Lenssen Acres Almanac

Friday Fave: Podcasts

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

For Mother's Day last year, Lana (with Dan's help) surprised me with a shiny new iPod Nano. It's small, light-weight, and holds all the music I'm ever gonna need. While perusing the iTunes store for new music, I discovered free podcasts and quickly got hooked. Here are some of my favorites:

Manic Mommies
These gals crack me up. Based on the east coast, Erin and Kristen share stories of their lives as working moms. They're honest, even when it's not pretty or funny - but most of the time it is pretty dang funny. It took me a few episodes to keep these two ladies straight and remember who's married to who and has what children, so it can be a bit confusing at first. However, once I got that all figured out, I have been thoroughly enjoying the Manic Mommies. They usually post one hour-long episode per week. I like to listen when I'm weighing flour samples at work for hours on end.

Run Like a Mother
Admittedly, I am not a runner. I am a plodder and an ugly jogger, but most certainly not a runner. I listen to these ladies (Dimity and Sarah) and I feel like I could truly make a plan and train to complete a marathon. They offer encouragement for runners (or slow plodders) of every stage and you really feel like you're listening to two friends who just want you to get out there and be active. They post about one 30-minute episode per week. I really like to sandwich an episode in between two fast and upbeat songs to accompany me on my Sunday morning run.

The Dave Ramsey Show
Dave was my first podcast find and he's still a favorite. Straight forward and easy to understand financial talk. He takes callers' questions on-air and offers answers and advice to help solve whatever financial mess they're in. I always learn something when I listen to Dave Ramsey. When I need a little bit of extra motivation to tighten the budget or a kick in the pants to keep on saving for the large purchase, Dave is there for me. There is one new episode(about 35 minutes) available 5 days per week. I usually listen when I'm making dinner in the evenings.

So, those are my favorites, but I definitely need more. I guess I'm getting old and often times prefer podcasts to music. What podcasts do you like to listen to? Any you would recommend for me to try?

Thanks in advance!

That's Awesome!

2012-01-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning the Pastor preached on a fabulous prayer out of Romans. 33-36 reads:
Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible is it for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For whom can know what the Lord in thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? And who could ever give him so much that he would ever have to pay it back? For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be the glory evermore. Amen.

First off, say it with me: Whoa.

Yeah, that's deep stuff and the sermon on that passage was most excellent and thought provoking and humbling.

However, before he got into the meat of the sermon, the Pastor asked us to think of the most awesome and amazing thing we'd ever seen. We broke off into small groups to discuss. The friend next to me talked about how awe struck she was by the beauty and clarity of Oregon's Crater Lake. Her doctor husband spoke about medical miracles he'd witnessed. In the few minutes we were allotted, there were lots of awesome things we'd seen that were discussed.

One natural wonder that would definitely be on my amazing list is the waterfall that cuts through the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. I've seen it at different times of the year and every single time is completely breathtaking.

However, despite it's grandeur, that picturesque scene is not the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Nope, that award goes to another picture. But I don't have a copy to share with you; it's permanently engraved in my mind to the point that I am certain when I am old and grey and have lost my faculties, I will be able to close my eyes and replay it at will.

The scene is one of a man, overwhelmed in thankfulness to a great and mighty God that he can't begin to fathom. Specifically, the scene is Dan, exhausted from not sleeping well and mentally drained from a day full of helping me with doctors and nurses and monitors and pushing and finally, finally, finally, of holding his new born daughter. I can only imagine his emotions were a mix of gratitude for a healthy wife, and a daughter who didn't need the assistance of the respiratory specialist brought in because signs were pointing to some potential problems, as well as overwhelmed that in an instant he gained the title of Father.

Somehow, in the midst of the slight frenzy involved in the process of bringing forth new life, Dan found a quiet moment to pause. With head bowed he offered up a prayer of worship and praise to his Savior, Redeemer, and Creator of all things, including the miracle he just witnessed. He was humble and honest and thankful as only he could be. And that vision - a silent man in a rocking chair - it the most awesome thing I have ever seen.

(This picture was taken mere minutes after Lana was born. It's not what's engraved in my head, but close.)

For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be the glory evermore.

Friday Flashback: Snow Day 2008

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday was another snow day here on the Lenssen Acres homestead. It wasn't nearly as fun as Wednesday because the snow was heavy and wet - not the fine fluffy stuff we played in before. Dan was stuck staying home too, but not in his pjs in the warm house. Nope, he spent 4 hours on the roof pushing heavy shovelfuls of snow down to the ground. Because of high winds and drifting, some areas of the roof had 20 or so inches of back-breakingly heavy snow to be removed.

While watching the snow fall outside the window, I was reminded of the most perfect snow day ever. It was the first winter Dan and I were married. We lived in a tiny apartment atop one of the steepest hills in Pullman. Due to heavy snow and winds, my work was closed for the day. After Dan and I dug out the truck, we headed to Dwayne and Angela's to see if they needed any help. Fortunately, they were doing just fine, and instead of spending the afternoon clearing their driveway, we spent hours speeding down their neighbors' sidewalks.

The sidewalks had been worked with a snow blower a day or two earlier and the steep, tall sides created a luge track - perfect for a speeding snow tube. Nieces Sadie and Allison, and nephew Grant, were pleased as punch for the opportunity to ride with their Uncle Dan and fly faster than any kid really should.

A few wrecks, lots of laughs, and an afternoon of snow fun later, Angela let us warm up in their home with soup and hot chocolate - just the way a perfect snow day should end.

If you're snow covered, I hope your days home are more play and less work. When was your best snow day ever?

Snow Day!

2012-01-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

Unlike yesterday, today we are not waiting on the snow plow. We're not really waiting on anything today. Lana and I are having a self-imposed snow day. The surrounding schools are all closed, we're in the middle of a 36-hour long winter storm warning and the snow just keeps on falling and falling.

Here's the view of the back deck. See that mound of snow? It's supposed to be Lana's picnic table. No outdoor picnics for us anytime soon.

I have a few things planned for this mid-week day off, including cleaning the floors and cooking, but this morning was dedicated to play. All the two-and-a-half year old has wanted to do since she woke up this morning was go play in the snow, and who am I to deny her this delight?

"Play" ended up being a lot of dang work! Pushing her down the hill of the driveway was easy enough, it was the pulling her back up to the top that was tough. And then Lana decided it wasn't enough just to be pulled up, she wanted me to pull her faster and faster. Oh well, I guess I need the work-out, right? In her eyes, right then, I was the Best Mommy Ever.

After about an hour, the snow was really coming down. I was getting cold and Lana's cheeks were bright red with cold, but of course she didn't want to come inside. This was the result:

Tears running down red cheeks and a loud, crying, screaming fit. Yeah, I didn't keep my Best Mommy Ever crown for long.

Blessedly, now it's nap time. I guess that means I should finally get to those floors.

Waiting on the plow

2012-01-17T06:58:00.000-08:00

(Please note - this picture is NOT an accurate representation of what's going on outside my window. In truth, it's still much too dark to take a current outside photo, we have WAAAAAY more snow than what's shown here and in reality this tree is missing its right side. Alas, it was a winter-ish type picture stored on my hard drive and will have to serve as illustration enough for this post.)

It's quarter to 7 on a work day and all is quiet in the house. Lana's still sleeping and I am enjoying my second cuppa coffee and listening to nothing but the sound of the clock ticking and my own fingers typing. I'm waiting for the plow and don't want to miss the tell-tale rumbling of the machine as it whizzes down Clear Creek Road, chains clanking as it blessedly clears the way to the highway, and thus, to town.

The good husband called me about 30 minutes ago with instructions not to leave until the plow frees me. He took the big truck to work and relayed his adventurous drive to me. Three tricky, drifty spots nearly pulled him off the road, which is not-so-subtle code for, "Wifey, in 4-wheel drive the drifts nearly had their way with me. You and the child in the little car wouldn't have a chance." And so we wait.

This is one of the realities of living out in the country. Some days we are at the mercy of the snow plow. Some days we are late and some days we must return early in order to make it home safe and warm before dark falls or the winds pick up. And still some days we watch the weather and make the wise decision not to attempt the drive to town at all. It's not every day, or even very many days really. It is winter, after all, and delays and inconveniences are to be expected.

Stay safe out there, and if you need to, don't be afraid to wait for the plow.

Friday Fave: Cheap Kids Clothes

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Like most Moms I know, I like dressing my child up in cute and fashionable clothes. However, reality sets in when my champagne tastes meet up with my generic-no-name-brand soda budget. Fortunately, I've learned a few tricks from friends and family who've generously shared their wisdom with me.

First up; Hand-me-downs. We've gotten a ton of cute clothes from others with girls. Especially when Lana was a tiny baby, most of her wardrobe consisted of hand-me-down singlets and sleepers.

Next in line is the Awesome Sale. Because we live out in the boonies, I can't make every single kids clothing sale. However, sometimes I just luck out, like I did with these pajamas.

I was in Bellevue with friends a few months ago and we walked past a Gymboree. I had always just assumed that Gymboree was the kind of store that had super cute clothes for fashion plate children, but that everything was just way too expensive. My friend assured me that yes, most things would be outrageously expensive, but she also assured me they would have some awesome markdowns. She was right and I scored these adorable 'Oh Deer' jammies for $12.

Consignment shops have a become a favorite of mine too. In Pullman we have Sugar Britches Boutique. They're right on Main Street and I've found some great deals there, including a sparkly red Christmas dress. They also periodically have 25 cent sales where I've found some great play clothes.
When we're in Lynden, we never pass up an opportunity to hit up The Little Red Wagon. The last time we were there, we picked up a top, overalls and pants.
Other Mothers has two locations in Spokane and both are amazing. I don't get up there very often, but when I've been, I found some awesome items. I've timed it right and caught a couple of their 25 cent sales, but the gem was definitely this red coat (which served as the inspiration for our family pictures) I found in October for $4.00. Yup, FOUR BUCKS! It's totally adorable and at $75 new, there's no way we'd own it if it weren't a consignment store steal.

My most recent thrifty find is a local group on facebook called My Girlfriends Closet. If you are local to the Palouse area, search for the group and submit a request to join. On Tuesday I spotted this new-with-tags outfit (coincidentally, from Gymboree) and on Wednesday I picked it up. Easy-peasy and it cost a whopping $15.

I am still learning how to find deals and steals on kids clothing and always excited to learn more.
Has anyone gotten any good deals from those daily deal sites? It looks like Totsy and Zulily have some super cute clothes, but I've yet to buy anything from either of them. If you have, let me know what your opinion is. I'm curious to know more.

Lana Explains it All: Jumping

2012-01-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

Hi!

I'm Lana. Today I want to show you one of my favorite things to do - JUMPING! I love jumping! Jumping is my favorite! Just ask Mommy, I jump all the time.

First, make sure you're standing up all nice and tall. Having a super cute and chic
outfit like this one from Aunt Lyndsey always helps me jump super high!

Then, bend your knees and lean down to get ready to jump.

Keep bending.

Then smile big and LEAP! into the air! (This is the really fun part.)

And don't forget to land with a smile!

Thanks everyone for watching this episode of Lana Explains it All. I'll be back with more info later and don't forget to keep jumping!

Friday Fave: Family Festivities

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

FAMILY was definitely the theme of this year's holiday celebrations. Before Christmas, we had Dan's brother's family over for a little dinner party, my parents and brother and sister-in-law came here for a lovely Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then we headed west for a get-together with more of Dan's family.

Time spent in Lynden is always fun and it was really neat to see Lana play more with her cousins. There's quite a group of Lenssen kiddos, and this picture doesn't even show them all.

Yeah, getting them all to hold still and look in the same general direction is not nearly as easy as you'd guess.

Lana loved playing with the other little girls, but probably enjoyed her time with big-girl Holly the most. Lana was fascinated by Holly's piano-playing talents. Holly was so patient and sweet and would sit with Lana at Sue's small organ whenever Lana would ask.

I love this picture because you can see Lana's sheer delight and Holly's sweetness as well as Lana trying to have light and delicate hands like her cousin. Perhaps piano lessons are in our future?

Thanks Family! Our time spent with all of you was wonderful!

On Resolutions and Blogging

2012-01-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

A lot of the blogs I regularly read have posted a neat list of resolutions or goals for 2012. I agree with taking a hard look at the previous year and planning out how to improve the next, so that's what we're doing here.
(photo credit: www.salagraphics.com)

Take a look over to the right. See where it shows previous blog entries? See how it has 55 total posts for the last 3 (yup, that's right, THREE!) years? Well, that's got to change. So right here, in black and white, I'm resolving to DOUBLE that number. Yup, that means 110 posts!
110!

So, how am I going to do this, you ask? (You did ask, didn't you?)
Well, I'm not totally sure, but I'll definitely be blogging more consistently. To reach my goal I'll have to post 2-3 times per week. That probably means more short posts of the odd things that happen in our family, along with some of my random ramblings.

So, a question for you bloggers out there. How do you do it? Do you keep to a schedule or post whenever? What works for you?

Christmas Recap

2011-12-28T20:58:00.000-08:00

What a fabulous Christmas we had! I think two-and-a-half is an absolute perfect age to be at Christmastime, and so does Lana. She couldn't get enough of her Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle Kasey and Aunt Christina. More than the presents and the treats, this little girl knows she's loved because of the hugs, snuggles, kisses and tickles.

(click on the collage to see pictures larger) (Oh, and the pictures of the table setting and the napkin rings are purely for my sister's benefit (Hi Jen!) she thought I was crazy to make my own napkin rings, but I did it anyway and really, really like how it all turned out.)

We had a busy weekend with a family Reindeer Run 5K (Kasey won), sausage making (40 lbs worth), dinner preparations (prime rib, casserole, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables) and desserts galore (pumpkin pie, peanut butter pie, pumpkin roll, chocolate cake). Lana was a sheep in the children's nativity and she did a great job and was oh-so-very adorable.

Christmas morning brought stockings filled with goodies from Santa Claus and a shiny new bike! Lana had a great time pedaling around the house. She got a ton of other neat presents too. It was so fun to watch her open gifts because everything was the absolute coolest thing in the world. She was genuinely thrilled with every single gift she received. Thanks everyone for thoroughly spoiling our little girl.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

"We make treats Mommy?"

2011-12-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

Yup Lana, we made lots of treats.

For the past several years, I've made a selection of Christmas goodies and sent them off to friends and family in far-off locales. It was usually all done over the course of a long day or weekend, and while it was a fun activity for me and I loved that recipients enjoyed getting treats, it wasn't one of my very favorite things to do.

That all changed this year. Mostly because of this little chocolate-covered sprite:

Lana absolutely loved making treats with me. She would dump in pre-measured ingredients, tell me it was too loud when I turned the mixer on, patted balls of cookie dough, and decorated. Boy oh boy can this girl decorate her some treats!

(Here she was covering peppermint bark with tiny peppermint marshmallows and eating marshmallows by the fistfull.)

Lana had our treat-making routine down pat and when I told her we'd make more treats, she'd push over a chair to her work spot on the counter top and be ready for action. She'd vigorously and enthusiastically add sprinkles and sparkles to cookies and cake truffles or wait for a fudge-covered spoon to clean off with her tongue. No matter the task, she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

Of course, eating the fruits of her labor was the best part for Lana!

But the best part for me, the part I will remember the most, is the time the two of us spent together.

Gettin' Our Craft On!

2011-12-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was so happy I have a little girl. (That's not to say I'm not happy to have a little girl every single day, but last weekend was particularly special.) I had been looking forward to hosting a house full of little girls for quite some time, and last Saturday, I got my chance.

Dan and I scrubbed the house clean and set up tables and chairs. I baked cookies for decorating, set up craft supplies and ordered some craft projects. Dan vacuumed the carpet and left for the afternoon. And then the mayhem began. Little girls and their mothers arrived for our First Annual Mother-Daughter Christmas Craft Party. (Oh yeah, that's right. I just now decided to make this an annual event).

The girls (with the help of our most excellent volunteer helpers - thanks again ladies) made four different types of tree ornaments, a nativity scene, a really cool bird feeder and then they decorated all the cookies they could handle. I was impressed with their creativity and it appeared they all had a fun time. Surprisingly, my house did not end up covered in glitter and the only casualties were a few stray sequins - nothing out of the ordinary for our house.

If you want to make some of these neat Christmas crafts with your kiddos, let me know and I'll tell you where I got the supplies and what tricks I learned.

Mother of the Year - 2011 Edition

2011-12-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

I submitted a pretty detailed and thorough application to the Mother of the Year Award selection committee last year, but alas I was not the chosen winner.

However this year, I am confident that I've got the trophy in the bag.

And guess what, I'm not even going to write a big letter to plead my worth. Nope, this picture is more than enough application for me:

Yup, I sat my sweet Lana on the lap of a strange and hairy-armed Santa Claus in Wal-Mart and despite her passionate protests, insisted she stay there until a picture had been snapped. And I think it's awesome. Surely one of those two things makes me Mother of the Year.

Oh yeah.
Mother. Of. The. Year.

November was...

2011-12-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

A successful hunting outing for Dan...

...while I spent the weekend crafting with friends.

Lana and I met up with friends for apple picking....

...and cider pressing. (Lana was more cute than helpful, but it was still a neat experience.)

Lana learned the pre-pre-school version of the first Thanksgiving and enjoyed the feathered headdresses of the Native Americans much more than the boring black hats of the Pilgrims.

And enjoying modern-day Thanksgiving with family.

Thanksgiving, by the numbers

2011-11-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

Miles driven to and from Lynden, Washington: 746
Times we listened to/Lana watched the Mickey Mouse DVD: 2
Times we were driven nuts by the Dora DVD: 2
Total minutes the little one spent napping round-trip: 89.5
Number of excited little blonde cousins ready to greet Lana upon arrival at Grandma Sue's: 3
Times Sue told Lana 'I love you!': 92
Number of people over at Sue's cozy townhouse for Thanksgiving dinner: 16
Number of turkeys: 2 (one traditional, one smoked, both delicious)
Total pictures I took during the entire trip: 10
Total pictures of anything other than Lana and her cousins: 0
Number of times I thought to take out my camera: 40
Number of times I actually did take out my camera: 2
Times I woke Dan up with my horrible cough: 4
Number of cough drops I went through to silence said cough: 45
Stores we went to on Black Friday: 2 (Ace Hardware and the Little Red Wagon Children's Store)
Delicious mochas from our favorite Lynden coffee stands: 8
Number of times I braved the rain and wind for a morning run: 1
Number of toilets Dan fixed in Sue's house: 3

Times I reflected on how thankful I am for the blessings that surround me everyday: 1289 and counting

Why I don't Hate Minnie Mouse

2011-11-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

This past Halloween Lana once again dressed up as Minnie Mouse. We did this for a couple of reasons. 1) We had the costume from last year and it still fit, and 2) That girl loves her some Minnie Mouse.

Sure, she's perpetually perky and her giggle gets a bit annoying, but after seeing some of the cartoon characters idolized by little kids these days, I've come to the conclusion that Lana could do a LOT worse (SpongeBob anyone?).

So, as a public service as well as a bit of self-defense, here's a list of reasons why I do not hate Minnie Mouse (as gleaned from watching several episodes of Lana's favorite (and only, really) TV show):

1) Minnie Mouse is helpful. During every episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse there is some type of problem to be solved. Mickey is usually the central character, but the one with the best, and most helpful ideas and suggestions is usually Miss Minnie herself.

2) She's a team player. Sure, Minnie might have the best ideas, but she doesn't demand credit for their success and celebrates with the team without making it all about her.

3) Minnie Mouse is modest. In her clothing choices (she wears BOTH a top and bottom), as well as her actions (she's certainly not the overly flirtatious fame-whore that Daisy is) Minnie is the perfect example of modesty.

4) She's always looking out for her friends. In one episode she made Minnie-strone soup for an ill Goofy to help him feel better. In another she hung on to a floating-away Daisy so she wouldn't be scared and alone. There are dozens of similar examples of Minnie exhibiting loyalty and faithfulness to her friends.

So, in a nutshell, that's why I don't hate on the Minnie. Yes, I know soon enough Lana will outgrow Miss Mouse and move on to princesses and then on to I-don't-know-what, but for now, we're enjoying the pure and innocent world where Minnie Mouse is the best.

Other parents, help me out here. Did your daughter go through different phases of character adoration? What ones did you like? What ones drove you crazy?

One Weekend, Two Ways

2011-11-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a bit different for us. After work on Thursday, I met up with a lovely group of girlfriends and we headed west, finding our way to Seattle for a much-needed girls weekend. Dan would be having a different kind of weekend - complete with hanging out with Lana, his favorite girl.

Three friends and I went to the Creating Keepsakes Convention, a weekend-long convention of all things scrapbook related.

We all took some great classes and stocked up on the latest and greatest papers and supplies at the mega-huge vendor fair. And since we had no husbands with us to tell us no, and no children in the way, we shopped at stores we don't have here. Crate and Barrel, Gap, Bass Shoes and Gymboree to name a few. We ate at Whole Foods and Cheesecake Factory. We stayed up too late drinking wine and laughing. We swapped stories in the van and ate onion rings and chocolate malts. It was the exact thing all of us needed.

Dan, on the other hand, didn't spend the weekend shopping and scrapping. On Friday morning, while I was waking up to in-room coffee and trying to get the hotel's treadmill to work, Dan was getting Lana fed, dressed and dropped off at daycare on time. Since Friday was his day off, he spent the morning hunting. (A side question: Is hunting the direct antithesis of scrapbooking? Anyone familiar with that scale? Was one marriage really on completely opposite polar ends last weekend?) His efforts were not fruitless.

Two birds - not a bad day. But look again. See that monster pheasant? Yeah, it's huge - probably the biggest bird Dan's ever got.

Saturday, while I took classes and gushed over meeting scrapbooking royalty, Dan and Lana went to town and did errands as he would normally do them. Although this time he was accompanied by the blonde two-year old and the purchases at the hardware store included a pink camo t-shirt that I'm pretty sure wasn't meant for me. He then went home and made a gourmet dinner of deer steaks, fried potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and creamy corn. (It was really awesome. I had leftovers on Sunday. I should talk him into cooking more often.)

I got back late Saturday night and lounging around with my family on Sunday morning, I certainly had a new-found appreciation for them. I was more relaxed and less uptight about things. We even had an unexpected surprise.

A cattle drive, right in front of our house.

Yup, you don't see many of those on the streets of Seattle.

October was...

2011-11-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

Lana spending hours and hours playing with her new favorite toy - the dishwasher box.

Lots of Daddy-daughter snuggles.

"Helping" in the kitchen.

Dan's buck, and the resulting pride Lana had for her Daddy.

Cousin Grant's 6th Birthday party. It was a farm party and it was AWESOME.

And of course, Halloween. Trick-or-treating, games, friends and too much candy.

Dan and I also celebrated 4 years of wedded bliss and we saw that despite our protestations, winter is certainly on its way.

How was your October? Is your November shaping up to be as busy as ours?

Happy Friday!

2011-11-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I'm so excited to have a guest post running today on one of my all-time favorite stops, Stuff Christians Like. Jon Acuff is super funny and talented and was so awesome to give me this opportunity. So, if you're dropping by the Lenssen Acres Almanac from SCL, welcome! (And if you're one of the eight people who regularly visit here anyway (Hi Mom!) you're certainly welcomed and appreciated too.)

Pour yourself a cup a' coffee and sit for a few. We've got a bit of everything here, really. Like cute stories of funny things kids say? Here you go. Prefer tales of bad mothering? We've got that too. Or are you the tough-and-manly-kill-something-and-drag-it-home type? Gotcha covered. Be warned, sometimes I can get a bit sentimental, as evidenced here. I try to make this little ol' family blog of ours a lot like our little family; Sometimes funny, sometimes messy, sometimes silly and sometimes sappy, but always full of love and faith.

My husband, Dan, is an all-around handy man's-man. He builds and repairs farm equipment (and about anything else) during the day and then comes home to our place where he's got an endless list of home-improvement projects going on, animals to hunt, a two-year old daughter to tickle and a wife to kiss.

Our two-year old daughter, Lana Jean, is, of course, the smartest and most beautiful baby to ever walk the planet (and yes, I'm probably a little-tiny-bit biased).

And then there's me. I'm Shelle and I'm our head blogger. I work full-time in a laboratory during the day. I make sure dinner's on the table at 6:00 and the baby is bathed regularly. I like date nights with Dan, singing silly songs with my daughter and scrapbooking with my friends, and recently, I re-discovered my passion for writing, hence the guest post on Stuff Christian's Like. I've been working on making writing a higher priority and posting more consistently to this blog, as well as doing some freelance article and blog writing. In March I had a HUGE dream come true when one of my stories was published in a widely-circulated collection. I loved writing that piece and am eager to write more. I also enjoy helping others share their stories and lending them my writer's voice until they're confident with their own.

Thanks again for stopping by. Leave a comment to let me know you visited or send me an email (shelle(dot)lenssen(at)live(dot)com) if you want to know more about my writing or just to tell me you think my daughter is adorable.

Have a happy Friday!

A not-scary-at-all-and-actually-pretty-cute Halloween

2011-11-02T06:09:00.000-07:00

There was nothing scary about our Halloween, in fact, in our house anything at all remotely scary has been replaced by cute. Don't agree? See for yourself:

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Our little Lana Minnie Mouse had a blast dressing up as her favorite character. She dutifully shouted "trick or treat" and got her bucket filled with candy. She ran around the church fellowship hall playing games, throwing footballs and winning cupcakes. She loved that party and wanted to stay and play all night. Even after we had gone around one last time, she still begged for "One more game, Mommy. Pleeeeeeeeeease?" Needless to say, she was not too happy with me and Dan when we extracted her from her fun past her normal bed time.

Some observations and thoughts:
-Trick-or-treating at the mall is a model of candy-grabbing efficiency my friends. Seriously, it's pretty dang awesome. All the stores send an employee to stand out front and you just walk by and they put candy in your child's bucket. A "trick-or-treat" from a giddy two-year old is appreciated, but not at all required.

-When a child sees an opportunity, they'll totally jump on it. Lana walked in the cupcake-walk with her friend Lily. Despite Dan and I telepathically sending messages to the volunteer running the booth, Lana's number was called and she won a cupcake. Instead of opting for one of the mini cakes available, she took hold of the biggest cupcake with the tall swirly frosting and smashed it into her mouth. She's a smart one, our girl. She knows if it's up to Mum and Dad, it's mini-cupcakes all the way, so if she's choosing, it's gonna be the biggest cupcake on the table.

-Watch out for costumed two-year old boys! When we entered the party at the church fellowship hall, Lana saw her good nursery buddy, Gavin (dressed as Buzz Lightyear), and went in for the customary and adorable toddler hug. Gavin apparently had other intentions and planted her with a full on lip-to-lip kiss that lasted an uncomfortable amount of time. I am not ready to see my baby girl kissing boys - not now, and not for a very, VERY long time. If you ever see my daughter getting some lip action, you have my permission, nay, my encouragement, to break that nonsense up and call me immediately. To all those little Buzz Lightyears out there, I'm watching you. And my husband owns guns. Lots and lots of guns.

-As is probably quite evident from the picture above, football isn't Lana's sport.

-See the Minnie Mouse jack-o-lantern? Dan carved that for Lana because she likes Minnie Mouse and he likes doing things for her that make her smile. Yeah, he pretty much rocks.

I hope your Halloween was full of candy, games, appropriate displays of affection and cuteness!

"Look Mommy! Daddy got a buck!"

2011-10-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

Indeed he did!

My mighty hunter manly-man really, REALLY wanted to get a buck this year. His luck's been down the past couple of years and he needed a change of fortune. He drew a tag for late season, so actually wasn't putting a lot of pressure on himself to bring home a deer early and was not going out all that often, because he knew he'd have the late season which has historically been better for him.
I was more than a bit surprised this morning when he kissed me goodbye at 6:45 to go out hunting in the woods and fields behind our house. I was even more surprised when I got a phone call a couple hours later. Dan was trying to be nonchallant and cool while he was telling me about shooting his deer, but he wasn't fooling me - I knew how excited he really was. He walked back home and got his 4-wheeler and brought back the deer to show off to his girls.

Lana was impressed - very impressed. She was very proud of her daddy and wasn't put-off by the carcass at all. (Side note - this is my new favorite picture of Dan and Lana. Their identical facial expressions crack me up! Yeah, Lana's her Daddy's girl.)

She even kept wanting to touch it. Later in the car, Lana told me, "Daddy got a big buck. Good job Daddy."

Good job indeed!

Grateful

2011-10-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

She looked at him fondly; that he had been sent to her, when there were so many other, lesser men who might have been sent, was a source of constant gratitude. That we have the people we have in this life, rather than others, is miraculous, she thought; a miraculous gift.
(From The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by A.M. Smith)

Happy Anniversary Dear Dan. I oh-so-very-much love you!
Goodness, four years just flies by, doesn't it?

I'll have Missing Consonants for $400 Please, Alex.

2011-10-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

This morning's conversation with my daughter:

LANA: Mom! Help my b*tches please!

ME: WHAT?

LANA: See? My b*tches fall down.

(I pause, look at her and help her pull her too-big pants back up.)

ME: No Lana sweetie, say britches. Brrrrrr-itches.

LANA: Brrrrrr-itches.

ME: Good Job.

LANA: Thanks helpin' my b*tches Mommy!

(Sigh, maybe we should just call them pants from now on.)

(Or maybe she knows EXACTLY what she means and dang it, pants that fall down all the time really are b*tches!)

September was...

2011-10-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

(Dang, I'm getting slow posting these monthly recaps. I first started doing them to force myself to blog more regularly. I wish I could say we've been busy with exotic vacations and days at the spa, but alas, reality is far more mundane and rewarding than a fantasy life of luxury. Anyway, I digress.....)

September came in with a bang! Well, actually more like a chilly, cold frost.

Yup, you read that right. The 2011 Clear Creek Killer Frost hit us on September 3rd. It was tough on the whole garden, some vegetable didn't recover at all.

These poor sweet peppers didn't have a chance.

Then there was Labor Day.

Complete with a Lana black eye. (I think this injury hurt me and Dan more than it did Lana. It was painful to see her pretty face so marred, but she stayed pretty happy and never let it bother her.)

On September 11, our church hosted a community remembrance and picnic, full of tons of activities for kiddos.

Lana and her cousins enjoyed the bounce houses and water slides.

Somehow I got the wild idea that I needed a house project that was just mine. I chose to scrape, paint and prime the deck railing and told Dan he wouldn't have to do ANYTHING concerning my project.

And here he is, pressure washing the railings. I did (eventually) get everything primed and painted, but it's taken about a month to finish this little project.

We also celebrated Dan's birthday.

Complete with home-made made-from-scratch (Cool Whip counts as scratch, right?) Chocolate Cream Pie.

One weekend we headed down to Oregon to visit my parents and watch the Pendleton Round-Up Westward Ho! Parade.

Let'er Buck!

And finally, finally, FINALLY, the huge, huge, HUGE flooring project was done, done, DONE!

It's beautiful and amazing and so much neater than I ever thought it would be. The floor (and all of Dan's hard work) deserve their own post, so I'll go into more detail and show more pictures at another time.

So, how was your September? Anything of note coming up in October?

My oh my, how things change in a few short years...

2011-09-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Dan, Lana and I drove to Oregon to see my parents and take in a few festivities at the Pendleton Round Up.
We went to the Westward Ho! Parade and that was it (these pictures are from this year's parade). It's a great parade and a fun time, but a far cry from the Pendleton Round Ups I enjoyed when I was younger, specifically in college.

My sophomore year, I decided to drive the 8 hours back home for a quick weekend. My parents didn't want me to make the trip by myself, so I asked several friends to go with me. For some reason, the thought of driving for hours and hours, getting up early, sitting out in the sun watching a rodeo and then staying up too late dancing, and driving 8 hours back to school just wasn't all that appealing to many of the friends I asked. Fortunately, I talked my new friend, Alisa, into the adventure. Alisa and I didn't know each other all that well and had just started working together. Alisa was the ultimate city girl. She worked summers as a consultant at the GAP for crying-out-loud, but she was excited for this new adventure.

Alisa fell in love with the Pendleton Round Up the minute she laid eyes on her first cowboy. She was full of questions about the rodeo and the animals, but she really took to it when the first cowboy won his event, and in his excitement, threw his hat into the crowd. Alisa looked at me and said, "I want a cowboy's hat." "Okay, that's cool, they're being sold everywhere this week, we can get you one." "No, you don't understand, I want a REAL cowboy hat, ya know, from a REAL cowboy!" I laughed and explained that cowboys generally don't give their hats away, but she would have none of my explanations and was bound and determined to get her hands on a real cowboy's hat.
Later, at the dance, we both spent time out swinging on the dance floor, but she was still set on getting a cowboy hat. We met up with a guy I knew from a rival high school, dressed in his cowboy best, including a white straw Stetson cowboy hat. Alisa turned on her city-girl charm and somehow ended up with his hat on her head. She was beaming and it was obvious she had no intention of giving the hat back. The guy invited us to a party, gave us convoluted directions and told Alisa he'd get his hat back at the party.
Well, his directions turned out to be horrible and because these were pre-everyone-has-a-cell-phone days, we couldn't have gotten a hold of him had we tried, so we just went back to my parents house and the cowboy hat was officially Alisa's.
The following year she had her sights set on getting a belt buckle. Again, she wouldn't listen to my explanations on what she'd possibly have to do to get her hands on a belt buckle. Just like before, at the dance, she turned on the charm and while dancing with a cute cowboy, she flashed her doe eyes and asked, "How does a girl like me get my hands on a belt buckle like that?" She must have some Jedi-like powers because instantly the helpless cowboy TOOK IT OFF AND GAVE IT TO HER. It was an event I'd never seen before and doubt I'll ever see again.

Now, all my road trip and Round Up friends are scattered around the country in New York, Nevada, Utah and Wisconsin. It's been fun to catch up with them about our Round Up memories on facebook and online, but we all definitely agree that although those days were fun, we wouldn't go back even if we could. Sometimes it's nice to be a grown up.

Because grown ups get to enjoy the parade next to blonde babes who like to wave at the princesses and horses.

A Whole Lotta Cute

2011-09-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

I understand the blog's been lacking in all things cute and two-year old blonde girl. Well, never fear, an update is here.

Lana's learning her ABCs and sang them all by herself on Saturday. Lucky me, she even did it for the video camera.

And here we have a not-so-fun Labor Day present. This black eye and beat-up face is what happens when little blonde girls think they're tougher than the toy box. She's healed up since then and is starting to look like her normal, adorable-and-always-up-to-something self.

And then there is this one, my personal favorite cute picture:
Terrified yet jubilant toddler = TOO CUTE!
On Sunday our church hosted a 9/11 remembrance ceremony and community picnic. The waterslide was a big hit. I know she looks utterly terrified, but Lana had a blast and wanted to go again and again. We finally had to stop when she threw a FIT because she didn't want to wait her turn. (Apparently this I-don't-want-to-wait thing is common in two-year olds (even cute ones)? Any tips for teaching patience???)

Happy Birthday Dan!

2011-09-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

My Dear Husband and Lana's Wonderful Daddy has a birthday today. In true Dan fashion, he didn't want a lot of fuss and fanfare. Last night he was lovingly served his meal of choice (t-bone steaks, baked beans, baked sweet potatoes), but mostly he spent the long weekend working on projects around the place and taking care of his sick wife and daughter. Today (his actual birthday) he went to work, just like he would on any other weekday.

Well, he may not like a lot of pomp and frivolity, but I pretty much control the blog, so Husband, I hereby post this ooooey-gooey, mushy and cheesy post in your honor. (Oh, and if you're reading this, enjoy it while you can. If Dan asks me to take it down once he reads it, I probably will.)

No matter what Dan's doing, he's doing it with excellence.

Whether it's snuggling with Lana,

Outfishing me,

Lounging in the sun,

or playing with the wee one. He does it all better than anyone else I know.

I've said it before, and I'll say it many times again,

Dan's the hardest worker I know.

He spends months working on my honey-do lists,

and still makes times to build Lana a hand-washing and teeth-brushing step.

Dan really is the best and I am blessed everyday to be married to him, and Lana really does have the best Daddy a girl could ask for.

Happy Birthday Dan! Your Girls Love You!

August Was...

2011-09-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hike to the Top of the World. (Okay, so it's actually only Kamiak Butte, but in our hill country, standing at the top, you feel like you're on the top of the world. It was Lana's first hike without the backpack carrier. Dan and I ended up carrying her part of the way, but she did walk some of it.)

National Lentil Festival.

Making music on the dining room floor while sportin' blue shades. Cool Girl!

Our garden's bounty.

Taking out old appliances to re-floor the kitchen. (That dang little trash compactor was probably the toughest appliance to take out. Needless-to-say, it didn't go back in.)

Surely, the happiest girl in the room must be the one with the blue BLUE eyes and the messy hair. Right?

Stay tuned for more in September, including home improvement projects galore, Dan's birthday, more food, and of course, more from the cute two-year old.

Another Post about Food

2011-08-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

I know I've written about food a lot lately, but, well, it's either that or the cute two-year old and goodness knows I can write volumes and volumes about her (and do). Plus, it's kind of fun when the food comes with a story, right?

First up, a garden report. We've been dining on fresh onions, sad zucchini, broccoli, a variety of peppers, and of course, lovely sweet tomatoes. The other night I asked Dan to bring in some veggies for the next day's meals. This was the haul:

Not bad, even despite the plants that have been nipped by the early frost we woke up to twice already. The zucchini and most of the other vines were hit and probably won't produce much. Some of the earlier corn in almost ready and we've eaten green beans a few times.

Then, there is the BEEF. I'll admit it; I'm a beef snob. I didn't mean to become one, but after years of refining my beef palette by only eating high-quality, locally raised, custom cut beef, I had a hard time eating anything else. But alas, our steers weren't ready when we ran out of beef and the freezer spent about a month empty, and during that time I had to break down and buy grocery store beef. We survived and now we (finally!!!) have our freezers full of beef we raised on our pasture.
And it's goooood. Oh so very good.
Let's take a look, shall we.

This is a sirloin:

I know, it doesn't look like the petite sirloin steaks from the grocery does it? It's ginormous and quite tasty.

We had one for dinner along with garden-fresh green beans and baked sweet potatoes.

Dan recently spent some time in the kitchen too. He's been wanting to make Moo-wiches, which are the Northwest Washington Fair's signature treat. He didn't get an authentic Moo-wich prepared by a member of the dairy women's organization because we didn't venture to Lynden for the fair this year, so I suppose making your own is the next best thing. He asked me to make large, fairly uniform chocolate chip cookies. (I just followed the Nestle' Toll House recipe.) Dan picked up a tub of Tillamook vanilla ice cream. He wanted the cookies to be big enough so all he would have to do is cut the round ice cream tub into slices to build the perfect ice cream and cookie sandwich.
Well, the picture won't lie, it worked out pretty darn perfectly, and these guys taste even better than they look. Dan ate the last one tonight after power-washing the deck and I'm really hoping he wants to make more soon.

Oh, and Dan snapped this picture. I've been reading tutorials on taking great food shots and setting up plates and lighting and all that, and he just puts two Moo-wiches on a red plate, sets them on the table and SHAZAAM! he has a perfect food photograph.

The First Tomato

2011-08-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

The above picture is NOT of the first ripe tomato from our garden. This picture is probably the fourth or fifth ripe tomato. There's not really a great story about this tomato, but there is a story about the first tomato.

This summer has been pretty cool, so the tomatoes have been sllllooooowww to ripen. I'd been waiting and waiting so patiently for the first ripe tomato. I'd check the garden almost daily, only to find all the tomatoes were still green.

One evening, Lana stayed outside with Dan to "help" feed the animals and check the garden. I stayed inside to get dinner ready. After a few minutes, Dan and Lana came back in the house. Dan stood at the door, whispering instructions to a clearly excited two-year old. She came toward me very slowly, her outstretched hands cupped in front of her chest, her face beaming with pride. She walked slowly and deliberately, taking care of the fragile treasure she was carrying.

When she made her way to me, she held up her cupped hands. "See! Look!" It was a beautiful, petite, fully-red, ripe cherry tomato. Finally! I looked down at my sweet girl, certain in that moment she could do no wrong. "Thank you so much Honey-Bear. Mama has been waiting so long for a red tomato. Can Mama eat it now?" In an instant Lana's sweetness turned into independence and defiance and she looked right at me and said, "No way!" and promptly popped that ripe tomato in her own mouth, clearly enjoying the first satisfying bite. She did it so quickly I had to stick my fingers in her mouth to retrieve the still-attached stem.

Alas, I had to wait a day or two later for my first taste of a summer-ripe tomato, but I don't mind. It's okay Lana-girl. Mama will share her tomatoes with you whenever you want.

Lentil Festival, in words and (sorry, only a few) pictures.

2011-08-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the National Lentil Festival in Pullman. Yes, the town dedicates a weekend-long celebration to this most versatile legume and I love it. (It was also recently pointed out to me how perfect a setting it would be for a Christopher Gest-type mockumentary. If you have Hollywood connections, let me know - my sis and I have a great plot outline already sketched out.)
Friday night I helped to set up the 4 booths our church ran and helped out in the children's booth. Remember for next year that we rent strollers for free for your kiddos with tired legs and give out free balloons and popcorn for all!
Of course we got our free cup on lentil chili (really pretty good stuff) and we sampled all the classic fair foods like deep fried twinkies and oreos. It was a fun evening for all.

(the lentil chili was made in this giant pot)

The next morning I ran in the Taste T. Lentil 5k Fun Run. It's a tough race, but I like to do it to see how much/if I've improved from the previous year. Despite being tired (up in the middle of the night with a 2-year old who threw up in her bed and needed to be bathed and changed) I improved my time. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm still the slow, chubby girl, but now I'm at least a little less slow.

Of course we forgot to grab the camera for the 5k and the street festival, but I was sure to have it handy for the Grand Parade. Okay, so really, it's kind of a lame parade, but it gets an A for effort. Candy gets thrown, princesses wave, the boy scouts and helpful and the little kids are cute.

Our little kid thought it was pretty neat, especially once she got a balloon and a lollipop.

How was your weekend? Did you make it out to the Lentil Festival or do something equally cool and Americana-esqu?

And so we dance.

2011-08-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

I had a thought about Lana the other day that nearly knocked me down and made me weep.

She will never be this small again.

This should be obvious, right? She's a healthy, growing girl and her shoe size and ability to learn new things just keep increasing as the days go by.

In the past year I have been making a concerted effort to be more intentional with regards to how I interact with the members of my family. Time with Dan is held sacred, and I really do try to make playtime with my daughter more about our relationship than the act of play itself.

If you know me at all, you understand how difficult this is. I'm pretty goal-oriented with my check list of things to do never far away. But tickle time with Lana shouldn't be listed as a to-do that promptly gets marked off, instead it should be savored and oh-so-thoroughly enjoyed because, she will never be this small again.

And so we dance. We dance in the kitchen while making dinner or putting dishes away. We dance to music or to the songs we sing ourselves. Sometimes she likes dancing in her pink tutu and slippers and other times in pajamas and freshly-painted toenails. We dance because I love holding her growing hands in mine and twirling in convoluted circles. We dance because her eyes shine and her smile lights up her whole face and I can feel her pure joy radiating off her fair skin. We dance because for a fleeting moment I know I am doing exactly what I was meant to do.

She will never be this small again.

And so we dance.

July was....

2011-08-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

...4th of July celebrations in Lynden.

...visiting cousins in Oregon.

...swimming lessons for Lana. (unfortunately no pictures) She loved swimming lessons and actually got to where she would hold her breath and float on her back a bit. Her favorite part was jumping in the pool and splashing.

...ZUMBA class for me. (fortunately no pictures) Have you ever done ZUMBA? It's super fun and a great workout and boy oh boy did it ever kick my booty.

...playing dress-up with her new present from globe-trotting Grandma Carol. This dress came to Lana straight from Austria.

...putting in new flooring. (more of it's done now and it looks FABULOUS!)

...watching the garden grow.

...trying out some new recipes to use up our garden's bounty - raspberry chocolate torte was a hit!

...playing school. Yup, she's only two, but the way she loves to sit and color at her desk (a $10 craigslist find), you'd think Lana was getting ready to start kindergarten.

So, how was your July? Any fun August plans to share?

Two Blonde Peas in a Pod

2011-07-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the rare opportunity to visit with my younger sis, Jen. She has three kiddos and thus doesn't travel much, but she made an exception and spent a week at my parent's home in Oregon. I went down with Lana for a couple days. Jen has two sons, soon-to-be 6-year old Clint, and 19-month old Grant and a sassy princess daughter, soon-to-be 4-year old Sandy.

That little blonde girl has been one of my favorite sprites since she was born. Adorable, fiercely independent, and a lover of all things pink, glittery and/or frilly. She quickly became one of Lana's favorites too, and seeing these two white-blonde babes play together so nicely made my heart sing.

I'd catch a peek of them together, rolling around on the blow-up air mattress and wonder, What in the world are they laughing at? Neither could tell me, nor could they tell each other, but apparently just being small and cute and loved and playing with your new favorite cousin is reason enough to laugh (and laugh and laugh).

Summer Cooking Challenge

2011-07-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

For me, summertime is just different than the other times of year. Sure, I still go to work the same, have the same responsibilities and duties, see the same people and for the most part stick to the same schedule, but it's still different. Days are longer, more time is spent outside, the BBQ is fired up more often and it seems there's a bevy of birthdays to celebrate, so see, summer really is special.

To make this fleeting time even more memorable, I thought I'd be intentional about challenging myself in the kitchen. I've created a sort of "summer cooking bucket list" that I want to try to complete between now and Labor Day. That list includes:

1. Caprese Salad.
It's too simple. Tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and a swirl of vinegar and oil. There are several different variations out there, but all have the same basic ingredients. The Pioneer Woman has a beautiful recipe here.

This picture is my version. I used olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. I thought it was quite delicious and will be making it again, especially when our garden tomatoes are ripe. Dan (a despiser of fresh tomatoes) didn't care of the Caprese Salad and Lana took a bite, removed it from her mouth and gave it back to me, saying politely, "Here go Mommy." I guess she didn't care for it much either. Oh well, more for me.

2. Marshmallows.
Have any of you ever actually made your own marshmallows? I've been seeing this a lot lately in food magazines and cooking blogs, and really, it doesn't look too tough. Here's one easy-sounding recipe I've looked over. Although if I can successfully make marshmallows, I don't know that I'd be okay with them being toasted on a bonfire.

3. Vegetarian Dinners.
No, we're not going all herbivore on you. We just aren't going to have a freezer full of beef until the latter part of August, so I need to get creative. Sure, I could buy beef at the grocery store, but dang, that gets expensive. So we've been rationing out our remaining beef and including more pork, chicken, and yes, the occasional meat-free meal. So far I've made a veggie pasta primavera, a Mario Batali inspired homemade vegetable marina sauce with fresh pasta, and black bean chili. But those were my only three good ideas, so any recipes or ideas you have would be much appreciated. Lana has eaten these meat-free meals just fine and Dan commented on the lack of meat while eating two out of the three - not bad, I'd say.

4. Lemon Cheesecake.
Doesn't that just sound like the perfect summer dessert? Anyone have a trusted and tried recipe?

5. Turnips.
Our garden overfloweth with turnips. According to what I've been reading on food blogs, turnips are the root vegetable du jour, so apparently we're trendy. Yay us! So far I've made a roasted vegetable dish loaded with turnips, carrots, potatoes and onions.

We all liked it and Lana even asked for more at dinner, "More bege-ables please!"
I also made a broccoli-potato-turnip mash on Friday and it was a hit. However, we've got a ton more turnips to use up before the summer is over. Does anyone know how to preserve turnips?

So, what foods do you like cooking in the summer? Any other items you'd add to my summer cooking challenge?

Happy 4th of July! (only 10 days late)

2011-07-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

For this year's Independence Day festivities, our family piled way too much stuff in the truck and headed west. Dan had several days worth of fun and frivolity planned for our Lynden visit, and he was certainly a master of negotiating the social calendar.

We had playdates at the park:

Lynden's Million Smiles Park is so cute and perfect for little kids.

The cousins had a great time playing together.

Lana liked driving the tractor.

And she overcame her fear of the slide with help from a friend.

Dan also arranged for us to go to three BBQs/fireworks shows in three days. That meant three BBQ dinners, three chances to catch on fire and three really late nights for Lana. We needn't have worried though - she was a champ and finally learned how to sleep in.

Playing on the gator with the big kids.

Getting ready for a road trip with a new friend. (Lana would later get run over by that little pick-up when a 3-year old with a short attention span got behind the wheel.)

Sparklers with Daddy!

Watching fireworks with the kids.

Lounging in the best chairs ever. I love those chairs and think we should own some, don't you?

More sparklers! (an no, no eyes were lost in this endeavor)

Spending the long holiday weekend with my family was awesome! Happy (late) Independence Day from the Lenssens.

And America's Next Top Model is.....

2011-07-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

...Lana, of course!

Okay, so actually that show scares me, but these pictures certainly don't!

A couple weeks after the big birthday party, I talked Angela, my sweet friend/sister-in-law (she was my friend first, then decided she wanted the job of sister-in-law later) into meeting us at a local park for a little photo-shoot. Lana wasn't being super-cooperative, but you'd never know based on how awesome the pictures turned out.

(pretty in pink)

(peek-a-boo! I see you!)

Lana + Two = FUN

2011-06-19T15:35:00.001-07:00

On Saturday our girl turned two! She started the day by dragging her balloons and running though the house singing, "Happy day to you! Happy day to you!" And what a happy day it was!

Cousins, cupcakes, dancing and presents. What two-year old wouldn't love that? (click on collage to see pictures larger)

Some Lynden family were even able to make the trip across the state for the occasion, making the day extra special. It was great for us grown-ups to catch up with family we don't see often enough and Lana couldn't be happier than when she's included in whatever the big girls are doing (and kudos to the cousins who lovingly include her).

Lana's second year was definitely full of changes. She learned to walk and talk and (sort-of) tell knock-knock jokes. She's shown that she likes pink, sparkles, farm animals and pretending to take pictures while saying "cheeeeeese!" Her favorite songs are, "round and round" (Wheels on the Bus), "sing moon!" (Goodnight Moon), "sleepy bear" (a silly song I just made up one day) and "mommy Jesus" (I still haven't figured out what this song is, any ideas????). Through it all she is a delight and joy and I can only imagine what we have to look forward to in year three.

Only Three More Sleeps!

2011-06-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

Then we will celebrate my baby girl's second birthday!

(Being only 24 months and all, Lana hasn't yet developed the reasoning and thought processes involved in getting excited for an event more than 20 minutes away so I've been getting excited for her, ya know, in case you couldn't tell.)

Outfished!

2011-06-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

Since we've been married, Dan and I have made the Memorial Weekend at Henry's Lake Fishing Trip a pretty-much annual tradition. We happily embarked on the adventure as recent newlyweds and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. You can read about our first trip here (and yes, that picture was on our Christmas card that year). We skipped the next year because I was very, VERY pregnant and it would have been unwise to travel so far from home. However, the following year we had a great time at the cabin. You can read about it here. The important thing to remember about last year's trip is that I definitely caught the biggest fish of the trip. This has been an annoying thorn in the flesh to my subtle-yet-competitive husband.
Well Dan, you can relax, this trip you definitely outfished me, and here's the proof:

No only is his fish much larger, he caught three to my one.

Dan, my dad, my Grandpa Cy and I loaded up in the boat Saturday morning. It was the first day of fishing season on Henry's Lake and despite snow and low temperatures earlier in the week, we weren't about to miss fishing. I dunno if it was the cold or if our lures weren't all that attractive, but the fishing was tough. After a couple hours I had one on the line, but it got off on the reel-in. I sort-of redeemed myself by bringing in another, this time all the way to the cooler. It was a relief to finally get one in the boat. More time went by and we were all getting good and frustrated. My dad and grandpa were getting cold, but then the fun started. Within about 30-40 minutes, Dan caught three fish. It seemed like he would just get his pole in the water, and BAM! another hit. One of those fish came in at about 3.5 pounds, much larger than the measly 2-pounder I brought in.

Here's a picture of the whole family with the fish. No, Lana didn't go out on the boat with us (that'll have to wait a few years), but she did think the fish were pretty neat.

What do you think? Should we use this for our Christmas card this year?

Yellowstone National Park: A True American Treasure

2011-06-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

One of the really neat things about our Memorial Weekend Fishing Trip tradition is the opportunity we have to visit Yellowstone National Park. My Grandpa Cy's cabin is less than 30 minutes from the west entrance, so there really is no excuse not to visit. Other years when we've gone sight-seeing, we've stopped at Old Faithful and walked around some of the sulfur pots. This time, with the cold and a nearly two-year old, we opted for different sights.

This time of the year, spring is usually well on it's way to making a home at Yellowstone, but this year it was apparent that winter is not letting go without a fight. It was cold and impaired any attempts of hiking, but oh so very beautiful.

We always are lucky enough to see bison and this year was no exception. We saw quite a few baby bison too. Once Lana got a good look at these enormous creatures, she couldn't get enough. She would get so excited and shout, "See bison! Hi bison!" Or she would be sad when we wouldn't see any for a while. "Where bison go? Want bison!"

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is certainly not to be missed. I had only seen it in the summertime and the different season sure gave me a new perspective. The waterfall is incredible. Here I tried to get Dan and Lana with the waterfall in the background. My husband and daughter look good, but this picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of the waterfall.

Here's a better one. Views like this are what postcards are made of. We actually braved the cold and walked out to a spot called Artist Point, which is appropriately named and certainly the best place to photograph the waterfall and the roaring river beneath.

Stay tuned for more about our day fishing. Alas, this year I got out-fished by Dan! I'll post the pictures to prove it.

Duathlon - In Words and Pictures

2011-05-19T14:48:00.001-07:00

Well, last week I did something I never thought I would actually do. I competed in a duathlon! It was the Palouse River Duathlon (2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run). I'd set a goal for myself to do more running this year and compete in at least 2 5k races and 1 10 k race, adding the bike was not in my plans, but my friend/sis-in-law, Angela, encouraged me to give it a try. Once I told my race-loving dad about the event, he wanted to do it too, and I couldn't back out.

It was tough and I had a good time and I'm glad I did it. Here are some pictures.

Here we are, me and my dad, all happy and confident before the race.

Me and Angela with her brother-in-law, Rob. He ended up placing really highly and pretty much rocked the race. You can read more about Rob's race here.

Me and Angela coming in at the end of the first run. Look, we're both still upright and (sort-of) smiling!

Right after switching to the bike. I was hoping the first part of the bike course would allow me some rest after clocking in my fastest two-mile run in years (19:35-ish. I hadn't had a less-that ten minute mile in a race since high school cross country) but instead I had just enough time to catch my breath before hitting the first hill on the bike course. On the last hill, between mile 8 and 9, I completely geared wrong while climbing and threw my bike chain. I was frustrated and mad at myself for making such a stupid mistake and I was shaking so badly that I couldn't put the chain back on myself. Fortunately, a good Samaritan stopped and helped me with the chain, even though her own race suffered for it.

My dad leaving the bike area for the 10 mile ride. It was mostly gravel with some killer hills. It took me about an hour and 10 minutes to complete the course. My dad was faster than me - lots faster. The gravel and steep hills didn't seem to bother him. We were told there were four hills. I dunno who was doing the counting, but there were WAAAY more than four hills.

Here I am at the start of the final run. Tired, red-faced and running ugly, but still running.

Here's my dad, all done crossing the finish line. He did an awesome job, beating his goal time of 1:30.

And here I am. Finally within spitting distance of the finish line. My goal was 2 hours and I came in at 1:51. Woooo-hoooo! Yup, I felt as tired and awful as I looked, but dang, it was good to be done.

Like I said before, I had never done anything like this before. I didn't really know what to expect and a lot of people finished before I did. There were definitely some seasoned runners and bikers in the race that knew what they were doing and recorded some insanely fast times. One thing I so appreciated though, was even the been-there-done-that athletes were gracious and encouraging to beginners like me. I certainly never felt looked down upon because of my obvious lack of race experience, in fact, several of the more seasoned competitors could be seen at the finish line, cheering on other racers. When I crossed the finish line, I was being cheered on by people I didn't even know. What a neat community!

As far as I understand, the race director wants to make this an annual event. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in here's this years website. There's also a facebook page you can check out. I know I'll be there next year. How about you?

Apparently t-bone steaks are what we eat for Mother's Day

2011-05-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

As is evidenced by these two photographs, taken exactly one year apart.

It's neat to see what has changed and what hasn't. Lana's face has thinned out and she's gotten a lot more hair. However, her carnivorous ways remain and we couldn't be happier.

Trip Down Memory Lane: Mother's Day Edition

2011-05-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a bit of a Mother's Day letter I sent to my own mom this year. Why is it we never appreciate the sacrifices others make for us while we're living in the middle of it all? I guess a sense of reflection and a step back are required to fully take it all in. Oh, and enjoy the photos - they're done in the "Classic Scrapbook" style. Anyone else guilty of that?

Dear Mum,

I suppose one silver lining on the dark cloud of brain trauma and subsequent memory loss is that you forget all the crappy things your kids did (or didn’t do) for you on Mother’s Day.

Sorry Mom, but we were really rotten in the celebrating you/giving credit where it’s due department. One reason (aside from our own inattentiveness and lack of planning) was that we three kids showed livestock and our first show of the year always, always fell on Mother’s Day weekend.

Instead of spending the day at the spa or being taken out for a fancy brunch, you were busy helping us wash our animals, keeping our show times straight and searching for a lost grooming comb or show stick mere seconds before we entered the show ring. Other mothers received flowers and pedicures from their children while you helped yours clean up manure and scrape dirt off steer hooves. It wasn’t glamorous and we didn’t say thank you very often. You certainly deserved better.

If you ever wished you were somewhere else on those livestock show weekends, you never let it be known. You were the biggest supporter of each of us and did everything you could to ensure we were prepared to do the very best we could every time we entered the show ring. You were genuinely thrilled with us when we did well and offered comfort when we were frustrated with a poor performance. If it had been acceptable to wear a #1 FAN t-shirt and wave a foam finger, you would have willingly done so, all in the name of supporting and encouraging your children.

So this Mother’s Day, walk over to the trophy case in the front room. See those plaques, banners, certificates and trophies from several years of livestock shows? Imagine they’re engraved with the words that should be there. World’s Best Mom, Most Willing to Sacrifice for her Children, Best Supporter, and Least Thanked – Most Appreciated.

Happy Mother’s Day Mum! We love you very much and I promise, we’ll do better.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Technically, this was Lana's second Easter, but it's the first she's actively participated in. We dyed eggs (she was less than impressed), hid eggs (more interested) and hunted for eggs. We went to two egg hunts. The first was in Colfax on Saturday morning. There Lana met a creepy Easter bunny and found a few eggs. She kept her silly blue hat and sunglasses on the entire time. At the second egg hunt at church that afternoon, she really got into the egg hunting and probably picked up 20 or so eggs. Again, the sunglasses stayed on, even inside listening to the Easter story.

Sunday morning we all got dressed up and took advantage of the beautiful day and headed outside for pictures. Lana's Easter dress was actually a Christmas gift from Grandma Sue and it's my very favorite of all Lana's dresses and it was just perfect for Easter. Lana even kept her bow in, a small miracle in itself.

After church we spent the afternoon with friends and family. There were a ton of kids and Lana had a great time, and of course, I took zero pictures : ( I need to do a better job of taking my camera out at these get-togethers.

I hope your Easter was as beautiful, fun and spirit-filled as ours.

Happy Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Christ is Risen!

We are set free!

Believe it.

Trust it.

Freely, blessedly, unashamedly LIVE in it.

My Girl

2011-04-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make.

Back when we first found out we were expecting a little one, both Dan and I were nearly certain the baby would be a boy. We discussed boy names way more often than girl names. Dan thought about what toy tractors in his collection he could pass down to his son. I resigned myself to spending years dealing with black eyes, muddy boots, and wrestling matches in the living room.

Ultrasound day came and gave us a shock. We certainly weren't disappointed, just surprised and our expectations shifted slightly. We bought pink things. Lots and lots of pink things.

It was also around this time when friends, family, co-workers, and random strangers offered us their opinions on boys versus girls. All offered congratulations, and most followed with a warning. Girls are waaaaay tougher than boys, My son is much easier to deal with than my daughter, The mood swings start early - be ready, My daughter can be so difficult, etc, etc. My own mother offered a different sort of advice, saying she didn't necessarily think it was a boy thing or a girl thing, just a kid thing, and every kid is different. My Grandma Carol offered encouragement, telling me how fun it was to have a little girl and how much I would absolutely love it.

I am happy to report that like usual, Grandma was right. Having a girl is so fun. I love the pigtails and the frilly dresses. I love how she took an interest in my recently pedicured blue toenails and how she was so excited when I painted hers.

I love how we do ballet in the kitchen and how she colors at the table. I love how she combs her hair and says pwetty pwetty. I love how she tries to twirl in her Sunday dress. I love how she loves being a girl.

I also love how she enjoys digging in the dirt and getting filthy dirty. I love how she chases the dog and cat. I love how she points out deer in the back pasture and how she makes pheasant sounds when she sees one.

We didn't get what we expected, but oh-so-much more.

All of this isn't to say that one day I wouldn't enjoy experiencing the wonder that must certainly come with raising a little boy, but for now, I am so, so happy I have my girl.

And lest you think our rough-and-tumble needs aren't being met, I assure you, they are. Lana's purple boots get quite muddy, she laughs and laughs when we wrestle in the living room, and currently she's sporting her first black eye.

Spoiled.

2011-04-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

That's what we are. Or, better said, that's what we were all last weekend and three days this week.

My Grandma Carol, lovingly referred to as Grams, flew in from Utah on Friday and promptly began spoiling us all.

She made us biscuits and gravy one morning for breakfast and made chili rellano for dinner. She cooked pork chops and black bean salsa chicken. She watched Lana while I went to work and she did our laundry and took Lana out on walks.

Lana received the bulk of Grams' attention. From the neat hand-made present to the "talking" books and the constant attention, Grams was definitely Lana's favorite toy.

(Lots of love shared between these two.)

Grams shared with Lana a fun book, a re-telling of the Gingerbread Man. It's a super cute story, but to make the experience even cooler, on Tuesday Grams and Lana made their own gingerbread men cookies, complete with decorations.

(If you've ever wondered who makes gingerbread men outside of the three weeks before Christmas, here's your answer - my Grams as she created a special experience for her and Lana - so, so cute and so very appreciated.)

Grams and I spent some quality time together too. On Saturday afternoon we went to a new nail salon in Pullman for pedicures. We sat in the massage chairs and talked for over an hour while our feet got pampered and beautified. We also went to Steel Magnolias at the Pullman Civic Theatre. Grams introduced me to the theatre over 20 years ago and I still enjoy watching a play with her more than about anyone else in the world.(By the way, the play was very well done and I recommend it highly. It runs for two more days, so local friends, get dressed up and spend a few hours with the beauty shoppe ladies of Chinquapin Parrish. Be forewarned, you will cry. Even if you know the story, M'lynn's monologue in the last scene will rip your heart out, but that's also a testament to how well the play is acted.)
We also got in some much-needed shopping in Spokane and Grams helped me narrow down potential kitchen floors at Lumber Liquidators. It was a really great visit and I'm so happy my grandma could make the trip. I'm hoping it becomes an annual event.

In honor of April Fool's day today, I tried my first trick-food. "Eggs" made with melted marshmallows and dried apricots.

Are you fooled?

This weekend.....

2011-03-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

I will be running to earn one of these:

(No Longer Orphans 5k Fund Run/Walk. Saturday @ 10:00 in Colfax. Come on, you know you want to be there!)

And I'll be getting all gussied-up and putting on my very best southern accent to see this:

My Grams is coming into town for six days of grandma/granddaughter time. I envision lots of laughs, some talks, too much of my favorite foods and an all-together excellent time.

Dear Shelle, DON'T FORGET...

2011-03-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

Shelle,

Your daughter is now 21 months old and is growing and learning and changing so fast that it's hard to keep up. Remember this time. Seal it deep inside your memory so you always have it. This time is fleeting and so very, very precious.

Never forget:
-The way she awkwardly puts her rain boots on all by herself.
-Her sweet kisses and the way she says "aaah" when she gives hugs.
-How she gets so excited to see Dan in the evenings and can't wait until he comes through the door.
-The way Dan lights up, seeing her run towards him.
-Our big family hugs where all three of us snuggle together.
-The way Lana stands at the back door, having full-length conversations with the kitty.

-How she watches you get ready in the morning, insisting on lip gloss for her lips, then smacking them together. She also likes to put lotion on her face all by herself and comb her own hair.
-All the animal sounds she makes. Pheasant, buck and coyote seem to be her favorite.
-Our before-bed ritual of "crawling time." This is where you and Lana would get on all fours, crawl over to Dan for good-night kisses, then crawl down the hallway to her room for snuggles, prayers and night-night.
-Her sweet "aye la loo" makes you melt every single time. Never forget that.
-The way she lights up when you praise her for a job well done.
-How at a mere 21 months she's already sneaky. Remember the time she fooled you by stuffing her dinner in her pockets, and happily ate her dessert when you saw her tray was clean. Remember how you couldn't believe that your sweet girl pulled a fast one on you.
-How she works her tongue around 'banana' (na-banna) and 'blueberry' (blueblelly) and how it cracks you up.
-The way she hugs your legs in the kitchen when you're trying to make dinner. You sometimes think it's annoying, but one day you'll miss how all she wanted to do was be close to you.

Winner! Winner!

2011-03-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

I went to random.org and used their handy-dandy true random number generator.

And the winners are:

ruth said...
How incredibly exciting!!!! Congratulations on being published! The Chicken Soup for the Soul books are some of my very favorites. I'd love to win one.

H Love said...
You are FAMOUS Mama! So cool! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy...if only I knew one of the authors??? Oh...I do..it's YOU!!

Woo Hoo! So happy for you! Congrats!

Thanks so much for playing everyone. Your comments made me smile and I appreciate every single one. Ruth and Harmony - Check your email box for a note from me!

An Announcement and a Giveaway!

2011-03-11T17:45:00.001-08:00

So, I have an exciting thing to share.

No, it's not that.

Nope, not that either.

Again, it's not THAT.

Okay, so wanna know?

Last week, a box of shiny, new books were waiting for me when I got home.

See, aren't they pretty?

I was so excited because right there, on page 114 (in the section labelled Doubts and Insecurities) was a very familiar story. A story very close to my heart.

And there, two pages over, the name of the author.

To call myself excited to see my name in this book would be an understatement. I'm pretty much over the moon thrilled!

Now that the book is available in stores, I can officially give some away! (Okay, so I dunno who I'm fooling. I've already given away five copies. My Mom, mother-in-law and grandmothers all got copies two weeks ago. I just couldn't help myself!)

I'm giving away two copies of the new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: New Moms, as well as some new-mom pamper-yourself spa supplies, perfect for a new mom or any mom who needs a good read and some relaxation. The book is full of funny, sad, inspirational and relatable stories. You'll laugh on one page and cry on another. The wide variety of experiences shared is really neat and every mom will certainly see shades of herself within the pages.

To enter, just leave me a comment. If I don't know you in my day-to-day life, please leave your email so I can contact you if you win. I'll randomly select two winners a week from today.

Good Luck!

Snow Day! (and other stuff)

2011-03-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday we woke up to TONS of snow. Schools were closed, roads were a mess and we decided to play it safe and stay home. In the morning Dan spent over three hours shovelling the roof (over a foot of heavy, wet snow made him a bit nervous) and Lana and I played. We made a snowman and a throne for the little princess. We even started on a snow fort, but then Lana got cold and wet and we went inside and baked goodies.

Now, less than a week later, the snow is practically all gone.

Last Saturday the three of us drove down to Oregon for the day to see my Mom and grandparents and sister and her three kids. It was definitely a full house! But I think my Mom enjoyed it. Lana and the cousins sure had a great time.

An update on my Mom:
She's been home now for over a week after being in the hospital the entire month of February. Test results show that the virus is no longer active in her body, so she's on a lot fewer medications. Some memory is coming back and she can hold a pretty normal conversation. She'll be working with a neurologist and therapist to help her regain as much of her memory as possible. It appears that no two cases of viral encephalitis are the same, so it's still not known how much of her memory will come back as the brain swelling goes completely down. She does get frustrated because she knows there are things/people/places/events she's supposed to know and just doesn't. But for the most part she appears upbeat and optimistic and is definitely working hard to regain her memory. All your encouragement and prayers are very much appreciated.

I have something very cool to share later this week! There will be a giveaway to go along with it that I'm so excited for. Come back in a few days for more information : )

Frugal February - FAIL

2011-03-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

So, remember at the beginning of the month when I was all optimistic and idealistic and gung-ho about slashing February's grocery budget? Yeah, well, it didn't exactly go down like I had planned. I didn't realize it would be so dang hard to lower the amount we spend on groceries by 1/3. My goal was $200 for the month. The real amount for the month was $238.26. That's a difference of $38.26. Not that much in the whole scheme of things, but $38.26 more than I shot for. (Oh, and I also failed to make much progress on my Move MORE/Eat LESS January goal. I didn't move as much as I planned and I ate more than planned, resulting in minuscule weight loss. I guess it could be called my BIG FAT FEBRUARY FAIL.)

As I sit with the month's groceries receipts and meal plan, I see some glaring mistakes I made:

1. My meal plan wasn't good enough - I thought I did a great job of coming up with dinners for the week, and on workdays I really did. However, the weekends were a killer. Usually I make a big-ol pot-o-something on Saturday and we have the leftovers on Sunday and then remaining leftovers make an appearance in lunches the following week. I didn't do this very well in February and our weekend meals were hastily thrown-together, complete with runs to the grocery store for missing ingredients and consequently, more money spent.

2. I had a hard time letting go of some favorites - I'll admit it, I'm a fancy cheese snob. I eat a Laughing Cow cheese wedge with my veggies every day at lunch. Certainly not a necessity and I could have forgone the cheese for a month as a cost-cutting measure, but I didn't. We could have also downgraded to generic coffee creamer instead of the fancy-shmancy stuff, but we really like the fancy stuff, and consequently, spent more money.

3. I didn't shop sales as well as I'd intended - With impromptu visits to Oregon to see my mom and visiting family and cramming in some extra work, I was really pressed for time and I did not make it a priority to go through the grocery stores ads and match them with my coupons for maximum value. My 'big' weekly trip was to Winco, which usually has the cheapest prices, but I know I missed out on some sale items at Safeway.

Along with the failures, there were a few successes:

1. Crock-Pot Dinners - I love my slow cooker and use it often, but I really stepped up the crock-pot cooking. Crock-pot meals can be made inexpensively and are really good. Some of the favorites here include beef stew, garlic-lemon chicken thighs, sweet potato and corn medley, gumbo and chili. (Several of those recipes are available here.)

2. Fancy Breakfasts - Typically during the week Dan and Lana eat cereal and milk for breakfast. Sometimes I have cereal, but usually I eat a granola bar with my coffee as I drive to work. But on the weekends we like better breakfasts. I won a new cookbook from $5 Dinner Mom with some awesome breakfast recipes including pumpkin spice pancakes, one of my new favorites. It was fun trying out new breakfast recipes and adding to our repertoire.

I know that because I tried once and failed, I should not give up on my frugal quest. The motivational speaker in my head is telling me to try, try again and make March the month of success. Well, sorry, I'm not doing it. I went grocery shopping today and was relieved to spend my "regular" amount. I will revisit this issue again in a few months, but I have a different goal for March. I'll get to that in a couple days.

How are your New Year's Goals coming along? Any tips or successes to share with the fatigued?

Learning New Languages

2011-02-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

AYE LA LOO!

2011-02-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

That's how Lana says I love you. Sometimes it's spoken in a soft whisper as we're together, rocking before bed. Other times it's shouted enthusiastically, followed by a heartfelt blown kiss or a full-on headbutt slobbery kiss. Either way, it's heart-meltingly adorable and oh-so-appropriate for Valentine's Day.

We made some sweet Valentine's Day treats. They were yummy, but didn't really turn out like the picture. Have you checked out Bakerella? I encourage you to visit her site, but be warned. I am not responsible if you drool on your computer.

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you feel loved today (and every day).
AYE LA LOO!

Frugal February Challenge!

2011-02-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

If you recall my Year of MORE/LESS posts (here and here) I did say I would be doing a big challenge in February. It's now 11 days into this, the shortest month of the year and the challenge is in full-swing, I've just felt completely swamped and haven't written about it yet.

One of my goals of 2011 is to Save MORE/Spend LESS. But before I dive into the specific plan for the month, I should give you a bit of background information. I guess you could say it all started with pre-marital counseling and a talk-radio show. Dan and I went through pre-marital counseling during our three-month engagement. One thing I took away from those lessons is that it's much, MUCH easier to deal with the common issues of marital discord (in-laws, kids, religion, money) if you and your spouse have a plan and clear expectations. Statistically speaking, disagreements about money is the single biggest reason couples divorce, and since I'm not one to try to be a statistical anomaly, I made it very clear to Dan that we NEEDED to be on the same page and agree about issues related to money. My dad had recently discovered the Dave Ramsey Show on his new satellite radio and encouraged me to give it a listen. I was hooked after about 12 minutes and I played some of the podcasts for Dan. This led to us having some really great talks about money, debt, and future goals. Right after we got married we took Financial Peace University (a wonderful gift from my parents) at our church and got with the program. We immediately paid off what little debt we had and went to work on our emergency fund and saving for a house. We set up a budget and put clear limits on spending. We still did fun things like dinners out and movies, but we did them as part of the overall plan.

Then we bought a house and had a baby and our perfect, beautiful budget and spending plan got torn to shreds. It took a few months, but we got things back in order. Every month I sit down and figure out what we did, pretty much to the cent. Then Dan and I have a budget committee meeting and talk about what's coming up in the next month we need to prepare for and how we can do better in certain spending categories.

One area of the budget I have taken responsibility for is the grocery money. It may sound very gender-stereotypical, but I'm the chief cook and meal planner in our house. I actually enjoy this responsibility and try to make meals we all like, as well as make new things to challenge our palates.

When we first got married, Dan and I spent about $500 per month on groceries. GASP! I know, right? $500 for two people is completely ridiculous. We decided to work to reduce that and cut and trimmed and whined and complained and got it to $350 per month for the two of us. I know some of you can feed your family of 23 with that budget, but dang, we felt really great about that. Over time I've gotten better at matching coupons with sales and planning meals around what I buy and not the other way around, and I regularly feed our family of three (the little one now eats normal, big-people food - some days A LOT of normal, big-people food) for anywhere between $300-$350 per month. It's actually not hard for me to keep us in that range and I feel we eat well and no one is deprived of their favorites.

In an effort to do even better, I've taken some inspiration from the $5 Dinner Mom. I actually won her newest cookbook on a facebook contest and have been enamored and motivated by her clever, tasty and cheap-o recipes. Her cookbook also offers some handy-dandy tips about shopping and food prep that cut costs and time. She's all about a good challenge and encourages her readers to really stretch themselves.

So, a'la $5 Dinner Mom, I give you my Frugal February Challenge:

Total Grocery Budget for February = $200.

The rules:

1. Don't go over $200 (well, duh!)

2. No Cheating! (ie no buying groceries at the gas station and filing the purchase under 'fuel')

3. Don't eat out more than usual (our dining out budget per month is $75)

So far, I've spent $108.81 on groceries and the month isn't even half over. Sigh.

Now, of course the minute you decide to set a big goal for yourself, something happens and you want to back out immediately, right? For me, that included my mom getting sick and me switching into I-just-want-to-worry-and-pray-and-eat-comforting-take-out-and-convenience-foods mode. But I decided that since part of the reason for this challenge was to see if I could cut expenses in the event of a financial emergency, actually following through with it during a time of crisis was important, and would be a big part of the learning process.

While preparing for February, I discovered some wonderful frugal blogs. Some of these are the super amazing women you hear about getting $400 worth of groceries for $40, but most are moms looking to save money anyplace they can. Here are a few of the frugal living blogs in my Google Reader:

Deal Seeking Mom (Love this one. She does a great freebie round-up every week and links to the best coupons.)

Fabulessly Frugal (They do a weekly Winco sale/coupon match-up which is oh-so-very helpful when planning shopping trips)

Thrifty NW Mom (So many of the frugal blogs focus on the Midwest or South and I love that this one is for us folks in the good ol' PNW. All the stores featured are ones I can actually go to, so it prevents me from being jealous that the gals from the South have their ALDI and Kroger and other equally magical places that double coupons.)

If you've actually stuck around for all this - wow, you're quite dedicated and I appreciate your endurance. And if you are trained and well-versed in the frugal arts, please share your tips/websites/deals with this frugal-newbie. I'll keep you updated on just how 'fun' Frugal February turns out!

P.S. Thanks for your encouragement and prayers for my Mom. She is still in the hospital and probably will remain there for at least a few more days. Physically she has improved tremendously. Her motor skills are fine. She can feed and bathe herself without assistance. Her speech is fine. She can read, spell and do math. She knows her name and phone number. Her memory hasn't come back fully though and she doesn't know who her children or grandchildren are and doesn't recognize them in photographs. She is working hard to remember though and asks to see pictures and wants to know more. With brain swelling comes potential memory loss and we are ever hopeful that as the swelling continues to go down, her memory will come back.

(Update a few hours later: My dad just called with fabulous news! My Grandpa Cy, Grandma Janet and Grandma Carol drove over to see her today and Mom recognized all three of them and knew their names!!! I am over the moon excited that she is FINALLY starting to remember people!!! She didn't magically remember everything, but this progress is very encouraging.)

P.P.S For those of you who really only stop by for the cute pictures of Lana, I apologize. I don't think I've posted any pictures of her in a few weeks. Here you go. Enjoy!

Viral Encephalitis: A Disease I Never Wanted to Know this Much About

2011-02-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

But I do. And now you're going to know too.

My mom has been in the hospital since Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning they were able to confirm a diagnosis of Viral Encephalitis. This is a swelling of the brain and very serious, but the type my mom has isn't fatal. According to the MRI, her brain swelling has remained localized. She currently has memory loss and gets fatigued easily. She has been able to regain motor skills as the brain swelling goes down and I am very optimistic that her memory will come back more and more as the swelling continues to go down. She is currently on a course of antivirals to help her own body's immune system fight the virus. It's very important that she stay as healthy as possible to be able to combat the encephalitis.

Recovery from this virus and the subsequent brain swelling will probably be slow and tedious. The full extent of the damage won't be known until the swelling has completely gone down - this could take weeks or months. She'll remain in the hospital for at least several more days before she's released to recover at home. As soon as my dad gives me the green light, I'll drive down to see her myself.

Many of you already know about this and have been faithfully praying for my mom - Thank You! I know your prayers are being heard. Please continue to pray for her. Several people have also posted notes of encouragement on her facebook wall. I'm sure once she checks, those will be uplifting for her to read.

My sister-in-law, Christina, is currently in medical school and has been very valuable to talk to during this time. She sent me this link from the Mayo Clinic that explains Viral Encephalitis in regular-people terms:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/encephalitis/DS00226

Year of MORE/LESS: January Wrap-Up

2011-02-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

It's been a whole month of living my Year of MORE/LESS and so far....not bad. My January goals were mostly fitness and food-related. I was inspired by the awesome scrapbooker/designer/blogger/funny woman, Cathy Zielske and her goal to Move More and Eat Less. Every month she faithfully takes a full-body picture of herself in the mirror and posts it next to the same picture taken the day she started. The stark contrast is amazing and inspiring. (A side note: I will not be posting such pictures. Blame it on pride, shame, vanity, or other personality flaws if you want to, but it ain't happenin'.) She also journals about what went right, what went wrong and how she's feeling about the whole thing. I appreciate her honesty when some months are sucky and celebrate with her when she has a great month.

My specific goals in January were:

1. Food journal every day. This means everything I eat gets written down every day.

2. Run at least 10 miles per week and do some other type of work-out on non-running days.

My January results were:

1. I wrote down every single morsel of food that went in my mouth and doing so helped me better control my eating habits. (Another side note: Four years ago I joined Weight Watchers, bought all the materials and fully followed the program. Every food item is worth a certain number of points and you get a specific points budget for the day/week, so keeping track of what you eat is of the utmost importance. I still have all those materials and even though the WW program is changed, right now I'm following the old program.) I found that it made me smile to write down words like apple, carrots and Brussels sprouts. Words like candy bar, and doughnut were indeed tougher to bear. Because I wanted to eat healthier (and thus write down happier words) I tried out some new recipes in the kitchen, which helped achieve another one of my goals to Experiment in the Kitchen MORE/Make same-old, same-old LESS.

2. I met my running goal and really noticed an improvement in how fast (well actually, less slow) I can run and how my endurance increased. I ran some 5ks last year and have decided to run two 5ks this year and one 10k. I'm going to need a lot more endurance to get in that distance. I was inspired by my running friend, Harmony, to set running goals. (Only her goal is to run a MARATHON and mine is to survive a 10k.) On my non-running days I spent some time doing this:

And whoooooo-boy did Jillian kick my hiney. But in a good way. I had to schedule time to do this workout either before work on week days, or carve out some time during normal laundry/clean/channel-surf-time on Saturdays, but it's been totally worth it. On the days I do the work-out before work, I definitely feel better and make wiser food decisions.

The net result of January has been overall positive. I've lost a few pounds, gained some energy and feel pretty good. I think I've got good momentum and definitely want to keep it up in February.

Speaking of February, it's a new month, and thus some new plans. I want to continue with the Move MORE/Eat LESS (aka exercise regularly and make wise food choices) but increase my weekly running distance from 10 miles to 11 miles. I'll also add another February-specific (not fitness related) challenge. Stick around. I'll post more on that in a couple days.

25 Years Ago......

2011-01-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

.......the space shuttle Challenger blew up.

Do you remember that?

I remember bits of that time, but I was only 6 years old and can't recall all the particulars. I don't remember the President's speech (although reading it now gives me goosebumps). I don't remember the outcry to stop space exploration and I don't even remember what happened to cause the explosion. I do remember that it upset me greatly. At the tender age of six, it was a tough lesson to learn that the best planned events don't always work out and can sometimes come to a devastatingly tragic end. I learned as a first-grader that the heroes don't always win the day.

My Mom encouraged me to talk to her about my sad feelings and asked me what I thought we should do about it. So she hauled out the old typewriter and punched away as I dictated the following letter to the editor of our local newspaper:

It's been 25 years and I still think the postage stamp idea is a good one. But more than that, I think the way my Mom chose to help me handle that event was a loving and appropriate teachable moment. She didn't tell me to get over it, or tell me to not feel a certain way, instead, she showed me how I could try to do something about it.

Twenty-five years ago I didn't understand that my mother was doing anything more that typing out what I spoke, but now I realize she was gifting me something that would stick with me for the rest of my life.

Thanks Mom. It only took 25 years and being a mother myself to realize how wise you truly are.

A sort-of-imaginary conversation with my daughter

2011-01-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

Me: Hey Lana Girl. Those are some nice shoes ya got there.

Lana: Thanks Mama. I think they're pretty silly. But they're not real shoes, no one has feet this big, right?

Me: Sorry Sweetie, but feet do come that big. Actually, Mama's feet are that big.

Lana: No way.

Me: Yes way. And guess what else?

Lana: What?

Me: Chances are your feet will be that size too.

Lana's reaction to that scary prediction:

I sincerely hope that bit of information doesn't scar her until she indeed does fit into those shoes.

2011: My year of More/Less

2011-01-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

I know, that heading doesn't make a lot of sense, but let me explain.

For the past couple of years I've written down some new goals to help ring in the new year. Some of these I've succeeded in keeping, others....well....not so much.

I've decided this year to live more intentionally, from how I treat my husband and daughter, to what I eat, to what I watch on TV, to how I spend my free time and even what I wear.

No matter what I do, a year from now, a year will have gone by, and I want to spend that year being more intentional about the decisions I make.

I'm also realistic and know that I can only cram so much into my already busy days, that means some things will have to go. Therfore, if I set a goal to do something MORE, I must do something else LESS.

So, in no particular order, here are some of the ways I want to live MORE/LESS this year:
-Move MORE/Eat LESS
-Save MORE/Spend LESS
-Read MORE/Watch LESS crap on TV
-Wear funky jewelry MORE/Dress in frumpy clothes LESS
-Be creative in the kitchen MORE/Make the same ol', same ol' LESS
-Compliment MORE/Criticize LESS
-Forgive MORE/Harbor resentment LESS
-Eat MORE veggies/Eat LESS crap
-Write MORE/Mindlessly surf the web LESS

There are others that I'm sure I'll pick up along the way, but I'm starting here.

What are some ways you want to live MORE/LESS in 2011?

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

2011-01-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Tree has been taken out, the needles vacuumed up, presents put away and decor packed up, with the exception of the lovely Christmas card display. I absolutely love all the neat cards we got this year (ahem...last year). Many of our friends and family sent photo cards and it's so much fun to see how their families grow and change. If you sent us a card, thank you so much. We really do enjoy them. (Click on the photo to see it larger and better view the family photos and creativity.)

2010 was a pretty great year in our house. Our girl learned to walk and talk and dance and make Mama and Daddy melt with just a look and a smile. We got some things taken care of around the place, including cutting up and hauling away 6 HUGE downed trees, fixing 8 acres worth of fence, putting in a garden, working on the lawn, upgrading a bathroom, installing new light fixtures and getting a new bigscreen tv.
Dan kept very busy (see above list) and even managed to take care of and sell 9 puppies this summer/fall. I began dabbling in freelance writing and even scored a couple of paying gigs. We went to Disneyland in October and hosted Thanksgiving dinner in November. We've really had a memorable year. I can't think of any reason why 2011 can't be any less eventful.

Yes, that is a big hunk of meat....

2010-12-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

...and yes, it was our Christmas Dinner, and yes, it was DELICIOUS!

For the past several years, the Freston Christmas Eve tradition has been to eat a prime rib dinner. My Mom cooked it to perfection and it was sooooo tender and flavorful. She cooked in in a coating of herbs, rock salt and flour, which hardened to a stucco-like substance she literally broke away with a hammer.

Then there was this little reindeer:

Yeah, those antlers didn't stay on very long, but they sure are festive.

A couple of months ago, my parents bought a horse, and of course, if there's a horse at the Grandparent's house, the Granddaughter should get a ride.

Notice she is practicing her rodeo queen wave.

This Little Tykes Kitchen was by far the hit of the gifts for Lana. She couldn't hardly be convinced to open anything else once she started playing. She's so cute when she's frying up breakfast on the stovetop, or washing dishes in the sink, or micro-waving a hotdog. This little kitchen has taken up permanent residence in Lana's bedroom. In the mornings, she won't hardly hold still long enough for me to change her before she runs down to start cooking.
Thanks Mom and Dad. We really had a great time. Next time, I really do need to take more pictures.

Our Christmastime Lynden Trip

2010-12-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

This year we ventured to Lynden before Christmas, unlike years previous when we would go after Christmas. We hung out with family and saw quite a few friends. On the way there, we stopped in Bellingham so Lana could get a picture with Santa Claus. The Bellis Fair Santa was much better than the cheesy Wal-Mart Santa from last year. Lana wasn't scared or anything and even smiled for a few pictures.

A few weeks ago I found this beautiful Christmas dress for Lana. Even though it was an informal event, I made Lana wear it to the big Lenssen Gathering on Saturday. Most kids were wearing jeans and sweatshirts, but our girl was dressed to the nines. Don't worry, it didn't slow her down at all. She ran around and got into mischief with the other 3.4 millions little kids in attendance.

On Sunday afternoon we had a lovely Christmas lunch/dinner and opened presents. Lana finally figured out how to open presents and had a grand time doing so. All the cousins were so sweet and good with her, letting her play with them and follow after them and making sure she got up and down the stairs safely. At one point, Lana walked up to her Aunt Angela, politely said, "Up Please" and was promptly obliged. Lana is so lucky to have wonderful aunts and uncles who love and adore her!

One of the best things about Grandma Sue's house in the organ. Sue and Lana could play together on that thing for hours and hours.

I failed to take pictures of us out and about, visiting friends. On Saturday night we went to an Ugly Sweater Party where we were instructed to wear horrible, tacky Christmas sweaters. You know, the kind with the bedazzled snowman or flocked evergreen tree. Well, we didn't have that much time to hunt down the ugliest of the ugly, but Dan did well, running to the second hand store and picking me up a brown and orange number that flattered nobody and a two-sizes-too-small striped sweater vest for himself. We didn't win the sweater contest (the bedazzled snowman took that prize) but we fit right in with the rest of the Tacky McTackerson's.
Our Lynden trip was only 4 days long, but we definitely crammed our days full.
Merry Christmas Lynden (and all the Lynden-ites). We love you!

Yup, that was my Daughter

2010-12-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

So, I know, I shouldn't be surprised that my 18-month old likes to explore, open doors, crawl into odd places and get into mischief, but this weekend in Lynden, sweet Lana brought with her some new kinds of mayhem. Confess, we must:

-If you were dining at the mexican restaurant in North Bend on Friday, and saw a blond toddler alternate between waving and saying 'hi' to you and throwing bits of her taco on the floor, yup, that was my daughter.

-If your name is Grandma Sue and you wonder why your little sparkly silver tree is crooked, yup, that was my daughter.

-If you kindly invited us over to your house for a party on Saturday night and witnessed un-capped magic markers strewn about and a little person down in the basement, standing in the cat's water bowl, munching on cat food, quite content to do so, yup, that was my daughter.

-If you were at the big Lenssen Gathering and saw a little girl in a fancy Christmas dress run full-speed into the dessert table, yup, that was my daughter.

-If your name is cousin Grant and you wondered why your farm set looked like a tornado kept blowing it apart, yup that was my daughter. If you wondered who kept chasing your remote-controlled jeep around the house, that was my daughter too.

-If you work at Bob's Burgers and Brew in Birch Bay and you had to clean up french fries, fish sticks and tartar sauce smeared all over the table and squished onto the floor, I apologize. Yup, that was my daughter.

-If you are a nursery worker at Third Christian Reformed Church and you got sick and tired of putting a certain little girl's red flower back in her hair, yup, that was my daughter. My daughter was also the one who refused to keep her shoes on longer than 0.2 seconds.

-If you're named Uncle Dean or Aunt Lyndsey and you believe your basement was ransacked by hoodlums, never fear, it was just my daughter. (Okay, so it wasn't all her doing, the other cousins helped, but pound-for-pound she was probably chief mess maker.)

Thanks everyone for your patience, humor and understanding. Apologies to all. If any mess turned out to be expensive, send us the bill and we'll take it out of Lana's college fund.

To my Lana Jean

2010-12-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Hi sweet girl! Mama can't hardly believe you are a whole 18 months old, but you just keep growing
and learning and changing. You're starting to become a little girl and less of a baby every day. I'm not sure I'm ready for that, but I guess I don't have much of a choice in the matter, do I?

New this month for you: Pigtails! Finally, finally, finally, you have enough hair for me to actually do something with.

Also new this month: NO and MINE. Sigh. You are definitely showing me just how headstrong and independent you can be. I know that develpomentally this is normal and to be expected, but it really seemed to sneak up on us. Please be patient with Mama and Daddy as we learn how to set boundaries and negotiate the wide world of disciplining a toddler.

Right now you have some very clear preferences. You like tractors, Minnie Mouse, climbing on furniture, sitting in the toy box or any basket or box, reading books with Mama and Daddy, singing Wheels on the Bus with the correct hand motions, eating cheese, playing in the mud, putting on makeup with Mama in the mornings, enthusiastically greeting Daddy in the evenings, and getting squashed in big family sandwich hugs.

I love you so much Honey Bear, and it's so fun to see you grow up, but it's really okay to slow down a bit, I won't mind, I promise : )

Scenes from our Christmas House

2010-12-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

1. Victorian Christmas Village 2. Precious, old-school Nativity 3. Dan's pheasant tree ornament 4. My crafty button wreath 5. Merry Christmas banner from Angela 6. Happy girl playing on her new bean bag chair.

We're all decorated and ready for Christmas here at our place. Last weekend Dan and I put up the tree and made the house festive while Lana napped. When she got up she was very surprised and took us around, showing us exactly what was different, as if we didn't know.

We're planning on doing lots of visiting within the next couple of weeks, so Lynden friends and Oregon friends, we'll be heading your way soon. Give us a ring if you want to meet up. We'd love to see you!

I'm Lovin' It!

2010-12-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm lovin' me some olives. Well, actually, Lana's the one enjoying the olives, but I'm lovin' the finger-by-finger eating.

I'm lovin' me some gorgeous blooming Christmas Cactus. This plant has exceeded all expectations and has just kept blooming and blooming, despite being knocked over at least twice by a curious little one.

I'm also lovin' me some Christmas decorations. Yesterday we put up the tree and the little village and all the decor from the plastic bins that stay stored away for 11 months.

But more than olives, decorations and flowers, I'm lovin' me some tiny blonde pigtails. Finally, after 18 long months of fruitlessly trying, I can now successfully put little pigtails in Lana's hair. They're so stinkin' cute I just want to eat them up.

A Thankful Feast

2010-11-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

This was the first year Dan and I volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner at our place. My parents and Dwayne, Angela and their three kids planned to share in the festivities with us. I was very excited and a bit nervous to be in charge of such an important dinner, but I knew I would have the help of my Mum and sis-in-law, Angela. They are both seasoned professionals in the area of great feasts, so I was confident the dinner would be a success.

However, the weather decided to throw a wrench in my plans. We got snow. Lots and lots of snow.

It makes for a fun picture and it's fun to play in for a while, but it can completely ruin travel plans.

My parents ended up not able to drive up and with them stayed the shrimp salad, pumpkin pie, coconut cream pie and cornbread stuffing. I made up a quick stuffing and read up on turkey preparation. Angela and the kids made a pumpkin pie, because really, is it Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie?

Sadie and Allison made a creative contribution to the meal by making us all adorable Pilgrim hats for place cards.

After dinner Angela had the clever idea of having all of us write out what we were thankful for. According to the mess on Lana's face (and hands and hair) she was thankful for delicious sweet potatoes.

And of course, no Thanksgiving meal would be complete without pie. Lots and lots of pie. Here we have peanut butter pie, chocolate orange buttermilk pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and sour cream pear pie. We named this the "tour of pies" and a few of us hopped on the train, trying to have a small slice of each. I don't think anyone was able to accomplish that feat.

It was a really great meal and I think our first hosting gig was a success. The turkey turned out great, the stuffing wasn't too dry, the mashed potatoes were creamy and the gravy didn't have too many lumps. Now our fridge is full of leftovers and we've been eating pie for breakfast. Hungry? You're welcome to join us for turkey leftovers, if you can bust through the snow drifts on the way to our house.

(Quite Literally) Thankful in the Storm

2010-11-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

Recently it seems a lot of books I've been reading, stories I've been hearing, and messages at church have been about being thankful in the midst of the storms of life. We've all gone through a metaphorical storm or two. Sickness, financial problems, relationship issues; all of these are easy-to-name modern-day storms. But the other day, we faced a storm of a different nature, indeed, it was a quite literal storm, full of rain and thunder and lightning, more furious than any storm I can ever remember. This raging storm provided me with a much-needed opportunity to practice being thankful.

While the wind was pounding rain against the window, I was thankful for my warm bed and dry house.

When the power went out, I was thankful that it wasn't too cold and we didn't need to worry about pipes freezing.

In the morning when the power was still out, I was extremely thankful for my resourceful and prepared husband. He knew where the flashlights were and strategically placed them and the lantern in places he knew I would need light to get myself and Lana ready for the day.

While getting Lana dressed and fed, I was thankful that she was curious, and not afraid, of the change in her environment. Her easy-goingness that morning was much appreciated.

That afternoon, while talking to Avista customer service about why we still didn't have power, I was thankful I could speak to an actual person, and not a machine. The woman on the other end had obviously had a long day dealing with angry customers and I was thankful she still tried to sound friendly as she explained our power might not be back on until the next day.

That evening as I drove to our dark house, I was thankful I had the option of forgoing a cold dinner from a can and could drive into town for a hot cheeseburger.

Getting ready for bed that night in a dark house, I was thankful for extra blankets and warm pajamas. I was thankful that the house temperature hadn't dropped too much and thankful that if it did get too cold, we could pack a few things and head to a motel for the night.

Early the next morning, I was thankful to wake up to the sound of the furnace clicking on and the numbers flashing on my alarm clock.

While getting ready for the day, I was thankful for a hot shower and a garage that opened with the push of a button.

And now? Now I am thankful the storm passed, the power was restored and our lives were only inconvenienced for a mere 24 hours.

P.S. Thanks everyone for your well wishes while we were ill. As promised, we bounced back and ended our time at PukeFest 2010.

On Puking, an Ode at 2 am

2010-11-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Things are busy at our house right now.
You ask, what's going on? Who? What? When? Why? and How?
If I go into much detail, you'll surely cry, ick!
But alas, all members here are quite sick.
It started with the baby; the cute one got it first.
Although now we're not sure who has it the worst.
The parenting falls to who is most decent,
Who can actually stand upright and hasn't puked recent.
Sorry, I cannot see the King, Queen, Earl or Duke,
My night is full, washing crib sheets covered in puke.

Of these events, I could make light,
And I suppose I am, up at 2 am, starting to write.
I could say, it's a new diet, the Karen Carpenter Plan.
Make a tasteless joke? Oh yes! Anyone can.
If I weren't sick, the fun things I'd do,
Paint, scrapbook, or edit pictures from the zoo.
Instead I sit here, tired, needing sleep,
Thinking, if anyone throws up again tonight, I surely will weep.
Fun things we'll do later, like sing along to the juke,
But right now I'm afraid we'd all just puke.

This might make a humorous blog post,
Our friends and family will laugh, or at least most.
I know you're all sympathetic and full of care,
Because you've done this before, you've been there.
I'm certain soon we will all bounce back,
And again be full of what we now lack.
Having the stomach flu, fun? Certainly not!
I'd much rather have a head full of snot.
Whether you're named Agnus, Bartholemew, Jack or Luke,
Absolutely no one, anywhere, likes to puke.

Happy Fun Party Time!

2010-11-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Lana. Mama says because yesterday afternoon was all about me having fun, I needed to be the one to tell you all about it.

First of all, I don't know much about Halloween, but I do know I like fun new outfits, playing games with other kids and picking out candy.
I was dressed up as Minnie Mouse and I even (sometimes) kept my authentic Disneyland ears on.

We went to a party at church where I saw a lot of my friends. Their Mamas put them in neat costumes too. This is my friend, Gavin. We play together in nursery. A couple weeks ago he bit me, but Mama said I kind of deserved it and that I shouldn't put my fingers in other people's mouths.

The only biting at the party was chewing up all the yummy candy and cookies.

I think my very favorite game was the duck pond. It's kind of like my bath, but with more toys. I had fun with Daddy picking out all the different colored ducks. I wanted to get in the water and play with them, but Daddy wouldn't let me. I won lots of prizes for picking up all the ducks.

Mama wanted me to sit still for just a second so she could get a picture of me at the official picture-taking spot, but I wanted none of that. There were basketballs that needed tossed, rings to throw, ducks to gather and bounce houses to jump in. I didn't want to sit still. Not even for a few seconds.

I loved jumping in the huge bounce house. One time, my cousin Grant had to tell some big kids to not jump hard by me because I'm little and could get hurt. Mama was so glad I had my tough cousin to protect me.

Did I have fun at the party? Oh yeah.

Mama and Daddy know when I smile this big, it only means one thing; This little Minnie Mouse could not be any happier! And they're right.

Pumpkin Painter

2010-10-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Instead of carving pumpkins, I thought Lana would enjoy painting more.

I was right.
Lana had a blast and made a huge mess.

We started with a little bit of blue paint.

She liked that well enough, so we added some yellow.

Mmmmm....delicious!

Then to add the perfect finishing touch, she covered the entire pumpkin (and her hands, face and hair) in pink.

I may be biased, but I do believe we have a talented little artist in our midst.

It's a Masterpiece!

Haunted Palouse Flashback

2010-10-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy of http://www.visitpalouse.com/events/2010haunt.html

We only live a few miles from the small town of Palouse, Washington and lately we've been hearing and seeing all the advertisements for Haunted Palouse, a town-wide Halloween attraction with two full haunted houses. The proceeds raised go to support community programs and scholarships. We're not going this year and probably won't go for a few years yet, but I clearly remember a visit to Palouse four years ago.

Dan and I had been dating for about four months and he drove across the state to spend the weekend with me. My brother, Kasey, was a junior at the University of Idaho and he had just started seeing the lovely Christina. Kasey and I planned a double-date for the four of us to go to Haunted Palouse. I thought it would be fun for all of us to get a little spooked and I wanted to see if Kasey's date was indeed good enough for my little brother. I shouldn't have worried about Christina not meeting my high standards. She was everything anyone could have wanted, wrapped up in an adorable package. What I should have worried about was chickening out, or worse yet, Kasey chickening out.

While waiting in line for the first haunted house, we got our first glimpse of how easily terrified Kasey can get. We were just standing there and saw some characters in costumes and masks walking around. Kasey tensed up and tried to tuck himself deeper into the crowd, but apparently his fear could be sensed and sure enough, a scary masked man picked Kasey out and stood behind him. Every time Kasey tried to move away, he'd get followed. Kasey even tried ignoring the ghoul and deliberately looked the other way, but as soon as he looked up, the scary ghoul would be there. We left the masked man behind when we went into the first house. Dan was strong and brave and took the lead, holding tightly to my hand. Christina was after me and Kasey was last.

The townspeople of Palouse do a great job and the haunted house was thoroughly frightening. We walked through, jumping and screaming and having a great time. At the second haunted house, Kasey decided to go first, followed by Christina, then me. and Dan would be last. This arrangement only worked until the first fright, at which point Kasey instinctively went into survival-mode and hid behind his date, actually pushing her in front of him. Christina was brave though, and soldiered on, but instead of holding onto Kasey's hand, she held mine. We went through most of the haunted house that way. I was hesitant, but I didn't ever throw Christina to the spooks.

After we survived the second haunted house, we all couldn't help but poke a bit of fun at Kasey. I mean really, who pushes their date in front of them, toward the scary creatures of the dark? Kasey had the perfect opportunity to show off his toughness for this girl he really liked, and instead he not-so-metaphorically threw her to the wolves.

Well, I am happy to report that Christina did not hold the Haunted Palouse incident against my brother. In fact, he must have impressed her greatly with traits other than bravery in a haunted house because they've been married for over a year. We can all laugh about this memory now, but I am fairly certain Kasey has not taken his wife in any haunted houses since.

Here is an open invitation to you two, Kasey and Christina. Whenever you want to come visit in October, Dan and I will happily take you to Haunted Palouse again. Partly because it's nice to support a good cause, partly because it's a fun date night, and mostly because we like a good laugh : )

Notes from the Zoo

2010-10-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Are you feeling like I'm that annoying co-worker who keeps showing you vacation pictures weeks after their return? Well, too bad. It was a trip worthy of several posts, but this is the last one, I promise.

On our last day in California, we all piled in a large van and drove the 90 miles south to San Diego to go to the world famous San Diego Zoo. We'd been there before, 20 years ago, and were excited to return.
(click on the photos to see them larger)

The San Diego Zoo is fabulous. I think it's the largest in the country and it definitely takes several hours to walk through the park. It's also rather hilly, so we got to push Lana's stroller up and down hills a good portion of the day.
There are all kinds of neat exhibits; pretty much everything imaginable. Most impressive was the large elephant area, along with the animals of Africa exhibit.

Lana liked the Polar Bears and getting the chance to run free when permitted. Dan raised birds for years and enjoyed all the exotic avian species on display. I thought the Giant Panda was pretty cool. There were some great little play areas for the kids to run around on and Clint and Sandy thought it was fun to play on the large statues.

On the drive home, we got to experience a true southern California commute, complete with bumper-to-bumper traffic and two tired, screaming babies. Both Grant and Lana were not happy and they let all of us know it. I think they screamed for an hour straight (although it felt longer). At one point, Sandy looked back at Lana and said, "Lana, could you please STOP!" Jen was quick to shush Sandy, but the rest of us just laughed. If only asking politely would do it, dear Sandy, we'd have asked that a long time ago.

A day at the zoo was a great way to end our wonderful vacation. We had jam-packed our days full of fun and family togetherness and really did get the most out of our vacation days. If you're planning a similar trip, I highly recommend it. Let me know and I'll tell you some of the tricks that worked (and didn't work so well) for us.

Disneyland Adventure, Part 3

2010-10-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Day three was just as exciting as days one and two, so get comfortable, we've got a lot to cover.

Thursday morning was a perfect, sunny Southern California morning, complete with long lines at the entrance gate. We had early-entry passes and thought the extra hour would ensure no crowds, but I guess everyone had the same passes. Walking in that morning, I was amused by every one's excited, yet already exhausted expressions.

On the third and final day of our Disneyland portion of the vacation, we decided to make sure to hit the remaining attractions that we wanted to see.

At the top of that list was Nemo's Undersea Adventure, a submarine ride through the story of the movie, Finding Nemo. It was super cute and neat for all ages, even Lana liked peering out her little porthole and taking in the sites. I think it's the longest ride we went on, clocking in at about 12 minutes. Next up was Autopia, where riders got the opportunity to drive the cars of the FUTURE! Well, apparently the cars of the future are slow and on a track. Clint really liked it though and proudly showed off his driver's license. He drove with Dan, who after the ride wished Scott and Jen good luck with Clint's driving future.

Jen took Sandy over to the tea cups and Sandy sure enjoyed herself, although Jen looked a bit green toward the end. Even though it's a Disneyland Classic, the rest of us stayed far, far away from that potentially vomit-inducing ride.

We trooped across the park to take in Indiana Jones again (it's just as cool the second time) and took Lana to the show at the Enchanted Tiki Room. It was cheesy and corny and once Lana got settled down, she loved it. It's a pretty fun show for little kids and a nice break from pushing through the crowds. We decided to make one last stop at Disneyland before heading over to Disney's California Adventure for the rest of the day.

Yes, Lana finally got her turn at the Mad Hatter shoppe for her official mouse ears.She's an adorable Minnie Mouse, but she wouldn't leave her ears on for more than a few seconds.

Over at DCA we hit the Grizzly Rapids, a fun river-raft style ride that definitely will get you wet.

We also went on the Monsters Inc. ride which was done really well and made especially for little kids. Imagine Lana's delight when she got the chance to meet the star of Monsters Inc, Sully himself. She loved that big blue monster and he was so good and sweet to her.Most of the adults went on California Screamin', an awesome roller coaster complete with sound effects and Mickey's Big Wheel, a ginormous Ferris wheel that overlooks the entire park.

That night, every one, sans me and Lana, went back to re-fill their cup of Disneyland fun. Rides were ridden again and fun and merriment had. Lana needed to catch up on her rest. I laid her down at 8:00 and she was softly snoring by 8:05. My head hit the pillow at 8:30 and I was alseep (not snoring, ladies don't snore, we breathe deeply) by 8:33. Dan woke me when he came in, telling me how drenched and cold he was from riding Splash Mountain again.

This trip was about having fun together as a family, but it was also about grandparents enjoying their grandkids. Lana, Grant, Clint and Sandy have no idea all the planning, travel preparations, reservations and work that went into their Dinseyland adventure, but they definitely know how much their grandparents love them.My Mom and Dad are great grandparents and I know they loved tromping around Disneyland with their grandkids. They got to really see how excitable and enthusiastic Clint can be, how talkative and curious Sandy can get, how independent and headstrong Lana can be, and how sweet and content little Grant is.

Oh, and don't think that just because we're done with Dinseyland, we're done with the vacation. Stick around for notes from the zoo, coming next....

Disneyland Adventure, Part 2

2010-10-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, so reading over part one, I'm pretty sure I mixed up a few things from our first and second days, and I'm probably going to mix up things from the second and third days too. Oh well, regardless of the day, it was all fun. What I know for sure of the second day was that we all started out in our rain ponchos and prepared ourselves for a rain-filled day at Disneyland. Dan and I took Lana over to Fantasyland and Toontown so Lana could enjoy some rides made especially for the wee ones. I think I was more excited than she was to ride the carousel and the flying Dumbos. Of course we rode It's a Small World, which was a nice respite from the rain, but we paid for it by having that song stuck in our heads the rest of the day. Mickey's House is in Toontown and there we met Minnie, Pluto and Goofy. Lana ran out of steam before we could get to Mickey Mouse himself. Eventually Lana took a nap in her poncho-wrapped stroller and Dan and I got to enjoy some "big kid" rides. We went on Space Mountain, a super fast roller coaster through the galaxy, Splash Mountain, a great log ride that is guaranteed to get you soaked, and Big Thunder Railroad, a neat cross between a train and a roller coaster. Sometime in there we also went on the Matterhorn. I rode with my 3-year old niece, Sandy, and she tried so hard to be brave, even though the ride scared her. I thought it was great though, and so did the other adults.

Directly across from Disneyland Park is another theme park, Disney's California Adventure. Since our tickets were good for both parks, we headed over to DCA for the afternoon. The rain had finally stopped and the sun came out, but all the wimps had already headed home, so we didn't have to hardly wait in line for anything. Soaring Over California is a definite highlight of DCA. It's an IMAX-type experience that showcases the best of beautiful California. A Bug's Land is an entire corner of the park dedicated to attractions inspired by the adorable Pixar movie, A Bug's Life. It's especially great for the littles and Dan and I had fun taking Lana and Sandy on different rides. Honestly, most of the rides in the A Bug's Land are pretty lame-o for adults, but they are bright and colorful and very kid-friendly, so Sandy and Lana thoroughly enjoyed themselves. One attraction of A Bug's Land that was really neat for everyone was the 3-D interactive movie, It's Tough to be a Bug. It was funny, educational, entertaining and a very cool 3-D visual experience.

One ride at DCA that most certainly isn't for the wee ones is the infamous Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The name should tell you everything; stay away, stay far, far away. Well, we didn't stay away, all of us tall enough, including my 5-year old nephew, Clint, took our chances on the tower. It's an impeccably put-together 'drop' style ride where strapped-in riders (hostages?) go up several feet, then drop very, very quickly, then go up again, then back down. At one point an automatic camera took all our pictures and sure enough, the look on my face was one of sheer horror. I chose not to buy the photograph for fear of it haunting my dreams. Okay, so perhaps I am being a bit melodramatic, but dang, that ride scared me and no, I did not go on it again.

That night we had tickets to the World of Color show. I'd heard it was a neat water and light show, similar to the fountain show at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Dan and I have seen the Vegas show and therefore weren't really expecting to be impressed by what Disney had to offer. We should have expected Disney to raise the bar of what a fountain show could be. It was absolutely amazing. Fountains and lights and fire and Disney movies and music all put together in a stunningly gorgeous presentation. If you have the chance to see World of Color, do it. I'm sure you'll love it as much as we did.

Highlights, Day 2:
Dan and Shelle - Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Soaring Over California. These are all can't-miss attractions and certainly worth waiting in line for (although if you don't have to, all the better).
Lana - the rides in A Bug's Land. They are made for 1-4 year-olds, so Lana fit right in.

Stay tuned, more to come......

DisneyLand Adventure, Part 1

2010-10-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

A week's worth of travel, rides, attractions, rain and revelry can't be summarized easily or quickly, so I'll be taking a few posts to get to everything. To get started, let me say this - We had a wonderful time. I can't say enough good things about Disneyland and how absolutely perfect it is for kids. Oh yeah, and the adults had a great time too. This trip is one my mom has been wanting to take for years. She finally decided about 6 months ago to make her dream a reality. She and my dad arranged for all three of their kids and spouses (we're sad Christina couldn't come, but medical school isn't very Disney friendly) and all the grandkids to fly to Anaheim for a week of family fun and togetherness.

Have you ever been to Disneyland? I have, when I was six and Dan went when he was four. We were definitely overdue and very excited for Lana to get this experience. We got there Tuesday morning just as the park was opening and we came into the courtyard at Main Street USA. At City Hall all the first-timers got a special pin. The air was filled with happy music and kids were laughing and smiling all around. I felt a little cheesy getting so caught up in the atmosphere until I caught my sister, Jen's eye and she was just as giddy as I was.

We saw a group of kids gathering near the center of the courtyard and quickly figured out why. There was the lovely Minnie Mouse, greeting little ones and posing for pictures. We hopped in line and Lana officially met her first Disney celebrity.

My parents took Clint and Sandy over to the Mad Hatter shoppe for their official mouse ears. Clint proudly wore his most of the trip (even on the airplane ride home) and Sandy was a "pwetty pwetty pwincess" in her pink ears and tiara.

Once we took the requisite family pictures (all the family from my Mom's side were there too. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and kids.) we headed for the rides. The Jungle Cruise was a fun, easy way to get started and even the babies could ride. Indiana Jones was fast and action-packed and one of my top-two rides, and Pirates of the Caribbean is a pleasant boat ride through pirate-infested waters. Next up was Tarzan's Treehouse which was great for the kids to climb and run through. We made our way through the Haunted Mansion and took a ferry over to Tom Sawyer Island. The island was great for everyone to relax and explore for a bit. Lana liked the wobbly suspension bridge, but didn't like to hold Dan's hand as they walked across.

We hit other rides in Adventure Land and Frontier Land before heading over to Fantasy Land. The weather was certainly less than cooperative and it rained on us pretty hard, but that made the lines short, so we got to a lot of rides.

Highlights of Disney Land, Day 1:
Shelle and Dan - Indiana Jones - awesome ride, very short line, but worth it even if the line is long.
Lana - Winnie the Pooh- very colorful ride with happy music, perfect for the little ones.

More posts about or trip to follow....

September Randomness

2010-09-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

So Dan is watching TV and every once in a while I hear "Whoa, that looks awesome," or "This is so much better than the old POS," or "Look Wifey, we can see the score." I know what you're thinking. 1) What do these statements have to do with anything? 2) Why do I even visit this odd gal's blog anyway? 3) I'm here for the baby. Are there going to be cute pictures of Lana?

Here are the answers you're wanting:
1) New TV. We've been married for nearly three years and have been watching a 19 inch television this whole time. It was fine enough for the little apartment, but then we got a real house and a real living room and suffered real eye strain. Here is the old next to the new.

Dramatic difference isn't it?
Now you understand the 'Whoas' and the excitement over being able to see numbers across the room and the dissing of the old TV. (yes, that is the Coug game playing on the little TV. It's the last thing we watched before hooking up the new big screen.)

Oh, and in case you were in Moscow yesterday looking at TVs or mattresses or appliances, that most certainly was NOT my toddler you saw/heard throwing a major screaming and kicking fit in the middle of the showroom floor. Nope, not mine.

2) I dunno. Maybe you're related to me and somewhat contractually obligated to check in here every once in a while. Maybe you like our stories. Maybe you like baby pictures. Or maybe you like cupcakes. Speaking of cupcakes, have you seen Cupcake Wars on TV? It's a cool competition show and they make awesome cupcakes. I saw a cupcake book at the library last week and made some yesterday and then tried my hand at food photography. I promise, these triple chocolate cupcakes taste infinitely better than they look in the picture.

If you come over you can have one. I also made lemon yogurt cupcakes with a white chocolate ganache frosting. Oh yeah, they're good.

3) Well, since you stuck it out this long, I should give you what you've really been wanting:

Lana is oddly attracted to piles of neatly washed and folded laundry. She gets much joy and pleasure from scattering the clothes around the living room and rolling around in them. Sometimes she tries to dress herself in Mama and Daddy's clothes. She's so cute I usually don't mind the mess, even though I end up re-folding everything.

Round Up!

2010-09-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Growing up a resident of eastern Oregon, the Pendleton Round Up wasn't just a rodeo, it was the week of the year that all other weeks were based around. People would say things like, "We'll get around to that after Round Up," or "Better get that done before you're too busy with Round Up." Schools in the county are closed, Friday night football games are played on Thursday, high school bands practice marching formations and everyone makes sure their boots are shined and their Wranglers are pressed. Yeah, it's a big deal.
When I was in middle-school, I (begrudgingly) pounded a drum in the opening parade. Later I got a job selling pop in the grandstands to parched rodeo fans. Another year I sweat in the heat on Main Street cooking up fajitas, and another year I was volunteered by my mum to work in the high school band's concession booth. When I went away to college, I'd come back for the last weekend of Round Up with a car load of girlfriends all looking for their own Pendleton Round Up adventure. We'd spend the day at the rodeo and the night out dancing and get back to my parents house exhausted and then wake up in the morning and make the eight hour drive back to school.

Our Round Up adventures are quite different now and considerably scaled back. This year we watched the Westward Ho! parade. Dan and I figured Lana would like all the animals and enjoy the marching bands. We were wrong. She liked sitting in a nearby tree.

Lana fussed through most of the parade and then fell asleep for the rest. Oh well, the parade was pretty cool and the grown-ups liked it.

To celebrate the 100 year (give or take) anniversary of the Pendleton Round Up, the parade opened with 100 riders carrying 100 American flags. This picture doesn't really do it justice; it really was quite impressive.

The parade also boasted several marching bands, lots of rodeo queens and my personal favorite, restored horse-drawn coaches and carriages.

My Grandpa Bob is a past champion of the Pendleton Round Up and he and my Grandma Ree came to town for the festivities and a big reunion of champions. I hadn't seen them for over a year and it was great to catch up with them both. They each doted on Lana and we got this picture of 4 generations of lovely ladies.

Mother of the Year

2010-09-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

Lately here on the ol’ blog it’s been pretty sweet. Pictures of a cute little girl in the midst of her adorable toddlerhood, musings of a first-time mother, and sentimental nostalgia make for a rather Norman Rockwellian image of life at our place. Alas, it’s not all like that. Lest you start to believe I have super powers greater than the average mom, I give you this:

To the Mother of the Year Award Committee:
I have previously submitted entries nominating myself for the esteemed Mother of the Year Award, however, I believe this current application and nomination is far superior to my previous ones.

Reason #416 Why I am Mother of the Year
Several weeks ago our family went on a lovely trip across the state. We made it back in time for me and Dan to get the laundry done and unpack the bags. Lana had started to develop a runny nose and a slight cough and I worried that she might be getting sick. I made a mental note to ask Miss Belinda to keep an extra watchful eye on her. I put Lana to bed normally and she slept through the night. Sometime in the night I awoke to hear her coughing. I listened, hoping it wouldn’t wake her, and she seemed to settle down fine. I didn’t hear any other disturbances the rest of the night.
The next morning I hit my snooze button twice before I finally got out of bed. Once it hit me that I was running late I ran to get ready and get Lana ready. She was still sound asleep when I went into her room and her blankets were balled up in the corner of her crib. I quickly changed her, got her a bottle and threw dinner fixins’ in the crock-pot. I made sure to close her bedroom door so she wouldn’t toddle in there and get herself in trouble. After a quick breakfast and teeth-brushing, we were out the door, and we weren’t even late.
That evening I was actually feeling pretty good about myself. Lana had a good day with Miss Belinda and I got a lot accomplished at work, including a lunch-time run. The house smelled wonderful because of the bubbling crock-pot dinner. Dan came home and the three of us enjoyed a nice dinner together and we got our chores done.
It was only upon entering Lana’s room to get her ready for bed that I noticed a problem. Well, actually at first I wasn’t sure it was a problem, but I definitely noticed a horrible smell. It was overpowering and unfamiliar, not a typical “baby smell” I was used to. I checked the diaper pail and the dirty clothes hamper – nothing. I wondered if there was a dead mouse hidden away somewhere. Finally, I checked the crib and found the blankets in the corner were covered in putrid vomit. Yes, you read that right, I said vomit. Sometime in the night (presumably when I heard her cough) my sweet baby girl threw up and just slept through it. In the hustle and hubbub of getting us both ready and out the door on-time, I didn’t notice that she was sick and had puked in her sleep. I failed to be aware of the overall health and well-being of my child. I let her go out for the day when she needed to stay home.
I called Dan in and we stripped the bedding, got out clean linens and took Lana’s temperature. She had a very slight fever, so we gave her some Tylenol. She slept fine and had no fever the next morning. Even though she bounced back from the incident, it in no way excuses my behavior or the fact that I let my baby sleep in her own vomit.
I understand that the Mother of the Year Award Committee has already reviewed my previous entries, including #4 I Starved my Baby the First Four Days of Her Life, #81 I Drove Across Town with the Child Seat Not Securely Fastened, #101 I Force-fed my Daughter Peas and #234 I Took Pictures of my Screaming Child Instead of Consoling Her When She had the Biggest Meltdown Ever. I believe this current entry, #416 My Daughter Puked in Her Sleep and I Didn’t Notice Until 13 Hours Later far exceeds the merits of the previously submitted ones. According to the Mother of the Year Award rulebook, entries are judged year-round with a final decision made in late December. I assure you, I will consider your gold statuette a fine Christmas present and will have an appropriate place on my shelf cleaned and dusted, awaiting its arrival. I look forward to hearing from the committee later this year.

Thank you,
Shelle Lenssen
Nominee, 2010 Mother of the Year

Lessons Learned by a Working Mom

2010-09-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

The beginning of September marks a huge milestone for me. On September 1st last year, I ended my maternity leave and became a full-time working mom, or WOH mom for short. (WOH stands for works-outside-home. I certainly would never dis my stay-at-home mom (SAHM) friends. As it was explained to me early on, all mothers work full-time, some in the home and others out.)

My first day back to work was tougher than I thought it would be. Miss Patti had to literally take Lana out of my arms. I cried the entire way to work and for ten minutes or so in the parking lot. I cried again when Dan called to check on me before I walked in the building. Fortunately no other day this year has been more difficult than that first day.

It’s been a challenging year. I knew it would be when we started on this adventure, but I never dreamed of all that we’d go through and all that I’d learn. Here’s a sampling of lessons and wisdom gained from the past year:

1. Spit up happens. It just does. It took me a few days, but I quit freaking out and just changed clothes (mine and Lana’s) and moved on. Poo happens too.

2. If I need to wear nice clothes for a special work event, I get the baby and myself ready while still wearing my pjs. Once she’s loaded in the carseat, then I quickly change into my good clothes.

3. Meal planning gets old, but it is the only way I know to guarantee I always drive home from work knowing what’s for dinner and what I need to do to get in on the table by 6:00.

4. The crock-pot is my friend. We’re BFFs. Seriously, I put ingredients in it in the morning, turn it on, set the timer, and viola! Dinner is ready when I get home.

5. Tickle time takes priority over house cleaning time. I would much rather hear Lana laugh than have a spotless house. Remember that if you come over and see the light fixtures need a good dusting and all the laundry isn’t folded.

6. Some mornings, everything takes twice as long as it should. I don’t know if it’s due to the pull of the moon or what, but occasionally my hair won’t cooperate, I’ll have to change clothes (see #1), Lana will have to be changed (again, see #1), she’ll take sooooo long to eat, I’ll drop the mascara wand on my face and shirt and have to change again and wash my face, and I’ll realize after we’ve driven three miles down the road that I forgot the diapers. Yup, mornings like that happen.

7. I work with a great group of people, but as wonderful as I think my daughter is, I know they don’t want to hear about her all the time. Nope, they don’t care that she babbled adorably or didn’t sleep as well as expected and I’m exhausted; they just care that I get my work done.

8. I now run after-work errands according to the child restraints involved. For example, running to the grocery store is fairly do-able because Lana can be put in the shopping cart seat. Going to the bank however is much, much tougher. The bank has no shopping carts and no way to contain a 14 month-old. Bank trips now happen on my lunch.

9. My supportive, encouraging husband is worth his weight in gold. He works hard every day. He comes home with a kiss and a hug for each of his girls. He eats what I put on his dinner plate, even when it looks questionable, and he usually is ready with a compliment. He never complains about the chores that have to be done and looks for ways to make things easier for me. He’s the best Daddy little Lana-girl could ask for and the greatest husband ever.

10. I like things done a certain way and I prefer order and routine to randomness and chaos, but that’s not always the way things happen. I’ve learned that being flexible and just rolling with the waves is the best way to not go crazy.

So, Been-there, Done-that Moms, please share your wisdom with this working-mom rookie. What lessons are there still to learn? What are the best ways you know to do it all?

How things change in 3 short years....

2010-08-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

Three years ago Dan and I climbed Kamiak Butte as a dating couple and walked down engaged to be married. Be careful kids, magic thigs can happen on top of that mountain.

July 16, 2007.

Yesterday we decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and once again hiked up Kamiak Butte. The walk was different this time. We were slower and paused often. We spent a few minutes reflecting on all that had changed in the past three years and then snapped this picture:

See that little head poking out on the right? I guess you could call that a pretty big change.

Lana enjoyed the hike too. But then again, why wouldn't she? She got carried all the way up. One day she'll be big enough to walk the entire thing herself, then she'll be running up the trail and we'll have to keep up with her.

No matter when we hike up our Kamiak Butte, the view is always spectacular.

It's so awesome to live so close to this beautiful, magical place.

Lynden Trip, Part 2

2010-08-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons we headed to Lynden last week was for the Northwest Washington Fair. It's quite the event. On Monday night we met up with some friends dined on fine fair cuisine and went to the Demolition Derby. If you know me, you wouldn't think a demolition derby would be up my alley, but I gotta say, it was pretty dang awesome. Crashing cars, rolled over pick-ups, fires and broken barrier blocks. What's not to love about that?

On Tuesday we watched nephews Austin and Travis show their dairy heifers. They did a great job and Lana was quite excited to look at the cows. She laughed and pointed and offered up enthusiastic "moooooooo"s. She mooo'd at the pigs, sheep, goats and horses too. I know, I know, we need to teach her the other animal sounds, but hearing her moo at everything is really cute. She also had a lot of fun playing on the tractors.
Thanks Lynden! Once again you were lovely and we had a great time. We'll see you later.

Lynden Trip, Part 1

2010-08-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we piled clothes, shoes, toys, strollers, snacks and a baby into the pick-up and headed west. We were off to Lynden to see family, friends and enjoy the Northwest Washington Fair. We've previously bragged about how well Lana travels. Let's just say she did not live up to her good reputation on this particular drive. I didn't realize she could actually scream for over an hour straight. She must have really put her mind to it.

Once we arrived, rested a bit and ate, I decided we needed to all go to the park to remember why we liked our baby in the first place. She was so cute and loving that we quickly forgave her bad behavior. The swings were fun and so was rock-climbing and learning to do pull-ups, but Lana's favorite part was digging in the dirt.

On Sunday after church the three of us went to Artist Point where we hiked a bit and played in the snow. The views were quite spectacular. Mt. Baker is even more impressive when you're right up close to it. Lana thought it was pretty neat to play in the snow on a very warm summer day and Dan and I appreciated a respite from the heat. Dan and I get so busy with our jobs, taking care of the place, side projects and all things baby-related, that we sometimes forget to take the time to just relax and hang out together. Our afternoon at Artist Point was just what we needed.

The next two days were dedicated to the Fair and I'll get to that in the next post. It'll have cute kids and animals. You'll want to stick around.

Our Little Genius!

2010-08-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so not really. But the picture is sure cute.

Lana likes to take all the magnets off the fridge and scatter them about the kitchen, then wait for me to put them back on the fridge. Alas, I am the one who does the spelling.

Cute Things

2010-07-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

Did you know a baby eating corn could be cute?

Well it is. It's very cute. Although if you try to take that cob from her, she'll bite your hand off.

It's a truth universally accepted that puppies and babies are the cutest combination known to man

See? Just try to prove me wrong.

And a baby who's just been caught doing what she may or may not be allowed to do? Yeah, that's pretty cute too.

A guilty look can speak volumes, but it's oh-so-cute.

Weekend with Cousins!

2010-07-21T20:15:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, we were thrilled to have Sue, Lyndsey and the girls, Avery and Kenzie over on our side of the state. It was so great to get to catch up with the grown-ups and the kids had so much fun playing together. Lana loved having so many cousins with her. They were so good to include her in their play.

One afternoon we took all the kids to the Moscow Aquatic Center. Lana had never been swimming before and I was a little nervous of how she would respond. I needn't have worried. She absolutely loved it. She played in the water for nearly two hours, giddy the entire time. The other kids were so gentle and good with her in the water.

The kids also got a chance to play with the puppies at our place. The little kids were a bit timid around the fur balls, but not Sadie and Allison. They liked the puppies and I think Sadie even started naming them.

Thank you Sue and Lyndsey for making the long trek eastward. Cousin time is definitely the best time!

(Oh, and all the pictures in this post were taken by my sis-in-law, Angela. She's quite talented and has an eye for capturing all the great moments.)

Growing things

2010-07-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

It's summertime here on the Palouse. Green fields of wheat are starting to mature and turn yellow, lentil and pea fields are getting thicker, full of new growth, and things are growing nicely here at our place too.

First, there's the puppies. They'll be two weeks old on Tuesday and they're growing great.

See? Dan can barely hold three at once.

The puppies are getting more mobile and they're just now starting to open their eyes. I think this week will be an exciting one as they start moving around more. Roxy's been doing a good job too, even though it's got to be exhausting keeping up with nine hungry little mouths. (click on photo for larger view)

Remember a month or so ago when I wrote about our overly-ambitious garden? Well, here's the side-by-side, then-and-now picture. (again, click photo for larger view)

I'd say our garden has been growing beautifully. We've been eating lots of salads because we;ve had lettuce and spinach coming out our ears. Want some lettuce? Come on by. Please. We'll load you up with two different kinds, then you can eat lots of salad and feel healthy too. We've also got radishes to share if you're interested. Our beans and corn are growing well, as are the pumpkins and garlic. The squash seems to be a favorite of the local gophers, so we may or may not have squash this year.

Oh, and then I suppose there's this little growing thing too.

Growing more adorable everyday!

Good Job Mama!

2010-06-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

No. I don't mean me.

I'm talking about this Mama. Our chocolate lab, Roxy.

Tuesday afternoon she gave birth to her first litter of puppies, and what a fine litter it is.
Nine puppies rolled up together in a literal tiny dog pile.

So far, they're all healthy and active. They'll get their first vet check on Friday.
We've got all three colors. Chocolate (3 female, 1 male), black (2 female) and yellow (1 female, 2 male).

At least one has already been claimed, but there are nine, so plenty to go around.

Puppy Anyone?
Give us a call or send an email.

More Birthday Stuff

2010-06-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

It was a week ago, so technically old news, but I kept forgetting to post pictures from Lana's birthday party. So here's a few.
Swinging with Cousin Grant.

Presents with Cousins Allison and Sadie.

Starting in on the cake.

After working on the cake for fifteen minutes.

Epic Cake Smashing

2010-06-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

For Lana's first birthday, all I wanted was a great cake smashing. I more than got my wish. The entire cake portion of the party lasted about 15 minutes, but these three short videos sum it up pretty well.

That evening, we were treated to a sugar-high hyper child. But then she crashed hard and slept soundly all night long. A hyper baby was well worth the hilarious cake smashing.
Between all the photographers at the party, there are some fabulous still shots too. I'll share those later.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, yesterday we had a fabulous birthday party. Epic cake smashing was beheld. I'll get to that later. Today is Father's Day and this one's for Dan/my great husband/Lana's wonderful Daddy.

Last year for Father's Day, Dan got a Daily Grind punch card and a new baby. Well, technically she was a few days old, but she was still pretty dang new to us.

Dan and Lana bonded quickly. When we were still in the hospital, he would pick her up out of the little plastic basinette and sit and rock with her, just staring at her tiny little face and taking it all in.

Later, he developed superior skills in diaper checking and baby snuggling.

Dan was the first to make Lana laugh and still does on a daily basis.

He also plays the best games with her.

Dan has taught Lana so much, including how to grab the hat off his head, how to bonk heads, and how to drive a tractor.

Lana loves her Daddy so much!

What a Year!

2010-06-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

One year ago, we took this picture.

She didn't even officially have a name yet. Maybe that's why she was screaming so much. Or maybe it's because she just left her comfy, cozy home and entered a world she knew nothing about. It's okay little one, your Daddy and I were entering a world we knew nothing about too.

But then she got a name, got cleaned up, spent lots of time in Mama and Daddy's arms and settled down. She was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen

Now Lana's a whole year old.
She can say five words (Dad, Dog, Up, Mom, Bye) but doesn't necessarily use them at the correct times.
She gives out sweet hugs and wet, slobbery kisses.
She can crawl really really fast and gets into everything.

Lana can pull herself up to stand and I'm sure walking isn't too far off.
Her laugh is an addictive substance. Seriously, there's no saying what I'd do for my next hit of baby laughs. Fortunately, most of the time a funny face or some tickles or a game of this-little-piggy will get me the laughs I need.

We're having a party on Saturday and I'm so excited for the cake smashing. I'll post pictures next week. I'm sure if a baby gnawing on a t-bone is good, birthday cake will be even better.

Lana Says....

2010-06-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna be THIS MANY!!!

Yup, on Friday our girl turns one. Can you believe that?

I can.
And I can't.

See, it feels like the year just flew by. I blinked once and she was sitting up. I blinked again and she was crawling. I blinked twice really fast and now she pulls herself up to standing and holds on to the furniture as she cruises around. I'm afraid to blink again.

At the same time, I remember nights of holding her and rocking her and pleading with her to please, please, please sleep. I remember how the clock ticked backward as she screamed and screamed and screamed after getting her first shots. It also feels like she's just always been here, even though it really has only been a year.

I'm sure if I think back really hard I can remember what it was like before she got here. I can hazily recollect pre-Lana Dan and Shelle. I think they were a really cool couple. They went to movies often and tried out different restaurants. They slept in on the weekends. They went on walks together in the evenings. They weren't ever late for church.

Those people have been replaced. They're probably a little less fun, a lot more tired, yet filled with tremendously more joy. They happily traded spontaneous dates and lazy mornings for planning-the-day-around-the baby's-nap and making sure they were home by bedtime. Indeed, what a changed couple they have become.

We love you Lana Jean. Thanks for the most life-changing, challenging, frustrating, tiring, fulfilling, inspiring, motivating, laughter-filled year of our lives.

The Evolution of a Garden

2010-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

When we moved out to the country just over a year ago, I had grand aspirations of spending hours toiling in the soil, planting a garden full of vegetables. But then we had other things that needed our attention and the baby came and, well, I was tired and sore and planting and caring for a garden no longer crossed my mind. Last summer I felt quite accomplished for growing a few tomato and pepper pots. But this year is different.
First, we decided on a space and Dan sprayed it out.

Yes, I thought it was a bit ambitious too.

Then Dan tilled up the soil and added scoops of compost (notice his adorable little assistant.)

Then the fence was re-routed and posts set and vegetables planted. This is what it looks like now.

We've got garlic, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, corn, carrots, beans, zucchini, pumpkins and squash. So far we're off to a decent start, but we still have a summer's worth of work ahead of us. I'll have to post garden updates as things grow.
If you and your family grow a garden, please share what you like to grow and share any tips and tricks.

The Family that Fishes Together....

2010-06-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

...Catches Together.
Right?

That seemed to be the case for us over the long Memorial Day weekend.
On Thursday afternoon, we packed up and headed east. Destination, Grandpa Cy's Cabin on Henry's Lake, Idaho. Ol' Henry can be fickle at times and fishermen have left fishless before, so we knew we'd have to buckle down to get the job done.

First thing Saturday morning, Dan joined my dad, grandpa, brother Kasey and cousin Joel on the boat for opening day. They returned successful. Dan caught the first fish of the season and set the pace for everyone else. Neither Joel nor Kasey had ever caught a fish on Henry's Lake before, but this was their year to break that curse. Both came back with a fish that morning. I didn't get out on the boat until that afternoon, but the wait was indeed worth it. We caught us some fish.

Yup, that big one is mine. How 'bout a close up.

That's the biggest fish I ever caught. It was probably the most fun (funnest?) fish I ever caught too.

Then there was this little pea-pod. It was her first trip to the cabin and I'm sure she enjoyed herself tremendously.

Unfortunately, while I was out on the boat, catching that big fish, Lana got sick, but my Mom and Grandma Janet were quick to figure out what needed to be done and we got her to a clinic and treated right away. She needed some medicine and some extra snuggles, but she stayed happy and smiling through it all. And why wouldn't she be happy and smiling? After all, she was surrounded by people who love her very much. She got all the loves and hugs and tickles and kisses she could ever want.

It made me so happy to bring Lana to the cabin. She's the first great-grandkid to make the trip. I hope one day she has as many fond memories of spending time at Grandpa's Cabin as I do. She's too young for fishing right now, but in a few years I'm sure we'll take her out on the boat and cheer her on as she catches her first fish.

Our weekend on Henry's Lake was wonderful. Hanging out with family, swapping stories, getting riled up playing cards, sharing meals, and fishing together are really some of the best ways to spend a holiday.

No Vegetarians Here

2010-05-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Nope. Not at our house, that's for sure.

Okay, let me back up. So today is Mother's Day and all I wanted from Lana was for her to sleep in this morning (and thus allowing me to sleep in) and then for her to look at me and say 'Mama' and mean it. Not a lot to ask, right? It's not like I wanted her to pick up her toys or wipe her own nose or anything. Well, I didn't get either of my wishes. The Lana-girl got up at her regular time and I got up to change and feed her. The word 'Mama' escaped her lips a few times, but just in her usual string of babbles. It was not spoken in a meaningful and heartfelt way. Oh well, we'll try again next year. (Dan however, totally stepped up and surprised me with new shoes and a coconut cream pie.)

Lana did not give me the gifts I asked for, instead she gave me something equally wonderful. My girl ate steak for the first time. Steak was on the menu tonight and Lana stared wide-eyed at me and Dan as we noshed on our t-bones. I tore a small slice into tiny pieces and let her feed herself. She absolutely loved it. Later we let her gnaw on the bone. She was quite content and could have chewed on that thing all night.

That's our girl!