Fisher Crew

I can't believe it!

2011-04-07T22:50:00.002-04:00

Today I registered Paige for 6th grade.

I can't believe she is going to middle school already. Last week we talked and discussed all the elective options available to her. She chose Spanish, Visual arts, typing and Future Problem Solvers. I won't know if she gets all of her choices until July.

10 seems so young, but so old at the same time. She is growing quickly too. Seriously, she is up to my chin. I am glad she got into Franklin Academy because it makes this transition easier for me. But wow, she'll be grown before I know it, and that makes my heart hurt. But, for now, I enjoy every minute I have with her!

This and That

2011-03-23T20:00:00.005-04:00

First things first, David is still out of work. But, I need to say that his being out of work was supposed to happen. It has been such a wonderful blessing for us and for other people as well. We haven't struggled the way I know so many people are who have lost work. He has worked on several side jobs, one of which was from a client he hasn't worked for in 8 years! My testimony grows when I see the Lord's hand in our life on a daily basis. Yes, we are living on unemployment of $480/ week but we have so much more that makes us happy. I don't know if I mentioned it on my blog before, but we received a bit of advice from David's sister a couple of years ago on how we could make it through the recession and always have food on the table (She received the counsel from her Stake President via an apostle).

1. go to the temple two times/ month
2. Pay a full tithe
3. Double your fast offerings

We have followed this counsel and have been so blessed because of it. There have been three families who have needed David's "handyman" abilities desperately and he wouldn't have been able to help had he still been working. That is why I believe David needed to be out of work at this time. I have also LOVED having him home to keep me company, to see movies with, to go out to lunch, and to run errands with. It's been a blessing, I tell ya!

We have been busy the past couple of weeks and I actually brought along my camera to a couple of them so I thought I'd share what we've been doing!

The kids tracked out March 7th and don't go back to school until April 4th. We went to watch Narnia at the $1.50 theater and made our track-out homage to Marbles when it was $2/ person.

This past weekend I took the kids up to MD because my sister was flying out from UT. I couldn't have her be on my side of the country and not visit her! I tried to keep them busy up there as well. I took them to Clara Barton's home and to Glen Echo Parkwhere they were able to work on their Junior Ranger handbooks. We went to DC to go to the zoo, but there was no parking to be found. So, we drove around showing the kids the sites and parked near the Jefferson Memorial. After a while, we left and went to a park in MD I grew up visiting, Cabin John Regional Park. Twice we visited the South Germantown Park, and went to their swim center on Saturday afternoon.

After the pool time, we went to visit my Grandmother in Bethesda. She lives alone and is always full of stories and laughs to share.

I missed so many times of having my camera around, especially to take a picture of my sister, her husband, or even my parents. I'm so lame! I do need to say my kids were AMAZING on this trip. To say I was apprehensive about taking them up there alone would have been a tremendous understatement. But it was fabulous. I would do it again. There, I said it. I could, and would do it again!!

Change

2010-10-24T15:37:00.004-04:00

Today was our Stake Conference and there were certainly changes! Last week David was asked to be the Financial clerk for a NEW ward (Wake Forest 2nd) which was being created. So, when they announced him as being part of the Wake Forest 1st Ward, rather than Wake Forest 2nd, we were still sitting down looking around confused. But all is well and we are in the Wake Forest 1st ward where we were 7 years ago when we moved to the area. So if anyone from my ward saw that I was sitting and not sustaining my husband, it was unintentional! :)

I don't mind changes. It gives me a chance to grow, meet new people, and to serve in a different capacity. I am already realizing the amount of people I will no longer see on Sundays, during Relief Society activities and all my CTR 4 children I will no longer teach. I love those kids. After 2 years, they hold a special place in my heart. I'm sure it will take a couple of weeks to get acclamated, and that's okay. I know we are where the Lord wants us to be.

So, here's to a new adventure.

Ants have ears

2010-10-19T14:13:00.003-04:00

Last night after FHE we had chocolate dipped icecream bars. Apparently some of the chocolate dripped onto the floor because when I went downstairs to lock up, there were tiny little ants walking along the baseboards. I got our liquid ant baits, cut the strip and placed it by the back door. This morning after breakfast Evan and Ethan were squatting down looking at all the ants and asking what that "thing" was next to them.

Me: I put that there to get rid of the ants.

Evan: How?

Me: They climb into that hole, take the liquid home, and then everyone eats it and dies.

Evan: Shouldn't you whisper so the ants can't hear you say that?

Me: HAHAHAHAHA! You are so cute. Do you think the ants understand me?

Evan: (head nod) Yeeesss??

Ethan: Evan, they don't speak human!

And it came to Pass

2010-10-10T23:24:00.002-04:00

I've had a certain friend since 4th grade.

We dated in High School. His mom was my Mia Maid advisor and helped me when I was having a hard time with something. His dad just passed away from cancer. The tears did come when I read the news and had to pass it onto my in-laws. My father in law was their home teacher for years. I cried to think of his mom now being alone after 35 years with him.

While I know that it's sad when someone has to leave this life, I am mostly sad knowing their family is no longer with the one they love. I know that they will be together one day. This knowledge is what brings me peace.

This past month

2010-10-05T21:59:00.008-04:00

I know I haven't written in a while. With David home all the time now and the kids having been tracked out, I wasn't on the computer much. Before David was laid off, we had made plans for over track out to go camping for a couple of days and to go the beach for a couple. Scattered through out all that, were going to be day trips of going to the zoo, going downtown, going to parks, etc. Well, all that changed. Since we have no idea how long he will be unemployed, we need to be extremely frugal with the money we have. I did a search on www.visitRaleigh.com and looked on the calender of events to find free, fun activities for the kids.

One Saturday we went to the RBC Center for the Caniac Festival. With about 20 different bounce houses, my kids had a blast.

We went camping the following Monday afternoon. (No pics. I forgot the camera) We swam in the lake went hiking, bike riding, played Uno, and ate Smores.

Thursday morning, we discovered if we got to the YMCA by 11:30, they would take the children to the tumble gym. That was a win/ win for me and the kids.

Saturday I found another free activity at the North Carolina Museum of History. They were celebrating Colonial Days with a free entrance to the George Washington exhibit. The kids loved all the activities there for them (writing with a quill pen, wheel of knowledge, colonial toys/ food, projects, dress up, movies, etc.) I loved the exhibit and look forward to a time when I'll be able to read all the info in a museum again. But, I know the pictures on the wall sure were pretty!

The next week we did crafts around the house, played with friends, baked, went to see the movie Cats vs. Dogs (so painfully dumb), and went to the NC Natural History Museum. My good friend Serena joined us for the fun.

Sand sculpture outside the museums on "Freedom Plaza."

This was out my kitchen window after days and days of rain. It was a double rainbow, but it didn't show up.

On a different note, we are continuously praying for David to find a job quickly. I am so grateful for our prophets council of having a year supply of food. It has already helped us. But currently, we are living more off of the three month supply. Thanks goodness I have two freezers full of food and canned goods to help us through. Both of us feel it may be for the long haul, so we are living accordingly.

The one where I'm stunned

2010-09-08T21:42:00.003-04:00

Most of my friends know that David has lost his job. Last Thursday started like any other. I went to the gym, had a great workout, came home and did some weeding, noticed my neighbor hadn't left for work so I went over to see if she was okay. In the midst of our 40 minute conversation, there is a knock at her door. She is in her nightgown, her husband is sitting in the family room and tells me to answer the door. (I know, I thought that was weird, too!) But as I walk to the door, I see it's David.

Me:"What's wrong? Why are you home?

David: "I have a box full of my stuff in the car?"

me: "ooookkkkkaayyy? What does that mean?"

David: "I just got laid off"

Me: "Are you serious?" {HUGS} "Jennifer, I'm going home to cry now"

David and I walk home in stunned silence. Both of us wondering what the future holds. 3 people were laid off with him. In an office that used to have 80 people, they are now down to 24. I am a little surprised because he just had his review the week before and said they wished they could give him a 10% raise.

Thing is, I do feel spiritually prepared for this challenge. That night during my studies, I felt at peace. I've handed this over to the Lord, because there is no way whining, complaining or crying would get anything accomplished. This obviously isn't the ideal situation. I canceled everything we possible could i.e. Netflix, trash pick-up, karate, ancestry.com etc.

Here's the kicker. There is a reason I don't pray for certain things. Things like Patience and humility for example. But, I do like to take on spiritual challenges issued from the pulpit. It wasn't exactly a challenge, per se, but the speaker last week said, "The way to grow from a principle is to do it." Well, I took that to heart and that Wednesday night, I prayed to know of the power of fasting and to gain a stronger testimony of it. Well, the next day, David was laid off. Coincidence? I think not. David's comment (while smiling, of course.) "I thought you learned better than to pray for things like that!"

I understand this is happening to a lot of people right now. I know we did the best we could to prepare for this. But my mind is constantly going back to Proverbs 3: 5-6.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

We don't know what the future holds for our family. But I do know I can control my reaction to it. David is sitting next to me looking for jobs. He will be finishing up his MBA in a couple of months and ironically was working on his resume the night before he was let go. So, here's to the future and relying on the Lord!

Who knows, we may end up in a city near you!

Utah Vacation

2010-09-01T09:35:00.008-04:00

We have been home from our trip for two months. Sad, I know, that I am just now getting around to posting some pics. David's sister was going to compile all the pictures and send them out. Since I haven't received them yet, my small amount will have to suffice.

We went out for the Fisher family reunion. Here's what we did:

ATV 5 mile Pass
Baby shower for Sister-in-Law Katrina
Legacy Center for swimming
BBQ at Fishers for friends and family
Liberty Park
Brother-in-law Richie shot a family movie where we each had parts
Games
Geo-Caching
bought Temple dress (FINALLY!)
Family History Night
Service Project of Helping David's sister, Tanya clean her house and move
Service Project of making school bags for church
Sweet's Candy factory tour
AMAZING RACE!! (Grandpa Fisher was in charge of it this year. So much fun!)
Kennecott mines
Thanksgiving Point
Cabela's

While I really have no desire to live or raise my children in Utah, I would move there tomorrow just to be near David's family. I love each of them so much and hate not having my children being able to grow up with their grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins. Without a doubt David was born into an amazing family filled with the best people I know. His mom has helped mold my life and I try to emulate her as much as possible. My goal is to have all of my children sealed in the temple like in his family. While she does admit to having easy kids, I see that this goal is possible! We have been trying to move out to Utah for years, let's hope that when David finishes his MBA, if we can't stay in NC, we'll get a job out there to be by his family. I miss them so much it literally hurts sometimes! Well, on to the pictures! Enjoy!

Katrina's baby shower (Paige and Rylee opted out of the shower because, in Rylee's words, "I'm to young to die from boredom!"
David's sister Jennifer loves formal tea parties. She threw the shower.

All the grandchildren outside of Cabela's. Another grandchild was born yesterday!

Grandma Fisher and Evan admiring the animals in Cabela's

Paige at Thanksgiving Point

Our normal family pic shot at Thanksgiving Point

I have no idea what I'm doing here.

This is just one of the tires for the big dump trucks that drive on the roads below. Each of these tires cost $25K!

Kennecott mines. Each of those ledges are actually a road.

This years movie was on Nursery Rhymns. Ethan was Aladdin! See his red hat?

David's younger sister, Carolyn and her middle child, Jonathan.

Paige holding Cordelia, Carolyn and Richie's youngest child.

Alex~Carolyn's oldest.
Nathaniel and Jeff (David's brother-in-law and nephew)

Celebrating Father's Day with Richie, David, and Grandpa Fisher. David's holding Cordelia

ATVing!!!!

These views were amazing. Next time, though, I'll wear a sports bra. They don't call it the Rockies for nothing!

Thoughtful, isn't he?

2010-08-04T21:44:00.004-04:00

Usually at night when Evan has to use the bathroom, he starts to cry. This time he didn't. I went to check on the kids before I went to sleep, and this is what I found.

I do give him credit, though. At least he stood up and got out of bed before he peed.

First day of School ~ 3 weeks ago

2010-08-03T09:25:00.003-04:00

On July 9th my children started their school year. All 4 of them are at the same school. 5th grade, 3 grade, 1st grade, and Kindergarten. I know I'm late with the pictures, but I have been adjusting to this freedom I have from 8:30am- 4pm each day. But, for the record, I love year-round school (and all day kindergarten)! They come home and we can still go to the pool!

On the way to the bus stop.

Modified Success

2010-08-03T09:03:00.004-04:00

Last Tuesday I went to our State Farmers Market. I love the place. Whatever we aren't growing in our garden, I can find there. It's cheaper than our grocery stores and it's local. So, two pluses from me. I know it was getting close to the end of peach season and I hadn't canned anything. So, after buying a slew of other things, I also bought 90 pounds of peaches. Yep, 90 POUNDS! The plan was to slice and can like I had the year before. Paige is allergic to most fruit, but peaches are one thing she's not. So, being in the "year-supply" mode, I wanted to stock up.

The peaches were AWFUL! I had come home, found a ripe one, eagerly took a huge bite, and just as eagerly spit it into the sink.

So, Plan B.

I made peach sauce. With a little cinnamon and sugar, we had a winner.

Next year, I'll buy in the beginning of July and will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, buy white peaches again.

Shaun's Wedding

2010-07-28T22:03:00.004-04:00

On June 5th, my younger brother Shaun was married. I was honored to be one of the bridesmaids. That was a first for me and I was so excited! Their wedding was wonderful.

I love my new sister-in-law. She is an amazing woman and a great match for Shaun.

Rylee's Baptism

2010-07-28T21:31:00.004-04:00

Rylee was baptized on June 12.

What an amazing day; one of my favorite this year. My sister Jennifer and her husband Sky were out visiting from Utah, my mom was able to come down from MD, and my two brothers and their families came from around the beltline. (Shaun would've come, but he was on his honeymoon.)

Rylee got to share her special day with Evelyn Coombs.

And what makes this day even more important to remember is the fact that she got "double-dipped." David forgot a part of the prayer and it wasn't pointed out until Rylee was already undressed and changing.

I am so blessed/ pleased to have another daughter who chose to be baptized and to make covenants with our Father in Heaven.

And you wonder what keeps my husband so busy?

2010-07-28T10:15:00.004-04:00

My dad lovingly refers to my husband as the energizer bunny. He never stops. I know I listed all the things he does on his birthday post, but that truly doesn't do him justice. He's working on his MBA, works his regular job 50+ hours a week, writes children's poetry, takes care of the garden, mows the grass, is currenly remodeling our master bath, and a plethora of other things. This is a link to some of his concept designs and illustrations on youtube. Hope you enjoy!

Long Time, No See

2010-07-14T19:43:00.003-04:00

Yes, I know it's been two months, my friends. I have been so busy and so involved in other projects that I haven't really thought much about blogging. I know it has to be done because I have 4 birthdays, Rylee's baptism, my brothers wedding, and a 9 day vacation. Plus, let's not forget how many ingredient challenges I've missed writing about. Speaking on which, it was the ingredients that have led me back here tonight. I'll start small and finish up with the big stuff later on. Evan starts school on Friday, so supposedly I should have "more time".

Ingredient: Pesto

I have wanted to make it for quite some time. But, being as cheap (aka frugal) as I am, I can't bring myself to spend $9.99 on a 5 oz. bag of pine nuts. So, I found ready made pesto marked down at the store a couple of days ago and used it that night. I made Penne with Chicken and Pesto. It was nothing to write about. It did not have a lot of flavor. I added way more pesto than call for and still couldn't taste it. So, I added 1cup of water with 2 bouillon cubes, thickened with cornstarch to the dish and it tasted so much better. I won't make this again, but I am very excited to still have pesto to use with something else.

Ingredient: Dry Black Beans

I am burnt out on pasta so I wanted to make beans. I thought I had lentils but I couldn't find them. So, I went into the #10 Can food storage and pulled out my black beans. I made Feijoada. Would you believe I had all the ingredients on hand, including a Ham Hock! And I do declare Ethan, the hater of all things beans says, " Mom, this is really good." So, there you have it. Nothing more need be said.

Where it all began . . .

2010-05-12T09:26:00.003-04:00

25 years ago, my friend Alyssa and I would sit together during Sacrament with feigned promises of listening intently to the talks. We ended up writing Mad Libs and laughing so much it hurt. Alyssa would write the Mad Libs and I would fill in the needed words and secretly wish I could write like her. But, for me, since I couldn't write, I began to read. I read because it made me laugh, it kept me interested in different subjects and it kept me busy.

From those Sunday morning Mad Lib sessions, my passion for books was intensified by the amazing "choose you own adventure" series. I would sit outside in my backyard, on top of the monkey bars and read for hours. Since this was the "dark ages" where we didn't have a color tv, VCR, cable, or computer, and my friends in the neighborhood were always busy, I found reading to be the best way to spend my free time. Through my teenage years, I dedicated less of my time to reading and focused more on spending time with my friends, seminary, poms, softball, work, etc. I still read, but usually just the assigned novels from school.

Since becoming a mother 10 years ago, I have loved picking up a book and escaping my chaos and dropping into other characters lives. The time I've dedicated to reading has certainly had an ebb and flow, but reading has been a constant in my life. But I have to say, I do secretly wish there were adult versions of choose your own adventure. But until that day comes, I will happily pick up this classic novel and once again become a spectator in another persons life.

Oh how I LOVE Shrimp

2010-05-07T13:22:00.002-04:00

My ingredient this week was shrimp. Obviously I have never cooked it before but I have found a new favorite recipe. The shrimp was amazing. Yes, I'm patting myself on the back for not only making the incredible meal, but for also cooking it on the grill myself to perfection.

David won't eat seafood (except some fish) so I also marinated pork chops and grilled those along with fresh pineapple. I made rice with veggies to put the shrimp on. I am practically drooling as I write this. Seriously people, try this recipe. It is divine! I will DEFINITELY buy shrimp again.

End of an Era

2010-04-30T08:37:00.004-04:00

As each week passes, something else of my children's baby/ toddler years seem to end. In a couple of weeks, Rylee is turning 8 and will no longer need to use a booster seat in the car. But this week, it's the end of using this amazing product. The Johnson's head-to-toe baby wash has been a dear member of our family for the past 10 years. We have now moved on to children's body wash but this empty bottle is a blatant reminder to me that my "baby" mama years are ending. It is truly bitter sweet.

Ingredient #11

2010-04-27T14:09:00.004-04:00

Kung Pao Chicken

I have never made this before, but the ingredients I used that were new to me were Peanut Oil and Rice Vinegar. The recipe doesn't call for either of them, but I didn't have what was needed. It called for oil, so I used the Peanut Oil. It called for white vinegar, so I used the Rice vinegar. I can't say I know how these ingredients taste, but I really like the recipe, at least once I made the alterations others had suggested.

Next new ingredient: shrimp.

Undeserved Accolades

2010-04-26T13:16:00.003-04:00

Our stake had their day of service this past weekend. It was a 5K family fun run in order to raise food/ donations for our local food bank. Our entire family participated, but with great trepidation and complaints by our kids on the length of the run. After reading the registration, I saw that we could use bikes and scooters. That was all needed to convince my kids they could indeed tolerate the 3.6 miles. During the race I received many a comments from friends looking at me on "my" scooter as I accompanied Evan around the course. BUT, to my utter embarrassment and dismay, I was awarded 3rd place in my age range for finishing the course in 27: 15 minutes. I did not accept the gift certificate that went along with the ribbon because I WAS ON A SCOOTER THE ENTIRE TIME!!! I feel badly for my friends and others in the stake who ran/ walked the entire way. To all of you, please know that I admire your ability to run that far and furthermore know that you deserved this award and not me. For a brief time, I considered training for next years run to redeem myself, but alas, it was a fleeting thought.

Talent Show

2010-04-26T11:18:00.003-04:00

Celebrating THE Erin!

2010-04-26T11:12:00.002-04:00

For my dear friend's "29th" birthday, we went out to dinner and then to Comedy Worx. How nice it was to enjoy an evening with such amazing women. Happy birthday, Erin.

I'm three weeks late, but. . .

2010-04-25T21:38:00.003-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR HUSBAND (On April 9th)!! I got this idea from my friends blog!

35 Things

David is . . .

A Husband
A Father
An Architect
The Energizer Bunny (Literally, he never stops!)
Patient
An Eagle Scout (plus 3 palms)
A wood-worker
A published author
A writer of comics
A writer children's books
A syndicated author
A MBA student
A Home teacher
A Best Friend
A History addict
A camper
A devoted chocoholic
A reader
A soccer player
A comedian
A designer
A mechanic
A solver of problems
An artist
A Geneologist
A baker
A Skier
A substitute teacher
A problem solver
A gardener
A Builder
A missionary
An acrobat
A Painter
A Calligrapher

and so much more! I hope you had a great birthday, hon. I love you!

Easter!

2010-04-25T21:20:00.007-04:00

I LOVED Easter this year. It fell on General Conference weekend so we were able to have a leisure day listening to the Prophet and Apostles, oh yeah, and eating candy!

Don't you love Rylee's expression? She cracks me up!

This was taken in the back corner of our yard.

For the past 7 years I have wondered where everyone else goes to hide eggs because not once have we seen or heard another family out looking for eggs on Easter morning.

I feel the need to explain the grocery bags. Each year we encourage the kids to take these out since their regular baskets are filled with candy and such. While I'm out taking pictures of the kids, and honestly through out the day, David is hiding the kids' baskets. He learned this from his father and felt the need to continue the tradition. The kids have learned that they need to keep a tight grip on their baskets, because they WILL disappear!

Ingredients

2010-04-25T20:51:00.004-04:00

This is going to have to be a group post of ingredients, because I am so far behind. Plus, I don't have pictures of several of the things I've made.

#6 - CRAB

Oh, how love crab! I have never bought it before because of the price. But, as I as walking in front of the seafood I saw a container of lump crab meat normally $15.99/ pound. It was on sale for $11.99, plus it had a $5 coupon attached. Well, I bought it and made the most UH-may-zing crab cakes. Paige ate one, I gave 2 to my next door neighbor and I ate the other 4. So glad my family didn't want any, but I still couldn't talk them out of eating my strawberry pie later that evening. Crab for me, is definitely a keeper . . . well, as long as I can get it on sale!

#7 - COD

I wanted to make homemade fish sticks and once again found myself in front of the seafood. I couldn't find the recipe I wanted to use so I did this instead. If you decide to do this, read the reviews first because I made the changes recommended. Everyone LOVED this recipe. Ethan had 2 whole fillets! This is a keeper.

#8 - Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

I get the Rachel Ray magazine and a recipe I wanted to try had this ingredient in it. Little did I know that a pound of this cheese was $24.99/lb if I bought the Boars Head brand (which is what I prefer). So, I bought another brand for a whopping $11.99/lb. The recipe was pretty bland, but we all loved the new cheese. The cheese will be purchased again, but the recipe won't be repeated. (Notice I've used asparagus again. I make it at least once a week now!)

#9 - Baby Back Ribs

Never have bought ribs before, but they are oh so yummy! I didn't really like the way they turned out, but I am willing to try again. I think the grill was just to high so we ate a little bit of crispy ribs.

#10 - Bok Choy

Didn't get a chance to use it before it went bad. Have an Asian salad recipe I'd like to use so I'll have to buy this again.

Freedom!

2010-03-29T20:40:00.006-04:00

WARNING: This is a LONG post!

After 11 days, Ethan was FINALLY better. With no vomit, and no diarrhea for 24 hours, all the kids were itching to get out of the house to finally enjoy their last week of track out.

MONDAY: Got part of the house "cleaned" by telling the kids we couldn't go to the movies until their bedrooms were picked up. We went to the dollar theater to see Alvin & Chipmunks. We met David after work for FHE. The kids liked the movie; I took a nap.

TUESDAY: YOGA in the AM! it was my niece Aleksa's birthday. I met my brother and his family at Chuck-e-Cheese. What a great cheap way to spend a couple of hours! Alan is always able to find a coupon for 100 tokens for $10. I divide the tokens amongst my kids while I get to sit and chat with the adults. I had a great time. I will miss doing this with Alan because after 15 months, Alan finally got a job!

WEDNESDAY: I had to get house work done, as well as other work. Evan has speech at 1pm every Wed. so it makes going someplace a little more difficult. Paige came begging to get out of the house again. I told her we'd be going someplace fun the next day.

THURSDAY: Evan has speech on Thursday afternoons,so during the morning I had the kids pack a lunch and we headed out to NC State University Farm Days. It's a free event where the kids can pet animals, climb on trackers, watch a sheep being sheered, "lasso" a cow, etc. We spent 2 hours there and after heading back to our car for lunch, Paige and Rylee wanted to go back into the pavilion to pet more animals, so I gave Paige my cell phone and said, "Be back in 15 min." I can't believe I have a child I can finally do that with!

On top of everything else, they handed out free ice cream. Have I mentioned before how I LOVE free events?

This was the highlight of Ethan's morning. He wouldn't touch the animals.

Do you see Ethan's head hiding next to Paige? He was so funny about being around all these animals.
Paige couldn't get enough of these baby chicks.

Evan was begging for me to buy the bunnies. Yeah . . um. . .NOPE!

FRIDAY: After we picked up Evan from Mom's Morning Out I took the kids to Wendy's for lunch and then headed down town to Marbles Museum. I used to not be so fond of the place, but they have changed exhibits and it was wonderful! It was relatively quiet since it was the afternoon and we stayed until closing. They have completely revamped the upstairs since I last visited. In fact, we didn't even get to all of it because they were so occupied with where they were. Absolutely worth the $5/person. (Even though I do resent having to pay for myself to go into a children's museum!)

Paige spent about an hour doing this!

Ethan spent the time Paige was building to design and continuously race different cars down a track.

This chess game is in in the foyer after you pay. Paige totally crushed her opponent.

SATURDAY: After a late breakfast, we went to the state Farmer's Market. If I can't grow it, I want to buy it here. We always give each of the kids $2 to spend and they have a blast trying to figure out how to get the most bang for the buck. After having bought produce, cheese, meat, and cider we take the kids back to the $1 theater to see The Princess and the Frog. I had to stuff the meat and cheese in my purse because of the warm car (I know, thank goodness for the "mommy bag".) This time David fell asleep, well, we both did, but his snoring woke me up. No lie! I had to shove him at least 1/2 a dozen times for fear someone would start throwing popcorn at him or something. The most entertaining part of the movie was hearing Paige laughing. After this, we went home and enjoy scrambled eggs with our fresh sausage and cheese. It was so good! Not so fond of Peach Cider though.

I think we were able to pack enough into the last week! Now that the kids are back in school, I need to spend some serious time in cleaning my house. I love having my children home, but I love them being in school just as much. After their next track-out in June, Evan will be starting Kindergarten when they track back in. Oh, where has the time gone?

THE END!

Ethan is still sick!

2010-03-21T10:02:00.006-04:00

I am sure this post will come off as whiny, cranky, angry, and frankly, that is how I'm feeling.

Ethan started with, what ever this, is on Feb. 24th. He has been sick 3 times since then. This current bout started 10 days ago and he's still going strong with the vomiting and diarrhea. He is on Zofran, so the vomiting has stopped as long as it's in his system. This past week I took him the his pediatrician 3 times, ended up in the Emergency Room twice and he was admitted once. My poor little boy has lost 4 pounds (10% of his body weight), and lies around saying, "I'm just so sick." The worst thing after hearing that all day is that the Doctors don't seem that concerned or for that matter, even know what is going on! They are still telling me it could be the stomach bug. REALLY?

Friday I was told by his pediatrician to go to the ER because he was showing signs of dehydration again. Once there,Ethan starts telling everyone that he's not sick. GREAT, THANKS, ETHAN! His Doctor came into his room, and after hearing the entire story literally walked out, rubbing his head saying, "Well, I'm stumped." I turned to David and said, "I don't think that's a good sign to hear your Doctor say that." After he receives his IV, the Doctor tells me there is nothing they can do because it's Friday night and they won't call anyone in to do any tests on him. So what do they do? Give him another prescription for Zofran and send us on our way. (Never mind the fact I completely broke down in tears in the ER. I feel so utterly helpless.)

Currently, I am feeling as though Ethan belongs on the show Mystery Diagnosis. My sweet little boy is so lethargic, sleepy, vomiting, and constantly in the bathroom with diarrhea. I'm taking him to the Dr. again tomorrow. I WILL get in to see a GI Doctor and if that doesn't work, I'm going back to the ER and demand (okay, beg) that the tests be preformed. This just isn't right.

The last two nights Ethan has fallen asleep in the bathtub. He's just so exhausted all the time.

Passing of Skittles

2010-03-18T21:47:00.002-04:00

Remember a couple of posts ago I talk about Rylee's gerbil dying and how I hoped Paige's was immortal? Well, apparently he wasn't. Skittles died just a week after Rascal. This happened about 2 weeks ago and just last night she came in crying about him once again. She was just devastated and spent hours that first night and several nights afterwards lying next to me and sobbing onto my shoulder. I can't even explain how much I love that girl and how fiercely she loves. I love how tender she is and how truthful she is with her emotions. I love that she comes and talks to me and David when things happen and she needs to talk. I love that she asks questions that a pretty deep sometimes and will actually sit and listen to our answers. I love that she knows how much I love her! I do truly wish her gerbil was still alive, but what she has experienced will help her down the road. She knows no matter what the problem is, her parents will be there with a shoulder to cry on and arms ready to embrace her. This was a hard thing for a 9 year old to go through, but I know she is stronger because of it.

It's that time of year again . . .

2010-03-18T21:22:00.003-04:00

David and the kids started planting seeds for our garden a couple of weeks ago. The kids each year get so excited about helping in the garden. David was able to get each and every one of them involved in some way (yes, I was flat on my back at this point). The plants started to grow within 7 days. I can't believe we have another month before we can plant them outside. I'm a bit worried about the size of our squash and peas already!

Hidden Blessings

2010-03-12T20:45:00.005-05:00

I've told some of you this story, but it had a profound affect on me so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

If you read my blog, you know David has been on rotating unemployment since last October. Now, rather than having two weeks off per month, he is down to only one. Obviously money is still really tight. Beyond our house though, there have been so many catastrophes happening around the world. I suggested two weeks ago that along with Tithing and Fast Offerings, that we also include money for Humanitarian Aid. We were also asked to support the scouting program in our ward by donating $150. So, we did that as well. I was home that Sunday because of being on bed rest with my back. While David was driving home heard a POP and then saw smoke out the back window. The van then proceeded to overheat. He managed to get home to the garage, were it continued to leak antifreeze. We were told the next day by our mechanic not to drive the van, so we had it towed to his garage. The culprit was the water pump and it was repaired that same day. Here is where the story gets good!!! JUST THE DAY BEFORE . . .

David got a side job to draft up an addition on someones house. (He hasn't had a side job in several months.) The amount of money he is making covers the exact total of what we spent that weekend!!

My first feeling when I heard that something was wrong with the van was, "of course there's something wrong, we are actually going to have money so something had to break." My attitude was quickly adjusted as I thought about it and realized it was such a blessing that it happened when it did. We now had the money to cover the repairs! Heavenly Father was watching over us, as always. I know when we do what we are asked and are faithful in paying our tithes and offerings, the blessings flow. I know it's not always in the way of money, but I can't doubt the irony of having our car break down the EXACT day we donate well above and beyond our normal payment.

Since that day, two weeks ago, David has procured 2 more side jobs. My heart is overflowing with gratitude.

Double Wammy

2010-02-26T15:10:00.004-05:00

I have had a real rough day today. To start out with, I've been on bed rest since Tuesday for a problem with my back. I have a bulge in a disc that is pinching the sciatic nerve. So, my tush and right leg have been numb for a week. On top of that, Ethan started vomiting last night and Rylee joined in this morning. Meanwhile, David had two deadlines at work today and had to go in. Now, how on earth can I rest my back while I'm cleaning up puke and doing laundry??? One day at a time, I know. Now, I'm off to bed to finish up on the three books I've started. Next week will be better! David is taking off so I can heal.

A sad day in the Fisher household

2010-02-24T19:54:00.004-05:00

Today marks the passing of Rylee's first pet gerbil, Rascal.

She received him as a Christmas gift just two months ago and loved playing with him daily along with Paige and her 2 gerbils. Unfortunately, I was the one that discovered the poor thing. Rylee was sad, cried quietly for a couple of minutes and recovered quickly. Paige, as expected, was devastated. David came home early to take the girls to PetSmart where TWO new gerbils were consequently adopted into our family.

As a quick side note, I am praying with all my heart that Paige's gerbils are immortal. With the all sobbing shown today, I can only imagine what is in store when her gerbils pass away.

Ingredient 5 - Asparagus!

2010-02-24T19:43:00.004-05:00

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!!!

I can't believe I've never cooked it before. I HATED it when my mom cooked it when I was younger, but it was SOOOOO yummy tonight! Here is what I cooked. I paired it with a crock-pot chicken and rice recipe. I am lovin' this ingredient challenge! FYI, David was the only one who didn't like the asparagus. My kids LOVED it; even Ethan!

Fallen state?

2010-02-24T19:37:00.003-05:00

I normally don't write the funny things my children say here on my blog. David has a folder at work filled with their odd musings, but this one was just too funny for me not to share. Of course it will probably be one of those, "you had to be there" moments.

Let me set the scene: It's just after FHE and we are reading our scriptures. David just finished reading Mosiah 16:4.

"Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state."

David: "Does anyone know what they're talking about here? What's a fallen state?"

Rylee: "Hawaii?"

Ethan: "New Jersey?"

Growing Too Quickly

2010-02-19T18:27:00.003-05:00

Ethan and Rylee are my early risers. They like to pick to their own clothes in the morning. I would love for them to put the outfits together like I intended them to be, but its not a battle worth fighting in my eyes. There are things that are non-negotiable like hair and teeth brushing so I'll let the weird clothes pass. But the one thing I have to voice my opinion on is when they outgrow their clothes. Oh how Paige and Ethan want to hold on to them and not pass them on to Rylee and Evan. They will wear shirts that are too tight and too short and pants that they can no longer button just because this article of clothing is and always will be theirs. I buy Ethan and Paige new clothes and suggest that for every item bought, they need to choose one to pass down. My logic worked on them until about a week ago. I had bought Ethan a couple of pairs of jeans because he was outgrowing his other pairs. When I saw him this morning in the pants I had JUST bought, I told him they were too short and needed to be passed on. He told me,"They're not too short. They're perfect!"

I add this picture as evidence to the contrary! They are all just growing so quickly. I try to hug and squeeze them as often as I can just trying to remember every positive moment, even when short jeans are involved.

Ingredient Challenge- 4

2010-02-13T08:54:00.003-05:00

I know this is going to be a disappointment to so many who want see how I fixed the avocado, but I just couldn't. I cut it open took a spoonful and paid Rylee $1 to taste it for me to see what she thought. She hated it. I gave David a bite with him giving the same reaction. I took a small nibble, and just decided I couldn't do it. It had the taste and texture and smell of eating raw pumpkin, so I put it back together and brought it to the Chocolate party I was attending that night and gave it to a most happy recipient. So, there you go, my avocados found a loving home.

In spite of that minor setback, my ingredient this week was DUCK. I know, you're saying," Duck??? For real? Where would you even buy that?" Well, my friends, David has a co-worker who is an avid hunter and this was some of the fruits of his labor. We got more than duck, (which luckily I didn't have to defeather, disembowel, chop up, etc.) but I will save those meats for another meal.

I didn't even check on Allrecipes for this one. David came home with a recipe so he fixed the meal.

Here is what he did:

*Butterfly duck breasts
*Red Onion, Jalapeno jelly (we used raspberry salsa) stuffed inside
*close with toothpick
*soak in Italian dressing
*Wrap with a strip of bacon
*grill

I tried to help with the cooking part, but since neither of us have prepared duck, unfortunately, it was overcooked. David said it reminded him of liver with its consistency, as it had more of a "soft" texture. I loved the flavor, but that may be due to the other ingredients used. We had all the kids eat one half of a breast. They liked it enough to eat it without complaint, but moved on to the pizza we had as a back up. This tasted great with long grain and wild rice, green beans, homemade bread, and a strawberry/ banana smoothie!

Avocados!

2010-02-06T13:52:00.005-05:00

I have bought avocados for my week three ingredient.

I feel waves of nausea just thinking about the fact that I need to prepare these and actually eat the result. I don't like guacamole, so I'm searching for a recipe that I could possibly stomach. I will definitely let you know when I do something with this green fruit!

Congrats, Rylee!

2010-02-06T13:00:00.005-05:00

This morning was the Power Puff Derby. Rylee and David collaborated to make a really cute car. We knew there was little chance to win for speed, so they tried to design the best car they could. The Theme this year was food and they ended up using Rylee's idea for the different kinds of fruit. Rylee won first, out of 49 cars for Craftsmanship!!

HILARIOUS dinner drama!

2010-02-05T20:02:00.005-05:00

Ethan never ceases to entertain us with his dinner table drama. He absolutely HATES potatoes-any kind, size, type. Tonight I served oven-roasted potatoes. This is his reaction in having to eat 2 bites.

Would SOMEONE, ANYONE who reads this, let me know what you do when your child hates a particular food!!

Suprising Results

2010-02-03T12:48:00.002-05:00

David and I have been concerned about Paige's constant need for blinking these past couple of months. We've put in eye drops to help her out, but she still is blinking, even when she says her eyes don't feel dry. Luckily, her Sunday School teacher is an Ophthalmologist and said he recognized the blinking. Since there are so many things that can manifest themselves through problems with the eyes, he suggested we take her to see her PCP. Her PCP told us to see a Neurologist, and an Ophthalmologist. During the course of her "well-Child" check up, her doctor asked if we had other concerns. I mentioned to her of Paige's' complaints of certain foods bothering her and making her mouth itch. SO, she took blood. The result came back today via a phone call from the office.

Paige has a moderate allergy to: carrots, apples, peanuts and milk.

Low allergy to: walnuts ad sesame seeds.

Also allergic to Trees, grasses and ragweed.

The nurse said I had to get an epi-pen for her moderate allergies and needed to set up an appointment with an allergist. The ironic thing is, carrots and apples aren't normally on the allergy panel. Paige complained about eating them and I thought she just didn't want to eat them. I'm glad we added those to the panel. Walnut allergies as well as the outdoor allergies didn't surprise me either. Peanuts and milk have thrown me for a loop. A couple of days ago Rylee was eating vanilla wafers with peanut butter on them and handed them to Paige. Paige hasn't eaten PB in years because they always have made her mouth itch. So, she handed them back. She then happened to rub her eyes and had an immediate reaction to the oils. I'm anxious to see what else she'll be allergic to. We'll have to figure out the whole milk thing. I've been drinking soy for a couple of months and although Paige tested negative for soy, she says it makes her tongue itch. I'm a little freaked out about the whole epi-pen thing, but I'm sure my adrenalin will kick in if it's ever needed.

Ingredient Challenge #2 - Tilapia

2010-01-25T21:02:00.003-05:00

In the 12 1/2 years I've been married, I have only cooked fish once. That was salmon and was also about 9 years ago. I haven't ventured out to try it again, because frankly, I hate my house smelling like fish for days afterwards. But, that being said, I wanted to try it for my next challenge ingredient. I walked into Harris Teeter and went straight for the seafood counter. I had no idea of the prices, cuts, what was sold, etc. I asked the butcher (are they called that if they package seafood too?)

"What would be a good fish for a non-fish eating family that wouldn't be too fishy?"

His answer, obviously, was Tilapia. This recipe again was AMAZING! I don't think finding a great recipe is going to be the challenge here. My main goal is to see how I like or my family likes the particular ingredient. Once again, everyone loved it, and even asked for seconds. Ethan, of all people, picked up his fork and devoured it without so much a question as to what was on it or what it tasted like. This picture was taken before I added a salad to my plate.

What a wonderful meal. I will make this again, . . .when Tilapia goes on sale.

Ingredient Challenge #1- Swiss Cheese

2010-01-21T11:11:00.004-05:00

Wow!

What a fun experience! I tried something new and actually really liked it. I do have to say that the smell of the Swiss is a bit like gym shoes, but once I got past that (or just chose to ignore it for the sake of the challenge), my meal was an absolute success. I made Chicken Cordon Bleu.

The chicken was cooked perfectly, the ham was outstanding, the cheese nice and gooey, and the sauce. . .ohhhh, the sauce was delectable. Everyone in the family loved it. This recipe gets a 5 star rating and I will be adding Swiss cheese to my camaraderie of trusted ingredients.

I had NO idea

2010-01-20T16:04:00.003-05:00

The following is a conversation between Evan (age 4) and myself.

I'm making grilled cheese for him for lunch and he comes over with his new toy dragon.

E: Mom, what's this say? (He's pointing to the underside of the dragon)

R: I'm checking the grilled cheese so I respond, "It probably says, "made in China."

I take it into my hand and say, "Yep, it says 'China' on it."

E: Everything is made in China! My toy, and my oranges are made in China.

R: Well, your oranges are probably not from China, . . well, at least I hope their not.

Turn the can around and see this:

A new challenge

2010-01-15T17:01:00.002-05:00

I have blogged several times of how I love to cook and to try different recipes. The problem I have developed is the stale list of ingredients I use. SO, I am challenging myself to pick up a different/new ingredient from the store to cook with each week. (Honestly, it may not be each week. But I'll do the best I can.) The only requirement I have is that I have never used the ingredient before. Pretty simple, huh?

I will blog about what I bought and how I prepared the item. I am just going to forewarn you, my faithful reading few, that you will be shocked over some of the ingredients I have never bought nor prepared.

The first ingredient to the "open my mind up to the great versatile world of food" challenge is: SWISS CHEESE! I know, I know. Not earth shattering, but the shock will increase, I promise you! Suggestions are happily received, but don't get crazy.

I'm sure you're on pins and needles . . .

2010-01-13T19:08:00.002-05:00

wondering what I am going to do about Evan.

Tomorrow I am registering him for Kindergarten. It is still 7 months until school will start, and I have found out that he can repeat Kindergarten, at my request, if I feel like he needs another year. I look at the work Ethan is bringing home 1/2 way through his kindergarten school year, and it is just about on Evan's level now. I am sure Ethan is bored out of his mind with this easy stuff, but if that's the level Evan will get next year, I don't think I have to worry.

I am a little euphoric and sad all mixed into one knowing I will have an empty house during the day in just 7 short months. How could it have gone by so quickly? Just 4 years ago I had 4 kids 5 and younger and felt completely and utterly overwhelmed each and every minute and every day. Everyone needed me RIGHT NOW. Here I am now, at 7:25p, alone in my sitting room. My kids are getting changed for bed, no longer needing me for such menial tasks. What I am overwhelmed with now, is the awesome responsibility I continue to have to raise my children in a way that would be pleasing to our Heavenly Father. I don't ever want to look back at my life with my children and think, shoulda, woulda, coulda . . . I try every day to be the best I can be. Not only to make myself better, but to help my children recognize and aim for their full potential as well.

Well, I'm being beckoned for prayers, so I will have to write more "deep thoughts" later.

All the stuff you never cared to know about me

2010-01-12T21:31:00.005-05:00

I got tagged on this survey and thought I'd just post it here to entertain the masses. Enjoy, and if you feel up to it, you're tagged too!

FOODOLOGY
*What is your salad dressing of choice? Cucumber Ranch
*What is your favorite sit down restaurant? PF Chang
*What is your favorite fast food restaurant? In ‘n Out Burger
*What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Watermelon
*What are your pizza toppings of choice? Ham and Pineapple
*How many televisions are in your house? 4
*What color cell phone do you have? silver

BIOLOGY:
*Are you right-handed or left-handed? Left-handed
*Have you ever had anything removed from your body? 4 babies, tonsils, ½ my thyroid
*What is the last heavy item you lifted? 50 pound bag of rice
*Have you ever been knocked unconscious? No
*Have you ever fainted? Yes

BULLCRAPOLOGY:
*If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No thanks
*If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Rachel (everyone calls me that anyway)
*How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? 3
*Last person you talked to? David

FAVORITOLOGY:
*Season? Fall
* Holiday? Easter or thanksgiving
*Day of the week? Sunday
*Month? September
* Color? Green
* Drink? IBC Root Beer

CURRENTOLOGY:
*Missing someone? My sisters
*What are you listening to? American Idol
*Watching? American Idol
Worrying about? Stuff
*What's the last movie you saw? Pride and Prejudice
*Do you smile often? Not enough
*If you could change your eye color what would it be? I like my eye color, thank you.
*What's on your wish list for your birthday? A weekend away with David
*Can you do push-ups? yep
*Can you do a chin up? Not since 6th grade.
*Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Excited
*Have you been in a Car wreck? Yes
*Have you caused a Car wreck? Yes
Do you have an accent? No
*Last time you cried? It’s been a while. I don’t remember.
*Plans tonight? American Idol, reading, sleeping
*Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Oh yes, but that means the only place to go is up!!
*Name 3 things you Bought yesterday. Yogurt, tortillas, butter
*Met someone who changed your life? LOTS!!!
*How did you bring in the New Year? Leaned over to kiss David in Bed. Asleep 5 minutes later.
*Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? I’d do High School again. LOVED IT!
*Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? Yep. Dated someone for 3 years.
*What songs do you sing in the shower? I don’t sing in the shower. That’s my thinking place.
*Have you held hands with someone Today? no not yet
*Who was the last person you took a picture of? Rylee
*Are most of the friends in your life new or old? Both
*Do you like pulpy orange juice? Yes, I like to eat it with a fork! The more pulp the better.
*What is something your friends make fun of you for? My phobia of germs, my obsession of small items, and being constantly cold.
*Last time you ate peanut butter and jelly? Last week. LOVE IT (especially on my homemade bread!)
*What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping
*What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Is it really that time already?

Validation

2010-01-12T13:13:00.004-05:00

David was at work this morning and after heating up one of my cinnamon rolls and placing it on his desk, got called away. When he returned, no cinnamon roll. A co-worker came up and asked if he were looking for something. I am guessing that there were some threats, and negotiations involved, but when David got the roll back, he still gave his co-worker 1/4 of the roll. His co-worker loved it so much, he asked how much I'd charge to make some for when his parents come to visit!

How exciting is that?? Not only do I love baking, but someone wants to pay me to do it. Now, how do I figure out how much to charge? I'm still smiling and giddy inside. I've had people tell me how awesome my rolls were, but they were always family and friends. What a validation for me!

Crossroads

2010-01-07T21:28:00.004-05:00

I have been lamenting, contemplating, pondering, etc., my decision on whether or not to enroll Evan into Kindergarten this upcoming school year. I feel as though this is one of those decisions that Evan will see the consequences of, quite possibly, for the rest of his life. Does that sound dramatic? Well, it feels that way to me. I have been praying about this, and running every scenario in my mind and still don't know what to do. Here's why:

1. The kindergarten age cut off is August 31st. Evan's birthday is August 12.

2. He seems a lot slower than my other children at grasping the alphabet, numbers, writing, or even holding a pencil.

3. He is currently receiving free speech services from Wake County Preschool services through Project Enlightenment.

4. If he does not enroll in kindergarten, he will not be eligible for speech services. These services stop the day he turns 5 and is eligible for kindergarten.

5. If he does enroll in Kindergarten, he will receive speech at the school for free.

5. Our health insurance will not cover his speech services since they are not a result of a physical abnormality. If I pay for a private therapist, they cost around $80 per session and he is currently going twice a week. (Yes, I know people, my major was Hearing and Speech Sciences, but I didn't get my Masters so while I do recognize his need for services, I don't know how to do therapy.)

6. I can't afford to send him to a Transitional or Private Kindergarten or even to a 5 day/week preschool (currenty running between $310-$420/ month).

7. I have called to set up a meeting with our Principal to see my options of having him start Kindergarten and requesting him to repeat again even if he masters all the required skills.

I am so apprehensive about having him be the youngest in his class as well as having speech/ learning delays. I feel as though I am being punished for choosing to hold him back. Why can't the county just allow me to say if he is fit to start kindergarten and allow him to keep the speech services if he's not mature enough to go to a structured classroom until the following year? I feel if he starts, he will be in the "lowest group" on everything and therefore will always be behind. What is a mom to do? If I keep him out, yes, I will still do homeschool kindergarten activities with him, but how will he receive his speech? He desprately needs that. I'm being forced to conform to do what the State wants me to do rather than what I see as right for my child. I am so conflicted.

Don't be a hater. . .

2010-01-03T16:56:00.004-05:00

of coupons!

My friend had an entire post dedicated to her hatred of coupons (and the "fake" food you use the coupons to buy). She had bought a product with a coupon which was also on sale and was disappointed with the product. Her end conclusion was that she hates coupons because they are only for products like this "crap." I am writing this to whole-heartily disagree.

I too make my foods from scratch. I don't like pre-made, overly salty packaged crap. The fact these products exist don't mean coupons are the enemy. Here is what I do on a weekly/ daily basis to show my love (and necessity)for coupons. I buy 5 papers a week. I match up the coupons, cut them out and organize them into my baseball sleeves inside a 3-ringed zipper binder. This binder is attached to me at all times. There are services available to save time on matching coupons with the sales. My favorite is www.thegrocerygame.com. You can also use www.thecouponmom.com , which is free. I have 4 kids and I have other obligations as well. I don't have all day to look over the ads for the 5 different grocery stores in my area and match them to the coupons. Nor, do I visit all 5 stores to get the best deals. But, I do go to two of them a week.

Besides produce, everything I buy is with a coupon. How is this possible, you ask? Because I have built up a food storage. I have the things I use the most often in my pantry and hidden in various places throughout my house. I cook from what I have already, I don't shop from a menu. When meat in on sale, I buy a lot of it and freeze it. Since I have 5 of each coupon, when something goes on sale I have a coupon for, I can stock up. The sales usually rotate every 12 weeks, so by the time I run out of something, it is usually going on sale again.

I don't believe it when people say they don't have coupons for the products they buy. REALLY? You don't use toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, feminine products, toothpaste, toothbrushes, condiments, produce, meat, cereal items, snack foods, etc? For around $8per week and about 1-2 hours of time, I save my family HUNDREDS of dollars a month. If you make your own laundry detergent, GREAT, there are coupons for the ingredients.

I am sure if you have the desire to save your family money, to build up your food storage, and have a little patience to do both, coupons are the most economic way of achieving that goal. It can be done. You don' have to buy the "crap" just because there is a coupon for it. This week, there was $303 worth of coupons in the paper. I bought 8, so in order to prepare for the super doubles which are scheduled to start this Wednesday at Harris Teeter, I am off to do some cutting and organizing. Just a side note, cut and organize while you are watching your favorite TV show. Time passes so quickly. If you can find the time to watch TV, you have time to organize. This would be a great week to get started. Now, go buy yourself some papers and start saving money!

Scary!

2010-01-03T16:38:00.004-05:00

Yesterday our family was taking down all our Christmas ornaments. I went upstairs to get our vacuum and smelled something burning. I looked in all the rooms to see if one of the kids were playing with matches. When I couldn't see anything I start yelling for David. I didn't see smoke, but something was definately burning. Rylee said her room smelt that way yesterday as well. We found the culprit, luckily. Who knows how close this was before a fire would've occured.

The hole in the top of the heart is where it was melted onto the bulb.

Rocky Mount Children's Museum

2009-12-31T23:10:00.007-05:00

David has this entire week off from work. On Monday, David took the kids to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (since I had strep and then Bronchitis, I stayed home). And yesterday, we all went to see Astroboy. Today, we decided to go someplace new. So, we went to Rocky Mount Children's Museum. It is located in an old Tobacco Mill built in 1903. (notice our children running around in the pictures below? This is usually done inside the museums. Since we were literally the only family there, the staff would constantly tell us to keep our kids right with us. Get real people. It's a kids museum! Lighten up!!!!)

The museum, as a whole didn't excite my children too much but it was a way to pass the day. It only cost $4 for adults and $3 for the kids. The main exhibits were about Africa while a little section was about animal life in NC. Just FYI, if you are planning on going, there is a really inexpensive cafe in the building with the museum as well as an art museum and a planetarium. The highlight was David and I buying 2 new pieces for our pottery collection.

Ethan has really, um, what's the proper word to say?, blossomed over track out. He doesn't stop talking, making weird noices or just moving all over the place. Love the pose here!

Enlarged for your viewing pleasure!

Christmas!

2009-12-29T18:29:00.004-05:00

The entire Jones Clan was at my house for Christmas Dinner. Despite the fact that I had been on antibiotics for strep (again), it was a wonderful time. The food was incredible and even better, NO FAMILY DRAMA! My brother, Shaun, announced his engagement that night and we are so excited to welcome Laureate into our family this upcoming June. With 21 people to photograph, this was the best of 4 on my camera.

In the Paper!

2009-12-29T18:24:00.002-05:00

I got this a couple of weeks ago and forgot to post it. Evan was in "the Total Connection" - a local kids and Family newspaper.

Busy!

2009-12-16T22:19:00.004-05:00

I was meaning to post this on Saturday night, but as you can see I wasn't successful.

Saturday morning Rylee was in the Wake Forest Parade with her girl scout troop. We all went to endure the cold. On the way there Ethan says nonchalantly,

"I lost a tooth today."

David and I both spin around from the front seat and just pepper him with questions. "What? When? Where is it?" He said he didn't know but he was just sitting back there and realized it was gone. It was pretty funny how little it affected him. Although, he was happily anticipating his first visit from the tooth fairy. This was the best picture I could get of him.

Rylee did great in her parade. I had no problems hearing her sing.

For the past two months, during any spare time, David has been working on building a new Kitchen table for us. He finally finished and put it in on Saturday. It is beautiful.

Then, today, a mightly blow.

I was cutting snowflakes with the kids in the play room. Ethan wanted to color his so he went downstairs and came back up to show me his beautiful black snowflake. I thought nothing of it until David was setting the table for dinner. That is when the black marks on the table were discovered. Ethan readily admitted he had put them there while coloring. But this just wasn't any black mark. He was using a sharpie. I thought David was going to BLOW! (This man has amazing self control, no yelling or spanking. Just a good talking to.) He has spent hours and hours and hours getting this table done. He tried water, and goo gone but it wouldn't come off. He called his dad (who does wood work as well) and has a couple of options to fix it. We have told Ethan on many occassions he is forbidden from using Sharpies, and somehow he always gets ahold of them. I'm upset my beautiful table top is now not quite so beautiful but glad he told the truth. I'm also extremely grateful my husband has the skills to fix it.

Our Free Outing

2009-12-06T19:13:00.004-05:00

I love free. I coupon to get things for free. I take my family to enjoy free activities when ever I can. This weekends activity was at Home Depot. Not only did they get to make wagons, but they also received aprons, a completion certificate and pins. What a great family activity.

Evan wouldn't let me help him at all. He did all the gluing and hammering nails by himself!

Thanksgiving in Kentucky

2009-12-06T17:13:00.004-05:00

It has been a couple of years since we have seen our friends, the Farnsworths, so we decided to go and visit over Thanksgiving. They were our best friends when we were first married and living in College Park, Maryland. Now we both have 4 kids and they are living in Louisville, KY. David was supposed to have the entire week off, due to work furlough, and the kids have off 5 weeks starting with the Thanksgiving holiday. I needed a road trip.

Thanksgiving day was a blast. There were 28 people there and with the meal being potluck,there was enough to go around!

Sadly enough, with all the fun we had of keeping up with the kids, I didn't get any pictures with Kathryn. But, I did manage a few on our field trip to see the Louisville Slugger Museum.

Fishers minus paige, plus conner and Reece

All the kids wanted a piggy back ride. I couldn't resist this picture.

I also need to document that while we were at the museum, Ethan totally disappeared. It is not a huge place. Scott had the other kids in a closed room and David and I were looking feverishly for Ethan. I was walking to the security table, after looking around for 5+ minutes, when a man walked in the front door and asked if I was looking for a little boy. David and I ran out and found Ethan down the block sitting with a family who had stopped him from crossing a busy street. When we asked him why he left he said, "'Cause I felt like it." -- NICE!

Paige was starting to feel sick the morning we left for the museum, so she stayed with Kathryn and her 2 youngest boys. While at the museum, Rylee started feeling really sick. By the time we got to the Farnsworths that afternoon, she and Paige have a fever between 100 & 101.8. Because this was the last day there, and the day the adults planned our "date", we had to cancel.

Overall, I had a great time being with old friends. The ride home, well, that's another story.

Sad Times

2009-11-22T19:57:00.003-05:00

For those of you who don't know me but are just happening upon this blog, the most important thing to know about me is that

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Because of my membership, I know where I was before I was born, why I'm here on earth, and where I am going after I die. I love my family with all my heart and I am grateful for the knowledge I have that I will be with them forever. I am overcome with emotion when I think of my Savior and the sacrifice of his life on my behalf. I believe in and obey all the teachings given to us by our living prophet. My life is the gospel. I want to be better because of it. I do all that I can to be a good example to my children and to my non-member friends.

I am prefacing my post with my testimony so you will understand the profound affect this next part has had on me.

This past week I received an email from the first visiting teacher I had after I was married. I had emailed her to see how she was doing and she responded by letting me know that she had resigned her membership in our church. After the initial shock, sadness set in. I know everyone has the right to choose the course of their life. I am not judging what she has decided to do with her life or to the lives of her children, but I am sad. I am sad that someone who believed as profoundly as I do is now, not only, no longer a member, but is bitter towards the church. Oh how I wish everyone would feel the same as me. I understand that there is opposition in all things, but I just can't help but sit and wonder how she got to this point in her life. She says she is happy and I am glad she is, but I am sad at the same time. Has anyone else experienced this?

You have GOT to be kidding me!!!!!

2009-11-17T09:34:00.009-05:00

This is the lovely reaction we received last night after giving Ethan a new bike! He threw a tantrum for about 15 minutes complete with screaming and yelling that he didn't want a new bike. His previous bike, although destroyed because it was run over a couple of times, was just to small for him. I'm glad I caught this picture at the last minute of him thrashing around on our family room floor.

All I have to say is, "REALLY???????"

The one where there is a change of plans

2009-10-28T09:04:00.004-04:00

David has finally decided what he wants to do when he grows up.

He is going back to school to get his MBA.

After asking practically everyone about their jobs to see if that is what he'd want to do for the next 30 years, he found something on the web that dealt with Management. From there, he pushed forward eagerly. He will be starting December 1 taking classes from Western Governors University. It is online, accredited, and best of all affordable.

I am so happy he found something that will make him happy.

2009-10-13T10:35:00.003-04:00

This is what I made with the eggplant. Paige said it was awesome and had three servings. Rylee declared she "kinda liked it" and the boys were told they wouldn't get the Family Home Evening treat if they didn't eat all of their minuscule portions. I also learned last night that David had never eaten eggplant before either!

After dinner, I asked Rylee to go up stairs to grab her scriptures for Family Home Evening (FHE) and while she was up there to open the dryer to get it to stop. Well, she didn't come back down. Me, in all my pessimism, made a bet with the others still at the table that she was up watching TV. While clearing the table, David went up to check on her. He came back down and wrote on a piece of paper,

"I'm breaking my word, but she is upstairs folding the laundry!"

Oh how I felt like such a schmuck! She tries so hard and I don't always (OK, to be honest, hardly ever) see it. She folded everyones laundry and put it away for them. I came up, acted surprised and gave her the biggest hug and told her how much I loved her. As I was getting into bed last night, I found lying on it a slip of paper with a note written in Rylee's hand saying:

"SAJS"

We had a FHE lesson a couple of months ago talking about service and how we need to live and do service like Christ did. At the end of the lesson, I handed the kids each an envelope with slips of paper that said "SAJS", serve as Jesus served. The next couple of weeks I found them around the house when the table was set without me knowing, toothpaste was put on everyones toothbrushes, the dishwasher was loaded, etc. It has widdled down a bit since the initial excitement of the lesson, but I am now reminded that our children take our lessons with them and will remember them.

During General Conference two weekends ago, Elder Bednar gave a wonderful talk about families. While his family was young, he and his wife were always trying to do what was best for them but were frequently met with, "Mom, he's looking at me", or "He's breathing my air." I could relate and often find myself feeling beatened and weary of the seemingly unimpactful practices in our home of Prayer, Scripture Study and FHE. We do them anyway because we are commanded to. I do see bits and pieces of my children coming around. It has taken years of persistence and, well, I won't lie, but bribing has been involved. We need to do what we are told to do in order to keep our families together and strong. I am willing to do that. We are taught that if we teach our children while they are young, when they are older they will not depart from it. That is my dearest wish.

Blackberry Bushes

2009-10-11T21:01:00.001-04:00

We now have blackberry bushes! I can't wait until next summer when our garden starts producing again. I am having so much fun just thinking of all the things I will make and can!

A first for me!

2009-10-10T21:12:00.004-04:00

I am going to speculate here, but I am assuming that most people tend to eat the same food and the same recipes over and over again. Some even go as far as having the same food on a particular night each week. I. CAN'T. DO. THAT.

I like having the same ingredients, but switching them up and trying new recipes. But, I don't get crazy with it. Allrecipes.com has become my most trusted dinner ally. Almost nightly, I type in an ingredient I have that I want to use and Viola! I have a plethera to chose from.

Well, here it is. My first. I went to the Farmer's Market today and bought my first EGGPLANT! It's pathedic, I know. I've had no exposure to this vegetable except to be aware of it's existance by name only. I will use my trusty website and see what I come up with. But here I am, trying something new. I'm living on the edge!

Last camping trip of the year!

2009-10-10T19:15:00.006-04:00

I'm sure you're tired of me writing of all the camping, but that's what we do! Last weekend we left late Saturday afternoon after conference and came home Sunday morning before conference. It was perfect!!! Besides the little arguing, there were no bowel movement issues, burns, excessive crying, etc. We've taught the kids to help set up the tent and to gather wood when we get there. So all was well. We fell asleep around 9:30, but because of some LOUD teenagers camping a couple of sites away I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. But, not to worry, I had a book with me and a book light. I read the last 200 pages and finally fell asleep around 2am. Here are some fun pictures.

Paige was making such a mess with her marshmallows! Trying to imitate her mother, I guess!

Hangin' out around the campfire after dinner

It was 56 degrees in the morning, so after breakfast, the three younger kids went inside the van, put the heater on high and blasted the music! Good Times! Who was the bad mom who didn't pack a jacket for anyone but herself?

We couldn't get the grill to flip over, so this is was David's solution. In case you can't see it very well, those are our marshmallow spear thing-a-ma-jiggies.

I'm sure there is great concern for me not appearing in any pictures. Don't worry. They do exhist, but I couldn't bring my self to post them. I still have a little dignity.

Look what we grew!

2009-09-27T19:31:00.004-04:00

This is the first time we've grown carrots. I learn a little more each summer.

We are expanding our garden next to include: pear, plum, and peach trees, blueberry, and raspberry bushes. All of these are already producing except for the raspberry bush. I can't wait!!! I see some yummy desserts in our future.

Camping. . . AGAIN!

2009-09-25T16:46:00.004-04:00

Two weekends again we were supposed to go to the beach. We usually stay with a friend who lives in Wilmington, but because of a death in their family, we couldn't go. So, David and I spend the morning canning peaches. We were able to finish off our 60 pounds and ended up with 38 quarts for the season. Since it was Stake Conference weekend and we don't go to church for it (don't judge!), and we couldn't go to the beach, we decided to go camping.

I'm an not exaggerating when I say that it was an eventful trip. Within an hour of us arriving we had two peeing and one poop in the pants incidents. For real people? You know how old my kids are, right? Two of the kids dumped soda over their food, but I didn't care. We were outside and I DIDN'T HAVE TO CLEAN UP!! David was ready to leave. We decided to stick it out because our kids LOVE to camp. We went down to the park, even though it was dark. We lit our lantern and shortly after, it burnt out. David was going to switch the propane, but ended up with second degree burns on his hand. After we got treatment for his hand, we toasted marshmallows, played UNO and went to sleep.

Don't ask me what David is doing to me here!

This is what was covering our site. We were the only ones there in a tent. Everyone else apparently stays for the summer in their campers. We won't be going back to this lake.

For me, the fun of playing UNO with the kids made any other madness completely worth it. I had such a good time and the kids are getting old enough to have a little "fun" with. We may just possibly be going camping again next weekend. We'll see.

I'm still here!

2009-09-15T19:14:00.013-04:00

I had just about forgotten about having a blog. It wasn't until I just saw a friend's blog update of Facebook that I was reminded how long it has been. I guess one reason I kept putting it off was because, honestly, no one I ask reads my blog. My parents don't, my siblings don't, several of my closest friends don't, so I figured, why keep it up? Then I reconciled with myself and thought, I do it for me and for my friends that actually like to read blogs. I like to read about my friends, so surely, I have a couple of friends who care to read what I have to say. So, it will continue. . . for better or worse.

It's been a very busy month. David's brother, Aaron and his wife Katrina, came out from Utah to visit the entire DC area. They came down for a one night stay. During that time, they managed to lock their keys in the rental car. Of course that was the only time we thought to take pictures. We loved having them here!

My brother, Wyatt, was nice enough to hire David to make some built-in bookshelves. He did this project during one of his weeks "off". Here are some pictures before the project was completely finished. David added doors to the bottom, a couple more coats of paint and molding. The finished project was beautiful!

This was also the month for Evan's birthday. He turned 4. I can't believe my "baby" is 4. Time has gone by too quickly. Suprisingly, I have enjoyed all his fun phases. I guess because I know he's my last. He is such a wonderful child. He's always happy and laughing. Here are some photos from our family party.

The following weekend my brother Shaun came down from Maryland for a visit. We were planning on going to the beach, but mother nature had other plans. When the hurricane came towards our coast and caused 20 foot swells, we thought it would be best for us to stay close to home. So, we went to yates Mill State Park to take a tour of the wheat mill. But, because of the rain from the hurricane that was canceled as well. So we spent the time in the museum, which was wonderful for the kids. They had scavenger hunts, dress up, puzzles, etc., for them to stay entertained.

Shaun also decided he wanted to learn how to can peaches. So, we went to the state Farmer's Market, bought 40 pounds of peaches and made 18 pints of jam and 18 quarts of peaches. That's my idea of fun. I love being in the kitchen teaching others my skills.

As for me, I had surgery at the end of August to remove my tonsils, and to fix my deviated septum. I was very apprehensive about getting these procedures done, mostly because of pain and a little because of our new stinky insurance coverage. I prayed so intently on whether or not I should get it done and I felt such a peace about it, that obviously, I went ahead with it. I am here to report that it really wasn't that bad. I stayed on top of my meds, having David set an alarm for every 4 hours. I did have a reaction to the Lortab (hyrdocodone) so they switched me to demerol. I hated the demerol. It made me have weird dreams when I actually could sleep and made me feel out of my mind when I was awake. I only stayed on it for 3 days and then just went to extra strength tylenol for the last couple of days. I was up and doing fine within 10 days. It was such a blessing to have my children away for the first couple of days after the surgery. I literally needed David at my beck and call. Luckily he had the week off of work due to the temporary lay-offs from his company. Ok, enough about that. On Labor Day I was feeling well enough to get out of the house for the first time in 10 days. During the morning, we went to a history museum in downtown Raleigh. I know it's sad to say, but we've lived here 6 yers and have never been inside. They had a pirate exhibit we all wanted to see as well as history of NC.

After we left the museum, we went to our first ever minor league baseball game. We actually had to explain baseball to all the kids. We definately plan on going more often next year.

We're almost done. Bear with me. . .

My kids are already tracked out. This past week we went to another state park. While hiking on the trail, we came across a creek the kids decided they had to walk around and play in. I tried warning them that wet rocks are slippery but despite the warnings, all but Paige slipped into the water at some point. While walking the rest of the trail, Rylee came within feet of a fawn. Then 2 doe's joined in. It was such a relaxing afternoon. I love going to places where it's okay for the kids to run around!

Okay. That's it. I have more to blog, but I'll do that in another post. Sorry for the novel, but consider yourself just about caught up with my life.

There are rules for loading these things

2009-08-06T21:19:00.006-04:00

Picture this for me, if you will . . .

It's after lunch and I have to unload the dishwasher.

I open the dishwasher.

I try to pull out the bottom drawer.

I pull and pull until I hear something crack.

I get down on my hands and knees. Surely there is a fork or knife that has slipped through the utensil container.

This is what I find.

Bonding

2009-08-06T21:02:00.005-04:00

I have loved these past seven months where Alan has been unemployed. I know Alan hates not working, but I have gotten to see him a lot more and I have loved spending time with him, Tyler and Aleksa.

He will IM me quite frequently and say, "I'm bored. What are you doing today?" This usually results in us getting together at the mall, or in this case at Laurel Hills Park.

I will be sad when he starts to work again.

The kids (and the adults) love to feed all the animals here. This day we saw snakes, frogs, turtles, and lots of fish.

New and Improved

2009-08-04T12:36:00.002-04:00

Since we've had our garden this year, I have had the need to try lots of new and interesting recipes. Sitting in my kitchen yesterday I had lot of zucchini and 12 quarts of blueberries. So, it seemed appropriate to mix them together into something. This is what I found, Blueberry Zucchini Bread. It is so good. But, in order to reach "divine" status, you must add the crumb topping.

Topping:
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter
mix all together until it looks like large crumbs and sprinkle on top.

Look at the reviews to see if you want to change anything. I added 3 cups of zucchini, used whole wheat flour, cut oil in half and added applesauce for the other half, used 2 cups white sugar and 1/4 cup brown.) I'm making my self salivate talking about this. Time to go eat some for lunch.

Make it, seriously. You won't regret it!

Perfectionist?

2009-08-03T15:38:00.003-04:00

Last night we had a couple of families over for dinner. After we ate, I asked one of the ladies to answer a piano composition question for me. During the course of my tutorial, she said I was a perfectionist. Upon that comment being made, my other friend entered and started agreeing with her and started giving examples of how I would fit that profile. I was embarrassed and tried to deny these claims.

I have never thought of myself as a perfectionist. I lived my childhood with a perfectionist and it wasn't fun. To me, it elicits a negative connotation. The mantra in my home growing up was, "If you can't do something right, then don't do anything at all." Which to me means, do it my way, or don't do it; my perceived slogan of a perfectionist. Am I really seen by others with this attitude?

Unfortunately, the more I thought about it, the more I see truth in my friends words. I do demand perfection of myself. I want to be the best I can. But to me that is a good desire.

On the downside, I now see how my desire for perfection has rolled over to my children in how I expect them to behave. This has greatly strained my relationship with Rylee. She is so full of energy and I can't "control" her so I am constantly frustrated. Now that I see and understand that, I see that my friends did me a huge favor. They pointed out a flaw, though they meant it as a compliment, and have helped me realize how I need to change.

And it's all because I'm a perfectionist.

Harris Teeter made me do it!

2009-07-28T11:59:00.003-04:00

I have failed.

I couldn't do the $100 this month.

I really tried and could have made it, but Harris Teeter had their Super Doubles again. For those of you who don't know what that means, they would double up to $1.98. If I have a $1.50 coupon, they would take $3.00 off. I was drawn by the good deals. That is honestly putting it lightly. I am obsessed about getting the best deals I can. When I teach my coupon classes, I tell people to stock up when there is a good deal and that is exactly what I did; with spending as little money as possible. I went to HT several times so I will list the totals separately so you can see how well I did despite failing at my overall goal.

Harris Teeter Trip 1:
OOP (out of pocket): $3.78
total saved: $25.99

HT Trip 2:
OOP: $.27 - yes, that is 27 cents!
Saved: $16.12

HT Trip 3:
OOP: $29.14
Saved: $85.79

Kroger Trip 1:
OOP: $2.49
Saved: $40.51

Kroger Trip 2:
David only bought cereal on this trip. It was part of a buy 10, get $5 off your order. PLUS, all the cereals have $5 in coupons inside which I used to get free stuff at HT. I really came out ahead dispite having to spend $20.
OOP: $20.40
Saved: 14.75

Total for week OOP: $56.08
Total this week saved: $183.16
Total savings of 70%!

Last week balance: $58.56
Amount for the rest of month: $2.48

I can tell you that I have gone over already. I had to buy snack for Ethan's Kindergarten class which was $9. Plus, I hit Harris Teeter again. I will give final totals next week.

On my Soapbox

2009-07-25T23:56:00.005-04:00

Just a warning: I'm going to rant a little, okay a lot, about our health insurance.

I just got our new cards in the mail yesterday and they raised all of our co pays! Not only do I already pay a whopping $680 per month for insurance but now I will have to pay $25 for routine visits and $50 for specialists. (I have talked with David about just dropping this insurance and trying to find something else.) If you can believe it, this policy I'm talking about doesn't even include David. He gets his covered by his work.

I hate the health care system as it is. And I hate what Obama is trying to do to it. Yes, I would like to have my premiums reduced (drastically), but universal health care is not the way to go! I don't want to have to wait a couple of years for the two surgeries I need; especially since they are not considered life threatening.

I won't get too political because people seem to play nice on their blogs, but I do have very strong opinions in this area. I am disgusted at the high cost of health care. I am disgusted that I have to pay for the high costs because others don't carry it. I'm disgusted that uninsured people can use the ER as their primary care and don't have to pay their own bills. I am sicked that insurance companies have such power and control over my health care already and their way of deterring me from using the policy I have is to raise my costs even further.

I could go on and on, but I won't. I will step off my soapbox for now and take a couple of deep breaths.

In . . . . Out . . . In . . . Out . . .

$100/ Month - WEEK 2

2009-07-20T15:41:00.003-04:00

My total for last week:

Harris Teeter: $1.30
Lowes Food: $21.14
Wal-Mart: $6.00 (for 2 gallons milk)

TOTAL: $28.44

Previous balance: $87
New balance: $58.56

I just have to add a disclaimer here. $6.00 of the Lowe's total was for paper towels, which would not normally be included in my food budget. David said I should include it just to see if I could still get it under $100, so I am.

Also, I didn't make many meals last week since I was up in Maryland for 3 days.

Monday: Pork tenderloin, scalloped potatoes, salad
Tuesday: Shepards Pie, apple sauce
Wednesday: Loaded baked potatoes, chicken breasts
Thursday- Saturday: at David's mercy. Probably leftovers
Sunday: Pizza

$100/month - WEEK 1

2009-07-13T11:18:00.003-04:00

I am trying to keep my shopping to $25/ week so I can do the $100/ month. Last week was a cinch. In total I spent $13 = $87 remaining.

I am hesitant to write all the meals I eat with the money I spend because I am apprehensive of negative feedback or someone saying I'm doing a disservice to my children. I still feed them, and my husband, balanced, nutritional meals but just use a creative method in having the food last longer. That being said, I still want everyone to know that you can eat well on a small budget, especially when supplemented with your food storage. So, for now, I will post some of the dinners made throughout the week.

This past week we ate: pork chops, leftovers, poppy seed chicken, tacos, pizza (free from David's work)and spaghetti (for 10 people).

For breakfast, I have always made breads, cinnamon rolls, muffins, pancakes, etc. These are economical and so much better than store bought products.

I went shopping this morning with David (this is again one of his unpaid weeks off) and I was just giddy with the things I got for the amount I spent. I will go over the totals next week, but I will give you a preview and let you know I left Harris Teeter with spending $1.30 and saving $56! I am off to a great start!

Mama's Best

2009-07-11T20:45:00.002-04:00

I should have stayed out of the kitchen yesterday.

First, I made my weekly batch of bread. I had tried a new recipe and the bread didn't rise.

Then, I thought last night's dinner was an absolute disaster. My plan was to have BLT's plus a summer squash medley. I will admit right here and now that I have never cooked squash. I have made zucchini bread but that is the extent of it. I have eaten squash though so I know what it is supposed to taste like. I thought I had failed miserably.

While I was cooking the squash, I realized I didn't have any lettuce so I would have to do something other than BLT's. The squash recipe called for bacon so I was cooking that anyways and just decided to mix the extra bacon with eggs and have a bacon and egg burrito. But, I burnt the bacon. Then, if this isn't enough, my eggs stick to the skillet. I'm just feeling defeated at this point, but I put out my food and the family comes to the table.

Paige points to the squash and says, "what's that? Can I taste it?" I give her some and she LOVES it! Not only does everyone eat the bacon and eggs, but they add the squash medley to it and enjoy my impromptu breakfast burrito.

Paige makes my night, while shoving her food as fast as she can, she says,

"When I'm older, I'm going to open a restaurant and call it "Mama's Best". I'm going to put this on the menu along with everything else you cook."

Then she starts to go over the menu, "meatloaf, pot roast, cinnamon rolls, your bread has to be at every meal, chicken pot pie, . . . "

I went from feeling embarrassed about what I was feeding my family to feeling like a hero. Thanks, Paige. Let's do the restaurant together!

My plan

2009-07-10T09:39:00.003-04:00

I have made a goal not to spend money for groceries unless it's milk, fruit, or absolutely necessary. With David's temporary unemployment and unforeseen car repairs our money is stretched pretty thin.

My goal is to spend less than $100 per month on groceries for the next several months. This past week, I've only spent $6 and that was for milk. (I do have morning moos in storage, but I have to afford myself a little bit of luxury here!) Here's to living off our food storage and our garden! I'll keep you posted on whether or not I can do this.

What happens the day before Kindergarten begins?

2009-07-08T21:12:00.005-04:00

To keep a long story from being very long, and to reduce any suspense you all have of hearing the impending news. I'll just say it short and sweet. Ethan broke his left arm this afternoon. Not just one of the bones, but both his radius and ulna.

I was feeling really tired so I went up to lie down for a bit and the 3 younger kids went out to jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath. After several interruptions later, I hear Ethan screaming and Rylee coming in to report.

Rylee: "Ethan was on the out side of the trampoline net and Evan pushed him off."

I jump up from the bed and as I head down the stairs, Ethan is screaming,

"He broke my arm . . . He broke my arm."

I looked at it and knew that it had been broken. I go upstairs,and

1.)Make a sling for him out of a kitchen towel
2.)Called David to come home
3.)Rylee had invited a friend over to play, so I called her mom to tell her not to send her over. She comes to get Rylee and Evan.
4.)Call my sick friend, whom I had volunteered to make dinner for, to tell her I had to cancel.
5.) Get Ethan into the car and realize I have no idea where to go.

I took him to an urgent care center and asked them where the recommend I take him. He told me to go down to Raleigh where they just opened an Orthopaedic Urgent Care Center. We got there right when they opened at 5pm and after filling out a lot of paper work we were ushered right in. (I'm going to give a little shot out for them. If you ever have someone that breaks a bone, go there! The staff was amazing and so good with Ethan. Plus, it's only an urgent care copay and there was no wait!)

Ethan was amazing, the entire time. He cried when he got a little scared over something, but was such a trooper. When we were finished, I told him I would take him where ever he wanted to go to eat.

All of this and tomorrow is his staggered entry day into Kindergarten. He can't even pull up his pants, or write now because he is left handed. What a way to start his school experience. After 6-8 weeks, he should be as good as new. Or so they tell me.

This is my little trooper feeling the effects of the Tylenol with Codeine.

Our Short Sweet Summer Vacation

2009-07-04T11:18:00.010-04:00

(I said I'd get this up on Saturday and here it is Monday morning. I'll write the rest later)

Because of the change of our school track at school, the kids only get this week off as their summer vacation. We decided to take our first trip to the beach as a family.

Wednesday: Planned on leaving early, but decided to take the kids to see Charlotte's web. I totally cried. We got to Wrightsville beach around 4pm and stayed until 7:30. I haven't been in the ocean in 10 years and missed having someone out in the waves with me. My mom and I were the ones that did this together while I was growing up. David stayed on the shore to watch the kids while I bobbed in the waves for about 1/2 hour then we switched. Here are some pictures of our first day.

This is Ethan in protest of staying at the beach longer. I guess he thought this would hurt us more than it did him.

Thursday:

We went to see the USS North Carolina. It was so hot, but so much fun. We were there for over 3 hours seeing the ends and outs of a battleship. We only lost Evan 4times. I would turn to read something and he would just disappear. One time he went below deck where it was chained off.

This is the only photo taken of me on our vacation. Just had to prove I was there too.

After we left the Battleship we headed out to see Fort Fisher.

This was the best we could to in getting all the kids to cooperate.

Of all the historical infomation I tried to give the kids about Fort Fisher, this was the most intrigueing thing for them; the fiddler crabs.

After we left there, we went to Kure beach for another couple of hours.

This was my favorite of our trip.

Yum, Zucchini Bread!

2009-06-29T21:35:00.003-04:00

I love this Zucchini Bread recipe. I am allergic to walnuts and was very pleased to find out this one used sunflower seeds instead.

2 cups grated zucchini
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1- 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 loaf pans. Place zucchini in colander and press to drain, set aside. Beat eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla together. Add dry ingredients. Stir in zucchini, seeds and pineapple. Bake 50-60 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

Who knows how old this is.

2009-06-29T21:26:00.003-04:00

I needed some onions for a recipe the other night and I didn't have any. So, I went into my food storage. This can, along with about 20 others, was given to us by someone who was moving. I have no idea how old it is, but my guess would be about 20 years. The onions are still good and made my pork roast yummy! I'm still a little afraid to try some of the other things in my storage. But, when I do, I'll share if they were edible.

What is this???

2009-06-29T21:21:00.002-04:00

Paige finds the grossest things in our yard. This is just one example.

4 STARS!!!!!

2009-06-19T22:48:00.002-04:00

This was the best movie I have seen in a very long time! Very, Very Funny!

Time is moving too quickly

2009-06-17T12:42:00.003-04:00

I am having a hard time with the idea of Ethan starting school in a month. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having him at home. He is such a happy little boy and the idea of him being out there with all those other children, away from my protection, is really hard for me to deal with.

I see the problems my girls have to deal with on a daily basis and it tears me up that my children are growing so quickly and having to be exposed to the ugliness in the world. I wish I could keep them this age forever. They let me kiss them, snuggle with them, play rock-a-bye baby with them, play with their hair, chase them around while playing tag,etc. I know they won't let me do all those things forever. Even when those hard days of motherhood arise, which they do, I make sure to remember all of the fun we have together and know that they are passing all too quickly; I need to make each day count!

Removal of the Killer IUD !!

2009-06-16T11:52:00.002-04:00

I have been tormented, since I was 12,with awful periods. The cramps, nausea, heavy bleeding, etc. After having Paige, they toned down, A LOT. But, everything changed after I had Evan. My body must have thought, "Hey, she had 4 kids in 5 years, lets just add more to her plate by making her have to stay in bed for 2-3 days/month." I've done everything possible to alleviate this pain and finally decided to get an IUD. My doctor spoke so highly of it and thought it would help rather than have an ablation preformed.

I hated the IUD. I bled constantly for several weeks after it was put in. When I got my period, it lasted for 3 weeks and I still had severe cramps to where it felt like I was being stabbed. I was so bloated, I gained 10 pounds and couldn't get rid of it, I was irritable, moody, my face broke out in teenage acne, and the list could go on and on. I scheduled an appointment with my Endocrinologist thinking I was having some issues with only having 1/2 my thyroid. I also went on line to do research on others' symptoms of their IUDS. People were having the same symptoms. I
I called my doctor and 4 days later, had the "killer IUD" removed.

It has only been 5 days, but I feel SO much better. Besides the incredible amount of bleeding I'm having (I know, this is probably too much information, but hey, that's how I roll), the bloating has gone done considerably, I feel happier, my face looks better and I like knowing my body no longer thinks its pregnant.

For those of you who love your IUD, I am glad you've found something that worked for you. I wish I had. Next up, I am schedule for an Endometrial Ablation surgery next month. If that doesn't work, they can just take my uterus out. It's not like I need it any more! I just can't keep living like this any longer. You'd think with modern medicine, there would be something out there that would be able to handle the pain I experience that wouldn't involve giving my body hormones!

Our Birthday Dinners

2009-06-09T13:54:00.005-04:00

When someone has a birthday in our family, I let them choose what they would like me to make for dinner. This is the meal that everyone has requested this year. It may not look like much in this picture, but it is DIVINE!

Chicken and Basil Cream Sauce: You can find the recipe here.

This is my attempt to present a beautiful meal. My friend, Alyssa, is amazing at her presentations and I'm trying to aquire some of her skills.

Followed by, Strawberry Pie.

An AMAZING Blessing

2009-06-09T13:37:00.003-04:00

For those of you who don't know, David is an Architect. Architects don't do well in an ecomonic recession.

About six months ago David's work laid of 18 people because of the economic downturn. Then a couple months later, they laid off another 11. Then came the salary reductions, no longer paying for parking, no longer matching 401(k), no overtime.

Another staff meeting a couple of weeks later revealed what we are currently experiencing now. They are calling it "Temporary Unemployment." This means over the next 3 months, David will be off of work for 5 weeks. He will have off one week, work 2, then have off one week, etc. He will retain his benefits, and will receive unemployment benefits for 4 of those weeks. This is his first week off and will not be able to collect unemployment for this week.

This is where the story actually has an upside. I forgot to submit our taxes on April 15th. OOPS! I did them through Turbo Tax, paid for it and everything, but just forgot to submit at the end, though I thought I had. My older brother told me he received his Federal refund within 9 days. So I waited, and waited and waited. After about 6 weeks, I was getting that nagging feeling I had forgotten to file. Sure enough, I hadn't. While we were waiting for our refund, we were notified by his work of these current changes. The blessings come here: If I had filed on time and received our refund, the money would've been used to pay down our student loans, leaving us with very little extra. BUT, since I knew about the lack of pay that was forthcoming, we now have enough to cover the money we will be losing by his collecting unemployment.

I have been filing taxes for half my life and never once have I forgotten to file. I know the Lord's hand was in this and we have received yet another blessing for being faithful tithe payers.

A day baking with friends

2009-05-30T21:27:00.006-04:00

Lana asked me earlier this week to teach her how to bake bread. Jenn wanted to learn as well so we planned it for Friday morning. They came with their boys and extra Wii remotes and we had a blast! When we were finished making the bread, Jenn said she also wanted to learn how to make cinnamon rolls. So, three hours later, and after we ate a loaf of bread we were finishing up. I had so much fun. Any one else that wants to learn, just let me know!

Rylee doesn't like frosting on her rolls. So, I left some plain for her.

(Ethan took this lovely picture!)

Our Strawberry Fest!

2009-05-30T20:20:00.011-04:00

Today we had our own strawberry fest. First, we went to pick them this morning,

then, when we came home, the fun began.

WARNING: This will sound a little like Forrest Gump)

I made strawberry jam,

David made the Strawberry Pies:

Aren't these little ones so CUTE!

Strawberry smoothies

Strawberry and pudding with dinner - no pictures

and BEST OF ALL chocolate covered strawberries!!! YUMMY!

I still have another flat to work with before they go bad.

Remembering My Uncle Jack

2009-05-25T10:51:00.005-04:00

This year Memorial Day has touched me more than any other. I have been working on genealogy extensively and have grown to love my ancestors and have learned so much about them. I have had many relatives in the Military, even as far back as the Revolutionary War.

My Grandfathers brother, Jack Campbell, was killed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was the only sailor killed on the USS Helena, being hit by bomb splinters. I wish I could have met him. I have pictures, documents, journal entries, and pictures of him being buried at Arlington under the presence of Pres. Truman, and everything I read and see makes me love this man more.

Death of a Young Hero

He did not die as some men die,
To noble deeds, to generous
And kindly impluses. The high
Romance of death, the glorious
Struggle of free men to stay free,
Was his. He died for Liberty.

He did not die as some men do,
A little at a time. They live
And are but half alive. He knew
He had one fair young life to give,
And gave it unreservedly,
As one whose goal is Liberty.

He did not die as some men creep
To unmourned graves in sin and shame,
His is an Honorable sleep;
His is an Honorable name.
He died for you, he died for me,
His Flag, his God, and Liberty.

By Anne Campbell

I am so grateful to all the service men and woman who serve our County and have given so much for my freedom. I will meet my great Uncle Jack one day. But until then, I will continue to honor him and what he died defending.

God Bless the USA!

This is my last post. . .

2009-05-15T22:55:00.002-04:00

as a 32 year old!!!!

It doesn't bother me one bit! Tonight David took me to see Angel and Demons, at my request, and I loved it! (The only part I didn't like was the fact I knew what was going to happen since I read the book years ago!) SO much better than 'The DiVinci Code.'

When I got home, I had a bouquet of flowers and donuts from my visiting teacher, Michelle C.! She just brought her baby home for the hospital today and yet she remembers my birthday! You are an amazing woman, Michelle, and not just for this. Thank you for always remembering me!

Ethan turned 5!

2009-05-15T22:43:00.006-04:00

This past saturday we had a birthday party for Ethan. He has never had one before, except with family so we decided it was high time for him to have his turn. He had about 8 friends over for some water fun. Although most of the games I planned were over their heads, they all had a great time. I think they all liked the rootbeer floats and cupcakes the best.

Look what Ethan can do!

2009-05-03T17:25:00.010-04:00

David has been outside with Ethan off and on for a couple of weeks trying to teach him to ride a bike. Ethan didn't like the bike with the training wheels and he wanted to ride like Paige and Rylee. So, he did it. I can't believe he's not even 5. I learned when I was 4 too,not to brag or anything. But hey, I got skills!

Say What?

2009-05-02T10:51:00.006-04:00

My children love to sing. Let me correct that, Rylee and Ethan love to sing. They bust out in song anywhere and everywhere. The funny thing is listening to the lyrics they sing with the songs. I've tried to correct them, but frankly, it's more fun just to laugh.

Ethan Saturday morning, while playing the Wii, singing Kelly Clarkson:

"Because of you I always trip on the sidewalk."

Rylee singing Pink's 'So What' :

"so what, I am a rock star I got my rockin' boots and I don't need you tonight . . "

Rylee singing Beyonce's 'All the single Ladies':

" All the single lits"

Ethan singing "Called to Serve"

"Called to Serving. . ."

The list could go on and on . . .

2009-04-30T12:14:00.003-04:00

I am now officially vowing to you, my three loyal readers, that I will

NEVER take #2 child along with other children to the store

with me again! I don't care if its triples, like it was today, or if they are

giving things away. I'm just not gonna do it.

I'm going to start making my own laundry soap!

2009-04-27T08:35:00.002-04:00

I was googling 'Fels Naptha' and and came across this site on all the many uses of Fels Naptha. I also found this site on not only where to buy Fels Naptha, but all the ingredients to make my own soap. I never really looked to buy borax, but all the stuff is here! I am so excited to have found these two sites. I hope you have fun looking over them too! Who knew a soap would have so many different uses?

Helpful Hints

2009-04-20T23:07:00.005-04:00

Over the years I have needed each one of these "Helpful Hints" and after reading a friends blog, I thought maybe others could use these ideas as well.

How to remove ball point pen ink: Use a cotton ball with rubbing Alcohol directly in the ink.DO NOT PUT WATER ON IT BEFORE HAND! I personally have to use this every Monday before doing laundry; no lying! My kids draw in church and always get stuff on their church clothes.

How to remove blood from anywhere: use hydrogen peroxide. Dump some on the spot and use a white cloth to gently wipe away.

How to clean poop from carpet: Use peroxide and white cloth. (please test carpet first!)

How to clean candle wax off of carpet: Turn on your iron as if to iron a regular shirt. Get out a couple of pieces of old newspaper, put over the wax and start ironing. Yes, it is that simple!

To keep your celery fresh: wrap it in aluminium foil. It will last for weeks!

My favorite cleaning products:

Mr. Clean Eraser:

This thing cleans everything (oh, except permanent marker on flat paint.) It cleans finger prints, scuff marks from shoes on floor boards,crayon drawings, and even cleans the boogers off my kids' walls. I know you're so happy to know that! Just a penny pinching tip, I cut mine into 4 sections before using. The pad gets smaller as you use it, so I try to get as much use out of it as possible!

Fels Naptha:

If I had more skills, I'd write the 'Ode' to this product that dances in my head every time I use it to clean my kids clothes. I love this product. My laundry wouldn't be the same with out it. I use it ALL the time. If I know the big patch of grass smeared across the knees will leave a stain, I wet the clothes and rub it with Fels Naptha, and the stain is gone. Can't say enough about it. Okay, I do have a confession to make. I buy this product at normal price and without coupons! That is how much I LOVE it!!

Clorox Clean-up Bleach Cleaner:

My neighbor introduced me to this product a couple of years ago and I haven't been without it since. I still have laminate counter top that are a light beige. This stuff gets sprayed on it, and all the stains come off. I spray it everywhere on everything I want white again i.e., kitchen sink, shirts, shower drains, etc.

Now,I want to hear if you all have any helpful hints. I have a ton, but it's after midnight and I still need to shower. So, go have fun cleaning!!!

Track out - Day ONE

2009-04-20T15:10:00.006-04:00

Downside: My kids have already made me cry.

I took all the kids to the chiropractor with me for my adjustment and to have Ethan and Paige evaluated because their allergies have been so awful this Spring.

Needless to say, the morning started out bad but just got worse. I won't go into all the whining details because I know everyone of you mothers understand. I brought activities for them to do but I wasn't expecting to be there for 1 hour and 45 minutes!!!!! By the time I got home, I isolated myself into my room and called David. I was so frustrated, I was shaking and somehow the tears just started. (I guess it was because I knew I had to leave in 45 minutes to take all of them with me to Evan's Speech class.)

Upside:

1. David suggested I go out with a girlfriend tonight.

2. I got an email for a girlfriend saying we should hang out and she even invited my family over for dinner ! : D This alone made my day!

3. I'm at Dollar Tree picking up my Sunday papers. A man, probably in his mid- 40's, walks up to me and says,

"Ma'am?

"Yes?" I'm thinking, oh gosh, he's calling the police on me because I left my 4 crazy kids in the car and they are probably out there screaming or yelling at the innocent patrons through their windows.

But instead, he says, "Nice haircut." And walks off to do his shopping. :D

Wow, my Heavenly Father really knows when I need a pick-me-up. Each of these incidences alone would have done it, but I got all three. I am a lucky lady!

I FINALLY did it!!

2009-04-14T14:23:00.005-04:00

I finally managed to keep a secret from David without giving it away!! David turned 34 on the 9th and I wanted to do something fun for him. We don't buy each other gifts for any other holiday so I wanted this to be good! I called my mom at the beginning of March and she agreed to come down to watch the children so we could leave for a couple of days. I was so giddy with excitement as each part of the trip panned out. I managed to count down the days without giving anything away. I spent HOURS on the computer trying to figure out where to go and what to do. I settled on Williamsburg and finally just got the hotel room from Priceline (I named my own price!) I contacted David's office manager and told her my plans and got him approved for his birthday off. The next day was good Friday and he had that off already. Last Sunday before his birthday, I started giving him little poems that would lead him to different gifts. He got one each day, just to throw him off. I made his requested dinner on Wednesday and told him we had plans for his birthday night.

On top of all this, I had to get everything planned for my mom. I had an agenda for things to do with the kids, including maps, money, etc. I was patting myself on the back for all my organization. : D

Wednesday night my mom and sister arrived around 10:30, as we are going to sleep, I asked David to wake me up when his alarm went off at 5:40am so I could wish him a happy birthday. When his alarm went off,

I said,"You're not going to work today."

David: "I'm not?"

Me: "nope, go back to sleep."

David: "Do I need to call out?"

Me: "No, I already took care of that."

David: "what's going on? What are we doing?"

Me: " We're going away for the weekend. That's why mom Mom's here."

David: "That's so awesome. Okay, I'm going back to sleep."

We got a call to show the house as I was trying to get the kids off with my mom to an activity and pack (since I couldn't do that ahead of time).

We had SO MUCH FUN! I didn't want to choose everything to do so I let David decide. We went to Busch Gardens when we arrived on Thursday. Jamestown on Friday until 2 and then went to Busch Gardens again. On Saturday we shopped the outlets and got home around 7pm. I love being alone with David, because quite honestly, he cracks me up and dealing with all the kids, it kinda hard to get the humor in! Here are some pictures of our trip.

I love you David. I hope you had a great birthday! xoxo!

Did we really do this on purpose???

2009-04-05T19:48:00.004-04:00

The kids have been BEGGING us to take them camping. So, last night we took the plunge. I will start off by saying that I used to love camping. I realize now it was because I didn't have to do all the work! We've even taken the entire family before. I thought they would've grown up a little but apparently I was mistaken. I was actually praying the night before that I would get sick so I wouldn't have to go. David gave me plenty of chances to back out, but I didn't want our children to have all these great family memories with Dad and not with me. So, I sucked it up and was miserable last night! We had attitudes, tantrums, slow walking on the night hike and most of all, LOUD talking. Then in the middle of the night, we had trips to the bathroom, whines of it being cold (it went down to 49.), wanting to switch places with a sleeping siblings, crying, etc.

I will end by saying, after I was in a foul mood because I couldn't control my children, this morning was really fun. It was okay if they wanted to explore, add wood to the fire, ride around on their bike, etc. I keep thinking, next time will be better, next time will be better. But when I hear the kids talking of how much fun they had, I know why I do this. I do it to spend time with my family and to hopefully for everyone to grow closer and to learn to work as a team.

How did I go so long without this Site?

2009-03-30T22:54:00.004-04:00

Frequent Dilemma in my house:

It's 4:30 in the afternoon.

I have no idea what to make for dinner.

I start searching through my cookbooks.

David will be home in an hour and I have no ideas what to make.

Solution:

My search for inspiration took me to the Internet.

When I'm in the "dinner fog", I now visit this site, type in the ingredients I want to use and the ones I don't and it will show me all the possible meals available. They even have reviews and you can adjust the amount of ingredients based on the number of people you need to feed.

LOVE IT!

Now my dilemma is trying to decide which recipe to choose!