my baby girl is growing up....

Alycia just turned 11 a few months ago and I decided to it was time for her to take a babysitting class. She's not babysitting til she's 12, but we thought it wouldn't hurt for her to take the class. Saturday was the big day. She packed her own lunch and was up and ready by 8am. She would learn how to perform CPR and first aid among other things. After class Brent and I grilled her as to what she learned and what they did. She had to learn how to change a diaper, which didn't really bother her. These were dolls they practiced on so I'm sure she has no idea how bad that will be. So glad my kids are past the poopy diaper stage! Uggg!

Last week she went to her friends' house to hang out and when I picked her up, she was wearing blue eyeshadow and an ample amount of blush. She didn't go crazy, like I did at that age but it did frighten me a bit that she was WANTING to wear cosmetics. Tweens......Am I ready for this???

Boys, boys, and more boys...
There are several boys at her school that she is interested in. She's not going crazy about them, but the thought of her even remotely thinking of them is putting me in "freaking out mode." I'm so not ready for this!

I guess I can't call her my little girl anymore since she's a bit taller than my 5 foot self. Okay, if I wear heels, I'm a giant or so I like to think I am. Just a few weeks ago I felt taller...am I just shrinking? Is this how my mom felt when I passed her in height?

I am seriously NOT ready for this....

...what's the big deal with the Twilight saga???

So what happened to my house....it looked like a tornado hit ( I can say this since I lived in Tulsa for 5 years)....it looked like utter chaos! At least the dishes where done...Thank you Alycia!..Hmm...dinner was basically leftovers, cereal and whatever was in the fridge...Four days of nothing done...uh...piles of clothes in baskets (at least they're clean)...Kids resorting to sort and put away THEIR own clothes....What happened you might ask yourselves????

Twilight....

Okay...everyone's been talking about the book Twilight and how great it is and how I've gotta read it. On Saturday, I saw it at Sam's Club and bought it and New Moon, just in case I HAD to read the second of the saga. I was SOOO hooked. I finished them in two days. On my way to school, I couldn't wait til Sam's opened at 10:30, so I went to Target and bought Eclipse and Breaking Dawn...Ah, I finished them all in 4 days! Technically 5, since I stayed up til 3am to finish up the last book.

By Tuesday, my eyes felt like they were on fire from lack of sleep. My fellow classmates asked if I was feeling well...I'm assuming it was due to the dark circles under my eyes and bloodshot eyes. I should've worn some makeup, duh? I hope I remembered to brush my hair...big sigh...Lucky me, I had my handy dandy cup of ice cold Coke next to me to keep me alert and awake...ahh...okay...I know there are some in my family that frown on my choice of beverages...but that's my only real weakness...-bigger sigh----

Getting back to reality isn't fun, since I have a lot of catching up to do...but my little vacation was so worth it!------Twilight rocks!!!!

Sad kids…bad mom…sad mom…

Sad kids…bad mom…sad mom…

I've been meaning to write this for a couple days…Tuesdays are piano lesson days. I needed to make sure the kids did their theory workbook and practiced all their songs. I took their notebooks out of the piano bag to see what the assignments were homework. Guess what? I forgot to put the notebooks back in their bags.

When I went to pick up the kids from piano, there were some seriously sad faces. Like, extremely sad…I asked how piano went (I thought they didn't pass of their songs)…It was worse than that…They didn't have their NOTEBOOKS! Uh-oh..Since they didn't bring their notebooks, that meant they didn't get to go to the prize jar AND they didn't get to put a sticker on the chart. Oh no…

My kiddos were not happy campers. I felt like world's worst mom. It was totally my fault. I was the guilty party. Was there a way I could justify it from being MY fault? Okay…I KNOW I'm a grown adult, and should know better…but that's the immature side of me showing its ugliness. I fessed up…I told the kids it was MY fault and that I was very, very sorry. I wish I could say that the kids said "that's okay mom, people make mistakes, we still love you"…nope…they just sat in silence on the drive back home. Silence was not golden this time…

As I was driving home I felt a knot in my stomach. I felt so bad. When we got back home, they ate dinner and as an extra treat, they were allowed to have dessert. (That was my way of saying sorry, again.) Ah…happy kids again…happy ending to a not so happy day..

Motherhood

Motherhood…..

Today is the third day of the kids' fall break. Things went well. The kids practiced their piano and did their chores. Just a few reminders was all that was needed. Ahh…the sweet sound of the dishwasher that I didn't have to load and unload. My kids are growing up so fast. Just yesterday, Joseph cleared the table after breakfast and threw out the recyclables in the right container WITHOUT being asked. Alycia helped prepare dinner by frying the tortillas for the taquitos (with adult supervision, of course). I think she appreciated dinner a little more than usual.

As I sit here typing away, I think of how grateful I am that I have this opportunity to be a mom. Two kiddos are all the Lord has blessed us with, and I'm thankful for this opportunity he's given me to teach these wonderful little spirits. Yes, Alycia's almost taller than me and Joseph's not too far behind…but they're still my little ones.

As I was doing my math homework, Alycia was loading the dishes and Joseph was practicing the piano….such sweet sounds. No bickering, no corner time, no essay writing and the dreaded…no sentence writing. Good day for me!

I remember being pregnant with Alycia. I thought for sure I was going to have a 13 pound girl. I was huge…my weight gain frightened my poor sweet husband. I ate everything in sight. (this is no exaggeration). It didn't help that our apartment in Tulsa was right next door to Braums…ah...Braums. It was an ice cream place that had awesome burgers. I remember waddling myself there many a times. (We only had one car, and Brent usually took it to work). Brent nicknamed me "Big Momma."

When Alycia was born, she only weighed 7 pounds. I remember seeing her, thinking…she's supposed to be a lot bigger! Why am I still fat? I'm supposed to fit into my size 8 jeans!!!

As the nurse brought her to me, I was so scared. I wasn't prepared for motherhood. I didn't know what to do? I didn't babysit like most girls did…I told Brent to hold her…I thought if I held her, she would break. I was 23 when I had her. She was truly a blessing from Our Father in Heaven. She was so perfect! Bathing her was a scary thing for me. I would wait for Brent to come home and have him help me. A couple days after Alycia was born, Brent's mom flew out to help us. She was an answer to our prayers. Linda showed me how to take care of this sweet little spirit. She made me feel like I could actually do this "mother" thing. She built up my confidence and helped me become comfortable in this new role I was to play. Thank you Linda! My mother came out a few weeks later and also helped me with our new little bundle of joy. After everyone left, I was left alone with Alycia. I remember thinking "Will I remember all that Linda and mom taught me?" "Am I ready for this?" "Is this girl going to cry the WHOLE TIME???"

When Joseph was born, I was much more prepared. I didn't gain as much weight with this one, since I didn't eat gallons of ice cream a week this time! Joseph was definitely different from Alycia. He was really mellow and was truly a momma's boy. I didn't complain. All was not well with him though…I remember thinking… "Joseph's not really talking. Alycia was talking in sentences by this time…this kid just points and grunts. Something is not right. Am I being overly worried?" My gut kept telling me something was NOT right. After getting rejected for services, I had to get in what I call "Momma bear mode." I challenged those professionals and finally got speech services for my little cub. He has made amazing progress since he started services 5 years ago.

I wish I could say motherhood is easy, but it's so worth the sacrifice. Staying home with my kiddos has been an awesome experience. They are growing up so fast and have their own personalities. As a mother you have to make many sacrifices, not just financially, but emotionally. Sometimes we have little ones that have struggles that you wish they didn't have to go through. With my little Joseph, there are struggles I wish the Lord would give me instead of him. But trials are given for a purpose, and I know my little guy will be a stronger person because of this. I will forever treasure this experience I have to be a mom. I know that the day my kids leave the house for college, missions, marriage and are on their own…my heart will ache. I'm sure I'll miss the sound of my kids playing the piano off key, the sound of Alycia singing to her favorite Tegan and Sara song, and perhaps even the sound of grumblings of having to do chores….

Motherhood can be challenging but like I said earlier…it's so worth it…..

Jury Duty

I had Jury Duty last week. I showed up on Monday and after a few hours of waiting was asked if I could attend a 3 week trial. They also explained that we could be reimbursed for lost wages, so that was not a valid excuse. I told them yes and was told to return the next afternoon.

The next day I had to sit through the court asking 60 people in the jury pool various questions. It was mildly interesting, but tedious. We only thing we were told about the trial was that the defendant (a black, 25 year old male) was being charged in a home invasion where one of the residents was shot. The saddest thing was that several jurors said that they had family members or close friends who have been murdered.

I tried to find any honest reason for the court to dismiss me, but was not successful. I got close when the defense attorney asked if anyone would tend to disbelieve a witness if it was known they were a convicted felon. I was amazed to find my hand was the only one raised. The judge however made him rephrase his question to ask if anyone would reject a felon's testimony automatically. I couldn't raise my hand to that.

They finally finished questioning at 4:45, so we were told to come back on Wednesday to see who would wind up on the jury. I came back to find the courtroom empty except for the bailiff and fellow jurors. I thought for sure the guy plead guilty and I was free, but no. It turns out the defense attorney had a seizure that morning and was in the hospital. We were to return on Thursday, but left our cell phone numbers in case it was delayed again.

Each day I received a call telling me to attend the next day until this morning. I was told today that I have been dismissed. I am very glad since this was looking to be over 4 weeks of duty while my job only pays for 2.

So today I actually got to look around and find out what I could about what happened. It turns out 3 guys broke into an apartment here in Chandler (about 12 miles from our home). One of the people living there fought with the intruders and ended up getting shot and killed. The three were caught and plead guilty to armed robbery. This defendant got 8 years in prison for that. This trial was either for kidnapping or muder or both. They never did say.

Just knowing that this guy plead guilty already to being a part of the robbery, I would be very inclinded to find him guilty. It could have been interesting, but 4+ weeks would have been way too long, especially since it would be durring the kid's fall break.

Strawberry Pie

Anna's Favorite Strawberry Pie Recipe

This is my absolute favorite recipe. I got it from the Better Homes and Garden recipe book. I've made some adjustments in the measurements, so I've renamed it.

2 quarts fresh strawberries (8 cups)

1 -1/3 C granulated sugar

4 Tbls. Cornstarch

A few drops of red food coloring

One baked pastry shell

Whipped topping

 

Remove the stems from the strawberries. In a blender or food processor, process 3 cups strawberries with enough water to fill to the 3 Cup mark, pulse until smooth.

In a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in berry mixture and add a few drops of red food coloring. (If you don't use the food coloring, it will have a light pink color). Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Let cool for 8-10 minutes without stirring.

Spread about ¼ of the berry mixture over the bottom of baked shell. Arrange half of the remaining berries in pastry shell, stem ends down, cutting larger berries in half lengthwise. Spoon the remaining berry mixture over berries, being careful to cover all of the fruit.

Chill for 3 hours or more. Add whipped topping prior to serving.

Pie Crust

Pie Crust

This recipe was taken from The Silver palate cookbook. I use butter flavored Crisco to make the crust taste extra buttery. I always receive compliments on how yummy the crust is. Enjoy!

2 to 2 -1/2 Cups all purpose flour
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, chilled
6 Tbs. Regular or Crisco butter flavored shortening
5 to 6 Tbs. ice water

Mix flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Add chilled butter and shortening. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, rub or cut fat into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle on ice water, 2 to 3 Tbs. at a time, and toss with a fork. Turn dough out onto your work area and using the heel of your hand, smear dough away from you. Scrape it up into a ball and wrap in wax paper. Chill.

Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured work surface. Line a 9 inch pie plate with half of the dough. Crimp edges for a single - crust pie.

For prebaking, line dough in the pie plate with foil, and fill with beans or rice. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 8 minutes, then remove beans and lining. Prick bottom of dough with a fork and return pie plate in oven to 10-13 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown.

This makes One 9-inch double crust , or two 9 inch single crusts.