Life of a New Wife in the 21st Century

The Song....

2011-03-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

If we would have had a bigger wedding....where dancing was involved....this definitely would have been the song I picked for our first dance:

I am a closet country music fan....

2011-03-14T19:08:00.001-07:00

The GREATEST Rock Band Song EVER......

2011-03-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Original Rock Band ----> Band.....with Jimmy Dean, Mike, Shady Ray, and E-Mac....voted and this is officially the BEST Rock Band song.....100% across the board.

thinking of my granny.....

2011-03-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today I saw this video on Yahoo and thought of my granny....she knew every word to every song on this CD. I listened to this CD every morning while getting ready for school in high school....so she was forced to listen to the CD also. What a nice grandma to never complain about the same CD everyday for 4 years. :) She's so sweet. I wish we lived closer so I could see her more often.

The BEST Extreme Makeover Home Edition

2011-03-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

Seriously....this show always makes me cry but this episode was probably one of the sweetest I have ever seen.

Being Erica

2011-02-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

This has been one of my most favorite episodes of Being Erica. This show has been a gem and I feel very lucky to have found it. I never used to worry much about death. It seemed so far away. But now that my life is where it is today, I do worry about it because I have so much to leave behind. As I watched this episode it reminded me of a two very specific days in my life...one was the day I found out one of my most favorite and beloved aunts told me she had breast cancer. I cried and cried and just like Erica's mom she told me everything would be ok. The other day is this episode reminded me of (and I was surprised I thought of this day) was the day Kat called to tell me Tim had passed away. That day my heart fell to my feet. All I could think of was all of the things he had left to do in his life and all of the things he would miss because he wasn't here anymore. The world didn't make much sense after that because I couldn't wrap my mind around how someone so sweet and nice could loose his life and his kids and his family. Ultimately one day we loose everything...

My Review of Perfect Dot V-Neck Pima Tee

2010-09-14T09:20:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at Avenue.com

Tiny polka dots liven up this soft pima v-neck plus size tee.

A Geometric Tee. Short sleeves. V-neck. Knit. Imported.
Pima cotton. Machine wash.
Approx 28" long.
Perfect Dot V-Neck Pima Tee

Adorable, Comfy and Cute

By Fashionably Challenged E from Santa Cruz, CA on 9/14/2010

Fit: Feels true to size

Length: Feels true to length

Pros: Soft, Versatile, Stylish, Figure Flattering

Best Uses: Wear to School, Casual Wear, Wear To Work

Describe Yourself: Bargain Shopper, Career, Casual

I LOVE polka dots. So I bought this t-shirt in hopes that it would be cute fun and casual while being able to go with the print drape vest. It's perfect for everything. I can wear it casually with jeans or dress it up the the vest and wear it to work. It's soft and feels GREAT!

(legalese)

My Review of Graphic Floral Print Draped Vest

2010-09-14T09:14:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at Avenue.com

This draped graphic floral printed plus size vest looks makes an eye-catching statement when layered over a basic tee or button down shirt.

Sleeveless. Assymetrical front creates a draped look. Ruched collar. Woven. Imported.
Polyester. Machine wash.
Fr...

SO CUTE!!!!! Love this item

By Fashionably Challenged E from Santa Cruz, CA on 9/14/2010

Pros: Great Color, Lightweight, Comfortable, Attractive Design

Best Uses: Casual Wear, Travel, Work, Going Out, Layering

Describe Yourself: Casual Dresser

I'm not one to follow fashion but I have loved the way these vests on people so I decided to buy this one. I wasn't sure what to expect. When it arrived I was skeptical but once I tried it on, WOW, it's so cute!!!! I can dress it up or down.

(legalese)

Things Have Been Turned Upside Down.

2010-07-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

1. One of my favorite people in this whole world, who has been like an aunt to me was given 18 months to live with the stage 4 breast cancer that has metastasized to her bones.

2. Good friends of ours were told that their baby who is still baking in his mommy's tummy has down syndrome and cerebral palsy and they had to terminate.

3. A sweet dog died in July, and now my friend is heart broken because one of her girls is no longer with her.

4. I've given up on having a baby.

5. And our nearest and dearest friend has moved away to Oregon.

I would LOVE for things to just be normal and easy. I hate when things are upside down and just don't feel right anymore.

HUGE....i LOVE this show

2010-07-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

I saw an advertisement for a show called HUGE...it was presented as a show about kids that were sent away to a fat camp. I thought it might be offensive but I took the chance at watching it on Hulu. I have to say this show is very well done. The writers are great and address so many common teenage issues that apply to all teenagers and has some very awesome adult dynamics. If you haven't watched this show, please check out the above video while it lasts. This is episode 4. Here are the things that have been missed in the first 3 episodes....

1. The kids had to be dressed in their bathing suits for a "before" picture.
2. Will (short for Willamina) decided she would start selling her candy stash to make money
3. Will was ratted out by her friend, Becca, about selling her candy stash.
4. Another character that was only on for a couple of episodes was ratted out by her friend Amber because she has bulimia. No one thinks Amber should be at this camp because she's the thinnest girl at the camp. Amber is pretty and doesn't know it, and seems to have a good heart that she's afraid of showing. Amber also likes the guy fitness trainer, George.
5. A new girl in the cabin replaced the girl who was suffering from bulimia. Her parents wouldn't leave because the girl got home sick easily. These same parents were a support group for Will while she tired to learn basketball. With their encouragement, Will learned she could play and get better with practice.
6. My favorite episode before the one posted above was mainly about an activity my favorite character Becca wanted to start. Becca wanted to get others to participate in her LARP. Larping is basically taking your imagination, creating a whole new world with different new races of people and doing a live action role playing game. It reminds me of the movie Role Models and the game the one kid liked to play called LAIR.
7. I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with the main character Will. So draw your own conclusions about her. :D

Anywho...I give this show 5 STARS of course out of 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep up the good work HUGE!!!!

What a complete failure to take ownship of being cheap!

2010-07-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

Please read the news story if you have a chance. The link is below but for a summary from my point of view of what is occurring keep reading....Marvel and the good folks at NBC Universal don't want to spend the money on Edward Norton to come back as the Incredible Hulk in the Avengers movie. I don't have a lot of comic book knowledge. I'm a girl that liked Barbie and making grandpa mud pies in my fisher price kitchen. So from what my husband has told me, the Avengers are Captain America (or someone like that), Iron Man, Sam Jackson's character from Iron Man and a girl character. Now I didn't see the movie The Hulk that came out in 2003 because all I heard about it was how horrible it was and that it wasn't worth spending the money to see it. I also did not go see the 2008 version in theater because I was worried that it would be awful as well. I should have known better. Edward Norton is a great actor and did a wonderful job as Bruce Banner. Now with this movie, they refuse to come to an agreement with Ed Norton. So now they'll recast the part and it will suck again. Way to go on this decision...kill any hope there was of keeping the Incredible Hulk cool

Marvel: Norton Won't Return As Hulk For 'Avengers'; Norton's Rep Responds
Source: Access Hollywood

Sun Jul 11, 2010, 8:15 pm

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/usmovies.accesshollywood.com/marvel-norton-wont-return-hulk-avengers-nortons-rep-responds?nc#

Recipe Thursday: Sonoma Chicken Salad

2010-06-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

I made this recipe the other day and it was freaking awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank Whole Foods for their awesomeness and their willingness to share. I like serving it on croissants. YUM YUM!!!!

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/526

Ingredients

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
5 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
2 cups red seedless grapes
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
Method

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken breasts from pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.

When the chicken is cold, dice into bite-size chunks and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing.

Our Baby Story (April 30th)

2010-06-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

So our baby story continues...Den always reminds me that the first time we got pregnant I was 7 weeks before the home test came out positive. He always wants me to be reminded that this has happened for us before and it will happen again. I am all ready 6 weeks late so I took a pregnancy test the other morning because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Unfortunately I had been low that morning and somehow had all ready gone pee twice. So I wanted to kick myself for not doing it as the very first thing. The test said “No.”

I told him that how I feel now is how I felt then. If I’m hungry I can’t sleep. I feel super hungry for no real reason. My body feels odd. There is one difference from the first time....I literally feel nauseated all of the time. When we went to the doctor Monday he gave us his plan of getting my cycle figured out so that we could get pregnant.

Step 1 – take a hormone to start my period.
Step 2 – get an ultrasound to make sure there are no ovarian cysts that will be amplified by the drug that makes a woman ovulate. If there isn’t...
Step 3 – take ovulation medicine.

So since the home tests said no, I decided to take the hormones. The fact that the home test said no made me worry that something else is wrong. I worried that I’ve been wanting this so badly that somehow I tricked my body into behaving this way. I don’t want that to be the case. Taking the hormones should make my period come so I can start taking the medication to make me ovulate. I have been trying my hardest not to worry about all of this and that's very hard. I mainly want to focus on just being healthy, working out, keeping my blood sugars low and eating right. I figured with changing those things, a baby would happen at some point.

Recently I saw the movie, Did You Hear About the Morgan’s, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant. And I hate that movies make me think about random crazy things. If you haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil it but I decided then that I didn’t want trying to get pregnant to ruin our marriage. That’s not a big part of the movie but it is an underlying cause of some of the things that happen. But here I am again wanting a baby so much, hoping that it happens but deep down inside, worrying that it will never happen for us. It would be so nice for someone to just randomly give me their child...I would gladly find the money for court fees to pay for an adoption. I just can't imagine trying to find the amount of money it costs to have a surrogate or to do an adoption through an agency.

I swear sex education in school is officially worthless. The whole class makes it sound like it's an easy process to get pregnant. If that were the case IVF, and surrogates wouldn't exist.

I should have warned you readers out there, I was overly neurotic the week all of this happened. I’m sure I drove my husband insane.

Our Baby Story (which began March 25th)

2010-06-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

Our baby story....So the main obstacle that is keeping us from getting pregnant is the Poly-cystic WHOOZIE WHATS IT. It's actual called Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome. To explain what this is.....It’s basically that my ovaries have a scaring over them that makes timing my ovulation harder. I found out recently that this used to be a death sentence for a woman's reproductive system. Today with modern medicine, it's not so much. I can take medication that will regulate my ovulation. We debated the side effects of the medication. One would having more than one baby at the same time. Yea that might be a problem but would take care of our kid needing someone to play with also. The doctor said the scaring would improve with time and really low blood sugars (60-70s) and I’m usually around 130-140, which is normal but not in the lowest range. So we’re trying to keep my blood sugars pretty low, which is sucking. I have had some really low blood sugar mornings which have been bad but I’m trying to get the scaring to improve. So in a couple of weeks I’ll have another ultra sound to see if the scaring is getting better. We’ll see. I’m not stressing about it and I know we will get pregnant when the time is right.

There is much to write about.....

2010-05-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

The last month has been a bit crazy. A lot has gone on, so I have not kept up with things on the interwebs and have neglected my blog. I have not made any interesting things for dinner lately....we have been eating out more than any one couple should. We tried the Hind Quarter in town for a steakhouse. While very tasty, I wish there were more menu options for appetizers. I guess that is my fatal flaw of being an Outback Steakhouse girl. We have slowed slightly in consuming food at Phil's Fish Market, even though my husband suggests going there every weekend I am able to keep him at home a lot of the time. We have had Tlaquepaque once during the month of April and it was on the Furlough Wednesday. I picked it up on the way home from visiting Celine. I decided that pastor soft tacos are the way to go. I had a pastor burrito also but the corn tortilla is what makes the flavor profile amazing. Luckily this week we have cooked two wonderful meals that turned out fabulous. We worked together on Sunday to make apple cider marinated pork chops, spiced apples, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Yesterday I made pot pie but with biscuits as topping instead of pie crust. Tonight I will probably make chicken roll ups in honor of Cinco De Mayo and this weekend I am making mac and cheese to take to grandma's house on Mother's Day. I will make ribs tomorrow and I have no idea what I will make on Friday....maybe a pasta with salad. That's it on the food front.

Health issues...my grandma passed out a few weeks ago. Apparently her blood sugar was too low but she didn't know it. Having a low blood sugar for someone that doesn't know what the feeling is has to be the oddest experience. So for my little 87 year old grandma this was probably the worst feeling and experience she could have had. Her medication should be in perfect harmony by now, taking care of her insulin needs for the minimal food she eats. I bought her a purple one touch mini meter in hopes that if she ever starts feeling odd that she tests and realizes that her blood sugar is low before anything bad happens. My uncle from San Diego London, my aunt Cookie, my cousin Sabina, my husband, my mom, grandma, and I were all together on mother's day. It was so sweet. My grandma cooked her butt off and LOVED having everyone together. The main thing that sucks is that no one listens to her. She doesn't like being at home alone all day. That means....someone do something so she's not alone all day. I'm trying my hardest with Den's help to get her to move in with us but she thinks it will hurt my mom's feelings. At this point I don't really care about her feelings because I don't want my grandma in an old folks home and I don't want something bad to happen to her when no one is home.

On another health issue...we've been going to the doctor a bunch to make sure we're healthy. We are also trying to make sure that all of our medication is perfectly done so that everything is perfect as we try to get pregnant. Yes that's right people...hopefully this Blog will also be about a 21st Century mom with 2 dogs that might as well be children and the insanity that ensues. Unfortunately it's going to be a little harder for the 2 of us than it is for other people to conceive. I have a condition called poly cystic ovarian syndrome. Apparently this used to be a reproductive death sentence but now with modern medicine and drugs having a baby can be done pretty easily. So we'll see and maybe in a few months we'll have news.

I think that's pretty much it for April and the beginning of May. I promise to try to be better about recipes and writing something on the blog. It might become baby hysteria or frustration or rants...be warned!

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

2010-04-12T11:31:00.001-07:00

I am in LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With Jamie Oliver. No I'm not planning on leaving my husband to go hunt down this awesome married chef but I am challenging myself today....I plan on making a change today. I am going to take Jamie's Food Revolution to heart. I LOVE cooking but sometimes with how busy I don't feel like I can make the time to cook and exercise. NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!!! Even if I have to make dinners for the week all day on Sunday, we are not eating out as much as we do currently. I absolutely LOVE what Jamie is doing for this town in West Virginia and he's just one person changing thousands of peoples lives. If he can work hard to do that, I can work my hardest to change my little family's life.

Last night I went shopping at Nob Hill. I purchased food for the week...chicken, spices, veggies, fruit, and bread. I cooked last night and made what my husband requested, which is VERY healthy.

I made turkey meatballs, with whole grain pasta, and a HUGE salad. Yesterday started my own personal food revolution. I need to change our lunches....that's the next thing to tackle.

Scared of things to come.....and missing thoes that are gone

2010-03-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

As I was grabbing my purse to walk out of my office for lunch today, I saw the printed picture I have of my dear friend Tim. I had to stop myself from falling back into my chair. I had forgotten that the picture was with some other items from my EPC office. I printed it for our day of the dead at my former office. I wanted Tim and his family to be blessed and prayed for. I still think of Tim often. He always liked the same silly stupid stuff I did, and it's hard not to think of him when I used my video iPod. Tim was the first person I knew who had one. He was the person who showed me video podcasts and he was the person that told me changing the cover of an iPod could be done. I was not video iPod savvy. I still had my little 4gig iPod mini that was awesome for my car. Tim was a great friend and I wish I would have had more time to spend with him. More than anything I wish he were here to see his boys grow up and to be there for his wife. Having Tim die so young makes me so scared and nervous of things to come. Missing him just makes my heart ache and makes me sad.

I try not to worry about all of the "what ifs" but it's hard not to. I want to see my little family grow and flourish, but what if I can't....what if Den isn't here to see those days. It's getting harder to live in the "NOW" because we are getting older and we aren't the healthiest people in the world. I am determined to grow old with my husband and to see my fair share of the days ahead. Change is coming, and even if the change is too late....at least the change began.

Recipe Thursday....Back to the normal day...

2010-02-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, the husband and I went grocery shopping. $150 later we had food for the week and a bunch of other necessities. Save Mart was having a kick ass deal on meat, so we got ground turkey for chili, chicken drumsticks, ground beef and a pot roast. Sunday night we decided that Monday we'd make the pot roast. I checked out this Tyler Florence video and recipe. It turned out wonderfully!!! Please feel free to try it because it's wonderful.

Pot Roast with Vegetables

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Ingredients

* 1 (3 to 4 pound) piece beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 can crushed tomatoes
* 1 cup water or wine (we used a shiraz)
* 2 yellow onion, halved
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 bunch baby carrots
* 2 celery stalks, sliced
* 1 cup button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced in half
* 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
* 4 sprigs fresh thyme
* 2 bay leaves

Directions

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes and the water. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with salt and pepper; and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.

Slice the pot roast and arrange on platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.

An Odd Thursday Posting

2010-02-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

So on most Thursdays I try to post a new recipe that I have tried on my Wednesday night at home. I did that on Tuesday so I thought I'd share something that I absolutely LOVE!!!!! I found this show randomly this week on hulu. I like the actress that is the main character Edie. And the show portrays an interesting dynamic of a relationship. Enjoy the pilot...and if you like it, there are 6 more episodes on hulu. I'm so sucked into this show that I have not watched Modern Family or Cougar Town.

Recipe Tuesday....From Pampered Chef

2010-02-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Since I will be off from work Friday-Monday....I will be swamped Thursday with work. So below is a recipe I adapted last night. I sauteed the yellow onion with mushrooms and I used a ham steak from Costco and other cheese. I also used 2 tubes of thin crust pizza dough and it seemed to make the dish lower in carbs. I also used more broccoli because we need our veggies. Please ignore all of the tools that are mentioned in the recipe. I used a cookie sheet to bake the calzone. I mixed all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl that I all ready have. And I just chopped everything with a knife. I also just folded the bottom edge over the top. My husband LOVED it and the dog (YOGI) tried to drag the left overs off the stove. The other dog (SMOKEY) is too good to do such things. :) Enjoy the recipe!!!!

Ham & Cheese Calzone

2 tbsp (30 mL) mayonnaise
2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard
1 cup (250 mL) fresh broccoli florets (about 2 oz/60 g)
1 8-oz (250-g) slice smoked deli ham (about ½ in./1 cm thick)
1/2 small onion
8 oz (250 g) Swiss cheese, grated, divided
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil, divided
2 pkg (13.8 oz/283 g) refrigerated pizza crust
1 oz (30 g) Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Combine mayonnaise and mustard in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well with Small Mix ‘N Scraper®. With Utility Knife, cut broccoli into small florets; dice ham. Using Food Chopper, coarsely chop onion. Grate Swiss cheese with Ultimate Mandoline fitted with grating blade. Combine broccoli, ham, onion and half of the Swiss cheese in batter bowl with mayonnaise and mustard mixture; mix well.

2. Lightly brush Large Bar Pan with 1 tsp (5 mL) of the oil using Chef's Silicone Basting Brush. Unroll one package of dough onto bottom of bar pan, gently stretching and pressing dough to cover bottom. Sprinkle with remaining Swiss cheese to within 1 in. (2.5 cm) of edges; spoon ham mixture over cheese. Unroll remaining dough directly over filling, matching edges of dough and shaping to fit as dough is unrolled. Trim 1/2 in. (1 cm) off sides of dough with Utility Knife. Press edges to seal with Mini-Tart Shaper. Brush remaining oil over dough. Using Utility Knife, make 12 slits, in three rows of four each, into top crust.

3. Bake 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, grate Parmesan cheese using Microplane® Adjustable Grater; sprinkle over calzone. Return calzone to oven; bake 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is deep golden brown. Slice with Pizza Cutter; serve with Mini-Serving Spatula.

Modern Family

2010-02-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

I LOVE the show Modern Family. If you haven't seen it, you should watch it. It's a great story of a family in this day and age. In certain ways it reminds me of my own family. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Recipe Thursday....I really should do this more.

2010-02-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

So I haven't posted a recipe for "Recipe Thursday" since I tried to start this theme day of the week. But last night I changed and adapted a recipe I made Monday night and now it is time to share it with the world. I have been trying to do a Meatless Monday because we both need more veggies in our lives and I'd like to know how to make more vegetarian dishes for Chris. So Monday I made cheese tortellini with a roasted tomato, spinach and white wine sauce. Last night i took the left over sauce from Monday and added more veggies and chicken to it. Den loved it and I thought it was good. I didn't want to make pasta twice in the same week but we were supposed to have friends come over last night and with the limited food in the house, pasta was easiest. We're attempting not to over shop as we have been known to do in the past. So big meals for more than the 2 of us are hard especially when you have someone with food allergies coming over for dinner.

Here's the recipe

1 qtr cup chopped mushrooms
1 qtr cup diced yellow onion
1 qtr cup diced frozen multi color bell peppers
1 frozen package of spinach thawed and water drained
2 cans of roasted tomatoes
1 qtr cup favorite white wine
1 package Penne pasta

Cook pasta to al dente
Reserve one cup of starchy water from pasta for sauce
Put a little olive oil in cooked pasta to keep it from sticking

In a separate saute mushrooms, onion and bell pepper. Once veggies are soft, add spinach and tomatoes. Do not bother to drain the tomatoes. Once veggies are combined add white wine. Simmer and let wine reduce in veggie mixture. Once the wine has reduced, pour in half of starchy water. This will thicken the veggie sauce mixture. Continue adding water until the sauce has the consistency you want. Mix sauce and pasta together. Add to a baking pan and cook for 10 minutes. The baking will help the sauce flavor infuse into the pasta.

Feel free to add chicken or other meat to the dish to make this meal not vegetarian.

I'm not the best recipe writer, especially because I do most of this on the fly while I'm in the kitchen, so if you have questions, feel free to ask.

Today the media has offended me....

2010-02-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

I get random questions about what I think about our first black President in my small community. I realize that there are not a lot of black people in this area....Yes, I'm making this specifically about black people because there are many people of color in this area but that color is usually derived from some background of Hispanic or Latino. I understand that people want some perspective from someone of a different background...so I don't mind the questions. I don't even mind national budget questions even though I think it will take a miracle to fix the mess we're in now.

So here is how the media has offended me today....I'm not one of those easily offended people but today it may seem like I am. Michelle Obama, who I believe is an amazing first lady (mainly because the things she cares about and tries to change are important issues that need to be addressed) is under fire today for discussing her daughters weight when addressing the nations child obesity rate has tripled. I was sure this statistic was coming out since we used to have talk shows like Maury Povich with toddlers who weigh more than some 4th graders. That's insane. Michelle Obama is a concerned mother trying to relate to regular people in the US. A lot of mothers take their children to the doctor and hear the same information from a physician. They have the same thought process as the first lady "My kids are perfect. How are they becoming overweight?" Being overweight the majority of my life I was not really supported in any efforts to slim down. I was harassed to loose weight as a child for my diabetes. As a teenager, I took on working out to get in shape for myself but the effort put forth was never good enough. I never slimmed down to a size 10. Today I look back at how I felt then and wished I felt that good today. My stomach wasn't perfectly flat but it was closer than it is now. Now that I'm almost 30 I work out to try to live longer, to be apart of my family longer.

Ultimately I think if Michelle Obama has a great parenting relationship with her girls and can talk to them about how they feel and how they're handling all of the publicity, they'll be fine. No one really chastised the political group that used images of the Sasha and Malia in their campaign to get better school lunches for hungry children. But now it's not ok for the First Lady to relate to mothers everywhere about their children and their weight problems. I'm offended. As a woman who is dying to be a mother, I would think that the first lady talks to her daughters about body issues (weight being one of them) because I would want to talk to my daughter about body issues. I would want to make sure that my children understood how to work towards change and provide them with all of the support in the world. I commend Michelle Obama for trying to be a First Lady who helps people and changes their lives. With the many lists the First Lady has been named to, I love how it doesn't phase her. She is still just being herself, a married woman supporting her husband, doing her thing, being a mother and loving her children. Mrs. Obama, You Are Inspiring!

Is it okay to talk about your daughters’ weight if it’s for the national good?

by Mira Jacob, Shine staff,

Two weeks after announcing the unnerving news that childhood obesity has tripled over the last 30 years, and unveiling her own initiative to combat it, Michelle Obama has offended critics by discussing her own “wake-up” moment—when the family pediatrician told her that daughters Sasha and Malia were becoming overweight.

“In my eyes I thought my children were perfect,” Mrs. Obama said at the January launch of her initiative. “I didn’t see the changes.”

While innocuous to some, this comment has set off both valid and not-so-valid criticism in the blogosphere—everything from calling the first lady well-intentioned-but-misguided to hinting that she could be tipping off her daughters’ future eating disorders. Even with one-third of American children classified as overweight or obese, several critics are far more concerned with Michelle Obama’s anecdotal use of her daughters.

Jeanne Sager, a writer for Strollerderby who admits to reading “everything through eating-disorder glasses” says she feels worried for the girls because their mother has “taken an extremely touchy subject out into the open.”

She goes on to say, “On the brink of teenagehood, Malia Obama is at an especially precarious position. With a naturally changing body, the idea that she has to face the world debating her fat puts her at higher risk for an eating disorder.”

In a post that delineates the difference between what is accepted in “the eating disorder world” vs. "the outside world," Laura Collins Lyster-Mensh of the Huffington Post writes, “I am sucker-punched to read that our First Family put their daughters on a 'diet' because they feared 'obesity' and no doubt will be lauded for it…This is not an eating disorder issue, however, and it should not be only us who know this and speak out about it. These are medical, social, and ultimately self-defeating errors in thinking that do harm to all children and all of us. I am very sad today.”

Jezebel brings up the fair point (via Fox News Channel contributor Michelle Malkin) that perhaps in “revealing that her children have had weight issues too” Michelle Obama is “exposing her children to scrutiny at an early age.” Judging from the over-scrutinized lives of other White House daughters—from Amy Carter to Chelsea Clinton to the Bush twins—that’s one fate the Obamas might want to avoid whenever possible.

Mrs. Obama also sat down for a revealing interview on “The Today Show” (see clip below), where she talked about keeping Sasha and Malia grounded, finding time for dinner, and handling the pressures of being a style icon.

Valued economist or wasted research?!?!?!?!?!?

2009-09-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I highly value education and I am proud to be a smart woman. I know many smart women. I can give several examples but that would give you more to read and the article with the blog is long enough. So instead I will use 2 examples, my mother and a really good friend of mine, the Kat....these examples will make more sense later. Both of these women are college educated. My mother went to CSU Hayward, which is called CSU East Bay now and KP is a UCLA grad.

Being an economist of sorts....I don't actively pursue economist research positions because I love the world of finance but my background is in economics...I love checking out new research that is going on in the field of economics. I was very interested in reading the article today in the Wall Street Journal about the struggles of "winter babies". First off you have to realize, I didn't know that "winter babies" were struggling with anything. Since I am a winter baby, for this BLOG, I used my mother and KP, who has a daughter born on the same day a year after I was born for comparison to this study. I wanted to find out what The Cookie and I should have struggled with in life.

I spent part of my afternoon at my high paying job reading this article. I was so appalled that I decided to write this BLOG. I mentioned 2 women that have winter babies that are both college educated mothers with college educated children. As I have these 2 cases to compare to this study, I thought, well maybe we just aren't the normal "winter babies". My mother drove me to become a great person. She was the GREATEST example of a strong woman and provided me with anything I needed, my grandparents filled in the gaps with things I wanted. From talking to the Kat, I know her daughter had great grandparents like I did and she has the Kat as a strong smart mother in her life. We were not and are not suffering from this "winter baby" syndrome. I want to know....why are you even doing this study?? Tell me the greater good this will have on man kind. Why aren't you spending your valuable research time figuring out how to get the US economy back on the fast track to being a thriving society instead of this downward spiral into deep black abyss.

Please economist find something better to study. Don't present graphs that could be sheer coincidence. Stop thinking you're doing important work and actually DO important work.

New Light on the Plight of Winter Babies

Researchers Stumble Upon Alternative Explanation for the Lifelong Challenges Faced by Children Born in Colder Months

By JUSTIN LAHART

Children born in the winter months already have a few strikes against them. Study after study has shown that they test poorly, don't get as far in school, earn less, are less healthy, and don't live as long as children born at other times of year. Researchers have spent years documenting the effect and trying to understand it.

But economists Kasey Buckles and Daniel Hungerman at the University of Notre Dame may have uncovered an overlooked explanation for why season of birth matters.

Their discovery challenges the validity of past research and highlights how seemingly safe assumptions economists make may overlook key causes of curious effects. And they came across it by accident.

In 2007, Mr. Hungerman was doing research on sibling behavior when he noticed that children in the same families tend to be born at the same time of year. Meanwhile, Ms. Buckles was examining the economic factors that lead to multiple births, and coming across what looked like a relationship between mothers' education levels and when children were born.

"I was just playing around with the data and getting an unexpected result," Ms. Buckles recalls of the tendency that less educated mothers were having children in winter.

The two economists, whose offices are across from one another, were comparing notes one day and realized that they might have stumbled across an answer to the season-of-birth puzzle that previous research had overlooked.

A key assumption of much of that research is that the backgrounds of children born in the winter are the same as the backgrounds of children born at other times of the year. It must be something that happens to those winter-born children that accounts for their faring poorly.

In a celebrated 1991 paper, economists Joshua Angrist of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Alan Krueger of Princeton University argued that season-of-birth differences in how far children go in school is due to how school-attendance laws affect children born at different times of the year. Children born in the winter reach their 16th birthdays earlier in the year than other children, which means they can legally drop out of school sooner in the school year -- which some do, leading to lower education levels in the group.

While it was well known that the educated earned more, they also tended to come from privileged backgrounds -- something that also affects later earnings. Up until then, no one knew how to separately judge the impact of education on higher earnings. Data already showed the researchers that winter babies tended to earn less. Once Mr. Krueger and Mr. Angrist knew how much winter births affected education level, they were able to estimate how education affects later earnings.

The statistical techniques Mr. Angrist and Mr. Kreuger developed helped set off a flurry of research that employs "natural experiments." In these, economists use some random or natural influence to approximate the controlled conditions of laboratory experiments -- the type of research that University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt popularized in the book "Freakonomics." Examples include using differences in the introduction of television in different parts of the U.S. to see how TV affects children's cognitive ability and using changes in daylight-saving time to see how setting clocks forward every spring affects energy use.

Other researchers have suggested other reasons for season-of-birth differences. Maybe vitamin D was playing a role, for example, because children born in the winter were getting less sunshine in early life. Or maybe being put in the same school year with children who are mostly younger makes children born in the winter less socially mature. A study published in the medical journal Acta Pædriatica in April found that children born in the winter have higher birth-defect rates and suggested it was due to a higher concentration of pesticides in surface water in the spring and summer, when the children were conceived.

There may be validity to all of that research. But if there was any truth to the pattern that Ms. Buckles and Mr. Hungerman discovered, it would question the weightiness of other factors from past research. If winter babies were more likely to come from less-privileged families, it would be natural to expect them to do more poorly in life.

The two economists examined birth-certificate data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 52 million children born between 1989 and 2001, which represents virtually all of the births in the U.S. during those years. The same pattern kept turning up: The percentage of children born to unwed mothers, teenage mothers and mothers who hadn't completed high school kept peaking in January every year. Over the 13-year period, for example, 13.2% of January births were to teen mothers, compared with 12% in May -- a small but statistically significant difference, they say.

"Honestly, when we first saw these patterns, we were so stunned we wondered if we made some mistake," says Mr. Hungerman. "We weren't even excited, we were like, 'Is that right?' "

He and Ms. Buckles estimate that family background accounts for up to 50% of the differences in education and earnings. That suggests to them that the compulsory-schooling effect Mr. Angrist and Mr. Krueger described could still be there, but that it can't be used to measure how schooling affects later earnings because it still mixes the effects of privilege and education instead of isolating them.

Mr. Angrist, who has reviewed their research, disagrees. "The bottom line is a slight change in the estimate," he says. "It hardly overturns our finding." (Mr. Krueger, now an assistant Treasury secretary, deferred to Mr. Angrist for comment).

The new research has hit the conference circuit. University of Texas economist Daniel Hamermesh, who selected for a conference discussion the working paper that resulted from Ms. Buckles and Mr. Hungerman's research, says that it makes an important point about the assumptions that economists rely on in natural experiments. "I love the paper," he says. "It means you have to think about things more than you want to think."

Janet Currie, a Columbia University economist who also selected the paper for a conference, says that what strikes her is how the pattern Ms. Buckles and Mr. Hungerman found shows up even in simple charts. "You can take a look at those graphs and see the clear pattern and that it's remarkably stable over time," she says. "It speaks for itself -- you don't have to put a lot of interpretation on it."

The question now is what drives women from different socioeconomic backgrounds to tend to have children at different times of the year.

Ms. Buckles and Mr. Hungerman aren't entirely sure yet. Perhaps it has to do with fluctuations in employment; married women tend to conceive when unemployment is higher, research has shown. They also speculate it might be due to cooler temperatures in springtime, which don't adversely affect the fertility of poor parents, who may not have air conditioning, like hot temperatures do. Or they wonder if there might even be a "prom" effect at work. January is, after all, about nine months after many of those soirees.

Scary things in life.....

2009-09-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

I write this BLOG today as I am trying to be positive about life changing events. There are so many things that can happen that can change the way a life is going to quickly. Someone can die in a car accident, a woman can get pregnant, a new job can be found half way across the country, or someone can find out that they are terminally ill but live for so long it's hard to remember that he was even sick and many many other things. I've spent much of the last week talking with my husband about living your life for you and not the ones you love. In some ways I forget that sometimes living your life for the ones you love keeps you going when you're older. Ultimately I know life is a series of decisions and I hope that the people I love know that I try to make the best decisions for everyone involved in my life and many of those decisions are hard and take a long time to finally come to fruition but most of the time, they are worth the wait. I hope that those I love remember that everyday they are missed and thought of in some way. I also hope they know that I long for the day that we'll all be close enough to have big family gatherings and for our children to be able to see our children often. And I really hope that everyone out in BLOG land remembers to tell your loved ones that you love them EVERYDAY!!!!!

Single girls....BEWARE....

2009-08-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

Being married I don't have to worry about shenanigans like the one in the article and sound clip below. Thank goodness if a man asks for my number I can flash him my wedding ring (that is if I'm wearing it and trust me this article makes me want to remember it more often). Not that men ever really ask me for my number....I don't go out to bars or clubs or really any social gathering where single men are trolling for single women and if by chance I end up somewhere where this might happen, I'm sure I have "FUCK OFF" stamped across my forehead when people bother me in situations like that. Check out the little description and then listen to the clip...it's hilarious.

http://parlourmagazine.com/2009/08/wonder-why-women-are-single-meet-dimitri/

Sometimes I feel smarter than everyone else.....

2009-08-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Ok...So at one time I felt bad for feeling smarter than most people in the world. Today I read an article that confirmed that feeling smarter than everyone else isn't such a bad thing. Please feel free to read the article below. It is well worth the read....it should make you feel very smart and if it doesn't, we should talk.

New Rule: Smart President ≠ Smart Country

Bill Maher

Host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher"

New Rule: Just because a country elects a smart president doesn't make it a smart country. A few weeks ago I was asked by Wolf Blitzer if I thought Sarah Palin could get elected president, and I said I hope not, but I wouldn't put anything past this stupid country. It was amazing - in the minute or so between my calling America stupid and the end of the Cialis commercial, CNN was flooded with furious emails and the twits hit the fan. And you could tell that these people were really mad because they wrote entirely in CAPITAL LETTERS!!! It's how they get the blood circulating when the Cialis wears off. Worst of all, Bill O'Reilly refuted my contention that this is a stupid country by calling me a pinhead, which A) proves my point, and B) is really funny coming from a doody-face like him.

Now, the hate mail all seemed to have a running theme: that I may live in a stupid country, but they lived in the greatest country on earth, and that perhaps I should move to another country, like Somalia. Well, the joke's on them because I happen to have a summer home in Somalia... and no I can't show you an original copy of my birth certificate because Woody Harrelson spilled bong water on it.

And before I go about demonstrating how, sadly, easy it is to prove the dumbness dragging down our country, let me just say that ignorance has life and death consequences. On the eve of the Iraq War, 69% of Americans thought Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11. Four years later, 34% still did. Or take the health care debate we're presently having: members of Congress have recessed now so they can go home and "listen to their constituents." An urge they should resist because their constituents don't know anything. At a recent town-hall meeting in South Carolina, a man stood up and told his Congressman to "keep your government hands off my Medicare," which is kind of like driving cross country to protest highways.

I'm the bad guy for saying it's a stupid country, yet polls show that a majority of Americans cannot name a single branch of government, or explain what the Bill of Rights is. 24% could not name the country America fought in the Revolutionary War. More than two-thirds of Americans don't know what's in Roe v. Wade. Two-thirds don't know what the Food and Drug Administration does. Some of this stuff you should be able to pick up simply by being alive. You know, like the way the Slumdog kid knew about cricket.

Not here. Nearly half of Americans don't know that states have two senators and more than half can't name their congressman. And among Republican governors, only 30% got their wife's name right on the first try.

Sarah Palin says she would never apologize for America. Even though a Gallup poll says 18% of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth. No, they're not stupid. They're interplanetary mavericks. A third of Republicans believe Obama is not a citizen, and a third of Democrats believe that George Bush had prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, which is an absurd sentence because it contains the words "Bush" and "knowledge."

People bitch and moan about taxes and spending, but they have no idea what their government spends money on. The average voter thinks foreign aid consumes 24% of our federal budget. It's actually less than 1%. And don't even ask about cabinet members: seven in ten think Napolitano is a kind of three-flavored ice cream. And last election, a full one-third of voters forgot why they were in the booth, handed out their pants, and asked, "Do you have these in a relaxed-fit?"

And I haven't even brought up America's religious beliefs. But here's one fun fact you can take away: did you know only about half of Americans are aware that Judaism is an older religion than Christianity? That's right, half of America looks at books called the Old Testament and the New Testament and cannot figure out which one came first.

And these are the idiots we want to weigh in on the minutia of health care policy? Please, this country is like a college chick after two Long Island Iced Teas: we can be talked into anything, like wars, and we can be talked out of anything, like health care. We should forget town halls, and replace them with study halls. There's a lot of populist anger directed towards Washington, but you know who concerned citizens should be most angry at? Their fellow citizens. "Inside the beltway" thinking may be wrong, but at least it's thinking, which is more than you can say for what's going on outside the beltway.

And if you want to call me an elitist for this, I say thank you. Yes, I want decisions made by an elite group of people who know what they're talking about. That means Obama budget director Peter Orszag, not Sarah Palin.

Which is the way our founding fathers wanted it. James Madison wrote that "pure democracy" doesn't work because "there is nothing to check... an obnoxious individual." Then, in the margins, he doodled a picture of Joe the Plumber.

Until we admit there are things we don't know, we can't even start asking the questions to find out. Until we admit that America can make a mistake, we can't stop the next one. A smart guy named Chesterton once said: "My country, right or wrong is a thing no patriot would ever think of saying... It is like saying 'My mother, drunk or sober.'" To which most Americans would respond: "Are you calling my mother a drunk?"

Bill Maher is the host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," and will be joined on the show tonight by Arianna Huffington. "Real Time" airs fridays on HBO at 10:00PM Eastern Time.

The New Justice.....

2009-07-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today a friend of mine sent me this story:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24778.html

I like political news and since this political news somewhat relates to my life since I have the same chronic condition as the new justice...i thought i'd share it. Please keep in mind the quotes are from the actual article above.

"Numerous colleagues of Sotomayor have said that her diabetes has not affected her work, though some have noticed her testing her blood sugar or administering insulin shots during work hours. There have been no reports of dramatic health-related incidents — save for the broken ankle she suffered this month at a New York airport."

I read this and wanted to stab someone. I test my blood sugar 4 times when i'm here...it's apart of being diabetic. What is WRONG with people? I'm sure it's not interfering with court. And her broken ankle will take a little longer to heal.

"The organization’s official policy opposes flat-out employment bans, but encourages that employment decisions take into account an individual’s medical history 'particularly in regard to the occurrence of incapacitating hypoglycemic episodes.'"

Adam Morrison is a NBA basketball player........And Diabetic. People praised him for doing that career. He was even on the cover of the American Diabetes Association Magazine. I don't usually become offended but this is somewhat offending me.

"Still, unlike almost any other public official — save the president himself — the health of a Supreme Court nominee is a topic of public debate. It’s no secret that political partisans hope presidents who share their views will pick healthy and relatively young candidates for the lifetime posts — all the better to have an influence on the court’s decisions that long outlasts the leaders who picked them."

She looks young to me and I bet she can out live any of the old farts on the bench managing her diabetes. I think that this pick by Obama probably inspired some kids out there who think that they can't do things because of their diabetes. Obama being president, I'm sure, inspired kids, and it showed true progress in the US. But questions like these also prove that everything weather it's race, gender, or a chronic condition can be a point of controversy for no real reason. Is congress really going to grill her about her chronic condition. Keep in mind...some governmental genius allowed health care providers to call Diabetes a Chronic Condition and not a disease anymore.

This statement is pure BS:

“To do that ... you’re going to have episodes of low blood sugar — hypoglycemia,” Arky said. “Anybody with a hemoglobin of 6.5 percent and less almost universally will have one or two episodes of hypoglycemia a week.” Arky said he counsels his patients to shoot for a level of 7.2 percent because of the risks of going lower.

My A1C is at a 7% which makes you more sensitive to low blood sugars. When my blood sugar gets to 70 I feel low. I wasn't very low last night at your house but feeling like that SUCKS! Which also makes this statement irrelevant:

"Experts say the warning signs of hypoglycemia are often subtle and can include lightheadedness, sleepiness, inability to focus or confusion. If caught early, such events are easily resolved by taking a sugar pill, or a drink of juice or sugary soda. Studies have shown that many diabetics experiencing a hypoglycemic event do not have good judgment about whether their mental abilities are impaired, and if a diabetic misses the signs completely, he or she can lose consciousness."

She is probably super sensitive to low blood sugar feelings. I bet when she's around 80, she feels low.

This is the best statement of the entire news story:

“She’s minimized her chance to develop future complications,” said Dr. William Cefalu of Louisiana State University. Cefalu called her illness “a complete nonissue. ... People live a completely normal life with diabetes. That’s the message.”

I hope this lady kicks butt and takes names!!!!!!! And I really hope that congress isn't a bunch of idiots when they interview her. My husband being the sweet silly person that he is said she should make a new constitutional amendment to make blood sugar test strips free! :D

My 1/2 Birthday.....

2009-06-30T10:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I became 6 months closer to being 29....AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of my favorite people in the world always wishes me a happy 1/2 birthday because her daughter and I have the same birthday...I'm just one year older. Anyhow....so as I get closer to 30, I worry more about our health and well being. I know the pups keep us happy and will definitely help us live longer...even if Smokey is a tard, Yogi makes up for it. :) I worry about not having a baby in my 20's and how much harder it will be to have a baby in my 30's. In this crappy economy, I worry that I will not be making 6 figures by the time I reach 35 which will impede our ability to provide the kind of life I want to give to a child. As I grow older the value I put in living in California has drastically changed due to the fact that the cost of living is so expensive and while wages are higher, are they high enough to stop a family from living pay check to pay check. When a family of 4 (2 working parents and 2 children) struggle to make it through the month with enough food and money for the month, hoping that they can make it to the next payday....something is truly wrong.

I think we'd make great foster parents

The Boys....The Kids....You know....Yogi and Smokey

2009-06-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is how rough our life is in Santa Cruz....

We have to sleep on Cubs blankets with papa when mama leaves for work......

We have this lumpy old bed with these 2 people in it all the time....Where's our own bed?!?!?!?!? I guess we just have to use the couch stead....

We're both allowed to be on the bed, even if 2 people and 2 dogs can't fit comfortably. Bah! I guess it's not so bad. At least we're not in the heat of Redding. We wake up to sounds of crashing waves or these weird barking sounds...it's not a dog. Mama said it's an sea lion. Sea Lion? Shouldn't it be Sea Dog? They bark....come on give me a break!

Wake up....we have to go pee.......

2009-06-26T09:58:00.001-07:00

Yogi and Smokey trying to get papa to take them out to pee?!?!?!?!?! Well this is the way they look most of the time when trying to papa to play, or take us pee or feed us...it's a universal look.....

New Recipe Thurday

2009-06-25T10:14:00.001-07:00

So we've had these burgers 2 times all ready because we saw them on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives....Stuffed Cheese Burgers. I made them again last night and Den LOVES them....so if you like burgers, I suggest trying these at home...this is my first attempt at writing my own recipe, so if you have questions about how to make them, call me or email me. ENJOY!

2 BURGERS

Ingredients

Cheese of your choice
4 slices cooked bacon for serving
1 pound ground chuck
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grill Seasoning
2 large hamburger buns, split
Ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard, for serving
Lettuce, sliced tomato, onion, and avocado, for serving

Directions

Make 4 burger patties out of ground beef. Season the patties with grill seasoning, salt, and pepper. Pile cheese in the middle of 2 patties directly in the center, leaving enough room around the edges. Then take the 2 patties without cheese and place on top of the 2 with cheese. With your fingers press the sides of the patty together making sure the filling is covered completely.

Place a large grill pan on 2 burners over medium-high heat or preheat a griddle flat top and get it very hot. Brush the top with oil to keep the burgers from sticking. Grill the burgers for about 10 minutes on each side. After 8 minutes on the first side, cut a slit in the top of the burger in order to keep the cheese from oozing out of the side of the burger. (The USDA recommends cooking ground beef until it is no longer pink and the internal temperature is 160 degrees F.) Remove the burgers to a clean side plate while you toast the buns.

Rub the grill rack with more oil and place the buns cut-side down, toast for 1 minute. Serve the burgers with your favorite condiment and any garnish you like, such as lettuce, sliced tomato, onion, bacon, and/or avocado.

A GREAT Father's Day movie and a new favorite

2009-06-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon once we finished breakfast at the Red Apple Cafe, we went home to play with the kids, clean up and possibly nap. I turned on the movie that came in the Netflix, Bedtime Stories. Everyone that knows me, knows I am a huge Disney fan. I am also a big fan of anything Adam Sandler makes through Happy Madison. So what a great combination of Disney and Happy Madison in Bedtime Stories.

We started watching the movie on Friday night but after Dennis worked and I cooked and cleaned, we were both too tired to finish the movie.

Sunday I put the movie in the DVD player upstairs and we finished watching it. It was the sweetest movie about a Dad and his son having his great love a hotel. The main character of the story is the son and his niece and nephew. It was SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kids have the greatest imaginations. They come up with the most awesome ideas.

I can't wait to see my husband with little people to tell stories to. It reminds me about Jayce's birthday party invitation. He's dressed in his little Where The Wild Things Are costume with pictures of him frolicking through the forest. He loves stories and books. He just wants you to read them to him over and over again.

If you get a chance, watch Bedtime Stories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's definitely worth the rental....I can't wait to purchase it.

New Wife Tip #2.....

2009-06-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

New Wife Tip #2: Use the Food Network site for easy regular foods that you would normally buy pre-made at the grocery store. Now I'll admit to this...I buy Pillsbury Grands biscuits. I never saw the point in making something from scratch that was so easy to take out of a can. Recently I made the last can of biscuits from the fridge and they were great right out of the over. I couldn't have imagined a most delicious piece of bread at the time. Please keep in mind, we're changing our eating habits, so having bread with dinner has become VERY unusual. So I thought these buscuitts were the best thing I could have made. The next day I went to take one with me to work for a snack mid morning when I feel like passing out because I would much rather be in bed than at work (no..this is not a low blood sugar passing out). The buscuitts were hard as rocks. I think if I tired, I could have broken a window with one.

Last night we had breakfast for dinner. We decided on this meal while I was at work, and I got to thinking...I should try something different. Dennis and I both said we wanted eggs, breakfast meat of some kind, and buscuitts. I decided to make Sweet Potato Buscuitts. I had seen them on Diners, Drive In's and Dives and thought...that would be great to make. I printed out the Emril recipe, had my hubby get all of the ingredients I needed and made them in no time at all. These are the most amazing things on earth. The recipe is below. I changed it just a slight bit....I added more nuts because Dennis and I are big fans of walnuts. I also added about 1/3 of a cup of brown sugar, and I also added a little cinnamon (2 tablespoons) and a tiny bit of nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon). This has truly made me a believer...making something home made doesn't always have to take all day and it's going to be that much more amazing. This morning when I took a buscuitt to work, it was still mosit and WONDERFUL!!!!! We will be making these again!!!!!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
12 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup mashed roasted sweet potatoes
1/2 cup ground pecans
1/3 cup half and half

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 1/2 sheet pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together. Add the butter, and with your hands, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles a coarse cornmeal. Stir in the sweet potatoes and pecans. Add the cream, a little at a time until a soft dough is formed. Lightly flour a surface. Place the dough onto the surface and dust the top with flour. Lightly press the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Using a 2 inch biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits into rounds. Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Our Ultimate Dream Job

2009-06-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that Dennis and I are the 2 of the biggest animal lovers in the entire world. Before I ever had my own dog, I just loved ALL dogs. I still LOVE all dogs. Dennis had the Pei's and he of course had the Tumbies, aka Cujo and loved him more than anything. We also had the Piggy's, Clayton and Ivory. Now that we have adopted 2 pups from the California Shar Pei Rescue....all we want to do is open a doggie sancutary. Our friend James Joliff, not Ivory's new dad but out Pitbull Piggy friend sent me the email below. I didn't read the article either...I'm much more of a picture person. These are the sweetest looking dogs. They're giving each other kisses.

I need to start playing the lotto more. God knows this is what we'd do with our winnings. We'd buy a big peice of land out in the middle of no where...well maybe not no where...but in the middle of some place we liked a lot that wasn't a big city and we'd run a doggie sanctuary with little dog kennels our houses for each one, a play ground area for the dogs to have fun. With some tug of war ropes where either one dog can play against the wall or 2 dogs can play against eachother through a wall, and maybe a tennis ball thrower so the doggies can chase balls all over. Maybe we'll be lucky!

re: Iran's only dog shelter

On Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 11:46 AM, wrote:
> >This is not political. It is all about the dogs.
> > I have not read the article, but did look at the 110 pictures of dogs. Even
> >with all they have been through, they are still loving!
> > http://www.iranian.com/main/albums/loyal-angels
> > James

The newest edition to the Family

2009-06-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

So, we have been very excited over the last 2 weeks or so. We have been bonding with our new family editions. Ivory, aka BevMo was adopted by our good friend James. She has really bonded with him and is a totally different animal. She is getting great training with James and she has really found herself a home for good.

We have had these 2 guys for almost 3 weeks and they're great. They were all ready potty trained, so no messes on the carpet and they are buddies so they play together all of the time. Also they all ready knew their names, so we didn't have to wait for them to learn what it sounds like when we call their names. They usually come to us right away when we call or stop in their tracks when they hear their names called.

It's so sweet that Yogi is Smokey's dad and you can see how he tries to help Smokey all of the time. They have the Cujo dog personality....it's split between the 2 of them. Both have their own unique characteristics and both do many things like Cujo. Smokey is a lover. He wants you to love on him all of the time. He licks like there is no tomorrow but his lick is super soft, unlike BevMo who could lick the skin off of your hand.

Yogi on the other hand is the protector. He is always watching over us and making sure that Yogi isn't being too much of a tard with us. He wants love about as much as Cujo did, which is only when he wants it. And Yogi is SO STRONG. If he really wanted to, he could easily pull me down while I'm holding onto his leash and drag me all over town or until I let go. So to avoid that, I usually run with him if I'm the one walking him.

As for the cutest thing they both do....Yogi's is easy. He is obsessed with towels. Anytime we use a towel, he wants to roll around on the floor on it after we're done. We both wish we knew what the purpose of all of the rolling around was but we don't. We try to come up with theory but nothing too good has come from it so far. Smokey...well he's just all around cute. The way he licks is probably the cutest thing he does, or his sideways trot. Cujo walked the same way, so we think that's adorable. His lick is so cute, on his third or fouth lick....he gives you a long lick with a little flutter at the end.

We're taking them to meet my mom this weekend. She will absolutely love them. She might even try to keep Smokey but of course we won't let her. Be sure if you get the chance to welcome Yogi and Smokey Bear to the Family.

Some of the BEST of CL

2009-05-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

So I was pretty brain dead this afternoon between 4 and 4:30. I decided to read some of the Best of Craigslist. Thank goodness Nori showed me this great way to kill time. Here are some of the GREAT postings. ENJOY!!!!

Pregnant? - m4w
Date: 2009-04-24, 1:09PM PDT
I was standing in line to make my purchases when you tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to hand you a $1 pregnancy test (can you even trust those?!?) and then made small talk with me while you stood behind me in line. How'd it turn out? Single?
Location: Dollar Tree in SE

it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interestsPostingID: 1138433711

MY BRA- I'D LIKE IT BACK.
Date: 2009-04-23, 1:01AM PDT
ok. so i don't know really how to go about this. basically, i was your one night stand last night and need my most important idem of clothing back--> my bra. so yes, i was totally fine with the fact that when i left this morning we didn't exchange phone numbers (or names...); no big deal. but once i got home and sobered up, i realized, that we maybe should have because i left my bra at your house. first off, i want to get something clear. this is no victoria secret-esq type bra. this is an imported good were talking about. princess tam tam-french lingerie. ok. specifics about you. (what i remember.) they are not going to be too specific because my friends are on this all the time and think i took a cab home last night. you are: 1) outrageously tall and good looking. 2) a commercial real estate broker in the downtown area, but lives in coronado with an asian friend whom i believe, was celebrating his birthday. 3) going to gaslamp saturday night. 4) really into golf, in fact went friday. 5) a fan of red gummy bears. i am: 1) someone who obviously loves her underwear. 2) obsessed with french everything. 3) not really into children. something we have in common. 4) occasionally from time to time caught wearing my clothes inside out. 5) "anna"- (my name.) so, where to go from here. basically, i'm willing to do whatever it takes. i can come pick it up, you can mail it to me, i can just have you leave it outside your building at a certain agreed upon time. what ever. i hope to god you don't feel weird about this, because i don't. i obviously didn't leave it there on purpose. like i said, i'm not looking for you to take me out or call me. for god's sake, i'm resorting to craigslist for a grey bra. it's just a super cute one and i want it back. plus, it doesn't seem like you'll use it. you just didn't come off as that type. please people. if this is you, or sounds like someone you know who fits this "john doe" profile, please contact me.

it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 1135908862

Bonding with the BABY GIRL!!!!!!!

2009-04-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

We have had Ivory since we got married in October....6 months. Over that time she's been the oddest little dog in the world. She's very cute and has her own special ways. The first time my husband went away to visit his family...she had only been with us for a month and was pretty much scared of anything and everything. She hid in the closet a couple of times for no apparent reason. Since then my husband spends all day with her letting her run around being her silly Tard face self and he gives her as much love as any one person possibly could. They have a very special bond and you can see it in her happy smiling face that she loves him so much.

Now that it's 6 months later and my husband is gone again, Ivory has had some time just with me. I don't get to spend all day with her because I have to work but we have our routine and we have had some sweet bonding moments. When we wake up in the morning, I let her go outside to pee and when she comes back, I always have a cookie waiting for her. She runs in the house after doing her business and she does her happy excited food dance. It's the cutest thing. While she's sitting down she moves her front legs, lifting one after the other. If you get her really excited she'll start jumping around. I have been giving her a whole bone cookie from the monster value pack I got before Clayton passed away and she loves them. I don't play with her as rough as my husband does and she doesn't play that rough with me but we still have fun. I'll jump onto the bed and she'll try to get me. She'll box you out like she's getting a rebound in the NBA over a 6'11" guy or she'll lick you until you're covered in her spit. She thinks she has ways to get what she wants but they don't usually work. She's a little heater that loves to snuggle and that's great. When I'm so cold that I can't move I roll over to lay next to her and she warms me up in no time.

Our bonding time has been great so far. She has been so sweet to me, and has really helped me not miss my hubby as much. She's just so happy even with him not around. She has me and that's good enough for her. Unlike Cujo who would miss Den like crazy. I was ok but I wasn't daddy. I was chopped liver (well that's a good things to dogs I guess...but I wasn't very good) compared to him. With Ives...I'm way better than that. She has a happy tail every morning. We run around and play at lunch time. Things are good. She's back to being my baby as well as Den's baby.

What Makes Life Worth Living....

2009-04-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ages ago during my troubled youth, I had no idea what life was all about. I spent 7 years with someone who didn't live up to his potential. I had no idea what I was doing with my life. I was going through the motions. I was so worried about living up to something that wasn't what I really wanted. Through the first 2 years of living in Santa Cruz, I went through some shit. Excuse the language but there really is no other word for it. I had some of the worst life experiences that a woman has to deal with. Over the last 2 years I have been truly blessed with the life I have now. I LOVE my husband more than anything. We have some of the greatest friends I could have ever wished for, and we get to hang out with one of the cutest babies in the whole world.

10 years ago, who would have thought that I would want to have kids. I definately didn't think I'd want a screaming small human being but here are some of the images that make all of the screaming worth while.

I absolutely LOVE this kid. He was a wonderful baby and even as he starts to go through the terrible 2's....he's still so SWEET!!! His crying doesn't even sound annoying...it's just a misunderstood baby not getting his way. And who wouldn't feel bad for him. :(

The last 2 weekends have been filled with just wonderful happy days. I spent one weekend taking Jayce to the beach where he LOVED the water! Over Easter weekend we went to visit my mom, ran a few errands, bought a couple of new couches and went to an A's game.

I am truly happy with the life we have. Life is so full of happy fun moments that make the retarded ones worth living.

New Wife Tip #1.....(I'm so excited!!!)

2009-03-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

New wife tip #1.....if your live in a town with a Whole Foods and don't feel like making dinner...purchase dinner from your local Whole Foods. Throw it in the oven at your house and your husband be praising your home cooking skills!!!!!

So you may be asking yourself why I'm so excited about new wife tip #1....well with new wife tip #1 came a wonderful secret about the BEST store on the planet....Whole Foods. And guess what...a Whole Foods is opening in my town TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yipppeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have not been this excited for a long time. I don't think my hour long lunch will be enough to enjoy all of the Whole Foods, so I am sure I will go back at least 2 other times today. It is wonderful that this store is opening!!!!

There are many people in Santa Cruz that are die hard new leaf shoppers and for people that are local to the area....I understand. For thoes of me as an "import" of sorts the Whole Foods Store is something I've known my entire life. I grew up with Whole Foods being a stones throw away from my house. With it's wonderful pre-made foods, great salad bar, amazing yummy soups and all around great shopping environment, I know if you go to Whole Foods, you will not be disappointed. Now don't get me wrong....Whole Foods might be the Walmart of Organic foods (as Thomas, Therea's husband like to call it) but I know the quality of the products is superb. I grew up with the Berkeley Bowl being one of the most local home grown stores you could think of. The location was odd...there was never any parking and you could always smell the produce then you were walking through it. Being 5 or 6, I was just thinking of how much I wish the store looked like Safeway or Whole Foods because there was no nice person behind a bakery counter to give me a cookie. Now in my late 20's (oh god, how depressing....30 is right around the corner) the Berkeley Bowl has a new location but there is still no parking....the place is even more packed than I remember. It looks more like a regular grocery store but with many specialty items. The prepared foods section is amazing and the fresh fish is to die for. I still go to whole foods in Berkeley for my pro-biotic all of the yummy baked goods and their prepared foods. I love their eco-friendly paper products and somehow the milk there is just better. I'm hoping with the opening of Whole Foods a stones throw away from my home in Santa Cruz, I will feel much more at home here.

Now after returning from whole foods....WOW that place is a zoo!!!! When the newness wears off....it will be wonderful!!!!!! Yippeee!!!!!! Back to eating my sammy.

Doing the Wedding Over....

2009-03-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

This is my new Blog. I decided to start this because my work has blocked Facebook and Myspace. I need a way to vent my anger and frustration about things and also just a plce to get out some new great ideas for you 21st Century newly married wives. Being newly married myself...I think we're doing things pretty great. I'll post new recipies we try and pictures of how things come out. I'll let you know about any new cleaning products that kick major ass and of course I'll blog about the daily struggle to keep the house clean while working a 40+ hour a week job. Don't get me wrong, I am VERY thankful to have a job.

So, I have begun thinking of ways to do redo the wedding with minimal effort and a reasonable cost. Considering that we spent $800 for the Vegas Wedding...doing something in Santa Cruz for about the same would be great. Somehow I think that will be impossible. I would LOVE to get Aloha Island Grill to cater the meat for the event. Get Garrick to make Chicken Katsu and I can make rice and hawaiian mac salad for days. It would be even more perfect to be able to have a beach wedding here that kind of looks like the wedding at the end of 27 dresses. I would like to do all of the floral arrangements and have a big boquet. I know that would be pretty easy to do as long as we had a lot of water and a lot of fridge space. We could make our own cake but I'd LOVE to get Den a cake in the shape of Wrigley Field. Have the boys wear Cubs jerseys over their short sleeve dress shirts with neck ties....that would be pretty cute. I can glue rhinestones in the shape of the cubs logo on my veil. That would be pretty hilarious. Anyways...I'm thinking about just renting the Seymore Center...getting my girls (basically Nori, Theresa, and Loan) dresses and inviting everyone that wasn't at the actual event. Here is a short list:

Judy (Den's mom) Nori +4

Dennis (Den's Dad)

Grandma - Den's

Grandpa - Den's

Grandma - Mine

Allie (my mom)

Danita

Moishe (my dad)

Chris

Jenn and Todd Rolen

Katherine +1

Amy and Russ Stuckey

Maggie

Dale and Jay Whyte

Joe

Taylor +1

Jo +1

Thomas

Garrick

Bill

Jeff

Todd (will hopefully be renewing our vows)

Karen

Steve

Albert

Tree

Thomas

Suzie

Tree and Suzie's mom

Loan

Loan's Mom

Michelle

James and Jenn (Ives' original foster parents)

James Rubel

So we'll see what becomes of this whole shindig thing. My grandma would be happy to come to something where she didn't have to do anything. :) And clean up would have to be quick. I think very easy not really catered buffet would be great. We can do the chocolate fountain right or we can test it out as a nacho cheese fountain!!! :) Hell YES!!!!!