Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Summer Tuesdays

So Tuesdays are fun days. Alicia has private swim lessons and our town pool is right next to the library and park. Today we went to the library and picked up some movies and books I had reserved, then to the park for about 45 minutes and then to her lesson. After that the city has free lunch for kids under 16 so we walk out the door from lessons and go about 6 feet for the kids free lunch. We sit there in the park with lots of good friends or cousins and then head home. It is a great way to spend Tuesday mornings. This afternoon we plan to finish our paper mache globes! We went grocery shopping earlier this morning and I bought some liquid starch. I really did not want to buy anything for this project but I did not have a good experience making the flour-based glue for the first layer and have heard this will work better. We will see. Cannot be worse then the burnt stuff I made. :)

Now I am trying to think of something for dinner. My nose crinkles at the thought. Some days I like cooking, some days it is more of a chore I like to put off. Like today.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

FREE is the word of the day

So a friend let me know about some free paint at Glidden a few days ago, and then I have seen it advertised everywhere but just in case you don't have a friend to tell you or haven't seen it everywhere, like I have, here is the hint for the day.

Glidden is giving away a quart of paint. FREE!! Go to glidden.com and choose your color and they will ship it to you within 3-4 weeks! WOW.

I have been wanting to paint some more rooms. I actually ordered paint to do our bedroom but if I don't care for the color once it comes I may use it for the laundry room. You can only order one per household but I have been heaing people have been using their mothers and sisters to get more paint so they can actually do a whole room.

SO there you go!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Summer School 2009

So last week we studied Australia and this week we are doing Africa. This week has been cut short a bit with swim lessons and then the zoo yesterday(the zoo has animals from Africa you know!) but we are learning. They at least can show me where the continents are and I am not sure they knew before this summer. And we are also having fun and are less bored. There are so many good books out there about each continent for kids. AND it has worked out nicely to help the kids in their summer reading program they are doing through our library. We also went to the Outback Steakhouse last week and it was really fun for the kids to see the decorations there.
Anyway I thought I would let you all know how it is going. There have been some things I have decided not to do, some are half done, and some I am so looking forward to doing later this summer. The paper mache globe is one of the half done things. After letting the first layer dry I just haven't been in the mood for that kind of mess again. I think I am going to try liquid cornstarch for the next layer and just haven't bought that yet. I will finish before the end of summer. So this is the progression of the "globe." The last picture is where they have sat for the last week. Out of the way of little kids reach.





The last picture is of some projects or work we have done since school has been out. The funny looking thing in the picture is a camel. Though, I guess to you, the koala may be funny looking too.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

sad news

The summer I went into college my family got a little calico kitten. She would climb things and walk around on her HUGE back feet so she was named Raptor. She was a really fun kitten. Better then a lot of kittens we had in my childhood. Full of life and fun. Now Ben has a different view of her. He think she is a snob. Raptor became kind of a picky cat as she got older. She always let me pet her but she didn't like big crowds. She was fairly good with the kids, tolerated them as long as possible. Alicia and Ethan loved her!!!!

The last time I was home she looked sick. It was really only a matter of time.

Monday Raptor was put to sleep and buried under the big fir tree in my childhood backyard. It makes me sad. I really only saw her on my summers home from college. But my parents have loved this cat. She was 14 and Danette and I have been gone from home most of that time. She was their baby. I feel for my parents.

Losing a pet is really hard.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

So last night I made cookies I can eat. Ths was after Ben's mom gave her boys monster cookies for fathers day. They are one of my favorite cookies and I knew I could not have one. So I started to look around online for a cookie recipe. I found one I thought would work for me.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies.

They were okay. They look like the real thing, giving me hope and they will do in a pinch when eveyrone is eating a yummy cookie and I am not. But they are no real peanut butter cookie. I did forget to add the chocolate chips so maybe that would help.

Eating gluten free is not all that hard but there are things that you miss. cookies, pizza, etc. I need to find a good pizza dough. I would like to find a good bread recipe so I can have a sandwich. But overall not too bad.


Tomorrow we will be in Portland so I may try to stop by Trader Joes. I hear they have a nice selection of gluten free products.

I am going to try a peanut butter brownie in a crockpot recipe soon. I am just looking for the last ingredient, gluten free oats. Stayton doesn't seem to have those. Well, I haven't gone back to our local healthfood store to check but they are almost a joke. They carry very few things.

So maybe I will let you know how that recipe went. Maybe even take a picture. I know how you all like pictures.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Too cute

When Ben and I take the kids anywhere Ben likes to ask the kids where we are. Sometimes the kids know it's Turner or Salem and then there are times they can't quite remember the name but they try anyway. Last weekend as we headed East Ben asked the kids where we were and Ethan answered "Tigers." I was confused until it hit me. We were in Lyons but to a 5 year old he must have thought we had said Lions.

On the way back through a few days later Ethan asked again if we had gone through "Tigers" yet. I think he will have a hard time getting that name out of his head.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

vacation weekend

At our schools auction Ben and I bought a weekend at Detroit Lake. It was to be used the weekend after school was out. So Friday we headed up to Detroit. We stopped at the dam and walked across it but it wasn't all that thrilling. So we continued on and found the place we were to spend the next two nights at and I was pleasantly surprised. We knew there was 3 rooms but we had no idea how big the house actually was. AND it had a hot tub, a canoe, wii with games the kids had never played (we did not bring ours), and also had a fire pit area. And then on top of all that it was right on the lake! (These pictures were taken from the deck. I took these pictures as Ben took the kids out in the canoe and I suntanned. Yep, it was grand!)

We thought it was going to rain the entire weekend but Friday it rained some but not really when we were out and then it really never rained much after that. The first time it did rain was when Ben had the kids out in the canoe. I was sitting on shore and felt it start to sprinkle. I yelled at them to come back but they took their time and by the time they came in it started to pour on us. It was actually kind of funny trying to run up the mountain in POURING RAIN.

We then headed to the hot tub and the kids LOVED this.
It was probably Ethan's favorite thing from the weekend. On Saturday Ben decided we should share this with his brothers fam so we invited Levi, Donna and kids up that night.
We had a fire with smores and then took turns in the hot tub. The kids loved the smores and Zach got much of his smore on him. If you look close you can see marshmallow all the way down his shirt and onto his pants. They were not even with us 24 hours but I think they had a good time and I know my kids were thrilled to have some cousins to share the good times with. It was a great weekend. And a super way to start our summer off.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Christmas present

For Christmas Uncle Danny and Aunt Rachel bought my kids one of those butterfly gifts where they send you the larvae and you get to watch them change. I decided to wait until the end of school for this. So I sent it off about 6 weeks ago and we have been watching them change for the last few weeks. Wednesday was the kids last day of school and when we got home one had already hatched. Thursday all 5 were out! I cannot believe the timing. It has really helped occupy the kids and it is just plain fun! After this weekend we will have to find some place to let them go, but for now we are loving getting to watch them fly around. I stuck my camera up in the "home" and took some pictures of our pretty friends.


Friday, June 12, 2009

more t-ball pictures





I love having a little boy in t-ball. I have so much fun taking pictures of him. He really has taken to sports and though he is the youngest and smallest on his team, he is really hanging in there.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

better late then never?

So I finally uploaded some pictures today that have been on my camera awhile. I thought I would share with you the pictures from the Mommy and Me Tea Ethan invited me to. The preschool/kindergarten class took the moms to the Deepwood Estates for tea. The staff there taught us manners and how to eat our scones politely. they served chocolate tea and let the kids add as many sugar cubes or cream as they needed. It was a very special time. Afterwards the kids all gave the moms a plate they had made at school. When we were all done inside we went out to the gardens and let the butterflys go that they had been watching in their classroom. Ethan was looking forward to this. He loved coming home and telling me what stages the butterflys were in. So they were all happy to get to touch them and let them go. And this was a great home those butterflys were getting! Gorgeous there. It did not rain until we let the last one go and then it poured. It was a very nice day and I hope they do it again next year.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

So I thought I could ask for gluten free products and recipes and you all would think maybe I was thinking about a friend and just needed some help. You all are presistent.

So here is the story. Didn't really want to share the story until next week but again you all are presistent. :)

Not really sure where to start but Thursday I went to see a doctor after a week of weird pain. My fingers and toes were swollen, my joints (wrists, fingers, knees, toes) all hurt. I couldn't put my bra on without hurting, couldn't turn my neck to look out the window while driving, sometimes my ars felt like they were falling asleep. I was nauseous and have had a headache every day for about a month. I wasn't sure if some of my signs were just silly or if I should go in. I had prayed I think Sunday night about it. Prayed that if I needed to go in and see a doctor my body would get worse. Well it sure did. So I went in Thursday and they started some tests. We talked for about an hour and he said while they run tests I should go off gluten. I went home and looked up gluten and a lot of symptoms I have had for awhile. Things I thought were connected to my dairy problems. Some symptoms I have had so long I didn't really know they shouldn't be normal or had forgotten they were abnormal. So as I wait for results from my tests I am cutting all gluten out. I am so excited that I may have found something that will make me feel better. Better then I have been in years!

Most of my pain has gone. My headaches are much fewer and I am not as swollen. It supposedly takes 6-8 weeks for the gluten free diet to really work but I think these are good signs.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

PS

can you post the recipes here?

Thanks

Thursday, June 4, 2009

gluten free

I am wondering if any of my readers know any great gluten free foods. This could be recipes or foods at a local store. I am in need of some ideas and unsure where to really start. Thanks

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

5 years ago tomorrow

So if I look back 5 years ago to this day I was anxiously waiting for my due date, June 3. I was late with Alicia and so I wasn't really thinking I would have my baby ON my due date, but all women HOPE. That evening I "knew" I was having my baby. I went into a weird labor. No real labor signs just feeling really sick. I was glad I didn't listen to the hospital when they said wait for "real" labor signs. I was already at 4 or 5 when I went in. (Which was, by the way, after having to wait for Ben to get home from a work softball game. He agreed with the hospital and didn't think I was in labor.)

Ethan was born in the wee hours on his due date.

Tomorrow I am throwing him his first birthday party. Well, first party with only friends. There will be 6 or 7 little boys coming over for a Mario Brothers birthday. I am having it at 11:30 so no sister to bug him. It should be a grand time. I canot believe he is 5. He will always be my baby.