My Third Birthday

Twelve years ago I posted this about my third “birth.”

I was born physically almost 42 years ago.
I was reborn spiritually almost 34 years ago when I chose to be baptized.
20 (twenty) years ago today I had carbon monoxide poisoning.  Some doctors turned me away from their hospitals saying I was dead. Finally one accepted me, and through the modern miracles of medicine AND the Priesthood of God, I was given my life back.

Here are twenty of the thousands (infinite) things I have learned since my 3rd birth:
1~ I can do hard things ~2~ I can stand up for others ~3~ boundaries are important ~4~ we know even less than we think we know about other people ~5~ kindness wins ~6~ it can be fun to learn ~7~ it can be hard/painful to learn ~8~ we have to choose kindness ~9~ adults can be bullies in-person and online and it still hurts ~10~ true friends are hard to find ~11~ true friends are hard to lose ~12~ true friends are honest ~13~ all people are allowed to change for the better ~14~ it is hard to take care of others if I don’t take care of myself ~15~ drink lots of water ~16~ there is appropriate music for all feelings/times ~17~ cooking for allergies is like living in the Cutthroat Kitchen, except I have better access to Alton Brown’s knowledge online than if i was in that kitchen ~18~ YouTube can be an excellent teacher ~19~ favorites are subject to change without notice…color, food, music, people, quotes, movies, memes, et cetera ~20~ I am my own person and I have value, even when others don’t see it

Humming is Happiness

Corban hums while he eats something he likes.* 
Corban got a full dose of stubbornness from his mom and from his dad. 
Corban has three favorite foods, chicken fingers, Gardetto’s, and popcorn.** 
Some days he decides that if what I make for supper is not one of those foods, he isn’t interested and will try to refuse to eat.  This forces us to get creative just to get him to take the first bite, upon which he realizes he likes the food and will eat, often requesting seconds. 
Last night was a night he said he “WILL NOT EAT THE NOODLES!” 
After further behaving in a rude manor and a timeout to calm down, he was invited to re-join us at the table. 
Everyone told him how they liked the food, and he insisted he would just sit and watch. 
Corban begged for buttered toast*** instead of the cheese burger macaroni shells. 
Corban loves cheese burgers****, and he loves sauces*****. 
We offered to let him eat his cheese burger mac with sauces, and he was sold! He was willing to try it, if he could have sauces. 
Then Corban hummed the rest of the meal!

*This reminds me of a particular little person that was at the preschool while I worked there.  Corban does not appreciate being referred to by that person’s name. 
**If we would let him, he would eat those exclusively everyday. 
***Another thing he really likes, because he knows how to put bread in the toaster and push the buttons.
****Sunday for supper we had burgers.  There were only a few frozen patties in the freezer, so I had purchased more on Saturday, in order to have enough.  I found some good dairy free cheese slices.  The meal was a success…mostly.  The newer patties were of a lesser quality.  It had not occurred to me that hamburgers might have filler-ingredients.  They didn’t hold their shape after being cooked, so, instead of putting the rest in the freezer or cooking them up to have as leftovers, I cooked it up like ground beef and used it for cheese burger mac.  That was the best use of that meat product, and I will not be purchasing that brand of beef patties again.
*****I have been having fun researching lots of recipes for sauces like honey mustard for example or dairy free ranch, and so far, those have been successful.

No Accounting For Taste

Corban is in an interesting phase.  He is trying out new combinations of food.  Tonight we had pancakes for supper.  He had his with margarine, bacon bits, and fruit spread.  All at the same time.  The other day he asked for a sandwich for lunch on toast, with margarine, mustard, and pepperoni.  And he ate all of those.  There are other combinations that I simply refuse to give him, like when he asks for sun butter and jelly with pepperoni, margarine, and mayonnaise.

Use It Up

Yesterday I decided to use up the rest of the tomatoes off the counter.  All of them.  Even the green ones.  After some research online, I found multiple recipes of people using green tomatoes for pasta sauces and salsas.  I chose to make sauce.  After reviewing a variety, I picked the ingredients I like, and made enough for spaghetti and meatballs for last night and three pans of baked spaghetti and meatballs for future meals. One we used tonight, and the other two are in the freezer to enjoy another day.

My how time flies

So, here we are with time passing us by.  All around us we are bombarded by numbers and what they might mean to us. Sometimes we embrace the numbers and sometimes we abhor the numbers.

Today’s numbers that caught my eye are 26, 14, and 11:42.  26 weeks of pregnancy have passed.  14 more weeks (give or take) to go.  Which, by the way means that Thanksgiving and delicious Turkey are only 14 weeks away!  And it was at 11:42  pm that I realized that I had let yet more time pass mee by, and I wanted to get a belly picture.

Now for a couple of today’s antics from Copyright2010.  While I was making supper, by the way, I was reminded why I do not cook with tuna, I heard a crash in the hall, and a slightly panicked voice.  I looked to find the stroller tipped onto the back side.

As a result of using tuna in supper, “someone” decided it was better worn than eaten, (while I agree that it was not really worth eating, I still would not have opted to wear it!) it became bath time.  Marcia the younger has figured out how to turn the water on and off and hotter and colder, well she was trying to turn the handle, and it came off in her hand.  I don’t quite think she was pleased with that.

I want them to go faster and louder

Almost a month ago (July 6-8) we had our first house guests in our new home.  They are such fun three (and-a-half) year olds.  I think they left wanting more.  Which means they will be happy to come stay again!

They arrived and I showed them where to find the toy box in this house, and we had our was-a-stove-box-converted-house ready for them to play in.  G3 said, “We love ours house in yours house, Marcia!”  Yay a successful play-house.

Here is a picture of them playing with the toys from the toy box, the hand-cuffs are from our Halloween costumes when we were prisoners.  (We keep the other set out of reach of children, thank you very much.)  At some point during this playtime, G2 told us, “Daddy smokes.  I like him smoking.”  Her daddy does not smoke.

01

First item on the schedule was to get in the car and travel to a drum corps show.  G3 fell asleep in the car before we left town.

02

G2 said, “I am not going to sleep, I want to be awake.”  I told her that was fine.

03

Then not ten minutes later she did not answer when I asked her a question, and this is what I saw.

04

It was raining when we got to the show location, and we were hoping that it would have stopped, so while the girls and I sat in the car and ate the food we brought, Jacob went to see if the show was going to be cancelled or moved indoors.  (We had already purchased our tickets.)  The answer was that it looked like the rain would stop soon, and we would wait and the show would just be delayed a bit.  So, we went in and waited under the shelter of the bleachers.  We had to entertain ourselves.  Only when making this post did I notice the sunglasses; I did not see them like that when this was taken.

05

G3 helped G2 fix her skirt (which is a very cute skirt, btw).

06

They found drips coming from empty rivet holes.

07

G3 wanted her picture taken too.  And just so you know, that is not a tear under her eye, it is a water drop.

08

Here is G3 sitting on Jacob’s lap watching the show.

09

Here is G2 sitting on my lap watching the show.  After a while, she wanted to switch places with G3 because 1) the guy in front of us was very VERY tall and 2) my lap was/is not as big as it used to be, she had to share with her unborn cousin.

10

Here is a picture of the first corps that performed.  They won their category/class.  And as a special treat that guy there in the front ensemble is/was one of Jacob’s pitt students.  We are proud of Jason, he played good.

1112

We enjoyed this pretty sunset over the performances. ( I just realized that could mean that we preferred the sunset, that is not what I intended to say.)

13

We had arrived right as the show was supposed to start, and we could not see the corps busses.  We had brought a lot of fruit with us to donate to Jason’s corps and we did not want to take all that fruit home with us, lest it go to waste.  So when the shows were all done we drove around and found where the corps buses were parked, and Jacob went in search of someone we could give the fruit to.  This was after 10 pm and the girls were tired, but very well behaved.  In fact, all the people that were sitting around us were very complimentary of how well they behaved and were impressed that they watched the shows.  G2 at one point told mee that one of the corps was going too slow and needed to be faster and louder.  Both girls were in awe of the flags (color guard).  If there had been any souvenir flags they would have been able to go home with their very own flags.  Fruit delivered, and we started our two-ish hour drive home.  They fell asleep in the car pretty quickly.

The next morning while I was walking (the girls were still asleep when I left, but insisted that they go walk with mee the next morning) Jacob got pancakes going.  After breakfast, the girls took a BUBBLE BATH in my “tiny tub.”

14

While they were in the tub, their happy-things took a bath too.  A very much so needed bath.  Don’t tell Ronda that I let them have Happys with them at the drum corps show, but I did and they dropped them a number of times in the rain puddles, and may or may not have dropped them on the floor in the (public) bathroom when they took turns before getting back in the car to head home.  Once it was clean, G3 told mee that she was unable to chew on her happy because it was clean.  She makes me laugh!

After the bath they wanted to watch a movie in “ours house in yours house.” (Jacob thinks it is funny that the first thing they did when they started playing with the house was to find the object that was too big and try to get it in the door!  We all do it at least once with our own homes, right?)

15

What did they watch?  “Mahana you ugly, get down from that tree!”  “Do you want Johnny Lingo to see what a disobedient daughter you are?”

16

They watched all but the last 3ish minutes of the movie.  Then on to another activity.

17

I let them paint their own nails with what ever color(s) they wanted.  They had fun. G3, “Boys can’t paint theirs nails!”

1819

G3 first picture, G2 second picture.  (In case you couldn’t have figured it out by the colors they chose.)  I offered to paint G2’s right thumb nail, but she insisted she did not want that one painted. Well, okay then.

Lunch time, they asked if I would make them oatmeal, because G3 told mee, “Oatmeal is ours favorite food.”

20

G2 had her apple slices and cheese all lined up-I suspect we are related.

21

G2 right at the end of lunch told mee, “Marcia, I am tired, I want to lay down.”  I gave her permission, and G3 followed her in and five minutes or so later they were out.  About three and a half hours later they were still sleeping, and this is what we saw.

22

Somehow G2 turned into Dora.  They slept for about four hours and 15-30 minutes.  I guess we did a good job of keeping them entertained.   When they woke up they stayed in there talking for a few minutes and then came out and asked if they could have another bubble bath!  I would have let them if we weren’t headed out the door.  We went over to Jacob’s parents’ house and they had a lot of fun pillow fighting with the adults.  I wish I had taken pictures of that, or even video would have been great!

They went to bed, and before falling asleep double checked with mee that they can walk with mee in the morning with my friend, right?

They walked a mile with us before sitting on the track playing.

I let them take another bubble bath.  They loved that, maybe for a birthday or something they need bubble bath soap.  While making stacks of toys that I let them use in the tub, I heard G2 say to G3, “G3 do you know I love you, you is my best friend.  Don’t put that on mine!”  They got out of the tub just in time to start playing when Grammy, Ronda, G1, and G4 arrived to pick them up.  We all had lunch and then they went on their way.

We really had fun having the girls here, maybe it can become a sort of tradition?  What think you?

More than just answer 86

First here is the answer to the last quiz (from almost 2 months ago):

answer86

Karen (Jacob’s mom) had a catering gig for our friend Jennie’s wedding.  She enlisted Jacob and mee to help.  As I was working on part of the dessert selections, the non-stick pan slipped out of my hand and we lost most of that pan, if not all.  We did have fun though.  And next month they will have been married for two whole years!

Speaking of two whole years, today Giuliana Marie turns two!! Wow time flies.  I sure do love that little girl.

Second, or is it third, my face is good.  I no longer hurt.  Maybe we did not need to go to the ER afterall, but I am glad we did  go and find out nothing was wrong, because in all seriousness I was scared and I was in a lot of pain at the time.  And I was mailed a survey on how my ER visit was, I will be sure to fill it out.  Overall it was a good experience, my only complaint is that I did not understand the pain ranking system.

Fourth, Girls camp is coming up in a few weeks.  I (we, but not Jacob) have been working like crazy to get all the fun surprises finished.  We like to have surprises for the girls, and so that he does not have to “lie” we often don’t even tell Jacob what we are up to.  We love the week with our Young Women.

Fifth, Jacob is enrolled in a race this afternoon/evening. The race is from Wapello to Burlington (in Iowa, in case anyone wondered).  We go over and he checks in between 2-4 this afternoon, and then I will drive to Burlington and hang out (with people or at Target or both or a park), hopefully find the ending point, and watch my talented husband finish the race.  Kind of short notice, though if any one wants to join mee as I wait, let mee know!


P.S. I am not sure when I will post a new quiz, it seems that there is less and less interest in it.  Rick wins by default since he is the only one that guessed this last time, and it was up for almost 2 months, so rick here is your imaginarey gold star, or if you come hang with mee this afternoon I can give you a real one!  Or maybe he is just hoping for the prize that we are offering to the 1000th commenter on this here website.

P.P.S.  Many of you know we are trying to secure a mortgage for a house we love.  If we happen to secure it, we intend to close on it in the middle of next month.  With said plan, we will have a new address and will want to mail out address changes, as we plan to not to post our address on the internet.  So if you desire said address from us, please make sure I have your address to mail ours to you.  Plus who doesn’t love getting mail. With that said if your kids like to get mail, or you like for your kids to get mail, make sure you have listed who you want it addressed to with your submission.  One entry per household please.  Submissions may be sent to marcia at twodesk dot com

Mother Nature is trying to make amends with mee

She was so unkind to me temperature-wise for so long.  Today, though, was beautiful.  It started with walking in the cold-cold to me, to most it was probably bearable.  Then while Jacob was teaching, I worked on a Scripture Mastery project.   And for our Family Home Evening we grilled hamburgers outside and pick-nicked in our yard.  We listened to the Junior High track meet.  Way to go Daniel D!  Jacob said he heard that you placed.  It was nice, until the sun went down and I started getting goose-bumps.

And because there has only been one guess on the quiz from last week, I am leaving it up for one more week.

Oh, I also wanted to share a lesson in keeping the Sabbath day Holy.  Yesterday as we were leaving church the gas tank light came on.  We decided that instead of purchasing more gas on Sunday we would hold out and trust we would be blessed for it.  Even though Jacob had a home teaching appointment to drive to last evening. And I would need to drive across town early this morning before I could get gas.  So after I did my walking thing this morning I went to start the car and it hesitated, but still got me over to Hy-Vee so that I could pay the electric bill and get a 15 cents/gallon off of my gas purchase.  And then I was almost unable to start the car again to get to a gas pump, it was on what fumes were barely there still, but it made it to the pump, and I was able to fill up at $2.74/gallon.  That is the best we have paid for gas in a long time.

Canadian Thanksgiving

Here is the answer you all have been waiting for…

answer82

On October 12th we had dinner at Jacob’s parents’ house with the missionaries, Elder Pickett and Elder Drake.  Elder Pickett is from Canada and that happens to be Canadian Thanksgiving.  So using our super internet abilities, we found his family.  Jacob called his parents and talked to his brother and his mom and asked about any traditions.  We discovered that Elder Pickett has tried many new foods on his mission. The plate above is his clean plate.

Here he is loading up his plate:

IMG_2951

Here he is trying new foods:

IMG_2952

He liked it so much, we sent leftovers home with him:

IMG_2955

Halloween, or my favorite holiday

I seriously need about 12 of these dress up days a year, one a month would be a lot of fun for me.  Jacob on the other hand would not really enjoy costuming once a month.  In fact, I was unable to get him to dress up, even to be a butcher and carry a fake meat cleaver…to go with my swine flu (I was so excited about this one!):

meeswinetailflu

Sitting outside to hand out candy (what was up with only 30 minutes of trick or treating?):

meesitting

And my tail closer-up (it may very well be my favorite part of the costume):

curlytail

With out my snout (like when I had to get a drink or eat):

meenosnout

My eyes, simply because I like this picture:

myeyes

The scary (lunging) monster that made a little girl cry:

scarry

It also got a “What the fff…?” by a boy about 12-13 years old, that caught himself, and then I told him he should not know that word.  And I think Loana Deveraux had to go change her drawrs after her encounter with the monster….  Here she is, or was?

ghostofloanapast

Here are cookies I made using the cookie press (for the first time ever) that Jessie gave me because she never used it:

cookies