Blog Marathon - Mile 8 - Time for a New Blender

Yesterday I tried Blender Pancakes from a recipe I've had kicking around here for a long time from one of my whole grain classes. I wasn't expecting to be impressed. When I turned the blender off short of 3-5 minutes and peeked in I thought it looked like a runny lumpy mess. Well that's because you have to give it some time to grind your wheat kernals (I used rinsed hard red wheat kernals).

It was a success for me, the kids, for hubby.

I don't want to type out the recipe so I'll link to THIS recipe and instructional video because it's almost identical. I did use my powdered eggs, but forgot to use powdered milk.

Differences in recipes

I used 1 1/4 cups milk

1 T baking powder

1 egg

1/3 cup oil (it's nice to see that there is a successful recipe that omits the oil - I'll try that next time)

Anyway, I decided to whip them up again today. I'll teach you how you CAN break your blender - sigh. I decided to double the recipe. Although the dry/wet ratio is the same, the weight on the motor burned it out. Also I decided to use some flax seeds in place of part of my wheat. Apparently flax seed is more of a sponge when it comes to liquids so I set the batter off balance. It was a bit thicker than batter of yesterday.

The good thing that I did to the recipe today was add some cinnamon and chopped pecans (after I broke the blender - I was never planning on grinding them in the blender just for the record). It was DELICIOUS. I would add flax again because I love the nutritional content and the flavor is WONDERFUL.

So I'm off to price blenders.

Blog Marathon - Mile 7 - I Don't Know Why She Swallowed a Fly OR Why Jon Won't Kiss Me for a Month

Today I nearly swallowed a fly - GROSS!!! I keep a glass of water on the counter. I usually get my eight glasses in a day. Today I took a swig and there was something tickly. First I thought I had a hair or glob of hair in there. So I started spitting it all out in the sing. Tickly, tickly. Get out of there. Out drops a fly - wings soaked, but ALIVE. Gross! Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

P.S. You totally caught me if you noticed that this wasn't published on July 29th. I've had a tough time getting to mile marker 7. I decided to go to bed. The first time in a long while that I've been SLEEPING before midnight. Funny. I don't feel any more rested today.

Blog Marathon - Mile 6 - Imagine That

Our family has enjoyed going to the movies a couple of times this summer. I think I've mentioned that we saw Toy Story 3 (opening night in fact - we got to sit on the 2nd row because we didn't wait in line for an hour). We also enjoyed The Karate Kid. We found a strategy that worked for us and our busy toddler. We go to the 7 p.m. show with his blanket and bottle of milk. It's worked like a charm. Warm cuddly toddler curled up in our laps.

Well today I decided to take the kids to The Family Summer Film Festival (aka FREE movie of the week). We arrived early and got seats near the center of the row (maybe will rethink that next time). Jayson wanted his own chair, but it folds up on him. So I draped my leg over the corner of his chair to hold it down. He sat for a while. He downed his fruit snacks. Found his bottle of milk and then he was up walking back and forth in our row - getting the evil eye from James who was patrolling his side of our group of chairs.

So I went out with Jayson and ordered $14 worth of concessions (one bucket of popcorn and a large Fanta cherry icee) for the kids to share. Jayson insisted on carrying the icee. He tripped over his little red crocs a half dozen times. My ankles were spring loaded to catch his falls, but he succeeded getting to the door. We crossed in front of the completely packed theater and made our way toward the top to reclaim our seats.

Popcorn kept them busy for a little, but only having one cup was problematic. Especially since Jayson thought he should drink all of it. Jessica would stand up, walk down the aisle and drink it while Jayson protested.

When there was only three inches of icee left, it was pretty much clumped together and lacking intense flavor. Jayson removed the lid and was flipping the straw. I got another fruit snack pack out and traded him for the cup and all its accessories.

All too soon the fruit snacks expired so I handed the cup back to Jayson to keep the peace. I don't recall what was happening in the film, but Jayson started SCREAMING. Was he falling through the back of the chair? Did he drop something? Was his finger stuck? Why is he still screaming? What's wrong?

COLD. Cold everywhere.

I guess the ice cluster at the bottom of the cup came crashing down on Jayson's face. SMASH. Up his nose. Chin covered. Shirt freezing. His blanket came in handy as I mopped him off. He kept telling me that he was cold.

Jayson & I didn't last much longer in the theater. He was trying to think of ways to go "out there." He would sing or grunt and laugh at himself.

Our next destination was out of the theater and into the bathroom where he stripped down from the waist (shoes and all) and insisted that he had to go pee pee by himself ("me. me."). When his mission was complete, I reattached his wet diaper and we walked the theater halls.

Again in the theater - across the front - climb the stairs. He was very good at finding the kids in the dark. But he had decided that he wanted to be at the VERY TOP. Problem was that there were NO vacant seats.

Sooooooooooooo.......

Back down the stairs - he RUNS across the front of the theater and his escape was intercepted by another mom rocking a younger toddler on the side of the theater.

Anyway. An adventure. Imagine That

Blog Marathon - Mile 5- Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I have my 10x10 flush mount press printed album sitting right here. It's a roller coaster ride being a wannabe photographer - one minute I get it and the very next I most obviously should quit. "Who do you think you are?" I ask myself. I'm spending SO MUCH TIME and I feel like it is taking FOR E VER to get where I hope to be. I'll tell you what. I got the bill for the HUGE canvas I ordered. I better be a rock star this week. I hope it looks awesome because everyone is gonna see it when they walk through my house. I need to be able to live with it.

So there you go - my behind the scenes drama, insecurity, self doubt all spilled out. Tomorrow I tuck it in, suck it up, and proceed forward assuming the highest confidence in the world. Ok. See you then.

A couple more:

Blog Marathon - Mile 4 - I take photos

I take photos - lots of them. Since I went digital, I have a problem with PRINTING them. Last week I worked on an album to be printed for my home and for a new HUGE portrait of my kids (I sure hope it turns out). So since I'm running out of breathe on this mile of the marathon, let me take you for a detour HERE to see pics of the kids that will be printed in my album.

Blog Marathon - Mile 3 - Cinema Crush

Back in June I got on to half.com and ordered $100 worth of musicals/classics for our home DVD collection. Our children have limited access to television on Sundays - usually just for Family Home Videos or Bible Stories with the occasional Disney movie or America's Funniest Videos. It occurred to me that with all the video games and advanced movie magic that my kids weren't likely to ever CHOOSE to watch some of the finest movies ever made. How could they ever want to make the choice if they never sat down and were exposed to such classics.

Jon & I decided to add them to our Sunday catalog of acceptable titles. The hope was to have good entertainment available that we could watch together (preferrably after a very relaxing nap - wink). Well, they haven't fallen head over hills with them YET. James keeps asking why they keep breaking out into song - which is my favorite part.

Anyway, I've been in tears watching them - so romantic, so beautifully performed. It's brought me back to my apartment in college with Denise eating animal crackers and laughing so hard my stomach hurt when she introduced me to Singing in the Rain. I don't know how my mom hid that gem from me. Thankfully my kids don't need to wait until they are in their 20s to see the funniest film ever. Even if they think they "caaaaaaaaant stan it."

When James was a baby, we were too frugal to have cable and the antenna picked up nothing. I had a borrowed copy of Oklahoma, a borrowed copy of Raffi's live concert, and one purchased copy of Disney's Tarzan - all on VHS tape. I heard those three movies a bajillion times - knew them each word for word.

If I had to choose my cinema crush, the movie character I most adore, I can't hardly think of anyone that would rival Curly on Oklahoma. His voice gets me all melty inside and his sweet talkin' about taking me for a ride in the surrey with the fringe on top... Just makes me wonder if I was born a few decades past due.

Tonight we watched Sound of Music with the children. I forgot how long it is. So far nobody has made it to the finish - they're falling asleep all over the family room. When I was younger and watched Sound of Music, it was all about the fun music. I also was so charmed by the teenagers dancing on the benches out on the rain - Sixteen Going on Seventeen. Tonight I was so impressed how one woman's genuine personality changed the whole mood of an entire home. Initially Captain Von Trapp wanted her to run things like a ship like he did - whistles and all. But she loved music and running and twirling around with her arms out wide. She was compassionate and nurturing. She brought out the best in people. Made me want to be just like her. Not cast in a role of expectation, but genuine and honest with myself.

I must also note that I miss the days where women and girls wore dresses with soft, floaty fabric that fluttered and was so pretty. Didn't Julie Andrews look beautiful in the light blue dress.

Mile 2 - We're Goin' to the Zoo Zoo Zoo - July 6, 2010

Visiting Hogle Zoo is on our Utah To Do list. We don't make it every year, but it's a nice outing. It's especially nice if a couple of your friends and kiddos join you. Add Grandma, a niece and nephew and you have the recipe for a really nice day.

Except for when you are the last day of your 10 day stay and your children are wired and tired easily irritated by the heat, etc. etc. Jon and I actually turned the kids around mid-loop to head them back to the car. Do not pass go, do not stop for ice cream. Cranky. Whiny. Not fun.

I enjoyed my Visitor Center Missionary Sisters - absolutely adore these amazing women. Loved seeing them as mothers. Loved having one more excuse to be together.

Jayson insisted on riding the carousel. "Hous. hous." He would say for horse. Then he chose to sit in the peacock that didn't even go up and down. Whatever.

Blog Marathon - Mile 1 - My Back

We're back from our family trek to Utah. Can I just say: I LOVE MY SERTA MATTRESS!!! We have had a wonderful time with plenty of make-shift sleeping arrangements. Jayson climbed into our bed EVERY night. He is a VERY active sleeper - the kicking, squirming, flopping was very annoying. One night he fell off of the double bed we were sharing and was wedged between the mattress and wall. I didn't sleep very soundly after that because I was on high alert for another rescue. It was a chore getting anyone to bed before 11 p.m. Since we were usually all sleeping in the same room, there was never any quiet time to be on your own - I missed that. Jayson learned that he liked his back scratched as he fell asleep. He'd say, "Ma...my back, my back" everytime I stopped scratching.

My house is a mess. My laundry is nearing an end. The zucchini's in the garden were GIANTS, so I've been grating and mixing and baking. Add clean out the kitchen cabinet to a list that was already too long.

The pears are shaping up. The cucumbers are plentiful. The green bean have scaled the window. The garden is looking nice and full. The apples are turning red. The peach tree grew a couple feet in a bit of a growth spurt while we were away.

In the past week I've made peach jam and diced peaches for smoothies. We've given away over a dozen cucumbers and zucchinis and handfuls of cherry tomatoes. Our kids LOVE the steamed green beans. Our peach tree started producing fruit after we bought bags and bags from Ralphs. Our backyard peaches have such a vibrant color and are so sweet. I like knowing where our food is coming from.

Half Marathon

A year ago my husband ran the LA Marathon - all 26.2 miles of it. He enjoyed the challenge of pushing his limits and having a goal to work toward. This year his goals have been in "his" garden. He has worked just as hard and our family has been enjoying the fruits and veggies of his labors. Currently we savor zucchini (mostly in bread although we did try grilling it), cucumbers by the dozens, the sweetest cherry tomatoes, and the most brightly color peaches. YUM!!!

Today marks the day that our marriage has reached the half marathon marker - 13 years. We've lived temporarily in a cabin, grandma's apartment, and the Extended Stay America. We lived in one Provo basement apartment, one California apartment complex, and in two different Southern California homes. Despite our intentions to move back to Utah, we have enjoyed 12 years in Sunny California. It's nearly taken that long to prefer it as our home to anywhere else.

Our life together has been blessed with 2 houses, 3 vehicles (Mazda, Windstar, Camry), 4 children, 1 company with many different job titles and several promotions, 1 trip to Bermuda, 2 getaways to Hawaii, backyard campouts, many years of Disneyland annual passports, numerous beach trips, and countless vacations with family in Utah. We've survived the MBA program, Young Women's Presidencies, melanoma, discouragement associated with being distanced from family, one jaundiced infant, one threatened miscarriage, one actual miscarriage, constant headaches, the Cub Scout program (almost), rhabdomyosarcoma (with the hospital stays, surgeries, weekly chemo treatments at clinic, physical therapy, counseling, emotional drama, medical bills, insurance issues), and much more.

Happy Anniversary to Us!!! Our life isn't a perfect fairytale, but we are living happily ever through it.

My sister invited me to run/walk a 5K (3.1 miles) with her and mom over the 4th of July weekend. I planned on doing so until I twisted my ankle earlier that week - Nice! My sister in law ran the half marathon and placed 2nd in the women's category. Five kids later and she can whip out a 13 mile run - rock star!!! Mom and sister finished their 5K. I still have run nothing.

I've decided to run a Blog Marathon. It's time to get my Blurb book on order - there's a sale through July 31st. I have lots of family memories unblogged that I've intended to record for our book. So I'm going to do 26 blog posts as a type of catch up. I haven't blogged daily for a VERY long time, so this will take some endurance on my part. Check back daily to see if I've hit my mile marker and if I start running out of breathe, please send you encouragement. If anybody would like to join me on the race or go for a half marathon, please let me know so I can follow you. Race starts tomorrow 7:00 a.m. (thank goodness I can schedule my next post for that time since I'm VERY groggy that time of day).

Here We are Together

It takes a ten hour drive and planning a missionary meet up to get a family snapshot. But here we are together - mismatched, sweaty.