We have had a couple of very long nights, and last night was no exception. Over the course of the night, Rachel woke up three times, Becca woke up once (and climbed in our bed), Ellie woke up once (and climbed in our bed) and Sarah woke up four times, threw up, and climbed in our bed. Sarah was smart enough to avoid throwing up in her own bed, and instead climbed up in Ellie's when she got sick, so we let Ellie stay in our bed. When she woke up this morning, Ellie was smiling the grin of someone who got an unexpected reward (I usually deposit all children I find in my bed back in their own beds). I was pretty groggy, but I had to laugh as she had the following conversation with Greg. Greg: "Who is this little red-head in my bed?" Ellie: "It's me, Daddy!" Greg: "Who has the prettiest red hair in our family?" Ellie: "ME!" Greg: "Where did you get your red hair, Ellie?" Ellie: "My grandpa." Greg: "But Grandpa's hair isn't very red anymore." Ellie: "Of course not! He gave it to me!"
I wonder if Robert Louis Stevenson had a toddler when he wrote Jekyll and Hyde. I sometimes feel like I am living with my own 3 year old version of the affliction--the difference being that I am well aware of the reasons and cure for the child-sized version. For the past month or two, Sarah has been my own personal version of Jekyll & Hyde. She will wake up one morning in hysterics, ornery as an old mule, and acting like a spoiled baby (and I really don't believe in spoiling my kids), then the next morning she will be a sweet little angel; giggling, helpful, and sweet as sugar, Sugar. In fact, some days she will even go around singing "Sugar, Sugar." The difference? SLEEP! And I'm not talking about hours difference. Two minutes of sleep could mean the difference between Jekyll and Hyde at our house. If I accidentally wake Sarah up when I am getting the older girls up, I can rest assured it is going to be a LONG day. Sarah hasn't taken a regular nap for about 2 years, and she hasn't had an accidental nap in over a year.I have tried, unsuccessfully, to figure out a way to get her to take one--especially when it is desperately needed. However, some mornings (like today), she will wake up all on her own and she is a little ray of sunshine. Right now it is pretty funny to see the sleep-deprived split personality, but I am hoping that by the time she starts kindergarten it will have cured itself. Otherwise, I will have to petition the district for a medical release on days when she is exhibiting symptoms of Hyditis.
A really quick entry: Ellie just informed me that she wants to be a musician when she is bigger. Apparently, she wants to play the Sarah-neck (Clarinet). Then she figured out her own joke and started playing Sarah's neck. Silly girl!
Today I had preschool at my house again, and our letter of the day was "F" so today we talked all about Fire. We talked about fire safety, talked about ways to put out fires, including with Foam-and I let them build a Jell-O fire, then put it out with Ready Whip cream,
Then we talked about putting fire out with water, and the kids all got a turn to put on the fire fighter coat and hat, and extinguish a candle with the water hose.
(My "fire hydrant" in the background is a little lopsided because Sarah was the last one to be the firefighter and it was only made out of construction paper)
Now, for those of you who put up with the trivial moments of my preschool, here is the second story in the "pear."
My grandpa called to see if we would be interested in picking some pears from his tree. The girls had long since picked all the fruit from our own tiny tree, so I told him I would LOVE some. When we got there he told me that he had picked some of the lower branches, and so if I wanted more than the remaining low-hanging fruit that I should just shake the tree and pick up whatever fell. He has always given me sound advice, so I decided to follow his counsel. I picked all the low-hanging branches, then decided to give the trunk a good shake. After the first shake I got one pear off--and it landed directly on my head. I won't say it was the worst pain I've ever felt, but it didn't really feel good, either. So, I repositioned myself, looked high up into the tree, and thinking I was safe, gave the tree another shake. This time, two pears fell. One was a bug-infested, bird-eaten half of a pear, and the other must have ripened weeks ago, for it was dark brown, inside and out. I know it was brown on the inside because I saw the insides when I wiped them from the back of my neck! Yep! I thought for a moment a bird had done its business on my head, but in fact, what used to be a piece of fruit landed on my ponytail, slid its way down my neck and down my shirt. Mm, Mm, Good! I laughed so hard my sides started hurting, and as I told my grandpa, "I think it was a practical joke sent straight from heaven" because ALL the pears on that tree were just starting to ripen. Every single one I could see (other than said brown beast) was just gorgeous, waiting to be picked. Well, needless to say, I gave up on the high branches, and called my bounty "good-enough!" But, my grandpa, after hearing my story, offered to share his harvest with me. Thanks Grandpa!
4 posts in one day--I think it must be a new record for me, but this one will be short. I was just commenting on a couple of blogs, and had to type in the different alphabet letters to "prove my identity." I totally understand the need for security (who wants to have to deal with spam comments) but after responding to a few in a row that required me to retype a bunch of random letters it made me think back to the eye doctor. J-G-N-U-K-E-Y-O (I mean Q!) Has anyone else mistyped the list and had to start over? I swear when I have the new letters are a lot easier to read, and shorter--it's like the doctor is saying OK, you can't read that one? Let's try the giant E
at the top of the page--and if you can't do that, then you don't deserve to blog(I mean see)!
1-Working on my masters degree at the U. (nope, never finished) 2-Working at Creative Color ("Good Afternoon, Creative Color, this is Heather!" Yep, I've still got it!) 3-Planning activities for the new combined young adult ward (Activity Chair for the YA ward) 4-Meeting Greg-We met in fall '98 when they combined the wards 5-Shopping at Nordstrom for the last time (pretty sure I haven't shopped there since 2000).
5 Things on My To-Do List today:
1-Host preschool at our house (always entertaining--for example, today I showed a picture of a bear at the beach and asked "Does this look hot or cold?" and all the kids answered "COLD!") 2- Laundry 3- Go to dinner with the neighbors (Thank you Greg for fixing their computer so I can go for a night out!) 4-Get a babysitter so I can go out with the neighbors (Maybe that should have been on my to-do list yesterday) 5- Clean up...clean up....clean up...clean up....clean up...clean up...clean up...clean up...clean up...clean up...
5 Favorite Snacks:
1- Milk Chocolate Mindy's Mints from Mrs. Cavanaugh's Chocolates 2-V Chocolate Toffee (Oh the days when Greg's dad got samples from John Probst....Mmm!) 3-Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory (not really a "snack"-more like a day's worth of calories but OH, so worth it!) 4- Swedish Fish (That one I can blame on Jerusalem 12 years ago. I was forewarned that they would be unavailable while I was gone, and have had an addiction ever since) 5-Hummus and Multi-Grain crackers/chips (the ones from Costco that are like seven bucks a bag, but sooo yummy)
5 jobs I have had:
1-Serving frozen yogurt at Toppers...mmmmm, I still miss that yogurt! 2-Packing Pies at Cutie Pie (the fruit turnovers--I still can't eat those!) 3-Desk Girl at Mr. Mac (those were NOT the days to remember) 4-Sales Promotion at O.C. Tanner (I received my "one-year" service award, and left shortly before actually completing the year) 5- Receptionist/Accounting at Creative Color (somehow I got hired on to help with accounting because the boss knew that my dad was an accountant--thank heaven for Quicken!)
What I would do with a million dollars:
1-Pay tithing 2-Pay off our house 3-Remodel (the kitchen, bathrooms and theater in the basement...and just maybe replace the lovely orange carpet while I'm down there!) 4-Go on a trip to Europe with the family (while my house was being remodeled--I don't want to have to live through remodeling :) ) 5-Save for a rainy day, or sunny day
5 Things that made me laugh this week:
1- My friend saying that she was asked by another friend to go under the knife because it was "2 for the price of 1" (and I said, "Good. I know I would want to get two done instead of just one!") 2-Watching the Tina Fey SNL sketches about Sarah Palin 3-Last night's episode of "Chuck" 4-My kids (today I would have to say it was Sarah's bath in the mop bucket) 5-Funny stories at General Conference
I just finished mopping the floor. I try to do that when I have the fewest distractions, and Rachel was sleeping and Ellie and Sarah were (supposedly) upstairs cleaning their rooms. I know full well they were not cleaning unsupervised, but as long as they weren't running through the kitchen I really didn't care if they were working upstairs. Immediately after finishing, I received a phone call. It was brief, but as I was hanging up I heard a splash of water and a giggle. I went to the kitchen and found this:
Yes, that is Rachel sitting, fully-clothed, in my mop water. I am so glad I got a picture--the battery died as I was trying to get another one. Apparently the girls decided it was time for Rachel to get up from her nap and took her out of the crib. And who wouldn't consider a nice soak to be the perfect way to wake up? I am just glad she decided to go feet-first!
At dinner last night, Ellie was asked to pray. After being challenged to pray for things we are thankful for in conference, Ellie responded to the call by praying "We are grateful for the food, and we are grateful that we won't eat so much food that our tummy will explode." Yes, a blessing for which we should all be grateful.
After dinner, I was getting ready for FHE when Sarah asked me what I was doing. I told her and she said, "Mom, do you think your actions are appropriate?"
Truly, I don't talk like that to them, and I'm not sure where they pick up these things!
I was visiting with a friend today who told me some alarming news. Let me preface that alarm with the fact that I was too cheap to pay 150 bucks for my girls to play soccer this year (in part because last year Becca spent most of her time making shadow puppets as she ran up and down the field and Ellie claims that soccer is too "boyish"). However, even with my penny-pinching nature I was still blindsided by the information I received. I just found out that the junior high cheerleaders pay over $1,000.00 for their clothes/camps & cheer coaching at the local gym. Then she told me that the high school cheerleaders have to pay about ten times that amount, or in other words 10K! What is up with that?! Good grief! Tell me you are joking, people! So in other words, those who make cheerleader are not necessarily those with the most talent, but those with the most cash--or debt in today's society. But it gets better!!!!!(Yes 5 exclamation points--just wait). There is another little 12 year old I know who is on an elite soccer team, and the cost for that extra-curricular activity is a mere 16K per anum. SERIOUSLY?! The coach apparently has two teams he takes care of and that is his full-time job. He is covered for all traveling, airfare, hotel stays, etc. by his players (who obviously have to pay their own way as well). So, back to my little title, I have to say that I really don't care if my kids decide not to excel in anything. It will really save my bank account from looking like all the major corporations in the news these days. I think instead I'll just save the cash and pay their "scholarships." I'm pretty sure it would be cheaper.
I am not sure Sarah would consider it to be a success (I didn't have any wrapping paper or party games) but I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who made yesterday such a great birthday. I received cards from my grandma in Mesa, THANKS GRANDMA! and my grandpa, phone calls (I hope the stitches went OK, Leslie--I'm still waiting for the blog post), emails, comments on the blog, visits, gifts (I'm sorry I missed you Em!) and couldn't feel more loved/remembered, so THANKS EVERYONE! (By the way, that is NOT a guilt call for anyone who didn't remember--it's a thank you to you, too because I am the WORST person in the world at remembering birthdays, so it really makes me feel better)!
As a birthday gift from me to anyone who has been patiently waiting for some good old nostalgic "Ellie" type messes, here is one that happened a little while ago that I never posted:
Rachel has had two great loves since she started to walk: the dishwasher and the lazy-susan. Well, I had been blogging (my naughty indulgence) and had Sarah and Rachel with me by the laptop, but I wasn't paying enough attention and the two of them slipped out of my sight and went into the kitchen. Rachel opened the lazy-susan and pulled out the flour and pancake mix. Then, instead of playing with them in the kitchen, she took the whole thing into the family room. She had a great time using the powder as a miniature "sand" pile, but then had the brilliant idea to make it more like a beach-or maybe she wanted to make pancakes-but either way, she went to the dishwasher, found a cup that had been upturned in the wash cycle and poured it all over her mixture. When I found the mess she had poured more flour on top and I didn't realize the extent of the damage. I took a picture thinking I could just vacuum up the mess and write a cute blog post, but when I pulled out the vacuum it made an odd high pitched sound and when I backed it out of the mess I found the flour "mud" that had been created. After MUCH scrubbing, I was able to get the mess (mostly) cleaned up, and life continued on as usual, but here is a picture of a small corner of the disaster-there was more in the middle of the room, but I thought it would be a "cuter" picture if Rachel was in it.
The other night, Greg and I were driving home and I made a comment about how few titles and artists I can put together. I may know the lyrics to a song, but that doesn't mean that I could tell you who sings it. In short, I am "Band Ignorant." Well, Greg asked me if I could identify the song that was playing (I still can't remember what/who it was), and I told him, "No." Then the song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (I had to look up the title for that one, too I would have guessed "Life goes On") and Greg asked me if I could identify the band. I said I had no idea, so he gave me the hint "It's the most popular band ever. I was able to guess the Beatles, but it was truly a guess. Because of that, I wondered how my siblings were at putting titles and artists together. I knew Haylee would be the best, but I was most interested in Rick and Ben. I asked them each how many bands they could identify with their songs, and they each said, "About 5." I asked them to identify the artist of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," and even with my sister-in-law, Heather saying "It's the Beatles," Both Rick and Ben said, "No, it isn't, but I don't know who it is."
Well, in my life I have been to one concert. It was a freebie put on by NuSkin for Kenny Loggins, so I told my brothers that was one singer I could probably identify. Rick's response was, "He sings? I thought he only played the saxophone!"
Tonight I went to the General Women's Conference up at the Stake Center and had a lovely trip down memory lane. The choir director tonight was Merrilee Webb, my choir teacher for two years in high school. I nearly started laughing aloud because as we sang along during one of the hymns, I couldn't help but feel like I was in high school again. I stood at attention, following her lips to finish off the consonants as we were singing. It was a little bit embarrassing because she (as she encouraged us during high school) didn't cut off at the "usual" places in the hymns, so I followed along even though nobody else in the congregation knew what she was doing, so I ended up singing a bit of a solo at one point (It wasn't too noticable though because the choir was doing the same thing I was on-screen). The most amazing part about watching her (in my opinion) was the differences/similarities of how she was 15 years ago. In the "same" category, she was just as enthusiastic as ever in her choral directing, however on the "different" column, I think I need to show some "before" and "after" pictures.
Before (This is about what she looked like when I had her for choir, but she wore "big" glasses, too.)
After (yep, she ages backwards! She now looks younger and better than ever. Who knew!):
I do have one story I have to share about "Miss Webb." When we were in school, she told us that out of respect she wanted us to call her Miss Webb, but as soon as we graduated we had permission to call her "Merrilee." Well, she was teaching the song "Merrily we Roll Along" to the choir and one of the boys raised his hand and asked, "Shouldn't we sing "Miss Webb we roll along, instead?" That and the memory of a student being sent back to the class because the office didn't believe that Miss Webb's signature looked authentic (She just signed things with a combination MW that looked like a scribble to the "untrained" eye).
OK that title sounds like an Ensign article title, huh? Oh, well! I am keeping it. Today after school, Ellie had a friend over for lunch. I asked them what they wanted to eat, offering PBJ's, Dino-nuggets, or some zucchini (I didn't really think they would take that one, but it never hurts to ask), when Ellie interrupted, "Um, Mom, you need to ask us if we want Macaroni and Cheese because we are in the Macaroni and Cheese club." She turned to her friend and said, "RIGHT?!" She said, "Yep, we're in the macaroni and cheese club." Naturally. I have never been a big advocate of "clubs," "cliques" or other elitist behavior, but somehow I have to let the Mac&Cheese club slide. Especially since her friend is such a good influence. Apparently last night Ellie's friend got to go to the police station with the scouts where they all got a police badge temporary tattoo. Sarah looked at it and asked, "What does that say?" to which the friend replied, "CHOOSE THE RIGHT!"
Who am I to disagree? The new police badge (If only it would remind everyone).
I don't know if anyone else has the same problem, but I just realized something about myself. When I am "in the groove" I usually blog every couple of days and check other people's blogs about once or twice a week. When I am under the weather (and consequently not in the mood to fold laundry or mop the kitchen floor) I find that I will check every blog I am aware of every single day. Not only that, but I am totally put out to find that not every single person has updated their blog to satisfy my craving for living vicariously...I mean hearing the latest and (of course) greatest things that are happening in everyone's lives. On the plus side, it does make me a much more compassionate blogger and for a few days I will be bound and determined to write consistent, witty, entertaining blog entries for all one of my followers (Really. One. Thanks Maureen!).
And so, in searching my brain for a great entry, I turn to my brother, Rick, who is the big 30 today. I had decided that it would only be appropriate to call him to wish him a happy birthday (and remind him that while he is now thirty, I am only 31--if only for the next 6 days). When I was about to call, Sarah climbed up next to me and asked me what I was doing. I said that I was going to call Uncle Rick to tell him happy birthday. She then asked, "Am I invited?!" I told her that he wasn't having a birthday party, at which point she slid off the bed, threw her hands in the air and said, "Then why did you even tell me?" Apparently she is in need of some serious entertainment as well, and a simple phone call just isn't going to cut it.
But, even if it isn't on Sarah's radar I still want to say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RICK!
The purpose of this post title is two-fold; first, for anyone interested, I am publishing my grandma's recipes here. It is also in reference to my new favorite "game" that I have been playing with the girls. Ellie and Sarah have had a really hard time getting along lately (I'm sure my short temper due to illness hasn't helped) and I was sick of getting after them to "BE NICE!" (shouted down the stairs in a less than nice way). Growing up I always played "Tiger" with my brother, Rick, where he was the tiger, I was the master and he had to do whatever I told him. For whatever reason, it worked, and we got along as long as I called him "Tiger" first. I could just see Ellie scratching and biting (I don't know if I mentioned it here, but she has tried to lick her primary teachers on more than one occasion) if she was a "tiger" so I opted for a similar but slightly more civilized game. I told her that when I said "GRANDMA!" She had to pretend like she was a grandma and try to solve whatever problem she was dealing with the same way Grandma would. So far it has worked like a charm. If she can't come up with a solution she will ask me for a hint so she can win the game. I am loving it, and only wish I had thought of it at the beginning of the summer!
In my junior high days, I loved the TV show "Out of this World." For anyone unfamiliar with the premise, it was about a girl who was half alien (I think it was on Friday nights, apparently my Sci-Fi Fridays started early). Anyway, her primary "power" was the ability to stop time. I have to say it is a gift I have wished for many times, and today is no exception. I am currently suffering from a bit of a cold, and have no energy. The other day I tried to take a nap, but was awakened three times in 15 minutes (the fact that I could fall back asleep that quickly is a sure sign of my illness). I was thinking that if I could stop time, I would take a nap. By stopping time, I wouldn't have to worry about my kids getting into anything while I wasn't watching and I would be able to sleep without anyone poking me in the eye and asking if I'm "Just Pretending."
Here is a clip of the intro to Out of This World for anyone feeling nostalgic!
Other than the fact that I was a little out of it last night, and couldn't sleep due to my stings on my side, the rest of last night was pretty mellow, thankfully! This morning I am still in my glasses without makeup or brushed hair, and I have just let Sarah and Rachel play by my side while I have typed up a few recipes. Today's recipe is one we use at Easter, but you could certainly switch it from peanut butter eggs to peanut butter pumpkins! I love the nostalgia that comes with typing up all of these recipes. I can remember helping my grandma wipe down the sides of the candy pans with a pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, stepping back a step so she could pour the hot syrups onto the marble slab or on nut covered cookie sheets depending on what we were making. It makes me miss her terribly (tomorrow marks the two year point of her passing), but it also makes me feel closer to her. So, without further ado, here is the recipe for Peanut Butter Eggs (or pumpkins, or whatever you want) Peanut Butter Eggs 2 cups peanut butter 1 pound powdered sugar 1 cup butter or margarine 1 package graham crackers
Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar and butter together until smooth. Crush graham crackers and add to the peanut butter mixture. Shape into eggs and dip in tempered, high quality dipping chocolate.
OK, I seldom do more than one post in a day, but today will be the exception. This morning, after getting Becca and Ellie off to school, and Sarah off to preschool, I came home and typed up some recipes, obviously. Like I said, it has been pretty slow because although my grandma was really a great cook, some of her recipes are a little vague when it comes to instructions, and although that may work on salads or casseroles, somehow I don't think it will be beneficial to just have a list of ingredients for Mimi's fudge with a couple notes that say "put butter in pan then add vanilla" as the total instructions. So, I was a little disappointed by the fact that I only got about 5 recipes copied over during the 2 hours I had to myself (I also had commute time and Rachel to take care of, though, so I wasn't too distraught. Well, after copying the recipes, I picked up Sarah, raced over to the elementary school where they were launching a hot air balloon today, then I picked up Ellie and drove straight up to Lauren's birthday party--which was darling by the way. I had to leave the party early because my visiting teachers were coming, so I raced home, went through the mail, and helped plan a surprise party for my VT's husband with her. She had to leave just before 4:00, but asked if I would watch her daughter. I told her it would be no problem, and sent her on her way. I told the girls to go outside to look for Becca, and when she got there the girls asked if they could keep playing outside. I was just cleaning the kitchen and told them it would be fine, since I could see them. Within two minutes of saying that, three of the girls came running into the house in hysterics. They had disturbed a nest of hornets and the little critters followed the girls inside. By the time I had closed the door I had been stung twice. I killed about 10 hornets in the kitchen then quickly ushered the girls upstairs where I could close doors and contain the situation. I first put Rachel in her room and closed the door, since she hadn't been stung, then I killed a couple hornets in the hall, took the girls into Sarah's room and had them all strip down to their skivvies because the hornets had flown down their clothes. Once they were bare, I sent them into Becca's room and killed 5 more hornets. In Becca's room, I saw that there were still some hornets in the neighbor's hair (I had already killed 3 on her head) so I dispatched them by pinching them because they were right next to her ear, and I didn't want to hurt her. Once I was convinced that the girls were not being stung any more, I put some numbing spray on them and went back to Sarah's room where I found 2 more hornets. I went downstairs and killed between 5-10 more bugs, and told the girls they could come down and watch a movie. As they came down, the neighbor said that she thought there was another bee in her hair. I didn't think it was possible, but decided to appease her, and there was in fact another hornet stuck in her hair. All in all I killed probably between 30-40 bugs and received 3 stings in the process, and the kids had 3-5 stings each, but after some Benedryl and an otter-pop they all seem to be doing just fine. I now get to prepare my house for our Young Women activity which is here tonight, and somehow throw some dinner together, but I am really hoping that the rest of my night is uneventful compared to the rest of the day!
For anyone who didn't know my grandma, she was an incredible cook. And I have taken the task upon myself to type up her recipes. It has been slow going, and I thought perhaps one way to make it a little more fun is to share one of her recipes each day as I am typing them up. Trust me, these are worth keeping track of! You are also very lucky because today I am starting the "Candy" section of her recipe box, and that was her specialty! I should probably save these for Christmas, and perhaps if I am feeling generous I will post more as we near the Christmas season, but for today, here is a recipe for Grandma's truffles...my personal favorite candy (they taste a lot like Mrs. Cavanaugh's Mindy Mints). They are simple (just a mint chocolate ganache dipped in more chocolate), but delicious!
Truffles 1/2 pint whipping cream, warmed 1 1/2 pounds high quality dipping chocolate 5 drops mint oil
Pour warm cream into chocolate and beat with mixer until chocolate is entirely melted. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and dip in tempered chocolate.
Yesterday, I felt like I was in an alternate universe. It started out when we went to the Stake Center to get our temple recommends renewed. I didn't get a babysitter (and wasn't too worried for the 2 minute interview) so Ellie and Sarah went in with Greg, Rachel came in with me, and Becca sat out in the hall. When our interviews were over, Ellie turned to me and said, "So, Mom, how is your testimony today?" She was so sincere and sweet Greg and I both started laughing our heads off, and none of the girls could figure out what was so funny. Then, at church, Ellie was asked to give a talk in primary. She did a great job, and received many compliments on it. When church was over, her teachers came up to me and said they were so proud of Ellie giving her talk, and that she had been a perfect angel in class for the last few months, and they wished all the kids could follow her example. I don't think I ever expected those words from any of Ellie's teachers (but I was thrilled to hear it)! All day long Ellie was a great helper and really was the perfect example. As I was putting her down to bed I told her how grateful I was for her wonderful behavior, and she looked at me and said, "Of course I'm good. My superior brain helps me to know how to act." Yep, she will always be my Ellie.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (I had to look up the title for that one, too I would have guessed "Life goes On") and Greg asked me if I could identify the band. I said I had no idea, so he gave me the hint "It's the most popular band ever. I was able to guess the Beatles, but it was truly a guess. 
