Rant

Although I am normally an MMM (mild mannered mommy) on this blog, I am going to turn into another version of myself - the ranting politico!

I am so absolutely tired of receiving forwarded emails with half truths and untruths about various political individuals and situations. Ann Coulter, I despise your methods! I think that there is very little worth in most of what you say. You demean the process for your own fun and gain and fame. Shame on you and everyone else like you!

I am insulted by the propaganda of fear and emotionalism. It just gets me all bugged to receive these forwards which contain lies and partial truths and get good people riled up about the conditions of our nation and society. Certainly there is great cause to be concerned and to get involved so why re-focus people's attention on things that are not legitimate?

Here are some of my most hated lies:

• "In God We Trust" is NOT being removed from our coins. Some of the new coins have it on the ridge but it is NOT gone!
• Barak Obama is not a Muslim and even if he was, that would not automatically make him a terrorist or someone who hates America.
• Obama removed his lapel pin American Flag in a speech indicating that after 9/11 it became fashionable to wear one and thereby "appear" as a patriot without doing much else. He said he wants to wear the flag in his heart and have his patriotism manifested in his actions NOT his accessories. You can argue with that decision but quit saying it is because he doesn't believe in America!
• While it is true that Obama was caught on video tape NOT pledging the flag during the National Anthem, he is also the only candidate in that very same footage who is SINGING the Anthem. I don't know why he didn't have his hand on his heart but it seems I can't get to the bottom of it because everyone's time and trouble is focused on whether he is anti-American or not.
• There is not legislation or an FCC petition to make it so the LDS Conference, Music and the Spoken Word, the 700 Club, or any other mention of religion or God via the airwaves will be illegal. The FCC reviewed the petition mentioned in the 1970s (and the petition was only that the FCC ensure that channels reserved for education not include religion) and found that it was not within their rights to approve it. The supposed instigator - Madalyn O'Hair - has been dead since 1995.*

What really makes me mad about all these kinds of things is that it completely distracts good people from being involved in reasonable political discussions. Instead of wasting our time on these lies let's discuss how it is that "We the People" can follow the example of other successful civilizations (including in the Book of Mormon) and the admonition of Christ to take care of the widows and children and impoverished. Let's discuss how "We the People" can end war and quit turning our young men and women into physically and emotionally wounded veterans. Let's discuss how "We the People" can insure the right of all children to be born but let's also discuss their right to an education and food and a life outside of poverty. Let's discuss how "We the People" can preserve our families and the Lord's definition of marriage. Let's discuss how "We the People" can take better stewardship of the Lord's creation - earth.

I'm insulted that pundits and "entertainers" and people who can make a YouTube video think they can put together some emotionally-charged words, images, and music and get me to quit thinking for myself. And yet, it seems to be successful for so many. Let's take a stand and refuse to be manipulated! I'm just so darn sick of it, aren't you?

*Madalyn O'Hair was not involved in the petition but she was an athiest and was one of the main instigators of removing prayer from schools - I bet she knows better now.

more ranting... how do you really think an email petition is going to work? If I sign it and send it to 10 people each of those ten have now started a whole new stream of emails. It doesn't all end up with the same list of signatures, does it?

Snopes.com is a very good place to check your facts. You can also check the AP wires or Reuters. Choose reliable sources and check your facts before you forward!

Our Cool Kid

Older

Last Friday was my birthday. It was a very nice weekend. For a while it looked like our plans to celebrate wouldn't happen because all eligible babysitters were involved in some sort of graduation (HS, seminary). Finally on Thursday I was beginning to surrender to the sinking feeling that we wouldn't get to get away at all. Just at that moment, Corrie called and said that although she couldn't watch Eden on Friday, she could that night. I called Phil and he made arrangements for us to eat at the nicest restaurant in town. Then Alisha called and said that her weekend away got canceled and she could watch Eden Friday if we wanted to go forward with our original plan (to go to an Indian restaurant in B'ham and then the temple) on Friday. We decided to stick with our plan to go out on Thursday and then go to the temple this Wednesday morning (the B'ham temple only has limited sessions each week). So, thanks to some wonderful friends, my birthday didn't have the stench of self-pity.

After our very nice dinner, we went to see Prince Caspian (really liked it). When we got home it was after midnight so Phil indulged me and allowed me to open my gifts then. As always he was very thoughtful in his gift-giving. Eden even "signed" her card (scribbles artfully applied to the writing surface). Friday morning Phil and Eden let me sleep in and made me delicious waffles with strawberries. Yum! Then I looked here and found a fabulous poem written in my honor!

We spent Friday preparing for a yard sale. Phil made some stylish Yard Sale signs that we posted around our community. We tracked down all our treasures and put price tags on them. It was a busy day. Then Saturday we arose very early so that we would be ready for our 7 a.m. visitors. And they came... they just didn't buy much. Clearly we don't understand the yard saler mentality. So those of you who frequent yard sales, what is it that makes for a good one? We didn't sell a single book but got rid of most of our CDs (even some LDS artists ones - little do those buyers know...).

Saturday night we went to a concert in the park with some friends. Eden was adorable. She loves to try to keep up with the other kids. It was fun. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra played music from films such as Harry Potter, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings, etc. There was a fun atmosphere. Phil made me a delectable chocolate cake with penuche frosting. We took it and shared it with those around us (some friends from church and some from JSU). It was a grand time.

So there you have it. Turning 41 was pretty spectacular.

Better

This won't be a long post but I wanted to say that this chemo weekend went much, much better. Phil is a rock! The oncologist decided to only have Phil do chemo through June (instead of through July) and then have scans and tests in July to make sure things are good.

In Eden news...
Her latest thing is to say "hi." Last night we went for a drive and every time Phil caught her eye in the rear view mirror she would say, "hi" (with a little head cock and grin). She is so dang cute! Today we were at the store and she kept saying "hi" to everyone who made eye contact. She is our little socialite!

Food Friday - Banana Spice Muffins

I found this recipe this week online at cookinglight.com. They are yummy!

2 1/2 C Flour
1/3 C Sugar
1/3 C Brown Sugar
1 T Baking Powder
1 t Baking Soda
1/2 t Salt
1 t Allpsice (ground) (I didn't have allspice so I just used cinnamon)
1 t Ginger (ground)
1 C Mashed Ripe Banana (about 2 small)
2/3 C Milk
1/3 C Buttermilk
1/3 C Ricotta Cheese (I know, who would have thought!)
2 T Vegetable Oil
1 T Vanilla
1 Egg
1 Egg White (I'm lazy and just did two eggs)

Preheat oven to 400

Combine first 8 ingredients (flour through ginger) in a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Combine banana and the next 7 ingredients (banana through eggs) in a bowl, and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. Spoon batter into 18 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 for 18 minutes or until done. Remove from pans immediately, and cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Info (if you use low-fat ingredients):
Calories 125
Fat 2.4g
Protein 3.2g
Cholesterol 13mg
Calcium 59mg
Sodium 194mg
Fiber .8g
Iron 1mg
Carbs 22.6g

(These freeze really well too!)

enjoy!

40 Things

Claire did a post of 40 things she hopes to accomplish by the time she is forty. Well, since I'm 40 (and only for one more week!) here is a list (in no particular order) of 40 things I DID accomplish by the time I was 40:

• Speak in Stake Conference (did this when I was 7)
• Earn my BS in History from USU
• Serve an LDS Mission to New Hampshire
• Teach early morning seminary
• Earn my MA in History from MSU
• Travel to Switzerland, Germany, and France
• Travel to Victoria B.C. with friends
• Sing the role of "Sarah" in the Forgotten Carols (you know the "Mary let me hold her baby" part) with Michael McLean
• Marry my best friend
• Remove and install a catalytic converter in a 1982 Toyota Corolla
• Buy a house
• Have a 10-year career
• Bungee jump
• Visit the Sacred Grove
• Visit Nauvoo
• Sing in a fireside at the Joseph Smith Memorial in Sharon, VT
• Give birth to a beautiful girl
• Take a cross-country trip in a moving truck with three brothers
• Help re-shingle a roof
• Travel in Italy
• Hike the Narrows (Zions) - twice
• Contribute to a 403B retirement fund
• Heal from a broken heart
• Teach a university course (two actually: Freshman Connections and Women's Leadership)
• Survive Banner installation/conversion - twice
• Have a blog
• Serve as Phi Alpha Theta president
• Win first-place at Phi Alpha Theta conference (for a paper about black, female, educators)
• Compete in the regional College Bowl (in Boulder, CO)
• Reupholster my chair (the chair that is now lovingly referred to as the "chemo-chair"
  
• Serve as Relief Society president
• Buy a serger
• Go to NYC -thrice (once with Amanda, once with Charlotte, and once with Andy)
  
• Help my dad through multiple health issues and hospital stays
• Act and sing in multiple plays and musicals (including an amazing stage kiss) LOL
• Attend a professional hockey game
• Read The Book of Mormon several times
• Play in the ocean with all my clothes on
• Serve as Gospel Doctrine teacher for 5 years
• Go to Hawaii with all my family (those that were in the family at the time anyway)

Stay tuned for 40 more things I hope to accomplish before I'm 80!

Love Letters from the Bambino

Dear Carrots:

I know that I loved you for a long time, but I've moved on.  Please quit trying to get back into my life.

Regretfully,

the Bambino

Darling Peas:

I'm so sorry that I misunderstood you for so long.  You are wonderful and I love you.  Your size, shape, and color just make me happy.  You are so fun I could just eat you up.  Be mine.

Yours truly,

the Bambino

Lima Beans,

I know daddy hates you (and maybe that is why I am so enthralled with you - maybe I'm a rebel). Let's keep our affair alive with or without daddy's blessing!  Mom thinks we make a great couple.

Meet  you for lunch,

the Bambino

Our Bathing Beauty Loves Fruit Snacks

New Arrivals at Our House

A few weeks ago, Phil found that we had a nest in one of our ferns on the front porch. I'd seen a wren flying in and out of the fern so I wasn't surprised. There were three small eggs in the nest. That night we had a huge storm and we awoke to find the fern on the ground and all but one of the eggs was broken. We were sad.

About a week later Phil and Eden discovered another nest in our other fern. This one had five eggs. Now we have five adorable (actually they are pretty ugly) new arrivals at our house:

Food Friday - Divinity

By request... (sorry Sugar and Spice girls - this is NOT helpful with our attempts to be more healthy)

This is actually just the recipe that came with my Kitchen Aid - it has very specific instructions about what speed etc. (My K.A. has speeds from 0-10 for reference.)

3 C sugar
3/4 C light corn syrup
1/2 C water
2 egg whites
1 t almond extract
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
(I've also seen recipes with zest of orange or maraschino cherries)

Place sugar, corn syrup, and water in heavy saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat to hard ball stage (use a candy thermometer or place some cold water in a cup and when a drop of the mixture make a "hard ball" you know you're there). Remove from heat and let stand until temperature drops to 220, without stirring.

Place egg whites in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to Speed 8 and whip about 1 minute, or until soft peaks form. Gradually add syrup in a fine stream and whip about 2 1/2 minutes longer.

Turn to Speed 4. Add almond extract and whip 20 to 25 minutes, or until mixture starts to become dry. Turn to Stir Speed and add nuts, mixing just until blended.

Drop mixture from measuring tablespoon onto waxed paper or greased baking sheet to form patties.

Let them stand for approximately 1 hour (until they cool and harden). Eat (but not too many).

Kitchen Aid Trick (free of charge, just for having read this far):
If you have a K.A. classic (the kind where the bowl is locked into place and the arm is lowered into the bowl) you may find that the bowl can get pretty wedged into place while doing long-term mixing (especially bread dough kneading). To prevent this from happening, I spray a little bit of cooking oil (like Pam) onto the metal where the bowl is secured. This acts as a lubricant and I don't have to use heavy tools to un-wedge the bowl when the mixing/kneading is done. It only took me about five years to figure out this trick. Five years of muscle work out every time I made bread or divinity (ok, I maybe make divinity once every five years but I make a lot of bread!).

I'm just sayin'

I'm not really complaining (although this post may need a whiny warning) but our weekend wasn't the funnest.

Wednesday of last week, Eden had three little sores on her arm. At first I thought they were bug bites (we'd been outside the day before - working on our cute container garden) but after taking this picture and emailing it to my mom, we determined they were chicken pox (the pharmacist and pedi-nurse confirmed it). She'd had the vaccination the week before. The nurse had told us she might get a few pox. Yup - four of them. She didn't seem too miserable and wasn't supposed to be contagious but we kept her in most of the time anyway. I also kept her in long sleeves to prevent her scratching them. By the third day of long sleeves in the Alabama heat she just couldn't take it any more. As I put her shirt on she grabbed at the long sleeve and growled a frustrated growl. I think today may be the last day she needs the long sleeves. The other sad thing for Eden is that she didn't get to go to church and take the sacrament.

Friday of last week Phil went in for more chemo. He's been off for three months because of surgery but now he is supposed to have three more months of the poison (twice a month). The oncologist put him on a new drug that was supposed to help with the side effects. It didn't. In fact it had its own side effects (chronic, constant hiccups among them). Phil had a miserable weekend and today is the first he's been able to go to work. He's never missed two days after chemo (usually he doesn't miss any).

In spite of feeling miserable, he did manage to surprise me with a dozen beautiful roses, a couple of books, and a great DVD of Eden for Mother's Day. Obviously he didn't feel like making dinner (he didn't feel like EATING dinner until Tuesday).

Cancer sucks! ... I'm just sayin'

Life in Numbers

1 - Child (Eden)
2 - Degrees (BS-USU; MA-MSU)
3 - Sisters (Merilee, Heather, Emily)
4 - European countries I've visited (Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy)
5 - Teeth in Eden's mouth
6 - Brothers (Mark, Michael, Andrew, Paul, Jon, Josh)
7 - States in which I've lived (MT, AZ, OR, ID, UT, NH, AL)
8 - (and 3/4) Years Charlotte and I were roommates
9 - Years Phil and I knew each other before we married
10 - Years I worked for USU (post-degrees)

This isn't really a tag but I would love to see you do this too. It is kinda fun. You can do it in your own blog or leave a response with your life in numbers.

Food Friday - French Bread

I got this recipe from my cousin, Jaime, who got it from her MIL. It is really easy (especially with a Kitchen Aid) and has a fabulous taste and texture.

French Bread

Combine all ingredients (except flour) in your bowl (or Kitchen Aid bowl) and mix:
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. oil
1 T. yeast
Add:
3 to 4 Cups Flour (I use more like 4 1/2)
Mix until the dough is smooth. Then let it rise for 1 hour. During that hour punch the dough down every 10 minutes. (I just keep it in my Kitchen Aid and then turn it on for 20 seconds every 10 minutes.)

After an hour, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle shape and then roll up like a cinnamon roll (don't be afraid to use more flour here). Place on a greased cookie sheet. Slit the top with a sharp knife. Rub your loaf with egg white; let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes (golden brown). Great for French toast, too!

The crust is nice and crunchy and the inside is moist and yummy. Enjoy your bread. We had it last night with our black chicken.

Thanks to everyone who shared cooking tips last week and for taking the poll.

A Few of Eden's Favorite Things

This is Aslan (named after the C.S. Lewis lion of course!). He is the King of all the toys in Eden-land. Look at how rugged he is. This is truly a tough lion! Eden wasn't all that impressed though.

Lately Eden has really caught on to the idea of dolls. She calls them her baby. She has three baby dolls, lots of stuffed animals, and a set of nesting dolls from Russia. These are all called "baby." Poor Aslan has therefore gone from being King of the Creatures to this:

Oh, the humiliation! (The PJs on Aslan are actually some of Eden's preemie PJs - they are so tiny!).


Being a "mother" is exhausting:
Her sheep blanket is also one of her favorite things. She really is a girl, btw. I know she has blue sheets, PJs, and blankie but the binky in the corner is pink! :)

Anticipation (is keeping me way-ay-ay-y-ting)

I think I may have mentioned that my little girl LOVES food. When she sees food that she likes (and she likes MOST food) she gets pretty excited. So, here is the scene yesterday...

Location: LDS Chapel with about 75 members in attendance
Setting: Sacrament Meeting

Eden and I are sitting on the third or fourth row and to the left side. Phil is on the stand directly in front of us. We've had the announcements, opening hymn and prayer, branch business, Sacrament hymn and prayer, and things are going pretty well. Then the young men begin to walk toward us with the sacramental bread. Eden begins to quiver with excitement. But wait! What is this? The young men have stopped at the end of the pews to wait for President Thornton to receive the bread. This is more than a one-year old can take! The quivering body cannot contain the anticipation any longer. THIS must be vocalized. And so, she begins to grunt-pant-gasp in loud pulsating moans. All eyes (and smiles) are now directed toward us. My face turns red. Her hands are outstretched and (still trembling) grasping for the bread as it is finally brought to our pew. At last that longed-for moment has arrived. Having received her one piece of bread, she is quite content. She doesn't complain that she only gets one. Her world is now at peace once again.

That is, until the sacramental water begins to make its way toward us...