the Holy Ghost as the Comforter and for the gifts of the Spirit that enable us to face adversity and to serve others. Most importantly, she expressed appreciation for the plan of salvation, for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, for His Resurrection, and for the ordinances and covenants of the restored gospel which make it possible for families to be together forever."
Paul's Aunt Roseanne.
We are grateful for your life here on earth.
We are grateful for your love and kindness.
We are grateful for your love of heritage.
We are grateful for your mad sewing skills.
We are grateful for the legacy that you have left behind.
We love you!
Here is a wonderful quote from Elder Bednar: "During our service at Brigham Young University–Idaho, Sister Bednar and I frequently hosted General Authorities in our home. Our family learned an important lesson about meaningful prayer as we knelt to pray one evening with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Earlier in the day Sister Bednar and I had been informed about the unexpected death of a dear friend, and our immediate desire was to pray for the surviving spouse and children. As I invited my wife to offer the prayer, the member of the Twelve, unaware of the tragedy, graciously suggested that in the prayer Sister Bednar express only appreciation for blessings received and ask for nothing. His counsel was similar to Alma’s instruction to the members of the ancient Church “to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things” (Mosiah 26:39). Given the unexpected tragedy, requesting blessings for our friends initially seemed to us more urgent than expressing thanks.
Sister Bednar responded in faith to the direction she received. She thanked Heavenly Father for meaningful and memorable experiences with this dear friend. She communicated sincere gratitude for the Holy Ghost as the Comforter and for the gifts of the Spirit that enable us to face adversity and to serve others. Most importantly, she expressed appreciation for the plan of salvation, for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, for His Resurrection, and for the ordinances and covenants of the restored gospel which make it possible for families to be together forever."
Thursday, April 9, 2009
SCREAM
to my non-confrontational personality
to people that say really mean things or stupid things
to anxiety
to all the cigarette butts on my lawn
to PMS
to all the dog poop in my back yard
to really bad dreams
to the 8 loads of laundry, clean, piled like a mountain on my couch, staring at me
to extra weight
to depression
to social phobia
to poopy diapers
to expectations
to potty training
to the fear of belonging
to the fear of rejection
to teething
to a sore neck and a sore back
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGggggGGGGGGGGGGGggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks. I feel better now.
to Paul- thanks for putting up with me
to my kids- thanks for picking me (i have set up a "mom goes to the nut house" fund so that i won't ever be a financial burden to you)
to people that say really mean things or stupid things
to anxiety
to all the cigarette butts on my lawn
to PMS
to all the dog poop in my back yard
to really bad dreams
to the 8 loads of laundry, clean, piled like a mountain on my couch, staring at me
to extra weight
to depression
to social phobia
to poopy diapers
to expectations
to potty training
to the fear of belonging
to the fear of rejection
to teething
to a sore neck and a sore back
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGggggGGGGGGGGGGGggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks. I feel better now.
to Paul- thanks for putting up with me
to my kids- thanks for picking me (i have set up a "mom goes to the nut house" fund so that i won't ever be a financial burden to you)
Monday, April 6, 2009
Old and Responsible
I just finished writing my very first letter of recommendation.It was easy to write, seeing as the person who I was writing it for is pretty darn cool in my book.
(I did look up a template. It was my first, after all.)
It made me feel old and responsible.
It made me feel like I should start acting my actual age.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Comeuppance, by Paul
Dateline: Circa 1984, Orem UT
I had left my Return of the Jedi blanket in the house and gone to the backyard to play. Our backyard was a little kid's dream. We had 12 apple trees, two peach trees, and a huge vegetable garden. My dad had an elaborate watering system irrigating the garden on a regular basis. On watering days, there was always an adventure to be had. You see, while my father considered the garden plot to be agricultural environment to produce food, we knew better. It was, in fact, an elaborate series of canals in a miniature world of people. And we were charged, in our minds, with ensuring that the water was properly directed: we built dams, and lots of them. We would find the row being irrigated, and redirect the water (mostly to see how big of a pool we could make); ensuring the safety of the village. Periodically, there would be a failure in the levee system. We would gather soil, frantically plugging these breaches. The entire time yelling, "Dam it, dam it!," merely giving instructions to the work crew (we thought we were really sneaky). It is a miracle that there were any seed left to germinate after the muddy adventures of me and my cohorts.
Dateline: April 4, 2009, Winchester KY
We spend a good part of the day preparing our raised garden beds for planting. We were mixing our soil and filling the beds. I was finishing mixing the 1312 lbs of compost, vermiculite, and peat moss and was finishing smoothing it out. Dallin was digging a trench down the side of where I had just smoothed. He found a pail and filled it with water from the creek, and brought it to the garden bed. I told him to not put water in the garden but to water the tree. Surprisingly, he obliged and did what I asked. Approximately 90 seconds later he was back with another pail of water, this time dumped directly into the trench. Why did this seem so much like deja vu?
I had left my Return of the Jedi blanket in the house and gone to the backyard to play. Our backyard was a little kid's dream. We had 12 apple trees, two peach trees, and a huge vegetable garden. My dad had an elaborate watering system irrigating the garden on a regular basis. On watering days, there was always an adventure to be had. You see, while my father considered the garden plot to be agricultural environment to produce food, we knew better. It was, in fact, an elaborate series of canals in a miniature world of people. And we were charged, in our minds, with ensuring that the water was properly directed: we built dams, and lots of them. We would find the row being irrigated, and redirect the water (mostly to see how big of a pool we could make); ensuring the safety of the village. Periodically, there would be a failure in the levee system. We would gather soil, frantically plugging these breaches. The entire time yelling, "Dam it, dam it!," merely giving instructions to the work crew (we thought we were really sneaky). It is a miracle that there were any seed left to germinate after the muddy adventures of me and my cohorts.
Dateline: April 4, 2009, Winchester KY
We spend a good part of the day preparing our raised garden beds for planting. We were mixing our soil and filling the beds. I was finishing mixing the 1312 lbs of compost, vermiculite, and peat moss and was finishing smoothing it out. Dallin was digging a trench down the side of where I had just smoothed. He found a pail and filled it with water from the creek, and brought it to the garden bed. I told him to not put water in the garden but to water the tree. Surprisingly, he obliged and did what I asked. Approximately 90 seconds later he was back with another pail of water, this time dumped directly into the trench. Why did this seem so much like deja vu?
Childhood Memories--Popsicle Thief
Yesterday, I stuck my head in our small chest freezer to retrieve an item from the bottom. One inhale and the freezer smell hit me like a rock. Those memory wavy lines (a-la Saved by the Bell) took me back to my childhood.
My parents have a chest freezer in their basement. It is yellow. It is huge. It is a dinosaur. It is full of frozen food. One will often find it with food storage on the lid to keep it shut.
As a kid, my mom would buy the cheapest popsicles at the store. My siblings and I were only allowed to have half a popsicle a day. I would make my way down stairs--careful to turn on all the lights so that the resident gorilla didn't get me--to get my half. Unfortunately, I was a bit sneaky and I would eat one half while I hid in the basement, then come up stairs to eat another half in plain view of everyone else.
Sometimes, we would break the half of a popsicle up into a cup and make a slushy treat. I soon figured out that I could shove three whole popsicles into a large cup without anyone knowing any better.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Distracted Driving
This pamphlet on distracted driving came home in Dallin's backpack one day.I did a double take because I thought that it was a picture of my dad--wink, wink!
Singing a song
If we have a cranky Ellie, all we have to do is sing songs and she chippers up. Dallin has caught on to this little trick. If we are in the car and Ellie hollers, Dallin starts singing. We sing a lot in this house. We may not ever be in tune, or sound the best, but we have fun. Tonight, as I was singing to Ellie before I put her in her crib, Dallin stood outside the door and quietly started singing the Alphabet song to her. It was so sweet!
Terminology
Pointing to my stomach, Dallin says, "Mommy, your tummy."
Yep, I reply.
Pointing to the two things just above my stomach, Dallin says, "Your umbrella."
Yep!
Yep, I reply.
Pointing to the two things just above my stomach, Dallin says, "Your umbrella."
Yep!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Rendezvous
Today I got a babysitter
I went to a secret lunch
With my not-so-secret lover
To a sort-of-secret place
It was adventurous
And romantic
Just because no one knew
But the two of us
I went to a secret lunch
With my not-so-secret lover
To a sort-of-secret place
It was adventurous
And romantic
Just because no one knew
But the two of us
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
fat/sugar free double chocolate mint brownies
Edit: Okay---lame April Fool's Joke--I struggle sometimes!
I am not sure that a brownie of this caliber exists in a fat free/sugar free form!
I would really like to share with you my recipe for fat/sugar free double chocolate mint brownies
I would really like to share with you my recipe for fat/sugar free double chocolate mint brownies...BUT...
It's a top secret formula that I just can't bare to leak.
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