Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning, Friends and family!  Wishing you all a very happy thanksgiving!  Sorry I haven't posted in a while, we've been busy.  One of the nice things about Facebook was that I could post a quick status and or picture and not elaborate much.  Then people would comment and I would respond to the specific questions or comments.  But on the blog I feel like I need to write more than I sentence or two.  Maybe I'll start posting shorter things so I can post more often.  We'll see.  Anyway, hope you have a great day with your friends and family!  I hope everyone stays away from politics and shows a little extra love and kindness today.  I have so much to be thankful for.  At the top of my list is my family; my patient, caring husband who does so much for us, my adorable and sometimes frustrating children who sometimes teach me more about myself than I teach them, my awesome sister who just gets me, who I can truly be myself around with no judgement, my parents who love unconditionally, even though I'm a Democrat, and who help in big and amazing ways when we find ourselves down on our luck, for a warm home to live in, for 2 working, dependable cars, for a great church, for new and old friends, for the Internet and all the technology I enjoy, for good food today and plenty of food every day, for black Friday shopping with my mom and sister and that special time together, for my health and the health of my family, for my puppies and a fenced in back yard, for Michael's job and enough money for me to stay home, for kindness, goodness, peace, love, charity, humility, for rising above, for taking the high road, for thinking of others before yourself, these are all things I am thankful for today.  :)  I love you all and wish you a great day!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Vacation is over

I've got Dayton and Delaney again this week, but they're easing me back into it.  This is only a 3 day week and Dayton doesn't have school so we can all stay here at the house.  This morning Dayton began helping me clean workout being asked.  Avery and Connor cleaned their rooms with the promise of candy, and all 3 big kids cleaned up the basement together (for more Halloween candy, of course).  The big kiss have been great, normal day for them.  Delaney, on the other hand, had been nothing but a grump all day long.  :(  We're only 30 minutes away from nap time now, I hope I can make it.  Her screaming (yes, screaming, this is not fussing) can really grate on me.  She doesn't need a diaper change, she's had lunch and has some milk, I've held her and put her down, given her toys and let her walk around to find her own, nothing seems to help.   All I can think is that she's getting new teeth.  She only has 2 at the moment, so she could get a lot anytime.  But she is a total grump, so I hope they hurry and come in, I'd that's what it is, or this short week is going to feel very long.

Zombie Survival Training

Michael and I just played the most fun game with our kids.  They make a habit of coming into our room, jumping onto our bed, and crawling all over us.  Tonight, after a few minutes of this, we tickled them to keep them off of us.  This only seemed to energize them more and want to climb on us more.  Through giggles and laughs I mentioned to Michael that it was good zombie survival training, and not to let their mouths touch you.  This added a level of fun to our kids' usual pestering.  ;)  Then, Avery caught on a bit and asked if we were scared of kisses.  I told her, "Yes!  Like the plague!"  Which made Michael laugh and say, "Literally!"  Of course, this new information only made the game more difficult because now instead of just pestering they worked REALLY hard to give us kisses.  :P  We survived that level and Avery moved on to cuddling.  I knew that putting up the fight was going to be a never ending battle, do I finally just laid down and waited for the kisses to come.  Avery snuggled up next to me and kissed me several times.  I tried to be sly and kiss Michael, but he knew I'd been turned and used Connor as a zombie shield.  Eventually, the three of us overpowered him and covered him with kisses.  I told him that's how it always ends, with your loved ones turning you because you wouldn't decapitate them.  Honestly, he didn't stand a chance.  ;)  :P  Can't wait to revisit this game again!  May have to buy a nerd gun between now and then...  And some day, paintball!  :D  Seriously!  I want to go to a zombie paintball course!  Someone invent this!  Please and thank you!  ;)

Day 3 - Exploration Place

Wednesday this week I took the kids to the Keeper of the Plains, the outdoor museum of the Great Plains Indians, and Exploration Place.  Taking them to Exploration Place late in the day was awesome.  There were only a few other families there, so the kids basically had the run of the place, which was fantastic.  Not a bunch of other kids and families to have to navigate around.  The kids have always enjoyed going to the Keeper of the Plains.  I need to take them at night sometime so we can see the ring of fire.  The Great Plains Indian Museum was cool.  We usually go on the weekend, when it's closed, so this was the first time we've been.  Michael still hasn't seen it.  The kids really liked the Teepee! It was a really nice day until, on the way home Avery threw up in my car.  That was less nice.  Overall, it was a nice day and I had lots of fun spending the day with just them.  :)

November 16 - Thankful for our church and church family

Michael and I have been going to Countryside since we moved to Wichita.  It has been a pleasure to attend there.  One of our first weeks there I wrote on my visitor card that Michael played the violin.  Rosie, our music director at church, called him up right away and he's been playing on the worship team ever since.  Not long after we got pregnant with Avery we decided to place our membership at Countryside.  The children's program is great there, which made us want to raise our kids in that church.  Since then I've begun helping in the children's hallway on Sunday mornings, we're in the church choir, and we have a Lifegroup we're attending.  We have met some wonderful people there.  We are also really excited about the direction the church is headed and the new leadership it's under.  We're blessed to have found such a great church home.  The kids love going there and that's a huge thing too!

Movie Night At Church

I'm bummed that I missed movie night tonight.  The kids have been talking about sea animals in Wednesday night church for the passed couple of months.
(Started this blog yesterday, Friday.  Finishing today, Saturday)
All of their lessons had been leading up to last night when the church hosted family movie night and watched Finding Dory.  I didn't think it would be fair to the other families for me to go and get everyone else sick, so I stayed home.   But Michael took the kids and they had a great time together!  I packed the kids some snacks in one of Avery's purses as well as some money to buy snacks.   Connor bought popcorn, Avery got Laffy Taffy, which she called mouth play dough.  :P  What made the night even more awesome was the Connor told Michael he needed to go poop, then he proceeded to walk to the bathroom and use the potty!!!  I was sooo excited when he got home and told me!  It was awesome!  So proud of him!  Maybe we'll get the potty training thing done soon!

Sick

Well, I've been added to the list of sick people in my house.  Last night after we got home from lifegroup I started feeling sick.  Laid in bed a while and then started throwing up.  :(  Didn't throw up through the night, which I thought was good.  Figured some sleep and I'm be good to go.  Not the case.  I still feel icky.  :(  Prayers would be appreciated.  Thanks.

November 15 - Thankful for my car

The kids have thrown up in my car twice in the last four days, but I still love it.  My parents very generously helped Michael and I put a down-payment on it back in 2010.  Michael and I worked very hard over the next few years, paying a little extra each month, and eventually got it paid off.  It gets great gas mileage, it fits the kids (and dogs too if I need it to), and it's got some nice extra features like leather seats and an upgraded sound system.  While I sometimes dream of my next car, a bigger (and probably less fuel efficient, unfortunately) SUV, I absolutely love the car I have and look forward to having it for many more years.  My car turned 10 years old this year and we've had it for 6 of those years.  My dad always tells me it's cheaper to repair a car you own than buy a new one, so it's a good thing I like it!  I'll probably have it for many years to come.  ;)

Day 2 - The Zoo

The kids and I went to the zoo today.  I almost didn't take them because they were dragging their feet so much picking up their toys and eating their lunch.  But we got out eventually and ended up staying out well passed nap time.  Unfortunately, Avery got sick in the car on the way home.  She was acting fine all day, but when we were less than a block from home she threw her peanut butter sandwich up.  She seems to be fine now and has been doing ok the rest of the afternoon. 

While we were at the zoo we got to ride the tram around.  The kids always want to ride it, but we never get around to it.  Today, when we got to the zoo, the tram was just pulling up the the front, so I told the kids we could ride.  It only took about 20 minutes to do a lap.  The kids had a great time!  We saw some animals today that we sometimes skip, so that was fun.  But by the time we were leaving at almost 4pm, the kids were pooped!  I'm not sure I've ever taken just Avery and Connor to the zoo by myself before.  It was lots of fun!  I didn't take the stroller or wagon and it made things a lot easier.  Looking forward to another outing tomorrow!

Brinner!

I got a message on my Google Photos that said that 4 years ago today we have breakfast for dinner.  It sounded good so that's exactly what we did tonight.  I had a can of biscuits in the fridge, so I started with those.  I had 1/2 lb of sausage in the freezer, so I made it into gravy.  Normally my gravy doesn't turn out too well, but today it was delicious!  Michael helped me make scrambled eggs.  We even added shredded cheese to the top of them.  I wanted to make hash browns, but they never turn out the way I want, so I made more of a regular hash, cubed potatoes and onions.  Finally, Michael went to the store and picked up some maple bacon!  Oh my goodness!  It was yummy!  Everything was sooo good!  I made waaaaay too much food, but that's ok.  It should heat up fine later.  :)  I wanted to go out to eat tonight, but Avery got sick on our way home from the zoo, so I settled for some tasty not-so-healthy food here at home.  Avery hasn't eaten much this evening, but acts like she feels better.  Guess this is a good week for the stomach flu to hit, I can stay home with just my munchkins and make sure they get to feeling better without getting anyone else sick.

Couscous with Brussel Sprouts and Zucchini

Good Evening, Friends!  Michael and I have a great Meatless Monday dinner tonight that I wanted to share with you!  As I was telling Michael this evening, we keep a lot of our meat in the freezer.  Part of this is because we don't use it right away.  Another reason is because I like to buy in bulk because it's cheaper and save the rest for later.  However, I don't always like to go through all the trouble of getting something out, thawing it out, and cooking it up.  My veggies, on the other hand, get used pretty directly since they stay in the fridge (unless I buy them already frozen).  Veggies tend to be my go to when I'm looking to make a meal.  I want to incorporate them into everything I make!  But sometimes I'm uninspired on what else to fix to "beef up" the meal (please excuse the pun).  When we were grocery shopping yesterday at Aldi's I noticed boxes of couscous next to the macaroni and cheese, pasta sides, and rice-a-roni.  Michael and I had couscous a couple of months ago with some fish and really liked it!  One of the things we liked most was that when we ate the leftovers it didn't taste dry and stale like reheated rice does, so we decided to grab a couple boxes.  In my search for a dinner recipe tonight I got on Pinterest and searched "Brussel Sprouts and Couscous" and found this recipe!  I showed it to Michael and we agreed to give it a try.  It was awesome that we already had all the ingredients, zucchini included!  I find some of the best recipes that way!  Tonight's dinner was no exception!  It was delicious! 

I cooked the veggies a little longer than the recipe called for, because I don't care for them to be al dente.  I also like them to have a little color to them and to be a little browned.  This worked well because I was able to unload and reload the dishwasher while I waited, making my kitchen nice and clean when dinner was ready.  Love that!

The only thing I'd change about this recipe was the lemon juice.  It gave a little more zing than I was looking for.  I think next time I make this recipe (and believe me, there WILL be a next time, soon hopefully) I'll use chicken broth (or water and a few chicken bullion granules) instead of the lemon juice.  Otherwise, I thought it was perfect! 

The recipe said to use thyme or rosemary.  I like them both, so I left the decision to Michael.  He chose rosemary.  It was delicious!  Makes me want to make rosemary foccacia bread!  :)  I've used thyme in a lot of my sweet potato or butternut squash recipes and it gives it a warm fall flavor.  The rosemary was a nice change from the flavors of several of my more recent recipes. 

Anyways, I thought dinner was delicious and if you're looking for a filling dinner but, like us, don't always have the funds or desire to mess with the meat, you might give this one a try.  :)

Israeli Couscous with Brussel Sprouts and Zucchini

November 14 - Thankful for the little extras

Being a single income family means we have to be particular about the things we do and the activities we get involved in.  I am on the email mailing list for a group called "Wichita on the Cheap".  They keep people updated on free and cheap activities going on around town.  I love it!  I love doing stuff with the kids, but we need to be ever mindful of the price tag.  We love our memberships to different places, like the zoo and Exploration Place because we can pay the admission price for our family twice (basically) and get in all year long.  And they are great, educational places!  Mama and Daddy have a Botanica membership that we can use as well!  If I could think of another place to get a membership to, I'd add it to our Christmas list, but those two are the big ones in town.  I also love that we have Avery in gymnastics!  It's significantly more expensive than the zoo or Exploration Place, but she loves it a lot!  She's got great balance and flexibility thanks to the class.  She's even learning to do cartwheels!  At four!!!  I think that's super cool!  I hope she sticks with it!  But if she doesn't, that's ok too.  Just want her to find something she's happy with.  We had Connor in gymnastics for a bit too, but he wasn't as excited as Avery was, so we stopped putting him in lessons.  He still goes with us every Monday night, but doesn't seem to mind that he doesn't get to participate.  I love being able to do fun stuff with the kids, especially here, around town, in Wichita.  I appreciate all that the city and various businesses so to make things cheap and affordable for families like ours!  We're looking forward to a fun-filled holiday season here in Wichita!  :D

Day 1 - Lunch - All 5 Food Groups!

I love making sure my munchkins eat a well balanced diet.  I kind of consider it a challenge eat day, especially at lunch time, to get all of the food groups in for them.  Today I did it!  For lunch today my babies are having:
Protein - Fish sticks (not the most healthy protein, but my kids gobble them up, so I'm going to go with it
Dairy - Milk (They got away from milk for a while, but they're back into it again and I'm back to buying 2-3 gallons/week!)
Grains - Granola bar (Yes, I know they're loaded with sugar too, but they're small and DO have whole grains in them.  Maybe this week the kids and I can make homemade ones!)
Fruit - 1/2 banana (They won't last all week, so when I can, I try to split the bananas between them to make them last longer)
Veggies - Corn and Green Beans (When I asked them what veggies they wanted with lunch, Connor wanted corn and Avery wanted green beans.  So I mixed them together.)
Not bad, huh?!  Michael and I both like when we can get everything in.  We're awful proud to have such healthy kiddos and good eaters!  :)

We haven't gotten out of the house to go anywhere today.  I thought about taking them to the park here in the neighborhood, but they wanted to watch a Christmas Movie together, so we did that instead.  It's been a nice quiet day together!  Two are sooooo much easier than four!  Very much enjoying my first day off!

Day 1 - Breakfast - Pancakes!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have a full week off to just spend with my babies!  Depending on how wall to wall our fun is this week, I may be posting a lot, or just a little because we're too busy.  For now I'm in a blogging mood, so I'm back again!

So far this morning I got to sleep in until 8, when my babies came into my room, crawled into bed with me, and wanted to snuggle.  :)  I have got to tell you, the King sized bed is perfect for fitting the whole family in for snuggles, tickle fights, and watching movies together.  Over the weekend we all watched Shrek the Fourth and the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special together in our room.  It was fun!  So the kids crawled in bed this morning and we all snuggled for a while, then Connor said, as he does every morning shortly after he gets up, that he's hungry and thirsty.  So I asked the kids if they wanted pancakes or eggs for breakfast.  Connor said pancakes and Avery said "peanut butter sandwich."  You'd think it was a food group the way these children eat it!  I told her she could pick eggs or pancakes, but offered to put peanut butter on her pancakes, which she accepted.  Connor chimed in that he, too, wanted peanut butter on his pancakes.  ;)

I have an awesome pancake recipe that I just love!  I tweak it every now and then and probably will a little more after today, but not much.  These are really good pancakes and I've been making them for years.  They also don't require bisquick, so I always have the ingredients on hand.  I'll post the recipe at the end of this post.

Today I learned a valuable lesson about my beloved pancakes: the temperature of the griddle matters.  I could not figure out why my pancakes were so flat!  They have baking powder and baking soda in them that always make them nice and fluffy, but today, not so much.  They also weren't browning.  They looked kind of like crepes.  Finally, after the first batch took a long time and didn't look quite right, I looked at the side of the griddle and found that at some point Connor had turned the heat WAAAAAY down.  I normally cook my pancakes at 350 and the griddle was set below 250!  They cooked MUCH better when I got the griddle up to temp.  :P  I never even bothered to check the temp because I never change it.  But Connor loves buttons, switches, and toggles and I'm 93% sure he's my culprit.  He also loves turning the dial on the toaster so my toast ends up as hot bread or a lump of coal.  :P  Kid needs to be a pilot so he can play with switches and dials all day long.  ;)

The next batch of pancakes cooked better, but we're still just a tad flat (compared to where they usually are).  I'm going to adjust the recipe just a tad more.  ;)  The kids loved the pancakes and we had pantry of leftovers for snacks or breakfast another day this week.  The dishwasher was almost full, so I added the few pancake dishes and ran it, so now my dishes are all done too!  Woot!  Great way to start my week.  Connor wants to do everything today, go everywhere.  ;)  Every once in a while my little introvert needs to get out too.  :P  Happy Monday, Friends!  Have a great one!

Perfect Homemade Pancakes

Put
     -2 tbsp vinegar
     -1 cup milk
Into a small bowl, stir gently, set aside to "sour".  (You can substitute 1 cup buttermilk if you have it on hand.)
Put
     -1 1/4 cup flour
     -2 tbsp sugar
     -1 1/4 tsp baking powder
     -1/2 tsp baking soda
     -1/2 tsp salt
Into batter bowl.  Stir ingredients together until well incorporated.
Add
     -1 egg
     -1 tbsp vanilla
To milk mixture.  Wisk to combine.  Pour milk mixture into flour mixture.
Melt
     -2 tbsp butter
And add to batter.  Stir just until combined.  Do not overmix.  Cook on hot griddle, approximately 350 degrees.  I prefer silver dollar pancakes because you can just grab them and much, no butter or syrup necessary!  Makes about 18 - 3 inch pancakes.  Enjoy!

A Week Off!

Good morning, Family!  Today is a great day!  Do you want to know why?  Because today is the first day of my week long VACATION!  No, I'm not going anywhere warm and sunny like Sis and Adam are this week.  We're not going to Vegas again, this is our off year.  My vacation week is as simple as, Sis and Adam found other people, my mom and Adam's parents, to watch their kids this week while they're in Mexico!  That means all week, this week, it's just me and my babies here at home!  (Or I suppose I should say out and about!)  It's been a long time since I had several days with just my kids.  I'm really looking forward to some quality time with just the two of them.  With four it's more management, but with just my two we can get out and do more.  Not to mention, Avery and Connor are a little older and close in age, so they play together well and follow instructions.  I can just do a little more with them than I can with all four.  I've got a big, fun-filled week planned for us!  I want to hit all our favorite "out and about" places.  I want to take them to the zoo, Exploration Place (with a stop at The Keeper of the Plains and maybe the troll), and Botanica.  I'd also like to do some fun stuff here at home with them like make some Christmas presents for family members (not going to say what since I know at least a couple of them actually read my blog still) and make cookies.  I think it would also be great to surprise Michael, who, ironically, doesn't read the blog, and take him to lunch one day.  I'm also excited to be able to run errands any time I  want!  Today I need to pick up a couple things from the store that I didn't get at Aldi's yesterday, and possibly go get coffee since Starbucks is offering a BOGO deal on their holiday drinks.  :)  I love my niece and nephew very much!  I love that Avery and Connor get to grow up with them, basically like two more siblings, but I really cherish this alone time with just my two.  :)  I'm looking forward to a really good week!

November 13 - Thankful for my baby boy

Today I'm thankful for my wonderful son, Connor!  He is such a sweetheart.  I love watching him grow and seeing the person he's growing up to be.  It's fun seeing his personality come out and the little tendencies that he has.  Each day I see new aspects of him and it's just so much fun!

Connor has always been a Mama's boy.  While Avery was more than happy to let anyone hold her as a baby, Connor tended to scream.  Even Michael upset him for the first few months.  This has been both good and bad.  There are times when I love his snuggles and his constant desire for me to be at his side.  Other times I feel slightly suffocated by his neediness.  However, I love being the person he wants when he's sick.  Whether it's snuggling and rocking in my chair or sleeping on our bed with his little arm around my neck, his love is so special and makes me feel awesome.

Connor tends to act a lot like his dad.  I didn't know Michael as a kid, but I've heard stories.  It sounds like Connor acts just like Michael did at his age.  I'm anxious to see how he does at school and to see if he's got the same aptitudes and interests that Michael did.  We may end up with 3 generations of engineers in our family.  ;)  Connor likes things picked up and sorted just so.  He's particular about things the same way Michael is.  It is absolutely adorable.

Lately Connor has enjoyed singing!  I have got to tell you, it's so stinkin cute!  Right now we have Beauty and the Beast in our DVD player in the car.  It's so fun to listen to him singing along with the movie.  Before that we had Mulan in and he'd sing "Reflection" along with the closing credits.  It was awesome!  Avery likes to make up songs, but Connor likes to sing the song he knows from movies and shows.  I hope we'll watch him in choir and musicals when he grows up.  He definitely has the genetics to be in choir!  Just have to wait and see.

That little guy brings me so much joy!  I love him a lot and feel very lucky to be his mom.  The passed 2.5 years have gone by incredibly fast!  I'm sure it's not going to slow down anytime soon.  Just trying to soak it all in.  :)  Mommy loves you, Connor Michael!

Kid Quotes - Connor

C - A twinkle star!
J - Did you see a twinkling star, Connor?
C - Yes!
J  - Awesome!  Make a wish!
C - I wish to be a dragon when I grow up.  Avery, do you want to be a princess?
A - Yes, I'll be a princess in a rainbow castle.
C - I wish Avery be a princess.  Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Sounds like we still need to review the purpose of God and prayer in our lives.  ;)  :P  Love these cuties!

Kid Quotes - Avery

A: Daddy, we didn't go to church yet today!
M: We're not going to church today.
A: Why not?
M: Because you and Bubba were sick yesterday and we don't want to get any other kids sick.
A: Because then they would put us in jail?

:P  I love the way her mind works.  She cracks me up!

November 12 - Thankful for junk food

Superficial and silly?  Absolutely!  But that doesn't change it!  Seriously!  I'm thankful for junk food!  Michael and I changed the way we eat a year and a half ago.  We started making healthier choices as it pertains to our diets and it has been very good.  However, junk food is still very near and dear to my heart.  :P  Michael went to the store today and got some stuff for Connor, who was sick.  He also got chips, bean dip, and tortilla chips!  We ate almost all of the PARTY SIZED bag of Lays and almost all of the bean dip.  It was glorious!  I'll make healthy choices again after the holidays.  :P  ;)

November 11 - Thankful for our home

Always a day behind.

I'm thankful for the beautiful home we live in.  We have been in our home for four and a half years and I absolutely love it.  Michael makes it all possible by the hard work he does so that we can afford this place.

We didn't have the seller do much of anything on the house when bought it.  I realize that now that Sis and Adam are buying a house.  There are a few things that could have dealt with repairing before we moved in, but we were new to the home buying game and young and eager, so we jumped in.  Since we've been here we've done a little things as well.  My dad has been incredibly helpful with these home projects.  Michael is very handy around the house, but he still has some things to learn.  It's been great having my dad available to come alongside Michael and teach him some of those household project skills.  We've replaced windows, added a pantry, added a fence, moved a light switch, and blocked mice from getting in.  I love our home!

I can't wait to make our home even better throughout the years.  We bought a home out of our price range so that we can stay here for many years and raise our kids here.  I love what we've done to the house so far and look forward to customizing it further.  :)

Sick Baby 2.0

Well, the B.R.A.T. diet only sort of worked...  I gave Connor toast and it seemed to sit ok with him.  I needed to run out to get something from a friend this afternoon, so I took Connor with me.  We got all the way to Hartman Arena (13 miles, 23 minutes from home) and he threw up in his carseat.  :(  So much for the B.R.A.T. diet.  While we were on our way home Michael and Avery ran to the store and got Pedialite and Bananas.  Connor and I got home, got him cleaned up, and into the bath (his second of the day).  Got him a banana and a drink for his nap, and then he slept for a good 4 hours! Fortunately, he was better all the rest of the day!  Of course, now Avery's not feeling well.  She seems to have gotten a cold.  She's got a sore throat and a runny nose.  I'm sad she's not feeling well either, but I'm glad she doesn't the stomach bug like Connor does.  Hoping they're both feeling much better in the morning.

Sick Baby

The kids woke us up today at 730 wanting to come unto our bed to snuggle.  They did and Connor ended up falling asleep again.  Avery tossed and turned a bit and ended up getting up.  When Connor woke up later, it was because he was throwing up.  :(  We cleaned him and the bed up and he was acting fine, so when he requested peanut butter toast for breakfast, I made it for him.  The kids went downstairs to play and watch some TV.  It's a little chilly in our house because we're trying not to use the heat much at the moment, so I thought the kids would like some hot chocolate.  I made them each a cup.  They loved it!  30 minutes to an hour later Connor came upstairs crying, he'd thrown up again.  This time it was all over the couch and basement carpet.  Michael gave both kids a bath.  Connor seems to ne doing ok again, but I've decided we'll stick to the B.R.A.T. diet for the reat of the day and see if we can't keep some food in his little tummy.  :(  So that's how my day has gone...  Guess we're not going to watch the Little Mermaid at Circle tonight.

November 10 - Thankful for my daughter

Behind again.  Sigh.  But still thankful!  I should have typed this post yesterday when I was thinking about it, but I put it off until later and then forgot.

I'm thankful for my daughter, Avery.  She is such a cool little person.  She has so much of me in her.  It can be cute, frustrating, and exhausting.  :P  She's growing up fast and I'm really impressed with the person she's turning into.  It's a blessing to be her mom.

She asks a lot of questions, which, ultimately, I think is a good thing.  She wants to understand what's going on and the world around her.  I hope this love of learning and understanding continues when she gets into school.  As of right now she wants to be a Dentist when she grows up, or as she calls it, a doctor who helps people's teeth.  :)  She's not as crazy about sitting down to learn letters and such, but early childhood isn't her mom's teaching specialty or gift.  ;)  Looking forward to seeing how she does next year in Pre-K.

Avery has a heart for people.  Sure, she argues with her brother and cousin (who's basically a sibling) on occasion, but overall, she loves people interacting and talking to them.  She doesn't know a stranger (a thought we're trying to curb a little, without scaring her too much) and is very friendly with people.  She likes being the center of attention and having all eyes on her.  For the most part, she does this in positive ways and environments.  :)  I'm sure she'll be interested in performing as she gets older, whether in choir, drama, or forensics, she's a confident speaker and thrives in the lime light.  :)

Avery loves Jesus!  She's still young, and doesn't fully understand concepts like sin, salvation, or heaven.  She has been asking a lot of questions and I believe she wants to have a relationship with Jesus.  Her prayers are absolutely adorable, the kid of things you love hearing kids pray about, because only a child would.  Today she prayed that God would warm up her egg yolk (from her hardboiled egg, where she ate only the white) so she could hold it and eat it.  :P  I just love her!  Last night at Lifegroup she prayed for our city as well as her friends (who she named individually), and her family (who she lumped all together).  I can't wait to see the person Jesus shapes her to be!  It's so exciting!

Avery is a weird kid.  There.  I said it.  I can admit it.  ;)  She can be really weird sometimes.  :P  She has a lot of energy and it comes out as so craziness on occasions.  But her imagination is awesome and the things she thinks up are crazy cool.

Avery has been behaving really well lately.  I think some of the lessons I have been trying to teach over the last 4 years are finally starting to sink in.  It's making me breathe a little sigh of relief to know that some things are getting easier after all of this work.  I'm sure new challenges are on the way, but for now I'm enjoying some peace between her and me to enjoy some extra freedoms and a little more fun mother-daughter relationship.  :)

As an extroverted, stay at home mom with a deep need for social company of my peers, I can easily get frustrated with the kids.  Seldom it's because of things they've done, but are because of me and the way I'm wired to want to interact with people (other than these children).  I need breaks from them to maintain my sanity.  ;)  Sometimes the tear things up, break things, and make messes, and I get frustrated.  I understand how my own mom felt all those years, now.  It's a wonder she didn't kill me for the things I did as well.  :P  So yes, I love my daughter, I'm thankful for her, but, fun as being a stay at home mom is, it's nice to get away from her sometimes too.  :P  Those endless questions can get exhausting!

Happy Friday, Friends.  Hope you have a good one!

The Chili is complete! Post #4

Sorry I didn't finish the Chili recipe for you guys last night!  I finished it up and then we ran off to Life Group and I didn't get back on the blog after that.  Fortunately, there's not much left to tell.  After the 45 minutes of cooking/thickening/incorporating flavors you add 2 cans of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed.  Then cook 15 more minutes with the lid on and 15 more minutes with the lid off.  Now you're done!

As I mentioned, Michael is taking this to work in the crockpot, so I ended up adding another 1/2 cup water and 1/2 of a beef bullion cube to keep it from drying out too much.  He put it on low when he got to work at 7-730ish, to get it heated up.  People are going to start eating at 11, he'll turn it down to warm from 11-1 while people eat.  Hopefully that keeps it tasting good.  :) 

Wish me luck!  The person who's recipe is the favorite wins 50% of the money people pay to eat and vote ($5 for a bowl, $1 to vote).  Second place wins 30% and third wins 20%.  Winning doesn't matter so much to me, although the bragging rights are pretty fun.  ;)  I just hope to make back the money we spend on lunch and some of the money for the ingredients.  ;)  I suppose we'll just have to wait and see! 

My awesome Mama is coming over today to watch the kids so I can go and have lunch with Michael (quietly).  :)  Looking forward to some kid free time with him, even if it is just to eat chili in his break room.  :P  I might even run to Cinnabon and get cinnamon rolls for he and me to eat with our chili!  Because if you grew up eating school lunches in Kansas, you know this is the only acceptable way to eat chili.  ;)

Making Chili! Post #3

Welcome back!

Have I convinced you it's going to be ok yet?  I hope so!  This is one seriously good chili recipe and I want you to try it!  On to the next step!  More changes from the original recipe ahead.  Here's what I added next:

1 cup water + 1 beef bullion cube (I don't keep broth on hand, I always use bullion cubes, unless I have broth frozen in the freezer.  The recipe calls for 1 tbsp broth, but I like my chili soupier and it needs to have plenty of liquid to be in the crockpot at Michael's office tomorrow.  I always use 1 cup "broth", even when it's not going into a crockpot.)
2 pints Grandma's canned tomatoes, undrained (Cans from the store would probably work too)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Tabasco
(The original recipe calls for 1 tbsp salt as well, but I leave it out since the bullion cube had tons of sodium)

Mix these ingredients together, cover, turn burner to low, and allow chili to simmer for 45 minutes.  This is designed for the chili to thicken, but I've added enough liquid to make sure that doesn't happen.  ;)  I use this time to let the flavors incorporate.

More instructions on the way, although it may be a bit since I'm not waiting for it all to cook. 

Making Chili! Post #2

This recipe is actually a spicy CHICKEN chili recipe, but not the way I make it.  I use ground turkey.  I know, you're skeptical of ground turkey all over the place.  That's fine.  I know you don't want it in your chili.  Chili's sacred!  I just ask you give it a try.  ;)  I didn't tell anyone at Michael's office last year that it was ground turkey and, like I said, they voted mine the best.  :D  Michael and I didn't even vote for me because we thought that would be unfair.  :P

The recipe called for 1.5 lbs of ground chicken, but I have always used ground turkey because it's cheaper.  Chicken breasts are only $2/lb, so why is ground chicken so expensive?!  Also, who cooks 1.5 lbs when they come in 1 lb packages.  Silly!  2 lbs of ground turkey it is!

Now, I know it looks weird to begin with, but I assure you, your family won't even question what meat you used by the time you're done.  It's already looking a little more like beef by the time it's cooked through.  Then, you add 1/4 cup chili powder.

Yes, you read that right.  1/4 CUP.  I double and triple checked the recipe the first time I made it.  I use spices in tsp and tbsp, not CUPS!  But it really is ok.  ;)  In fact, I had just a little extra left in the container, so I added a tad over 1/4 cup.  Spices are $1 at Aldi's.  No big deal when you use half of your chili powder in one meal.  ;)  Cook one more minute after adding the chili powder.

Stay tuned!  More chili recipe info coming shortly!

Making Chili! Post #1

I'm making Chili for Michael's chili cook-off at work tomorrow!  Last year I won first place (and a set of mixing spoons and candy) with this recipe!  I've tweaked it a bit more.  Follow along if you'd like a great chili recipe!

I can't find my recipe, but I found it online, so I'll just have to remember my notes.  Here's what I've added so far:
1.5 green bell peppers
1.5 red onions
6 (tiny) jalapeños (recipe calls for 2, but these are so small I had to add more
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
1-2 tbsp canola oil

First, sorry that my measurements aren't exact.  They used to be, but I've made this recipe so many times I just eyeball it now. 

I start getting my Dutch oven hot with my oil in it.  I cut up the green pepper first and add in in to begin cooking down and softening.  It takes the longest.  Next the red onion, then the jalapeños, then the garlic.  I put the garlic in last because I don't want it over cooking while I'm cutting up other veggies.  The recipe says to cook 5 minutes, but I don't watch the clock.  I cook until all the veggies are my desired tenderness, and since I don't like big or all dente chunks of veggies in my chili, it's probably longer than 5 minutes.  ;)

Stay tuned for the next step in just a few minutes!!

November 9 - Thankful for the peace only God can provide

If you read my post this morning about yesterday, you know I'm struggling with the election results.  Tonight the kids had Kids Connect at church, the program that replaced AWANA at our church.  During the hour that the kids are in class Michael and I have been reading 'Love and Respect' together.  We began reading it before we got married when we failed to get premarital counseling.  We never finished it, so we've been working on it weekly together during that hour.  Tonight, instead of reading the book and working on our marriage we spent the hour in prayer.  We figured our nation and our leaders needed prayer more than our marriage needed work.  While I have had moments of sadness, frustration, and even anger today, I have also had peace, especially this evening.  Michael and I haven't had much time to discuss the results, decompress and debrief since the official announcement has been made.  But tonight was really fruitful.  We spent time discussing where we go from here and praying for our leaders.  I really respect what President Obama said about encouraging his staff to make an easy transition of power to Donald Trump.  The decision has been made and now we must move on.  Michael and I feel that many of the Republicans (specifically the tea-party) in our lives have spent the last 8 years being bitter and angry, tearing down everything President Obama has done for our country over the past 8 years.  These same people are now preaching that the Bible says we have to submit, respect, and pray for our leaders.  I sincerely wonder the ways they've been praying for President Obama over the past 8 years, but I'm not going to start a fight with them and ask.  Michael and I have chosen to take Michelle Obama's advice, and "When they go low, we go high."  It's hard to take the high road, to be respectful and positive when we've seen so many adults much older than us behaving extremely poorly the last 8 years, but that is what we are going to strive to do.  We're going to try not to let our distaste for Trump show, and we'll be praying fervently for him.  I believe that in this decision and in our faith in God's plan, we have been given peace.  Once again, this election was no surprise to our Lord.  It feels like a testing of our faith, and we are determined to rise above the madness and show Donald Trump respect, even if we think he doesn't deserve it.  Only when someone takes the first step, to act, will "the crazy cycle" begin to slow down and stop.  (<-- This is just a little snippet of what we've been learning in our Love and Respect book.)  I pray you will be in prayer for our nation as well, and that you, too, will find the peace only God can provide.

November 8 - Thankful for the opportunity to vote

Dear Friends, it is with heavy heart that I write this blog today.  It might have been better to have written it yesterday afternoon before the poll numbers started coming in.  It would have been more hopeful and enthusiastic then.  Today (well, yesterday) I am (or thought I was) thankful for the opportunity to vote.  It is a great privilege to have a voice in choosing the leader of our country.  I simply wish that the leader we (or half the country, rather) chose wasn't a racist.  I wish the leader chosen didn't use his celebrity status to sexually assault women.  I wish the leader of our country for the next 4 years had some experience in public office or some sort of plan on how to unite our country, but all I see him trying to do is divide us further.  I cannot believe it's come to this.  I am in absolute shock.  I suppose I shouldn't be terribly surprised.  I have a bunch of racist friends and family members (mostly family, friends you can choose, and I tend to prefer to be in better company).  They have unapologetically supported Trump for some time.  I suppose when hatred runs that deep, it will resonate with others who feel the same way.  I feel so sorry for all those people who are so afraid of people who are different than themselves.  And now I'm the one who's afraid.  I'm afraid of what 4 years with Donald Trump as president will look like.  Fortunately, I don't have to explain to my children what happened yesterday.  I do, however, worry about the future Trump will build for my children.  It is a very scary time we are living in, indeed.

It light of all the election results, I can say one thing already, I'm growing closer to God.  Not having a human you feel like you can trust in charge of your country (and state) leaves you no choice but to depend on God and His plan.  While I know I should always rely on God over men, it's easier when the man in charge has been a man of dignity and grace in the White House.  I prayed repeatedly as the results came in last night.  I said bedtime prayers with Avery and Connor through tears, repeatedly going back to hug and squeeze them, as if, when the results were final, they'd be taken from me.  Of course, that didn't happen.  My babies remain mine, but their future so much more uncertain.  I sobbed and prayed relentlessly as more results came in and the conversation shifted from the narrow path Trump had to victory to the narrowing path of Hillary must-wins.  My head throbbed and ached despite several painkillers.  Finally, just before I fell asleep, I asked Michael to pray for us.  His words, and the uncertainty of what I'd wake up to learn were the last things in my mind before I drifted off to sleep.  Michael stayed up and watched the results after that.  When I woke up this morning before 6am, I prayed.  Fearing, that what I thought was actually true, but feeling relief that God was still in control and that He works all things for the good of those who believe in Him.  I have prayed a lot today already.  I think I'll be praying a lot more over the next 4 years than I have in the last 8.  I was praying just yesterday for some friends who are going through a trial.  I told God that I didn't want another trial in our lives because they're hard.  I know they refine my faith, but they are still very difficult.  Now this.  Let me tell you, it feels like a trial of faith. 

It feels like trying to get pregnant after a miscarriage, not being happy for the first 20 weeks of your pregnancy because you don't want to be emotionally crushed again by allowing yourself to hope and then to lose the baby.  It feels like your husband losing his job when your 5 months pregnant with your first child and in a brand new house out of your price range.  It feels like thousands of dollars in medical bills when you thought your employer was setting you up with good insurance and an emergency came up.  It feels like your puppy, your baby at the time, dieing unexpected and suddenly at 6 months old and your husband begging you to not hate him because he came home to find her and somehow thinks this is his fault.  It feels like your family, everything you know, falling apart, and the news covering it so everyone knows.  It feels like the effects that one decision you didn't even make bleeding into areas of your life you couldn't imagine for years to come, possibly for the rest of your life.  Those are what trials of faith feel like.  That is the way I wept last night, like a person without hope, broken.  And that it the way I prayed last night and this morning, like a person with no one to turn to but God.  He's the only one I place my hope in, especially now.  I just pray He protects my family and me over the next 4 years and that He softens, reforms, and guides the heart of our newly chosen leader.

Anyone who know me very well knows I'm a Facebook addict.  I have been on facebook since the summer of 2005 when I got my .edu email address and was allowed in (it was only for college students back then).  I was grateful for Facebook for connecting me to friends old and new, and for allowing me to share in the lives of people who don't live nearby.  I was especially thankful for Facebook in December 2012 when my phone was stolen and the only pictures I had from Avery's first Christmas were the ones I'd uploaded to facebook.  Well, last night I deleted my Facebook app.  I didn't delete or disable my account, I just got off and got rid of it.  It wasn't what I wanted to see or where I wanted to be.  So you may be hearing more from me here, as my outlet.  It doesn't feel like a safe place there anymore.  But here, in my own space, I feel I can share my opinions and thoughts, if for no one else, then for myself.

I implore you to join me in prayer for our nation, so harshly divided and in pain.  My prayer is that our leader will be guided by Christ and that God will have His way in our nation.  My prayer is that the leaders who were appointed last night and who remain in office think of the least of these while they govern our country and state.  I also pray for myself, and ask that you will too, that I show the love of Christ everywhere I go.  That His brilliance, love, compassion, and kindness shines out of me and that I may point others to Him and His hope in this time of uncertainty.  I also pray for peace in my soul that God is in control, that my soul, heart, and mind all agree and have faith that His will and work are being done.  I must admit that this is hard for me, I am in deep despair.  But I am praying fervently that God fills me with hope and assurance that His plan is at work.  In those trials of faith I mentioned, God worked and strengthen me, though some areas He continues to guide me through where I am uncertain, I know He will do the same through this.  My faith is not in a mortal man or woman, my God reigns supreme and there are no surprises to Him.  Now I wait for His plan to be revealed and I love His people as much as I can and rely on Him to see me, to see all of us, through.

November 7 - Thankful for my puppies

Harlee and Gabby weren't always the sweet pups that they are today.  When we got Harlee, she was the only puppy in her litter who survived and she had learned zero bite inhibition.  Michael and I spent weeks to months pinning our stubborn puppy, who was certain she was going to rule the roost, on her back to the floor, standing over her and growling, and buying her ears (I know this sounds absolutely crazy, but we did a lot of research and that was what the experts said to do).  Finally we had her settled down and learning tricks she was obviously a smart girl and very motivated by food, as most Beagles are.  Then we moved to Wichita and got our second fur baby, Gabby.

Gabby was a stray mutt off the street, only 8 weeks old when we met her.  She was aggressive about food and bit constantly with needle sharp little puppy teeth.  Fortunately, we knew how to handle such behavior.  Harlee took a bit to warn up to the rambunctious new puppy, but she came around eventually and the two of them are best friends.

We wanted to prepare our pups for our kids before Avery and Connor were even a possibility.  We tried to think of everything a small child might do to our around a dog.  We pulled on their ears and tails and fur.  We messed with them while they were eating and took away toys and treats while they were enjoying them.  Anything a child might do, we wanted to know how the dogs would react and train them to allow whatever behavior we threw at them.  And, I have to say, our sweet girls rose to the challenge.

When we brought Avery home from the hospital, the dogs were very interested and always looked for her first when they came in the house from being outside.  It only took Gabby jumping on Avery's face a time or two for her to realize the baby was on the bed.  They kicked her right in the face and Avery opened her mouth and welcomed it, a story I'm sure she'll love hearing she gets older.  By the time Connor came along, having a baby in the house was an old trick.  The pups were less concerned with Bubba and more concerned with staying out of Avery's reach.  ;)

Now or pups are no longer top priority in our lives, something I never thought would happen, even when I was pregnant with Avery.  But we still love them an awful lot.  They are still very sweet girls and great with the kids.  Over the last month Laney had seemed to have been scared by the dogs, but I let them in each day to clean up her lunch mess and now she gets excited when it's time to let them in.  They laid very still and calm today while I pretty them so she could pet them as well.  They really are very sweet girls.  We love them a lot!

November 6 - Thankful for my comfy bed and snuggling with my hubby

After a busy weekend, it's nice to relax and snuggle with my hubby.  He's my favorite!  I love him!  I also really like this fancy new bed I got us for Valentine's Day.  :)  Goodnight!