Don’t read this if you’re eating

The library is one of my favorite places — it’s quiet, it’s free, and there is a separate children’s area that has doors to contain the loudness of my children. So we frequent the library about once a week.

Which is why I am sad to announce that our family has disgraced the public library in our town. And I’m not talking about the $7.00 in fines that I owe.

I’ll cut to the chase — I’m talking about throw up. I’ve never had either of my children throw up in public (don’t ask me how I’ve made it this long), but it was inevitable that my turn would come. And it did – in the busy entryway at the library — in between the double doors, where the sun beats through the glass and smells are trapped. I’m sure you don’t need more details to understand why I was humiliated and so sad for my little girl who threw up all over me, the wheelchair door opener button, and the eco-friendly carpet squares.

Since I’m quite inexperienced with this situation, I froze. I did not know what to do. I would have gone in and gotten some towels or something, but like I said, I was doused in a lovely smell from shoulder, to skirt, down the leg and all over my flip-flop. So I thought my tracking it into the library would be worse. I tried to pretend like I knew what I was doing by telling Anna to go in and get someone who worked there. She said, “what?” And I told her again, all while she was backing away in disgust, staring at the mess on the floor. That’s what I wanted to be doing too, but I had to suck it up and take it like a Mom. Then I asked her to come over and pick up our library bag that was nearby and still safe from the germs. She looked at me and said, “I am NOT going over there.” She was as frozen as I was. I gave up after realizing that she was a very unreliable source of help. Then she started gagging. As gross as that sounds, it actually made me laugh. She was completely useless in this situation, and for some reason I had to laugh because even my own blood wasn’t coming anywhere near the incident.

People just passed by and didn’t offer to grab some paper towels for me and after what seemed like hours and millions of innocent patrons walking in, staring at me, then frantically running into the library, a librarian hesitantly asked if I needed anything. I’ll cut them some slack since they were probably in the same boat as me and didn’t know quite what to do, other than to get away as fast as possible. I could go on with details, but let’s just say eventually we made it out to the car and used about a half of a package of wet wipes. Then I enjoyed a nice wafting smell coming from my clothes on the ride home.

On the upside, Brooke felt better and didn’t throw up in my car or all over our house that’s on the market. And at least we weren’t in the library with all of the books.

I’m a little scared to return for fear that someone has posted a sign with our picture that says, “Don’t let them in!” I think I’ll give it a couple weeks to air out and memories to fade.

Hope you enjoyed this experience as much as I did. And hey, if it were you, I’d offer to get you some paper towels.

My Thoughts Exactly

I wouldn’t want this plastered on the back of my car. But when I saw it on someone else’s, I laughed in agreement.

Last to Know

I found this blog through other people posting this site. And I’m sure the rest of you have heard about it, but just in case you haven’t, you have to read it! Whether you are Mormon, or if you know a Mormon from Utah (especially Utah County), you will appreciate its humor.

http://www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/

Mamma Mia!

This is how excited I am to be done with all the projects and to finally have my house on the market!

My mom came a few weeks ago to help watch the kids for obvious reasons. She was such a great help, not to mention how fun it was to get to have someone who would appreciate going to the movie Mamma Mia. If you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend that movie if 1) if you are a chick 2) you go with one or more chicks 3) if you love ABBA and scenery from Greece 4) you don’t mind sudden bursts of singing that you’re not quite sure how to feel about at first even though you know it’s a musical, but then the music takes over and you love it 5) you are ready to be amazed yet again by Meryl Streep and going from The Devil Wears Prada to this movie — and it’s her own voice. Who knew she had yet another talent. 6) you have no expectations of Pierce Brosnan other than just being eye candy. His voice is . . . interesting. 7) I DON’T recommend dragging you’re husbands to it. Rent him a movie from the Redbox in the name of saving money, and his masculinity. Then you’ll both be in a good mood in the end.

What’s kept me going

Getting a house ready to sell is a HUGE job — I knew it would be. And in order to not completely go insane from all the work, I’ve stopped a few moments to enjoy my kids. Here are some in the last few weeks that make me smile.

Anna starting dance class. She’s taking ballet and tap, and is soooo adorable at it!

My kids getting creative with straws.

I had Anna paint some artwork for her room since we can’t have any pictures of us in our house (which I hate). I may be a little biased, but I think she has real talent! I just got the right colors to match her room, and she did the rest.

The finished product:

And I didn’t get a picture of this next one, but I was sitting on the couch working on my computer when Brooke came running over to me. I wasn’t paying too much attention to what she was saying and doing, until she put her poopy diaper in my lap and said, “es-gusting, Mommy, es-gusting.” Yes. It was. But funny since it didn’t actually get on anything.

And last, you can tell what Anna and Brooke have been doing while I’ve been busy. Anna walks around the house saying, “It may be a crazy life, but it’s our life.” (from Jon & Kate plus 8 )

Back to work. Hopefully by next Thursday, it will all be done with and then I’ll have to be gone a lot.

Favorite Things Friday: Homemade Waffles & Syrup

Making breakfast is one of my favorite things to do. Maybe because it seems more like baking to me than washing and chopping for dinners (not as fun). So I’ve been very into making yummy breakfasts, all from scratch. I don’t have pictures of my waffles, but here is the recipe, and I usually quadruple it and freeze the leftovers to eat like Eggos, but so much yummier!

Waffles (makes about 4 Belgian size squares)   Recipe x 4

¾ c. flour                                                                         3 c.

¼ c. cornstarch                                                               1 c.

½ tsp. baking powder                                                     2 tsp.

¼ tsp. baking soda                                                         1 tsp.

½ tsp. salt                                                                       2 tsp.

1c. whole milk or buttermilk (I’ve also used 2%)       4 c.

1/3 c. vegetable oil                                                         1 1/3 c.

1 egg                                                                              4 eggs

1 ½ tsp. sugar                                                                6 tsp.

¾ tsp vanilla extract                                                     3 tsp.

Preheat waffle iron. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the milk, oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit in fridge for 15 minutes.

Do not use non-stick spray as the oil in the batter will allow waffle to release easily. They should be done when there is no more steam coming out.

I’ve been bored of regular maple syrup. We bought boysenberry at the store, and while it was better, it’s more expensive and just doesn’t taste as fresh as I’d like. So I decided to come up with some of my own concoctions (with help from internet recipes.) So far we’ve tried coconut syrup, which is soooo yummy. Especially if you’ve ever had it in Hawaii. I like my version even better because it’s still warm when you pour it on, and there are no preservatives.

Coconut Syrup

1 c. sugar

½ c. water

2 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. coconut extract

 

Bring sugar, water and butter to a boil. Turn down and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Take off heat and let stand for one minute. Add coconut extract and mix well. Eat immediately, or let set for a while if you like it thicker.

My next syrup trial was strawberry syrup. It turned out well too, and we put fresh chopped strawberries on top of that. It tasted so light and fresh — delicious! 

Strawberry Syrup

1 – 2 lbs fresh strawberries, stems removed

¾ c. light corn syrup

dash salt

 

Blend berries in blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in syrup and salt. Transfer to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and boil, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups of strawberry syrup.

Please share if you have any syrup or breakfast recipes for me to try!

You Say Tomato, I Say Boulder

Well, it’s about that time. The time when we just get settled in and life seems smooth. The time when our garden is doing awesome and the taste of homemade salsa is less than two months away. The time when I feel like I have roots . . . in my neighborhood, my church, and my community. That time when life is comfortable.

So, of course. It’s time to move.

Since we’ve been married, we have made a habit of moving. Six years, and six moves . . . soon to be seven, moves that is.  As you may guess, I am not all that extatic about it. This is the longest time we’ve lived in once place — almost 2 years. I love my neighbors, friends, town, library, rec center, and finally being in a house that’s ours. And I know they have all that there. But I like mine. I’ve gotten to know things. I have routines. I know which way to go to dodge traffic. I know which is the best story teller lady at the library. I know which isle the ketchup is on at the store. So for all of that, I’m depressed to leave and have to start all over. And I have to admit I’m having to talk myself into much excitement.

On the flip side, this has been soooooo long in the making. About a year now. So I’m ready to finally know what we’re doing and move forward. The story is much too long and aggravating to tell. In a nutshell, my husband is changing jobs. And his new job will be so much better for him and our family. So much better that I’ve actually come to grips with the fact that we’ll be ripping out any and all roots we’ve built here. And yes, I may just bring our tomato plants with us.

So looking forward, after coming to grips with leaving, I am excited about where we’re moving– the Boulder area. Don’t worry, I’m bringing my razors with me. But I can’t promise that I’m not going to go completely organic for our meals. That’s a goal actually. (Honey, sorry we don’t talk much. And yes I know I have to actually cook to make that happen.) We won’t be living in Boulder, but about 10 minutes away. The thing I’m most excited for is their incredible farmer’s market.

The farmer’s market in my town now is not that great. So I’m excited for that. And I always love the adventure of meeting new people. That never gets old to me. I’m just sad to leave the ones I already know and love behind.

Other than that, my excitement is limited to our growing tomatoes and the hope that we’re still here at harvest time. If anyone else has some silver lining to throw my way, I could use something to look forward to. But for now, I am getting my house ready for the dead market and will thus be pretty much unknown to the blogging world for a few weeks. Unless I need some stability since I know my cyber pals are always one click away.

Mid-Summer Sum Up

I haven’t posted a lot about what our whole family has been doing this summer. We’ve had lots of fun so far, and can’t wait to see what else this summer has in store! This is long, so I’ll try to minimize my urge to babble and just let the pics speak for themselves.

Anna’s last day of preschool with her beloved teachers. This day kicked off our summer!

The girls with their new dresses posing with the spring flowers

Heading to Arizona for Bart’s brother’s wedding. Here are the girls sporting their new sunglasses. Anna felt pretty G-funk and did some posing

Our new squishy, long-eye-lashed niece. She’s beautiful!

The happy couple — aren’t they pretty?

We had the wedding photographer take our family picture — it would have never happened otherwise

We spent Memorial Day at the zoo — Brooke with the monkeys

We planted our garden

We went to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs

Hiking and making it to the top (of a boulder)

 

Celebrated Father’s Day. Anna made a special hat for her daddy. I love her death-grip hug

Headed to Utah for the 4th of July - We went to Logan and enjoyed some Chinese food. It was the girls first time and they loved sweet & sour chicken. Mmmmm . . .

And enjoyed the parks and tire swings

Then off to Salt Lake to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I couldn’t help but take a picture of this building as we passed it. It’s the McCune Mansion and is the very first place I ever worked. I helped serve at wedding breakfasts and luncheons. I looked into having my own reception here. They suggested that my parent’s take out a second mortgage since we told them the cost wasn’t in their budget. Seriously. So we passed. But I just love this building. I think it’s so pretty.

Went to This is the Place park across from Hogle Zoo. The girls rode horses and completely loved it. Notice that there was a smaller pony, and neither would ride it. They both wanted big horses.

Petting goats and calves

On the train ride, Brooke tipped her head because Grandma did.

Off to the other Grandma’s house for the 4th celebration and the July 3rd Children’s Parade where we decorated their bikes.

The next morning, Bart ran the Freedom Mile before the parade started and won for his age group! Don’t you love 5,000 yard-wide Utah streets. Go honey!

Waiting for the parade to start = the candy sugar rush to ensue (Meanwhile, what’s more American that Cracker Jacks?)

Here’s a patriotic bunch!!!

No picture, but we ended the day taking the girls to the fireworks at the park. Bad idea. #1 - coming off a major sugar rush #2 - missed naps #3- didn’t start until 10 pm #4- Insanely loud EQUALS= 1 crying older sister (the entire firework show) and 1 baby sister who fell asleep with her hands over her ears and slept through the entire show. Next year I think we’ll opt out, since it just hit me that it’s pointless to take kids so young when they have a lifetime left to see fireworks and would rather be in bed now.

Guess what? I’m out of pictures. Whew. Thanks for enduring the photo journal. How has your summer been?

Kids These Days

I am getting old.

Although I just watched “Clueless” a few weeks ago while folding laundry and trying to justify my craving for a brainless, slightly tasteless, and superbly adolescent movie — that is no excuse to let the phrases, “As if,” “Lame,” and “It’s all good” escape my mother-of-two lips. And my terrified husband has been speechless as to know how to respond to my desire-to-be-hip antics. There. I did it again. Hip? I’m old.

Then, on our recent trip to Utah I adopted the grammatical article of “The” as my new favorite word, where it really shouldn’t be used unless you’re over the age of 80. “Do you want to go to The Salt Lake City?” “Oh look, there’s The BYU.” (blach, go Aggies)

I have also recently had to explain who Elvis and Michael Jackson are, and what an answering machine is, since this darling tween girl only knew that voicemail existed.

The final clue that I am no longer at the “world is your oyster” phase of life is that I look around me while in public and inwardly shake my head and say to myself, “oh, kids these days.” This, all while watching 13 year olds in their expressionless zombie state frantically giving themselves carpal tunnel syndrome while trying to beat the record for how fast they can pound out their next text message. I think I’ve sent ten texts in my entire life — and that’s after I got my first cell phone at the age of 24. My adorable 15 year old nephew was trying to teach me how to text faster, and couldn’t sit through more than 10 painful seconds of watching me battle my cell phone since I didn’t realize it will figure out what word I’m trying to type. I couldn’t fathom that I didn’t have to type every letter myself. And I’ve always been able to figure out The technology. But, I guess I’m old.

So, I give in. Once again. And I am at the mercy of age. I can no longer try to pretend I know what the kids are talking about most of the time, I no longer roll my eyes when my parents give me advice, and I definetely can’t decipher most text and instant message acronyms.

But darn it, I have an awesome husband and kids, I can buy Cheetos and eat the whole bag if I wanted to (yuck), I could find someone I know in my vast array of acquaintances throughout my old life who would know someone who knows someone who could get me into a Hannah Montana concert if it was sold out (I’d rather see the out-dated Dave Matthews Band), and I can stay up until midnight watching a so-ten-years-ago movie without answering to anyone — because I’m old.

So there.

Jon & Kate Plus 8

Warning: Don’t watch this show unless you want to get addicted to it! If you’ve ever wondered how someone with 8 kids — 7 year old twins, and 6 two year olds — does it, now you’ll know. No free time, completely scheduled down to the minute, and lots of love (yelling and crying). Anyway, I find it quite intruiging. I found it while channel surfing, and tuned in on one of their marathons that started with the first episodes, and now I’m hooked. I think they do a pretty great job — I don’t know if I would do it as well.