Looking back at 2009

Happy New Year! I love our family tradition of eating Chinese food and watching a season of a TV show on DVD. This year it's Arrested Development (took me a little while to get into that show but now I love it). Seems like everyone's complaining about 2009 but it wasn't THAT bad!! Here are some noteworthy things from this year...

*I learned how to decorate cakes, even with fondant.

*I'm starting to learn Russian

*Reber is excited about his planted aquarium (it really is beautiful).

*Trip to Rochester, NY for a friend's wedding party...enjoyed my first taste of garbage plates and salt potatoes.

*Got to hang out with my brother more this year than I have in a while.

*Got a new petsitting job now and then with some great people and their amazing animals.

*New floor in our kitchen and downstairs bathroom.

*When the economy goes bad, my job gets more secure!

Happy 2010!!

WOW

That's all I have to say about this.

Crockpot refried beans

These are MUCH cheaper than the ones from the can!

Cook a pound of beans with a bunch of water - maybe 10 cups or so - on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours with a tablespoon or two of salt. Optionally, add a chopped onion, green pepper, a little olive oil, and oja de aguacate (avocado leaves - a couple of those. You can buy them in any Mexican grocery store).

Ladle out some of the water and set aside. Remove the avocado leaves (they're like bay leaves). Mash the beans with a potato masher or process in the food processor. That's it! This makes a lot of beans - you can put them in individual containers and freeze. They're just as easy to pull out of the freezer as the cans are easy to pull out of the pantry!

Cake City!

That's what my house has been lately because I've been taking a cake decorating class at Michael's. I started because two friends wanted to sign up and I thought, "What the heck?" Now I'm in level 2 and they didn't continue past level 1 (for school and other reasons). The class is really fun and who knew I could do this stuff?

This is the first layer cake I've ever made and the first time I used a decorating bag.

Yummy...mocha fudge filling.

Here is the final Level 1 cake that required at least 5 roses.

Once I get my colors right (red and black are the hardest...go figure since those are probably the ones I'll use most), I'll make some rock metal cakes and football cakes. Also, I am very unofficially open for business so if you need a cake let me know and we can work something out :)

Kiddie Pool/Sandbox

So I'm not a mom yet, but isn't this the most genius idea ever?

I copied this from the blog Passionate Homemaking. What a great idea to use this plastic bin as a kiddie pool...it's cheap and you can snap on the cover so you don't have to keep changing the water AND when your kids outgrow it, you can use it for storage!! And bonus - you can switch it to a sandbox easily if you feel like it.

OUCH!

I'm stealing this topic from my friend Laura's blog because I think it's interesting. What do you think?? This is my comment on hers...

I do understand the supposed risks so I wouldn’t call anyone wacko who doesn't vaccinate their kids, but I don’t think that I want to let Jenny McCarthy sway the medical decisions I make for my child either. I thought it was pretty interesting on this chart that very few of them actually contained any mercury. I think when I’m making these decisions for my own kids that I will be careful to only let them be vaccinated with the brands that use no mercury because I don’t trust that stuff.

I checked out both Immunization schedules from 1983 and 2008. I do think that it’s sort of incredible how much it has changed. I also know that diseases are powerful and can evolve (why we get a flu shot every year – or at least I do and I hardly EVER get sick). I noticed that Rotavirus is one that was added and I don’t know much about it so I looked it up. 60,000 people are admitted to hospitals in the US each year and 37 die from rotavirus. Most people in the world have had it by age 5 and the first time is really bad and causes severe diarrhea, then the following times their body has built up enough antibodies to be asymptomatic even though they may be infected. A little boy on WIC died from it soon after I started my job and I still remember his mom calling me on the phone crying and it was horrible. I personally don’t want my kid to have severe diarrhea or put other kids at risk for severe illness and possible death.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/why.htm
This link explains “the other side” pretty well in plain language. Parents who refuse vaccinations are relying on the kids who are vaccinated to prevent the outbreak of disease.

BUT I do understand proceeding with caution and doing your research is very important, just know where you are getting the information from a reputable source and remember that overall, the disease itself is probably way more of an enemy than the vaccine, otherwise the health community wouldn’t be interested in eradicating it.

Fajita Wraps

Hers's a recipe that I created. It is pretty healthy and completely delicious and got two thumbs up from the hubs.

In the slow cooker, combine:

1-2 chopped bell peppers

1-2 chopped onions

1 chopped yellow squash (I promise you won't taste it in the end - I got one free from a coworker)

1 can Ro-tel (or similar) diced tomatoes w/ green chiles

1 can drained diced tomatoes or some diced fresh ones

Some combo of fajita seasoning, Tabasco chipotle hot sauce (DE-licious), taco seasoning, etc.

Some kind of cubed boneless skinless meat (beef, pork, chicken, whatever)

Cook everything on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours

Before serving, add 1/2 block of cream cheese (low fat is good but don't use nonfat) and stir to melt. Serve on tortillas. YUMMY!

It's a Wonderful Life

Reber's work schedule has changed to weekdays...YAAAYYY!! We had our second Saturday together and it's already so great. We went out to breakfast, to the library, to the farmers market, to the Cat's Cradle open house, and then to our friend's house to visit and dig up some vines to plant. Whew, full day but it still felt so long. It's so exciting to enjoy our our city and each other.

On another good note, my always-low iron was boosted by a bunch of iron pills, red meat, and clams that I ate so I finally got to donate blood!! I feel fine and I'm so glad to have been able to donate. I prayed about it the night before and came up with 12.6 iron (you need 12.5 to donate). Now THAT is a perfect example of answered prayer!

Sharp Shopper Goodies

HAHA!! This is raisin bran from Israel, but it sure tastes delicious.

What have I been doing lately??

Hangin' out with these kiddos!! Aren't they ridiculously cute? They're so much fun and they all especially love Reber.

What's for dinner - Rabbit

So I bought a rabbit from the farmer's market yesterday.  No, not a live one, it was already ready to cook, just like you would buy a chicken from the store.  I love buying stuff at the farmer's market b/c it's all local and you can ask the farmers/growers what they've fed their animals, how they treat their soil, etc.  I also ran into an old friend and bought some of his delicious fresh parsley which can be used in place of cilantro if you have a husband like mine who doesn't like it.

Anyway, here's how I'm attempting to cook the rabbit:

2 onions, sliced
4 pounds roasting rabbit, skinned
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 whole clove
1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cold water

Basically, you throw most of this into the slow cooker and cook it, then add the flour and water to make a "pan" gravy.  I might leave out the clove because I'm not sure if I have one...

Mmmmm....I hope!!

What's New

So I really do have a life, even if I'm not good at keeping up with my blog...

Let's start with Wednesday, because that's about as far back as I can remember.  We had church here at the house on the back patio with some STEAK (and yes, of course I made a salad).  We opened our Bibles but never got to the "study" part because we kept on talking and laughing and telling stories.  Sometimes those times are equally or even more important than "studying."

Thursday we went to Artiles, a new Cuban restaurant, with the neighbors.  It was to celebrate her birthday a MONTH ago.  The restaurant had AWESOME food and the people were really friendly.  Not a huge buffet selection but that's ok because everything tasted so good.  Mmmm...I love those fried plantains.

Friday I took the day OFF and hung out at home with Reber who had a stomach bug.  Still much better than working.

Saturday my neighbor, Karina, and I went with her church to Our Community Place to cook and eat lunch with the people there.  That is one amazing place with a bunch of good people.

We also had another cookout with my neighbors and coworkers in the afternoon.  Everybody enjoyed hamburgers and grilled corn, face painting, and a tres leches cake fiasco that was still delicious.  It totally fell apart!

Here is my neighbor painting the kids' faces.  She is so talented at everything and always has good ideas.  The kids were so excited that they kept crowding around her and she hardly had space to work sometimes!

Here are the kids with their finished faces:

I LOVE all these kids - they're so adorable and funny.  Plus we discovered that our shared backyard space is perfect for kids to run around and play.  I always say "I don't have a yard," but really I do!

Sunday I cleaned the basement like a madwoman because I want to have a yard sale sometime in the coming weeks.

And now it's Monday.  Time to savor the extra day off, get a few things done, and take a break!

A couple random pics

Confession:  I am officially the worst picture-taker EVER.  I take my camera places and then never end up using it.  I am afraid to change the batteries because last time I did, it deleted all the pictures.  But this morning, I got up some courage and went on iPhoto and here they are in all their glory:

Here are Madalyn and Buddy.  Oh my gosh I love her name.  She's the daughter of our friends Aaron and Laura.  Laura is the best picture-taker I know, so forgive me for this one but I think it's cute.

Here is my ridiculous cat being ridiculous.  He's always into something.  Pardon the kitchen mess...I'm always doing about a billion things at a time in there.  And see that bread maker?  I scored that for 10 bucks at a yard sale!!

And finally, one that I can't take credit for because Reber took this one, but isn't it pretty where we live?  I love our neighborhood because it's full of life and kids are always playing.

Well, there you have it - hopefully more to come soon!

Lessons from a Road Trip

Last week, we drove to NC to help our friends Aaron and Laura move.  That was down and back to Greenville in 24 hours, and was really fun!  Here are some lessons from the road:

- When one lane is closed on a major highway, GET OVER WHEN IT SAYS THE LANE IS ENDING!!!  If everyone would just move over to the un-closed lane, everyone could keep going at a slower but steady pace.  But since some people decide to be jerkfaces and try to get in front of everyone, it ruins the whole thing and makes it stop and go for miles.  That is my non-scientific observation, anyway.

- My car has an adjustable seatbelt!  This is the best news ever because I am always trying to push the seatbelt over because I'm short and it digs into my neck.  Reber, being the wonderful husband that he is, noticed that I was always tugging at it and when I mentioned my frustration, he reached across and adjusted the seatbelt.  This also means that I'm an idiot because I've owned this car since July 2006.

- The Mayflower is the best restaurant ever in the history of the world.  It feels like you're at a seafood restaurant at the beach when you walk through the door.  The menu is extensive AND reasonably priced AND you get a ton of food AND it's delicious!!  Unfortunately, these are only in NC but I'm going back every chance I get!

- I still love my car and the 40 miles/gallon we got on the trip.

Yay for a road trip : )

Yard Sale Extravaganza

If you don't live in Harrisonburg, you've probably never seen anything like the Belmont Estates Yard Sale.  Basically, it's a huge subdivision of really nice houses, and twice a year they have a community yard sale.  I wish I had taken my camera.  Driving around is like trying to get out of a concert.  There are people and cars EVERYWHERE.

Why do I go to all this trouble, you ask?  Duh, the deals!  Today I spent about $60.  In the stores, the stuff I bought would've been at least $350-400.  I got a brand new hammock still in the box, a bread machine, bunches of clothes, a handheld game for my dad, a couple little household items, AND, the piece de restistance, a big painting in a nice frame.  Original price was $120 (the tag was still on the back) and I paid $15!!!  Woohoo!!

In celebration of Earth Day

Who doesn't love Sunchips?  And the best thing, did you know that in 2010, they are making FULLY COMPOSTABLE CHIP BAGS??  I'm seriously excited about this because I just ordered a composter (more to come on that later...).  Plus already they are made with whole grains and 33% of their energy is solar.

Foodie Survey

This was kinda fun...

On Kids and Eating

This was written by John Rosemond in the Daily News Record on Saturday, April 4.  Sometimes he can be a little harsh, but I liked this scenario that he gave today.  Kids come over to our house a lot  - and 2 specifically are picky.  Their mom says they don't eat anything but cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, etc. but they eat great at our house.  

Growing up, my family didn't let us eat separate things.  We ate what the family was eating, or not.  There were usually a couple parts to the meal, so if I hated what was being served, I could have veggies and maybe potatoes or something.  And guess what, my brother and I are some very un-picky eaters.  

I just find this interesting...

"Mom and Dad are eating roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans, but 11-year-old Che is eating a hot dog and french fries and 6-year-old Fidel is eating a grilled cheese sandwich and the only brand of potato chips he will deign to consume.

This may look like democracy, but as we painfully discovered, it is the tyranny of the Children's Republic.  Furthermore, someone ought to tell the parents in question that a family shares the same food at family meals.  That is one of the things that makes them a family.

"But John," the guilty protest, "my child doesn't like roast beef and green beans!"

That, my dear, is because you serve him a hot dog instead.  I'll bet there are no children in Darfur who suffer from roast beef anorexia."

Best Gift Ever

I gave this to Reber a couple years ago for his birthday and I was so proud of it (and still am).  It doesn't look that special upon first glance, but it actually took some thought and effort.  Maybe I even like it more than he does, but too bad.

The papers are Chinese for our names (supposedly!) and I got them from this guy at Pike's Place market in Seattle.  He didn't speak English and I had to repeat Reber's name like 3 times because I guess he'd never heard of it.  Anyway, that was really special because Reber's always wanted to go to Seattle but hasn't been yet - I was there for a death in the family so not under the best circumstances anyway.

So I wanted to do something special and give them as a gift, but custom framing can be out the wazoo expensive.  I went to the Frame Factory right up the road (a locally-owned store :) and asked what were my options.  The lady suggested a custom mat with a frame that they had in the store.  She went to a corner with the discount frames and pulled out this one - exactly perfect for what I needed and it was on clearance PLUS I had a 10% off coupon so the whole entire thing only ended up costing around $50.  I just love this thing.

Finally - Pictures from our newly designed room!

Here is the color - it's called "castle" and is a little darker in real life.  We went into the store and picked the first color we liked.  Reber and I always pick colors like that.

That is my favorite poster.  Everything in our room is pretty muted except that lamp (from my grandma - love that thing) and the poster, so they draw your eye to them.  Plus I like flowers but not really frilly girly ones so these are perfect.

St. Patrick's Day funny

Sorry I don't have a picture of this, but here's what my wonderful husband said to me first thing St. Patrick's Day morning:

"You look like one of those Irish pagan people who's all into fairies and shit."

Haha.  Though my green pants are really rockin...

YUCK, check this out

Sorry I've been MIA for a little while...if you know me, you know that I eat off the floor and generally am not scared of germs but something has had me under the weather on and off for a couple weeks.  But I've also been eating lots of fresh, cheap fruit courtesy of the Russian market Save and Prosper, which is pretty much the opposite of the food you'll find on this website...

THIS IS WHY YOU'RE FAT

This site is awesomely gross!!  It looks like food that Aaron and Reber would eat.  

Except for this...I would actually eat this but probably with only one type of meat at a time...and no sausage.

These people are awesome

Central India Christian Mission rocks!  Check them out here.  Here in America, Christians tend to be reserved and lukewarm about their faith.  They don't want to step on people's toes.  But in India and the surrounding nations like Nepal and Bangladesh, many Christians are being severely persecuted for their faith.  The people in this organization challenge and inspire me because they are not afraid.  They know that God is guiding their steps and they care about other people so much that they risk their well-being and their lives so that others may know the freedom and grace of Jesus.  Plus, if you read the Bible, Jesus stepped on a lot of toes!!

They run hospitals that are better than the government hospitals.  Actually, the doctors from the government hospitals send their family to the CICM ones!

Another cool part of the program is their child sponsorship program.  For $15/month, you can provide a child's needs including food, clothing, vitamins, school supplies and fees, personal care items, sleeping bags, and mosquito nets.  Notice that this is HALF the price of most child sponsorship programs.  That's because the money goes straight to the children and you don't pay for them to put those heart-wrenching ads on TV that some other organizations do.

So get on it!  We have all we need even if sometimes it doesn't feel like much.  

Why I love my car...

Last week, I went to Pittsburgh to visit my grandma, who recently had her hip replaced (and is doing so great!!).  I drove all the way there and almost all the way back before filling up my gas tank in Toms Brook.  I got a whopping 41.7 miles per gallon.  Woohoo!!

Free Coffee!

McDonald's in our area has free coffee from 5-9 a.m. for the whole month of February and you don't even have to buy anything else!  You just drive up and tell them you'd like a free coffee.  You can even get iced coffees if that's your thing.

Personally, I think BK has MUCH better coffee than McDonald's, but I'll take whatever I can get if it's FREE!!

Take 5 Tuesday

5 things that have interested you lately

 - Indian food

 - Sweet Acidophilus milk

 - Meeting and talking with Ricky's mom

 - Organizing/simplifying the house

 - Reber - he's cool!

5 things you've researched lately

 - Indian food

 - Celiac disease

 - That's about it

5 things you're looking forward to this year

 - My 25th birthday

 - Our 4th wedding anniversary

 - Our church growing and changing in a positive way

 - The start of football again in the fall

 - Becoming a foster parent

5 things you've watched recently

 - The Super Bowl!

 - Food Network

 - Clean House

 - Bridezillas (my guilty pleasure...that show is a pure waste of time!)

 - My exercise DVD

Meet the coolest kid ever

Meet Ricky, the kid who comes over every Tuesday and plays guitar with Reber.  Recently, he also loves the microphone and makes up his own songs.  He was born oxygen-deprived and is a little miracle.  When we met him, he was really shy and didn't talk much.  Sometimes he's still a little hard to understand but his personality has really started to shine through and he talks with us all the time now.  He especially loves Reber and they are always joking around.  I'm so proud of both of them!!

We Did It!!!!

No more crap from Cowboys fans for us....the Steelers are America's team!!  Go Steeler Nation!!  That's enough gloating for me.  I'm such a girl though, because I always feel bad for the losing team (unless it's the Ravens).  I know they get paid millions but they're still people.  But I sure love my STEELERS and will always be ecstatic when they win a thrilling game like that.

Oh and check out these cookies that my brother brought to share with us.  They were Fed-Exed from Pittsburgh and were delicious.

This is one bandwagon you should jump on

Reusable shopping bags!!  They're great because you can pile a bunch of groceries in each one so you have fewer bags to carry and they're much more comfortable.  They don't dig into your arms like when you get a bunch of heavy plastic bags.  Plus, they don't end up making our earth look like this...

• The estimated cost of plastic bags to retailers is $4 billion annually, so by not using the bags, you will be doing your small part to help the economy.

• Plastic bags don't biodegrade.  The break up into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and enter the food web when animals ingest these toxins.

• In 2001, Ireland consumed 1.2 million plastic bags.  A plastic bag consumption tax, implemented in 2002, reduced consumption by 90%.  Approximately 18 million liters of oil have been saved since the tax implementation.

So go to your favorite store and spend that dollar on the canvas bag.  Or check on ebay if you want to get something more interesting.  I even found Steelers bags at the Kmart in Pittsburgh for $2!!

Facts from www.resuablebags.com.

Caramel Dip

Wow, this stuff is good.  I made some pumpkin cookies and doubled the recipe but forgot to double the sugar!!  So instead of trying to make a frosting and icing each one (major pain in the butt), I just made this caramel dip for each person to put on their own cookie and wow, is it delicious.  This recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com.  This would also be amazing with apple slices.

20 individually wrapped caramels

1/4 cup water

1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar

Melt caramels with water in microwave.   Stir to make sure there are no chunks.  Whip cream cheese with brown sugar in separate bowl.  Stir cream cheese mixture with caramels, and voila, deliciousness.

YESSSSSS!

Do you ever feel like that when you go grocery shopping?  I did today...with stops at CVS, Food Lion, and Kroger, I got all kinds of good crap!  I won't bore you with all the details of my groceries, but here are the highlights...

4-12 packs of pepsi

4 bags Lays chips

3 dozen eggs

Milk, ice cream, cream cheese

Bunch of Hormel chili

Lots of other random grocery items

So basically my total bill for all 3 places should've been about $84, but the grand total was only $35.50!!  Woohoo, that's less than half!!

Food Lion is not my favorite store by any means, and their products are usually pretty expensive, but one of the ways I save is their printable coupons.  Just go to this site to register and sign up for their weekly emails.  Today I used coupons for $1 off Food Lion brand ice cream, peanut butter, ketchup, cereal and potato chips.  Combine that with MVP savings and the stuff is really cheap.

Also, Kroger usually has the cheapest milk of any store, and they often mark it down when it is getting sorta close to the sell by date.  Sometimes you can get gallons for only $2!!  Sometimes Reber drinks tons of milk and sometimes not, but if we aren't using it fast enough, I just make homemade pudding or biscuits and gravy.

Happy Shopping!

MLK Day

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."

I am taking a moment today to appreciate Martin Luther King, Jr.  Virginia also celebrates Lee/Jackson day on Friday, and while I appreciate the day off from work, I think it's crap that they tacked that onto the same holiday weekend that honors MLK.  I like to remember him because of the strength that he showed and the difference that he made in so many people's lives.  He was no chicken.  I know that the only person we should aspire to be like is Jesus, but I think MLK sure set a good example.  He reminds us to take that first step in faith.  I love the following quote, showing his practical side...

"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."

You missed a good show...

...right here in Harrisonburg!  On Thursday night we went to Court Square Theater to see Michael Burks, who plays the blues.  It...was....AWESOME!!  Very classic elements but not old-school, intense but not overwhelming.  We were in the 2nd row and I only bought the tickets about a week before the show.  Admittedly, we went more because Reber wanted to go, but I think that deep down there is not a person on earth who doesn't love the blues.

Football Hotties

Haha, I feel funny writing that title.  In celebration of a Steelers win today and a great football season in general, I'm doing a football post.  However, I know most of my readers (except Reber and Aaron) are women, so most of you don't give a crap about football (even though you should).

*Disclaimers:  I love my husband very much and think he is hot.  However, he doesn't qualify for this because he doesn't play in the NFL (although he was good at football).  Also, I never watch certain teams like the Raiders, so obviously this list is just from the players I see on a regular basis.  So without further ado, here are my picks for hottest NFL players.

#1 - Willie Parker - Steelers running back - this is the best pic I could find on Photobucket

#2 - Philip Rivers - Chargers QB

#3 - LaDainian Tomlinson - Chargers Running Back

I couldn't get the picture I wanted for this one, so here are some:

www.ladainiantomlinson.com  Best feature:  eyes

He's also in the Campbell's chunky commercials.

#4 - Brett Favre - Jets QB

Yes, I know he is "old," but he was the first guy I thought was cute in the NFL.  Though he is much better without the gray beard stubble.  But basically a classic, good-looking guy.

Dollar Tree Delights

Have you been to Dollar Tree lately?  Today I got:

Dijon mustard

Jar of minced garlic

Rockstar energy drink - triple size

2 woven baskets to organize our medicines

Scented oil warmer

1 pkg real bacon bits

A coupon organizer

And apparently something else I can't remember

...for $8.26!!  I would've paid at least double for all that stuff at Wal-Mart, and they have the best dijon mustard.  You can also get Nature's Own Whitewheat bread for $1!!  Some of the stuff is crappy quality and some stuff is not a good value because it's a smaller size, but if you look you can get some good stuff at.

NOTE:  They do NOT take Mastercard but do take Visa and Discover I think he said.  Moral of the story, take some cash with you just in case.

Go read this...

Here is a kid who is gonna make you feel like crap...in the best way possible.  Check it out.

My New Year's Resolution

I never make a New Year's Resolution.  I think they're stupid.  Nobody ever follows through with them and who can even remember it by the time March rolls around?  But for some reason, this year I have one.  It is not specific, as we learned in Social Work classes that our goals should be, but is more of a general philosophy.  So without further ado, here it is:

Stay calm.  Be cool.  Kick ass.

So I guess that's actually 3, but oh well.

Stay calm - I sometimes have problems with anxiety and freak out.  There is nothing to freak out about, so I want to do it less.

Be cool - I am the oldest 24-year-old I know.  I am responsible and work hard.  I think about my long-term health.  What the heck!  I'm only 24!  I need to live a little!  So I got my nose pierced today.  

Kick ass - This is not literal.  I am the biggest wuss you will ever meet.  What I mean is that I want to be courageous and not such a chicken.  I need to meet my neighbors.  I need to tell people that I am a Christian.  I need to not worry about what other people think.

So there you have it.  What are your goals for 2009?