I’m so glad that I feel better today! I’m definitely still fighting off whatever this bug is because my throat is a little bit sore again tonight, but I felt fine all day. Which was awesome because I had tons to get done.

I got the kids’ stuff completely packed except a few of their toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.). I have all of our snacks and food packed. I have all of my clothes laid out, but not packed yet. I have the majority of our toiletries laid out, but not packed yet. And I made green bean casserole (with my homemade cream of chicken soup) and Rice Krispie bars. Oh yes, and I washed everyone’s sheets today. Just in case you wondered what I did all day. And I did the majority of that with a baby on my chest in the mei tai and a toddler “helping”!

Whew! It’s no wonder my throat is a little sore again tonight! At least I didn’t have to search for Mopar parts or anything! That might have pushed me over the edge!

Posted: November 24th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: none

It’s almost Thanksgiving! This is my favorite holiday…I love the family time, the food, and of course watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade! Forget artificial christmas trees (we don’t keep Christmas anyway)…I’ll take turkeys and pilgrims any day! LOL

I feel that it’s really important to view it as more than a holiday, though. It’s an opportunity to remind ourselves of all we have to be thankful for. Of course, we should be thankful every day, but Thanksgiving is a special time to focus on all the blessings we have.

I’m thankful for so many things…the opportunity to have a relationship with God, my husband and beautiful, healthy children, the relative freedom we enjoy in this country, and so much more. Lately, though, I’ve been so thankful for the lifestyle we’re able to have and offer to our children.

Let’s face it…the economy is awful and so many people are struggling. Many people don’t have work, don’t know how they’re going to pay their bills, aren’t sure if they’ll still have a roof over their heads next week, and can’t even put food on the table. And yet we’re so blessed to have our own company, a beautiful warm home, and all of our needs met. How is that fair? I actually feel guilty that we have so much while other people have so little.

I wish I had the means to give to all the families around the world who are in need. We’re able to give in relatively small ways, but it never seems like enough. I feel like the very least we can do is not take the blessings we have for granted.

I hope all of you have an awesome Thanksgiving and remember to count your blessings!

Posted: November 24th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: 1

I made these waffles on Saturday morning and they were so good! I don’t even really like bananas, but I liked these. And they were super-easy too…you could probably even make them in an RV…if you have an RV and rv insurance, of course.

From the Perkins’ Celebrate Cooking book

Nonstick cooking spray
4 eggs
2 c milk
4 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 (3 oz) package instant banana pudding
Milk chocolate and peanut butter swirl chips
1 c creamy peanut butter, melted to serve
Banana slices to serve
Maple syrup to serve
Whipped cream to serve

1. Prepare a waffle maker by spraying waffle iron with nonstick spray. Close lid and allow waffle maker to warm for cooking.
2. Separate eggs, yolks in one medium bowl and whites in another.
3. Use a mixer on medium speed to beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Set egg whites aside. In bowl with eggs yolks, mix in milk, butter, and vanilla.
4. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and dry pudding mix. Add yolk mixture to flour mixture; blend until moist. Fold in egg whites.
5. When combined, pour about 3/4 cup mixture onto each square of waffle iron, sprinkle with chips before closing waffle iron lid. Cook according to waffle iron manufacturer’s directions. When waffles are cooked remove from waffle iron. Cool on cooling racks or serve immediately.
6. Serve hot waffles with melted peanut butter, sliced bananas, a drizzle of maple syrup, a dollop of whipped cream and more chips if desired.

Yields 16 to 18 servings

Posted: November 24th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: none

Got a minute? I could use a little bit of help here…

I’m on the lookout for easy, frugal, beginner-level recipes for my brother and sister-in-law-to-be. I already bought a gift for their kitchen, but I also want to put together a recipe file full of simple recipes, since I think they both have limited cooking experience. It would probably be helpful if they were frugal as well, since they’re both students and you know how the grocery bill can add up at the barcode scanners.

If you have any ideas, could you leave me a comment with a link to the recipe? Or email me the recipe (lora at mortier dot org). Thanks so much!

Posted: November 23rd, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: none

This is not in the plans…not at all! This morning, I shopped for everything we need for our trip to Wisconsin later this week. I’m planning on spending tomorrow and part of Wednesday finishing all the packing. And we’re supposed to leave mid-afternoon on Wednesday for four days of spending time with family.

Do you see “getting sick” in any of those plans? No? Me either…because it’s not in there! Unfortunately, it has decided to worm its way in there anyway.

So far, it’s just a sore throat and headache and fatigue…totally manageable and not that bad. I just hope it doesn’t get any worse!

So I guess during the next few days, I’m going to have to balance all the stuff I need to get done for the trip with taking care of myself so I can feel better…getting enough rest, drinking lots of water, and applying eye cream regularly (what? you don’t think that will help? LOL). Hopefully it will work!

Posted: November 23rd, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: 1

Can we just take a moment so I can tell you how ticked off I was at the cashier at Target yesterday? We can? Good, because I need to vent!

So after naps yesterday, we ran to Target to see if they had any more Robeez knock-offs in Kelvin’s size yet (they did, but just one pair). It took FOREVER just to get that one little thing because Ava, of course, has to stop and look at EVERYTHING we pass. And Kelvin takes advantage of my brief moments of distraction to wriggle out of the belt on the cart and stand up (I kid you not, it doesn’t matter how tight I put that belt on him, he can get out of it).

So I was already a little frazzled by the time we got up to the checkout. Ava took full advantage of the five minute wait we had at the checkout, too….she tried to add at least 20 things to the cart. Which made me just a little more frazzled.

It’s finally our turn, the cashier swipes our shoes across the barcode scanner, I pay, and then he HANDS MY CHANGE (ALL $25 OF IT) TO AVA!!! Um, are you kidding me? She’s 2! Which not only means I’ll have to confiscate my money before she drops it in the parking lot and the wind carries it away, it also means she’s going to throw a fit! Which she did, even though I tried to give her a quarter instead. But what choice did I have? If it was a couple of dollars, it wouldn’t have been a big deal and I would have just let her keep it. But $25? Come on! I’m sure he thought he was just being nice to her or whatever, but seriously man…think before you hand $25 to a 2-year-old!!

OK, vent over. Thank you for listening!

Posted: November 20th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: 2

How did it get to be less than a week away from Thanksgiving all of a sudden? I guess time really flies when you’re trying to keep up with two little people, because this just does not seem possible. I’m not complaining, though…Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

This year, we’ll be celebrating with my family (at my parents’ house, but my grandparents and uncle will be there too). We’ll be leaving Topeka Wednesday afternoon and getting to my grandparents’ house fairly late, but at least we’ll have time to get some sleep. Usually we drive all night long and are dead tired when we’re at my parents’ house and I really wanted to avoid that this time.

Then we’ll be going to Chad’s parents’ house Friday evening, spending Saturday with them and driving home on Sunday.

Next week is definitely going to be a busy one and I’m realizing that I need to start getting my packing and to-do lists ready. Yikes! There definitely won’t be any time for things like looking into call center services until we get home!

Posted: November 20th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: 2

I took Kelvin to the breastfeeding clinic this morning for a weight check and he weighs 23 lbs, 12 oz. Since he learned to crawl, his weight gain has slowed down significantly. Last time he went to the doctor, his weight was even back on the charts (I think he was around the 75th percentile). This is especially good news for me because it means he just might fit in his winter clothes all winter! I really did not want to buy him a whole new set of winter clothes in a few months.

In other news, he’s slowly working on his walking. He takes a few steps here and there, but he doesn’t seem very motivated to learn how right now. But today, he was pushing Ava’s doll stroller around all by himself. This is not as sturdy as a walker, and he’s always needed my help to keep it from tipping over because he would lean on it so heavily. So it’s really awesome that he has enough balance to do it on his own now. I’m pretty sure he’ll be a pro at walking before we know it…then I’m really going to need the wrinkle cream!!

Posted: November 20th, 2009 under Kelvin.
Comments: 1

We have snow!! I’m so excited, even though I know I’ll probably be totally sick of it by the time winter is over (and wishing I could rent one of these www.carolinadesigns.com houses to get away from it!). The kids are thrilled, too. Right now, it’s just really wet with a little bit of snow on the grass so the kids haven’t been out to play in it yet. We’re supposed to have 3-6 inches by tomorrow morning so I think they’ll get to play in it tomorrow. I’ll have to get some pictures when they do, because this will be Kelvin’s first time playing in the snow.

Posted: November 16th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
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Ava and Kelvin had their dentist appointments last Wednesday…and it was Kelvin’s first! They both did so awesome and I was really proud of them.

When we first went back, the assistant was going to have Ava sit in the big chair and she wanted me to hold Kelvin on my lap on a regular chair. But Kelvin was not going to have any of that…so he and Ava sat in the big chair together. It was so cute…I wish I’d brought my camera!

They were both totally cooperative…they opened their mouths perfectly for the assistant to brush their teeth and for the dentist to count and check them. And no cavities! I’d have been extremely surprised if they did. Neither of them drink much juice (they just don’t care for it very often), they don’t go to bed with a bottle and they voluntarily brush their teeth at least 5 times a day (and I brush them for them twice).

At the end they got bags with toothbrushes and some unique gifts for her (and him! LOL). They each got an inflatable ball and a little stuffed animal.

And then they both cried when it was time to leave. Have you ever heard of such a thing? LOL

Posted: November 16th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: 2