Toodle-oo 2012!

2012 is coming to a close and what a year it has been.  Honestly, I don't remember much of it, it went by so quickly.  With all of the holiday celebrations and basketball practices, December has felt like a flash in the pan. 

Early in the month Jakob and I went to the Parade of Lights in Stillwater - AFTER we ate some alfredo sauce at Da Vinci's and had hot chocolate at Aspen.  Jakob's faves of the parade were the loud motorcycles and speed bikes, which weren't really covered in lights, but were cool anyway.





Jakob and Jimmy were introduced to smores one night while we were at Josh and Shawna's.  I asked them if they had something similar in Germany, but called it something else and they said no, they'd never heard of smores before.  How strange.  You'd think something like smores is a universal, but apparently not.  The boys hated them.  Just kidding.  There's chocolate involved, of course they loved them!

Smores education for the non-enlightened:  graham cracker, large marshmallow, piece of chocolate.  Roast the marshmallow over a fire then squeeze it between graham crackers and chocolate and pull it off of the skewer (or stick if you're doing this in the woods) and chow down.  If you've ever attended any kind of camp in the United States, you've probably had some variation of smores.

 

I also developed a Peanut Pooch.  This is me at 16 weeks.

We celebrated Christmas with in-laws and outlaws and Jakob had his first communion ever on the 23rd. He said he'd never heard of it before, but is sure his mom probably has. Our pastor gave an awesome message about what communion means and we all sang some Christmas hymns.  It was a beautiful occasion and as our pastor told Jakob, we were honored that his first communion was shared with us.

Last week we took Jakob to Click's Steakhouse in Pawnee.  If you're not from Oklahoma and you've never heard of Click's, you're excused.  If you're from Oklahoma and you've never heard of Click's, shame on ya!  Jakob ordered a prime rib, I think it may have been his first, and when they brought the food to our table his eyes literally bugged out.  He said he'd never seen a steak that big before.  Welcome to America where our motto is bigger is better!  And on the bigger is better note, Jakob said when he first arrived here that he wanted to put on some weight, which we thought wouldn't be a problem, given the American diet.  However, he's still a beanpole.  But, I think he's grown about 3 inches since September.

 

And what meal at Click's would be complete without dessert?  I had cheesecake, which was 3 stories tall and topped with cherries, D had coconut cream pie and Jakob had, what else but, the chocolate cream pie.  He said he'd never seen or heard of meringue before.  We're teaching him all we know.

We also spent an afternoon playing Monopoly.  Just so you know, both of these boys cheat.  They'll deny it if you ask and say that I played with a potty mouth, but don't listen to them.  They be cheaters.

 

For the last weekend of 2012 Derek and Josh went coyote hunting and then we went to Tulsa for some shopping and eating.  Miss Loren went with us and was super excited when she found out we were going to Bass Pro because she would get to see the fish.

 

Don't you love her boots?!  Too, too cute!  And they match mine.  :)

 

She also did a little laser hunting.  She'd never played before and didn't know how to aim.  I showed her how to line up the sights, but she couldn't close her left eye.  I'm going to assume that she's like her Daddy and will find that she is left-eye dominant.  We improvised.  I covered her left eye with my hand and she shot a varmint.  Then she tried to cover her eye herself; successful, she wasn't.

 

 

D is outside shooting coyotes again and really wants me to go outside to take a picture of his trophy, but it's cold and raining (praise the Lord!!), so I think I'll just stay inside.  Plus, I don't have on my mud shoes, so going outside just isn't going to happen.

 

Have a Happy New Year and an awesome 2013!

What I've learned about shopping for maternity clothes

1. Most stores (at least in my area) don't carry maternity clothes in stock. What?! A town of almost 50,000 people is within 25 minutes of my house and I can't find one store that stocks maternity clothes. "Buy online!" they say. "Pull my finger!" I say.

2. It must have been a man who said that you can simply buy a waist extender and continue to live in your normal pants for several months. This didn't work because the only way to get comfortable in my normal pants was to be completely unbuttoned and unzipped. If you were/are not that bloated, bless you. I tried the whole waist extender thing and I think I was more uncomfortable than if I'd just toughed it out and buttoned them up. I have kissed my jeans good-bye until sometime next fall.

3. It must have been the same man who said you can buy maternity pants in your normal size. I'm normally a size 10, but I have on a size 8 maternity pant from Old Navy. ???

4. While in the muffin top stage (this is when you're middle is beginning to grow but hasn't grown so much that you actually look pregnant, you just look like you've packed on a few pounds) do not wear form fitting maternity shirts. If they're too big for you to fill out, you'll just look bigger than normal. If they fit your muffin top, you just look bigger than normal.

5. Always, excuse me, ALWAYS, try the clothes on. I don't care what size the tag says that it is, if it's close your size, try it on. If you hold it up to your body and it's close to your size, try it on. I've come to the conclusion that the tag is a mere afterthought and it is not to be held to any kind of truth standard. And don't be surprised if your belly is one size, but your tatas, arms and rear are another size. EVERYTHING grows, not just your belly. Also, as another pregnant woman pointed out to me, the form fitting shirts are still made with skinny sleeves. As I mentioned, everything grows when you're pregnant, so those skinny sleeves might not fit your arms anymore. This is also why your normal pants no longer fit - even unbuttoned and unzipped, the legs are becoming waaaaay too tight!

6. Shopping in the "women's" department (this is not the same thing as the "misses" department) is a must do! And yoga pants with a V-front are awesome! Buy some leggings, cute boots and long shirts or tunics that are a size or two larger than your normal size and be cute and happy!

*Disclaimer: this is just a summary of my experiences and what has worked or not worked for me. You may have had better luck than me and you're not expected to follow my lead or agree with my opinions :)

Easy chili

My Grandpa Rex was well known for his cooking and chili was something he had numerous recipes for. When I was 16 he gave me a book of his most prized recipes. I've made one of his chili recipes for forever because it's my favorite, it tastes awesome and I'm so picky about my chili that I pretty much refused to eat any other recipe - they're usually too thick (I like a little juice in my chili) or the flavor is wrong. But, recently Mom shared a simple recipe that was very yummy! Here you go!

Easy Chili
2 lb hamburger
5 lb sausage
2 pkg taco season
2 pkg dry ranch season
2 cans Ro-tel
1 can ranch style beans
2 cans tomato sauce
1-2 cans water

1.  In a large pot, brown the hamburger and sausage then drain and return the meat to the pot.

2.  Add the taco and ranch seasoning and stir well.

3.  Add the Ro-tel, beans, tomato sauce and 1-2 cans of water (use the empty can of sauce) and heat through, approximately 20 minutes.

We like to serve chili over Frito's, topped with mustard, onions and cheese, AKA Frito Chili Pie. Years ago, my friend Ricky went off to college in the panhandle and met a boy from Illinois and when he came home with her, we were having Frito Chili Pie. He had NEVER heard of it. Sacrilege! I don't even know how it's possible that someone could have never heard of FCP. But, he's a Yankee, so I'll just chalk it up to that lol! He said they eat their chili over crackers (something I've never cared for), so we hooked him up with some FCP and now that he's married to her and has been converted to be a mostly-Okie, I think he's okay. Actually, we all love Travis. :)

The bananafana song

Monday, Monday bo bonday
Bananafana fo fonday
Me, my, mo monday
Monday!

I learned this song when I was a little girl from my friend Audrey's mom, Gail. She hauled a load of us girls around and took us to ballet class and led our Camp Fire Girls group for several years. Most importantly, she taught us how to make snocones with snow and Koolaid. It was a revolutionary day for me because I L-O-V-E snocones! I also watched "Jaws" for the first time at their house and it scared the poo out of me. I've never looked at water the same. Audrey also introduced me to Shel Silverstein and Wham! And I've never looked at music the same. Wake me up, before you go, go!

I have taught this song to my niece and my cousins over the years and it is hysterical to watch a toddler who's just learning to speak get entranced by this song and try to sing it with you. Normally, the only thing they manage to get out is "nanafana" over and over as they bop their little diapered booty up and down. I sing it all the time, using whatever word comes to mind.

Nut, nut bo but
Bananafana fo fut
Me, my, mo mut
Nut!

Girl, girl bo birl
Bananafana fo firl
Me, my, mo mirl
Girl!

Dog, dog bo bog
Bananafana fo fog
Me, my, mo mog
Dog!

I prefer to use names, though.

Nana, Nana bo bana
Bananafana fo fana
Me, my, mo mana
Nana!

Julie, Julie bo bulie
Bananafana fo fulie
Me, my, mo mulie
Julie!

Maddy, Maddy bo baddy
Bananafana fo faddy
Me, my mo maddy
Maddy!

And the more times we sing it, the faster we go! :)

However, I'm now going to have the Wham! song stuck in my head all day.

Easy chicken enchiladas

On Tuesday morning at 4:47 am I woke up and a thrown-together recipe for enchiladas suddenly appeared in my mind. I thought about it for a while and decided it sounded quite yummy and we would have it for dinner that night. Do you ever do that? Have a recipe idea suddenly just appear to you? I've never had it happen at 4:47 am, but it worked out this time.

On the amounts for the jalepenos, onions and cheese, I'm making a rough guess as to how much I used because I didn't measure it, I just eyeballed it for what I thought would be sufficient. You can always use less or more depending on your family's palate. We had black bean and corn salad, Ro-tel cheese dip and chips with the enchiladas. Jakob said it was the worst meal EVER! But, he was just kidding, he had seconds. For the cheese I used colby jack - it's one we like and we use it on almost everything. But, you could use pepper jack or whatever flavor floats your boat. Next time I'll try to remember to take a pic.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

2-3 large cans of chicken chunks, drained and separated with a fork
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 8 oz container sour cream
1 small can chopped green chiles
1/4 C jalepenos, chopped (make it easy and just use the kind from a jar)
1/2 C onion, chopped
1 C cilantro, chopped
2 C cheese, shredded
Salsa
1 pkg tortillas, soft taco size

1.  In a small saucepan, combine the sour cream, soup, chiles, jalepenos and onion. Cook over medium heat until warmed through and it has thinned out.

2.  Mix in the chicken and stir well. (I like a creamier enchilada so I only used 2 cans of chicken, but if you want more meat and less sauce, just add more chicken.)

3.  Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Lay a tortilla out flat, spoon about 3 heaping tablespoons on it and roll it up, then place it in the baking dish and repeat. If you have any leftover sauce mix, just spoon it over the top. (I'm not a tight roller, so all but 2 of my tortillas fit into my baking dish; the last two I put into an 8x8 baking dish.)

4.  Spoon salsa over the tortillas. Go as heavy or as light as you want. Remember, the more you use, the soggier it can become, so I only used 1 or 2 Tbsp over each tortilla.

5.  Spread the cilantro over the top, then spread the cheese on.

6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

The Pencil Test

At my 11 week ultrasound, the radiology tech gave me her guess of what the sex of our little peanut is. I asked her if that was just a "guess guess" or if she could actually see something. She said it's an educated guess based on her training and experience, but we won't have confirmation until January or February. And you know, waiting just isn't any fun.

Last week while at Walmart with Mom, a friend told us to do the Pencil Test - which I'd never heard of, but Mom had. She said to tie a string to the eraser end of a pencil and hold it over my tummy and if it spun or made a circle it was a girl, and if it went up and down the length of my body then it was a boy. Have you ever heard of this? I confess, it stirred images of a craggy old witch chanting as she stood over some pregnant woman who just wanted to know the sex of her baby. But, considering that we don't know any witches and we don't chant, we decided we'd give it a try.

Mom and I went back to her house and she dug out a pencil and some string. She'd heard of the test, but was told to do it over my wrist. First, you have to understand that my Mom and I can't do anything like this without laughing and giggling the entire time. I videod to try to get the results on camera, but I think we laughed too much. I googled the Pencil Test and found some conflicting (and concerning) information. We decided the string was getting twisted and we weren't getting a true result, so we called my aunt Charlotte, because it was her relative that initially told Mom about the test and we figured she'd be an authority on the subject. She told us to stick a needle into the eraser and thread the string through the needle and hold it over my wrist. I'm telling you, this felt like the most hocus pocus thing I've ever done and we couldn't stop laughing about it. We never really got conclusive results, over my tummy or over my wrist.

I had D try it with me the next morning. He didn't giggle nearly as much as Mom did. I'm wondering if the person holding the string has to be like someone who's witching for water and have "the touch", because we got the same inconclusive results as the night before. I guess I will have to either find someone with "the touch" or just wait a couple of months to get word from the doctor. Based on our highly technical test results, I think the Pencil Test may be hocus pocus, but it gave us a good laugh. :)

Cheesy mexican chicken & zucchini soup

Last night we had homemade soup, salad, Hawaiian sweet rolls and cherry dump cake for dinner. It was yummo!! The soup was a minor tweak to a recipe on allrecipes.com (click on the link below to go to the original recipe). The only thing I added to the original recipe was 2 cans of cooked chicken (drained) and some salt. After you drain the chicken, pour it into a bowl and use a fork to break up the chunks. Last night, I forgot to add the cilantro and the soup still tasted awesome, so don't fret if you forget that step. I've made the soup before and added paprika to it and that was yummy, too. I also like to cut the stewed tomatoes into smaller pieces, just a personal preference - it makes the tomatoes go further. The Hawaiian rolls had a nice, sweet contrast to the soup, very complimentary to each other, in my humble opinion. Jakob said his favorite part of the meal was the dessert, which I have to admit, is also one of my faves. He had seconds. My family has been making dump cake for F-O-R-E-V-E-R. We used to have it every Sunday at my Grandma's house. The recipe is SO unbelievably easy, you will start using it as your emergency go-to dessert! Here's the goods on both the soup and the dump cake:

Mexican Zucchini Cheese Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/4 inch slices
• 2 medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/4 inch slices
• 1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
• 12 ounces processed cheese food, cubed
• 2 large cans cooked chicken, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot, and saute the onion and garlic until tender. Season with oregano.

2.  Mix in the chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Mix in the zucchini, yellow squash, corn, and chile peppers. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender.

3.  Mix in the chicken and cubed processed cheese into the soup. Continue to cook and stir until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the cilantro just before serving.


Dump Cake

Ingredients

• 1 can of fruit pie filling, whatever flavor you like (cherry, apple, peach, etc and using the light or no sugar added variety doesn't change the yumminess of the dish)
• 1 small can of crushed pineapple
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1/2 package of Pilsbury White Cake mix, dry (very important to use Pilsbury, it tastes waaaaaay better, I promise)
• 1 stick of butter

Directions
1.  Pour the fruit pie filling, crushed pineapple and water into an 8x8 baking dish and mix well.

2.  In a separate bowl, cut the butter into the cake mix with a pastry cutter until the butter is in small chunks and is well mixed with the cake.

3.  Pour the cake-butter mix over the fruit and spread it out evenly.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until bubbly and the top is golden brown.



See? Wasn't that the easiest recipe ever? And since it only calls for 1/2 a package of cake mix, you can make two of them in different flavors to please everyone in your family! :)

A thankful heart: day 30

I saved the best for last.  Today I am thankful for my family.  They're crazy, they're annoying, they're loving, they're supportive, they're funny, they're frustrating and they're the best I could ask for!

A thankful heart: day 29

Today I am thankful for veterinarians. My baby, Marilyn, is not well. She's getting older and has developed arthritis and has some torn ligaments in her leg. When she's not resting she limps around and sometimes cries when she tweaks her leg; it's heartbreaking to watch. I even heard her yelp and cry in the night :( It's times like these that I wish she could talk. She's getting weekly shots and is on pain meds but it's just hard to watch her suffer. I'm thankful that our vet had an opening and got her in quickly and had the knowledge to tell me what's causing my baby to suffer and how we can treat her. Praying she feels better soon!

A thankful heart: day 27 and 28

Day 27
Today I am thankful for humidifiers and lotion. The air here is so dry that my skin is snake-like, dry and flaky and so dehydrated that I sometimes have cottonmouth to the point that I feel like I'm choking. And my nose is so dry that my nasal passages have begun to bleed and I had (TMI alert) several sores that wouldn't heal. Thanks to the humidifier, lotion, neosporin, nasal moisturizer spray and lots and lots of water I'm now feeling better.

Day 28
Today I am thankful for prayer. When I am stressed or worried I know that I can go straight to the Lord in prayer and instantly feel better. I tend to pray a lot in the shower and during my 45 minute commute. These aren't the only two times I pray, but these are times that I'm almost guaranteed to be alone and have little risk of interruption. When my mood drops or when I need to feel hopeful I know that I can be restored in the Lord through prayer. I can't get that anywhere else.

A thankful heart: days 21-26 (wow)

I kind of fell behind. Oops.

Day 21
Today I am thankful for safe travels. We gathered with family for a memorial service for my Grandma Betty and Grandpa Rex's today. On our way home about 8:30 that night we passed a bad wreck in Mannford. D got called to a car fire west of our little town. My mother-in-law, Karen, sister-in-law, Lindsay, and her boyfriend, Dan, arrived from St. Louis a couple of hours later. Later that night D had to respond to a structure fire in town and had his first experience entering a burning building. I'm thankful we are all safe.

Day 22
Thanksgiving Day and today I am thankful for the gathering of family. My parents and D's aunt and uncle joined us for the grand feast. Jakob was impressed with all of the food and said it was delicious. Mom toodled around on the 4-wheeler before dinner and we had a TON of food. On a side note, the smell of turkery wreaked havoc on my prenatal body. Every time I smelled it I felt a little sick. But, determined to eat it, I had a few pieces with my cranberry tangerine salad.

Day 23
Today I am thankful for headache medicine. I didn't have a headache, but late in the day (after a long day) Jakob and Lindsay did. I took Jakob to the school at 8:00 to ride the bus to the scrimmage in Sperry. The rest of us, minus D because he was working, left about 8:45. I planned to get some donuts and sausage rolls in town when I dropped Jakob off, but they were closed, so we had to settle for McDonald's in Sand Springs on our way to the scrimmage. I made the mistake of assuming there would be some concessions at the scrimmage to hold me over until lunch and my small breakfast did not last. Jakob rode the bus home and we went to Skiatook to eat mexican. Once again, we made a poor assumption that they would be open. So, we settled for Mazzio's pizza buffet instead. That evening all of us, including D this time, went to Stillwater to eat at Eskimo Joe's and introduce Dan to their cheese fries. Jakob had a headache when we left and Lindsay hit her head on the counter when she stood up after petting one of the dogs and she also had a headache. Jakob felt so bad that he barely touched his food, but his dad got to see us on the webcam and we all waved to him. Thankfully, Mom's house isn't too far from Joe's and we stopped in for ibuprofen and both Jakob and Lindsay were all fixed up. Mom and Bill weren't home, yet, so D and I rearranged the food in their pantry and opened all of the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. We like to let Mom know we've been there.

Day 24
Today I am thankful for the Christmas spirit. I got the tree down after our guests headed home and Jakob and I got it put up and decorated. I got him a keepsake ornament to celebrate his year in the US and he put it on the tree first.

 

 

 

Day 25
Today I am thankful for Facebook. I know it sounds like a stupid thing, but today it was quite helpful for me. Several months ago the bulb went out on our TV in the living room. Someone told me a new bulb was about $400, so I never checked into getting it repaired. D wanted a bigger TV anyway, so he just sent me to the store for a new one. The old TV has since been sitting idle in front of the fireplace. We decided to donate it to the Habitat ReStore in Stillwater in the hopes that someone could use it for a parts TV. However, getting it to Stillwater when they were open and we weren't working turned out to be quite a challenge. So, it just sat. And sat. And sat. And sat. I was so sick of looking at it that I decided to put it on Facebook on a couple of barter/sell groups and hope that someone would take it. I really didn't think anyone would want it because of the bulb issue. But, when I had about 15 responses within minutes of posting it, I wondered if the bulb replacement was really $400 or if it was a lot cheaper. The lady who ended up "winning" the TV came and picked it up and I think she said the bulb was less than $80. WOW. Mom was po'd because I tried to get her to take the TV at least 10 times and she kept saying no. Guess the joke was on her. Or maybe it's on me for not just getting the TV fixed instead of spending money on a new one. lol

Day 26
Today I am thankful for quiet. After a week of hustle and bustle, all is quiet once again and we are returning to a normal routine. Jakob is back in school, D and I have a couple of days off together and it's nice to just relax. The tree is up, the stockings are hung, presents are wrapped. I have a few more to buy, but for the most part, I am finished. It's time to just sit back and enjoy this time.

A thankful heart: day 20

Today I am thankful for modern medicine and ultrasounds! So thankful that we don't live in the pioneer days and my doctor can look at my baby with an ultrasound and make sure everything is okay; I don't have to live in the dark, wondering and waiting. I am 11 weeks today; who wants to start making bets on whether it's a boy or girl? :)

See the little bitty arms?! So precious!

A thankful heart: day 19

Today I am thankful for massages. I can now at least walk without stabbing pains in my glutes and low back. But, I'm so tight I think I'd need a massage every day for a month before I'd actually have long lasting relief. Today's massage will just have to do for now :)

A thankful heart: day 18

Today I am thankful for heating pads and space heaters. Without them I would A) never survive the winter and B) have no relief from a sore back and butt.

A thankful heart: day 17

Today is the 28th anniversary of my Dad's death. I remember waking up, it was still dark outside and the bathroom light was on. I got up and I saw my Aunt Debbie and my Grandma standing at the end of the hall and my Mom was in the bathroom, all of them were crying. I asked her what had happened and she said that my Dad had died. He had been sick for 2 years, it was a day that we knew was coming. We had watched him fight through and suffer and eventually wither away, becoming a shadow of the man he once was. Cancer and brain tumors had robbed him of his life and us of having a father and husband. I remember the next few days and the funeral, but I have virtually no memories from the following year, it's all just a blur and is all mixed up. Mom said I cried for my Dad every night for a year, which I don't remember. Today, I'm thankful for the short 7 1/2 years that I had with him. It wasn't enough, but it's better than nothing at all. I'm thankful for people who share their memories of him with us, allowing my brother and I to know him more than we did. I'm thankful that our little town saw fit to name the baseball field after him, honoring all of his hard work as a coach and teacher. I'm thankful for pictures and old tape recordings so we can still see his face, hear his voice and listen to him playing the guitar. I will see him in person again someday.

A thankful heart: day 16

Today I am thankful that nightmares can remain just that, a nightmare, and not a reality. A couple of days ago I had a dream that I had an ultrasound and there was no heartbeat - which was the only part of the dream that felt real. The rest of it was so nonsensical that I was conscious of the fact that I was dreaming, but when I got the ultrasound results I had to start convincing myself that I was dreaming and that it wasn't really happening. In my dream I had taken my brother to Barnes & Noble in Tulsa to buy work pants - you can see how that doesn't make sense. While we were there I got an ultrasound - yes, in Barnes & Noble, and they sent the results off to Cincinnati and a woman at a call center called me 3 hours later with the results and she was very nonchalant about it, like she couldn't even grasp the gravity of the words she was speaking. Total nonsense. I immediately began to try to be rational and convince myself that none of it was true. People don't buy clothes at Barnes & Noble and they certainly don't get ultrasounds there, either. Then my alarm went off and thank goodness that nightmare went back into the darkness. As Gandalf would say, "Go back to the shadow!" :)

First OSU football game

We took Jakob to his first OSU football game on the 10th when they whooped West Virginia. Sorry, Geno Smith.

We had to walk about 10 blocks from where we parked to the stadium and this old pregnant lady was out of breath about half way there. In usual fashion, the campus was blanketed in a sea of orange, black and white clad tailgaters with tents, grills, lawn chairs, tv's, radios and drinks. Jakob said he'd never seen anything like that at a sporting event before. Kicker had a decked out trailer and some cars set up on the north side of the stadium. D and Jakob put in some ear plugs and ventured into the trailer. When they came out they were laughing and said it boomed so much that their insides shook.

There was a military flyover during the National Anthem and they rolled out this beautiful, giant flag. I was misty eyed. Made me proud to be an American. OSU made a very nice tribute to our nation's Veteran's.

We're ready for "Pistols firing!"

And here comes Bullet!!!

After the game we stopped back by some friends' tailgate for a little celebration and Jakob got to meet Stan Clark, the owner of Eskimo Joe's (and Mexico Joe's and Joseppi's) and he was nice enough to pose for a quick pic. Jakob loves their cheese fries. Of course, we do too, but Jakob REALLY, REALLY loves them. :)

 

Turkey shoot

A couple of weeks ago D and Jakob went to our local FFA Turkey Shoot. Jakob had a grand time! In one round he was in a shoot-off with one of his friends and he won! He was absolutely beaming! He came home with two turkeys, one of which we donated the police department's Thanksgiving food drive and the other one we'll have next Thursday. :)

A thankful heart: day 15

Today, I'm thankful for encouraging words. As humans on this here planet earth, we're going to endure tough times and trials. Thankfully, we don't have to trudge through without help and encouragement from our loved ones. I am thankful for the people who have supported and encouraged me during my life's storms and I'm thankful for the opportunities when I've been able to help someone else. Sometimes all it takes is a hug, or the lending of an ear or a helping hand to get someone through a struggle. And don't forget, if you know someone who's always offering encouragement and support to others, that person needs your support in return. It's a difficult road to always be the one others lean on. I challenge everyone to encourage someone today! :)

Life with a volunteer fireman

As I said the other day, life got in the way of blogging and I fell behind. Se la vie. Here's what happened:

On Friday, Jakob was riding the bus to the football game in Warner and Jimmy was traveling with the team, so we were going to have a date night with Josh and Shawna. My plan was to blog that night when we got home.

I was starving and we knew it would be at least another hour before we ate, so on our way to Josh and Shawna's we stopped at the gas station for tea and iced sugar cookies. Hey, I'm pregnant and they taste good, indulge me. Just as D got back to the car, his fire pager went off. EMS and fire personnel were needed for a crash east of town. I drove us down to the station, he jumped out and a few minutes later Josh and some other firemen showed up and off they went. The page didn't say what the severity of the injuries was, just that they needed emergency personnel to respond to check out the occupants. In a small town where you know almost everyone, you always worry when there's a crash. After I saw two ambulances and two deputies running hot through town, I knew that the accident was serious. I ate two of my cookies then headed home and fell asleep in the recliner. Again, I'm pregnant, eating and sleeping are the only two things I manage to accomplish on a daily basis. D texted me and said they'd be a little bit, but the injuries weren't life threatening. About half an hour later he said they were done and he and Josh were headed back. So, I jumped in the car to go meet them.

But, alas, there were other forces at work. When I had gotten home I had seen something north of our house that just didn't look right. I had stopped in the driveway and watched it for about 5 minutes. At first I thought it was a small fire and I almost called D to tell him, but the longer I looked at it, I decided that it was the headlights of two vehicles in a pasture. Boy, was I wrong. When I went back out to the car, the pasture north of us was ablaze. I got in to go see how far north it was so I'd have good directions for the guys and called D. They responded to the fire and I went over to hang with Shawna. By the time they finished, it was 9pm and the only thing open in town was Subway, which we didn't want, so we went to Texas Roadhouse in Stillwater. Thankfully, they're open late :)

By the time we got home it was almost midnight and I was beat, so no blog. The next morning I didn't get up until almost 10 and then I had to rush around so we could head to Stillwater for the OSU football game. I thought, "I'll blog when we get home." Well, you know that didn't happen. When we got back the boys had to go to another fire south of town. Jakob, Shawna and I waited for a little bit then went down to the Mexican restaurant to eat before they closed. The boys weren't gone too long and we ordered some dinner for them, too. After dinner, they went back to the station to clean up the trucks and we headed home. I was going to have to get up at 5am the next morning so I went straight to bed, no blogging.

The fire pager went off again just before midnight and D was gone for about an hour on a rekindle. On Sunday morning, we were out the door by 6am and picked Mom up at 6:30 and headed to OKC for the AQHA World Show. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is life with a volunteer fireman. When the pager calls, he goes. I'm thankful when he comes home safe and I'm thankful that he's able to help those in need. I hate it when he's been out fighting fire for so long that he looks like he could collapse at any second and I hate it when he only gets an hour or two of sleep and still has to get up for his "regular" job. I'm thankful that there are people who are willing to make the sacrifices required to be a volunteer firefighter; a job they don't get paid for. Without them most of us who live in the sticks would have to standby helplessly and watch our homes and livelihoods go up in flames or see our loved ones suffer while they waited for EMS personnel to arrive from another town. We are lucky to have a group of local men who are willing to stop whatever they're doing and respond to those in need. So, the next time you see a volunteer fireman, let them know that you appreciate them. I sure do love mine.

A thankful heart: days 13 & 14

I am thankful for good memories. No matter what the situation was, I still have good memories from my childhood, like Rocky and I turning on the horse walker and hanging upside down from the lead ropes as it spun us around, or using the broom as a microphone while I swept the barn alley or waiting for the bus to pick us up and dancing beside the mailbox to keep warm while we made up our own song, "Come on, Kenny, come on!" (Kenny was our bus driver lol)

I'm also thankful for my husbands alarm. I was so tired last night that I forgot to set mine. Thankfully, he was also working a day shift and his alarm goes off 15 minutes after mine. It was a hurried morning, but I made it to work on time!

A thankful heart: day 12

Today I'm thankful for health insurance with prenatal coverage. Thank the good Lord, I've always had good benefits and I hope that I always do.

Things that go bump in the night

A few nights ago I had a very .......... um .......... unique experience. We were in bed and I was laying on my stomach and my toes were barely hanging off the end of the bed. All of a sudden it felt like someone was pressing a knife across the ends of the bottom side of my toes. I woke up just enough to be aware of the pain, which wasn't excruciating, but was just uncomfortable at that point. At first I thought D's raptor claw toenails were digging into me. But, then I remembered that his toenails had been trimmed off short the night before. Plus, I felt around with my leg and his feet were waaaaay over on his side of the bed. I could hear Marilyn snoring under the bed, so I knew it wasn't her and Diamond was asleep beside the wall. Then the pain got deeper, like this knife was really being pushed deep into my skin. I was immediately fully awake and started screaming and jumped out of the bed as my heart began to race and I threw the covers back, thinking there must be a spider or something there. There was nothing there. Again, I'm telling you there was nothing there. I inspected the area thoroughly. D slept through it and the next morning he only vaguely remembered me having a fit in the night. I have yet to figure out what it was, so until I do I'm just going with the story that I was "touched" in the night, because that just sounds spooky lol

A thankful heart: days 9, 10 & 11

I fell behind; life got in the way, I'll explain later.

I am thankful for sensitive toothpaste. I cannot imagine how unbearable brushing one's sensitive teeth must have been for people before the invention of this righteous product. I don't want to ever live without it :)

I am also thankful for soft toilet paper. A) I don't want to use a leaf or sandpaper. B) Have you ever had to use that cheap stuff at a restaurant or any other commercial establishment? Terrible! Not soft or strong. It's just bad all the way around. Amen for soft toilet paper.

I am also thankful for our Nation's Veterans. Without them all of our lives would be very different. Thank you to all who have served and thank you to the families who serve with them. I appreciate you!

A thankful heart: day 8

Today I'm thankful that I remembered to put on deodorant because yesterday I forgot. I'm not sure how one forgets to put on deodorant, but I confess, I'm guilty. I think it was because the night before I had dreamed that I had put on too much deodorant and was walking around with it squishing out of my armpits and I was extremely embarrassed. But, today, no worries, I smell powder fresh! :)

A thankful heart: day 7

Today I am thankful for the bible app on my phone. My reading plan is easily accessible and any time I need or want to look something up, it's immediately available with a search tool.

A thankful heart: day 6

Today, I am thankful for decaffeinated tea! I gave up my regular tea habit shortly before this pregnancy and while the caffeine withdrawls were really nonexistent, my desire for the taste of tea has grown as I did without. I don't care for coffee and I have a severe aversion to pop (aka soda to you northerners), but I LOVE iced tea, sweet tea to be exact. There's no other way to serve it. I had to make a quick trip to Wally World this afternoon and thank the good Lord that I remembered to get some decaf tea. My world is complete again. :)

A thankful heart: day 5

Today I'm thankful for a changed heart.

Between the ages of 8 and 13 I lived in a home where I was abused on a daily basis by my Mom's (now) ex-husband. He abused me mentally/emotionally, physically and sexually and there were many times that I didn't know if he was going to kill me or not. I tried to tell people what we were going through, but I was fighting an uphill battle. He was active in the church, sang in the choir, taught Sunday school to junior high boys and everyone knew that we didn't get along. So, my words fell on deaf ears and I remember being told that I was just causing trouble and that I shouldn't put my mother through that after she had to deal with my father's death. Which never made sense to me because what about how his death had affected me and my brother? Was that inconsequential? That's how their words made me feel.

I didn't truly begin to feel anger instead of fear until he began to beat my little brother. I tried to intercede and there were many times that I would pick a fight with him so that he would leave my brother alone. Many victims of abuse either turn inward or they fight back. For the first few years they were married I, like my Mom and my brother, was completely filled with fear and terror, never knowing what was going to set him off or how bad the beating would be. And then the day came when something inside of me changed and I became very angry with him and my anger superseded any fear that I had and I fought back. If he yelled, I yelled. If he cussed at me, I cussed back. If he hit me, I hit him back. If he threw something at me, I threw it right back. If he kicked, I kicked. Whatever he dished out, I returned. I was determined to not just stand there and take it. I knew that I couldn't beat him, but I was no longer willing to go down without a fight. I felt like I didn't have a safe place to seek shelter to escape his wrath and my only defense was to fight fire with fire.

I became completely filled with anger toward this man and I became angry with God for not delivering us from the situation, for not providing a way out. I was saved, but I began to turn my back on God; I thought He had abandoned me in that Hell hole and if He wasn't going to help me then I didn't need Him. I didn't stop believing in God or that He is the savior, but I didn't believe that He loved me like He loved everyone else. I knew that the bible said that God never leaves us, but my situation was so dire that I didn't think those words applied to me, I didn't believe that He would help me. I assumed I was being punished for something.

Even after my mom divorced this man, I was still angry with him and with God for several years. Over time and with the help of a good friend, I came to terms with it all and I was able to forgive and I returned to my relationship with God. The Lord placed people in my life that were able to help me see the error of my ways and help me understand that He loves me, too.

I can't answer the question of why God allowed us to live in that situation, but it doesn't really matter to me anymore. I don't wish harm on my Mom's ex-husband, but I have no desire to ever see him again. I pray that he has conquered whatever inner demons caused him to behave in that manner. I pray that he realizes what harm he caused to others and that he's been repentant and has changed. I am thankful that my eyes and heart were opened and that we have a God who is forgiving and forgave me for turning away from Him and healed me. I am thankful that my relationship with God has changed my heart and brought me peace. I am thankful that I don't have to live in anger and bitterness. What a sad life that would have been.

A thankful heart: day 4

Today I am thankful for a small town life. I have lived in American suburbia and I much prefer the quieter, slower paced lifestyle that living in a rural area offers. This life is not for everyone, but I am much calmer, happier and more peace-filled than I ever was when I lived in town. I enjoy going to church and knowing most of the congregation or running into town for a bite to eat and seeing the people I have known all my life. There's something comforting about the familiarity we all have with each other. I love stepping outside my door and hearing nothing but the wind through the trees and the pump jack as it moves up and down. I love looking out my window and seeing the beautiful open Oklahoma countryside and not row upon row of homes and vehicles. The Lord truly blessed me when He brought me and D back to this town and back to the land I grew up on :)

A thankful heart: day 3

Today I am thankful for oversized shirts and for my husband's too-big-for-me shirts; I think I may live in them for the duration of this pregnancy. I have come to the realization that I am one of those pregnant women who is just going to get huge early on and be huge until the end. I am only eight and a half weeks and my clothes are no longer fitting me. I thought I'd gained about 15 pounds and I was terrified to get on the scale at the doctor's office because it's too early for that kind of weight gain. I knew it was Mama weight, not baby weight. So, I was VERY surprised when the scale revealed I'd only gained 3 pounds since the last time I weighed in August. That means that all of this extra-ness is nothing but bloat! And it's awful and quite honestly, it's uncomfortable. I feel full and like I'm starving at the same time. My stomach growls but my muffin top screams, "NO!!" I think I will don some baggy sweatpants to go with my oversized shirts and go eat a bag of Reese's cups now. ;)

A thankful heart: day 2

Today, I am thankful for you! That's right, you! The person who is reading this. Whether we know each other or not, you're taking the time to read my silly little blog and for that I say, "Thank you!"

Thank you to my friends who've offered words of encouragement and those who've expressed enjoyment from reading my blog; it totally makes my day when someone tells me how much they enjoy reading it. The last few weeks have been a little hectic and I haven't blogged as much, but I'm still here. Plus, this whole pregnancy thing has me beat and I'm so tired that I can barely stay awake long enough to accomplish anything. I'm told this phase will pass :)

Thank you again for taking a moment out of tour day to read my blog, I appreciate you for it!

A thankful heart: day 1

Today I am thankful for two good ultrasounds! God has blessed us with a growing little bean and, so far, he/she is developing as he/she should. I think I was more nervous for the second ultrasound, I'm not sure why. I told D that I felt like my heart was beating in my throat and my stomach. Mom asked me after the first ultrasound if we could see the heart beating and yes, we could. It reminded me of how a cartoon character's heart almost beats out of their chest when they are lovestruck. The second time it just looked more like a fluttering motion. We will be having weekly ultrasounds for the next few weeks because the doctor wants to monitor me closely due to my history and I'm thankful for a great doctor!

Also today, as a pregnant woman, I am thankful for milk of magnesia. Enough said. lol

Birthday week

Last Tuesday was Jakob's 17th birthday, so we took him to Joseppi's for dinner with Mom, Bill, Uncle Buck and Aunt Lisa. I ate too much, as usual. When we got in the car after dinner I asked D if there was anywhere else that we needed to go before heading home and he said no because he'd just want to spend money. From the back seat, "I want to go spend some money!" Jakob was ready to unload some dough on a Macbook. So, we ventured to Best Buy and hooked the boy up.

On Friday night we went to the football game and froze our butts off. I wore a turtleneck, t-shirt, down coat, earmuffs, gloves, fleece lined boots and a huge doubled up blanket and I still froze. The fan turnout wasn't as good as I've seen it, but I assume the weather had a little bit to do with that. To add insult to injury, we lost. Since this was the "pink out" game, Jakob and one of the teachers had a booth selling breast cancer ribbons and painting pink mustaches on people. D bought a pink ribbon for my cheek and after an hour in the freezing cold it felt super stiff, like I'd drooled on my cheek and it had dried. I stuck it to my bathroom mirror when I got home.

After the game we picked up the birthday cakes for Jakob and Jimmy.

On Saturday we took a group of boys to play paintball in Sapulpa.

Our motley crew:  Keston, Jakob, Devion, D, Brady, Chuck, Dustin, Dale, Jake and Jimmy.

If you've never been to Paintball Adventure Games, I highly recommend that you go. Shawna and I just took pictures and laughed at the boys. We got to wear these lovely yellow masks.

I think one of the things I enjoyed the most about the day was just listening to a group of teenage boys talk and yell at each other as they "attacked". They all had a blast and can't wait to go back. Jakob managed to come home without any welps or injuries, but several of the boys and D all had "wounds".

Don't worry, I kissed all of his boo-boos and made it all better. :)

Mirror, mirror on the wall

I don't know if you watch the Today Show or not, but this morning they interviewed a young woman named Stella Boonshoft, an 18 year old New Yorker who writes a blog called The Body Love Blog. Recently, she posted a photo of herself in her underwear on her blog in an effort to further the body acceptance movement. I have to say, this is a subject close to my heart.

I have struggled with my body image since I was a preteen and some people have even said I was obsessed with it. I don't think "obsessed" is the right term, but it's definitely been something that has played a major role in my life. I remember being in the fifth grade and a group of girls were weighing and when I stepped on the scale, I weighed 20 pounds more than ALL of them. I was mortified, humiliated, embarassed and I hated myself for ever getting on that scale. I don't remember ever feeling gross, fat or disgusting before that day. One of the older girls made some remark about my weight; I don't remember what she said, only that it stung. The fact that I was quite a bit taller than most girls my age did not translate for me. Nor did the fact that I already had large breasts while many of them were still in training bras. All I knew was that I was much heavier than them and, to me, that meant that I was fat and that made me feel horrible and disgusting. Her comment just confirmed what I was already feeling. I've looked back at photos of myself at that age and I was by no means fat. I wasn't a beanpole, but I wasn't overweight. I was tall and strong; I worked horses, cleaned stalls, loaded sacks of feed, hauled hay and played sports on a daily basis. But, I still had a negative self-image.

Several boys would call me "red-headed woodpecker" which didn't just hurt, it infuriated me. And since I was a little more "well developed" than some girls my age, I also had to constantly deal with boys trying to touch my body - in the sixth grade! Warning, soapbox sermon coming - no girl should EVER have to deal with that! Parents need to teach their sons that this is unacceptable and is actually illegal. People chalk this kind of behavior up to "curious children" and think that it's harmless, but the truth is that it is an assault on another person. You are not allowed to grope someone just because you feel the urge to. The boys laughed about it and the more I told them to stop, the more they tried. So, once again, parents, teach your children to respect the bodies and personal space of others and to keep their hands to themselves. Thank you.

As I got older, my struggle continued. My friends wore a size 6, I was an 8. They had petite little feet and I wore a size 10. They had tiny hands and mine were huge like a sasquatch. My hair was red and fuzzy and chaotic and theirs was a pretty blonde or brunette and wavy and beautiful. My skin was beyond pale white and they all had a nice tan color. I don't tan. Ever. Under any circumstances. I had cellulite, they didn't. And if they did, tan fat was prettier than pasty white fat. These are just a few of the things that went through my head; I was constantly finding fault with my appearance and my body. And while I could find numerous faults with myself, I never saw those faults in my friends. I didn't even see faults in the girls who were mean to me. In some sick way, I wanted my body to look like theirs. Some older girls would make negative, bullying comments to me - these girls were not my friends, but because we are a small community and a small school, I had classes with them. Several of them told me that I had a fat a** and it slowed me down when we ran or made fun of my thighs or my hair or my pale skin color or even my clothes. When we would change into our gym clothes they would make fun of the underwear I had on, which weren't any different than the other girls. They would say something rude to me during class or even as I walked past them in the hall. And once one of the girls would say something, there would be one or two boys that would chime in, too. Their comments about my body made me feel worthless, which was something I was already feeling, they didn't need to point it out. But, these same kids would turn around and ask me for answers to tests and quizzes. So, they knew that I was smart, but still felt the need to insult my physical appearance. Once, when my hair was short, a boy remarked that my neck looked like an ostrich. Honestly, he was right, but his words still hurt. I have a long, slender neck and I agree with him that when I have short hair, it makes my neck look abnormally long. But, could he have found a nicer way to say it? Or did it need to be said at all? Or was he trying to be funny and I was just too sensitive? I don't even like my ankles because someone once called them "cankles". I'd never felt self-conscious about my ankles until then. Just think how much better people would feel about themselves if we'd all stop looking for faults and focus on each other's strengths. And how much happier would we be if we were looking for the good in others instead of finding ways to bring them down?

This morning, as I looked at Stella's photo and listened to her story I thought, what a wonderful thing that this young woman is doing! How brave she is to bare herself in such a way that makes her vulnerable and strong at the same time. I hope that many women - young, old or in between - hear the message she is sending about body acceptance (Parental alert: she does drop a few f-bombs on her blog). Body acceptance is an issue that I still struggle with and I pray that it's not something I pass on to the young women and girls around me. I have to remind myself every day that my self-worth is not based on my body size or what I think of it. I am loving. I am a Christian. I am smart. I am strong. I am giving. I am understanding. I am empathetic. I am kind. I am a wife. I am a friend. I am a sister. I am a daughter. I am a (soon-to-be) mother. I make sacrifices and provide for my family. I don't always make the right decision, but I try. I believe in righting wrongs and standing up for the little guy. There are many things that define me besides the number on the scale or on the tag of my pants. It's just hard to always remember that.

The new tree stand

My dude got a new tree stand. The booger of the deal is that it did not come assembled. The last hunting accessory he bought, a feeder, was also not assembled. The box said "Easy Assembly", which was a complete and total lie. So, when we pulled all of the pieces for the tree stand out of the box, I was not hopeful that this would be a quick job.

Here's our system:  I read the directions and get parts ready, he assembles.

The first few steps went fairly easily.

Heave, ho!

Start tightening the nuts!

Padding is necessary for tender behinds.

Got the ladder attached!

And this, my friends, is where the job got tricky. The instructions call for three people to upright and move the whole kit-n-caboodle. There were two of us and one of us was not in any condition to be lifting or moving anything heavy. Normally, I would charge full steam ahead and show off my she-muscles, but due to recent events, I'm doing none of the sort. Read instructions. Get parts ready. These are my jobs. Not uprighting tree stands. So, for the most part he uprighted the contraption himself, then walked it over to the tree. I cannot remember a time that made me so nervous. I was afraid that it would either fall apart or that he'd lose his leverage on it and the whole thing would fall down on top of him. He finally got it over to the tree and then we had to figure out how to secure it because the tree was not especially cooperative. Don't you hate trees with an attitude? At first, one of us was going to climb the tree and get behind the stand to secure it, but neither of us could get up high enough to get our foot into a notch. It was a tall tree. He got it wedged up against the tree and I held it steady and he climbed up the ladder while I yelled at him what a bad idea it was and that I didn't want to be a widow today. My concerns fell on deaf ears, or prideful male ears, I'm not sure which. He shimmied up the ladder and got the stand secured while I had a heart attack.

There's the daredevil.

In his camo, he'll be well concealed.

Time to disguise the ladder.

And don't forget to cut off the tag!

On a side note, while heading to the hunting hole, we drove past a snake working on his tan. I screamed like a girl and hammered down on the gas. D tried to get off and play with it. Men. *smh*

Ode to my dude

Oh, leaf covered man

Thou stealest my heart

I love thee so much

Even when you fart

You're the kind of man

From fairytale lore

Of thee, this is true

I could not love you more

You make my lips smile

And my heart gets a flutter

My fingers get tingly

You melt me like butter

I've loved you so long

We've been through so much

All it takes to calm me

Is your gentle touch

I call you my dude

My man or just "Hey!"

I'll take a moment now

Because I just want to say

I love you

I love you

I love you

I love you