Happy New Year!

Wow, December went by so quickly. I kept meaning to post, but just never found the time. So, I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We stayed home on Christmas this year because Todd had to work. It was nice, especially since the kids and I were sick and it gave us time to rest. Our plan is to have New Year's Eve at the river since we couldn't be there at Christmas. The kids are looking forward to that and keep asking when we can leave.

I am looking forward to the new year. 2009, I just can't believe it is here already. I am sure there are many adventure yet to be had. I wish you all a very prosperous and happy new year.

Gnocchi

Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi

8 oz. ricotta cheese (strained of water for about 30min.)
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup white flour (I've used wheat and it just isn't the same)


Mix all ingredients except flour until well blended. Then add flour to form a soft dough. Keep hands and working surface floured. If dough is sticky add a little more flour. Form into ropes about 1/2 inch cross-section and cut into bite sized pieces. Roll with a fork to create grooves. Place in boiling water for about 4 min. Serve with favorite sauce. Gnocchi can be kept in fridge for later or frozen.

Potato/Winter Squash Gnocchi
Gnocchi can be made from potatoes, sweet potatoes, and baked winter squash instead of ricotta cheese. All are delicious.

8 oz. winter squash, sweet potato, potato
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
2 cups flour

Simple bake potato, sweet potato or squash. Prep and cooking method is same as above.

Dessert Gnocchi
Dessert Gnocchi can be made from apples, persimmons, pumpkin/winter squash, etc. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc. Follow general proportions as above two recipes. Cooking method is the same. Serve with honey or other sweet sauce.

Pumpkin Pie

1 sugar pumpkin (sweet meat squash or sunshine pumpkin)
1 9 in pie shell
2 eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar (I used Lakanto w/ 1/2 TBS molasses)
1 TBS flour (or cornstarch or tapioca starch)
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 (12 fl. oz) can evaporated milk

Bake squash/pumpkin whole until soft (350F for about an hour and a half). Remove and allow to cool enough to work with. Cut in half, scoop out and discard seeds, remove skin. Puree about 2 cups of pumpkin. Save rest for side dish, second pie, or add to baked goods like breads, muffins, pancakes, etc. In a bowl slightly beat eggs. Add sugar, flour, salt, and pumpkin puree, pie spice and evaporated milk. Stir until smooth. Pour into pie shell. Place a strip of foil over the edge of the pie crust so it does not burn. Bake 10 min. at 450F, then reduce to 350F and cook for 40-50 min. until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove foil about 20min. before pie is done so crust is golden brown. Cool pie and refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

Green Bean Casserole

2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup sour cream
3 cans French style green beans (I used fresh/frozen green beans-enough to fill a 9X9 pan)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2 cup fresh chopped mushroom
1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers (frozen onion rings or French's fried onions)
1 TBS butter, melted
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt 2 TBS butter in large skillet, stir in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, sugar, onion, mushroom and sour cream and parmesan cheese. Set aside. Boil fresh or frozen green beans until done. Drain and add green beans to cream sauce, stir to coat. Transfer to 9X9 baking dish. Cover with shredded cheddar cheese. If you use crackers, crush and mix with remaining butter. Add them now and bake for 3o min. or until bubbly. If you use onion rings, place them on top of cheese and bake for 30min. If you use fried onions, bake cheese topped casserole for 25 min. and add them the last 5 min. to brown.

Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash
6 TBS onion (chopped)
4 TBS butter
3 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp dried marjoram (I used parsley and thyme)
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
8 oz. cream cheese
pepper to taste

Bake squash whole at 350F until soft (1 1/2 hours or so). Allow to cool so you can work with it. Sautee onions in butter until tender. Add squash, cream cheese, onions and butter, water, and all spices to a blender (You might have to do this in two batches). Puree. Place into a soup pan, heat (don't allow to boil) and serve. Great w/ sourdough bread or rolls.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you reading this blog. I hope your holiday is filled with joy, friends and family.

We are very blessed to be able to have Thanksgiving with my mother this year. If you have read my previous blogs she was in the hospital for about 4 1/2 months during spring and summer. We feared for her life on two occasions during that time. So it is great to be able to spend this day with her at home.

We will also be spending time with my dad and Suzi and are greatful for that. For those who we can't be with, we are thinking of you today as well.

In preparation for the holiday, the boys and I have been working on various crafts to liven up the house. We have a silly turkey bread basket, Thanksgiving tree, pinecone turkeys, turkey terra cotta pots and pilgrim and Indian hats. Of all the crafts the kids' favorite were and still are the pinecone turkeys. How can you go wrong with hand picked pinecones, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, pompoms, construction paper and glue?

Fennel Risotto

This is my favorite risotto so far and it happens to be very simple.

2 fennel bulbs (cored and cut lengthwise in 1/4 inch slices)
1 medium onion (diced)
1-2 TBS butter or olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
3-4 TBS parmesian cheese (grated)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup white wine (optional, I used a sweet muscat)
1 carton chicken/vegetable broth
Salt and pepper (to taste)

In a heavy pan/pot, sautee fennel slices and onion in butter a few minutes to soften. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add wine and stir until most of the liquid is gone. Add 1 cup chicken broth and stir until most of the liquid is gone. Continue this process of adding broth until rice is done. Add parmesian cheese, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Cook stirring constantly until risotto is nice and creamy (just a few minutes). Serve.

Did Dinosaurs Live with Man?

I have not given much thought in the past about dinosaurs. They existed and that was good enough for me. But now, my kids just love them. Gabriel teaches dino school almost every day. So I started learning about them and their names. I started finding a lot of evidence that dinosaurs lived with man. There are archeological artifacts showing man and dinosaurs, fossil footprints, petroglyphs (cave drawings of men and dinosaurs), historical writings, and 'recent' sitings of these creatures. I don't have any trouble believing that our Earth could still have a few of these creatures on it. Take the coelacanth, it supposedly died out millions of years ago and now we know they still live in our oceans. The evidence, much of it proven to be authentic (there's always someone trying to fool the scientists) is quite exciting if you think about it. There are accounts of seeing and sometimes eating dinosaurs that live in a huge swamp in the middle of Africa. These accounts come from the natives and missionaries that live there. So did man live with dinosaurs? I believe we did and possibly still do.

Sauerkraut Salad

1 1/2 cup sauerkraut
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (any color)
1 TBS minced pemento
2 chopped green onions
1/2 cup sugar (I use several drops of liquid stevia instead)
pepper to taste

Combine oil, vinegar and sugar/stevia. Rinse and drain sauerkraut well. Combine all other ingredients and toss with dressing.

BTW, you can make your own sauerkraut very easily. Here's how:
1 head green cabbage
celtic sea salt or pickling salt
1 clean quart mason jar
cheese cloth

Shred cabbage and pack into a clean mason jar. Pack about 1 inch and sprinkle a pinch of salt over it. Add another layer of cabbage and salt. Continue like this until whole jar is full. Leave about 1 inch head room. Also, make sure it is well packed. You will notice liquid in the jar, it should come up over the cabbage. Do not add water. Cover with a clean cheese cloth and let it sit on your counter several weeks. Check it every week for flavor. When it tastes the way you like put it in the fridge. It should keep for quite a while. If mold grows on top, just skim it off. The kraut under it should be fine.

Jesus Loves Me

Gabriel loves role playing with Andrew. They reenact scenes from their favorite TV shows. Today a Christmas catalog from the Oriental Trading Company came. In it were several nativity scenes and a nativity costume set. Gabriel got very excited and made a manger out of pillows for 'baby Jesus'. He put his farm animals around it and had Andrew lay down and covered him in a blanket. Then he sang "Jesus Loves Me." Then they changed positions and Andrew sang "Jesus Loves Me."
It was pretty cute. Their version of the song goes like this: Jesus, Jesus loves me. For the Bible it tells me so. Little ones to him belong they are weak but he is strong. Jesus, Jesus he loves me. For the Bible it tells me so.

Who Said Cutting Hair is Easy?

I have a serious problem. I am too cheap to get my bangs cut by professionals, so I do it myself. That's not the problem. The problem is I can't cut in a straight line and what makes it worse is that I have to take my glasses off to do it. So today I was absolutely going nuts because my bangs were in my eyes. I could not find the professional scissors from our barber kit, so I used the only scissors I could get my hands on. You know the ones with the short blades and they curve just slightly (I'm not even sure what they are really for). Anyway, so here I am, blind trying to cut my bangs with curved scissors. Amazingly it turned out not too bad, aside from the hair that fell into my eye, ouch. I really should just break down and go to the salon, but I probably won't until my next haircut.

Chocolate Mousse

I don't make dessert at home often, but this one is one of my favorites when I do!

8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water, divided
2 TBS butter (no substitutes)
3 eggs, separated
2 TBS sugar (I use Lakanto)
1 1/4 cups whipping cream, whipped

Heat chocolate, 1/4 cup water and butter until melted in a double boiler. Stir constantly so chocolate does not burn or stick to pan. Cool for 10min. In a small heavy saucepan, whisk egg yolks, sugar and remaining water. Cook and stir over low heat about 1-2 min. Remove and whisk into chocolate mixture. Set saucepan in ice and stir until cooled, about 5-10min. Whip cream and add it to the chocolate mixture. Beat egg whites until very stiff. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture. Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight. Serve.

Note: The first time I made this, it was too bitter for me. You can adjust the sweetness a couple of ways. Taste the chocolate sauce before you mix in whipped cream. If it is too bitter, you can add additional sugar to the whipped cream. Or, what I do is add a few drops of liquid stevia to the chocolate sauce. It won't make it too watery and I can control the sweetness w/o adding sugar.

Stow Away

A few months ago while I was driving I saw a huge fur ball run past on the passenger's side. I just about died! Anyway, since then we have been finding sunflower seeds and cushion pieces on the floor of our van. It seems we have a mouse (or something like it) living in it. We have set traps, but the little bugger is smart and avoids them. I don't know how many miles it has traveled with us, but probably quite a few.

Time For a Change

Well, you'll notice my blog template has changed. I was getting tired of looking at the same background all of the time. So here's something new!

Roasted Beet, Peach and Goat Cheese Salad

2 beets, scrubbed
leaf lettuce of your choice (iceberg will not work well for this)
2 fresh peaches-peeled, pitted and sliced
2 shallots, chopped (I used green onions and it was great)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 (4 ounce) package goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F. Wrap each beet in two layers of foil and place onto a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1hour 2omin. Allow to cool and remove skins. Refrigerate until cold and then thinly slice them.

Place lettuce onto individual plates. Layer beets and peaches. Sprinkle with shallots, pine nuts and goat cheese. In a bowl, whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper until emulsified. Pour over salad and serve.

This recipe makes 4 side salads.

Deputy Sheriffs

Todd has a friend at work who is a part time deputy sheriff. So he gave Todd some sticker badges for the boys. This morning Todd deputized both of them. He had them hold one hand on their heart and the other in the air and promise to serve and protect. Then each boy took his sticker and put it where he thought best. Andrew put his on the red toddler car and Gabriel put his on the potty chair. So we now have a police vehicle and an official toilet of law enforcement.

Information Overload

Wow, there are a lot of different personal web pages that are out there. Today I got invited by three different friends to join three different on-line services; facebook.com, reunion.com and linkedin.com. I have also been invited to myspace.com and various blogs and other personal websites. It is dizzying to realize how many are out there and you have to join many of the websites to be able to view your friends' pages. I love my friends, don't get me wrong. I like to see your pictures and hear about what you are doing. My question is where do you find the time to update all of these sites? Many of you have personal blogs and are on one or more of the sites listed above or ones like them. I barely get time to read my e-mail and update this blog. I love the information age, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'm an old-fashioned girl, send me an e-mail and I'm happy.

Also, as an aside. My internet service quality has really declined. When we first chose to go with Alyrica, they were a small start up company and our internet connections were pretty much instantaneous. But now, 6 years later, their customer base has grown to the point where many days I can't log onto any site and the connection is lost. They are so bogged down with users. I think we are going to have to find a new internet provider who can give us faster service. I know my frustration is due to this. I have two little boys at home who want my attention, so I don't have time to waste sitting around waiting for the computer. So keep me in the loop. I'll add your sites to my favorites list and I will do my best to check in with all of you (when my computer will allow it). But, I probably won't be updating any other sites. I will just stick to this blog and my e-mails.

Conservation Day for Kids

Today we attended Conservation Day for kids at our local fairgrounds. It was great! There were all sorts of animals to see and touch (piglets, turtles, snakes and stick bugs). The kids got to dig in dirt, crawl through a "dirt" tunnel and see what lives underground, blow bubble with solid red oak wood, touch pelts, gather coloring pages and books, see forestry vehicles/machines, witness how forest fires get started, etc. There was much more that we didn't see because Todd had to get home for work. Right before we left we made dirt babies (you know - nylon, grass seed and dirt, stick them in water and they grow hair like chia pets). When we got home Gabriel wanted to see the "dirty baby." I thought that was pretty funny. It was a great event and I look forward to going next year. I will definitely allow more time so we can see it all.

What to do with Squash Blossoms

So, if you have planted any type of squash plants (zucchini, pumpkin, summer squash, etc.) in your garden this summer, you probably have a lot of blossoms. You can pick them whether they have a vegetable attached or not. Rather than let them go to waste, here are a couple of easy and delicious recipes. They both are also pretty quick too.

Fried Blossoms:
1-2 eggs for dipping (so just start with one egg)
as many blossoms as you can pick (usually 10-15)
1 pkg. saltine crackers (crushed with a rolling pin)
oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste

Clean blossoms inside and out to rid of bugs. Leave stamen in (or whatever the pollen covered thing is called). Heat oil in a fry pan. Dip each blossom in egg, roll in crackers. Place in pan and salt and pepper once all blossoms are in pan. Brown and turn. Remove and serve with ranch dressing.

***A variation on this that I have not tried, but am pretty sure would be good is to make mock coconut shrimp. Roll in coconut instead of crackers. Serve with a honey and dijon mustard sauce (mix honey and dijon mustard or orange preserves and dijon mustard).***

Squash Blossom Soup

2 cups chicken broth
2 cups squash blossoms (I fill a ziploc sandwich bag and call it good)
1/4 - 1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBS butter
tabasco sauce

Melt butter in a fry pan, add onion and garlic and cook until transparent. Add broth and cleaned blossoms. Simmer until blossoms are wilted. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree. Transfer to bowls, season with salt, pepper and tasbaco to tasted.

***A variation on this recipe is to roast 1/4 red bell pepper and/or 1 small tomato and add it to the blender. To roast the pepper or tomato, place them under the broiler and allow skin to blacken. Turn so all skin is black and remove. Once they have cooled you can peel them. (I hold them under cold running water, to keep from burning my fingers. Be careful with the tomato, the center will still be hot.***

The Circus Came to Town

Granny and I took the boys to the circus in Cottage Grove. I had not been since I was a kid and frankly too young to remember. It was the first time my kids got to go too. So we had a great time. I think their favorite part was seeing all of the animals. They had pony/elephant/camel rides and a petting zoo with goats, cow, donkey and llama. They also had a baby hippo and zebra, but you couldn't pet them. I tried to get the kids to ride the elephant, but they wouldn't (don't tell anyone, but I wanted to get up there with them). So we stuck to the ponies and Gabriel was all smiles. His favorite animal is the horse. We seriously need to get one. But I digress . . . . The kids were mesmerized by all of the circus acts too. They put on a pretty good show. I was impressed and the cost was reasonable. So all-in-all, we had a good day.

Crab Linguine w/ Pesto Cream Sauce

Pesto Recipe:
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted in skillet
1/3 olive oil
5 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh basil

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Pesto Cream Sauce Recipe:
1 package fresh linguine
2 TBS olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup butter
2 TBS flour, cornstarch, or tapioca starch
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup pesto
meat from 1 crab
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, diced
romano or parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta per package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent. Stir in garlic and butter. Saute until garlic is soft, about 1 minute. Dissolve flour in milk, then stir in. Season w/ salt and pepper and simmer 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in pesto. Add crab, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook 4 minutes or until heated through. Toss with pasta until evenly coated. Top with a sprinkle of fresh cheese.

*This would be great with other seafood too: scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, etc.*

Fly Whisperer

Well, I have my very own fly whisperer. Gabriel has an awesome ability to catch flies with his bare hands. He practices catch and release. I have literally seen flies just sit in the palm of his hand or on his finger. They don't even try to fly away. I don't even need a fly swatter, he just takes them outside for me.

Swimming with the Ducks

Well, Gabriel finally fell into the duck pond at HP. I knew it would happen eventually. He chases the poor creatures to the waters edge at full speed and stops on a dime. The only problem is there is mud in certain spots and it is slippery. So today he couldn't stop when tried and fell right in. It is not deep, but it is disgusting! Hopefully he has learned his lesson and I won't have to call after him any more to "stay away from the water." We did have fun feeding them though and had a nice picnic lunch with Daddy.

Congratulations! It's a Girl!

Well, I looked back at my posts for the last several months and they are pretty depressing. Sorry folks. I guess it is time for some good news! And here it is. My brother and his wife are expecting the very first girl cousin/granddaughter on my side of the family. My mother is beside herself with joy. She has been pressuring all of us kids for years to give her a granddaughter. Like we can control that! :) So anyway, thanks Jared and Christy for taking the pressure off and CONGRATULATIONS!

Hit by a Car

My sister was hit by a car while riding her bicycle a couple of nights ago. It knocked her off of her bike and the impact knocked her out, gave her a concussion and scratched her up pretty bad, but she is doing ok. The driver took off and she didn't get much of a look at it. Please pray for her and her kids.

Hemp Seed Tabuli

2 cups hemp seed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 bunch parsley (or to taste)
3 cloves garlic (or to taste)
juice from 2 lemons
salt
Tabasco sauce (to taste)
1 Tomato, chopped
1 or 2 leaves lettuce, shredded
2 TBS each of sliced olives and cucumber

Put the hemp seeds in a bowl and pour in enough hot water to cover them. Allow to soak half an hour. Drain the seeds and reserve the water for hemp milk, baking, soups, smoothies, etc. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and chill.

Mom's Home

Well, my mom finally got to go home a week ago from today. She is adjusting well and taking it slow. My kids haven't seen her yet, but hopefully they will be able to soon.

She's Getting Better

Well, thanks for all of the prayers. Amazingly, my mom pulled through (she was given about 10% chance to survive). She is off of the ventilator and just on an oxygen tube that goes to her nose. She is starting to walk again (only around her room with help and a walker). It is still going to be a long road towards recovery, assuming the pneumonia does not return. We will take every day we can get! Her attitude is great and the staff really love her, which is rare in ICU. Please keep her in your prayers.

Water? Slide

Andrew's 2nd birthday is coming up in a few days and I wanted to get him an outside toy. So I bought a folding slide. The weather turned cold the day I got it, so it is currently in the house. The kids love it! Anyway, Andrew is also potty training (he wants to be like his big brother) and I can't keep clothes on him. Every outfit comes off pretty much as soon as I put it on him. So the other day he came to me all wet and smelling like urine. He took me by the hand and led me to the slide, where he had climbed to the top, peed down it and then slid on down. I am sure he had fun. He was pretty proud of himself.

My Mom

My mom had her 59th birthday on May 3. She seemed to be doing very well. We had a party for her with friends and family and she was giddy. She was so pleased to have us there. A few days later, however, her pneumonia returned (for the third time). She was admitted back into ICU and is currently in an induced paralytic coma. She is on life support and is starting from the very beginning, only it is worse this time because she is already so weak. The doctors can not say with 100% certainty that she will pass away, but it is highly likely. She requested that people pray for her. I would request that you pray for her husband, Jim, and for my siblings and I during this time also.

Poached Pear Salad

This salad is soooo yummy, I adapted it from a local restaurant.
This will make two individually prepared salads.

1 red bosc pear (pealed)
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup dry red wine or dry white wine
3 TBS honey
1 tsp vanilla
red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
olive oil
4 pieces bacon (cooked and crumbled)
maple sugar covered pecans or candied pecans (chopped)
soft creamy blue cheese
butter lettuce (any lettuce will work though)
salt and pepper

Peal pear and toss in lemon juice. Set aside. Combine water, wine, honey and vanilla in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the honey dissolves. Add pear. Cook for 15min, turning pear after 7min. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pear to a freezer safe bowl. Boil poaching liquid for 3-5min until thick. Stir frequently so it doesn't burn. Pour syrup over pear and place in freezer to cool, ~15min. Don't allow it to freeze! Cook bacon. Wash lettuce and arrange a circular bed on salad plate in. Add crumbled bacon, chopped pecans and blue cheese to each salad. Remove pear from freezer and cut in half. Place one half in middle of each salad. Take remaining syrup and put in a salad dressing container. Add oil, vinegar, water and salt and pepper to taste for the vinegrette dressing. Drizzle a small amount of dressing on each salad. Serve.

Mom's Doing Ok

My mom is doing better. She had a tracheostomy and is completely off of the sedation medicine. She can sit up, talk, eat and is working on standing and walking. However, she just contracted Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It is an antibiotic resistant staph infection, that happens to be in her lungs. It is quite common among long-term hospital patients and is infectious.

Allergy Sufferers Rejoice!

If you suffer from seasonal allergies due to pollen or hay fever try taking 250mg of Pantothenic Acid twice per day. We have some type of tree on our property that causes me much sneezing, itching and nasal congestion and headaches every spring. Right now in fact. I started taking Natrum Muriaticum, a homeopathic for allergies and it helped, but then I read an article about Pantothenic Acid. So I have been taking 500mg every day and almost all of my symptoms are gone. I get a little itchy from time to time, so I take my homeopathics and between the two I am doing much better than previous years. Give it a try, it is certainly working for me.

Mom's Stable

Well, my mom is stable. I went to see her a couple of days ago and she had her eyes open. She is still intubated so she cannot speak and they still have her sedated so she has to work very hard to move her arms or open her eyes. She could hear me and understand me. I even saw her smile when I talked about the kids, even if it was ever so slightly. That was very encouraging to me. She closed her eyes for a bit while I talked to Jim, but when I said I had to go, she opened them again to say goodbye. The doctors saw some improvement on her x-rays a few days ago too. So she is hanging in there.

Carpet Massacre of 2008

Well, Andrew just loves to imitate Gabriel. So the other day he took his clothes and diaper off and tried to sit on the potty chair, which he calls "bathtub." I let him sit there while I went to fold laundry. A few minutes later Andrew came running in yelling "Mommy, help!" There was poo on his hands and running down his legs. So I cleaned him up and then went to find the rest. He had decided to go play in the 2nd bedroom when disaster struck. There where about 10 piles of pudding consistency poo all over the carpet. There was no way to clean it w/o rubbing it into the fiber. So I used my carpet stain remover and Oxyclean, but the stains are still there. So I am calling it the 2008 carpet massacre.

Update on my Mom

My mom has been put on a ventilator and is being sedated. She began coughing blood last night and could not breath with the machine she was on. She is also being given amnesia medicine so that if/when she is taken off of the ventilator she won't remember being on it. The doctors are still talking positively, of course they will until there is literally nothing else they can do. So at this point it is a waiting game. They still have not biopsied her lungs and still do not know what is truly going on. They are putting off the biopsy because it is surgery and is a great risk.

Andrew's First Shave

Well, Andrew had his first shave today. Todd has an electric beard shaver and left it on the bathroom sink. Andrew climbed up on the toilet and grabbed it. He turned it on and when I found him he was rubbing it on his chin and lips. I should have grabbed my camera and taken video of it. It was pretty cute.

In a Seinfeld Episode

Every time I go to the hospital to visit my mom I feel like I am in a Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Newman meet each other. If you are not familiar with the show, these two characters loath each other and their greeting is always the same: Newman says "Jerry" with as much disdain as possible and Jerry responds in kind, "Newman."

Anyway, there is a male nurse there that is like that. I was holding my mom's hand and talking to her when he walked in and we "met" for the first time. Instead of a cordial greeting he looks at me and says "Who are you?" But his tone and the look on his face were very accusatory, like I was not supposed to be there or was doing something wrong. I was taken aback and didn't even say anything, I was shocked. Instead I looked at Jim, my mom's husband, with a look on my face that said "Who is this guy and what is his problem?" I am pretty sure the guy picked up on that and was still trying to find out what I was doing there, as if it wasn't pretty obvious. Anyway, Jim answered for me and the guy, tried to make a joke, poorly and went away. The interaction was brief; shorter than it took to type this all out, but the negative impression was lasting.

So I was there yesterday, holding my mom's hand and talking to her and he comes in again and says "I didn't know YOU were here." Again his tone was that I, me specifically, was not supposed to be there, which actually, I wasn't. They don't allow visitors at shift change (7:00-7:30pm) and it had just turned 7. But still, he could have said hi, I am sorry, but I have to ask you leave. Oh no, it was an "It's YOU again" attitude. So I left.

Let me say that the staff is great there. Everyone else has always been really nice. I don't even know this guys name, but I have to laugh because every time we see each other it is just like Seinfeld. We're both scowling and squinting our eyes and he says "Jennifer." and I respond "Nurse."

My Mom

For those of you who don't know, my mom, Donna Bochner, has been in the ICU for the last week. A week before that she had knee surgery and seven days later her lungs completely shut down. Right now the doctors are treating it as pneumonia, but she is not responding as well as they had hoped and they now think there may have been a drug interaction between her prescription medication and the anesthesia. The majority of both lungs are non-functional. She has to wear an oxygen mask that is pressurized to reduce the work her lungs do. Their next step is to biopsy the lungs to find out what is actually going on. She has made some improvement though, but could certainly use your prayers.

Bowling

We took the boys bowling for the first time this week. They had a blast! We had a ramp and bumpers to help them. Gabriel is strong enough to carry the 6lb ball over to the ramp or to the lane all by himself w/o dropping it. They were so cute taking turns and helping each other. I wish I could have taken pictures, but we had our hands full (Todd and I) between the two of them. If one wasn't running down the lane the other was running around the building screaming with joy. So, no pictures. Maybe next time.

Broiled Sturgeon with Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa:
1 ripe mango (diced)
1 orange (half peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces, half juiced)
1 lime (juiced, 1/2TBS for salsa, reserve rest for the fish)
1/4 cup pineapple (crushed- canned or fresh)
1/2 inch piece raw ginger (grated)
2 TBS celery (chopped very fine)
Fresh cilantro to taste
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and cool in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Sturgeon:
1 Sturgeon fillet with skin on (large enough to feed two or three people)
Olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
cilantro
2 TBS butter (cut into thin slices)
mango salsa

Rub sturgeon with olive oil and season to taste. Place under broiler until golden brown. Turn oven onto bake 400F. Cover fillet with plenty of cilantro and arrange butter slices on top. Cover with about 1/3-1/2 of the mango salsa and bake until the thickest part of the fillet flakes with a fork. Time will vary depending on thickness of fillet (20-30min). Remove from oven and drizzle remaining lime juice over fillet. Serve with remaining mango salsa or add salsa to a green salad and enjoy. I also served a soft ginger-mango Stilton cheese on sesame crackers as an appetizer with this meal and it was delicious.

*If your fish does not have skin on, you may oil and broil both sides. The baking time will be much reduced, probably 10 min.

Baked Duck

This is a very simple recipe, no frills!

1 duck
enough sliced apples w/ skin on to fill cavity
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup water/apple juice/chicken broth for basting

Rub duck with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place in a baking pan and stuff the cavity with apples. Pour liquid of your choice over duck. Cover with foil. Bake 1 hour at 350F or until done. Serve immediately.

Outlaw Trail

We just watched a great movie called Outlaw Trail. It is about a boy who believes his great uncle, Butch Cassidy, returned to the states and left buried treasure. He and his friends have to find it before the villains do. It is a great movie, has no bad language, minimal violence and is entertaining. It is great for kids and adults.

Potty Training Update

Well potty training is going pretty well, so far. Gabriel goes pee all on his own now. He doesn't even tell me, he just goes. He has not had an accident either. He also went poop all by himself last night. That was great! I have had him in underwear only, so next week I'll clothe him and see how he does. After that we'll try an outing in public. Then he will have had a couple of weeks under his belt. Eventually we'll tackle night time.

Adventures in Potty Training

I started potty training Gabriel this week. It has been pretty successful so far. On day 1 we had all misses, but day 2 was a good day. After 1 1/2 misses (he started to have an accident, but finished in the potty) he went the rest of the day in his potty chair. Today is day 3 and we have had 100% success with pee. Yeh! However, he has not yet learned to go poo in the toilet. Yuk! So here is what I learned about hard wood floors, they are great for pee accidents. However, our Australian Cypress has lots of knots like Knotty Pine. I thought I cleaned up all of his poop from both of his accidents, but I missed a few spots. The floor looked clean, they just blend in with the knots. Then all of a sudden, squish! I have gone through three pairs of socks today. Also, Andrew found a gem and decided to eat it. I hear him spitting violently and then he comes running to me for a drink wash the bad taste away. I look in his mouth and there is a piece of poop stuck in his teeth! After a good brushing and a glass of kefir, he was all better. I am sure there is nothing like eating your brother's poo. I am sure he will be thrilled to here he did it; when he gets older. Anyway, wood floors are great for potty training. They clean up easy, don't stain or stink. However, if you have the choice and are planning on potty training at some point in your life, I highly recommend you put in flooring without knots. Light bamboo would be a good choice. It'll save you laundry and if you have children who eat off the floor, it'll save them from a yucky surprise.

Mmmm Money

The other day I was feeding the kids and I heard Andrew say "Mmmm money." I immediately checked him for any loose coins. He still loves to put them in his mouth. I wondered where he would have found them, since we usually keep them out of reach. But he was "clean," as they say, no coins. He continued to eat and said it again. "Is that yummy?" I asked. His reply: "Mmmm money mom." So money = yummy and it is his favorite new phrase.

Cloned Meat and Milk on its Way

The FDA approved the sale of cloned meat and dairy products in the US earlier this week. I am totally grossed out! The food will probably not be available immediately due to the high cost of cloning. Hopefully it will take several years. Also, the FDA is not requiring labeling, so there will be no way to distinguish between food from cloned and "natual" animals. I put the "" around natural, because animals that are not raised organically or free range are generally given antibiotics, growth hormones, vaccinations, may be fed genetically modified food or other animal parts and are often raised in close proximity to other animals. I think this is far from natural. Just another reason to always buy organic or free range animal products. I also try to buy from local farmers. Then I know how the animals are raised and fed.

To see the full article from the Organic Consumers Association website go to : http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_9699.cfm

Homeopathic Update

A while back I wrote about the blood tests that both of my kids submitted. We found worms, intestinal bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast, viruses, vaccines, antibiotics, and allopathic drugs. I have been giving them homeopathic drops for parasites, bacteria/fungus/virus, and chemicals. They have been pooping like crazy. I have noticed a few improvements. Before treatments Gabriel had very dry dull hair. It was not soft at all. He has been on the drops almost two months and his hair is much softer and shinier. Andrew was experiencing daily diaper rash before the treatment and now it is gone. He has been on the drops about 1 month. He still has a month to go. After two months of treatment we will test each child's blood again. I am looking forward to seeing the results. I will keep you posted on their blood results (probably around March). I expect them to be much improved. I am also thinking about testing them for heavy metals and doing a heavy metal cleanse. I was exposed to industrial chemicals and metals for 8 years before I had Gabriel. I would not be surprised if they have high concentrations of heavy metals in their tissues. I need to do a heavy metal cleanse myself.

A Gold Bond Moment

We had a Gold Bond (foot powder) disaster this morning. But the story actually begins yesterday morning when Gabriel woke up with a fever. Traci and the kids were coming to attend church with us and Gabriel just wasn't himself. So, Todd decided to stay home with him, while we went to church. I got home to find that Gabriel had thrown up a couple of times while we were gone. He continued this all day until the evening in between short naps. We had him in bed by 7pm and I hoped we would have a nice quiet night. However, to my dismay, Andrew woke up at 10:30pm crying and then Gabriel woke up at 12:30am because he was hungry, which also woke up Andrew. Now both kids had had a midnight snack and were tucked back in bed, but at 1:45am Gabriel decided he was up for good. All of his afternoon napping on Sunday had messed up his sleep pattern and he was hungry again to boot. Between 2am and 4am I got quite a bit done. I did dishes and laundry, read to the kids (of course Andrew had to get up too), fed the kids again, watched Toy Story 2 and finally got them back into bed. Surely they would be tired and sleep in, right? Wrong, they were both up at 6:30am. I was so exhausted at this point that I stuck another movie in for them and crawled back to bed. A little while later I heard a cough, which actually turned out to be a sneeze. I got up to check on the kids and what I found was two little boys on top of the dinner table covered in Gold Bond Foot powder. They found it while riffling through Todd's backpack, which he left on the table. I took a few pictures for posterity's sake and then promptly cleaned them up. I never got back to bed after that.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 thin slices ham
two-4 jack cheese (traditional is swiss cheese)
flour for dredging
2-3 eggs beaten
1 cup Panko style bread crumbs

Slice a cavity into one side of the chicken. Dip the chicken in egg and then flour. Shake off excess flour and allow it to dry a minute. Dip into flour again and then the bread crumbs. Stuff the cavity with cheese/ham/cheese. Bake at 350F covered with foil for 1 hour. Remove foil and cook 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Sauce:
2-3 TBS sour cream
two slices cheese (1 jack and 1 extra sharp cheddar or 2 swiss)
1 TBS butter
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat until all cheese is melted and the sauce is uniform. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to one and all! We spent our New Year's eve at the River with Granny and the kids. Granny made Yorkshire pudding and prime rib. Todd made us "camp fire" baked potatoes in the fireplace. It was a delicious meal. The kids had fun playing with toys and terrorizing the cat; who only put up with it because he was so lonely. We all made it to bed before 11pm. So, it was a fun, but quiet night. Todd started the new year with a bang, literally. He shot two ducks. I plan to cook them tomorrow. If they turn out well, I am sure you will see a recipe eventually. I hope everyone had a good start to the new year too.