Smile! We must be on candid camera!

Okay, yes it's true, I like snow but when you live in a place that's not prepared for it, not so much fun. So, I'm pretty sure at this point that the Candid Camera crew is going to pop out of one of the snow drifts saying "Smile! You're on Candid Camera!"

As of now, we have about 2 feet of snow, my car is completely buried, major highways are closed, we didn't really get the Christmas shopping done, the whole family is sick with colds and sick of each other, the dogs are restless, and our boat is sinking into the Columbia River under the weight of the moorage roof that is collapsing on it. Oh, wait, let's not leave out that it's supposed to snow 4-8 more inches in the next day or two! For the LOVE OF the Lord! Enough is enough!

The snow is still pretty, but I didn't mean I wanted it to cover cars and houses and the shoveling thing, not all it's cracked up to be. The kid's are not getting anything on their lists and we're teetering on the idea of telling them "there ain't no Santa Claus so no, he can't fly over the snow!" Oh, and I also would love to tell them "STOP JUMPING UP AND DOWN AND SAYING HOW PRETTY THE TREE IS AND THAT YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS!"

So, for all those times I've wished that it would snow, I take that back. Next time a light dusting will be just fine. Well, the dogs are wrestling on my lap again so I must go scream at them now. Merry flippin' Christmas everyone!

Snow, Snow, SNOW!

Well, it has snowed nearly the foot that the weathermen predicted and now has frozen over in an effort to petrify this white blanket over an otherwise brown and quite ugly landscape. I love it! For years I've wanted to live where it snows in the winter. I find the starkness of the snow quite beautiful. It covers up ugly yards and dirty sidewalks and makes everything appear equal. The world seems to slow down when this white stuff begins to fall from the sky and people take time to call each other, do things at home they don't have time for and play with the kids. Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we need to pay more attention to the small things in life that we sometimes skip over when we're able to rush around in our busy everyday lives.
The kids and I made it to Church this morning thanks to Dave driving us there in the truck. I'm sure I could have gotten us there in the truck as well, but he feels the need to keep us safe which is nice. There was no Sunday School, so the kids got to experience "real" Christian Church for the first time. They go every week to the Catholic Church at school, but it's much different than the Church we attend on weekends. Even though it appears they're not listening most of the time, I really do think they learn something and for the first time they got to participate in Communion instead of walking to the front and crossing their arms for a blessing as they do at the Catholic Church. And the best part, there were cookies in the lobby afterwords. That was the highlight for them!

I was dropped back off at home per my request, Dave and the kids wanted to go find parking lots to whip cookies in and snow to get stuck in. They are insane but hey, it leaves me some quiet time to myself so whatever works.

The dogs have been very entertained by the snow. They spent most all of yesterday playing outside. We forgot about the EZup canopy getting loaded with snow so it has collapsed, much to their amazement. They sniff and inspect it each time they go outside. Apparently the time Jimmy got to spend outside last night was enough for him. He woke up this morning, stepped out the back door and pooped right on the doorstep. Then he came in and peed on the couch. Lovely huh? That dog. All we can do is shake our heads and laugh. These dogs keep us on our toes for sure! They're all pretty tired today which is a nice change.

We got our tree up and mostly decorated and I even put the Nativity Scene out much to my better judgment. We have the tree and nativity in a "Christmas Jail" in an attempt to keep it safe from the dogs. I strategically placed an opened up exer pen around the area. We'll see how long that lasts...we may be looking for a new Nativity Scene next year. Last year our tree got knocked over at least 4 times and we lost quite a few ornaments, so I've been slow at putting any on this year. At least with the Dough ornaments we can just make more.

So, that's about it around here. I've taken more pictures to share with everyone. Check them out and stay safe and warm in this crazy wonderful weather we're having!

Snow Days

Well, we are entering solar cycle 24 and the climate is beginning to change. One of the advantages of this transition time from cycle 23 to 24 is snow in places that would otherwise only get rain. What that means for us, is almost an entire week of snow days! And what better time for it than the week before Christmas Break is to begin.

The kids and I had Monday & Tuesday off, and now are off again today (Friday). The first two days it was too cold for me to go out and take pictures, but the kids played in it all day on Monday! I'm shocked they didn't get frostbite but apparently they move enough to keep warm out there. As for me, I went out for about 5 minutes to tell them it was time to come in and that's it. Today it's much warmer, a whopping 33 degrees so they've been out all day again building snowmen. I managed to get out to take a few pictures today, click on the album below to take a peek.

Snow Days!

As many of you know we have a good number of dogs here at our house, so on Tuesday I got all excited and thought that picking up the poop would be super easy since it was frozen outside. Wrong, if anyone is wondering, it also freezes to the ground so it's next to impossible to pick it up. Now I know...

That has been the extent of our week. We still don't have a Christmas tree and barely any gifts but oh well...maybe next week will be a little bit more exciting, but I have my doubts. I hope all of those affected by this storm are safe and warm!

Be The Change + Pay It Forward

So, earlier in my blogging days I wrote about a famous quote by Gandhi that reads something like "Be the change you wish to see in this world." I think about this often, and try to come up with ways that I can be the change. The problem I run into each time is that I want to see too much change, so I need to ask myself what is it that I really want to see happen in this world? I suppose that answer is different every minute of every day, but I believe that the most glaring thing in this world that really needs to change (and I think that we can almost all agree on this) is the lack of kindness and caring in our society. Each day I am disgusted by somebody's selfishness or negativity and I often think that the only thing I can do about it is to say "whatever" and try to move on. However, after doing a little bit of online research tonight, I've come to realize that I can be doing so much more!

By typing in "be the change" into the Google search, I came across a website that has some wonderful and very simple ideas on how to be the change and pay it forward in your everyday life. Below I will paste a few of my favorite ideas from the site, but I encourage all of my followers and even those who may just be stumbling upon my blog to check out the site for yourself. It's very inspiring and encouraging to know that not everyone in the world is evil and that maybe we can someday get back to a "Leave it to Beaver" society again where we actually talk to our neighbors and care about how other people feel and maybe even know each others names again.

"Be the change"...
~Order some "Smile Cards" and start the fun - This is a game of pay-it-forward: anonymously make someone smile, leave behind a card asking them to keep the ripple going. It's easy and fun. Is kindness truly contagious? There's only one way to find out ...

~Crafts of Kindness - Ask a creative crafter to help you with acts of kindness. Knit a hat for a homeless person this winter. Crochet a table cloth for a family that just moved into the neighborhood. Hand-craft some jewelry for women at a battered women's shelter. Bake cookies to celebrate someone's achievement. Create a photo frame of your best friend's pet and leave it outside his/her door with a smile card. Give scrap booking lessons and materials for underprivileged children.

~Healing Kindness - Express kindness to those who are healing. Leave a stuffed animal for a child in a hospital. Plant a tree to commemorate someone coming out of a long illness. Run a race to help fund research for a fatal disease. Tag a cancer patient with a book about a heroic recovery. Volunteer at a hospice for the terminally ill. Listen to a friend who is going through a tough time.

~Honor Your Heroes - Honor your heroes with kindness. Dedicate a small act of kindness to your hero by writing them a letter about your experience. Find your favorite elementary school teacher and send him/her some 'thank-you' flowers anonymously. Get a 'just because' gift for your dad even when it isn't Father's Day. Tell the story of your hero to a young child. At your next family gathering, have everyone share each other's heroes. In honor of your pet, volunteer at a local animal shelter.

~Five Bucks And Under - What can you do with five bucks to make someone's day? Tape the exact change for a soda to a vending machine or a payphone. Pay the toll for the person behind you. Leave flowers in front of someone's house. Bake cookies for your neighbors. Put quarters in the laundry machine for the next person. Send cards with beautiful messages to anonymous people. Leave chocolate on the desk of your co-workers. Treat someone to a cup of their favorite coffee.

~Tag the Ones Closest - Do something kind for those closest to you. Give your housemate a hug in the morning, for no reason. Help your mother, brother, father, or sister with something that they would not expect you to do. Leave a flower in your brother or sister's room. Spend some time with your grandparents. Make breakfast for your partner. Call your parents just to say 'Hello'.

~Public Transportation - Before you get off the bus or train, leave an inspiring book on a seat with a Smile Card. Give a flower to the bus driver or anyone else that looks like they can use it. Leave a nice CD with a smile card. Offer gum or candy to the person sitting next to you. Give your seat to the elderly or mothers with children if it's crowded. Help people find their way if they look lost. Write a card with a beautiful quote or a blessing and leave it on your seat for someone to find.

~Give of Yourself - Prepare a nutritious sack lunch for a homeless person and hand it to him/her saying "have a great day". Shovel snow for someone. Mow the yard of an elderly or ill neighbor. Run or walk a race, or walk for the cure to help fund research for an incurable disease. If you see someone having a bad day, stop to listen to them, hand them a flower, anything to make a difference in their day. Babysit for free for a mom who needs a day to herself. Offer to drive elderly or disabled people to appointments or the grocery store. Crochet or knit baby hats and blankets to donate to a local hospital nursery. Leave your newspaper behind for the next person to read. Teach your children or grandchildren the act of giving.

Some of these ideas are repetitive, but to me, they all brought tears to my eyes because they are such simple ideas that I should have thought of a long time ago. I know I'm not perfect though, and never will be, but at least I'm trying and maybe someday, I will be that change that I want to see. I hope I can encourage others to do the same. Please check out this site, there are many more ideas and inspirations to help you pay it forward in your every day life.

Oh Sheldon!

So, I just heard on the news that "Sheldon from Sheridan" is upset about yet another cigarette tax. He suggests that they tax toilet paper instead so that they can get money from everyone. While I don't really know that we need to tax cigarettes any more than they already are, I really can't agree with Sheldon on this one. This is yet another example of just how amazing people are. Oh Sheldon!

Humanity

The definition of Humanity is;
1. all human beings collectively; the human race; humankind.
2. the quality or condition of being human; human nature.
3. the quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence.
Typically, I like to live in a bubble, thinking and hoping that most people in the world are kind and caring, and worth the air we breathe. When I opened the mail after getting home today, my bubble was quickly popped and I was sadly reminded of the horrors of humanity, and the evil that we have in this world.

I'm not sure why, or how our family came to deserve so much affliction over the years, but for some reason we have been chosen. As if our current legal battle isn't absurd enough, now I am being sued personally for a fender bender I was in over 2 years ago! For the LOVE of Humanity! What is wrong with people in this world? Thank goodness that I have insurance, and they will be taking care of this, but still, do I really need this extra stress in my life? Just in case you hadn't guessed, the answer to that question is NO!

This comes at a time when our family is in the middle of brainstorming about what we can do to help the needy for Christmas, even though we really can't afford it, and on the same day that the shipment of Pay It Forward bracelets that I had requested from the Pay It Forward Foundation came in the mail! Can you believe the irony of that? Our family is trying to do good for the world, and our community, and SMACK, I get served with a lawsuit, by...now this is the good part, someone from OUR COMMUNITY. She lives in the same town, a mere few miles away! That right there makes me feel like throwing my hands up in the air and saying forget it! Forget about helping people, I'm the one that needs help and the people in this world and this community aren't worth it anymore! Our family wanted to hold a Christmas dinner for the not so fortunate in our area this year, but what if she showed up! She's probably the type that would try to get something for free even though she doesn't deserve it. It is just so disgusting how one person can ruin things for everyone.

I don't even know what to say to all of this other than that Humanity, and humans are just simply amazing. What type of person can do something like this without thinking twice? How was that person raised and what has happened to them to make them so mean and terrible? I just don't get it. On the bright side however, I think that someone paid our garbage bill for us this month so that's encouraging. Perhaps there are still a few nice people out there. Even though I'm not in the giving spirit anymore, I went ahead and put one of the Pay It Forward bracelets on to try to remind myself of the good, rather than wasting my brainpower on the bad. I guess I better get busy paying it forward some more though before I get served with another insane lawsuit.

Not quite a dog

Well, Jimmy and I had the pleasure of doing the "Dirdy Birdy" today. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking but you're wrong. The "Dirdy Birdy" is Portland's muddiest 5K and it was fun! Turns out, this is it's first year, and it was a huge success. The race was a benefit for Big Brothers & Big Sisters, so it was for a great cause, and the best part, was that it was dog friendly so Jimmy finally got to do a race again! His last was the "Doggie Dash" in May which he thoroughly enjoyed! You see, Jimmy is not like other dogs. He is a very strange little guy, who has a personality all of his own! Since his first race back in May, he has become obsessed with running, and flips out each time I get my running clothes or shoes out. Race's are even more exciting for him because he is EXTREMELY social and loves to interact with people and of course other dogs!
Now back to this Dirdy Birdy thing, one would think that running through mud puddles might be fun for a dog, but Jim, not so much. While the labs were laying in the puddles and splashing as hard as they could, Jimmy was tiptoeing around the mud, careful not to slip or get dirty. I even tried running through the puddles myself to encourage him but my efforts were in vein. When we got done with the race, Jimmy had a speck of mud on his butt, and I was covered in it. We got in the food line, got our burger and sat in the field and shared it, then went back to the car to strip off our muddy clothes, or should I say, my muddy clothes. Jimmy wore a t-shirt that was barely soiled. That dog simply amazes me. Later when we got home, he laid in bed and licked the rest of the mud (a very minimal amount) that was on his legs off, so alas, he will not need a bath after all. What can I say, Jimmy is different, but I love him. He never fails to crack me up even when I'm in the worst of moods.

God Bless the USA

Veteran's Day was on Tuesday. Some people consider it just another day off, I admit, I did for a long time. I've always had a job where this day is a holiday, and for many years, I would think about going to a veteran's memorial, but I never did, I always found something else to do, chores that needed to be done that didn't get done over the weekend, shopping, etc. In the past two years however, I have had a revelation of sorts. I finally took the day to take my kids up to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial two or three years ago. It was a nasty day out, pouring, raining sideways, we were not dressed appropriately, didn't have umbrella's or anything, we barely had coats but we went, and we honored all of the heroes whose names lay, carved in stone before us. I took the time to explain to the kids what "Veteran's" are, what they do for us, for our country, and why we should take time to honor them. They understood, but to them, the world is such a small place, so I knew that this would take many years of repetition and explanation for it to finally sink in.

The Vietnam War has always been a source of fascination for me. One reason being that my Dad served in this war. Somehow knowing someone that was involved, and hearing stories from him makes it more real in my mind. This year, we were honored to get to go with my Dad to the Memorial on Veteran's Day. It was a moving experience for me, and I'm sure for my dad as well. The kids couldn't figure out why their Grandpa's name wasn't on the wall if he was in the war, despite our efforts to convince them that he was not killed in the war and is still alive! Kids are simply amazing. They did try hard to understand though, and again, after we left, I lectured the kids on the meaning of this day, and what role their Grandpa played in all of this. It took us about an hour to walk through the memorial, which didn't seem like a lot of time in the end, but I know that the kids will remember this, and when they're older and able to understand it will mean a great deal to them.


God Bless the USA, and all of the Veteran's from every war who gave their whole lives to us. Even those who made it home gave 100% of themselves to us and will never be the same, it's only right that we honor them at least one time a year.

Vacation's over!

Well, winter is setting upon us, which means for our family, new dogs to take care of and find homes for. Last Christmas we had 16 stockings upon our wall for all of our four legged friends. This large number was not due to the fact that they have four feet each, we had 16 dogs! It was crazy, but wow, what an experience. Since last winter we have lost one of our own dogs, Heidi, but we have gained another, Harley that will probably stay with us forever, so we still have 5 of our own. Nuts I know, but our family knows no other way of life.

On Monday, we took in two more dogs, one a puppy that has already found a loving home but won't "move out" until next weekend, and the other, a beautiful young Shepherd that had been in the shelter for over 2 months and had rubbed the hair off of his nose while trying to shove it through the bars for attention every time a person walked by. It took this sweet dog no longer than about 5 minutes to adjust to the chaos of our home, simply relieved that he could be warm, comfy and loved once again, or maybe even for the first time in his life. This is what makes us continue to do this over and over again. Unconditional love from such a beautiful, innocent creature is the greatest thing in the world. The joy of matching these amazing animals with new families is just as rewarding as giving them the love and attention they are starving to have and it bowls us over with emotion every time.

We get sometimes as many as 10 calls a week from people wanting to "get rid" of their dog for one stupid reason or another. It is amazing how many people in this world think that animals are disposable and it sickens me that these dogs have to go through the heartache that they do. I'm thankful that we are able to provide them with the love they need and that eventually, we are able to find them the most perfect homes. Sometimes it takes a couple of years (no joke), but we always find the right match. Duke and King will be the start of a busy and long winter for us, but we wouldn't trade it for anything.

At a loss...

Well, we start a new chapter in our life soon. Our new president is not what I expected, but this is apparently what is destined for our nation. I've never really believed my vote could count, and now, even more so, I do not believe. Perhaps I'm just ignorant and don't understand the process, but this "electoral vote" crap really makes no sense to me. Whether it makes sense or not, it is what it is and our new president appears to be Barack Obama. I will now have to pay taxes on the money that goes into my retirement fund, will my cafeteria plan still be tax free? I have no idea. Not to worry, I never really had much of a retirement fund anyway! I went to school for Forestry, but for some reason, neither of the candidates cared much about the forests during the tenure of this campaign. Apparently this is old news for the people of America. Who cares about our forests when the world will end in 4 years anyway?

As much as I didn't want to believe that the end of the Mayan calendar might really be the end of our world, after all I've heard about Obama being the "trojan horse", his indoctrination campaign, etc, it really makes me wonder. I have had Nostradamus and all of his beliefs instilled in me since I was young, so this is always at the back of my mind when viewing the world around me. So many signs point towards the end these days...I know it's crazy, but who knows. Time will only tell I suppose.

In conclusion, I never want to argue with people over politics, so really posting this will be pretty bold of me. Most people have no idea who I vote for, or what I stand for politically. I consider it a pretty personal thing, and can detect easily those on my side and only have discussions with those that I know are on the same page. One might say that is cowardly, but to me, my relationships with family and friends are more important than siding with politicians that I do not know, or care to know. At any rate, it is what it is, and the world will be what we make of it, so as I told my kids, we will make the best out of these times. If it means my kids having to share their tooth fairy money with other kids that don't get any, then so be it.

The End...

Well, it seems that Ralphetta had more wrong with him than we thought (as if having your eyeball pop was not major enough). I was hoping one more day of rest would help him get better, but I was wrong. A friend and I just went out to check on him and the poor little fellow was dead. He was a good little birdie while he was with us, and at least this way he did not die a violent death in the jaws of some random neighbor cat or under someone's tire. I do however hope that he was not in pain or suffering.

Having this little birdie in our house the last few days has brought a few questions to my mind. In the wild, or in the city, where exactly do birds sleep at night? Where are they when we don't see them? How do they stay warm? I suppose their feathers are designed to keep them warm, but still it seems they could get chilly. Just some random thoughts. I'll have to do some research later...something else for me to lookup on the internet while procrastinating doing chores.

Ralphetta Part III

Well, as it turns out releasing a bird back into the wild, even after only a day of captivity is not as easy as it sounds. I'm not sure what exactly Ralphetta's problem is, but he/she/it will not fly. Also, since it is now partially blind, the bird runs into things and wanders out into the road when cars are coming. Oh what will we do with you little birdie? The kids and I decided it was not safe for him outside, so we found a bigger box to put him in. He's pretty irritated at us keeping him captive, he's hopping around a lot and not at all pleased with his new home but that is all I could think of to do at this point.

I did get an email back from the Audobon Society saying that they would take him in if his release doesn't go well, so that may be what we need to do. Oh, and she told me that he is most likely a Golden Crowned Sparrow. He's actually a nice little bird. I'm not sure if it's blindness that is making him so friendly, but he walks all over the kids feet and will come in our direction when we whistle at him.

Dave says "you're something else". I guess that pretty much sums it up...

On another note, I started thinking of the quote I discussed earlier "be the change you wish to see in the world". I suppose that this little act of kindness is one that I'd like to see other people duplicate, especially towards animals and yes, even birds. So, here I am, starting at home with saving the world, one Golden Crowned Sparrow at a time. Really though, for those of you that know us, we started with saving animals long ago and have saved our fair share (over 50 German Shepherds so far with a few cats and mice in between). This is however, our first bird.

Here are some pictures of our feeble attempt at Ralphetta's release.

Ralphetta's Progress

Well, good news! I think we may be able to set Ralphetta free when we get home this afternoon. He/she/it is doing much better. I have been giving it water regularly, and the last time I went out to check on him he hopped out of his basket and out of the car. Not wanting to leave him miles away from his home I scooped him back up and put the lid back on his basket so he couldn't escape again. I read online that birds will sleep if they are in the dark, so I covered his basket with a towel in hopes that he will rest some more and be strong enough to be set free later today. He is clearly blind in one eye, but he doesn't seem to care much about that.

I guess I'm glad I saved the little fellow now, and I really hope that he will do more than just sit in the bushes when we set him free. If not, we may have to go to Petco to find a bird cage...though I have also read online that it is illegal to keep wild birds in captivity, and as Rebecca commented, apparently they carry fleas and diseases. So, that may not be the best idea. I will have to re-think my options at that point.

The Audobon Society has yet to return my email, so I'm glad he's doing better. For a while there I wasn't quite sure what we were going to do with him. A friend at work did suggest that I make Ralphetta a patch for his eye, so I may have to look into that when we get home. Cheyenne got an "i-dog" thing the other day at Burger King that came with a pirate costume, perhaps we can modify parts of the i-dogs costume to fit little Ralhetta. They're about the same size...

It'll peck your eye out!

So, the latest in our life. The kids and I are pulling out of the driveway this morning when I spot something in the alley that looks like a piece of wood or charcoal. For some reason or another, I decide to pause and actually think about this thing in the road, even though we're running late. Finally, I come to the conclusion that it should not be there, so I get out to investigate. Upon closer inspection, I find that it is an injured bird and I am so relieved that I didn't just run over it thinking it was nothing. However, at the same time, I'm quite confused as to what to do. If I simply drive around it, the next person that comes through the alley will run over it. If I try to move it I will get scared and scream! At last I think to myself, I have some newspapers in the car, I will scoop it up with those and place it in the bushes. So, this is what I did. Of course, when I did this, I thought for sure that the little fellow would shake off whatever it was that was ailing him and take flight before we returned from school and work later in the day...(insert dramatic music ensemble here)...I was wrong.

Upon our return 8 hours later, we found the little guy exactly where I had left him. My immediate thought...this is not good. Especially once I looked closer and saw that his eye was swollen and full of blood. Dun dun dun dun...I took the kids inside, let the dogs out to potty, thought about the situation briefly and then me and the kids headed back outside to act. I had already completely screwed natures process up by moving him out of the road, so now it was my responsibility to fix this situation. But how in the hell do you care for an injured bird? I don't even really like birds! I glanced around the front porch, I found a plastic crate so I grabbed that and an old dog towel and went back to the car for the newspapers. When we got back to him, his eye had popped, and he had blood dribbling down his face. He was now obviously blind in one eye. Poor thing. I scooped the little fellow up once again and this time placed him in the crate. I put a piece of cardboard over the top to hold some heat in and then me and the kids raided the bird feeders next door to find him some food.

When we left for dinner we left him with a small handwarmer for heat. He was sleeping with his head under his wing when we left, and also when we returned two or three hours later. I brought him inside, fed him some water with a straw, which he drank a lot of and gave him three more handwarmers. He is now on top of a shelf in the living room, in his little crate with cardboard on top. He has a bottle cap full of water, and some bird seed and his three little handwarmers. I'm not sure what to do with him at this point. I'm going to have to take him with me to work tomorrow since he can't stay at home with the dogs all day...I've emailed the Audobon Society, so I'm hoping they can help. Dave is just hoping that we don't have a bird flying around the house in the morning...he is apparently more optimistic about Ralphetta's recovery than I am.

Now, I must sign off so I can stop Jimmy from trying to bury his cucumber (yes, that's right, he's got his own cucumber now, it's half eaten, but it's his) in the couch and see what Bonnie is eating in the other room. I'm hoping it's not the bird (Ralphetta). If anyone has any suggestions on how to care for an injured wren please do share.

American Pie

Well, it is that time of year again, time to peel and slice apples and make pie! About 5 or 6 years ago I got a pie recipe from a friend at work (thank you Susie) and since then, I've turned into a regular Bree VanDeKamp! I even took a quiz online that told me so! Ok, all kidding aside, while I do not typically like to toot my own horn, I really do think my pies are pretty good and have had a few complements about them from time to time. Unlike Bree however, I am not afraid to share my secrets.

The first year I tried making the crust, it was to say the least, a disaster. I was in tears, I couldn't get it rolled out right, I was screaming, the dogs were cowering in the corner wondering what in the hell was wrong with their mother, it was a nightmare. I finally threw my hands up and my husband took over and got the job done. At that point I vowed to never take on a project like this again, I'm not good in the kitchen and I never will be. The next year however, I picked more apples (I cannot pass up anything that is free) and decided to try it one more time. Since then I've mastered the pie crust making skill and come to realize that the crust does not have to be a perfect circle, it will work no matter what shape it turns into.
To make things easier this year, I trusted the kids to peel and slice the apples for me which was a HUGE help. You see, I'm the type of person that must do everything for myself and won't usually accept help but these kids were relentless about wanting to do this chore so alas, I finally gave in and set them loose, hoping they wouldn't cut their fingers off and we'd have to make a trip to the hospital. Let me just say though, that those apple peeler/corers are an amazing device that everyone should have. While they are sharp and slightly dangerous, the kids were able to operate it with no work related injuries.
While they were peeling and slicing, I got the crusts ready and within a couple of hours we had three beautiful pies. The crust is by far the best part of my pie, and I'll even tell you the secret ingredient so that you too can make a pie to die for. Get ready...drum roll...are you sure you want me to tell you? Okay, the secret ingredient is butter flavored Crisco! Yep, that's the trick. Another secret, which is one I always forget about is to brush the top with egg whites so that the crust is shiny. I am always just so excited that I've pulled it off once again that I forget that step. So you see, it's really not as difficult as it may seem to make your own crust so give it a shot. Look at what you could be eating for desert tonight if you do. And not to worry Dad, I got more apples yesterday so we'll make a sugar free one for you.

Also, a side note for all of you that might take this on, they will freeze wonderfully and last until Thanksgiving and even Christmas. Just put some wax paper over them and put them in a freezer bag and stick them in the freezer. When it's time to eat them you can warm them up in the oven and everyone will think you worked all night on it.

Be the change..

This famous quote by Gandhi was brought to my attention following the death of a friend, and since then I have been pondering it almost daily. I understand what it means, but what I have a hard time with is how I can apply it to my life. I have so little time in my life to simply get the things done that I need to, how can I possibly fit in saving the world? And an even bigger question, how do you explain this way of thought to children so that they too can be the change they wish to see in the world. Do they even wish to see a change in the world at this young age?

I do see my kids leading by example when we go to a restaurant and they are sitting quietly at the table waiting for their food while staring in horror at other kids that are screaming and running around. During these rare moments we are so proud of them, but if you take the horrible children out of the picture, then our kids can turn into those screaming, running kids very quickly. My point is that for some of us, or maybe even most of us, we tend to ignore or shut out all of the bad stuff around us unless we are faced with it directly. We don't try to change things until they're right in our face, and by then it's often too late. I know we all have very busy lives and not much time or money, but perhaps we need to all start thinking about the bigger picture a little bit more and figure out exactly what change we do want to see happen, so that we can start at least changing our own lives to start moving in that direction.

This blog really hasn't helped me figure out what change I'm working towards, but I suppose in some way, maybe it will help with the bigger picture in getting more people to think along these lines.

Please post comments with ideas on what changes you'd like to see and how you're changing things at home to lead in that direction. Maybe if we all brainstorm we can save the world faster.

Master of the One Course Meal

So, as some of you may know, I don’t cook well at all. I can make casseroles, and I can bake pies, but other than that, it's pretty scary when I'm set loose in the kitchen. I of course will normally eat anything I make, but others find it extremely unpalatable. As of late I’ve been making large batches of white rice, and then the next day turning them into fried rice, with veg-all and eggs. The first batch turned out quite disgusting. The second batch was better. Last night I remembered this rice dish that I had at the Miami Airport at an authentic Cuban restaurant (La Carreta). The dish was called "Yellow Rice with Chicken". I ate the same thing when we were in Miami going TO Curacao, and then again when we were there for 13 hours on our way BACK from Curacao. It was sort of the highlight of our entire trip actually since the rest was pretty miserable. Anyway, as you can guess it was yellow, and it had eggs, chicken, and vegetables in it. So, I started to think last night that I might be able to make something similar. While it was not quite the same, I think I sort of pulled it off and Bubba even said that he liked it! Cheyenne of course picked at hers but she just doesn’t really like rice so I think that was the main reason for her disfavor.

Anyway, feel free to tell me what you think of my little combination of ingredients.

Here goes;
White Rice
Veg All (or any vegetable(s) would work really)
Water
Chicken Bouillon
Garlic Salt
3 pickled Garlic Cloves & some juice
Cumin
Turmeric
Cooked Ground pork cooked with Paprika
2 Fried Scrambled Eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Basically, I just mixed it all together and voila! I did cook the ground pork and the eggs separately however, and added them at the end.

So, would you eat it? It's actually similar to a Spanish recipe I found online called "Paella", minus the saffron, which I did not have. I'm happy with my concoction, and if I could I'd make it again. I never measure anything though, so chances of that happening are slim. All in all, it was a good night in the kitchen and definitely something to blog about.

Amazing

Those that know me know that I do not like to brag or toot my own horn much, but today, I simply amazed myself. A hobby of mine for the past few years has been creating and maintaining webpages, mostly for our own personal use, or for causes close to our hearts. After putting off the (should be monthly) update of our German Shepherd Rescue site, I finally decided to sit down this morning and do some work on it. I did the usual updates through my free web design program that I use. Now, keep in mind it was free, so there are some major hurdles I have to go through to update the pages each time I change things. I really can't explain what has to be done, but I do seem to amaze myself a little bit more every time by learning new and quicker ways to do things.

Today, I'm particularly proud of myself for learning about CSS code (for those that do not know it's cascading style sheets). While I find it way more complicated than plain ole' HTML, at least I was able to figure it out so that I could edit what I needed to. The thing that I am most amazed over however, is the fact that I FINALLY figured out how to make the title of the web page appear in the Web Browser. I have been thinking about why it hadn't been working, and it finally dawned on me tonight that it was all because of the re-direct that I have set up. So alas, the Oregon German Shepherd Rescue page now has an official title at the top of the Browser. Wow. I'm so happy. This just might inspire me to work on the other sites that have been needing attention for a while now.

Sorry if this post is boring, but I really am quite proud of myself and just had to share! The dogs don't really find this kind of thing exciting and the kids went to bed, they wouldn't understand anyway...

Computers, can't live with 'em...

...can't live without 'em. Personally, I cannot live without my computer, but often times, I feel like throwing it across the room too. I guess you could say it's a love hate relationship. For the last 3 days I have been trying to upgrade my Anti-Virus Software, the software that seems to say that it is expired every other month or so. I swear I just paid for a new year long subscription, but yet again, I got the notice saying that my computer is "unprotected". Can you imagine? "Unprotected". It sounds so awful, so, what's the word I'm looking for, vulnerable. Well, I have now tried to install the upgrade 3 or maybe even 4 times, it takes several hours, and not once has it installed properly. Oh but it installed all the annoying pop up blockers and safe internet site stoppers so my web browsing is now ultra slow and I can't play the games I normally play because they won't load properly anymore. I feel like screaming, but it won't help, so I've finally given up and am searching for a free virus protection software to download. I've found a couple, and tried to download both of them, the first one failed, the second one says that it has 2 days and 12 hours remaining on the download. Bear in mind that I supposedly have high speed cable internet that I pay out the you know what for. For the Love of GOD. I'm frustrated and really feel that it might be beneficial at this point to go watch Office Space so I can see that other peoples lives suck this bad too. Yes, I know it's just a movie but for someone to actually write that kind of a story, they must know the same kind of pain that I live everyday of my life in.

What's in a name?

So, I thought I'd try setting up a blog to see how it goes. It seems that every blog I come upon has a cute witty name, this is something I have a hard time coming up with. With a last name like ours, it was especially difficult to figure out something that would both identify who the blog is about, and at the same time be entertaining. So, I began to think. Picture the wheels turning and time standing still.

Whilst I pondered about what word or phrase would best describe our life, the word "crazy" immediately came to mind. After adopting 2 kids, and fostering more than 50 dogs in the last four years our lives have been nothing BUT crazy. Of course, the word "crazy", isn't very witty or creative, so being the nerd that I am I looked it up on www.thesaurus.com to find a synonym that might be interesting. I came up with meshuga, apparently, it means...you guessed it, crazy or insane. And the best part is that it starts with the same first four letters of our last name!

So, I am feeling rather accomplished now, and am glad that I tried this blog thing out. Now however, a couple of the dogs will not leave me alone, so I must cut this short to do one of two things to get them to settle down. I must either take them for a walk or run (which I'm not really feeling like doing) or I must go to bed so they will go to sleep. Decisions...