Archive Blog 2006-2008

I've Moved!

2008-03-15T20:22:00.002+01:00

Hi Ya'll!
Thanks for dropping in. I decided to move to another page and archive this blog. Hope you will update your links and visit me often at the new location.

Preparing for a new look...

2008-03-14T17:57:00.003+01:00

What do you think of this header? And how do I load it onto blogger?

New Camera!

2008-03-13T20:49:00.003+01:00

I did it! I ordered a new camera. After much debate and research I have gone back to my original game plan...a battery powered backup camera to the one I currently have. I love the ease of use and slim design of the Canon ELPH? and the kids can use it too. I just can't spend over $500 for a camera that will require another $500 to get the lens I need to take the kind of photo that I am looking for. I want something that I can take close ups(macros) and long distance shots (telephoto) without worrying about changing lenses or carrying around a bag full of equipment. I don't think I'm ready to go there yet...someday maybe but not right now.

So what did I get? Ok, well obviously you probably KNOW the answer to that already...I ordered a Canon A570IS from Amazon. For $169.71 I got a 7 meg camera and a 2 gig memory card + overnight shipping...it should arrive by Friday. I will certainly be doing lots of practice shots on my favorite subjects as soon as it arrives. Of course that won't be too hard since my kids LOVE the camera...if you have not figured that out already. I also love that this camera has video...yes I have 2 nice camcorders but it seems I use my cameras a lot more than I ever do the camcorders. It's just more convenient and easier to download.

I can't wait to get outdoors and shoot some nice "green" shots. Its a bit slushy and grey out right now, but no complaints here that means that the snow is MELTING!!! Hoooray!

2 week old Tomatoes

2008-03-13T16:51:00.001+01:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Eating us out of house and home...

2008-03-13T00:52:00.002+01:00

I want to know how great big families do it. We have the five of us and I don't know, maybe the kids are all on a great big growth spurt right now but we cannot keep food in our house! We purchase 4 to 5 gallons of milk per week and still have to sometimes ration it the day before supermarket day (usually Tuesdays) I used to clip coupons but who has the time for that? I do like that there are a lot of coupons online now but every time I print them off I forget to use them...I know I am like Dorie the fish

So any penny pinch tips out there? How do you make the most healthful snacks and meals for your families. Recipe ideas are a welcome plus too! We had our families favorite meal tonight: spagetti - usually there are leftovers, tonight no leftovers...and this was after the two younger kiddos had a plate of chicken nuggets for an after school snack.

How can I fill these munchkins up???

Hippity Hop, Spring IS on its way!

2008-03-12T18:46:00.002+01:00

Yay!!! Our temps finally rose above freezing yesterday! It appears for the moment that the icy grip of winter has released its hold. We have seen a tremendous dip in the snow pack and in spots can even see DIRT! Praise the Lord!!!

I am coming down with a serious case of spring fever. The tomatoes are getting pretty tall and have lots of leaves now. They really grow fast under artificial light. Its amazing when I check on them each morning and afternoon how much they have grown in such a short time. I can't wait to get out and start digging in some dirt :)

It seems the whole neighborhood was out last night enjoying the warmer weather. Neighbors brought out their dirt bikes and where ripping up and down the street (we live by a river so off road vehicles are permitted on the streets) We are still considering buying 4 wheelers and since it looks like we will be here for another couple years we may as well start enjoying it here. I know I have been nothing but bad vibage since we arrived...I am now pledging to make an effort to be POSITIVE and look at the good things here and stop focusing on the not so greats. (I may need some reminding of this pledge)

I am still debating what camera to purchase. I would love to move up to a digital SLR but I am so SCARED of picking the wrong one! I hate to spend all that money and wish I'd gotten a different model or brand. I have had several point and shoot digital cameras over the years and I really love the Canon Powershot 6 meg that I have now but it just doesn't have the clarity that I would like for portraits and nature shots. I am also scared of the SLRs because of all the different lenses and the possibility of getting dirt on the main body. Plus I've never been good with math and all that lingo about depth of field and aperture is confusing...I just want a camera that takes a good picture when I push the button. I've always wanted a Canon Rebel but the cost is way up there and then you have the lenses...the multitude of lenses. Why are there so many choices? Which ones are the best? I would like to purchase a new camera to take along for our family vacation next week...time is running out. Soon we will have spring flowers to capture when nature explodes into color and I don't want to miss a single shot. Please help!

Winter Update 08

2008-03-12T18:43:00.001+01:00

(Written on 5 Mar 08)

Our winter has been very long. It is now March but it doesn’t appear that it will be over anytime soon. Even the locals are getting tired of winter. It feels like it’s been winter since we arrived… oh yeah that’s right, that is the day we arrived…first day of real winter weather 07 and it has been cold ever since.

We are looking forward to the highlight of our year, the annual family reunion in Louisiana . Scott will not make it this year. Hopefully somewhere along the 22+ hour road trip there, Cody will learn to drive. He is so excited that he has his learners permit now…but of course we have not let him behind the wheel in months because the roads are covered in ice and snow. You would think that up here they would be more efficient at clearing the roads and keeping them safe but at 7am there are no snow crews to be found and the roads are very hazardous after a nights powder or a hard nights freeze. Especially after a day of sun and then a hard nights freeze…then the roads are slicker than snot. Weeeee! We have a lot of fun times getting to school and work each day. I nearly took out a light pole one morning, it was great. Luckily there was a 5 foot snow bank that would have softened the blow had I slid that far.

Cody has really found his niche in the sporting goods department where he works. He works several days a week and his grades are improving. He’s looking forward to baseball season getting underway and is treating us to a Boston Red Socks/Minnesota Twins game in May. Actually two games, Scott and Jared get to go with him on Saturday to celebrate Jared’s birthday (which is on May 9th)and then we will all go on Sunday (Mother’s Day) I have to go shopping at the Mall of America and IKEA on Saturday and you know how much I’m going to hate that ;) ...If you are watching the game either of those days look towards the back left field. Cody has already made a huge banner to take along to show his team spirit. His favorite player is Papi. He has also been busy outfitting us all in proper attire for the game, making sure we are sporting the appropriate team logos. Go Red Socks! Yay!

Jared is doing well in first grade. His attention span is not quite as much as his teachers wish it would be. He is always in constant movement and this tends to be a bit distracting to the class with his tapping of his feet or snapping his fingers. He tries to focus his mind but his body is still in motion. I think if the school had a way to let him bounce or run while he listened he would do much better. He has hit another huge growth spurt in the past couple of months too. His legs seem to have grown another foot..… (Ha Ha) did ya get it?

We have moved Jaiden out of daycare. She is now in home care at our neighbors right behind us. She has flourished in the 4 weeks that she has been there. She’s gone from recessing back into baby babble, which she didn’t do much of even from day one, into talking full sentences. Of course she is a typical two year old and the word “mine” is her favorite to use 99% of the time. She still likes to hit us when we are in her space, but she has started learning a bit of remorse and says “I sorry” where before she would only look away and pretend that she did not hear us talking to her.

The days are getting longer so spring should be coming sooner or later. Working at the weather service has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages is sometimes having the best view of the weather from my perch by the window. I have the opportunity to gaze at the blue sky and my computer screen blocks out the glare coming off the snowbanks, or I watch the softly falling snowflakes during a winter storm and envision myself inside a snowglobe…its truly beautiful. (unless you are a light sensitive, southern thang with claustrophobia issues when cooped up indoors too long) Guess that might be considered a disadvantage. But it’s the things that don’t kill you that make you strong.

Our move to Dallas will be postponed for a while it seems. The housing market is steadily declining and even here where they are telling us the market is strong, we are seeing a lot of stagnancy. We have 3 houses just on our street that are for sale, two of which have been on the market since summer. So, in order to get a good price and be able to put down a down payment on a new home someday, we will have to stick it out. Scott still plans on retiring in June of 2009 and Cody still plans on graduation in May of 2010 so we’re not sure where that puts us for any sort of future plans… We will take each day as it comes and trust that things will work out for the best. It’s not that bad here, it’s just way too cold, far too dry and who wants to visit the frozen tundra?

In order to bring a bit o’ green indoors, and to have a bit o’ garden once the ground thaws… I’ve taken the leap of planting some seeds. Last year my seed sprouting endeavor did not fare so well with my gazillion pots sitting in the southern windowsill so this year Scott has built me a lean mean growing green things machine…ok he took out some spare shelving units from the attic and strung up a fluorescent light but it works amazingly well! So far almost all 72 of the tomato plants that I planted have sprouted and are now steadily working on their second set of leaves. They are growing happily in various stages under the light and they are only a little over a week old! So in another month we may be up to our ears in tomato plants??? Hmmmm…guess they don’t take up nearly as much room as seedlings as they will – so I suppose I should plan out new homes for them soon. Our ground is not scheduled to thaw before May…anyone want some maters?

I will close on that note, and wish everyone well. Hope you have a lovely spring! And as always, I’m looking forward to hearing from you too.
Love Lots,
Kim

February doldrums

2008-02-22T11:58:00.003+01:00

Wow, I haven't written here since October...and it's been a long winter. Guess I didn't want to write about what a funk I've been in or how miserable I am cooped up inside. There are worse things to have to contend with and I know I am blessed beyond measure. I know God will give me the strength to pull through.

I have just been so exhausted, mentally which leads to physical exhaustion. Not knowing what tommorrow brings and having absolutely no control over our future. I've always been a planner and a dreamer. I love to dream about things and then work towards making them happen. Well living in the great northern frozen tundra has never been one of my "dreams" and I've been on survival mode it seems since the day we arrived. I find myself consistently moving further from my main source of strength, we stopped going to church a long time ago and I do not even know when the last time was that I picked up a real bible, not just a devotional book to help get me through the day. I know what I need but I am being stubborn like a child to reach out for it.

So here I am struggling to figure it all out myself, what is it all about? What is life's meaning? What is my purpose here? Where am I going and when will I get there? There is no road map. Faith is blind and trusts completely. I need to find that place again of complete surrender. Let go of every hope and dream that has me bogged deep into my own self loathing. There has to be more to life. Its all in the perspective.

We are in mid Feb and my weather guys keep telling me that spring is coming. Yesterday was one of the coldest days ever so it was a bit hard to believe them (-44 wind chill) Looking back at last years photos I see that Feb had snow and March was nice and the kids actually went outside...I can't remember the last time we went outside (Sept?) The winter has been alright until February. Feb is the coldest month of all and the longest too it seems (although its really the shortest month) It should warm up by May they say. Yay I'm all over that. I need to dig something so bad and lately all it seems I'm digging is my own grave. The ground will thaw around April/May and I can plant something again.

The days are starting to get longer. The sun rises around 7 am now, which is nice to not have to go to work in complete darkness. That helps. Darkness makes me so tired and moody. plus with pms all the time it seems to never stop. I wish they made a pill to fast forward through the month of February...or sleep it off. Last night I crashed early (6:30pm) and hubs took care of everyone, he's such a sweetie! I woke tired still but I'm up so that is a step forward. Somehow I will trudge out of this. Another day, another chance to live

A beautiful Day in October

2007-10-28T03:15:00.000+01:00

Today was a gorgeous day. It was a bit chilly in the morning but the sun felt warm and toasty coming in bright and cheerily through our east facing windows. I had to throw back the curtains and rejoice in the sunbeam that filled my kitchen with a warm glow. I felt so good that I actually SCRUBBED the kitchen floor. The kiddos got into the spirit too and helped me, taking turns with the broom and mop. We alternated hand mopping, then sweeping and then vacuuming and then hand mopping some more then a final sweep...there were a LOT of dustbunnies hiding in the cracks and crevices. I don't normally like to clean so it had been a long time coming. It felt nice to stand in the reflection of the wood floor and enjoy the sunbeams, not seeing the streaks and spots of spills that previously shared the spotlight.

After cleaning the kitchen, hubs and I loaded up the kiddos and headed off to Menards for some paint to finish the new windows hubs had to install on the north side of our house. The first stop was of course Arby's for lunch. 3 little piggies had roast beef and one little piggi had ham. Numms all around. Then we headed off to the hardware store and got sucked into the Christmas village right away...it helped that there was a little kiddy play area there so we crawled through the little houses for about half and hour. I love this model of Step 2 house that looks like a gingerbread house. It is so adorable! The fireplace kicks down and makes an "escape hatch" and it has all these neat little built in shelves and a tiny little sink...I can see hours of fun in one of those. Santa, I've been a very good girl this year...

We ran into some friends while walking through the Christmas ornaments so we headed back to the kids zone so we could talk without the kids causing too much chaos and destruction. We'd just seen this same friend last night when hubs and I went on a "date" to the Blue Moose for dinner and then walked over to Cabelas to get Cody some batteries for his Xbox controller. We hadn't seen them in months and then suddenly we see them twice in just hours? How weird is that? We don't socialize much so this was a nice surprise indeed.

We followed that up with haircuts for the guys while Jbabe and I just hung out in the sunshine, sitting in the car. Me reading a book, Jaiden playing with her blocks. It was very refreshing.

Tonight I am catching up a bit on my blog and email and the guys are watching Boston kick the Rockies out of the playoffs. Colorado is struggling yet not putting up much of a fight. The Red Sox are coming out with their game on and there is no stopping such a force once the momentum gets going.

Fun in October

2007-10-28T00:22:00.001+02:00

Cody's first driving experience

2007-10-25T16:56:00.001+02:00

Last night, I went to pick Cody up from day #2 of his first job. I found him strolling the toy aisles, straightening toys and putting labels on shelves. He seems to really be thriving in this newfound responsiblity. After ony one day he was already working independently. He seemed to have a great sense of ownership towards "his department" of the store. And he looks so adorable in his uniform, a Dickey's work shirt with the company logo on it.

So he gets off at 8pm and we head home. I cruise through the back portion of our neighborhood and pull over and say "wanna drive?" I think I put him in shock, he hasn't driven a car since he was 12 and plowed into our house when I let him pull the car up a few feet in the driveway. It was pitch dark out and there was not much traffic so I figured it would be as good a time as any to let him get a feel for the wheel.

Teaching a kid to drive involves some serious thought I realized after he sat in the drivers seat and didn't know how to move the stick to D...it was even darker in the car and the console is on the floor. I think we got it into second gear instead of drive but anyway the car was soon going in forward motion all the same. Slowly taking his foot off the brake he manuevered into the street and edged toward home. There was a curve up ahead so he had to slow down, er BRAKE hard, I tell him "no brakes required, just let off the gas" so we ease around the corner, now entering the middle of the street so I tell him "keep to the right please and there is a left turn coming up right ahead" so then he drives into the middle lane again. "Blinker please" take a left here, slowly ok there is a car coming up ahead, just hold steady to the right, ok that is good...now we're cruising. Down the hill and across a bridge (very nice) ok up a hill and there is a stop sign coming up, also two cars and what's that? Rollerbladers? in the middle of the street? They have NO reflective gear on AT ALL. So we come to the stop I say "ok are you stopping?" Yep, we're stopping "ok, now do you see those rollerbladers up ahead?" "You see them right?" "They are right in front of you" We proceed at a snails pace toward t hem and low and behold, they do not move out of the way! So we follow them for about a block before they finally decide to get over on the side so we can pass them. So then we turn at our street and Cody forgets where we live...honestly now I am starting to wonder if this was a good idea. "Um, our house is another 2 houses away son, keep going" So then he FINALLY pulls into the driveway and parks. I breathe a huge sigh of relief and say a prayer of thanks for making it home alive.

I think that really made his night, yes he needs a LOT more practice before he will ever get onto a main street. Wish me lots of luck!

Fried Green Tomatoes

2007-10-24T18:39:00.000+02:00

I am not trying to make this a blog about cooking but I have to share this really yummy and very simple idea I found in one of my Southern Living magazines...

Fried Green Tomato (BLT) Poboys

Slice green tomatoes into 1 c. milk or buttermilk (as recipe called for)

Dip into batter of 1/2 c. flour and cajun seasoning, (I used Southwest Seasoning from Tupperware, it has jalapeno)

Fry tomatoes in butter (or oil if you prefer)

Fry bacon

Toast hoagie bread lightly in oven.

Spread Generous amount of Miracle Whip on the warm hoagie buns then layer them with tomatoes, bacon and shredded lettuce.

The jalapeno seasoning mingles very nicely with the crisp tang of the green tomatoes. The taste is light, yet with a little kick. You could add extra spice if you like but these were great just the way they were. I'd never had fried green tomatoes before so this was a first and I will definetely look forward to trying this again. I used the last of my home grown tomatoes for this so I will have to wait till next season for green ones.

Try it and let me know what you think!

The Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-22T16:38:00.000+02:00

Yay! Grand Forks has a pumpkin patch! We took a drive out to the pumpkin patch on Saturday. It was just 5 mi north of the base. We drove up and saw a pumkin patch of oversized mostly rotten pumkins and almost drove away thinking that the patch had been picked clean already but a lady walked out of her house and we asked her about the pumkins and she said "oh no this is not it, there is another field beyond the trees and most of the pumpkins are in the barn"

So we headed into the barn and the kiddos picked out their pumpkins. Cody stayed home because he was still waking up when we left at 10 in the morning...so we picked a pumpkin for him. Jaiden wasn't too interested in the pumpkins or taking photos with them. She was a bit tired and cranky from a nasty cough and yucky nose. It had been a rough night for us all.

Jared enjoyed weighing the pumkins on the scale and made sure that they were in precise weight allowances for their size. What that means is, he didn't want Jaiden's pumkin to be too heavy for her to pick up...so we picked a five pounder, which she had no interest in holding. After dropping the pumkins off in the car we wandered over to the hay bale maze and the cutouts, where we snapped some cute photos. Jaiden started to get into the spirit of it a bit after that but she was mostly interested in napping so she was in a bit of a trance. The boys carved their pumpkins while she napped and I painted a face on hers. It was a gorgeous fall day, the sun was warm and bright and the air was only a bit chill. While the boys were carving pumkins, I made some pumkin and banana muffins (separately) They turned out yummy! Nothing beats a hot from the oven pumkin muffin and they are so simple to make. Here's the recipe:

Pumkin Muffins
1 box of spice cake
1 15oz can of pumpkin
Mix these two ingredients (I add a can of water to make them smoother) then fill muffin cups and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I did them for 25 min and they came out yummy but a little bit gooey...I think 5 more minutes would have made them a little fluffier.

Banana Muffins
Mix 2 eggs, 1 c sugar, 1 stick of butter with overipe bananas, add in
1 c. whole grain flour, 1 c oatmeal, 1/2 c or so of all purpose flour
Mix well, add water if too thick and drop into muffin cups. Bake for 30 min at 350.
I added chocolate chips to the tops of mine when they came out of the oven as an afterthought...I will add them to the batter next time.

The highlight of the weekend though was of course the Boston/Cleveland game. Game 6 on Saturday night was very exciting. Boston actually played like they wanted to win and smoked the Indians out of the running in Sunday nights game. Cody was so excited after Saturdays game that he gave me a big bear hug that lifted me off my feet! For Cody this is monumental (he doesn't usually show much emotion or give hugs) I asked him which was more exciting, Boston in the playoffs or anticipation of starting his first job...of course Boston won by a landslide! He has been a fan since he was just a small boy and it's exciting to see your team come out of the playoffs a winner.

What a blustery day!

2007-10-19T01:57:00.000+02:00

Winter is starting to set in for us here in the northern frontier. Today has been rainy and cold. The golden leaves are more plentiful surrounding the base of the trees than on the branches. Old man winter is right around the corner. His visit is not too welcome but it will be exciting to see that first snow and get out the sled for the first time...oh wait, do we have a sled? Hmmm...not sure if we packed it or not. Will have to check the storeroom.
My prediction is it will be an early, wet and cold winter. Of course I'm hoping that I'll be wrong.

Cody has joined the workforce!

2007-10-17T20:36:00.000+02:00

My baby (Cody) has hooked his first job!!! I am so proud of him! He will be working at a local dept store stocking toys! :) How cool is THAT for a first job! I am jealous!!! LOL They called him up soon after his 16th birthday so they must have had him "tagged" for a while now. I know he will do great. He starts next Tuesday :)

My Personal DNA

2007-09-07T02:57:00.001+02:00

You are an Advocating Inventor.

personalDNA
about you
You are an Inventor
Your imagination, self-reliance, openness to new things, and appreciation for utility combine to make you an INVENTOR.
You have the confidence to make your visions into reality, and you are willing to consider many alternatives to get that done.
The full spectrum of possibilities in the world intrigues you—you're not limited by pre-conceived notions of how things should be.
Problem-solving is a specialty of yours, owing to your persistence, curiosity, and understanding of how things work.
Your vision allows you to identify what's missing from a given situation, and your creativity allows you to fill in the gaps.
Your awareness of how things function gives you the ability to come up with new uses for common objects.
It is more interesting for you to pursue excitement than it is to get caught up in a routine.
Although understanding details is not difficult for you, you specialize in seeing the bigger picture and don't get caught up in specifics.
You tend to more proactive than reactive—you don't just wait for things to come to you.
You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.
If you want to be different:
Try applying your creativity to more artistic arenas, and letting your imagination take less practical forms.
how you relate to others
You are Advocating
Being social, empathic, and understanding makes you ADVOCATING.
Some people find being around others exhausting—but not you! You are energized by spending time with friends, and you are good at meeting new people.
One of the reasons you enjoy conversation as much as you do is that you often learn about yourself while talking things out with a friend; you realize things about your own beliefs while discussing them with others.
You have insight into what others are thinking and feeling. This ability allows you to be happy for others, and to commiserate when something has gone wrong for them.
You are highly compassionate, and being conscious of how things affect those close to you leaves you cautious about trusting others too hastily.
Despite these reservations, you are open-minded when it comes to your worldview; you don't look to impose your ways on others.
Your sensitivity towards others' plights contributes to an understanding—both intellectual and emotional—of many different perspectives.
As someone who understands the complexities of the world around you, you are reluctant to pass judgments.
If you want to be different:
While it's important to think about others, don't forget to take some time for yourself, and occassionally to put yourself first.
Take some time to spend with a few close friends; although it's difficult to find people to trust, it's worth the effort.
When you have great ideas, it can be hard to relinquish control, but it can also feel good to take the pressure off and enjoy someone else leading the way.

What in the cell is going on?

2007-09-06T20:48:00.000+02:00

As you quietly read these words, a whirl of activity is taking place in every cell of your body. Every second, unseen, unnoticed, millions of new cells are reborn in your body’s ceaseless program of self-generation. Since cells are the bricks and mortar from which all living tissue and organs are made, to understand degenerative and metabolic disease you must become familiar with the miniature world of the cell and how they are able to perform baffling chemical transformations producing infinitely complex proteins, vitamins, hormones, neurotransmitters, growth factors, enzymes and metabolic energy called ATP.
A healthy body is determined by the health of each of its single cells. All disease originates at the cellular level and not at the organ or system level. Healthy cells create healthy tissues. Healthy tissues create healthy organs like the heart and lungs. Healthy organs create healthy systems like the endocrine system or the immune system and healthy systems make up a healthy body.
In the complex world of 75 trillion cells that make up your nation body, you are the President (the brain) that delegates the police force that protects and shields the cellular citizens from attack by foreign enemies; the cellular citizen’s work performance, transportation system, medical care, communication, food and water, and methods of toxic waste and trash removal. With your guidance and direction, the nation body will provide all the necessities for proper functioning as a whole. Your cell citizens come in all shapes, sizes and performance capabilities that manufacture an infinite variety of job tasks. Some reside in large cities that are your organs; others prefer to live in the outskirts in small towns away from the traffic - your fingernails for instance. But no matter where they reside, each cellular citizen has a purpose, an important duty for the good of the nation — your body.
So if the health of the cell is the answer, what constitutes a healthy cell? What you eat, drink, breathe and bathe in will either nourish the 75 trillion cells with oxygen, water, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, essential fatty acids (EFAs), glucose and amino acids, or contaminate the cells by the slow poisoning of the bloodstream. You see, what you breathe, whether oxygen or environmental contaminants ends up in the bloodstream. What you eat, whether living organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, legumes and seeds or refined, processed, foodless foods and toxic sugar laden drinks end up after digestion in the bloodstream The bloodstream is a flowing river to all the cells for nourishment and removal of acidic waste residues. So, is your bloodstream a river of life or a river of death and disease? For the Life of the flesh is in the blood..." (Lev. 17:11)
Cells are multifaceted. Some are like miniature electrical generators like a lithium battery. They all respire like a lung to bring in intelligent nutrients and remove toxic waste products. Cells are also manufactunng plants that synthesize hormones, neurotransmitters, proteins and life force. These cellular engines also communicate like a wireless fiber-optic network 24 hours a day. Our finite minds couldn’t possibly fathom or consciously control the extraordinary complex tasks of manufacturing, storage, repair, communication, transportation, police, waste disposal, administration, food production, temperature control and pH balancing that goes on in our body daily to the normally metabolized acids from body tissues and maintain health and vitality.
A picture metaphor of how the cells communicate would be to envision all six billion people on this planet picking up a wireless phone simultaneously and having a phone conversation. Now picture everyone clicking three-way and having a three-way conversation. Then picture everyone in the world clicking on conference call with total conversation capability of 1,000 different people simultaneously. The question is, does your cell phone have good reception to transmit and receive messages. Your intestinal cell phone talks to the skin. Your spleen cell phone talks to the thymus. Your heart cell phone talks to the liver. All organs and systems work in unison. No organ or system works alone, just as no nutrient works alone. So what is the regulatory authority that controls cell processes? The answer is pH.
The pH of your tissues and body fluids affects the state of your health or inner cleanliness or filth. The closer the pH is to 7.35 - 7.45, the higher you’re level of health and well being and your ability to resist states of disease and the onset of symptomologies.
The pH scale is like a thermometer showing increases and decreases in the acid and alkaline content of these fluids. Deviations above or below a 7.35 -7.45 pH range in the blood can signal potentially serious and dangerous symptoms or states of disease. When the body can no longer effectively neutralize and eliminate the acids it relocates them within the body’s extra-cellular fluids and connective tissue cells directly compromising cellular integrity.
Indeed the entire metabolic process depends on a balanced pH. As more acid wastes back up, and the body slowly stews in its poisonous wastes, a chronically over acidic body pH corrodes body tissue, slowly eating into the 60,000 miles of our veins and arteries like acid eating into marble. This is what science calls hemorrhage. If left unchecked, it will interrupt all cellular activities and functions from the beating of your heart to the neuro firing of your brain. Over acidification interferes with life itself, leading to all sickness and “dis-ease.” Fundamentally, all regulatory mechanisms, including breathing, ingestion, circulation, hormone production, neurotransmitter release, etc., serve the purpose of balancing pH by removing cells. When you eat food, it ferments, just the way a banana on your counter ferments from a green, to yellow, to brown, to black. The banana rots from the inside out, not from the outside in. That is why humans can look healthy from the outside but are rotting and decaying from the inside.
This is what the medical community refers to as degenerative disease. These morbid microforms produce potent acidic by-products, which further compromise pH and create disruption in the body’s biosystem. This process can involve further morbidity through bacteria, yeast, fungus and mold with subsequent serious life-threatening symptomologies. I would say that disease comes from the inside out and that the terrain or environment of the body is the catalyst for the development and progression of all disease. This does not preclude the contributing factors from external circumstances such as trauma, airborne microforms, air pollution, radiation, chemicals and drugs. These all provide negative acidic impressions but “dis-ease” arises within the cell in response to these impressions.
Sink Or Swim
Think of your body as a fish tank. Imagine the importance of maintaining the integrity of the internal fluids of the body that we swim in daily. Imagine the fish in this tank are your cells and organ systems bathing in the fluids, which transport food and remove waste. Now imagine I back up my car and put the tailpipe up against the air intake filter supplying oxygen to the water in the tank. The water becomes filled with carbon monoxide lowering the pH, creating and acidic environment and threatening the health of the (fish), (your cells and organs). What if! throw in too much food or the wrong kind of food and the fish are unable to consume or digest it all and the food starts to decompose and putrefy? Toxic waste chemicals build up as the food breaks down, creating more acidic by-products, altering the optimal pH. This is a small example of what we are doing to our internal fluids daily, some of us more than others. We are polluting our internal fluids with acidic toxins like nicotine, drugs, excessive intake of acid forming foods, acidic beverages and social drugs such as coffee, carbonated beverages and alcohol, which all compromise the delicate balance of pH that maintains homeostasis. Some of us have fish tanks (bodies) that are barely able to support life, yet
we somehow manage to struggle from day to day manifesting severe imbalances until there is the inevitable crash and debilitating chronic, disturbing, and diseased symptomology to deal with a life-threatening illness in a hospital somewhere.

7 Bodily Responses That Fight To Maintain pH
All metabolic processes, including immunity, depend on a delicately balanced pH, which harmonizes electromagnetic energies. The body constantly fights to maintain a blood pH at around 7.35 -7.45 much like our internal thermostat that tries to maintain a 98.6-degree body temperature. There are seven homeostatic adaptation responses that fight to maintain this pH balance.
1) Using high pH bodily fluids such as water as a solvent to neutralize acid residues.
2) Pulling bicarbonate from the pancreas into the blood (an alkalizing agent). Bicarbonate ions are generated into the blood cells from carbon dioxide and diffuse into the plasma.
3) Protein buffers of glutathione, methionine, cystine, taurine, just to name a few, act as buffers intra-cellularly to bind or neutralize acids during cellular disorganization.
4.) Electrolyte buffers of sodium, calcium and potassium work in the blood, lymph, and extra-cellular and intracellular fluids to bind acids, which are then removed through the urine.
5.) Pulling stored calcium and magnesium from skeletal bones and teeth to neutralize blood acids.
6.) Filtration and elimination of acidic residues through the skin, urinary tract and respiration.
7.) Pushing blood acid residues and accumulated toxins into outer extremities as a storage bin away from vital organs. The wrist, joints, fingers, toes and skin are the major target areas to keep the toxins from saturating internal vital organs like the heart and lungs.
When all seven-protection phases are overwhelmed, the end result is accumulated acid residues at the cellular level, which drown out oxygen. With this acidic, low oxygen terrain, the microzyma’s (small ferments) trigger morbid microbe infiltration of fungus, molds and parasites, cancer cells, etc., where they seek the diseased acid terrain as food. (Editor's note: The term "microzyma" was created by Antoine Bechamp. These are small living components of cells and are described more fully later in this article ).
As these organisms feed, they produce waste just like you do. Their urine and feces are called mycotoxins, which are very poisonous to humans. Being acids themselves, mycotoxins greatly worsen the acidity caused by an acidic diet and toxic acid emotions. They are spilled into the blood as well as inside cells, where they cause free radical damage to the genetic material of the cell eventually causing cell death. The dead necrotic cells also spill out acid wastes. The blood poisoning results in more cell and tissue poisoning furthering the disturbance of the microzyma triggering morbid forms of yeast, molds and viruses, which disrupts body chemistry causing disease to the systems. So it’s a vicious cycle. One acid condition creates anothet Acidic diet coupled with toxic acid emotions creates an acid pH to the cells. This causes low oxygen levels (hypoxia), which is necessary for keeping back destructive anaerobic microbes and immuno-suppression is the result. Then medical doctors come in and treat the acid condidon with another acid (pharmaceuticals).
Pharmatceuticals Create Acidity, Not Alkalinity
What pharmaceutical drug neutralizes acids and increases pH? NOTHING!!! What pharmaceutical drug addresses nutritional deficiencies, especially alkaline minerals? NOTHING!!! What pharmaceutical drug boosts or enhances the immune system? NOTHING!!! And how could they? They’re poisonous and destructive, not nutritive and constructive. Pharmaceuticals are acid. How can you treat an acid condition with acid? That’s like trying to cure someone who accidentally drank poison with another poison.
The fact is all doctors are drugging the symptoms of acidity (due to toxicities) and drugging the symptoms of nutritional deficiencies. Headaches, nausea, fever, skin rashes, brain fog, severe tiredness, gastric bloating, angina pain and dizziness are the body’s intelligent warning signals of a cellular engine problem due to an acidic pH in an organ or system.
Symptom suppression with “anti” medication is analogous to snipping the wire to a blinking oil light on your car’s dashboard and thinking that you fixed your engine instead of lifting up the hood and putting oil in your engine so the light goes off.
Disease and symptoms are separate entities. Medical science teaches they are one and the same and by killing the symptom you somehow kill the disease. This absurd, twisted pseudo science originated and continues from the germ theory that was perpetrated by Louis Pasteur in the 1930’s and has continued to this day in all medical school training with little to no opposition. This brain-dead mentality of looking at symptoms as the disease has been going on since the indoctrination of medicine seven decades ago. In their ignorance, they’re creating their own business by shoving the disease deeper into a chronic state that will eventually require more radical procedures of butchery and mutilation because they never address the acid state of a patient or the direct cause to disease. God did not make us with surplus body parts.
Often times in today’s world of medicine and pharmaceutical monopoly, scientific proof comes under the titles of who wants it most, how much can you pay and how fast do you need it. Being an independent experiential research scientist myself, it’s blatantly clear that scientists findings are based upon personal philosophies, or who is signing their paycheck, rather than on truly scientific verifiable fact. The religious community has accepted and practiced the teachings of the worldly authorities (government, science, medical, agribusiness, religion, etc.) as truth. As a result, they live in constant violation of almost every fundamental principle of life God established when it comes to nourishing the body/temple and how we should live here on earth.
We blindly accept as fact the medical profession’s teaching as to why we get sick. Then we accept their drugs, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery as the only means of treating the sickness which makes us sicker and exhausts our savings, slowly killing us. Yet, we never question the validity of their teachings. We violate God’s principles by what we feed our bodies and minds and then when they break down, we violate God’s principles again on how we get well. The physician cuts out the body part or poisons the temple with a prescription drug, chemotherapy or radiation instead of reestablishing health to the patient, which is the only way to reverse disease.
So what is defiling our temple bodies? The simple answer is; any substance ingested that is not part of the structure of the human body. Let’s look at the sixth day creation that characterizes what this biochemical machine is made of ... "And the LORD God formed man of the Dust of the Ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life : and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)
To verify the scriptures in scientific findings, if you examine a decomposed body buried in the soil for decades you will find the tissue remains truly that of the dust of the ground (soil based elements). So here we have a book written thousands of years ago telling us that the building materials of man are derived from the elements contained in the earth and atmosphere. Science has only recently discovered through lab analysis and graphite furnace what the Bible has been telling us for millennia.
It is clear that man is made up of primarily airborne elements 96% (breath of life), oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen while the remaining elements, about 4%, come from the earth (dust of the ground), potassium, magnesium, calcium, silver, copper, gold, etc. The Bible repeatedly confirms that God used these building materials from the mineral kingdom and atmosphere in making man and these same alkaline elements are necessary for maintaining blood, tissue and cell alkalinity. So in short, sickness and disease are simply our beautiful, God - created bodies reacting to the foreign things we are exposing them to through breathing, eating, drinking and bathing in acidic, toxic substances that damage the cells and immune system through time.
Our God is a God of simplicity not complexity. If anything in this world is built on confusion, chaos and mystery, it is not of the LORD, it is of the evil one. What do you think the medical profession is built on? Confusion, chaos and mystery. They get you to believe that there are 1001 different diseases for economic reasons when there is only one disease — a disease condition to a weak organ or system. This article is based on the simplicity of reversing all disease processes by changing body pH naturally by doing it God’s way as opposed to man’s way, which is short lived and destructive.
The Bible says in Romans 12:2 “Be not conformed to this world” and yet the avenge person in their ignorance has conformed to this world in almost every area that deals with physical life. In disobedience and laziness, we pay an extremely heavy penalty that is the cause of most of the prayer requests in churches.
Pasteur’s Germ Theory Is A Hoax
The adoption by science of Louis Pasteur’s germ theory* as the whole truth, (that germs and pathogens are the direct cause of most disease), without regard to the deep insight of Antoine Bechamp’s microzymian principle, (that the acidic condition of the patient's cellular environment creates disease), marks one of the most dramatic and dynamic turns of events in modern history. This article will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that modern orthodox microbian medicine arose upon scientific error, on the kill mode mindset. Kill the bacteria, kill the virus, kill the fungus, and kill the tumor, which has played a major role in the promotion of illness by the creation of resistant strains of bacteria and the suppression of symptoms, not the reversal of illness.
(*Editor's Note: A theory is not necessarily a fact. It is just a good idea). By Dr Gary Tunsky

I am obese

2007-08-31T17:01:00.000+02:00

I have been in denial for quite some time now but this morning I am coming to terms with the facts. I am obese. That is a big word. It means that I have let myself go totally. My body is now up to 47% body fat and my weight is in the 140s. My sedentary lifestyle is going to kill me if I do not do something to change. I eat healthy, but until I change something else my body will continue to pack on fat and become more and more lethargic. Causing me to therefore become more tired and even less active.

I want to be energized and full of vigor again. I want to glow from inside. I feel like I've lost that part of myself and I want to get it back again. It doesn't matter if I have the body of a model, that is just not me. But I would like to be strong and lean again. I haven't been lean since I was 10. I'm sure my sweet tooth has much to do with that. I tend to eat sweets instead of healthy foods which only makes me energized for a moment and then tired and hungry again an hour later. I am going to make a dilligent effort to eat more healthful foods and replace all those emty calories with nutrients that will feed my body and turn it into fuel for a vibrant life.

Much easier said than done. I have been eating healthy (no sweets) for a week now. After the 3 day vacation we had I thought I'd come back thin with all the walking we were doing. I was VERY good and didn't have a single fast food item. At the rainforest cafe I had a bowl of soup and a salad when I could have had a million other calorie laden dishes. At the fair I ate very little and gave most of whatever I had to hubs or one of the kiddos. I've been drinking so much water that I feel like I could float a boat. Maybe I am retaining water and my body is going through a "what the heck" phase. It doesn't know when the next "meal" of chocolate will come so it is retaining everything I consume. Today I am not as "puffy" as I was yesterday. My wedding ring would hardly fit and was cutting through my skin.

I am going to start a journal of what I eat to track and take accountability for the amount I consume on a daily basis. Not so much to count calories but find out where I may be overdoing it. I have been eating more consistantly throughout the day instead of single serving meals, hoping to rev my metabolism and energy levels.

Aug 31
0530 cup of coffee
0745 cup of coffee w/milk
0750-0900 1 cup oatmeal prepared with milk, honey and ground flaxseed *ugh... could only eat half of it because it is quite filling

White Bread America

2007-08-30T22:35:00.000+02:00

I will eventually catch up on my writing...hopefully before my brain dumps it all into the black hole of mental space. We had a really great vacation that seemed longer than just 3 days. We did a lot; the zoo, the waterpark (twice), the State Fair, and the Mall. We had a great time and we're all a bit exhausted still since it was non stop go, go, go for those 3 days. I will try to put together a video soon as I can.

I was even able to stay pretty on track on my newest diet. I've realized that my sedentary lifestyle and living in the North is a bad combination. I don't get ANY excercise and my thighs are exploding. I've gained a lot of weight in the last couple of months and finally when I couldn't hardly fit into my stretch jeans decided that maybe I needed to cut back on the daily routine of soda and a candy bar for every meal. I divulge in the office snack bar a bit too much it seems. I've made a pact with myself to get into a healthier routine. So far I am drinking a lot more water and no soda, and eating more fruit and less chocolate. The result...I've been totally bloated, and the last two days I've been exhausted and moody. Urgh! Besides that, I am always hungry...even when I am in the process of eating. Even when my stomach is FULL, I feel hungry. I just want a gigantic slab of chocolate cake and a tall glass of ice cold milk. Anyone got a recipe for a no calorie version?

It seems everywhere we go, everything GOOD to eat is full of fat and sugar. We went to the supermarket last night for some fish, veggies and yogurt. Healthy food is not cheap. On top of that, we had to go home and COOK it! No driveby the fast food junkies to get something quick anymore, we have to stick to this. Now why don't they make high fiber nutritional foods that are tasty and quick, affordable and readily available???

Our family vacation 2007

2007-08-28T02:05:00.000+02:00

We are home sweet home at last after a very exciting adventure to Minneapolis. It was so much fun and we are all exhausted so I will try to do a play by play and post a few photos and video soon as we recoup. Since tommorrow is back to work again I must go prepare for my day.

Is it Friday yet?

2007-08-22T22:20:00.000+02:00

Only one more day till our vacation!!! I am getting so excited I can hardly stand it!!!

Trash to Treasure

2007-08-21T02:19:00.000+02:00

Today when I got home from work I noticed that my oldest son was about to throw out some blotchy bananas (after my shock wore off and I stopped mumbling "you gotta cook something with these") my youngest son suggested we make banana bread. (He loves to help me cook) We tried a new recipe since we only had 2 bananas. It turned out great...it's almost all gone already after just a few minutes out of the oven. Try it!

Banana Bread (Preheat oven to 375)
1/2 c. Butter (1 stick) melted
1 c. sugar
Cream butter and sugar

Add 2 eggs, 2 cups mashed bananas, 1 tsp lemon juice
Blend Well.

Sift together 2 c flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch of salt
Add to mixture and beat well. Bake in a small well greased loaf pan for about 50 - 60 min. (I could only wait for about 48 min and the top was just a bit too mushy still so modify this to your own taste)

It smells so good and tastes so yummy. Hope you enjoy!

Heat wave???

2007-08-17T13:16:00.000+02:00

Do I live on another planet??? I just turned up the HEAT in our house this morning before grabbing my morning coffee (the temps are hovering around 50) and then sit down and read the news that "Heat wave kills 37 in South and Midwest" What is going on???? The few days of summer here have only been in the 90s and yesterday there was quite a little nip in the air. It felt like fall. Since we JUST started getting summerish temps I am not ready for fall. This means winter is one its way. Winter is bad juju for me. I don't do the cold. If I seem mentally unstable now, I don't know what I'll be like this winter. Is there a drug that makes one feel like they are in a tropical paradise? I need that one. Yeah, I know I need a reality check.

I don't understand how someone can get too hot unless they are working outside and not keeping hydrated. I would much rather get down to my skivies and take a dip in a pool, river or lake than to feel chilled and have to put on a sweater. I am starting to hate my winter clothes already. Actually, I had every intention of getting rid of every stitch of winter clothing that I owned once we left Germany. Hmmmm...I think I should stop thinking. Or start thinking about ice since every thought I have seems to go the reverse route in my reality.

Anway, I hope wherever in the world you are today that you are having a good day. It's FRIDAY!!!! Time to have some fun.

Family Vacation!!!!

2007-08-16T20:14:00.000+02:00

Thanks to Expedia.com, We are going to the Waterpark of America for our family vacation this year! 3 nights in Minneapolis! It will be our first family vacation since??? hmmmm Paris? Dec 05? That has been a while and didn't turn out quite as planned. Our trip to Disney Paris ended in a blizzard and an 8 hour drive home in blinding snow. Hopefully the weather cooperates this time. The waterpark is indoors so even if it is cold we can still have fun. I would like to go to the zoo but that will depend upon the weather. On Saturday (Aug 25) our neice will be singing in the Minnesota state fair so we will be there to see her performance live.

So the iteneary so far is:
Fri - Shop at Mall of America or go to the zoo (weather permitting)
Sat - State Fair
Sun - Waterpark or zoo
Mon - Zoo, Waterpark or whatever we didn't do Fri, Sat and Sunday then come home (6 hour drive)

Chat with me

2007-08-16T19:24:00.000+02:00

Coming up for air
Is anyone there?
do you want to talk about it?
Sure I care
What are you doing?
I am all alone
wish you were here
We could laugh
or cry
Where are you going?
me too
want to go together?
I'd love to
I just want to be
with my friend

where did the time go???

2007-08-08T01:02:00.000+02:00

Scott Bao is 45....Corey HAIM just turned 35! Wow! Where did the baby faced heart throbs of yesterday go??? I watched the show "The two Coreys" the other day....it's weird that I had a disturbing thought just days before hearing that their show was coming out. I was wondering what Haim looked like as an adult (it's hard to picture him without the baby face) and if Feldman ever turned into a vampire...he actually turned into the clean one. Poor Haim is having a rough life. Ah the perils of child fame. Too much too soon and then it's all gone.

I still love the 80s. I saw the 80s trivia game at Target the other day...I soooo want it!!! My favorite heart throb was...John Stamos! He had the best hair!!!

Long hours, too little pay...

2007-08-06T03:00:00.001+02:00

Why would anyone want to join the military??? I am wondering why we should stay. Scott has 21 years in service and 2 more to go before he can retire and each day seem to become an eternity. Last weekend he got called in because of a DUI...the whole entire squadron has to suffer while some drunk sleeps it off somewhere without a care. Who pays the price? The innocent. I am so sick of this life and all it's "benefits". Serving in today's world takes a whole different caliber of individual. Not sure what it is that they want but it is not the good guy that works hard and doesn't complain about anything. Or maybe they do, but those guys are getting wise and going to go another direction before too much longer. There is life outside of the force. A much better life than that of today's soldier. This week, they have been on 12 hour shifts, through the entire weekend. A whole weekend shot because someone wants to play games. And not the fun kind. It's annoying, discouraging and down right demoralizing. I admire our soldiers, they are the worlds finest indeed. But I do not agree that our nation's higher authorities should poop all over them relentlessly.

My gang

2007-08-04T16:40:00.001+02:00

Rockin the night away

2007-07-25T18:03:00.000+02:00

What? Speak up, I can't hear you. Last night Cody and I went to see Puddle of Mudd, Staind, and Nickelback in concert. Today my ears are still ringing. It was a total blast and we had a rockin good time. We stayed until after encore and then it took over an hour to get out of the parking lot. We arrived home after midnight totally exhausted after a good night of fun times. Ryan Vikedal had us really foot stompin to the beat during his drum solo - the stands were vibrating from our stompin to keep up with his beat!

Strawberry Jam

2007-07-15T20:16:00.000+02:00

Ok, I didn't make anything nearly as creative as this but last weekend 7-7-07 we took a trip to Fertile, MN for some strawberry pickin fun times. We drove and we drove and we were about to turn around and go home after an hour of nothing but fields when we finally got to Fertile. Man at the local gas and go said that the strawberry field were just out another 15 miles or so...Jaiden fell asleep on the way so once we got there Cody sat in the car with her and we took Jared out to pick some berries. After about 5 minutes he stepped on a thornbush and started whining so he stood at the end of the row while we picked our buckets full.

The strawberries were in their 3rd week and were at the peak of ripeness. Some were sadly over ripe and had to be passed up. The day was hot and sunny so I was really enjoying the event in spite of the kids not being into it. We had about 12 lbs of berries (which I didn't think was much) until I got home and started making jam...

This is my first time making freezer jam and I used the traditional Klein family recipe. It is quick, easy and oh so yummy! 4 c berries, 5 c sugar, 1 c Karo, 1 package Pectin = tastes fresh picked! It tends to be a bit runny, more like syrup but it is yummy on icecream...and since this is NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY what better topping could there be??? Ok, maybe a few chocolate shavings on top :)

P.S. Those two buckets of berries produced 25 pints of jam!

A Day at the Ocean

2007-05-19T00:20:00.000+02:00

Jared had his end of year program at school today. We got there just seconds before it began and I rushed in to save our seats but Dad slipped into a seat in the back instead. After looking around the room and spotting me Jared's face broke into a huge grin and as the teacher is announcing the program he calls out in a very loud voice "hey DAD! Why don't you go sit down beside MOM" I don't think there was any doubt whom HIS parents were! The kids all did an outstanding job singing and dancing. Jared was quite a character and during the "crabby claws" moment he was "pinching" the crabbie ears of the kid in front of him. At one point I thought he might fall off the "stage" he was bouncing up and down and wiggling all about so much. He has a LOT of energy! Later the teacher said that he had memorized everyone's line in the play. Way to go Jared! We had punch and cookies for refreshment afterwards and then the children were dismissed to go home early.

I need your help!

2007-05-17T23:47:00.000+02:00

What are some of your favorite things to do in summer??? BBQ? Campouts? Swimming? What are some of your favorite FOODS???

Summer is my absolute favorite time of the year! I love fresh fruit and veggies straight out of the garden, hot summer days, sunshine, the feel of fresh cut grass beneath my feet, campfires, roasting marshmallows, vacations, water fights, the sound of crickets chirping away the nights...aah summer!

As of today I am now a registered Tupperware consultant and I even have a website! I would like to offer a special gift to my first 10 customers so please shop the site and drop me an order! There are so many cool new products just in time for summer! I know there is something you will just LOVE!

To be honest, I until about two weeks ago I had not been to a tupperware party EVER. I have a lot of tupperware which I use a lot, but I've ordered it from friends over the years. At the party I got to see so many of the new products available exclusively through Tupperware. My favorite is the marinader and now it comes in a sassy RED for summer! I got two - one for chicken and one for beef, and this month they come with a free shaker so you can whip up your favorite marinades in just minutes right at home. Do you have any favorite recipes you'd like to share??? I could really use a good steak recipe.

I am really excited about the flat outs! They are an inovative new bowl that expands or flattens out according to your needs. I love this!!! I am so limited with storage and I don't know about you but I am forever looking through cabinets trying to find a bowl and then can't find the lid! So frustrating! With the new flat outs you can store the bowl and the lid together - it just squashes right down flat! I can't wait to get my set and put it to use!

With summer upon us we will be doing more barbques and microwave cooking. My kitchen gets HOT, HOT, HOT and I surely don't need to turn on the oven to make it any warmer so I will be utilizing my hubbies new grill and our microwave quite a bit I think. The multi-level microwave cooker allows you to whip up a wide variety of foods in a fraction of the time...saving on time and electricity too. I'll be chillaxin with a tall cool drink while dinner cooks instead of slaving over a hot oven!

So here's to summer! Care to join me?

Happy Birthday Jared!

2007-05-11T03:16:00.000+02:00

Wednesday Update
Jared turned 6 today!!!

He woke early - at around 6 am. I was making coffee in the kitchen when he walks up and gives me a hug so I sang him the happy birthday song and his smile was ear to ear.

I promised him I would bring the cupcakes that I had made the day before to his class and have lunch with him so that got him off to school in a happy mood.

The day was perfect! Very sunny and WARM...ok well maybe it was HOT :) the temps were mid 80s by mid morning. when I arrived at his school the kids were just lining up with their trays and heading outside to eat on the grass. Jaiden and I got the cupcakes set up and headed out to sit with Jared for lunch. It was so fun to hang out with the 5 year olds - they are so sweet and inquisitive. I was very amused by them and the silly things they come up with just over hot dogs. they were very interested in Jaiden and were all trying to "help" with her and let her sit at the big kids table with them and have a big kid cup and a cupcake. After the sweet snack they settled in for naptime - tee hee hee while I slipped out and headed home. I stopped and picked up some icecream, a balloon and tropical plant for Jared - Jaiden blew kisses to an nice older man that works as greeter. (so sweet!)

We came home and set up for a tupperware party I was having that night (Jared's birthday party is on Saturday) there were a few boys that came with their mom's so Jared enjoyed having them around to play with outside on the trampoline.

It had gotten into the 80s INSIDE so I had to turn on a/c for the first time and with the sun baking through all the windows, even with the shades drawn, it didn't cool down until after sunset. I was loving it! The party was fun, the most people I've ever had in my house at one time. 7 ladies came out - several from the neighborhood and one I'd never met. it was good to finally meet some new friends.

I finally went to bed exhausted after a busy but rewarding day. I ached all the way to the tips of my toes. When I woke this morning I felt extremely exhausted so I got up and took a B vitamin supplement right away hoping it would kick some of the blahs away. Drug myself around to get the morning routine started, felt ready to head back to bed but somehow got myself and the kids ready for the day. I had a woman's appt first thing so after dropping the boys off at school I headed to base. Dropped Jaiden off with Daddy, headed to the clinic, checked in, read a magazine, check vitals, sit forever in flimsy gown feeling very cold and bored to tears, doc comes in and chit chats about how I'm feeling, I tell her about my cronic exhaustion just like i've told every doc I've seen over the past 10 years or so - I tell her I am interested in getting back on depression meds because I just can't shake the blahs anymore, she say's "ooooh, I'm afraid you will have to go see your primary care manager, I don't deal with that" Fast forward past the routine exam, she was a super nice doctor but I am highly frustrated anyway with the fact that now I have to call back at 7am and try to get a same day appt. That is the way the appt system works - I have to drive another hour, get someone to watch Jaiden...just to go through the hoopla to talk to yet another doctor. I'm sorry, I have nothing against doctors personally but I just HATE to go to the hospital. I avoid it like the plague. Whatever it is will fall off or self heal quicker than they can figure out what is wrong.

So I leave there an even more emotional wreck than I was before - I tried to get help and they turned me away. I walk out to a blast of frigid north wind blowing so that just made my mood sooooo much better. I call hubby to let him know I am coming to pick up baby J and head to the grocery store. By the time I get there I am in tears. I am so not a crier so this is freaking me out. Why am I crying over this??? It's just a change in the weather. It's just a tiny thing. Why does something so blase have to be so detrimental to my well being? Hubby takes one look at me and knows something is up. I head to the store and a few minutes later he calls to invite me to lunch. What a sweetie! So we go to BK - grab some cheeseburgers and fries and have a nice lunch. that helps, J babe and I head home.

J babe takes a nap and I read my tupperware book and dream of organizing my cluttered pantry :) such delish colors too! I will end here and not tell you how our evening ended on a not so happy note when we tried to take J bear out to dinner and he was there 5 min and wanted to come home because he was freezing and pappa bear and mamma bear are not quite speaking to each other at the moment.

I know I am losing track of the everyday in may posting - I am soooo sorry! please forgive me?

Back in the saddle again

2007-05-08T03:54:00.000+02:00

Today was a much better day. It was warm and sunny, as opposed to cold and sunny. I don't know why this makes such a difference in my mood but it seems to have a sever impact. I was able to get out and plant some new flowers. Oregano and rosemary and some new things for my rock garden. It felt good to have my hands in the dirt, kick of my shoes again and feel the warm sunshine kiss my pale cheeks.

We had our first batch of home grown asparagus for dinner tonight with grilled chicken and boy was it delicious! It has started to grow by leaps and bounds and the rain this weekend sent it into a growth spurt like you wouldn't believe. It grew a foot in one day! Of course those shoots weren't very tender, but the young ones were soooo good! The strawberries are starting to flower too so it won't be long until we should have a few berries to enjoy...if we can beat the birds to them.

The boys got haircuts tonight - you will have to wait till tommorrow to see Jared's new doo. He's off to bed now like a good boy should be on a school night. He informed me today that I need to contact his teacher because "she doesn't know how to make school fun" oh dear. he's only in kindergarten! He has a lot of school ahead of him yet but this year alone he has been in three separate schools and had three different teachers. the curriculum is pretty intense too - they are supposed to be reading by the end of the school year. Jared loves books but he is not interested in reading the words anymore. It used to be fun for him but he has lost interest and seems to shut his mind off when we read and tends to just focus on the pictures and make up the story as we go along. I love to read but I'm not sure what to do to get him interested in learning to sound out words. He makes up words that are no where near the word that he is looking at. He knows the sounds of letters so this is what confuses me. But he seems to not even be looking at the word when he "reads". He is great at memorizing and can recite a poem he learned months ago - but if you put the same words in front of him, he will stumble over sounding them out. I think he may have to repeat kindergarten. His focus is not quite as "mature" as it should be according to his previous teacher at our conference. This was during mid winter when he could not go outside and play and we had just moved into a tiny apartment where he could not make any noise. Of course his focus was a bit muddled! He had no outlet for his boundless energy and he was going stir crazy cooped up inside. He is a hands on learner. He learns best by doing. I wish there were schools that adapted to the students way of learning instead of making them all fit into the same standard. Each child is different, why can't we figure out a way to help them grow up to be whom they are meant to be instead of trying to shape them into something that fits the standard?

Sunday update

2007-05-07T14:13:00.000+02:00

Sorry I missed posting Sunday. I just didn't. It was a rough weekend - story on my other blog. I've been in a funky mood all weekend. It will pass. I hope.

Rain, Baseball and Cinco de Mayo

2007-05-05T18:16:00.000+02:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo day!

Will Boston Sock it to the Twins?

It's a rainy saturday and we are just chillin inside - the babes and I. The guys (- Jared) went to watch a baseball game in Minneapolis.

so why was the birthday boy who loves baseball left behind? Not my idea but older son needed some quality time with father bonding so they planned this out months ago. meanwhile younger son is going stir crazy - he can look at his new trampoline but can't go out and play on it. Rotten Luck! So he's stuck watching cartoons and playing games indoors.

And me...I think I'm supposed to be organizing the basement or something like that. Better get on that, unfortunately it won't organize itself.

Friday

2007-05-05T00:29:00.000+02:00

Dad took Cody to the Twins/Red Socks game this weekend so the babes and I are all alone with no camera. I'll have to do some flashback photos for a few days. Today is a very dreary and rainy day and for the next 3 days so we are cooped up inside and all are feeling a bit whiney. Even the puppy kept looking out the window all day and wanting to go out and play. I know we really need the rain but why does being cooped up inside have to make a person so crabby? I think I could use a double shot of chocolate please!

*Photo is of Jared (ever the helper) in the kitchen baking chocolate chip cookies. Our favorite!

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Thursday Thoughts

2007-05-03T13:47:00.000+02:00

Today I am wishing it were the weekend. it's time to get up and get the kids off to school and I can't find my mojo to get going this morning. I just read on Yahoo news where a stay at home mom would earn around $138,000 if the job actually paid in anything other than smiles. But it doesn't and to earn even a smile is sometimes a struggle. There are days when I don't know what to make for dinner - like yesterday. I wanted to make something yummy, creative and eye appealing that didn't come out of a box. I drooled over cookbooks for hours and what did I come up with? Hamburger Helper - Crunchy Taco - that is so NOT thinking outside the box isn't it? My family loved it though and it only took a few minutes to prepare - if I'd spent hours preparing a meal they would probably only tasted it to be kind and then it would have sat in the fridge until it turned green.

Ok, it's getting late and the kids won't get up unless I wake them...ahhh unless it's Saturday morning and then they seem to wake at the crack of dawn.

High Ho, High Ho! :)

*Nightly Update
Today we put up a new trampoline. Our last trampoline was in Texas back in 1997? The Texas sun baked it so that Cody was jumping one day and fell right through. I really wish I'd seen the look on his face - that would have been quite a moment! He just came calmly into the house and said "uh, Mom I just fell through the trampoline" He was only around 6 or 7 at the time.

Ok, fast forward 10 years...Jared has always been a bouncy little boy full of energy and we have wanted to get him a trampoline for quite a while but have never been around in one place long enough and were overseas for two years...so anyway we are finally back in a place where we can buy stuff like that so that is what we did for his early birthday present. We spent some good family time out in the yard putting it together this afternoon and everyone pitched in to help, even Jaiden. Then we all had a turn bouncing each other around. It's amazing how much fun those things still are. I always wanted one as a kid but never had one so I get to relive some of my childhood too :)

Everyday in May #2

2007-05-02T13:28:00.000+02:00

Today Jared had a field trip to the airport.

He got to see planes flip over on the ramp, take off going 80 mph and run out of gas midair. Of course all of this comes from a 5 year old so please do not be alarmed. There were no catastrophes - just a very wild imagination taking flight.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

This is Jared coming to the rescue of his sister, she was wailing (very dramatically) on the stairs and we couldn't figure out what happened - she was sitting there playing a toy video game...she was not stuck as it may appear.

Busy Day Today

2007-05-01T21:42:00.000+02:00

Every day in May Post #1

Today was the busiest day I've had in a while...

after dropping the boys off at school, J babe and I ran to the hardware store and found a 36x36" mirror for the boys bathroom. Loaded it up and brought it home, ran to the bank, paid some bills, got the oil changed in the SUV, went to base, had lunch with daddy at the golf course - 1/2 yummy roast beef sandwich, 1/2 chicken and ham sandwich (shared with daddy) went to the thrift shop on base, J babe did a stinky, ran out to car, changed diapie, went to the commissary, FOOD!!! came home, unloaded FOOD!!! and spent some time outside with J babe and puppy.

That's all before 2 - at 5 I am going to meet a friend, go to her daughters soccer game and then to a tupperware party. so may not have time to blog a photo today....so I will try to post a pic from the past...ok maybe not; it's time to go get boys from school.

tryyying to load a photo...ok it's loaded - here's a photo of J bear in the sandbox building a castle.

Ok, I've got about 1 minute to tell something about this photo...this is somewhere close to Jared's 10th attempt to build a sandcastle. Each time he got this far his sister Jaiden would come over and smash it into bits as she laughed and laughed gleefully. He was getting just a bit annoyed by this point so I had to take a photo of it so he could remember his work. Yes, we were using a cottage cheese container to build it - we haven't gotten our sand toys yet. anyone have any other great "homeade" or recycled tools for the sandbox? This pic was not from today but with limited time I don't think I can get it loaded today. Today Jared is busy playing with the puppy...I'll try to go get a photo.

Ok Photo #2 - or is it 1? I don't know how they will look on blogger...anyway this was just taken at 4:30 pm this afternoon (right now actually) Jared was playing with Chloe our puppy and she was giving him kisses. Jared is "her boy" she adores him and this is the first dog we've had since he was born so they have claimed each other. She still gets a bit rough at times and snips at him with her tiny sharp teeth so he doesn't let her play with him all the time but when they are "buddies" it is so cute to watch them. We have only had Chloe for 3 weeks so each day we are growing and each day is a new adventure.

April Showers

2007-04-30T16:27:00.000+02:00

Conversation with 5 year old on the way to school this morning

Jared: "Mom, what are those things?"

Me: "What things?"

Jared: "Those dots"

Me: "What dots???" and scanning far ahead looking for anything peculiar in the streets, such as pedestrians ;)

Jared: "Those dots on the windshield"

Me: After a closer look at the windshield "oh those dots, that is raindrops" proceed to make up some silly song about rain that I don't remember the words too...

Jared: "Mom, does rain have a brain?"

We are very thankful for this shower. It hasn't rained much since we've been here so this shower is much needed for our garden and yard. And I'm thankful for the cute things that Jared comes up with to make me laugh :)

May Photo Challenge

2007-04-29T18:31:00.000+02:00

* Jared loves to help; here he is helping in the garden with the tomatoes that he helped plant and maintain last summer...he loved eating them too!

My pal Monica over at 3 Dumplings is having a May photo challenge. Take a photo or share something about yourself every day of May so I am going to nominate Jared for this challenge since May is his birthday month and he will be turning 6 on May 9th.

Jared is my miracle baby. He came along at a time when we had giving up ever getting pregnant. We'd been to every doctor we could find and they all said that nothing was wrong with us. Scott and I both had biological children separately but tried for 5 years to concieve a baby and many painful months went by went without anything happening. Friends jokingly gave advice and said "just when you least expect it". Well, that came right after we moved from Texas to Missouri. We concieved the week we arrived. I knew the exact moment almost because just as with son #1 I became violently ill. I stayed violently ill for 4 months. At times I just wanted to move my blankie and pillow to the bathroom so I wouldn't have to drag myself out of bed for the dozenth time that hour. I was exhausted and dehydrated, couldn't even keep ice down for longer than 5 minutes.

In month #5 I was out feeding the horses (on a cold icy winters day) and they got a bit frisky and one of them turned around and kicked at the other and caught me instead - right in the ribcage on my right side, sending me sprawling on my butt on the ice. I was scared to death. I ran inside and lay down, praying to God that my baby was ok. I was ok, just a bit sore on the seat but my ribs were bruised a bit. Baby J was a very active boy and just pummelled me with everything he had - I could feel his little fists and his knees and feet in every corner of my uterus...and his favorite excercise spot was just inside my right side ribcage (where the horse caught me)

After 8.5 months I was in tears and begging the doc to induce, induce, induce! He was a healthy little guy and fully developed enough that they did induce two weeks early and he was born 9 May 2001 at 4:35 on a Wednesday morning weighing in at 8 lbs 2oz. When they placed him into my arms he looked up at me with the biggest blue eyes and I just melted! I'd never wanted to hold a baby until him; I'd always been afraid. He fit into my arms like he was born to be there and became my "Jare-bear" from that moment. He is my cuddle bug and no matter what he is doing will always come give me the biggest bear hugs!

He loves sports; he was born during baseball season and attended his first game at 2 days old. It's been his passion ever since he was old enough to hold a bat and long before he could walk he was dragging a bat, ball and glove around the house asking anyone he could find to "play ball?" He has an awesome pitching arm - I am amazed at how straight he can through it. Mommy tries to throw some to him on occassion but my throws are all over the place.

I will try to post more "Jare-bear-isms" this month along with the photos. I may post some "flashbacks" of him as a baby bear too so check in often. Please don't forget to post commentation. Thank You! :)

Ever the optimist

2007-04-26T20:25:00.000+02:00

I just did something that may be the dumbest thing I've done all year but I'm hoping not...I just planted a garden. In it is Big Boy tomatoes, Marigolds and peppers. 16 pepper plants of 4 different varieties. This will be my "project of hope" for the summer. The mornings here are still cool (40s) but yesterday it got into the high 70s and today it is nearing 80 in the shade...still cool 40s this morning though. I also bought some Johnny Jump Ups (my happy plant) and some verbena to plant in pots on the deck. So for $20.98 I have the beginnings of something wonderful :) "Life" in a garden!

Daddy got a new bbq grill and a weed eater last night so I think we are about ready for some warmer temps to head our way.

Anyone care to join me for some lemonaid?

What?

2007-04-25T04:07:00.000+02:00

After a rather long day cooped up inside I go to Walmart for some me time....

"Do you have any vegetable plants?" I ask the young garden center man tonight after he shows me the SEEDS "No, we won't get any LIVE plants in for another 2 weeks" so I pick up some pansies (they are supposed to be cold tolerant) "What are you doing with all those plants?" the lady checking me out at walmart asks..."well, I thought I'd maybe PLANT them" I reply. "Where are you from? She asks and then "Have you ever spent a winter here?" Oh great...this place is getting better every minute. It's so stinkin cold here! Urrrgh! I NEED to be warm, I NEED to plant things - my soul gets fed in a garden and I feel like I am shriveling up inside. Where is the life to this place? The gloom of death has been hanging above us since we arrived here and the gloominess of winter is just not helping.

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

2007-04-24T19:13:00.000+02:00

*I love this song, it has been running through my head for the past few days. I hum it to myself mostly when I'm out working in the garden. My lifeless garden that is just waiting to burst into life. I love the slow beat of this song; its so soothing and uplifting. Today is dreary and cold (58 degrees and windy) so I am stuck inside wishing I were outside. I hope your day is sunny wherever you may be! :)

Music Video Code provided by Music Video Zone

*Note, this was my first time watching the video and I've never seen an episode of Grey's Anatomy but now I have to go out and get the entire series if the clip is any indication of how the show is, I'll be hooked.

Snow Patrol/Chasing Cars

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own
We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes,
they're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things
will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
and just forget the world?

Book Review

2007-04-23T13:01:00.000+02:00

I finished reading "Sullivan's Woman" around 10 pm last night. It was a very fast read considering I picked it up just that morning and did not spend the day reading - just caught a moment here and there. Nora is great for creating a world where you are captivated and swept away and this is what I thought of this scenerio:

A young beautiful girl with gold and brown hair (very similar to my own) is down on her luck and taking a walk on Fisherman's Wharf when suddenly out of the blue a very handsome stranger appears out of the fog demanding that she be his...next model that is. He's an artist and wants to paint her intriguing face.

Turns out that, much to her surprise, he is a super famous and very rich world reknown artist that is also a bit of a playboy. They don't talk much, he makes her talk to him while she poses in a dress - which has it's own story behind it - all the while becoming "The Dream"

*It was a good read and a perfect mind fantasy but not much realism there. This guy was too perfect and did everything he should have - how could one not fall in love with that?

I guess I'm just a bit of a skeptic. My husband returned yesterday afternoon after being gone for two days in a grumbly mood. I took the kids out to play in the backyard while he took a quick nap and we ordered pizza for dinner. Where's the romance in that? Now we are back to another week of the same same old as usual. I love my husband very much don't get me wrong, but sometimes it would be nice to have him sweep me off my feet...

The morning after...

2007-04-21T14:12:00.000+02:00

Good Morning World! Last night was my first night home alone in our new house and this is how it went...

Surfed Blogland until around 9 pm - that's when glass #2 of wine started kicking in my head and made me doubt once again my ability to ever become an alcoholic - not that I'd want to be but just in case. Made me remember once again that drinking alone is not much fun.

Around 1030 pm sirens started wailing (outside of my head) the wind had been kickin it for a while and there was some rain - headed down to the basement and flipped on the weather channel to see what was happening...nothing...so I went back to bed. I've realized that being alone in a thunderstorm isn't as much fun either.

So I've come to the conclusion that being single may not be the life for me after all. For some, it's a great life and I am not sayng it's all that bad - but I am blessed with great kids and a great husband so when they get on my nerves and rub me the wrong way I will try to remember these moments of silence surrounding me now and how much I'd really enjoy a good morning hug...and someone to cook pancakes for on Saturday morning.

*Afternoon update

My morning turned out well after all. I spent a few hours trying to perform surgery on the rec room - something like a "While You were out" episode but all I really acomplished was moving the sofas around and getting some of the clutter moved into different locations. It's starting to look like a room that can become a tv, rec, office, play room eventually.

at 9 am i was picked up for my "date" of garage sailing. We sailed our way around town without a map so it took us a while to figure out where the houses were located. It's still not quite spring here and the weather today was overcast and cool but there were dozens of people out and they beat us to the good stuff. Lot's of moving sales and great deals for under $1 so we made out pretty well overall anyway. I now have enough reading material to get me through if winter decides to hang around a little while longer. Books were only a quarter so I stocked up :) It's been a while (a long while) since I've been garage sailing - it was a LOT of fun! As an observer I tried to get good techniques for merchandising items for quick sale when I have my clutter buster sale...whenever the driveway is completed. One sale literally started at 11 oclock - by 1055 there was a LINE at the garage door waiting for it to open! I'd never seen such a thing - a little old lady was the first in line and as the garage door was going up she was bending over to try to squeeze in first!!! It was a mad grab for the goodies like I'd never seen before! Reminded me of a feeding fest at the pyrahna tank.

We stopped at Harry's Bottle Shop on the way through town (I'd never been there before) and found Kahlua on sale :) and an American made Moscato :) So now I have a well stocked supply of alcohol for the bar that I do not have to support the alcoholic that I am not...but if anyone cares to come by for a visit cocktails are available upon request :)

After lunch at Subway...my favorite are the cookies! we headed on for the last of the sales, found some more cute stuff we couldn't live without and more books for my growing collection. I spent way more at the liquor store than at the sales so I'm wondering about my objectives of the day - do I need rehab? Hmmmm...maybe Let's just hope that my life as a single person ends soon so that I can resume my mommy duties and go back to milk bottles instead of liquor bottles.

So here are the books I bought; just incase anyone is interested in doing a book review with me:

Special Delivery - Danielle Steele

Family Blessings - Lavyrle Spencer

Sullivan's Woman - Nora Roberts

Camden Summer - Lavyrle Spencer

Message in a Bottle - Nicholas Sparks (*this was the 3rd time I'd seen this book today so I figured it had to be a sign or a really good read so for .25 I figured I'd try to find out)

Which should I start with? Anyone?

...Or should I finish my "While you were out project?" In that case I need to head out for some more cleaning supplies and maybe some crafty storage units.

Single

2007-04-21T00:47:00.000+02:00

Well hubby finally did it, he just took the kids and left me. I knew things were getting pretty stretched thin between us but never thought it would come down to this...

Ok, now really do you think that my sweet loving and PATIENT hubby would do something like that? Me maybe, but not him. He's really off to see his Mom for the weekend. I opted to stay behind because

#1 his mom's not really an animal person and we have a brand new puppy (just two weeks home today)

#2 my wounds are still sore from the last visit...I know I should feel "closer" to them since we are now only 3 hours apart but when I'm there I still feel like I'm from another planet and they wish I'd go back there and stay.

#3 my mother in law still smokes...even though just last month we said goodbye to Dad who died too soon from terminal lung cancer. I have a sore spot there that runs deep. My stepfather died of lung cancer when I was only 9. I get severely sick from the smell of smoke and father in law got fighting mad over that so our relationship never was close...and I stayed as far away as possible until now when hubby desperately needed to be by his dad. We never imagined we'd only have 2 months to say goodbye.

Ok, this was meant to be a happier post; where did I get sidetracked? Oh reality, that's right. I do have a happy thing to post about though...

I have a date!!!!

In just minutes after hubby left the phone was ringing off the hook....ok just kidding! My husbands co-workers wife called to invite me garage sailing tommorrow YIPPEE!!! I have a soft spot for spotting bargains...and maybe I'll get lucky and find some sort of storage ideas for all of my crapola lying in heaps around my house.

The 5,000 pieces of the office jigsaw puzzle is nearing completion. Hubby put the finishing touches on it this afternoon before he left and we lifted the hutch into place - now it just needs to be anchored in place, which envolves moving the entire unit away from the wall again so I need to do some clutter control sometime this weekend between chocolate, shopping and blogging till the wee hours of the morning! :)

So...it's just me and the pup...it sure is quiet around here and they've only been gone for about an hour or so. I miss them already!

"Let those without sin cast the first stone"

2007-04-20T18:33:00.000+02:00

I know this post will probably get me "flamed" but this week has been very disturbing and thought provoking and I just wanted to share my thoughts about the V.Tech incident since my opinion probably will not be heard anywhere else.

It is heartbreaking that this happened and the fact that the young man that did it felt it "had to happen" and that no one ever listened. Only God knew how much pain he was in when he snapped. He'd been living a life of a very tortured child and it was not a sudden descision but a lifetime of hatred built upon a lifetime of pain.

So my question is this...How many young people live in a world where life passes them by and never even slows down long enough to notice they exist? Loneliness and insecurity are hard things to live with when there is no one that will listen. Even when they try to reach out someone is there to judge and criticize until finally they stop reaching out. Are they not worthy of life? Who are we to judge? God will be our judge and it's not our place to put others down for a sin when we are just as guilty ourselves for our failure to reach out.

Favorite Site of the Week

2007-04-19T18:11:00.000+02:00

Destination Anywhere is by far the most entertaining read I have found out in blogland thus far. I've spent most of my morning getting absolutely nothing accomplished because I've been caught up in reading this blog. So I encourage anyone who wants to laugh out loud to give the babysitting story a read. It was a hoot!

I knew I should have been born Italian....:)

2007-04-18T20:01:00.000+02:00

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city soul with a small town heart
Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome
Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand
And gorgeous Italian people - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

That's me :) Who are you?

2007-04-18T17:41:00.000+02:00

Here's a good synopsis of me. This is a cool site - check it out! Can't wait to see yours :)

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

A better day

2007-04-18T12:52:00.000+02:00

Well I could go into an in depth explanation of why I've been so moody and depressed over the past few days but it would sound something like "Wa Wa Wa" so I will spare you the pain of reading about my hormonal imbalance and just say that PMS sucks! *Ok seems I DID go into dept about it ;) Sorry for the long post!

We are getting back into a groove again. Getting outside has helped immensely and there is actually some green starting to show in the lawn so I'm hopefull that spring is on it's way. Spring has always been my favorite time of the year. My Mom always planted daffodils so wherever we lived every spring we would have a mulititude of daffodils pop up when all the world was brown and still sleeping. Their bright sunny faces always symbolized the beginning of a special time for me. A time when I could kick off my shoes and run barefoot for the rest of the summer. Winter was finally over!!! I've always hated being cold - never had air conditioning growing up (in sultry Louisiana) so the heat and humidity never really bothered me. Now in Louisiana the "winter" is pretty much a dip in temps below freezing for a day or two and an occasional snowfall of a couple inches. I'd never experienced a post card winter until I met my Minnesotan husband and he took me home for Christmas...it was beautiful yes, but still cold in my opinion so I stated to him from the start "I will NEVER move to Minnesota"

Well one must never say never because we found out in November 2006 that Scott's Dad had terminal cancer. Scott had already been away from home for 20 years so his relationship with his dad was not as close as he would have liked and he needed to be there....so our 3 year tour in Germany ended at 2.5 when we were approved for a humanitarian assignment to Grand Forks. So here we are, arriving to the Frozen Tundra on Jan 11, 2007 - the day the temps plummeted. We drove from Albany, MN to Grand Forks and watched the temps as they went from the 30's to lower...and lower....and lower. When we got out for gas at the station in Grand Forks we were at -5! Our first breath felt like knives going down and the wind almost cuts you in half. It was COLD! I looked over at my husband and smiled and said "I Love You!"

Fast forward a bit since the temps just got lower and lower and we got lots and lots of snow over the next 3 months....so getting out of our tiny 2 bedroom apt on base was suicide since we only had one car I was not about to WALK anywhere in that mess. Boredom, cabin fever, dislocation, a feeling of being in limbo (not being able to find a house), sadness over the fast decline of Dad, lack of friends etc. It all started working on us. Our stress levels hit their peaks. Finally we find a house to buy since rentals here are just pathetically overpriced and run down, but it too had "issues" of it's own. Costly issues it turns out and hindsight tells us that we should have made a much lower offer but we do like the house and can hopefully suck it up and do a lot of the repairs ourselves...except now that we are all moved in Scott's Dad is no longer with us. Scott has ALWAYS called on his dad for advice on what to do in regards to any of the houses we lived in - from fixing the plumbing to repairing a wall, Dad could do anything. Now that we have a house full of "issues" Scott really has moments when he would like to pick up the phone and call Dad for advice...only Dad is not here anymore. So this has all compounded the feelings we've had building up inside of us most of the winter. Time will heal but sometimes we just get a bit depressed and lonely feeling.

We have so much to be thankful for and yes counting our blessings is easy enough. We are grateful for the grace to get through those days when we are muddled a bit by lifes curves. Thank You for reading, I hope I haven't bored you. Just needed to get that off my chest.

Trials and Tears

2007-04-17T19:00:00.000+02:00

We seem to be having a very emotionally charged week in our household. Hormones and emotions are running the gamlet and family relations are taking a beating. Why is this happening? What can we do to get it fixed??? Oh to just find that happy place again....

So lonely...

2007-04-16T18:11:00.000+02:00

I must have the most boring blog in the world - any tips for making it better?

Our new office

2007-04-14T16:06:00.000+02:00

Here it is...the new office. I would not normally chose black furniture, it's not my style at all, but I really like this set. We saw it in the store last night and it is very nice (for pressed wood) it has an antique finish to it so the black is not that bad. Kinda classy and yet country at the same time.

Good Morning Beautiful Day!

2007-04-14T13:55:00.000+02:00

It's always so beautiful after a rain isn't it? Yesterday it poured. Not raindrops but trials and tribulations of every form. Let me just say that Friday the 13th and PMS is not a good mix but through the Grace of God and help of a good drug called MIDOL I was able to get through it.

Here's how it started out:
- Trying to order furniture online proved fruitless...got all the way to checkout and then the site server was down. It took me hours to find the right pieces and measure them out so I was soooo not happy about this. Having clutter all over the place is making me a little edgy and off balance...I know I need to get a grip on it but there is not a place to put it.
- Chloe had pooped on the floor 3 times by 10 am
- Jaiden got disturbed from her morning nap...which throws her off schedule and then she's grumpy the rest of the day...due to my loud Noooooo at finding the puppy in the midst of poop #3. I know, I know you are not suppose to yell at a puppy.

But the 7's saved me - It was the 7th month anniversary of adopting our little girl Jaiden and the 7th day of having our puppy Chloe....oh and we gave a $7 tip to our waiter.

My dear sweet husband whom is a very patient soul, took me out to dinner last night. We ate at Red Lobster and I had a "crabby" feast thanks to the suggestion of my eldest son. King Crab Legs, Crab Linguini, and a nice steak...topped off with chocolate cake. Yummy! (We had a $50 gift certificate from our realtor and used all but $5 of it) Everything was extrordinarily delicious - I haven't had crab since Destin in 03'. Sooooo good! I could almost imagine being on a beach, listening to the waves crash onshore and watching a magnificent sunset.

After dinner we went to Office Max - I think I found a desk set I can live with; even though it is pressed wood (GASP!) Being in Germany gave me a new outlook on furntiture and the pressed wood stuff just doesn't do it for me anymore...but since my unfinished furniture caper I've decided to settle on something closer to home. This set is antique black and from a distance almost is a close runner up for real wood. We haven't decided yet if we are going to purchase it or not...the jury is still out on that one.

Then we went to Best Buy in search of a new dishwasher since it seems the one that we got with the house is about to crap out on us. we got distracted by the big screens and then things got really stressful. We've been talking about getting a big screen for years but were waiting till our last move...I guess we aren't there yet so we need to keep waiting. found a great set for a great price and they were even going to throw in a $400 gift card with the purchase of the floor model but with me not working right now and lots of new furniture to pay for yet, hubby (the ever practical one) felt this was not the time for it. Now that we've slept on it, I am glad he wouldn't let us get it - the floor model has been on from open to close since they installed it in the store, how much longer could it possibly last? I'd rather spend the extra money and get a brand new one that hasn't been used and abused.

So that's how it goes. today we are installing a garage attic ladder (should be fun), replacing the piece o crap mailbox that never stays shut (I was starting to think we had vandals when we first moved in because the mailbox was always open) This house (built in 2004) has a LOT of issues - the previous owners cut a LOT of corners and did a lot themselves - or rather left a lot undone...like the driveway which is only 1/4 of the way poured. Windows which were previously used and will not open, have broken seals and therefore leak....plus many many other "issues" we must deal with over the next year. Only a year (that is a blessing) because my dear husband announced last night he would like to retire next fall :) YAY!!! We can leave this frozen land!

I am dreaming of walking barefoot and planting roses in February and petunias in March....:)

Help me Please!!!

2007-04-12T21:07:00.001+02:00

Please help me get organized!

2007-04-12T20:32:00.000+02:00

I need some help with organizing my home. I love watching those HGTV Mission Organization shows and they always come out great but I can't seem to get a clue as to what to do with my own home.

We have only been here a few weeks and some things are still in boxes but mostly not. I've gotten most of the stuff out of boxes and now it is just clutter scattered all around my house. I must figure out a new place for it to live in this new home that will be functional and work for us so that we will not forget where it is and go out and buy a replacement (again) we are REALLY bad about this.

We got our new dining table and new bed for Jared's room today. Now they need to be "gussied up" and put the finishing touches on them to look nice. Jared's room has a tropical underwater scene painted on it so the neutral shades of our bedding don't go so I'll have to go shopping for a new bedding ensemble. Our dining table cloth doesn't quite fit so it needs an upgrade as well. I guess if I were crafty I could pick up some fabric and make a cover much cheaper...but I lack inspiration so ideas on this would be appreciated.

In fact any ideas or inspirational advice on what to do with these areas would be GREATLY appreciated! Help me please!

The stars of my life!

2007-04-11T19:28:00.000+02:00

New Name, New Beginning

2007-04-11T17:06:00.000+02:00

Hi! I think I've finally got the new title for my blog and this time I think it will stick. It will help me to remember to focus on the many GOOD things in my life instead of the not so good things I've been focused on lately.

It's been a very LONG winter and spring is not any closer it seems and this has gotten me really down in the dumps and kept me there for a long long time. I am tired of this feeling of blah all the time and I want a new start at a life full of joy. I once had a sign that said "Today is the first day of the rest of your life" Well I am going to try starting each new day with hope in my heart and a smile on my face (instead of waking the two headed monster within) I will try to update my journal to see how this goes. One day at a time...live each moment to it's fullest.

So the first blessing I'm counting today is that instead of being bummed by the dreary, cold weather we are having I am thankful that we didn't get the snow that was forcasted.

Instead of being down that I have no friends that are close I will be thankful that each new moment is shared with my daughter and I will use it wisely to laugh with her, grow with her and share with her the wonders of each new day

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-04-05T15:57:00.001+02:00

Gerald Roy Klein

2007-03-28T19:56:00.000+02:00

Oct 23, 1937-Mar 21, 2007

Jerry passed away quietly on Wednesday morning at 3:38 am, surrounded by his family. His service on Sunday at Our Saviours Lutheran was the most beautiful service, thousands of family and friends were there; Dad had a hint of a grin on his face and he looked very good. He was at home. Two Marines came and presented the flag to Mom. The day was gorgeous - the was no storm or rain as had been forcasted and the sunshine was lovely and the weather was warm.

We will miss having Dad around - his love for woodworking can be seen in nearly every home and throughout the church in Albany. He had a love for giving the best and his workshop stands empty now of his presence but filled with the memories of the love that went into everything he created there.

Tagged

2007-03-21T12:06:00.000+01:00

Ok Dublin tagged me months ago, but since I've been internetless I couldn't do anything. I am supposed to list 6 things about me that are weird....just 6? I think everything about me is weird LOL anyway I will try to narrow them to 6

1. I don't like to talk; I guess I should say I don't like to talk with my mouth because I love to "talk" with my fingers ;) *I absolutely hate the telephone

2. I prefer warm sultry weather any time of the year and anything below 75 is cold to me

3. I love to travel but I don't like to go alone and I don't usually go anywhere unless someone asks me to go

4. I like peanut butter, grape jelly and banana sandwiches

5. I'd rather be shopping than most anything else

6. I could eat chocolate for more than 3 meals a day and often have

ok, that's 6 now I will go tag someone and share the fun :)

Tag you're it!
Heather

So any suggestions on renaming our site???

2007-03-20T17:44:00.000+01:00

Kim's in Hell is pretty appropriate but I don't think that is a very nice title for a family website....Suggestions welcome

We have a house now and yes, it's true I am now a Minnesnowtan so hell must have frozen over last Monday (that is the day we signed our lives away) It's a nice house but it sure is a long long way from Texas....so I must NEVER say NEVER again. I must somehow learn to love this God forsaken frozen tundra and find the good in every day I'm given. I am thankful now for every millisecond that the sun shines...then it gives me a headache from the reflection on the snow so it's kinda a double whammy.

My father in law's body is shutting down and he will be heading home soon. It has been hard to see him waste away. We went this weekend to say our goodbyes.

I hear Jaiden waking up - gotta go. I'll write more later and try to post some photos.

Kleins in Germany are moving!!!

2006-12-10T08:40:00.000+01:00

Yes it's Official! We are moving to Grand Forks in January!!! We have had many great times in Germany and made lots of memories that will never be forgotten...

I have Myspace

2006-11-27T06:22:00.000+01:00

My address is http:/www.myspace.com/bluebell71

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-24T10:50:00.000+01:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with our friends the Slater family. We had ham and turkey, stuffing, corn, pototoes, green beans, and lots and lots of yummy desserts. The moms and children made cookies and the kids decorated them. It was a great day and we are so thankful for of our many blessings! Hope you all had a wonderful day!

If we live, we are living for the Lord, and if we die, we are dying for the Lord. Romans 14:8

2006-11-23T06:13:00.000+01:00

Scott's Dad has terminal cancer.

This is by far the hardest post I've ever had to write. The past two weeks have been a blur since we heard that news. Scott is going to apply for a humanaitarian assignment to Grand Forks, ND which is only 3 hrs away from his home town and if it goes through we could be out of here in as little as 2-3 weeks. The past weeks have brought back vivid memories of my childhood, where as a 9 year old I watched my stepdad literally melt before my eyes from terminal lung cancer. This is not going to be easy.

So kleinsingermany will become...kleinsindakota? I am a southern girl (75 and up is my comfort zone)not too familiar with the frozen tundra of the northern hemisphere. From what I'm hearing it can get to temps of -80 degrees!!! I've decided that if at all possible I will set up a "tropic zone" in the basement with sun lamp and even the smell of pina colada in the air - I may even put in some sand for good measure :) It will be my "sun room" - so if anyone hears of any good deals on home tanning beds please pass them my way ;)

Photos to share

2006-11-08T04:54:00.000+01:00

I haven't shared any photos lately so here are a few to go along with the stories...
ok it seems I have somehow deleted the really good photos I wanted to share. The above is a photo on the way to Trier...sitting at a light

Please email me at kimklein7671@yahoo.com if you'd like to chat - Mary I do see your comments but I cannot reply to you through blogger.

Saying Farewell

2006-11-05T07:54:00.000+01:00

Today is a sad day. I just found out my cousin Pam passed away yesterday afternoon. She has been suffering for quite a while from a kidney disease but it is still so sad to have her gone. This makes the 3rd cousin (close to my age)that I've lost since we arrived here in Germany. So the feeling of getting farther away from family grows every day. Someday we will not have the ones that actually talk to us (Moms, Aunts etc) then what family will we have??? It is sad. Sad that we used to be so close and now are so far away from each other and don't do whatever it is that needs to be done to close that gap more often. I've tried to reach out through my websites and blogs but don't ever hear from anyone in return. I just don't know what else to do.

Frost is on the pumkins ;)

2006-11-03T06:03:00.000+01:00

We woke up yesterday to a blanket of white frost. I think winter has officially arrived (Jared was soooo excited to see white) and giggled like crazy at me while I scraped the ice from the windows of my car! He thought that was the coolest thing!

I'm not sure if I am really ready for this but I do not want to be in the funk that I've been in for the past two years....so I am going to TRY to find the positives in all this...besides it being our last winter here ;)

I vow to get out in spite of the cold and do some traveling. I've always wanted to go to Italy and by golly I am going to do it!!! Don't know how or when yet but at least getting there is now my goal.

Days are short and everyone in this family is taking turns being sick so at some point there is someone to nurse at all times...including myself, I've had a terrible headache for 3 days and now my ears are starting to drain and I am getting a toothache and sore throat. Great! I really can't afford to be sick when my family needs me. I will drink lots of tea and hopefully shake it off quickly.

We finally got packages in the mail - party supplies (for the party we had two weeks ago) and Jaiden's halloween costume (a very adorable caterpillar) I did some Christmas shopping online only to find out as I was checking out that they won't deliver to an APO address UGH! I'm thinking we will have an old fashioned Christmas this year. There is just no time to go shopping after work so we will have to make the best of what we have and enjoy the time we have together.

Cody is home!!!

2006-10-31T05:47:00.000+01:00

Cody came home yesterday!!! It is so good to have him back home again. The house just felt an eerie emptyness without him here. He is recouperating well and should maybe be able to return to school tomorrow? We'll see how he's doing after seeing the mass amount of homework he has to catch up on! ;)

Not alot going on around here. Fall has come and the leaves are changing. Not as vibrant this year as the first year we were here, this year they are more like an orangey brown and some muted yellows. Ah well, it's our last fall in Germany! :)

Jared keeps asking "Is it winter yet?" "What day is winter?" "How many more minutes till winter?" UGH! He's his father's son when he does things like that! We got him some new snow pants this weekend while in Trier so now he is ready to go!

The temps are supposed to be dropped into the 40s by the end of the week so he may get his wish soon. I hope there is lots of snow this year - We live on a hill so snow would mean no getting out or in - we could stay home, sip cocoa, build a fire and cuddle under blankets and read all day (that's how I like to spend winter)

Cody is in the hospital...

2006-10-28T08:43:00.001+02:00

We thought he was recoving well, but yesterday morning Cody starting spitting up blood and then throwing up blood. Scott took him to ER on Fi morning, where of course they couldn't do anything so they called for an ambulance to take him to the Trier hospital. He was admitted for three days for observation. As of 8 pm last night he was doing better but I thought that same thing several days ago so no I'm not breathing any easier yet. He was able to eat some bread and butter and kept it down. I hate to see him so weak and in pain and covered in blood OMG - when I got to the hospital it was splattered all over his face and hands. Had to get him cleaned up and into some comfy jammas but it was still hard to walk away and leave him in that hospital room all alone. I hate hospitals and they give me the creeps but I didn't want to leave him there all alone either.

We are going back to visit in a little while. Please pray that he makes a speedy recovery and gets to come home soon. The house just don't seem right without him here and I have no one to fight off the computer - I miss him!

Cody's Tonselectomy

2006-10-26T20:36:00.000+02:00

Cody had a tonselectomy on Tuesday and it went well. Scott took him to Landstuhl on Monday morning for check-in with the doctor and an appt with the anethesisiologist. Then they shopped all the rest of the day...and can you believe it that they didn't find a single thing??? Not even one! Not even a pack of gum! I can't go into a store without buying SOMETHING - I feel like I'm being watched for shoplifting or something...what's up with that? Ever since that time when I was 5 and the pack of gum somehow made it out with me and I thought it was paid for...I've had a guilty feeling when I go into a store and not purchased anything. Now they'll see me coming with a big SUCKER sticker stuck on my forehead.

Anyway, back to Cody - he is doing better but still in great pain. The percocet is making him a bit loopy and sometime nauseus so we are going to cut it back a bit. He actually went for a walk to the park with us today. It was a gorgeous afternoon and since he is out of school all week I must go pickup the littler kiddos from school each day. We really enjoyed the rare and unusual burst of warmth and sunshine.

Not much else going on around here to talk about. Anything interesting in your neck of the woods? I'd love to hear from you!

Still Breathing...

2006-10-18T06:00:00.000+02:00

Winter has started kicking in here in Germany, it gets dark by around 6 now so survival mode is kicking in. All I want to do is sleep the next 7 months away...my mood is not letting up any at all. It still feels like we are on some lonely isolated planet far far away...even when we are in a crowd of "friends" - people we like a lot and talk to when we see them but beyond that have no relationship with.

Blogging and meeting new friends used to sorta fill that void but lately it just hasn't been enough. I miss having someone to make me laugh, someone who really knows me and connects with what I am talking about.

So we breathe and go on. One step at a time till we move past this...however long it may take.

I need some help

2006-10-07T23:32:00.000+02:00

Lately I have been feeling like I exist on a different planet from the rest of the world and it is a very lonely feeling. I don't know what to do about it and I'm not sure where to start. What is wrong with me??? Is there anyone who understands what I am feeling?

Flashback

2006-10-05T21:32:00.000+02:00

In honor of Birthday week I would like to do some flashback trivia. What were some of your favorite or least favorite shows of the 80s? In no particular order, please add yours to the comments section.

Facts of Life - Didn't everyone just HATE Blair and LOVE Jo? (You take the good, you take the bad...)
Little House on the Prairie – every afternoon after school
Dukes of Hazzard - I joined the Bo Duke fan club
Knight Rider – Kit was my favorite car
The A team – Mr. T was no fool
The Cosby Show – Dad always had the answer
Different Strokes – What you talkin’ bout willis?
Full house – John Stamos was my first crush
Magnum PI – loved the car! And the theme song!
Love boat – I still sing that theme song!
Fantasy Island – De Plane! De Plane!
Family Ties – Alex was a bit stuffy back then
Moonlighting – Bruce and what's her name = no chemisty (Boring)
Hart to Hart - which one was prettier?
Quincy - man that guy was smart!
Who's the Boss - Loved the redhead lady
21 Jump Street - Johnny Depp was so hot!
Charles in Charge - need I say more
Growing Pains - Kirk was a dreamboat
MacGyver- loved those cool tricks he could do with a paper clip
Miami Vice - Hot Hot Hot

It's Birthday Week!!!

2006-10-05T08:15:00.000+02:00

Time to CELEBRATE life!!! We are having a party going on all week long here - ok it's a wee tiny party (only the 5 of us) but we are celebrating none the less and eating lots of sweets in honor of birthdays. Cody turned 15 on Tuesday and Scott turns ?? today! Can you guess his age? Ok the cake gives it away but you have to search for the cake...little trivia to see if anyone actually reads this blog :)

Another Absess?

2006-10-01T21:18:00.000+02:00

About two months ago Cody, the one child of mine whom has only been sick a very few times in his 15 years came down with a horrible sore throat that floored him and left him bedridden for a week then Dad took him to the hospital (I pass out in any situation involving my children and injuries) where the doctor removed a huge, gross amount of puss from his throat. Yuck! Serious Yuck but as soon as the doc removed the puss the pain was gone and he was back to his normal self again.

Well he has had that nasty sore throat all weekend and now on his way back to the hospital for surgery to remove the absess. Please keep him in prayer as his pain tolerance is pretty low...gets that from his Mom.

His 15th birthday is Tuesday and it will realllly stink to not be able to taste his special dinner. I made him a cake today but he wasn't able to even taste it yet.

What do you mean there's no buffet at this hotel???

2006-09-29T09:20:00.000+02:00

Our first week back has been quite a rough one. We wake on SOFT beds and have to make our own breakfast! The beds in China ARE as hard as concrete but I swear I slept better for those two weeks than I ever have in my life! Every day this week I wake with about a dozen aches and pains and the distinct feeling that I didn't rest very well. In China I was up with Jaiden at 6 am ready to go! Now we are both exhausted and grumpy and can't seem to get into a very good sleeping pattern.

Monday my body decided to finally catch up to me and give me a Migraine too! YUCK! Nauseus pounding in the eyes, had to go lie down in a dark room and veg - not my cup of tea when there is a baby in the house that wants to play. I think my body finally was saying "It's ok to drink the water here now drink up!" I was a bit dehydrated - you have to make a concientious effort to hydrate in China and when you are on the go all the time lugging big bottles of water around is not always efficient.

It is now Friday and I can't believe we have been home for nearly a week already! We are getting settled in very well in spite of sleep deprivation. The boys adore their sis and love to hang out with her and play...and she equally adores them too!
Things are starting to settle into a routine - and it feels just right to have pink baby socks mixed in with boy socks :) Life is good!

Home at Last!!!

2006-09-28T06:20:00.000+02:00

It is SO GOOD TO BE HOME!!! China was awesome but we missed the boys like crazy. Next time our China adventure will involve the whole family and yes we are looking forward to going back for a visit someday.

I will post a few photos on here but our daily photo journey can be found on the link above. Thank You for visiting our site and following our journey to bring Jaiden home!!! She is adjusting very well and the boys have bonded with her like you wouldn't believe. It's just amazing to watch her grow! We are truly blessed beyond measure!

*Blogger takes forever to upload photos and I took over 800 in China so if you'd like to see more just hit the link on the title of this post. I just love reading everyones comments - they really make my day! Thanks for visiting!

Jared's First Day of School

2006-09-09T17:42:00.000+02:00

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing

4 Days till we travel!!!!

2006-09-06T22:54:00.000+02:00

We have TA!!! We have a Consulate Appointment of 20 Sept!!! We are leaving on MONDAY!!! We found out just today that we leave for China in 4 days!!! Amazing!

We have an Itenerary:

Leave Frankfurt on Monday at 2:40 pm
Arrive in Shanghai Tuesday Morning at 7 am

Leave Shanghai on Saturday at 11:55 pm
Arrive in Frankfurt Sunday morn at 0500

We're on our way!!!

No Fireworks, No TAs

2006-09-03T15:39:00.000+02:00

Extreme cuteness going on here! That is Jared on the pony ride in Sept 04'

This year we (ok I) didn't feel much like going to see fireworks at the annual Burhncastle wine festival. We've been every year that we've been here and I just knew we would be taking Jaiden on the pony ride this year...but we are still waiting.

So this weekend is just one extremely LONG and lazy weekend. We should be getting TA notification and then CA soon - when? No idea. We may be traveling next month since all the appts must have been taken by now. I am really crabby about that and ready to get all this waiting over with.

So what are we doing this weekend? Sat we bought a new digital camera! I left our old one in the car on one of those really hot days in July and it fried it. ooops!

played with my movie maker (love my new Sony VAIO laptop)I am making a video for Jaiden check it out and let me know what you think of my amateur video production abilities.

September

2006-09-02T07:25:00.000+02:00

The first day of September was GORGEOUS!!! Clear blue, sunny skies and I started out wearing a sweater and had changed into a very thin t-shirt by noon. It was a semi lazy day, took care of some errands in the morning, visited with my friend Heather and then did some shopping (found some travel supplies and two cute shirts for Jaiden) plus mittens for Jaiden and Jared. Jared was convinced he needed a snowsuit right away but I managed to talk him out of the very thin one in the store. Came home and lounged in the ZUN room in the ZUN :) (like a lazy cat) then took some steaks over to our friends house and grilled/had dinner and a movie (The Terminal) GREAT movie! Tom Hanks rocks! Is there anything that man cannot do? (Going through the airport security belt x-ray thingie had me rolling)

Today is early yet but it seems to be a nice day. This weekend is our last Buhrncastle fireworks event so we will probably go there. It has been a yearly event we've attended the past 2 years we've been here and the fireworks are beyond spectacular! I can still almost taste the grit of the fireworks in the air - the air is completely filled with smoke after they are done (after about an hour of earth shaking explosions) I will make sure I pack the Visine this time!

OK, here it is

2006-08-30T18:27:00.000+02:00

I gol darn went and done it - I went out and bought a new camera to add to my enormouse array of cameras...it's more than a hobby - it's a lifetime passion! So here's the camera that I chose...its a JVC mini DV - very low priced (didn't want to blow my airfare budget at this point) but I really needed something small and this baby is only a lb! I can hang it around my neck! How cool is that :) So instead of squishing it in my backpack and taping the darkness inside maybe I will actually be able to get some actual video footage this time! Woo Hooo!

I desperately need some advice

2006-08-27T19:30:00.000+02:00

I beg of you folks out in blog land - PLEASE come out of lurkdome and give me some advice on what to do about buying a new camcorder. Our current one is a 2000 model Sony 8mm and it used to be able to be downloaded onto our computer for video editing but I used that feature once during the entire time I've owned it and somewhere in the midst of our many moves and computer upgrades we've lost the software to make it work on an editing program. So all those years of the kids growing up are lost unless I can find a program that can edit them onto DVD...

Our newest dilemma is what camera to upgrade to for our trip to China. I would like to have a professional do the video but I would also like to be able to edit and burn my own DVDs of family events as well. What kind of camera has all the features I need to take good video, edit it on my computer for DVD and still be easy to use?

I am really researching the JVC Everio Mig77 and the Sony 100 of similar features. The prices are way up there and we can not order them online so I am thinking of buying a simple mini DV camera instead and waiting until the prices go down on the JVC model before I take the plunge on a hard drive camera.

What should I do? Please tell me what camcorder you use and the features you love and hate most about it. I'm forever in your debt fellow DIY photo editors. Thank you with every megapixel of my heart :)

It's the final countdown!!!

2006-08-27T08:14:00.000+02:00

Wooo Hoo!!! We hit our two year anniversary of being in Germany yesterday!!!! Which means that we will be out of here in less than 365 days!!!! Let the countdown begin! Ok, I started the countdown months ago :) on our family website. I am just a tiny bit excited to go someplace WARM and SUNNY. Germany is great, it's a beautiful place to visit - which of course no one would know because no one has visited us :( It is also very lonely here and no one (in the military community)really takes the time to get to know each other or be there for each other.

Overall, It's been a great assignment and we've made lifetime friendships here. We were able to be closer to Mike and Sarah and we've seen some very interesting places. I'm going to miss the feeling of security here and the feeling that we live in a peaceful world. I may even miss driving 80-90 mph and being passed like I'm sitting still. (hmmmm...hope I don't get too many speeding tickets when we go back) But I am ready to go home.

It's a mite bit chillin this month

2006-08-24T20:32:00.000+02:00

We are having a cold cold August this year. We have had several days when we light a fire in the wood stove and wear sweats...brrr! So much for summer - the only warm days were in July and then it was miserably hot...so I guess there is not a zone where you can actually enjoy the wonders of summer here. Sorry to vent but this weather is very depressing and it usually doesn't start getting cold this early in the year....so I'm really ready for a sunny vacation about now and winter is far from even beginning.

Where have we been????

2006-08-22T06:03:00.000+02:00

I know it's been a while since I posted an update. We've been in this whole different world that doesn't quite seem real but it has a whole different feel to it that is undescribable. Sometimes it seems the month will never end and then at times it seems there is so much to do to prepare to leave for China that time needs to slow down...

Sarah came for a visit last week and it was great having her here. I will post some photos of that soon - right now I have to get ready for work :( UGH! Not a happy place - I miss my office! Good thing it's only for a month but after 2 weeks I'm already worn down. Learing a new job at this critical place in my life has not been easy. So many changes that I am finding it hard to keep up with and some of the computer programs are not working so that makes things 10x harder...but of course we must to the same amount of work in the same amount of time with very few people...

Ok, now I really have to go. I hope everyone is doing well! Love to hear from you sometime :)
Hugs,
Kim

Stuck in hibernation mode...

2006-08-12T15:58:00.000+02:00

That is what my computer said when I tried booting it up this morning and I that is pretty much my sentiments exactly. Today it is so COLD. We are wearing our winter sweats and cuddling under blankets to keep from lighting a fire. The one month of summer was pretty extreme but it was nice while it lasted. It went from being cold in June, HOT in Jul, to chilly and rainy in Aug! Great weather!!!! NOT :P I am ready for a REAL summer that lasts and lasts. The one hot month with no air conditioning is not what summer is all about.

I miss:
Summer showers and skipping through puddles

Ice cream every day

watching water bead up on a glass of ice cold sweet tea

the taste of ice cold sweet tea on a hot sultry afternoon

crickets chirping, toads croaking

walking barefoot

sitting in a sunbeam and letting the warmth of the sun melt away my worries

and oh so much more....the dark gloomy weather is giving me a migraine so I can't blog very long today. Hope that you are having a happy sunshine day where ever you may be! :)

What are YOUR favorite summertime activities/memories??? Please do tell!

*On a more positive note - Sarah just arrived for a one week visit!!! Our first family to visit us in our new home :) Yay!!!!

Jaiden

2006-08-10T20:57:00.000+02:00

There is so much to love about Jaiden...every day I discover something new. Just today I noticed how her hair has a tendency to curl at the ends. I wonder if she has naturally wavy hair? I've always been a sucker for curls!

Shopping Day

2006-08-06T06:59:00.000+02:00

Jared and I had a fun afternoon of shopping Saturday. Somehow Jared wound up with about 30 pairs of new socks...they were only .49 euro and I went a little crazy! Hey, the boy likes his socks! Not the white cotton ones, oh no! They are too loose - he prefers the tight clingy nylon socks. He also likes to button his shirts all the way up. Where he gets this is beyond me...

We found some cute girlie outfits too and started working on preparing a care package. Now that we have an idea of what Jaiden's size will be at the time we bring her home we can start formulating her wardrobe. The entire wardrobe we've been working on is all wrong - 18 mo and up! So Jaiden will have lots of cute clothes when she reaches toddler stage...but right now she's got diapers and that is about it.

*A note about shopping on Saturday in Germany - stores are only open from about 0900 - 2 pm on SATURDAY. I had forgotten to get a gift bag so we went to the walkplatz later in the afternoon and everything was closed! I couldn't believe it!!! They are only open 0900-6pm during the week too so I will have to hurry if I want to find any stores open around here....I don't get home from work until around 5pm.

Life is Good!

2006-08-05T08:55:00.000+02:00

We are so blessed and very in love with our new daughter. She is the cutest thing! We can't wait to meet her and bring her home in September. I know just by looking at her that she is very healthy and quite spoiled already so she must be getting awesome care by her Foster Mom. I know it will be hard on her to say goodbye and I wish there were some way to repay her for taking such wonderful care of our girl. I will be forever indebted to her for being such a loving and kindhearted person and giving such selfless dedication to this child.

The Referral Call!!!

2006-08-01T21:29:00.000+02:00

We were about as stressed as we could possibly be so after checking all the boards and not seeing any info, Scott called our agency - they still had not heard any news. They said they would call their Agency and get back to us....so we decided to not wait by the phone biting our nubs off - fingernails are way past gone - so we took a stroll to the Chinese restaurant down the street. About the time our dinner was served Cody calls us on the cell phone...our agency just called and they have "Good News"!!! So we continue to eat...after all this wait do we really think they have a referral ready??? Anticipation builds and eating is fruitless - the food has no taste any more. We book it out of there and practically run most of the way home. Scott calls the agency back - no answer! He calls again - whew! They pick up! We have a daughter!!! Her stats:
Name: Tong Min Se
Born: 12/20/05
Jiangxi Province
We are already so in love!!! We should get photos tommorrow.

Oh, and our fortunes:
Scott - your friend needs attention (???)
Jared - You'll stay a very healthy person (so true - he LOVES veggies)
Kim - No one will fight against your luck

Hangin...by a very thin read thread

2006-08-01T05:34:00.000+02:00

It is August and we off for another fun day in GI land. Hoping that today is the day and we will maybe hear something this afternoon...

It's Monday...do you know where your daughters at?

2006-07-31T05:17:00.000+02:00

Today I start Reserve IDTs - this is good and bad because for 1) I will not be in front of a computer all day 2) instead I'll be getting hot and sweaty in a dirty warehouse so thoughts of my daughter and when we will meet should not be running through my head...well it was a thought anyway! the LABOR has been intense and painful and my nerves are pretty well shot through and through already. I didn't think I could possibly feel like this another month and THIS month was the month for sure. I suppose if we are really lucky we may see our daughter tonight after the rest of the world wakes up and goes to work - but more than likely we won't see her until Tues or Wednesday! Each second is a moment too long - we have been apart too long and all it will take is a photo and she will become a real person and not just a dream. I sometimes wonder if I made this all up and my agency will call at any minute and say "What referral" that is about how close to falling over the edge of anticipation I am. I don't see how anyone could be calm and rational right now - the weekend of waiting it out has been torture!

So here we are....still waiting. Hoping to meet our daughter soon. Joyful with every parent that has recieved their little blessings so far (there have been several photos posted). And yet we wonder when that call will come...

we're still waiting...

2006-07-28T18:08:00.000+02:00

I could go for a big honkin piece of ice cold chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a really tall ice cold glass of milk about now...of course that isn't allowed on day 5 of the South Beach Diet plan :( What do they know? Comfort food IS healthy! It eases your mind and soothes your spirit. Chocolate can make any situation better. So I guess I should have named this blog "Do they have Chocolate in China" a spin from M3's awesome blog.

Of course I never knew what a blog was until I met M3. That blog is so the best ever! When no one I know will give me the time of day I can always go there and have a good laugh or cry. I love her honesty and realism. Nothing is ever held back - she's my kinda gal.

I love my chocolate like she loves her salsa :) I like it for breakfast, I like it for dinner and I like it for lunch, I could eat it on a plane. I could eat it on a train. I could eat it in a box and I could eat it with a fox...but I wouldn't have to share because foxes don't eat chocolate:) I could eat it here or there...well, I could eat it anywhere! I like chocolate yes I do! I like CHOCOLATE how bout you???

Ok, now that was fun. Now I'm off to find something for dinner...chocolate ricatta is on the SB Diet - if I skip dinner can I have a double shot???

Birthdays and Anniversaries :)

2006-07-25T22:21:00.000+02:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to our nephew Sam! It's been so long since we've seen you I bet you've grown into a very handsome young man! Jared made sure we knew today was your day! Party on man ;)

Scott and Kim celebrate 11 Fabulous years of wedded bliss today :) It has been totally amazing and the years only deepens our love for each other. Scott is the best friend a person could ever hope to have and He's my rock when I need support and my foundation when I feel the urge to fly. I am truly the most blessed girl on Earth. I look forward to the many years of memories we have to share together and love to reflect back upon the memories we've made. 11 Year Anniversary's gift is Steel. I can't think of a single thing that you would want made of steel but I do know that you "STILL STEAL my heart with every look and I look forward to STEALING kisses from you at every chance I get" :) How's that for corny romantic poetry?