The McIntire Madness

Emma Fay- 6 Months Already

2012-02-13T23:49:00.001-07:00

“The days are long, but the years are short.”
― Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

I never realized the true meaning of this quote until Emma was born.

This has been the most amazing 6 months of my life. Emma has already grown so much. She is rolling over from her tummy to her back both directions, she has started eating some solid foods, she has a conversation with us and loves to squeal to show she is happy. She is almost sitting up all by herself- she still needs to learn to balance from side to side. She loves to stand up on our laps and we just barely have to support her and keep her balanced. She loves her puppy dogs Nico and Alfie (he loves to style her hair) and Grandma and Grandpa’s dogs Tootsie and Phoebe. Everyday she does something amazing and I fall in love with her more and more.

Here are a few pictures of Emma Fay.

Life According to Emma, Lesson 1

2011-10-15T22:24:00.001-07:00

Today Emma made me realize something we all take for granted. Eating. We all do it. Every living thing has to eat or drink in one way or another. Babies get fussy and my even cry and scream when they are hungry. Emma starts off with a little whimper and it grows to a short quiet cry, and if you still don’t feed her fast enough, well, heaven help you.

Babies truly enjoy their meals. They are relaxed and comfortable. I believe that all meals should be something we enjoy on every level.

I love to cook. My best friend Sara loves to cook. My husband loves to cook. I think that preparing a meal should be fun, exciting, entertaining, and an adventure. We try to cook something different each night. I have Jake rate it between 1 and 5 and 3 doesn’t count. I ask how it could be better. We often buy a basket from Bountiful Baskets Food Co-Op. This basket comes with 5 different types of fruit and 5 different types of vegetables. We never know what we are going to get until Saturday mornings. It’s exciting when we get to see what we are adding to our menu that week. I take this as an opportunity to search for new recipes from the multitude of sites out there.

I think that where you ear is important as well. I don’t mean which restaurant you’re going to tonight, I mean where in your house you eat. I hate to admit it but Jake and I eat at our coffee table so we can watch TV more times than not. A goal I have come up with is to eat most meals at our dining room table as a family. I would like to update our table linens and place settings to be a little more on the modern side instead of traditional. I’d like to make our dining room an enjoyable, relaxing place to eat and spend this important family time.

Emma has shown me that I should enjoy myself and put more thought into my meal times. I should take these few hours a day to relax and really enjoy my surroundings and my new family.

A New Beginning

2011-10-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

The day before Emma was born

Well, I've decided to blog again. I've actually gotten pregnant, had a baby, and finished my 8 weeks of maternity leave since my last post. Yeah, it's been that long. So, I'm starting over.

Emma Fay

I've been off work for the last 8 weeks, the fastest 8 weeks of my life by the way, following my C-section and the birth of our daughter Emma. She has been such a blessing to Jake and I. I have to admit, I didn't think that being a mom was going to be this amazing. We asked Saremy to be Emma's godparents and we are blessed that they agreed.

In the last year, Jake and I have been on 2 cruises. One with Saremy to the western Caribbean and one with just the 2 of us to the Mexican Riviera. We found out we were pregnant on December 27th and announced it to our families January 1st at church.

The last 8 weeks have been a a change for the better. We stay at home and cook healthy meals more often, I've been re energized and motivated about cleaning and organizing my house, and I've been inspired to blog again. Check out my other blog, The Simplicity Adventure, to follow my journey to a more organized and less cluttered life. I started today by going through my closet and dresser and getting rid of a lot of clothes. I have a lot more to do, but that will come with time.

Baby K'Tan

As I'm typing Emma is curled up on my chest and belly in my Baby K'Tan sleeping soundly. I'm thinking she will be able to teach me a lot about what really matters in life. I can't wait to be able to share what I learn.

Until next time...

Long Time Gone

2010-08-20T12:31:00.001-07:00

Well, well, well... Look who it is. Yep, I'm back. I've been out of town a lot lately. But that's no excuse to not blog!

Honestly, not much has gone on around here. My horse Reno is up in the bay area now. My college roommate, Maggie, called me one day and said she had a client that needed a horse to lease and asked if I would be interested in leasing out Reno. After a lot of thought I decided it was a good idea and would be best for everyone. So she drove down and picked him up. He's doing really well up there. This will give him a job, he'll help teach someone a lot of things, and it'll save us a little money. It's really a win-win situtuation.

Last week, Jake got some sort of viral infection and was really sick for a few days. He woke up with a bad headache and was dizzy and had a fever. Took him to the doctor and they said it was just a virus going around. His fever got up to 103.7 but he never felt sick. He's doing much better now, but still has a stomach ache every once in a while. Poor guy. I'm lucky I didn't catch it at all.

Other than that, really nothing exciting around here. I'll be better at posting, I promise.

Give Aways!

2010-02-21T22:28:00.002-07:00

My good friend Sara (of the previously noted Saremy) is having a give away on her blog http://saralovescooking.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-giveaway-derby-pie.html She’s giving away some amazing hand lotion perfect for our dry Arizona weather.
I am going to have a give away soon too so be sure to come back and check the blog soon for your chance to win!

It’s That Time of Year… Again.

2010-02-21T22:17:00.002-07:00

Well, it’s almost March and do you know what that means? It means I’m that much closer to being another year older. On St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, I will turn 27.
I have updated the background of my blog to celebrate this wonderful Irish holiday.
You may remember last year, Jake ordered a cake from a friend of ours named Jenna. She has a wonderful talent for making cakes. You can see some of here cakes at http://www.cakesbyjenna.com/ Jake ordered a birthday cake for me and it was a pot of gold with a rainbow coming out of it. You can see a picture of it here in my collage/slide show to the right ----->
Well, this year is no different. Jake has already put in an order and we have no idea what it will look like, I just know it will be delicious! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with.
Did you know…
The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring?
Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick's Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage.
Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century.
Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.
The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow."
Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure.
Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, a Catholic holy day. In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.
Kinda interesting.

I Can't Believe It's 2010!

2010-01-10T06:27:00.005-07:00

Can you believe that the Y2K scare was 10 years ago?!?

Well, Buster has been doing very well. We had to take him to the vet about a week and a half ago to have his teeth floated- filed down to remove any sharp edges. He had been drooling excessively and it turns out he had a lot of sharp points that were rubbing on the inside of his cheeks. Poor guy. He's better now.

I body clipped Reno and Soda Pop. Reno looks like someone took a lawn mower to him. Soda Pop looks pretty good. Each day I see Reno I ask him, "Who clipped you?" Poor guy. They both jumped around and acted like brand new horses when all of the hair was off. They are so much easier to groom when their hair is short.

I've been riding a lot. I started jumping Reno again. If you remember last May, him and I had a terrible fall while jumping. Well, I found myself thinking about it too much. I was trying to shorten his stride up so he would get the correct spot and striding. I was hindering Reno... a lot. I finally let him just decide what he wanted to do. I let him pick the pace, the striding, and his own takeoff spots and he was perfect! That boy sure knows what he's doing. I had so much fun that I raised all of the jumps up and we were able to jump big for the first time in a long time. It was great.

I'm having so much fun being able to see the kids so much. I still feel like I have no time for anything, but that's ok. I'll make time.

Oh, So Much To Catch Up On!

2009-12-28T00:23:00.031-07:00

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?

2009-11-06T08:24:00.001-07:00

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…

2009-11-04T10:54:00.017-07:00

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.

2009-10-10T18:21:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-05T14:39:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-03T19:46:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-02T16:25:00.002-07:00

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?

2009-09-30T16:01:00.027-07:00

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?

2009-09-20T16:11:00.004-07:00

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

2009-09-15T16:36:00.004-07:00

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...

2009-09-15T15:58:00.005-07:00

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

2009-09-09T16:11:00.004-07:00

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

2009-09-03T20:26:00.002-07:00

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

2009-09-02T14:28:00.008-07:00

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.

2009-08-31T21:47:00.007-07:00

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

2009-08-27T07:43:00.006-07:00

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!

2009-08-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

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

I've Got It!

2009-08-25T13:09:00.003-07:00

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

2009-08-24T22:05:00.005-07:00

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

2009-08-18T21:52:00.014-07:00

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.

Happy 6th Anniversary!

2009-08-10T22:28:00.014-07:00

August 7th was the 6th anniversary of Jake and I meeting. Since we met at a baseball game, our tradition has become to go to a baseball game at a different major league ballpark each year. No local teams were playing this year so we were bummed. Jake planned out a surprise for me. Turns out, we flew to Denver to go to a Rockies game. We flew out Friday morning and came home Saturday evening. It was so much fun. I had never been to Denver before. We walked up and down the 16th Street mall which is like 2 miles of shops. We went to a nice dinner at an Italian place there. We then walked to the baseball game. The Rockies were playing the Chicago Cubs so the crowd was about 50-50 with fans for both teams. We cheered for the Rockies because it was a give-away night and we got free Rockies hats. The Rockies lead the whole game and won 6-2. Go Rockies!

Got My Makeup

2009-08-09T23:44:00.003-07:00

I got my Everyday Minerals makeup in the mail the other day. I ordered it late Friday and got it Wednesday. Not bad. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the foundation. I found it to keep me shine free for the whole day. My color is Medium-Beige Neutral. I also got a sample cheek color too. I chose "Pink Ribbon" and I love it. It is a light pink with a ton of shimmer. I'm going to order a whole face full of stuff soon including their environmentally friendly brushes!

$ave Money

2009-07-31T17:27:00.020-07:00

Some of you know that Jake and I are leading a Crown Financial class. A woman named Barb told me about one of our church members named Kara Rozendaal who runs a website called PracticalSaver.com For a mere $25 a year, yes I said YEAR, she will email you weekly lists of grocery store (currently they are all Prescott and Phoenix area only) sales. She gives you tips on how to organize and use coupons, where to get them doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. There are helpful hints on how to cut costs around your home. Here is one item I am going to try:

Homemade Laundry Detergent This stuff is 13 times less expensive than store bought brands. I'm all about saving money anyway I can. I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes.

There is a website called Soapsgonebuy.com that sells all of these products cheap and also in kits already to make. They have the Fels-Naptha already grated (for a higher price) if you prefer that. They have other recipes on there as well including a powdered detergent using the same ingredients. These products are also available in retail stores locally also. Kara wrote that the Fels-Naptha is the cheapest at Ace Hardware.

The ingredients are:

FREE MINERAL MAKEUP!!

2009-07-31T17:02:00.012-07:00

I found this great website called www.everydayminerals.com They are an environmentally friendly company with 100% natural products- many are labeled as 'vegan' as well (but I don't know if they all are). They do not do animal testing either; even their brushes have synthetic bristles and renewable bamboo handles.

They offer a FREE test kit. On their home page, under "Kits" click on "Custom Kits". You will then see "Free Sample Makeup Kit". Clicking on this will allow you to click and drag 3 foundations (they are labeled as "Bases" on this website) to your shopping bag along with one cheek color and a concealor too. I ordered mine and it was $3.28 for standard USPS shipping for 5 items! I use Bare Minerals all the time and I love them but they are pricy. The Everyday Minerals seem to be less expensive. I'm going to give these a shot and see how they are. It's worth a try huh?

EVERYDAY NATURALS ENVIRO-FACTS

There are a lot of things you may not know about Everyday Minerals. And of course, these are facts that will make you feel even better about your purchase, being part of the Everyday Minerals family, and a contributor to a better tomorrow.

Here’s our pledge to you and our planet:

Everyday Minerals seeks to include the highest quality, all-natural and organic products sourced from sustainable environments across the globe, and to eliminate toxins and engineered material in our products.

Here are some internal facts you should know.

Environmentally Conscious Products

• We package and ship our products in 90% recycled tissue paper.

• All customer invoices and ‘general use’ office paper and folders are Recycled, 100% post-consumer content and chlorine-free.

• We are a chemical-free facility, to maintain the integrity of our environmentally produced products.

• Our products are 100% biosafe.

• The body skin care line comes in RPET containers.

Environmentally conscious workplace

Everyday Minerals wants to keep our planet pollutant free and that starts in the workplace:

• We provide free bicycles to our employees after 6 months of working with us.

• Financial incentives result in 85% of our staff cycling, carpooling or using public transportation to get to work daily.

• We subsidize our employee’s groceries by offering cash back if they shop at one of Austin’s local organic farms.

• Organic coffee and locally farmed fruit is provided weekly for our staff.

• We recycle our unused oil into biodiesel.

• Our paper towels and toilet paper used at the warehouse is made from 100% recycled paper.

Our Global Mission

Everyday Minerals also acts globally in addition to locally. To encourage organic and sustainable local farming, we donate to the sustainablefoodcenter.org. This organization promotes and teaches children and adults about nutrition, farming and sustainable practices.

Everyday Naturals WeCycle Program

We can recycle together. In doing so, reduce the amount of paper and plastic used when ordering Everyday Minerals products.

Everyday Minerals and Everyday Naturals is commited to improving packaging and reducing our carbon footprint. We are in pursuit of alternative packaging and reusable containers. The first week of September 2008, Everyday Minerals and Everyday Naturals will launch the new "Refill Program" that is all about reducing waste and ensuring that all jars and containers are eco-friendly and 100% recyclable. It not only helps out the environment but will save you money in the long run!

We recommend that you start keeping your jars and cleaning them for reuse in the near future.

I Love You Cesar Milan!

2009-07-28T15:10:00.010-07:00

Dear Dog Whisperer,

My name is Alfie and I watch your show all the time. I just wanted to write and tell you that I'm your biggest fan!

I love you,
Alfie

World's Ugliest Cake

2009-07-28T15:02:00.007-07:00

I made a cake for Jake's birthday party. It was so warm in our house after having the oven on that the frosting was melting as I spread it on the cake. Then, because it was melting, the layers of cake started to slide off of each other. Ultimately I ended up with the ugliest cake I've ever seen. It was crooked, lopsided, and melted. You be the judge. However, it did taste amazing!

Jake's Birthday Party

2009-07-28T14:58:00.004-07:00

We had Saremy come over last night for a little birthday party for Jake. They brought over their puppy Diesel to play. As we were all playing the Wii, I looked back and saw Diesel like this:

How cute is that?

Our New Pool

2009-07-28T14:46:00.003-07:00

You may not know it but out here in northern Arizona we have monsoons almost every afternoon. These monsoons usually consist of extreme thunderstorms and an obscene amount of rain. We got one of those the other day. It was a fatal thunderstorm... we found 4 dead birds in the front yard after the storm. And it toppled one of our trees! We also have brand new "swimming pool" in our back yard!

Jake's 26th & Babies

2009-07-25T21:24:00.013-07:00

Well hello there. It's been a while huh? Yes it has. Jake and I now have a new internet provider and it's great. I can actually do things without it taking all night. So... here's an update: Baby Liam is doing wonderful. He is over 7 lbs now! Sam and Sara are expecting their first boy Aug 15. Here are some 4D images of him:

Isn't it amazing how detailed these pictures are? I'm eager to meet Baby Corder soon.

We went back to CA for Jake's 26th birthday. It was a great day. We went to Laguna Beach for the day and had lunch down there. Then there were about 15 of Jake's family and friends over for dinner later that night. Overall it was a good trip, pretty short though.

We went out with Saremy tonight. We went to a new burger place called Brown Bag Burgers and Frozen Yogurtz afterwards. The burgers start at 7 oz and go up to 20 oz! 7 was too big for me. Frozen Yogurtz is a frozen yogurt bar where you pay by the oz. So you can get as much yogurt and toppings as you want! Yummy!

Well, that is pretty much all I have for now. I'll be sure to update more often since my computer is so much faster now! Until then...

IT'S A BOY!!

2009-06-19T21:19:00.003-07:00

On June 3rd we got news from CA that Jake's brother, Josh, and his wife, Stacey, were going into labor with their first baby, and our first nephew. Stacey underwent a C-Section and Baby Liam was born 2 months early. He was 3 lb. 9 oz. and very healthy. He stayed in the hospital for about a week and a half and then was sent home. I can't wait to meet him!

Jake's other brother, Sam, and his wife Sara are due in August with their first baby too! My mom and I are going to CA next weekend for the baby showers.

(Pictures to follow... internet is waaaayyyyy too slow tonight!)

Strike 1... Strike 2... Strike 3?

2009-06-19T20:43:00.006-07:00

Strike 1... About 3 weeks ago I was riding my horse Reno. We had begun to jump and practice for an upcoming horse show. We were almost done and Reno jumped a little too soon and as a result, landed a little too soon- right on the jump. The jump fell down, getting tangled in his feet, ultimately tripping him and making him fall. Meanwhile, I am still on top of him and I come crashing down as well. Reno fell on my right leg and I smacked my head into the ground. Luckily I was wearing a helmet and that is what hit the ground. Jake ran over to me and I told him I was fine. Reno was ok too and so I got up and started to get cleaned up. Ultimately we both were fine but my right foot and my neck and head were killing me. Jake took me to the hospital and they put me in a neck brace ( I didn't need it though) and did a CT scan of my head and neck and everything was fine. They took x-rays of my chest and foot. My chest was fine but they thought my foot was fractured. They let me go home and gave me some good drugs. A few days later, I went to my regular doctor for a check up and he found out my foot was not actually fractured... luckily. The next time I went to see the horses, I checked my helmet and found that it broke in 3 places. I wonder if they would have shaved my head to stitch it up if I didn't have it on when I hit? Probably. I don't think I can pull off the Sinead O'Connor look. So, to make a long story short, Reno and I are both fine. (Jake has a picture of me in the hospital bed. I can't get it to post here.)

Strike 2... Just about 2 weeks ago, Jake, and a friend of our's named Joe, and I went on a trail ride with all 3 horses. It was a very nice walk until about a mile or so from home. We came to a place where there was a barbed wire fence and a cattle guard. We thought the only way to get across was over the cattle guard. We've walked over it before and the horses feet seem too big to get inside. Well, Buster, got scared as he stepped on the cattle guard and he turned to the side and his left front foot slipped in and got stuck. Now he starts to panic and pulls as hard as he can to get his foot out. It does come out, but he is missing his shoe and he has a 3 1/2" gash across the back and side of his foot which is now gushing blood, and I mean GUSHING. Jake takes his shirt off and we hold it on his foot to stop the bleeding. I call my dad and have him grab a first aid kit and rush over. It takes about 10 minutes to stop the bleeding. Now, it's a Sunday which means that the vet is closed. I call him anyway and have him paged. Our horse trailer is about 30-40 minutes away at our house. My dad rushes over to get the trailer and bring it back. We wait there until he shows up. About an hour later my dad comes back and we open up the trailer. We notice a bird's nest with about 4 brand new baby birds in it. We can't just leave it on the side of the road so we put the nest in the tack room of the trailer and take it with us. We meet the vet at his office and he fixes poor Buster up. He said it was a clean cut and the best thing we did was to wrap it like I did. Now Buster is out of commission for about 3 weeks. Poor guy. We put the bird's nest back where we found it when we got home. I haven't seen Mama Bird though. We tried hard to get her to take them back but I'm not sure if she did. (Sorry no pictures of poor Buster... way too bloody.)

So those are the 2 things that have kept us busy the last few weeks. We have 2 out of our 3 horses have something happen to them, I'm hoping the third doesn't follow suit.

I Love Pizza!

2009-06-19T20:25:00.005-07:00

Have you seen the newest Visa Debit Card commercial with the guy tossing around pizza dough? No? Well you're in luck! I think he is amazing! Take a look:

Now you can't tell me that wouldn't make you stop and stare! I researched this guy and found out his name is Juan Hermosillo. He is the captain of the US Pizza Team. I know, I didn't know we had a Pizza Team either but we do, and apparently we are very good. Here are a few facts about Juan and his career:

Juan Hermosillo first won his spot on the U.S. Pizza Team in 2004 when he was victorious at PMQ's first New York Pizza Show.

He won first place in the Freestyle Dough Tossing competition in New York with his mix of Italian old style dough tossing that led into lively salsa with dough tossing dances.

Juan says the best part about being on the team is "that you get to represent the United States and it makes you feel proud, that you're not representing your restaurant anymore you are representing your country."

In 2006 Juan moved to Canada and represented the Canadian Pizza Chain "Pizza Pizza." He professionally spun pizza for the chain and taught others to spin dough. Juan performed at many grand openings and festival for Pizza Pizza from 2006-March 2009. During this time he won many international awards, including Largest Dough in Naples, Best Pizza Tosser at the America's Plate Competition and Best Pizza Tosser at the Paris Pizza Expo, among many other awards.

"First, I have to think that I am going to win." Juan says. "I have that mentality. If I don't, then I will be just like those other guys. You don't compete just for competing, you compete to win.

Juan has appeared on many television shows and in many newspapers since his victory on November 3, 2004. He has been featured in the L.A. Times, WPIX Morning Show, CBS's The Early Show, Sony Pictures' Life and Style and many other intentional media. As well as a national Visa debit card commercial.

Juan will back on the United States Pizza Team for the first time since 2006. His future plans include keeping up his pizza throwing skills and starting a professional pizza spinning school.

Did you learn something new? I sure did and I enjoyed watching him too!

Jury Duty

2009-05-21T20:09:00.010-07:00

Yep... it was inevitable... I was chosen for jury duty. I had to report on Wednesday, which is my Sunday by the way, and I was chosen from about 50 people to be on the 12 person jury. I can't talk about what is going on but I can tomorrow after we come up with a verdict... hopefully we can figure it out by tomorrow. I can talk about it all I want after the fact so watch for another post.

Here are a few interesting things I found while looking for this "Scales of Justice" picture on my trusty friend google: First, scales are apparently the symbol for the Libra zodiac symbol. I sure hope this is paint and not a tattoo.

Also, do you know where "Lady Justice" came from? I do. Here it is (I took out the boring "daughter of..." stuff):
The origin may be Themis, a Greek mythological goddess. Justitia, a Roman goddess of justice, wore a blindfold. She had been depicted with sword and scales, but was not always so. Representations of the Lady of Justice in the Western tradition occur in many places and at many times. She sometimes wears a blindfold, more so in Europe, but more often she appears without one. She usually carries a sword and scales. Almost always draped in flowing robes, mature but not old, no longer commonly known as Themis, she symbolizes the fair and equal administration of the law, without corruption, avarice, prejudice, or favor.

It's Alive!

2009-05-07T09:46:00.004-07:00

The survey to the right should work now. Turns out, I have to put my email address on there so the votes get sent to me... go figure. I've tested it out and it works now!

Survey

2009-05-05T22:36:00.013-07:00

I need your help. In honor of Earth Day 2009 ( I know, still a little late) I am going to plant about 10 trees around our property and I'm not sure which ones to pick. My goal is to provide shade to our house during the summer months as well as make our yard more beautiful. I love all of these trees and I can use a combination. I would like to see which are the favorites. Please vote on the survey to the right and please write some comments to me about what you think! Thank you!

Weeping Cherry

Red Oak- Summer

Red Oak- Fall

Eucalyptus- an evergreen tree which smells wonderful.

Sugar Maple- Summer

Sugar Maple- Fall

Japanese Red Maple

My first LONG run...

2009-05-05T22:34:00.005-07:00

Uh oh. In preparation of our Ragnar Relay, I have agreed to go on my first long run tomorrow at Lynx Lake with some friends from work. I'll take Alfie with me and maybe he'll inspire me to keep going. We'll see. I'll let you know.

Sun 'N Fun

2009-05-05T21:09:00.021-07:00

As some of you know, I was lucky enough to be picked to represent Lockheed-Martin at the annual "Sun 'N Fun" airshow in Lakeland, FL a few weeks ago. I spent 9 days there and it was great! Very sunny and fun! I flew out on a Saturday and my mom came out on Monday to spend the week with me. We went to Downtown Disney in Orlando, the MOSI Museum in Tampa where we saw "Body Worlds & the Story of the Heart", we went to Honeymoon Island and laid by the beach 2 days (notice the woman behind my mom... a little confidence goes a long way). While I was at the airshow working most of those days, my mom ate breakfast by the pool and read. I taught her how to text message on her phone and she would write me while she was at enjoying the pool. Great job Mom!

We did go to the airshow and watch one day after work. It was so fun! We saw some awesome airplanes doing amazing aerobatics.

While at work we briefed pilots on the weather and forecast what it was going to do for the next few days around the country. We also were able to do group briefings where we would take the golf cart to different parts of the airshow grounds and talk to large groups of people such as the ultra-light pilots or the hot air balloon pilots or all of the pilots and parachute jumpers that performed in the airshow. It was really fun. I got to meet a lot of really neat people and get to talk to them face to face instead of just over a phone.

I had so much fun! I would love to go again next year!

A "Visitor"

2009-05-05T20:56:00.008-07:00

Jake and I got home from a nice Cinco de Mayo dinner at Chili's tonight and we had a visitor waiting for us in our garage. We took a picture of him to share with all of our friends and family:

Now this picture is zoomed in and this Wolf Spider, as we later found out online, was about 3 inches from tip of his front leg to the tip of his back leg. Well, Jake sprayed him with "kill on contact" spider killer spray and low and behold, the spider ran away and hid flipping Jake off the whole way! About 10 minutes later, we both went back to the garage to see if he was gone and just as I stepped out of the door there was a sound as if I stepped on a dead leaf... sure enough, it was the ginormous spider! It totally freaked me out and I ran across the garage screaming the whole way! Jake had to clean it up before I would even come back to that side of the garage. I felt so bad. I wouldn't have minded if he was just relocated out of the garage because we found on Wikipedia that they are harmless and good hunters.

Anyway, that was our latest visitor. I promise I don't kill all of our visitors so feel free to stop by sometime!

Earth Day 2009

2009-05-01T16:00:00.007-07:00

I know I'm a little late with the Earth Day posting. It was April 22nd, but better late than never. Here are a few facts that may interest you:

The garbage in a landfill stays for a for about 30 years.
In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full.
Each person throws away approximately four pounds of garbage every day.
One bus carries as many people as 40 cars!
More than 1/3 of all energy is used by people at home
Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
We each use about 12,000 gallons of water every year
1/3 of all water is used to flush the toilet.
The 500 million automobiles on earth burn an average of 2 gallons of fuel a day.
Each gallon of fuel releases 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.
Approximately 5 million tons of oil produced in the world each year ends up in the ocean.
The energy we save when we recycle one glass bottle is enough to light a traditional light bulb for four hours
For every 2000 pounds of paper (1 ton) recycled, we save 7,000 gallons of water free from chemicals.
Recycled paper requires 64% less energy than making paper from virgin wood pulp, and can save many trees
Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees
The amount of wood and paper we throw away is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years
Earth is 2/3 water. but all the fresh water streams only represent one hundredth of one percent.
14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into the ocean every year
It takes 90% less energy to recycle aluminum cans than to make new ones
5 billion aluminum cans are used each year
84 percent of all household waste can be recycled.
Computers pose an environmental threat because much of the material that makes them up is hazardous. A typical monitor contains 4-5 pounds of lead.
Each year billions of used batteries are thrown away in the United States. This constitutes 88% of the mercury and 54% of the cadmium deposited into our landfills
Approximately only 10 percent of every landfill can be cleaned up.
Ivory comes from dead elephants, its best not to buy it.
Fur coats often come from endangered animals, it's best not to buy them.
One gallon of motor oil can contaminate up to 2 million gallons of water. so dispose of properly!
Here is an example of the water we use everyday:
Here is an example of how long it takes some things take to break down:

SOME REALLY COOL TOOLS for more fast facts:

Envirofacts Warehouse provides users with direct access to environmental information contained in various EPA databases including hazardous waste, Superfund information, toxic releases, facility information, risk management plans, grants/funding, water permits, and drinking water contaminant occurrence.
Enviromapper allows users to map various types of environmental information including hazardous waste, water discharge permits, toxic and air releases, watersheds, and Superfund sites. Enviromapper can also be used to spatially view environmental statistics, profiles, and trends.
Environmental Benefits Calculator
NERC's Environmental Benefits Calculator is the most up-to-date, accurate, and comprehensive tool of its kind in the United States. It is usable by any state, region, county, town, institution, school and business in the United States. Among the Calculator’s unique features are the environmental benefits of computer recycling and reuse calculator, an energy savings comparison chart, and an emissions savings comparison chart.

Hope this helped to open everyone's eyes a little... I know it helped me!

The Quick & Dirty

2009-04-15T10:42:00.010-07:00

I know, I know... It's been too long. Here is the quick and dirty of the past 4 1/2 months. Our house is finished and updated. We have new flooring (carpet and wood) and new paint on every surface of the house. The walls were all painted and the ceilings too. I think it looks great!

We went on vacation with Saremy the beginning of March. We had a blast! We went to a LA Laker game, Universal Studios, Disneyland for 3 days, an Anaheim Ducks game, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and many restaurants and shops in So. Cal. It was so fun! Sara put 9 days worth of vacation on her blog and she explains it so well! We always have so much fun with Saremy. Thanks for the great "First Annual!" Here are some pictures:

Also, some more great news... IT'S A BOY! That's right we have a new baby boy in the family and his name is Alfie!

We got him from the animal shelter out here. He's 2 years old and such a lover. We were told he is a St. Bernard/Hound mix. I'm not sure. He has a hound bark, St. Bernard coloring, and a Pitt Bull body-he is very strong and muscular. He's a mutt. Him and Nico are great brothers and friends. They play most of the day and sleep next to each other at night. Now Nico isn't lonely when we are at work anymore. He is a great addition to our family.

My birthday was great. I turned 26 this year. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Its just another year. Jake bought me an amazing cake. There is a guy we work with whose wife owns a cake bakery. She is amazing. Check out her website Cakes By Jenna. She is amazing!

Yes this is actually my cake.

A group of people at work have decided to run a relay race. Dareth, you may know this one from up in Utah. It is called "The Ragnar Relay". It is a 24 hour, 201 mile race from Prescott to Wickenberg to Mesa. There are 12 runners each running 3 legs. Each leg varies from 2-9 miles. I've already claimed the 5, 4.6, and 3.1 mile legs. So needless to say, I have started running. The good news is that Alfie goes with me each time. I bought him a backpack and he carries my water, a collapsible water bowl for him and my cell phone. He has so much energy that he happily carries the extra weight and still keeps up with me. I'll keep you posted how my running goes. I've started writing in a journal about each run too, just to have a record to look back on. The race is next February so I have plenty of time.

Well, that is pretty much it for now. Sorry it took me so long to catch up. It won't happen again... probably.

I'm so excited about SPRING and Earth Day April 22nd! I have big things planned!

Wow...

2009-04-04T19:12:00.004-07:00

Wow. It has been so long since I have updated our blog!! Well I have so much to tell you all! Well, here I go...

St. Patrick's Day!

2009-02-16T22:06:00.008-07:00

Well, St. Patrick's Day is coming and you know what that means... My birthday is just around the corner! Yay! I'll be the big 2-6 this year, yep, the among the four of us- Jeremy, Sara, Jake and I. I know it doesn't really matter at 26 but when I'm 50 and they are all 49 it will matter. Bummer.

Anyway, we have a vacation coming up very soon! We are going with Saremy to California. We will visit Disneyland for 3 days, San Diego where we will go to Sea World and either the Wild Animal Park or the Zoo. We'll hang out at the beach too! I miss the beach.

I'm so excited!

Yeah!

2009-01-29T14:53:00.009-07:00

We officially own our first house! On January 23rd, only 15 days late, escrow closed on our house. We have spent the last 6 days, and the next 2 or so, painting every wall and ceiling in the house, ripping out carpet, laying wood floors, having carpet laid, cleaning and moving boxes. I'll post pictures as soon as everything is done... It won't be long now!

Zip Codes

2009-01-18T20:06:00.009-07:00

	Did you know: ZIP codes in the United States entered use on July 1, 1963.
	"ZIP" stands for "Zoning Improvement Code". It refers to the fact that ZIP codes were an expansion on a system of postal zones that were used in larger cities starting in 1943.
	Decoding a zip code: The first digit designates a broad geographical area of the United States, ranging from zero for the Northeast to nine for the far West. The next two digits specify population concentrations within those areas. The last two digits designate small post offices or postal zones in larger zoned cities.
	ZIP+4 was introduced in 1983. The extra four digits further specify the location. According to the US Postal Service "The sixth and seventh numbers denote a delivery sector, which may be several blocks, a group of streets, a group of post office boxes, several office buildings, a single high-rise office building, a large apartment building, or a small geographic area. The last two numbers denote a delivery segment, which might be one floor of an office building, one side of a street between intersecting streets, specific departments in a firm, or a group of post office boxes."
	Some interesting zip codes: 22222 is Arlington, Virginia; 44444 is Newton Falls, OH; 55555 is Young America, MN and 12345 is Schenectady, New York.

When you address an envelope do you ever think about the 5 digit code at the end? No? Well I do now because Jake and I had to RE-SIGN all of our house documents because the USPS is changing our zip code to 86315. Go figure.

I'm Baaack...

2009-01-13T19:46:00.010-07:00

Whew... it was a lot of work to get my blog background up and running again, but I did it!

Uh Oh...

2009-01-09T14:22:00.008-07:00

Well, I went to change my background and was in a hurry and deleted the last one before I figured out that my favorite blog background site was down for maintenance. So, until they get up again, I'll be down. Bummer.

Extension

2009-01-08T12:41:00.005-07:00

Well, our house papers haven't been signed yet. We were supposed to sign them Monday but that was delayed because there was a judgement, aka lien, on the house. That had to be cleared up before we would sign the papers and ultimately accept the debt. That was cleared up Wednesday morning. We then found out that our loan papers had not been sent and still needed a few things to be completed. We got that cleared up and now the papers have to be sent here from CA. So hopefully we can actually sign them tomorrow. It will then take 3 days for the selling bank to sign which means that with the weekend, that will be next Tuesday )-: Jake and I had taken a week off of work to paint and get the fencing and flooring done and now that seems to have been a waste so we will probably go back to work so we don't waste vacation time. Bummer huh?

2009 Already!

2009-01-03T17:28:00.006-07:00

I can't believe that last year went so fast. Here we are starting 2009 and Jake and I are getting our house next week! We have so much stuff to do: painting, carpet, wood floors, etc. Whew! I still have to pack too! I'm starting to get very excited, a little nervous since there is so much to do, but mainly excited! Stay tuned for updates!

Christmas is Coming!

2008-12-16T15:26:00.007-07:00

Last weekend, Jake and I put up our Christmas tree and our decorations. It's going to be a very small Christmas this year since our big present to each other is the house. Anyway, our house smells like Christmas every time we walk in and that's one of my favorite things of the season!

We're Buying a House!

2008-12-14T21:15:00.006-07:00

Jake and I found the house of our dreams a few weeks ago. We were praying for some guidance about whether we should buy a house, or maybe some property, or not do anything at all yet. Two days later, we found a house online and fell in love. We drove by it and decided it was for us. After we found out it was bank-owned and there were no offers, we decided to wait it out and see if it was "meant to be." Well, the bank said they would pay closing costs, we got money for our down payment, and they dropped the price $13,000 and so we decided we should make an offer. Well, the bank accepted it and escrow closes Jan 8th. It is on 2 acres, so we can have the horses living with us, it is 2021 sq ft, 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 3 car garage, and fully landscaped with grass front and back. It is amazing! We are going to replace all the floors and paint every room. I'll keep you posted with progress.

Family Portrait

2008-12-10T09:03:00.007-07:00

Jake's parent were out visiting and Stan has this amazing camera and loves taking pictures so we asked him if he would take a few family portraits. He agreed and we went out on the coldest day of the season so far and got some good shots. Here is the best one. What a cute family huh?

Albino Peacock

2008-11-30T15:46:00.005-07:00

Look how beautiful this albino peacock is. He looks like a giant snowflake. Amazing!

It's Here...

2008-11-30T08:02:00.005-07:00

Here you go, the details of my Mary Kay SALE!

All instock items- 40% OFF

All not-instock items- 30% OFF

Call me and schedule a free facial and beauty class and get an additional 10% off! (Local area only of course)

You Said It Andy!

2008-11-25T17:41:00.004-07:00

Andy Rooney said on '60 Minutes' a few weeks back:

I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers.. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America. Try to have things like the United Caucasian College Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happens...Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.
Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.
I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, which is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong in the Girl Scouts! ARE YOU LISTENING MARTHA BURKE?
I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is not a phobia, it is an opinion.
I have the right 'NOT' to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off.
When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling; it is the Law of Probability.
I believe that if you are selling me a milkshake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen, you should have to speak English!

My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours.
I think the police should have every right to shoot you if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word 'freeze' or 'stop' in English, see the above lines.
I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business.
We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms, so that decades later they could come over here and tell us our constitution is a living document; and open to their interpretations.
I don't hate the rich; I don't pity the poor
I know pro wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television. That doesn't stop you from watching them.
I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's better, and put your name on the building.
It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid; and smack their little behinds when necessary, and say 'NO!'
I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And, please, stay home until that new lip ring heals. I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me French fries!
I am sick of 'Political Correctness.' I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa; so how can they be 'African-Americans'? Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European-American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere else
And if you don't like my point of view, tough....

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!
It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a problem in having 'In God We Trust' on our money and having 'God' in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the 14% to BE QUIET!!!

2 Years... Already!

2008-11-13T21:37:00.030-07:00

So it's been 2 years of wedded bliss already. We both took an extra day off and decided to head to Las Vegas again this year to celebrate. It was a very fun trip. We didn't gamble at all so no winnings but we did go and see "Zumanity" at the New York, New York hotel. That is the Cirque de Soleil show that has half naked people... when they say "partial nudity", they mean more like 7/8ths nudity. Beautiful people though so it wasn't a bad night. It was a great show. We travelled the strip and visited all of the hotels and shops. We went to Fremont Street too and had my face made into a clay sculpture. Quite amazing! There was an Asian man who was making these with just his fingers! He gave it to me 1/2 price because he needed a model. Nice huh? Does it look like me? One of our favorite things is to watch the Bellagio water shows. I saw a new one this time around. It is called, "Time To Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman. What a beautiful song. I put a video of the show below. It's a new favorite song. Overall, it was a wonderful trip. Here's to many more years and anniversaries to come!

Mary Kay SALE!

2008-11-08T17:04:00.006-07:00

I just cleaned out my Mary Kay closet and discovered I have way too much stuff! So I'm having a sale! And a HUGE sale at that! I am going to make a list of my products and hash out the details of this liquidation so KEEP IN TOUCH FOR MORE DETAILS!

Halloween

2008-11-04T08:24:00.011-07:00

Well it was time to carve the pupmkins that we had bought. Jake carved his first small one like Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas. Our huge pumpkin got a scary-happy face. Cleaning it was the hardest thing. We actually found 5 live pumpkin plants growing inside! I took the 2 pounds of seeds and roasted them. They turned out very yummy.

Jake and Jeremy had to work Halloween night so Sara came over to our house to help pass out candy. I made dinner, cream cheese potato soup which ended up like cream cheese mashed potatoes, and she brought over pumpkin cheesecake bars... MMMM. We had a ton of trick-or-treaters!

My First Game

2008-11-04T08:09:00.021-07:00

Last Thursday Jake and I went to Phoenix to go to a Suns basketball game with Jeremy and Sara. It was so much fun! I had never been to a game before so it was an experience for me. The players are HUGE! I saw Shaq (ok so it was a life sized picture on the wall) and took a picture with him. He's not so big, ha ha ha! I also got a picture of Shaq making a free-throw! That's rare and it may be worth money some day! We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe before hand and it was delicious. Overall, a great night!

Disturbing

2008-10-27T13:50:00.019-07:00

I just got this email from my mother-in-law Kim about the difference between butter and margarine... it's disturbing.

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter.

DO YOU KNOW...the difference between margarine and butter? Read on to the end, it gets very interesting!

-Both have the same amount of calories.

-Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.
-Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

-Eating Butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

-Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added!

-Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

-Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for Margarine...

-Very high in trans fatty acids.

-Triple risk of coronary heart disease.

-Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

-Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.

-Lowers quality of breast milk

-Decreases immune response.

-Decreases insulin response.

AND HERE IS THE MOST DISTURBING FACT AND THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance). You can try this yourself: Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:

-No flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go nearit (that should tell you something) -It does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value.

-Nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weenie microorganisms will not find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends..... (If you want to "butter them up")!

I also just read on a random blog called "FancyPantsMom" where it said this about softening cold butter for a recipe:

"....When you need cold butter to be softened, stick it down your shirt (still in the wrapper people!) and let it rest for a little bit between your skin and your bra. It will quickly warm up to the perfect temperature!"

Interesting huh? I know I hate waiting for butter to soften, but it seems like it would be cold.

Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others."

Holy Cow!

2008-10-22T16:51:00.008-07:00

I was cleaning my house today and when it came to my shower I was a little perplexed on what to do with the hard water stains. I sprayed Lime Away in the shower and just about killed myself with the toxic smell. I read the warnings on the label and it said it was highly toxic and I should not breathe it in or let it touch my skin. How am I supposed to spray it all over my walk in shower, scrub it around, and rinse it without breathing or letting it touch me?!? Well, I went to Fry's grocery store today and saw a product I have never seen before. It is called "Holy Cow". There is a series of cleaners such as an all purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, and degreaser. I bought the degreaser with the idea that I would use it to clean my stove and oven. I had the idea to use it on my shower again when I got home. I did just that and I am quite amazed! It is non-toxic, safe for the environment, safe around animals and kids, all natural, AND IT WORKS! What could be any better?!? Anyway, I wanted to share these awesome products with you and I am now a Holy Cow kinda girl! For more information, click here to check out the Holy Cow website.

Jack-O-Lantern

2008-10-21T07:40:00.004-07:00

Here is a great link to make your own Jack-o-Lantern. You take then pen and draw your pumpkins face and once you hit the "Done" button, it will light up for you! It's pretty fun and gets me into the pumpkin carving mood!
Carve My Pumpkin!

Free to Give

2008-10-20T09:23:00.018-07:00

I was checking out some of the Breast Cancer Awareness websites on Sara & Jeremy's blog and found a new favorite! The Breast Cancer Site is a website that you can donate, IT'S FREE, to help several different causes. Once you go to this website, you click on the "Click Here to Give- It's Free" button and the sponsors of the site donate money. On the top of the web page, there are different tabs for different causes including: Hunger, Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, Rain Forests, and Animal Rescue. After you donate, you can scroll down and see how much towards each charity was donated. It's pretty amazing how many people have been donating, and it can always be more so I challenge you to click and donate daily to all of these causes. Just like Sara, I have signed up for the daily email reminder so I can click on all of these tabs and donate everyday. What a great site Sara!

Stitches

2008-10-16T15:01:00.005-07:00

Today is Day 3, which means that Nico's foot can be unwrapped. It can also stay unwrapped as long as he can keep it clean. Today was the first time I was able to see his stitches and they look pretty good. He's being a good boy and not licking them either. We'll see how long that lasts.

Sara Was Right

2008-10-14T16:05:00.007-07:00

My good friend Sara blogged about a Pumpkin Butter that she made. It is delicious! I made it today and Sara was right! If you want recipe for it check out Jeremy & Sara's blog. There is a link to it on my sidebar. Thanks Sara!

Quick & Easy Dinner

2008-10-14T09:28:00.005-07:00

Last night, I was trying to think of what to make for dinner. I was tired and really didn't want to do a lot. I looked online for some ideas and came across an amazing recipe! It was on www.recipezaar.com and it is a Chicken and Rice Casserole. It was so easy and tasted so good! I used 98% fat free cream of chicken soup and cream of potato soup (Jake and I don't care for mushrooms). I used 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of measuring 2 cups, and I added some broccoli which gave it a great color. I topped it with some shreadded cheddar cheese and it was done in an hour! It tasted great, was healthy, and simple! Give this one a try, it will become a favorite!
Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
-2 cups cubed cooked chicken
-1 cup rice
-1 cup milk
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1 can cream of mushroom soup
-salt and pepper

Directions
-Mix all ingredients.
-Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

Lady Luck

2008-10-13T18:24:00.003-07:00

It seems Lady Luck is on Nico's side and his foot isn't broken, not even fractured. He did need stitches in his toe to close up a large gash. $250 later, he has another pretty scar.

We're home

2008-10-13T14:46:00.011-07:00

The wedding in CA was very nice. It was a very short stay for us after a very long drive, but it was worth it. Jake was able to see all of his college buddies. It was a lot of fun.

We come home to news that Nico had his foot stepped on by Reno. I guess Reno ran out of his stall and Nico wanted to head him off and they seem to have met in the middle and Nico's foot was squished. I just took him to the vet today where they will x-ray it and maybe stitch up a pretty deep cut that is between his toes. I'll let you know how it goes. I've included some pictures of horse's feet so you can see how much damage they can cause. I've been stepped on... it hurts.

Running On Empty

2008-10-10T18:48:00.012-07:00

Jake and I are going to CA tomorrow for one of Jake's friend's wedding. We are both working the mid-shift (10pm-6:30am) tonight and then leaving right away to head west. We will go to the wedding tomorrow evening and then head back Sunday. I luckily got out of my mid-shift Sunday night and we both have to be at work at 5am Monday morning.

I have this really cute dress to wear to the wedding. I originally bought it to wear to Sara & Jeremy's wedding last year (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT'S BEEN A YEAR ALREADY?!?). Jake and I found FABULOUS shoes to wear with it. They are brown slingbacks with rhinestones and sparklies on the toe! ADORABLE! These pictures don't show how sparkly they really are. But they are topaz colored rhinestones that catch the light as I walk. They are so fun!

Trophy!

2008-10-07T11:18:00.004-07:00

I'm so excited! I woke up this morning and as I was putting on my heart rate monitor before I went running I noticed a little envelope on the screen. My watch/heart rate monitor sends me a little note each week with a summary of last weeks workouts. This week was a little different because now instead of a swirl on the time screen I have a little trophy! I know it is something small but it is inspiring! I've never gotten a trophy for working out before!

Surprise!

2008-10-07T08:32:00.007-07:00

Jake and I were at home Saturday night moving some furniture around, when we got a call from my parent's neighbor, Fred. He told me that one of our horses was out and walking around the street. I knew for sure it was Reno, since he is the mischievous escape artist. I drove over there as quick as I could and I was shocked to see it was Buster out! Buster was the last of the three horses I expected it to be! He walked up to me and practically begged me to put him back in. Poor guy. He had some cuts and scrapes all over his legs and his left side. The fence had been bent in half. I'm not sure what happened, but I think he somehow fell over the top, probably got stuck, and had to fight his way out and ended up on the wrong side. I don't know. I really wish I had video on my animals at all times. I think I'd be amazed! This is a picture of Buster at the vet after having his teeth floated (filed flat). He is trying to wake up enough to go home. He isn't eating, he is literally resting his face on the ground.

Pumpkin!

2008-10-07T08:23:00.006-07:00

Well, I promised pictures and here they are. Nico decided to help to show exactly the size of this monster. We will end up carving a design on 3 sides and putting it out for all of the trick-or-treaters to enjoy, but for now it is safely on display until later in the month. We are still thinking of an appropriate name for it. Last year's was "Humphrey". Humphrey had a big smiley face as the main carving because he was a huge, big, fat, happy man. It only seemed appropriate to be smiling. Once we carve him, I'll post more pics.

Last Minute

2008-10-02T19:33:00.003-07:00

Jake is on his way home from California. I am going to clean the bathrooms really quick so that the whole house is clean once he gets home. Jake bought us a big pumpkin for Halloween. Each year we buy a giant pumpkin and carve 3-4 different images on it. I can't wait to carve this one, but I think we'll wait until a little later so it doesn't go bad too early. I'll post pictures of it tomorrow! Prepare to be amazed!

Dummy Book

2008-10-02T19:02:00.004-07:00

Well, I'm about half way through the Personal Finance for Dummies book and I have to say it is pretty good. There is a lot of good advice in there. I feel that a lot of it I already knew. I'm at the chapter on how to increase savings and decrease debt. It's getting good now!

Too Much to Do!

2008-10-01T11:44:00.019-07:00

After reading Sara's latest blog entry, I was inspired to go pink and as you can see, I changed our blog to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And as my cute little sign says, don't forget to "Feel Your Boobies."

Jake left for California today to help his folks bring some furniture out here to AZ this weekend. He left early so he could get an oil change in the truck before the long drive. I woke up as he left and started my chores. I vaccumed and dusted and did a little laundry. I still need to mop the tile (if you've been to our house you know that is almost the entire place!) and clean the bathrooms and then go grocery shopping.

I went running this morning as well. Starting October off well, I went about 2 miles today. Mr. Nico went with me. I think 2 miles is about his max. It was starting go get a little warm and he was pooped. Maybe I'll give him a bath later.

I also need to go and pick up some hay for the horses. We're almost out and that would be a bad thing.

Wow, I sure have a lot of stuff to do! Bummer.

A New Read

2008-09-29T20:13:00.009-07:00

Jake and I are taking a personal finance class through church and decided we would buy additional books as well. The more we can do to organize our money now, the better. Our class officially starts 14 October and I am very excited to get ourselves into a better habit of organizing and budgeting our money. The class will end by Christmas and it will be nice to start 2009 off right with new great habits. We bought Personal Finance for Dummies and I'm going to start going through it tonight. I figured this is a good one to start with since it's written very simply for us "dummies." I'll keep you up to date on how the book is!

Goals

2008-09-29T16:39:00.011-07:00

I've come up with yet another plan. I am going to set goals for myself each month and keep you updated on how I'm doing with them. My goal for October: Run 6 miles per week. I'm going to follow The Couch-to-5K Running Plan help reach my goals. I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing.

Look Ma, No Cavities!

2008-09-29T13:02:00.007-07:00

I had to go to the dentist today and I'm proud to say, no cavities! Yeah! I guess all of that hard work has paid off!

A Kabillion Stars

2008-09-22T22:06:00.008-07:00

Out of the last 60 hours I have worked 24 and I'm kinda tired. Jake had to work tonight and I was half asleep on the couch as he was getting ready to leave. Nico was bouncing off the walls with energy. He would run outside, run back inside down the hall, slide on the tile, turn around and run and almost attack us. He was a little hyper. I felt really bad for him and I really didn't want to play. I did, however, suck it up and put on my running shoes. Nico and I went for a quick little run at about 8:15 tonight. Our street is pretty dark and I was amazed at how many stars there are. I swear I could see a kabillion! I forget how relaxing it is to just stare at them all and think about how far away they are. It really made me appreciate that Nico got me out to run tonight. Thanks buddy!

Olive Oil

2008-09-22T21:53:00.008-07:00

So I read online today about olive oil and how there are many uses for it other than cooking. Tonight, before bed, I put olive oil on my skin and hair and let it sit for awhile. Then I showered and my skin feels amazingly soft! (I'll know about my hair tomorrow since it is still wet). Here are some of the other ideas this website suggested.

Cuticles and nails: If your cuticles are ragged and your nails brittle and dry, olive oil can help! Soak nails for 30 minutes in a small cup of olive oil.
Hands: Smoothe on a generous amount of olive oil before bed, put on white gloves, and go to sleep. Your hands will be softer and smoother in the morning!
Lips: To soothe and smooth dry, chapped lips, dab on a little oil.
Hair Treatment: This helps repair split ends, heals dandruff, and makes your hair shiny, silky, and lustrous. Massage a few tablespoons of olive oil into scalp and hair. Cover hair with a plastic bathing cap and leave on for 30 minutes or more, then shampoo as usual.
Skin: Massage a small amount of olive oil into skin whenever you need softening and moisturizing, Apply extra oil to rough or cracked areas.
Bath: Add several Tablespoons of olive oil to your bath, along with a few drops of your favorate essential oil, to soothe and nourish you.

A word of warning: washing off the oil, and probably bathing in it, makes the tub and shower very slick so be careful!

Lemon Bars

2008-09-22T14:27:00.006-07:00

I decided that I want to be more spontaneous and caring and thoughtful to Jake, so while he was at work I baked him some lemon bars. Now I have to say, I'm pretty proud of how they turned out since this is my first time. I can't wait for him to get home and taste them!

If anyone has any ideas for some awesome ways to be spontaneous and say "I love you," then please let me know. I'm always looking for ideas. The more the better!

Dear Sara,

2008-09-22T14:02:00.010-07:00

I found this in one of my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. It explains margarine and using it in cookies. I instantly thought about your last blog. Maybe it will help.

"All Margarines are not equal-especially when it comes to baking cookies. For the best results, choose stick margarines containing at least 60% vegetable oil. Spreads with less than 60% vegetable oil have a high water content and do not give satisfactory results in any type of cookie, including bar and drop cookies. Also, avoid spreads labeled diet, whipped, liquid, or soft; they are intended for table use, not for baking. Stick margarines containing corn oil will produce a soft cookie dough, so you may need to adjust the chilling instructions given in the recipe. Do not substitute cooking oil for the margarine in cookie recipes. Oil is 100% fat; margarine is an emulsion of fat and water. Substituting an equal amount of oil for margarine will produce a cookie that tastes and feels greasy."

Well there you go. I didn't know all of this!

No-See-Um

2008-09-21T07:29:00.005-07:00

Hi, I'm Kayla and I have a "No-See-Um" problem. This here is a "No-See-Um" and they are in our back yard. They get their name from being so tiny that you never know they are there. Jake and I were pulling weeds the other day and we were both very itchy. We came inside and we both had at least 11 bug bites on us. The next day, I took about 90 seconds to walk outside and fill Nico's water bowl and I was lucky enough to get 2 more bites! Little buggers!

Obsession

2008-09-16T12:12:00.004-07:00

So I've come to the conclusion that I have a few obsessions. I am obsessed with checking my email and blogging. All day I think of things I can blog about. It's an illness.

BFF

2008-09-16T12:05:00.011-07:00

This is the
"Fluidity Bar" and it is my new best friend! It is a free standing ballet bar and the workout is that of a ballet dancer. Dancers have such long, lean muscles that always look so good. I bought this at the end of last year, used it for a little bit, and then stored it in a different room. Along with my running and weight routine, I'm going to be really good about using my Fluidity Bar. When using it, you can tell it works. It's pretty challenging. I'm excited to start it up again! If you want to challenge yourself too, I put a link to the website so you can order the bar too. It's not cheap but it will work.

Inspiration & Info

2008-09-15T21:09:00.010-07:00

While Jake and I were flying to the east coast, I was reading a magazine and there was an article in there about a couple who travels the nation to compete in 5K (3.1 miles) races. This way they get to compete, stay fit, and visit wonderful places across the nation. While in NYC, I heard that there was a breast cancer awareness event called "Race for the Cure" happening soon. This was a 5K race through Central Park. I was thinking that there isn't a much better place to run than Central Park. I would love to travel the nation raising money for wonderful charities and staying fit at the same time. I know that I originally wrote a post saying I was going to train for a 1/2 marathon... yeah, never happened... surprise, surprise... but 3 miles seems very obtainable. And at my 10-minute-mile pace, that is still only 30 minutes! I can do that! So I've decided, just this minute I am going to find a local 5K and start training for it and compete in it. So if it's for charity, expect me to email, call, or write you requesting donations so be ready to pay up 'cuz I HATE RUNNING but if it's for such a good cause then I can do it. I'm going to put a link to 5K races on the blog so check it out! If you want to join me and train together, or even keep each other motivated from a distance, please let me know! I'd love a buddy or two, or ten!

With that being said, here is some health information I pulled up. Very interesting!

Did you know that September is a very busy month for cancer awareness? It is. Here is a list of which month is which for the rest of the year. I'll put a link for the whole thing on the blog so you can stay up-to-date on which month it is!

September
National Ovarian Cancer Month
Childhood Cancer Month
Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month
Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (Sept. 14-20)
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month
Take a Loved One for a Check-up Day (Sept. 16)

October
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Mammography Day (Oct. 17)
International Brain Tumor Awareness Week (Oct. 26 - Nov. 1)

November
Great American Smokeout (Nov. 20)
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic® Weekend (Nov. 20-21)
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
National Family Caregivers Month
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

As I was reading my October Shape magazine I found some interesting facts on disease prevention called "MIND YOUR MOUTH, SAVE YOUR LIFE." These are things you may not have though of:

First, keeping your teeth and gums healthy can lower your risk of lung, bladder, and pancreas cancer by 14% They recommend brushing twice a day for at least 2 minutes and flossing at least once a day. "The ideal oral hygiene routine: Brush, floss, then rinse with mouthwash."

Second, gum disease can double your chance of developing insulin resistance (a precursor of diabetes).

Third, Tooth decay and gum disease can up the amount of oral bacteria that enters your bloodstream, leaving you vulnerable to infective endocarditis, and infection of the heart valve that may increase your risk for a stroke.

Pretty interesting how just 6 minutes or so a day can save your life!

Brain Age

2008-09-15T20:58:00.004-07:00

One of my college roommates named Dareth sent me an email with this fun little "Brain Age" game. It's a quick 60 second game that is fun and challenging. Give it a try! I was a 23 on my first try! Yeah Me!

Procedure of Flash Fabrica Game:
1. Touch 'start'
2. Wait for 3, 2, 1.
3. Memorize the numbers' positions on the screen, then click the corresponding circles from the smallest number to the biggest number.
4. At the end of game, the computer will tell you how old your brain is.

Good luck !!

http://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.html

The Big Apple

2008-09-14T11:39:00.010-07:00

After Boston, we took a 4 hour train ride down the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut to New York City. What a BEAUTIFUL ride! Although most of the trees were still green, some had started to change colors already giving us a beautiful show of yellows, oranges and reds. Fabulous! Once in NYC, we took a cab from the train station to our hotel. HOLY CRAP! Taxi drivers do not care how fast they drive, whether or not people are crossing the street, whether or not a car is coming at them as they want to turn, or anything! They get you where you need to go as fast as possible not matter the cost! SCARY! I decided that hoofin' it would be our primary mode of transportation. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Times Square. It was a really nice hotel.

The first day there, we went to the Empire State building. It was so much higher than I ever imagined it was. we went to the 86th floor and took pictures of this pigeon who was just kickin' it there on tallest building in NY and he posed for us.

That night, we went to a place called Carnigie Deli for a pastrami sandwich. Jake and both ordered one and quickly changed our order to just one sandwich to share after we saw them bring other people their dinner. The picture shows why. Anyway, it was the most delicious pastrami sandwich I have ever had and the pickles were delish!

The next day was 9/11. We took a ferry to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. That was really fun. The Statue of Liberty is much larger than I thought it would be. Ellis Island has hundreds of pictures of immigrants that I really enjoyed looking at. It was a pretty place. That night, we went to go see "Legally Blonde" on Broadway. What an AMAZING show. It was so good and hillarious at that! Highly recommended. After the show, we went to ground zero. We went late at night thinking it would be a little quieter, and it was. I have to say, there isn't much there. There is a huge hole in the ground with a chain link fence around it that is lined so you can't see inside. There is no memorial or anything yet even after 7 years. There was a fire truck out on the street with people talking about where they were the day of and all of that. It was very emotional hearing how these people could see it out their window and I was all the way in Fresno, CA when it happened. It shed a new light on it.

The next day, we woke up to rain. We went to the Metropolition Museum of Natural History which was great and HUGE. We also walked through Central Park which is much bigger and much more beautiful than I ever thought and then we went shopping on 5th Ave. I'm going to use the excuse that I didn't like anything I saw as a reason I didn't buy anything... it had nothing to do with the prices of course! We also had a Yankee game planned. Jake hates the Yankees (he's a Boston Red Sox fan) but we wanted to see the stadium before they tear it down. So we heard that we had to get "the best pizza in the world" at a place called Nick's in the Bronx. First we got on the wrong train, then another wrong one. Then we walked around in a little place called Harlem for about an hour trying to find the subway station that had the correct train. Talk about standing out in a crowd! Now keep in mind it is still raining. We decided to skip Nick's and just go to the game. Well, we finally found a cab willing to pick us up and he took us to the right subway station. We caught that, with about a kabillion other people going to Yankee stadium, and finally got there. We found a line and they proceed to announce that no backpacks are allowed, which of course we had because we had been out all day long. So we had to walk down and across the street to a bowling alley which would check our backpack. We finally get into the stadium to find the field flooded. Well, we hung out for a bit and took some pictures. When game time can and went, we left without seeing a game and about $155 in the whole for 2 $15 face value tickets. Oh well, the price you pay for one of the last games in that stadium EVER. Anyway, we went back to Times Square and ate at Bubba Gumps. Delicious and way fun!

Overall, it was a wonderful trip. We got back safe after 19 hours of travelling which included a subway trip from Times Square to Grand Central Station, then a train on the Long Island Rail Road to Islip, NY then a plane to Baltimore where we sat for 3 hours. Then a plane to San Antonio, TX and then to Phoenix. Then we ate at The Old Spaghetti Factory and drove 2 hours back home. What a long day!

Boston

2008-09-14T11:25:00.010-07:00

Jake and I returned from our east coast vacation late last night. It was wonderful! First off we flew into Providence, RI. What a pretty place! We then took a train to Boston. We both agreed it is our new favorite city ever! The people there are friendly, the city is beautiful and clean, and it felt very safe. There is a ton of stuff to do and the food is fabulous! We went to an Italian place called G'vanni's and it was the best chicken parmasean I've ever had! HUGE! We also went to a Boston Red Sox game. It rained, but we went anyway and had a great time. We were tied at the end of the game when the Tampa Bay Rays scored. Jake turned his hat upside down and inside out (a "Rally Cap" he calls it) for luck. I did not. Boston ended up losing and he said it was because I wasn't wearing the rally cap.

Update

2008-09-06T09:31:00.005-07:00

Well, Jake and I didn't get our house. We offered our best and the seller came back with wanting even more. We just couldn't do it. We're going to wait a bit and see how much money we can put away. Our plan is to make another offer on it, just early next year. We'll see how it goes I guess. But for now, we are just waiting and saving.

We;re leave for Boston and New York City tomorrow at 9:45a so we have a bunch of stuff to do today. Packing and laundry and taking Nico to my folks house for the week and just making sure we have all of our papers together with our confirmation numbers and such. It will be SO fun!

Talk to ya'll soon!

Hmmm...

2008-08-28T22:26:00.014-07:00

So I've noticed I have a ton of pictures of Nico on this blog but none of the horses! How could I forget them? So here we are, pictures of each and a description of the other "kids."

Reno: A human stuck in a horse's body. Reno is extremely intelligent and "cunning." He is mischievous and fun. Reno is a tremendous athlete and loves to work hard and perform in front of people. He's a ham. He is the one I took to the horse show in Flagstaff and the one in the picture and video posted on this blog.

Buster: He's the lover of the group. He would love to just stand next to you and cuddle you all day if he could. Buster would love to just crawl into your pocket and go everywhere with you. He is the only one of the three that actually will walk up to you when you go out to catch him to ride. He does anything he can to make you happy. He's such a sweetheart.

Soda Pop: She is the princess of the group. Most of the equipment I have for her is pink and she loves it. Soda is so feminine and pretty. She is probably one of the prettiest horses I've ever seen. She has an attitude though. Soda is very prissy. Like I said, she's a princess. She does enjoy being ridden and she is really good at what she does.

There you go, the other kids. I'll make sure I am better at keeping them in the loop too! I'm a bad mom! (I can't get the spacing right so sorry some words are spaced a little weird. Sorry)

Exciting!

2008-08-28T22:20:00.004-07:00

So to add to this "Waiting Game," we have our big vacation to New York City and Boston coming up as well. We leave September 7th and return September 13th. Yes, we will be there for September 11th, but it wasn't planned. We plan to spend a few days in Boston and then taking the train down the coast to NYC. We are going to go to a Boston Red Sox game and a NY Yankee game. It's the last year for Yankee Stadium. Boy does that make ticket prices soar! We are going to go to Ground Zero of course, and Liberty Island, the Empire State building, and Central Park, and a Broadway show, among other places. We are geting very excited! I'll bring home LOTS of pictures!

The Waiting Game

2008-08-28T20:47:00.007-07:00

On Tuesday afternoon, Jake and I put an offer on the house. Now we are just waiting to see if the owners accept our offer. The deadline is tomorrow at noon. I'll keep you posted!

Trauma

2008-08-19T18:11:00.008-07:00

Today was Nico's second vet appointment. He had to have an ultrasound of his tummy and good news... HE'S NOT PREGNANT!! It also showed that he has no mass hanging around his spleen but his spleen is enlarged... a lot. His pancreas is also very inflammed and irritated. Both of these indicate that he has had "trauma" to the area. This also means that "Mr. Mahookie-Butthead Nico" probably was chasing the horses and was KICKED... again!! Big surprise huh? Well overall, it's good news and bad. He's going to be fine but she also saw in an x-ray that he has an enlarged heart. 75-80% of large dogs get this condition called Cardiomyopathy. Ultimately his heart muscles will become thick and it will be hard for his heart to pump. He isn't showing any signs of it yet, other than the x-ray. It will be awhile for it to really bother him and we know the signs to look for. So pretty much Nico is a healthy boy for now!

We did take the opportunity to take some pictures of him while he was sedated (snoring quite loud mind you) and having the ultrasound. Enjoy!

HEY!!... Did you know you can click on these pictures and they get huge? I didn't! Nico is even funnier HUGE!