Once Again

My computer is dead, at least temporarily. I most likely need a new motherboard. I have posts to put up about Loofa's birthday and Christmas, but they'll have to wait till then.

Until then....

Did you ever?

I was just thinking today as I was eating my Mac and Cheese about all the times I've eaten something common like this and it tasted so GOOD.

When I was about 5 I had some kraft mac and cheese at a friends house (Tischlers in MI) and it was so delicious. Every now and then I wish I could replicate that.

When I was 14 I went on a Wilderness Trek for our stake youth program. After a week of hiking and subpar/insufficient food, they had chili dogs and oreos waiting for us at the end. Chili dogs had never tasted so good. They still hold a special place in my heart because of that.

One month after getting married, I caught mono (go figure). J had already had it several years before so he was nice and immune. It went around the Women's department at the BYU bookstore like crazy (I loved that place!). About 2 weeks later I finally started getting my appetite back. We were in Park City for my grandparent's 50th anniversary. My dad took us to a buffet that evening that had prime rib. I had never tried prime rib before. I had heard it was good, but not that good!

I wish food always tasted as good as it did in these situations. One key component is how hungry I was. Maybe I should try starving myself more often. I'd love to hear about your favorite "common" food times.

Best Friends

Aren't they cute? I meant to get a picture of them yesterday when they were both wearing the same shirt. I can't believe I forgot. This one will have to do.

Cat on a Fence

When it was cold I was nervous about how Rush would do out there. The night it got down to 10 degrees he didn't come when I put out the food. I spent about 1/2 hour searching for him with a flashlight before I gave up. Thankfully he showed up the next morning. I wish I knew where he had curled up. Glen kept wanting to stay out on those really cold nights too. He's usually such a fair weather friend, but on those nights he was so wild. It was weird. Even with a nice thick coat of fur I could not imagine purposefully wanting to stay out there.

I Want Snow

We had some fabulously low temperatures last week and were really hoping for some good snow. It was so dry though and by the time the moisture came in it had warmed back up again. I was pretty disappointed that we didn't get another storm like last year. I won't miss how dry it was though. I had to really slather the kids in lotion and the static was getting old. I even pulled out the humidifier to try and help.

I did get one cool picture of the frost on J's car one morning.

PS I've given up on the picture of the day, I just don't have time for that right now. Maybe you'll get a picture of the month :)

Birthdays are Yummy

Aunt J had her 60th birthday last Thursday. Several of her kids flew/drove in to surprise her and we had a surprise open house for her as well. I bought her this frame and put on the vinyl lettering (how I did that below):

An Aunt J birthday would not be complete without Gone With the Wind:

Gone with the Wind

1 c. graham crackers (about 7), crushed
1 c. vanilla wafers (about 23), crushed
¼ c. brown sugar
3 tbsp. melted margarine

1 Tbsp. gelatin (Knox--about one packet)
½ c. cold water

4 egg yolks, beaten
2 c. milk
1 c. sugar

4 egg whites
1 tsp. salt

2 c. whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla
5 tbsp sugar

Mix first 4 ingredients well and pat ½ into 9x13 inch pan. Reserve ½ for the topping. Soften gelatin in cold water. Make stirred custard by cooking and stirring milk, sugar, and egg yolks in microwavable dish on 30% power.* Check every couple of minutes. Custard is done when the mixture coats a metal spoon (it is a very obvious change). Mix gelatin in until well dissolved. Cool the custard by placing dish in a large bowl of ice water, taking care that no water contaminates the mixture. Whip cream and vanilla till stiff, whip in the sugar. Beat egg whites and salt till stiff. Fold both into custard (thoroughly with a whisk) and turn into pan. Sprinkle topping on. Chill overnight.

*When making custard, cooking times and power levels will vary. Be sure to not overcook the custard or the egg will cook into little chunks. Best rule of thumb: start on a lower power and bring it up if it’s not cooking.

I couldn't tell about my first early morning Black Friday shopping this year because I was buying a birthday gift for my mom. Technically I went on Thursday, but I'll still count it as black Friday :) My mom had briefly mentioned an interest in the Cricut vinyl cutters so I thought that would be a nice gift to get her. Luckily this was the year of the Cricut so it was on sale at a million places. I decided to stake out Big Lots since they had the model I liked and I figured the crowd wouldn't be too bad there. I was so nervous about getting one that I woke up at 4:30am and was in the parking lot at 5:00am. No one else showed up till 5:30am. I finally got out of my car after two other cars showed up. Luckily the other people in line were pretty nice to talk to and helped pass the time. The store opened at 7am and I was the first one in. I ran back and grabbed a Cricut for my mom and one for myself for good measure. I've always liked the vinyl lettering for decorative purposes, but couldn't bring myself to pay the exorbitant prices. Plus I wasn't too happy with the selection out there. Now I can make whatever I want, whenever I want.

Milestone #115

When your child is upset and can actually verbalize what is wrong.

Fefe came upstairs crying and said "Lufie, hon, cereal share". I'm sad that she is getting so big, but so excited for all she is learning.

Good Things Can Come By Mail

Five years ago we lost about $800 dollars to a scam on ebay. This idiot had an almost 100% rating from close to 500 people. Not sure how that happened. When he was caught I sent all our info in as evidence. We never expected to receive a dime back, but today I got a $100 check in the mail. It's only a portion, but better than nothing. Lesson learned - always use credit cards when buying stuff on ebay.

Knee Picture

I took a picture of my knees in case any of you were curious. My right knee looks a little worse than normal because of the swelling. Also, I labelled the pics since I took them in the mirror.

The scientific name is femoral anteversion. I think my right leg is worse because the knee cap seems like it points in more. I've been trying to find old pics of my knee caps, but pictures of me are few and far between.

3D in Action

I bought The Polar Express in 3D for the kids (and myself). It's one of my favorite movies. J and I had a nice nap after Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt J's while the kids watched the show.

Big Mistake

Fefe still is a troublemaker when it comes to bedtime. I made the mistake of buying a touch lamp for Ephant and that resulted in much bedtime playing. I finally unplugged it for now. She also loves playing with the lightup lady bug in their room. When I went in to get her up from her nap a few days ago I found her asleep in Ephant's bed. She looked pretty snug.

Stitches

My desktop is finally up and running again so now I can put up a bunch of pictures. First, here are Fefe's stitches:

Knee Update

I went into the orthopedist today to get my knee and hip checked out. About two weeks ago I couldn't bend my knee past 90 degrees. This lasted for about 24 hours so I went in to see my PCP to get a referral. He thought it was just patellofemoral pain, but the internet doctor told me he was wrong. My guess was either a meniscal tear or more likely medial plica syndrome. Sitting and driving is torture. By the end of the day it hurts so bad I have a hard time falling asleep. Meds and icing don't help either. About the only thing that helps is an Ace bandage.

When I went in today they took xrays of my knees and my right hip. The results are lovely. My bones were fine, but my hips rotate internally (think knock knees) and my knee caps tilt laterally. The rotation and tilt is probably what initially caused my Iliotibial Band Syndrome and the progression of that resulted in the knee problem.

Now I get to make appointments for new orthotics to address both the rotation and my accessory navicular. On top of that I get physical therapy for the IT band and an MRI to determine whether it is a meniscal tear or plica syndrome.

I was born with the rotation, it's not my fault. Thanks a lot Mom and Dad.