2009 Wrap-Up

On this last day of 2009 I just thought I'd post some of the wind-up items that need to be addressed:

While I don't have any real profound insights into the gradual healing that is happening in my heart right now, I can tell you that it is happening. And not by any power of my own. My heart, while not totally where I would like to be, it feels (quite literally) softer, there is not as much chaos in my emotions. The burden is definitely being shared at this point, and I am very grateful to my Savior for taking the reigns on this one. It isn't happening overnight but as soon as I placed it on His shoulders the struggle became less profound. I have a long way to go yet, but the hill isn't as steep, and I'm coming to the crest of the summit much quicker than I anticipated.

Something big is waiting to happen in my life, I don't know what it is, but Satan has been doing his all to prevent me from getting there. I've got to win this one.

I was PROFOUNDLY moved while reading Mormon 8 verses 1-13 my loneliness is minuscule compared to the grief that Moroni endured, and he bore it bravely and with complete confidence in the Lord, his faith was not shaken, and his love for the Lord was made sure. I have my amazing husband, E and M, my friends and my family, I am not nearly as alone as he was. The end to my trial is in sight, where he had to persevere through his for the rest of his life on earth, which made his blessings that much sweeter when he received them, as mine will be likewise.

I appreciate all of your kind thoughts and suggestions, there are so many great examples of righteous mothers out there, I am humbled by your confidence in my abilities and am eternally grateful for your prayers, they have assuredly been felt.


Onward:

A's 2009-

A is a faithful priesthood holder who has put his pride on the back burner more often that he would have liked to this year. He listened to the Spirit telling him how best to provide for his family, took a huge leap of faith and totally overhauled his career path, doing what we all knew he was born to do and doing it well. He graduated #1 in the class above 17 other people, receiving 4 of the 7 awards for top marks in different categories in his class and received huge compliments and praises from his instructors and was asked to come back to teach for the classes that will come behind him. I am very grateful to the Lord for sending me a husband who is exactly right for me, is always helpful and supportive, even tempered and strong, funny and wise, faithful and honest, brave and trusting, confident and gentle -- Amazing. He is a Sunbeam teacher in our ward.

E's 2009-

E's 6th year on this earth was full of change. He now lives with 5 adults who all love him completely. He lives in California and can spend 300 days of the year outside in perfect weather. He started Kindergarten, is in the top reading group of his class, got his first report card and did perfectly in all but 2 categories that he will work on. He lost his first 2 teeth, learned how to ride a bike, is old enough to be out of the booster seat in the car, is a champion Wii player, awesome reader, funny story teller, can make friends anywhere he goes, loves to write books (I wonder where he got that from?), loves to play with his brother, loves to be right, loves to help with chores, loves to go camping, hunting, hiking, and to Disneyland (he is tall enough for all but 1 of the rides, he's even brave enough for the Haunted Mansion, but not quite brave enough for Indiana Jones), he has become concerned with looking 'cool' by making sure his hair is always styled (as styled as his stick-straight blonder than blond hair can be). He weighs: 53 lbs and is 48" tall, his favorite person is Jacob. Best quote of the year: There are too many to choose from, but off the top of my head, see the post about Past Tense. He wants to be a bounty hunter when he grows up.

M's 2009-

M's 2nd full year on this earth was also full of change, he too lives with 5 adults who love him completely. He lives in California and can spend 300 days of the year outside in perfect weather. He loves his class at church, loves to play at the day-care at the gym, loves Sis, the dog (will play outside by himself for hours if she's there with him), can talk up a storm (you are very talented if you understand the entire storm), loves to ride bikes with his dad and brother, can hit a baseball most of the time, became very brave at swimming lessons, is tiny but tough and fast, loves to cook and clean, hates to eat (cuts out of playtime), loves to wrestle, is running when he's going, loves Disneyland, but not the rides, is as big as his brother (if you ask him). He weighs 29 lbs and is 36" tall, his best friend is Brooklyn. Best quote of the year: while helping me make cookies and looking up at me from the stool: Mom! Your nose!
Me: What's wrong with my nose?
Mn: There are spiders in there!
He wants to shoot monsters when he grows up.

I made goals for my body and met them by the end of the year, and now have set new ones to work for by the end of March. The financial goals that we set fell just short of completion, but will be met by the end of January. We have set new ones for 2010 and will hunker down to achieve them. I have also set personal goals for my spiritual growth and they are coming along.

It has been a year of change and of blessings, for that we are grateful.

We look foward to what is to come.

Christmas 2009

I don't have the pictures to post right now, those will come later. Our Christmas was a good one this year. The boys and I went up to visit with my family in the Bay Area for a few days before Christmas. The boys had a super-great time playing with their cousins Dallin and Bailey. And I had a very good visit with my sister, brother, sister-in-law, dad, cousin and her husband. It was a fast trip, but worth the time it took to get there. I think M made my dad's day, my dad got there after they'd gone to bed on Wednesday night and when M got up in the morning and saw him, he yelled 'Papa!' and jumped into his arms. He loves his grandpa (he's got good taste, he's a pretty great guy, if I do say so). We went bowling as is the Reed family tradition, but since we were driving home on Christmas Eve (which is when the festivities usually begin) we went on Wednesday. I can't say it was terribly fun, there were a lot of people there 4 kids, and 4 adults in our party, it was a bit chaotic. I got to have food from Bancheros Restaurant, an Italian restaurant that is legendary in our family, it brought back good feelings from my childhood.
We drove home on Christmas Eve, just in time for Santa to find us and drop off his goods.
E's Christmas was mostly Star Wars and Legos and Star Wars Legos, so he was in hog heaven.
M's Christmas was mostly Batman and vehicles, he got a super-sweet as big as his torso helicopter and as soon as he saw that, Christmas was over, he took it for a spin in the playroom and wasn't seen for several minutes afterwards. He loves it.
My Christmas was clothes (I always love new clothes) and a few kitchen items that I have been eyeballing for a while, I can't wait to use them to make something delicious.
A's Christmas was mostly stuff for work, and a few things for hunting/camping (work accessories are pretty costly).
A had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas night, which was a little bit of a bummer, but he got home in time for present unwrapping and breakfast then had Christmas dinner with us before he had to head out again.
It was a good day, worth all the time and money put in to it, to see how much my boys loved their loot.
Hopefully each of you had a very Merry Christmas as well.

Baby Steps

I made a list today of the goals that I had to help my day go more smoothly. And I'm happy to report that I met almost all of them.

Hopefully by keeping track of the good days the bad days won't seem so overwhelming. Focusing on the baby steps will lead to an overall improvement.

The loneliness that was so encompassing a few weeks ago is starting to clear out, and I'm able to see a more positive horizon. While I'm still working on getting meaning out of scripture study, at least I've been able to follow through on my commitment to actually read a little every day. Yesterday I was reading in Alma 60 and the phrase "...be up and doing..." in verse 24 really stuck out to me. I may be starting over with baby steps, but at least if I plug along and am up and doing things will work for the better.

I love my children, but do all kids bicker endlessly? Don't they realize that by antagonizing each other they are ultimately antagonizing me, and that makes for a mean-mom? How do I take that 3 second pause to think through the frustration before I react? I used to know how, but somehow I've lost that one. I did better today, I made sure to praise good behavior, but I still need to figure out a strategy for implementing a 3 second think before react rule. When they play together it's a great thing, they play together swimmingly, but when they bicker it is soooooo frustrating. E loves to do things that will make M screech and M will screech just to get E to stop doing things. They were made for each other, they are not brothers by accident, they're good for each other, but they are also maddening.
In Alma 50 verses 21 & 22 we see that it was the quarrelings and contentions of the people of Nephi which ultimately brought their own destructions. The success of this family depends on if we can stick together, if we can be happy together, I am responsible for my own thoughts of contention towards my children, and it is up to me that I change that so that we can all be exalted together.
I am not by nature a mean person. I am a caring person, I am a thoughtful person, I am a trusting person, how do I return to my nature?

I'm working on humility. I recognize that my heart is harder than it should be, I can't make it over on my own, this is beyond my capabilities. I've been knocked down a few pegs and I need help to reach my goal.

Baby Steps.

Past Tense

We went to the Nature Center today with the boys, saw lots of animals, and walked the little trail with the boys. E even held a snake all by himself, M (and mom) wanted nothing-whatever to do with that business.
Tonight when E was telling his grandparents what the animals were doing he said:
And the squirrel just douched all over the place!
A: What's douching?
E: You know the past tense of dash.

Gotta love it!

Not Sure -- not a light post, be warned

Well, I'm not sure what the outcome of this post will be. I've been putting it off, and mentally composing it for several weeks, so I'm not totally sure the direction I'm going to head in, let the words works their magic, I suppose.
Mostly I need to know if I'm alone in my feelings here?
I am a mother.
I feel like the worlds worst mother sometimes (a lot of sometimes). And I'm not exagerating, or fishing for compliments, or reassurances, I just need to know if I am the only one who feels this way. I love my children 100%, but like them about 70% of the time. I feel like most of my day is eaten up in correction and not in gentle, loving guidance.
There was a time when I wasn't sure if I would have any children, and miraculously, I was blessed with E who has such an enormous spirit that I'm surprised it fits in his body. He is a GREAT kid! He is funny, kind, obedient, smart, respectful, honest, caring, hard working, senstive, but no one can make me as livid as E can.
Then there was a time when I wasn't sure if I would have two children, and miraculously I was blessed with M who is one of the most determined people I know. He was definitely prepared in heaven for the challenges of these last days. He is smart, funny, energetic, determined, happy, loving, goofy, but no one can frustrate me like M does.
I begged Heavenly Father to send me these people, and I promised Him that I would do everything I could to return them to Him. I'm afraid I'm falling short.
I don't know how on earth I deserve to be the mortal custodians of these amazing leaders of Zion. I'm not kind enough, I'm not gentle enough, I'm not nurturing enough, I'm not loving enough, in short, I'm not good enough.
I feel these two huge spirits and am afraid instead of lifting them up and helping them to direct those spirits into greatness that I'm crushing them, ruining the basic purity of who they are.
Why don't I laugh enough with them? I want them to remember a happy childhood, not a grumpy mom.
How do I take a step back and just appreciate them for who they are, and not let the frustration of the moment overwhelm the joy?
I was once promised that I would have joy in my children. So far 'joy' is not the word I would pick for my feelings. The more appropriate sensation is just-making-it-to-the-end-of-the-day-without-sending-someone-to-their-room-or-to-the-corner.
We were thinking of trying to have another baby in the next few months but every time I considered the idea of getting pregnant, I just dreaded the idea. It's not that I don't want more children, it's that I don't want more children, I know that is contradictory, but I just don't know how I would handle another one when I don't appreciate that ones I've got. We've put the fertility treatments on the back burner until I can figure out how to be confident in my abilities to raise these boys and feel like I deserve having someone else in our family.
When I was a teenager I had two friends that everytime I felt like they needed me too much I would stop being their friend and move on to another friend to cling to. Miraculously they forgave me and we have great relationships now, and the hard feelings are resolved. It kills me today to think of how awful I treated them. But I'm afraid I'm doing that to my kids. They need me too much, so I'm pushing them away and trying to find the...something, I don't know what.

The other non-light thought that needs to be resolved is my feeling of being spiritually alone. I've done it to myself. I'm being lazy in my testimony building. But it's a funk I don't know how to shake, I do know how, but I haven't processed the kick that I need to get back into the swing of things. Maybe I need to prove that I want it enough to work at it. It's the little things that are the hardest right now. Getting on my knees everyday, reading my scriptures everyday, feeling grateful. And honestly, having confidence that Heavenly Father loves me.

Rationally I know these thoughts are useless and I know the logic behind the fact that He loves me. But I think of those things and I hear those things from other people and they trail in to: blah, blah, blah.

It's a hard feeling to describe, it's not that I feel that I'm not loved, it's that I feel like I've given up on myself. I'm not good enough to make it to the Celestial Kingdom, so why am I wasting my time? If I died today I wouldn't be exaulted, but my wheels are spinning because I'm not doing the kind of things I need to do to change that.

I have a testimony, I know the church is true, I know the Savior loves me, but I don't FEEL it. I feel alone.

And those are the thoughts that have been stewing for quite a while, maybe just having them out there will help resolve them. Hopefully anyway.

Gummy

E lost his first two teeth! They were the first two that came in when he was a baby too. The first one popped out last night when he was eating pizza at his school's Fall Family Fun Night. He got $1 from the toothfairy. The other one fell out today when he was eating an apple.

Pretty exciting times around here!

Procrastination

I'm not sure why I've been putting off an update. Everyday I think to myself that I'd better get back on the blog-wagon and post the goings on in our family. Yet everyday I miss the wagon by being busy-busy-busy, then having to go to bed.
A is due to graduate from the school that he is going to one week from today, so I am super excited about that. He starts his new job right after that, and is very ready to get going. I'm very proud of him, his evaluations have been nothing but positive and even the training staff say he's an ideal choice for this position, which is great because they don't hand out compliments very freely.
I'm staying busy with the boys. I'm E's Kindergarten classroom mom. I've been going to the gym at least three days a week, trying to reach a certain goal by Christmas.
E is doing fantastic in Kindergarten, his best friend is Andrew, they have a great time together. He's managed to stay on 'green' (good behavior) every day except for one when he got on 'yellow' for meowing when he'd been asked not to. He's got his first loose teeth. One of them is ready any second now and the other is still working on it. He is an excellent reader and writer. He turned six last month (I failed to post anything about that, not my best performance). He loves to ride his two wheel bike, build legos, play Wii, and anything that has to do with Star Wars. He is funny, kind, smart, handsome, friendly, obedient, loving, eager to learn, good to be around.
M is as busy as ever. He loves playing with grandma and grandpa's dog Sis. He loves going to the gym to play with kids. He talks up a storm (those of you who know E probably aren't terribly surprised since my kids have the chatter gene). I can understand 89% of what he says. He's desperately trying to give up mid-day naps, and I am desperately trying to see that he doesn't win this particular battle. He is a rascal, he is funny, he is energetic, he is loving, he is enthusiastic, he is determined, he is adorable.
As for our living situation, it is surprisingly fine. I was hugely worried about it, and while it's not perfect, it is working out very well. We have a financial goal and living here is helping us reach that goal much more quickly than if we were on our own. It has also been very beneficial while A has been so busy with school to have extra support and hands assisting me with my kids.
I don't love our new ward yet, but I'm working on it. I am currently serving as a Sunday School teacher for the 14&15 years olds and A is a Sunbeam teacher. We frequent Disneyland, since my in-laws were so generous and bought us season passes. We have been there about 10 times since we moved here.
I miss Arizona. Every time I see the desert landscape on TV I feel homesick. I do miss the desert, it really grew on me, and I even found it quite lovely. The heat, well, I could do without it, (you can't beat Orange County weather) but I miss Arizona. I miss my house, I miss my friends, I miss Gourmet Group, I miss being close to family, I miss my ward, I miss my neighbors, I miss the Mormon-ness, I miss the familiarity. I was happy there. I am now a member of the club of the millions of people who love living in Arizona.
California will be good too.

Makings of a good wife according to E

She has to be good at putting the baby to bed.

She has to be good at giving the baby it's pacifier when the baby is being a 'fussy bucket'.

She has to be a good milker.

First Day of School September 3, 2009

I'm a little late on the uptake here, but E had his first day of Kindergarten! He was very excited to make friends and go to school. He was especially excited about reccess.

Here are some pics of my big boy:

Mason wanted a backpack too. M was the only one who cried when E had to leave, I think they love eachother...

Suggestions

I'm teaching a class for Home Family and Personal Enrichment night in a few weeks. My subject is how to tighten our purse strings. I've got several ideas brewing, but could use the expertise from several of your frugal people out there. Any tips on how to save money on things from groceries to clothing to well.. just about anything. Also if you have any inexpensive meal ideas, that would be great too!

For Jodi

Part of this post is for Jodi, who made me sware on my life that my kids would be beach goers. I had not followed up on this promise until last Saturday. It's a shame really, we are rediculously close and I have been a slacker. I'm not sure who follows surfing news, but the weekend that we chose to go, the waves were enormous! The pictures do not do it justice. The beach patrol kept driving past telling us we were putting our lives at risk if we went in to the water more than knee deep, they'd had over 200 (I think thats right, if not totally accurate, very close thereto) rescues the day before. M had no problem following their advice, he isn't much for water. A on the other hand couldn't keep himself out. E was okay to not be too deep in the water, but if conditions had been more agreeable he would have been boogie boarding.

E is riding a bike with no training wheels! Hooray for E! I know it's a little later than average, but he figured it out in about 3 minutes, so I'm sure he was ready a while ago and I just never got on top of it. We owe thanks to uncle Matthew for being the motivator.

E can't wait to ride bikes with his cousins.

Carson City

The boys and I went up to my dad's house in Carson City for about 10 days, to see him, my sister Emily and brother Brent. My sister-in-law Erica came in from Texas with my nephew Dallin, and neice Bailey, and my grandma went up from the Bay Area, my brother Brian came up for the weekend (married to Erica). My aunt, Maryjo, rents a cabin at Lake Tahoe every summer, so we went to the beach for the 4th of July. The boys had an amazing time playing with their cousin and basking in being loved by my dad and grandma. We went to Virginia City and rode the train, visited my good friends Tammie and Becky, walked the Lake Tahoe Nature Trail, played at the park, ate 7 lbs of chocolate cake and 6.5 lbs. of apple pie over the course of 5 days between 5 people, went to dollar scoop Tuesdays at Baskin Robbins, chased Steve the cat, enjoyed fireworks, visited our old ward from when we lived there, E went to the movies with dad and grandma. The boys spent every evening playing outside until bedtime (most of the time clothing was optional for M and Dallin) and eating popsicles, chasing the dog, squirting her with a squirt guns (hooray for the $1 store!), playing water-balloon toss, running through sprinklers. It was everything summer is supposed to be for little boys. It was so nice to be with my sister and sister-in-law, we laughed and laughed and ate lots of 'sensible' pieces of pie, I taught them the joy of pazookie and So-You-Think-You-Can-Dance. It was a perfect vacation, much needed. My dad's health is not great anymore, he's had to go on dialysis, so it is important to to me be sure my boys have as many good memories with him as possible, and I think I accomplished that with this trip. Here are lots and lots of pictures.

These two pics are to show how being outside playing with boys for long periods of time gently morph one into The Lord of the Flies, the one below show a small sprig of grass adorning the crown.

Ahh, summer perfection.

E's Funny

In the car during the move from Arizona:
E: There are lots of snakes in the jungle, so if you go to the jungle you need a sword. Or a mongoose. Mom, don't you wish that a sword had a scope?
Me: I don't know that I've ever thought about it.
E: Why not?
Me: I don't know, it's just not something that I'd ever really wish for. It's a perfectly good wish, but just not something I'd wish for.
E: If a sword had a scope you could see right where you were going to cut, and then Ching! (his noise for swordplay).

At Last

Mostly a journaling post, probably won't be too exciting, just for my personal remembrances.

Our family is back together again! The boys and I made our move to Orange County 2 Saturdays ago. I owe a huge thank you to my friends the Whitmores and the Thorsons for letting me load all of our stuff up in their trucks and for driving all the way out here with me, I have champion friends! Also a huge thank you to Steve Faller, he brought about 15 Scouts over to my house to help load up the trucks. They had everything out of the house in about an hour and a half. From the ward were also the Andersons, Brothers Hale, Lund, Wallace, Poulsen, Kartchner, and Barnes and from the Stake Brother Higginbotham.
It is such a relief to be back with my sweetie, and have the boysback with their hero. Even though he is still hugely busy with training, it makes the days so much smoother to have him around when he is home.
We are still living out of boxes, which makes for a lot of personal frustration, just because I don't know where all of my stuff is, which is one of my pet peeves. I have misplaced a box that has all of our credit card statements, medical information, bank info and our rental lease contract, so I'm stressing about that, I'm going to have to fast tomorrow for help finding it, because I just can't relax about it.
Our renters are in and I'm praying that they turn out to be good tenants, they seem pretty on the ball about things, so here's the proverbial knock on wood.
The weather has been so wonderful that my boys are able to go outside and play for several hours at a time. We've made one trip to Disneyland, our in-laws bought us season passes, so we're able to go almost any time we want. E loves it, M isn't terribly sure yet.
Our ward seems pretty good, a nice mix of families at different stages. So hopefully we'll find our niche.
I do miss Arizona, despite the heat I was very happy there. I loved the layout of my house and have such amazing friends that it was very sad to leave.
Upward and Onward.

E's Funny

E is a sucker for infomercials. He wants to buy anything you can direct from the TV. I got the best laugh I've had in a long time when watching one with him. I hear him mumble: "But you'll double it!"


Later that day he's doing push-ups and he explains to me:
"Sometimes when I'm doing push-ups my arms shake, it's because they're scared, but they'll get over it."

Updates

So much has happened in such a short period of time that it seems like nothing is new, however, I'm sure that something I'm about to mention will be new to some of you. This post feels a bit scattered to me, because I feel a bit scattered lately, so bear with me on this one.

E learned to whistle over the weekend, lucky me!

M has shown an interest in sitting on the potty, he has successfully hit his target one time.

5 Mondays ago A was offered and accepted a new job in Orange County, CA. My sister-in-law, Jodi, swears that A was created to perform this job, just look at him! For those of you who know the specifics about what this job is, please don't mention it in any of your comments, such as title, specific place, etc. Since then he has been living with his parents doing training, and working very hard. Meanwhile, I have been here in SoPhx with the boys, packing up our house, listing it for rent, screening applicants and generally losing my mind.
The move creates varied emotions for me. We have been hugely happy living in Arizona and would have probably stayed here for the rest of our lives had the economy not taken a ride on the porcelain express, and threatened our ability to provide food for our children, with A's previous job being directly related to the building industry. I have amazing friends here, a great ward, am involved in so many different clubs/groups, I love my house. But there are several things I will definitely not miss (look for a later post about the things I've learned living here).
We really feel like we have been guided by the Spirit to make this huge change and are trusting that we are doing what we have been prompted to do. A was raised in Orange County and it is where we met, fell in love, and married; so we have both always wanted to move back there, but never foresaw that it would be possible. The schools and opportunities of the area where we are moving are amazing for our children.

Having lived for almost a month without my husband has been a real challenge. I have no idea how single mothers survive and am even more astounded that anyone would choose this lifestyle, it is not pretty, and is clearly not what I'd signed up for. I've been hugely blessed by an extra measure of the Spirit in our home, have received enormous amounts of help from friends, and have only suffered one crying melt-down. But it is still really, really tough. There is a reason why Heavenly Father says there needs to be a mom and a dad. For those mothers out there who have lost their husbands through circumstances beyond their control, my hat goes off to you, I don't know how you manage everyday.
E has been amazingly well behaved, and has really strived towards obedience and has tried extra hard to help out. He is truly a blessing. He has deeply felt the absence of his father, but always looks forward to talking to him before bed and has even read him a story over the phone to help A go to bed. But by about 7pm every night I am completely done with the constant barrage of non-sensical noise that emanates from him. A 7:30 bedtime has been a real sanity saver for me. I am proud of myself, however, that I manage to keep a cool head and allow him to chatter at me to his hearts content, and respond in a positive manner.
M, on the other hand, would probably be an only child had he been my first born. Our first Sunday without dad saw me with a positive outlook about how the day would go: we were up early, the boys were both fed, bathed, and fully dressed, and I was minutes away from being ready, applying my make-up and we'd make it to church nice and early. I hear E yell: "OH MY GOSH!" So I go running out to the living room to see what is going on: M (fully clothed) is sitting on the bathroom sink, has it plugged up, water running out of the sink, onto the floor (at least 2/3 of an inch) and is soaking wet.
Fast forward two weeks. I'm showered, getting ready for a night out with my friends Jackie and Deidre, go walking back in to my bedroom, that's odd, I hear water running. M is fully clothed, in my bathtub with 3 inches of water and every diaper I had just purchased enjoying a little swim.
Moral of these stories is the old Arizona adage: watch your kids around water.
Seriously, I'm pretty sure that E was never this naughty. It's a good thing that M is cute because he'd be looking for a new place to live at this point, if he weren't.

There are exciting times ahead, and I can't wait to be reunited with my sweety! I will keep you all posted about what happens from here.

Mmmmm

I made a sandwich today and was a little disappointed. We don't have any pickles in the house and since we're moving soon, I hate to buy any at this point. I started thinking of all the food that I enjoy, no, am passionate about:
Pickles (Claussen, you can only find them in the refrigerated section, and they're a little more expensive than other brands, but they stay crisp and delicious)
Olives -- Any variety
Bacon
Tomatoes from my dad's garden
Avocados
Nectarines
Watermelon
Crusty sour-dough bread (it has to be true sour-dough bread or I won't waste my time)
Brownies
Cheesecake
Pesto Pizza
Oranges
Mango (not mushy, still a little bit on the un-ripe side)

I don't think life would be worth living if I couldn't have any of the above ever again. Hooray for SuperMarkets!

What are the foods that you could eat everyday and probably never get tired of?

Holla

For all you young mothers our there, I took one for the team today:

I was out getting lunch with my 2-year-old and the little boy I babysit after my son's Dr. appointment. I was ordering the food and the boys were behind me. M was tapping on the glass at the people outside and I hear a lady behind me say "He's banging on the glass!" So I turn around to see what is going on and this lady who is obviously past her child-baring years is giving me the dirtiest look I've seen in a long time.
My heart started pounding and the blood rushed to my face. I picked M up and looked at her and said, "If you've ever had kids of your own, please do not give me a dirty look," I turned around and walked away.
Whether you agree with my actions or not: It was hugely satisfying, and hopefully this bitter woman will think twice about giving one of you the evil eye when your children are behaving less than stellar.

Coupons

You know you're a coupon-a-holic when you're children are playing and one says to the other:

"Would you like some water? It's free with a coupon!"

Wonderland

I belong to a Dinner Group with 12 other ladies who live in my neighborhood. Two people pair up and once per year we host a dinner. We go all out with invitations, place settings, menus, etc. It is one of my favorite nights out. On April 18th, my amazing partner, Jennifer, and I hosted an evening with 'The Critters of Wonderland'. Our original idea was a mad-hatter tea-party, but it morphed into a full dinner, and it was so easy, I couldn't have been more pleased. Of course we couldn't have done it without her amazing husband, Brent, who helped us by making 48 boxes, set up, clean up, plating, technical effects, and moral support, big kudos to my friend Brent!

Here are the pictures and the recipes we used.

Our menu was:

The Ladybug and Butterfly

The Caterpillar

The Cheshire Cat

The Doormouse and Turtle Tea

At her front entrance we propped a mirror next to the doorbell, and this sign:

The sign reads: Step through the looking glass and Ring the Bell to take a trip down the Rabbit Hole!

We hung up a plastic black tablecloth at the end of the hallway and used red flashing lights to create the "Rabbit Hole"

We had her son dress up as the White Rabbit (it took a bit of 'promises' to encourage this activity), he answered the door and was supposed to say "I'm late for a very important date!" and run down the hall, but I think most of the time it ended up as a conversation about how the rabbit hole scared him.

For Appetizers we did Ladybug Appetizers and Butterfly Cheese Sandwiches

Using the boxes that Brent made we stamped a label to put on top of each box that read "Eat Me". We removed the labels from bottle of sparkling juices, and stamped a label that read "Drink Me". We refrigerated these and set them up on the appetizer table next to the food.

These crazy teapots were 50% off at Hobby Lobby, and they were just too perfect to pass up!

Jennifer bought some adorable colored paper lanterns and Brent hung them up with some out door lights around her gazebo. We also used them and some perfect butterflies and dollar store pink and yellow placemats for the place settings. We made Mango Lemonade, Kiwi Limeade, and Blackberry Lemonade and put them in these beautiful curvy carafes that Jennifer had as part of centerpiece.

Each person was given a menu card with a colored dot, representing the color of a lantern. next to the name of each course. Between courses Brent piped to the outside speakers the sound of the Mad Hatter yelling: "Clean Cup, Clean Cup, Move Down!" from the Disney movie. Everyone had to get up between courses and move to the colored dot shown on their card.

Our salad course was The Caterpillar. We took mixed baby greens, melon balls, carrot slivers, and Mint Dressing for Fruit

To the dressing we did add some honey since the vinegar was a bit overwhelming, salt and pepper, and substituted parsley for the cilantro because we have parsley in one of the other courses.

The Cheshire Cat was our main course. We used Greek Pork Loin, Greek Browned Butter Pasta, steamed baby squashes, pita bread toasted with olive oil, herbs and Parmesan cheese. We arranged the pasta in the shape of a cat with a tail, used the pork loin as the face, which was resting on pieces of pita for the ears, green olives for the eyes, a kalamata olive for the nose and extra pasta for the whiskers.

We pan seared the pork before putting it in the slow cooker and let it rest for several minutes so that it would slice up easier without falling apart.

For dessert we had the Doormouse and Turtle Tea

We used Carrot Souffle cut in a round to look like cheddar cheese. I was really unsure of the idea of carrot souffle but Jennifer made it for me a few weeks before the party and it really is tasty. It had a strawberry dipped in white chocolate and painted on eyes, nose, and feet. Brent was a master at plating it with fruit, caramel, and some delicious cinnamon whipped cream that he made himself. I didn't get a picture of the turtle tea, but we used Mascarpone Brioche Sandwiches with Chocolate Soup as the Tea, we drizzled it with caramel and sprinkled it with pecans to make the 'turtle' part. Jennifer was really unsure of the idea of chocolate soup but I made it for her a few weeks before the party and it was a hit. We made the chocolate soup the night before then just stored it in the refrigerator and put it in a crock pot the day of the dinner to get it warmed through.

We approached the evening with a modest budget, and a really relaxed perspective and I think it turned out perfectly. Everything was just as I'd hoped for and there wasn't a huge amount of rushing around last minute. We actually had the opportunity to sit with our friends and enjoy the dinner. And everyone said that we served food that they would make again, so it was a big success as far as I was concerned.

I love Gourmet Group!