Oh, So Much To Catch Up On!

Oh, my. I can't believe it has been so long since I last blogged! I'm going to try to update you all in one posting.

Here is what has been happening the last two months, in no particular order.

At the beginning of December, we moved all 3 of our horses closer to home. About 2 1/2 miles from our house, a house sold and it had an 11 horse barn on it. The new owners, Scott and Kylie Joy, decided to have a boarding facility. She made us a great deal on the cost of board for having all 3 horses there. They clean their stalls throughout the day, feed 2-3 times a day, makes sure they have clean water, puts on and take off the horses jammies (their blankets to keep them warm at night) and generally watches the horses to make sure they are in good condition and health. It's a great facility. There is an arena with jumps and all weather footing, an dressage arena, several turn out areas, and the horses have over sized stalls with shavings and an outdoor area. They take very good care of our kids. They even give Buster all of his medication too!

Mid December our horse Buster got really sick and was in an equine ICU for 3 days. Day 1 he was colicing which basically meant that he had an upset tummy, however, it could be fatal if not treated quickly. He got better the first day, not great but better, and then got worse again that night. The next day, we took him to the vet and he said he was severely dehydrated and had an impaction- an intestinal blockage. We took him to the equine clinic here in Prescott and they hooked him up to an iv. They gave him 35 liters of fluid before he felt better. It took 25 liters even before he urinated! He was there for 3 days while waiting for this impaction to pass. It did, but it was found that he had a "stone". A stone is similar to a pearl. It can come from anything a horse eats that doesn't get digested and stalls out in the intestines. It could be a piece of leather, a staple from a shavings bag, a small piece of twine from a bale of hay, anything really. Basically, the intestines cover this thing with mineral deposits to protect itself. It just keeps adding a layer of minerals until it is sometimes too big to pass. One that a vet showed us was the size of an ostrich egg. The one Buster passed was like a 2" x 2 1/2" river rock. We then rushed him to Phoenix to a very high class vet clinic for abdominal x-rays to make sure there were no larger stones still inside. Luckily, there was not, just a lot of sand. He is now on a very high fiber diet to flush the sand from his system. We put the other two kids on this fiber also since they probably have sand too. Anyway, about $2,200 later, we have a healthy horse again. Merry Christmas to us.

As many of you know, almost 6 years ago I started my own Mary Kay business. I was very motivated for a few years and then I slowly tapered off as life got busy. The beauty of the business is that it is all mine and I can go back to it whenever I want. Well, I did go back. I started up again. I had a party the other day and did very well. I made in 2 fun hours as much as I would have made in 4 1/2 hours of my air traffic controller pay! If that isn't motivating, I don't know what is! I have a website and you can check it out. It is www.marykay.com/kaylamm There is a virtual make over where you can upload your own picture and used different colors of make up and even different hair styles, colors, cuts and accessories to play with. It's fun. Try it out! If anyone wants to do a party, please let me know. I have several types to choose from. From a spa day to a quick 15 minute on-the-go facial to an online party, just let me know. Also, if anyone is interested in the Mary Kay opportunity, I'd love to talk with you. It is a great way to earn some extra income on your own terms.

Christmas was great. The Monday before, we drove to CA to visit with Jake's family. It was a short trip but a great visit. We were able to see everyone, including our new nephews, and some family friends. We had a great big family dinner at El Torito one night and we were there for hours visiting. We went shopping at stores they don't have in AZ and finished buying some Christmas gifts. Now on to the gifts: Jake got a Coca-Cola dart board for his man cave and some money to get the cave started. We want to have it painted and put a finish on the concrete floor. He wants to decorate it with Coca-Cola themed things. He also got a Wii game- the Toy Story Midway Mania, just like the ride at Disneyland's California Adventure. He got a blu-ray disc of a John Mayer concert. I got a sewing machine and all the accessories. Jake built me the biggest tack trunk I've ever seen. I now can put all of my horse stuff in it! He had my name painted on the top of it by our friend Jules. She does decorative painting, murals, faux finishes, etc. She is very talented! We had about 10,000,000 lights on our house and I'm pretty sure you can see it from space. We had the most in our neighborhood and plans are already being discussed about how to improve for next year. So much fun.

A funny thing happened today. I asked Jake what his new year's resolution is and it was to keep the house really clean and organized. You know what mine was? To keep the house really clean and organized. Weird huh? We have a central vacuum and I LOVE it. I found a website that sells a ton of accessories and attachments for my system. I have made a list of the attachments that I want to get to have a super clean house. I also want to get the Shark steam cleaner for around the house too so I can sanitize things. I love a clean house, but not the cleaning part. I may end up hiring a cleaning person to do it all for me. We'll see.

We are planning a vacation with Saremy again next year. We don't know when, where, or for how long yet, but it will be awesome! We've already talked about going to Europe in 2011. After that, I think we'll be ready to have kids. So the year to look for is 2012!

Well, that is pretty much it. I am going to do my best on updating my blog more often. Until next time.

Where Did Thanksgiving Go?

The day after Halloween I started to see Christmas decorations going up in stores and around town. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas (it’s the hap-happiest time of the year) but where did Thanksgiving go?

It bothers me that that is now a holiday that seems to get skipped right over. People take for granted what they have and don’t stop to think about what they are truly thankful for.

I have a lot to be thankful for. I am healthy, active, loved by many, I have a great family, great friends, great “kids”, and an overall great life. I had a great childhood and have the best husband ever. I have a great job that I love and it pays well. I live in a country where I can say what I want, live where I want, travel where I want, and I live free. There is always food on the table, a roof over my head, and clothes on my back. What else could I ask for?

Let’s not forget this great holiday.

What are you thankful for?

Way Too Long…

So it has been way too long since the last time I blogged. It seems that everyday I think to myself, “I need to put that on our blog,” but it never gets done. So, here is a quick update:

Jake carved another big mac pumpkin this year. He went for a Mickey Mouse this time. It looks awesome!

One night when Jake and I had to work, we put the dog beds in the garage for them to sleep. The next morning, we saw that Alfie didn’t want to sleep in the garage. He had pulled his, and Nico’s, beds out of the dog door. I wish I could have seen him.

I started running again. Boy is it hard. I’m starting slow but almost enjoying it. I use almost very loosely.

I’m starting up my Mary Kay business again. I sure love doing it. I had just been so busy that I kind of slacked off. Well, not anymore. I am going to make gift baskets for Christmas.

Next Monday-Wednesday, Jake and I are going to Las Vegas for our 3 year anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been that long already!

Jake and I went to check out a cutting horse trainer in Camp Verde. I’d like to start cutting on Soda Pop. I think she would be great at it. I wanted to start last week but I got a cold/the flu and then a respiratory infection so I haven’t been riding at all.

Jake met me at work the other day and surprised me with a date night. We went to Phoenix and had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory then went to a Phoenix Coyotes hockey game. It was so fun!

Well, that is pretty much the long short of it. I’ll try to be better at blogging on a regular basis! Until next time…

Fried Green Tomatoes… Kinda.

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teacher at my mom’s school was teaching weather to her kids. My mom volunteered Jake and I to go in and talk to them and answer some questions. As we left, Mrs. McCall gave us a basket of some squash, gourds, tomatoes, chilies, and some Halloween candy. The tomatoes were from her garden and still very green. So, I decided that I was going to make fried green tomatoes.

I started looking up recipes online and didn’t like any of them. Most use buttermilk which I don’t have. Many are just fried with bread crumbs and no seasonings. Some have lemon pepper in them- I’m not a HUGE fan of pepper. So I decided I’d come up with something myself.

Well, after a day or two the tomatoes started turning red. So I sliced up this half green half red tomato. I dipped it in milk and a mix of Panko bread crumbs and ranch dressing mix. I then fried them in oil. All in all, pretty easy to make. They taste yummy too. The heat brought out the sweetness of the tomato. The bad thing, they seemed to get much more ripe and red in the heat so they are not quite as firm as I think truly green tomatoes would have been. However, they taste very good.

Fact # 3

• From 2001 to 2004, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. decreased by 3.5% per year. One theory is that this decrease was due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study, called the Women’s Health Initiative, were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.

Don’t replace your hormones.

My Favorite Cookbook

After taking a long nap with the hubby, it was time to decide what to make for dinner. I turned to my trusty friend, Bill Phillips and his book, Eating for Life.

I knew I had ground turkey in the fridge. I flipped through all of the pages (each recipe has a picture of the finished product and ingredients) and found a winner. “Crunch Taco Salad: Chili-seasoned ground turkey on a bed of lettuce topped with salsa and sour cream.” Yummy. I used extra lean turkey and vegetarian chili- which by the way does not smell very good coming out of the can but tastes way better.

This book is awesome. It gives you many breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack recipes. All of them have been rated an 8 out of 10 or above by Jake and I. They are super simple, very healthy, and YUMMY! The recipes are low fat, high protein and balanced. He also includes basic diet and exercise information in the front of the book. In the back he has examples of menus that readers have sent in along with their before and after pictures.

Of all of my cookbooks, this is my favorite. Try it out. You won’t be sorry.

Fact # 2

As promised, here is another breast cancer fact:

• About 1,990 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases occur in men.

It's not just a woman's disease.

Are You Tough Enough to Wear Pink?

Well, October is here again and I can't believe the year has gone by so fast! I feel like I say that every year.

As I struggle to remember where the year has gone, I want to remind you that October is "Breast Cancer Awareness Month." I have found many facts about breast cancer that I will be blogging about throughout the month. Here is the first:

• Breast cancer incidence in women in the United States is 1 in 8 (about 13%).

I think it is amazing the amount of awareness that breast cancer has gotten in the last few years. It seems that no one is afraid to wear pink anymore. The University of Nebraska sported pink hockey jerseys. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association routinely does a "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" night which raises money for breast cancer research. Who is going to tell this bull rider he isn't "tough enough to wear pink?"

I think that it is great that so many people can see the color pink and automatically think of the breast cancer cause. Remember: "Think Pink", "Feel Your Boobies", and "save the ta-ta's"!

How Does it Happen?

I worked all night last night and I came home wide awake and full of energy (I know, weird huh?) I felt ambitious and decided I was going to clean my house. My question is:

How does my house get so dirty so fast?

It baffles me. I feel like I just dusted and mopped my floors and scrubbed my kitchen and it is dirty again. With having the two dogs and a dirt yard (it's supposed to be grass but it was long dead when we moved in and it never came back) I could vacuum, mop and dust daily and still feel like it needed to be done again within an hour.

On my Simplicity Adventure blog, I follow From Pigpen To Paradise. Each day, she posts a daily challenge. It may be to clean out your refrigerator, mop your kitchen floor, wipe off the bathroom counter and sinks, or any other simple chore for the day. I like this blog because it gives me a simple chore to do each day instead of a weeks worth of stuff on my day off.

Anyway, I hope none of you have the same dusty house problem as I do. If so, hang in there.

To CA & Back

On Saturday night Jake and I worked and then drove down to Phoenix to fly to CA. Our nephew, Liam, was being baptized on Sunday.

We also had the pleasure of meeting our other nephew Grant. He is only a few months old.

Right after the baptism and lunch, we went back to the airport and flew back to AZ. We grabbed something to eat and started the 1 1/2 hour drive back up the hill. About 1/2 way back, there was a huge car accident and the 17 freeway was stopped for about 40 minutes. We eventually got through. Jake had to work at 10 that night. We only had time to drop him off so he could work. I went home, got about 3 hours of sleep and went back to work at 4am. Wow, what a long weekend. It was great seeing the family and our nephews though!

New Addition...

There is a new addition to our blooming town of Prescott Valley. It's a Hobby Lobby! This place is awesome! If you've never been to one don't worry. I had never heard of it before it opened here. It is much like a Michael's and Joann's but better. They seem to have quite a bit more stuff. They have fabric, home decor, baskets, picture framing, Christmas decorations (I love Christmas), Halloween and Thanksgiving decor, and my personal favorite scrapbook stuff. They also offer classes as well. They have a 40% off coupon on their website and you can even print off their weekly ad which shows which departments are having sales up to 50% I really like this store. We are planning to go back tomorrow and I can't wait!

Almost a Barn

Well, the other day, a friend from work found Jake and I a barn that would have been perfect for us. Jake and I called the guy and went to see it. It was beautiful. It was for sale for $17,000. I know that sounds like a lot but the guy bought it for $50,000! After the long weekend, I called him back and he said it sold. He later called me back and said the guy backed out. He told me to call the bank and see what I could do. He called again later and said the other buyer wanted it again. He gave him until Thursday morning to get him a check. This morning, he called me and said, I need to get rid of this. For an extra $8,000 I have a guy who will take it down and deliver it. And for more money he will pour the concrete and put it back up for you, BUT I need the money as soon as possible.

Ultimately, I told the guy that we would pass on the barn and he can sell it to someone else. I don't want to be rushed into buying this barn and paying extra. Oh well, I guess we'll find something else.

Scam

While I was cleaning my kitchen the other day I decided to oil my bamboo cutting board. As I pulled my $9.99 bottle of bamboo oil from the shelf I saw the ingredient list. You know what I spent almost $10 on? LIGHT MINERAL OIL!

So, instead of paying $10, go to Walgreens and buy a bottle of mineral oil for $2.99

Instead of giving you my 2 cents, I gave you $7.01 worth!

Everyday Minerals

I ordered my new make up from Everyday Minerals late Friday night. I got an email saying it was shipped on Saturday. WHO SHIPS ON A SATURDAY?!? And I got my stuff today, Wednesday!

Right now, if you order $35 worth of products you get a free, full-sized "Sunshine" concealer. I ordered the flat top brush and I can't believe how soft it's synthetic bristles are. I have NEVER felt a brush so soft in my life. I also ordered the Lavender Mint lip balm. It smells so good and relaxing. The Pink Lemonade lip color is very nice. It is a slight pink with some shimmer. It would be good if you are looking for the nude lip kind of look. I also got my Medium Beige Neutral base (foundation) and a pressed powder and a retractable flat top brush.

All I can say is "WOW!" I love these products.

Hello Pain. Long Time No See.

Well, it has been about 6 months since I have really, and I mean seriously, worked out. A few walks or runs with the dogs but not much more. That is going to change... Tonight.

At the end of last year, Jake and I bought the P90X workout videos. They are amazing, but they are SO hard. They WILL work if you do them. We did them pretty religiously until we bought our house. From then on, we have been too busy painting, pulling weeds, decorating, etc to do the hour long, very strenuous videos. Plus they hurt.

Well, thanks to a buddy at work, Mike, I have decided I am starting the videos again. I told Mike I was starting on Monday, and guess what? It's Monday. It's now 10pm and I'm putting on my workout shoes to do my hour long "Kenpo" workout.

I'll work out pretty easy this week and really hit it hard next week. I'm going to start with some cardio workouts then add in the weights next week.

Here is how I expect to look in 90 days (or something similar):

Not too shabby huh?

You can purchase your own method of torture at www.beachbody.com for $120 or 4 monthly payments of $20.

My Dream

During my very broken sleep last night I did manage to have a short dream. It was about a horse show that I was going to ride in. It was the day before, and I still hadn't even found the horse I was supposed to show the next day. Her name was "Cookie" and she was somewhere on this huge ranch with a gazillion horses on it. Never did find her.

What does this mean?

Up and Running!

I'm up and running on my Simplicity Adventure blog. I've done my first project! Check it out!

I've Got It!

I've got it! After staring at my messy pantry late last night, I started to pull out everything to reorganize and **POOF** my new blog idea was born! I'm going to blog my decluttering story. I've been needing to reorganize the rooms in our house anyway. This will give me inspiration and drive to actually do it.

Here is my new decluttering blog...

The Simplicity Adventure

Please follow along with me on my quest to a clutter free, organized house.

Cliche

Jake and I spent the evening with his folks and went to dinner at Woody's Chili Dogs followed by a 6:45 showing of Julie and Julia. What a great movie. It was very funny. Amy Adams is great in it as "Julie". She is so cute. In the movie she came up with the idea to make every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook in one year and blog about her experiences. As cliche as it is, it got me thinking. I would love to have something to blog about, something more than just what happened at work today. The problem is, I don't have anything super-great to blog about. I don't have any talent, such as cooking in this movie, to write about.

I'm going to be thinking of ideas, but if you have any, please let me know. I know I'll need help with this one.

Animal Pictures

You all know how much I love animals. Jake's aunt Tia sent me an email with 23 pictures of animals that are both beautiful and some are funny. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Click on each one to make it bigger and to see the detail.