Giving Thanks

Thursday was my anniversary. 9 years. That's one thing to be thankful for. So Thanksgiving has come and gone. American commerce is now in fill swing. On Thursday we spent the day with our friends Terry and Tonya (also Terry's b-day). They have been the best friends to us over the years. We had way too much food left over and thank goodness I only brought home a few pieces of pie. Friday brought about the arrival of my cousin Amie and my Mam. We enjoyed some homemade soup (see last post) and some great company. Today was all about the food...man we did it up right. My Mam always says, "Do we know the good life, or do we know the good life?" I was overcome by a sense of true thanks when I was washing dishes, looking out the window at my cousin and Mam (taking self photos in which my grandmother actually smiled) with my kids running through ankle high leaves behind them. It almost played in slow motion. But this scene was shadowed by the fact that my sister and neice weren't here. They were supposed to come, but I think my neice was sick. It started me thinking...

My sister and I have an unusual relationship. At the age of 9 my world fell apart when my mom & dad divorced. We moved to my grandparents house. I would cry for my mom from the window as she would leave to go out on a date. It wasn't long before we moved, far. My everything was gone. My mom soon married and we stayed in this strange new place called Elmira, MO. Then came my sister. I think she may have been the only silver lining at this time in my life. My mom was so sick when she was pregnant and I was so unhappy. Then the day before I trick-or-treated as Madonna, my sister was born. I loved her. I remember that my mom would bring her to me instead of her dad in the middle of the night and I would feed her and she would sleep with me. I carried her around Wal-Mart like she was mine. We fought when she became a toddler and was old enough to mess with my stuff. Then that all fell apart too. Eventually we were raised separately. So, our take on things can be pretty different. We aren't your normal sisters that have a lifetime of stories and secrets. But since she had my neice, things have been different. We talk more. Have more in common. We actually say "love you" at the end of phone calls. She was supposed to be here today. I wanted her to be here more than anyone. I was wanting to see my neice, my miracle baby. The girls were so excited. My sister was actually going to come and see ME. She wanted to come and spend Thanksgiving with ME. So, all that to say that even though my neice had been sick, and I was worried about the two of them making the trip alone. I am sad she is not here. I have always wanted my sister to be my friend. I know that if we didn't share blood, I am probably not the first person she'd ask to go shopping with. That is probably why I hate it when my kids fight and don't get along. I only wish that my sister and I had what they have.

I have chosen this life, to follow God even if it means moving away from my family. But, I have missed them terribly. I wish that my neice knew me more and that I was there to see her more. She hasn't seen my son yet either. I would like to think that if I was there, my sister and I would do things like shop together, watch each others kids and have dinner. Do sister things. Missing my sister only makes me miss my mom. I haven't been with my family for the holidays since we moved. So, even though I had a wonderful day, it wasn't all I had hoped. And tonight I go to bed teary. Turkey and pie can't take these tears away.

This week try...

Against my better judgement, I am sharing this secret recipe with the world...

Neisha's Potato Leek Soup

32oz vegetable broth (chicken is good too)
2 medium leeks or 3 small/ sliced, white and light green parts only
2 bags hash browns (this is the cheaters way)
4 tbsp margerine or butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Put it all into a pot and let it boil until leeks are translucent. You can also add finely chopped cauliflower for extra nutrition. Turn off heat and blend smooth either by using a blender and doing it in batches or, my favorite, use a wand or emersion blender. I love mine! Serve with biscuits or nutty bread. Man that's good!

(ps- if it seems too thin, thicken with a few tablespoons of instant potatoes or cornstarch and milk/soymilk)

Long time...no blog

So, I have been a little busy and haven't blogged. I have started walking with my friend Diane to work off those extra kid pounds. Family comes in next week for turkey day. I'm so excited to see my neice. She had open heart surgery at only months old, now she's a year old! I'm excited that my sister is coming with her own family. I used to say if she lived to 21 it would be a miracle. No joke. Now she is 21, married and with a miracle baby of her own. God is good to me. He blesses me and my spheres of life. Ted and I have prayed many prayers for her over the 10 years we have been a couple. Now I am blessed to see that God isn't finished with her yet.

I realized that in having family come for Thanksgiving, I have to foot the bill! I say this not like "Gee whiz, I gotta fork out lotsa dough" but as in "Huh, I have to pay for it this time. It was so nice as a youngster just to show up at mom's or Mam's and have everything there already." The things we take for granted...

So Sofie has been cast as Mary in the preschool Christmas pagent. Something inside me just bursts for joy. How fun! There is only one Mary a year, and they picked her. It's good to be picked sometimes. I guess too that it is nice to think that other people see the things in her that I see. Now, on somedays what they would see would lead them to cast her as the ox, obstinant and headstrong!

Storytime at Revive Consignment went well today. I had 8 kids come. I was surprised that some older kids came. I was prepared more for preschool ages, but I think it was good. Someone has put info about it up on a yahoo groups page so, someone is advertising for me!

Now, I didn't post a try it for this week so I'll do that separately. When I was a kid my mom made me "Tatey Soup". Potato soup when I was sick was awesome. Ted used to make fun of me because my mom didn't stop making it for me until a few years ago when I learned myself. BUT, now that I have to be dairy free I needed to find an alternative. I really missed potato soup... so I have made my own dairy/soy/meat free version that is packed with flavor! That will be my try it for this week.

Also, the roasted sweet potatoes...yummmmmm.

This Week Try...

ok, this week I want you to try something so simple you'll laugh. Try cleaning your bathtub with shampoo. Go ahead, laugh. But think about what shampoo was made to do for your hair...remove oil, dirt and dead skin cells. That is what it will do for your tub! Plus no hazardous fumes or chemicals. Just put a dime size dot on a sponge or scrubbie and go for it! No extra cleaners, no burning skin and a clean tub!

Spaghetti-O-So-Fabulous!

Ahh, the week closes and I admit that this week I think I became a grown up. Due to my husband going back to work (both jobs, bless him) my family has changed how we do things for a while. I now get up at 5AM and feed the baby (who slept throught the night last night, yeah) and Ted gets up at 6 so that we can have breakfast as a family together at 6:30AM! Ted doesn't get home until after 8:30PM, and since we have always made it a point to eat together, breakfast is now that meal. ALL that to say that I now see why my mother falls asleep at 8:30PM and hardly gets to see TV shows in their entirety. Though I do enjoy the part where my kids pass out every night before 7:30! Happy Hour!
So last night I went out bowling with the girls. I tried to jazz up, but my post- baby body just lends itself blahhhh. Before the 'early to bed, early to rise' life, I was wanting to train for another 1/2marathon. We'll see. So as I was making lunch today, the Spaghetti-o-so-fabulous term came to mind. That's how I felt last night. Pretty good considering... Then today the stinger. Sofia got in the car and announced that Vinny's mom is the most beautifulest mom in the world. She is pretty, thin and well put together (even in sweats). It did catch me that my kids might not think that about me. But in my own defense; I watched Vinny's mom on the feild trip last week and I hope that I don't ever come across that snobbish and cold. Gucci glasses or not.
So tonight we are off to a costume party. Jai is Tigger, Sofia is still up in the air about it but Zoe is going as an angel! When my best friend asked me what I was going as I told her in a very cheeky way that I always go as a milk factory!

This Week Try...

So this week I want you to try;

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1.5 tsp packed brown sugar
.25 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp olive oil
.5c apple cider
1.5tsp fine chopped fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
3/4lb sweet potatoes (2medium) peeled and cubed (I found them already done in a bag in the produce dept at Wal-Mart)
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into thick slices

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 9x13 pan with cooking spray . In the dish, combine first seven ingredients. Add potatoes and apples, turn to coat. Bake 45-50min.
177 calories/1 gram protein/28 grams carbs/3 grams fiber/7 grams fat/no cholesterol/.58 mg sodium

Miracle skin tonic...no kidding

So even at the young age of thirty, I realize that the organ that envelopes my body is no what it once was. It sags in places I wish it not to. It gets red and bumpy, heals slower and doesn't look glowing. (except when I was prego, which I am no longer) Now, my son has had the baby acne since a few days after birth. He came out pretty peely in places, and got bumpy in others due to his long incubation. Now he's begun the involuntary scratching...fun. So a friend says the other day, "Oh yeah, well breast milk is very healing..." in a very mother earth kind of way. So next feeding I figure what the hay. No lie...the kids face was clearer the next time I saw him the following morning! So I put on more, bumps and scaley places go away....clearer still. I see another friend that afternoon and she comments on his skin. I FOUND THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH!!! IT"S ON MY CHEST!

All interested in purchasing a bottle of Neisha's Miracle Skin Tonic please email me. (lol)

sigh.....some days are long

My poor baby has had a bit of a funny tummy lately. Sunday while enjoying a 6 yr olds birthday party, I had chili, lactaid and dairy. Now, before the intolerance developed, I was a dairy addict. I loved dairy. It no longer loves me. It has evidently carried on it's snubbing to my son. Poor chap, he's cried and farted alot. I think it unkind and probably fitting that one would be unable to enjoy what he/she loves the most. My two cents. Long day of carpool, doctors offices, folding diapers, carpool, drawing classes/park playing. Dinner was started not so promptly at 7PM (eek), and as I prepared my soy grilled cheese sand, I secretly wanted to eat Ted's gooey grilled Colby-Jack...but I refrained.

I am reading Little Women currently. I've never read it! I know I have seen the Winonna Ryder version of the movie at some time, but never read the novel. It's great! Why was this not required reading? Sure beats Grapes of Wrath (boring).

Ah, I could go on about my rambling thoughts, but Jai is crying due to the amounts of wind he probably is building up.

Clueless

So it's evident that I am clueless when it comes to this dumb blog thing. First of all, I do not speak the language. Second, I'm impatient and have little time. Aaarrgh!
Ah, so we've made the leap back in time to cloth diapers. Now, way back when, I did not have to do laundry everyday. Now I do. SO what's the big deal about throwing 10 or so little cloth diapers in with it? We had been using these Gdiapers. I like the IDEA of them; they are flushable and biodegradeable. They are a bit more expensive than your run of the mill disposable. I was in a lurch. I wanted to be earth-friendly. (disposables take 500yrs to break down in a landfill.) I wanted to be budget friendly too. So we opted to go cloth. You buy the diapers once, by the next months use they have paid for themselves. We'll see! So the days activities include teaching Zoe to tell time to the quarter hour. Excitement at all turns. Ted is organizing our shed so that my beautiful screened in porch doesn't look like Lowe's threw up in it. Life creeps up on you. You wake up one day and who you are to you, in your head, doesn't match who you are in the mirror. It's no wonder I shaved my head last year! Sometimes you've got to let those two people meet. ( I feel something crazy coming on...)

My Beef with the blogs

So I admit it, I have been anti-blog for a long time. It can seem impersonal... you can be in on others' lives and do so without ever having to pick up the phone and actually take time out of your day and call someone. Instead of giving someone your precious attention, your drop a line on their blog, facebook or my space and go about your day.

BUT, in the last few weeks it dawned on me, that blogs may have been invented by a stay at home mom who remembers that she may have been a decent writer at some point in time. Maybe she had something to say that three year olds could care less about. Maybe she needed to 'dump' mentally, get things off her chest. Who knows...she could be just like me.

So, I swallow my old-fashioned pride and do it. Here I am with a blog. Holy crap. My 92 year old great-grandfather has email (and uses it) so I guess I have no excuse for not having a blog!