tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21552497715556302172024-03-13T21:47:37.595-05:00House of Broken CrayonsClaudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-68102972919507572002011-11-22T15:11:00.000-06:002011-11-22T17:12:31.604-06:00Funny Mums<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OSq_702OvXc/TswsAeY3JYI/AAAAAAAAB70/3uEHHN8IiRk/s1600/funny+mums.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OSq_702OvXc/TswsAeY3JYI/AAAAAAAAB70/3uEHHN8IiRk/s320/funny+mums.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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100 points to whoever can dig back into their brain to high school or college biology and identify the phenomenon that is causing my mums to bloom funny.</div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-19268326916085926982011-11-02T21:22:00.001-05:002011-11-02T21:42:09.314-05:00Princess Belle, A Jedi, and A Really Good SportI may not be the most enthusiastic participant in Halloween, and I honestly don't understand the fun of going door to door begging for candy, when we could all just go out and buy a bag of our favorites, tell a lot of lies (to ourselves) about not eating it, and then eat it anyway; but I tried to play along, and I do think everyone looked cute in their costumes:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B1qbsDloqoM/TrH53okK6sI/AAAAAAAABz8/MK_kAod935I/s1600/jedi%2Bprincess%2Bbeast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B1qbsDloqoM/TrH53okK6sI/AAAAAAAABz8/MK_kAod935I/s400/jedi%2Bprincess%2Bbeast.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v-2MkNrZdpY/TrH538CjB9I/AAAAAAAAB0I/EOUDhIVMaJk/s1600/jedi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v-2MkNrZdpY/TrH538CjB9I/AAAAAAAAB0I/EOUDhIVMaJk/s400/jedi.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GFkPoN5L4f8/TrH54eYMFTI/AAAAAAAAB0U/0I3RB_U-NNQ/s1600/princess%2Bbeast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GFkPoN5L4f8/TrH54eYMFTI/AAAAAAAAB0U/0I3RB_U-NNQ/s400/princess%2Bbeast.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Even dinner dressed up:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHvayuY0t10/TrH549asNfI/AAAAAAAAB0g/FHEn9Kpke0s/s1600/yummy%2Bmummy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHvayuY0t10/TrH549asNfI/AAAAAAAAB0g/FHEn9Kpke0s/s400/yummy%2Bmummy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Now, onto some holidays I do get enthusiastic about - eating until we explode and dragging full sized trees into the living room!Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-80702367049894870922011-10-27T10:23:00.000-05:002011-10-27T10:23:05.029-05:00Flat out of fun.We just got home from Disney World. It was absolutely fun - I'll subject everyone to vacation pictures soon.<br />
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But right now, I have a problem. I've promised a room full of kids FUN games on Sunday after they sing and speak in church, and I'm out of fun ideas.<br />
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Please help - comment with some fun game ideas! <br />
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Many thanks!!!!!Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-60633950067652306282011-10-09T20:11:00.000-05:002011-10-09T20:11:25.459-05:00Yo VIP, let's kick it!Fall soccer season is in full swing, and Blue is playing on team "purple panther". Here he is pumped up on panther juice (aka purple Gatorade):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-48vjr9lZJI4/TpJDREUFecI/AAAAAAAABrk/8gG4U0iYCRQ/s1600/blue+soccer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-48vjr9lZJI4/TpJDREUFecI/AAAAAAAABrk/8gG4U0iYCRQ/s320/blue+soccer.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Of course, no soccer game is complete without <s>helpful </s>advice from mom, part of the purple cheering section:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YotPWmyUIk/TpJDUUStmjI/AAAAAAAABro/MQh1Na5H6pE/s1600/mom+giving+advice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YotPWmyUIk/TpJDUUStmjI/AAAAAAAABro/MQh1Na5H6pE/s320/mom+giving+advice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And finally, a purple sister practicing her own soccer moves - in case everyone on the team gets injured...at the same time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-36LObUyfc6I/TpJDXAwWKoI/AAAAAAAABrs/6CdErRkePAc/s1600/soccer+sister.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-36LObUyfc6I/TpJDXAwWKoI/AAAAAAAABrs/6CdErRkePAc/s320/soccer+sister.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Not pictured: purple dad, toting 10 pounds of camera equipment around to make sure we get good action shots (or maybe he's just not ready to be photographed in that purple shirt).Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-1228705020287584652011-10-05T14:31:00.000-05:002011-10-05T14:31:02.175-05:00A Fun Weekend Away!It's not often that we have a weekend without soccer, birthday parties, or church responsibilities (thank goodness for conference online), but somehow this past weekend, the stars aligned perfectly, so with her remaining swimsuit in hand, Pink (and the rest of us) set out for a little beach trip.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWQYwTjv770/Toyt24u95ZI/AAAAAAAABnY/qR8vPJ9UERI/s1600/galveston.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWQYwTjv770/Toyt24u95ZI/AAAAAAAABnY/qR8vPJ9UERI/s320/galveston.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It's been almost 2 years since the last time we swam in water not contained in a pool, so this felt like a first for Pink. To say she loved ocean swimming (okay, it's a gulf, but it has salt water and sand) would be an understatement.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RWquLq0lzm0/Toyt44KXDXI/AAAAAAAABnc/112lBSddL4c/s1600/happy+pink.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RWquLq0lzm0/Toyt44KXDXI/AAAAAAAABnc/112lBSddL4c/s320/happy+pink.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Perfect weather, sand to dig in, and waves low enough to adequately jump without being dragged around - Blue was in heaven.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XssTYtkjEqM/Toyt7fnbBVI/AAAAAAAABng/KE26Ubrbki8/s1600/PA016576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XssTYtkjEqM/Toyt7fnbBVI/AAAAAAAABng/KE26Ubrbki8/s320/PA016576.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Red loves spontaneous trips, and was happy to be someplace new (and without his phone and blackberry for a while)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-is23afCF1g0/Toyt-DzPhoI/AAAAAAAABnk/llrDoXsGRk0/s1600/PA026601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-is23afCF1g0/Toyt-DzPhoI/AAAAAAAABnk/llrDoXsGRk0/s320/PA026601.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Green loves salt water - and sand in between her toes - and mostly spending a relaxing weekend with the family!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QXtA3DZmKGI/ToyuASKC-DI/AAAAAAAABno/Ia-Xpp9V5FA/s1600/PA026636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QXtA3DZmKGI/ToyuASKC-DI/AAAAAAAABno/Ia-Xpp9V5FA/s320/PA026636.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-43027234296956501442011-09-01T08:59:00.000-05:002011-09-01T08:59:00.922-05:00Oh Crap, that sucks.It's all fun and games until somebody loses their pants.<br />
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It was the last Saturday before schools started, and I had the great idea to not only buy the 12-pound box of plums, but also to feed some to my family for lunch. And then take them to the church pool party in the evening.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://turningpointbehavior.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/toilet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://turningpointbehavior.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/toilet.jpg" /></a></div>Poor Pink, her little system couldn't quite take it, and she...ummm....didn't quite make it to the potty. Out of the pool and into the bathroom, but not quite onto the commode. Being an experienced mother, unafraid of body fluids (and really with no other options, standing dripping in the bathroom of the community pool, with everyone we attend church with swimming outside), I diligently stepped into another stall to rinse out the swimsuit bottom in the privy. To give it a good rinse with some swirling action, I flushed. Who would have guessed that our community pool has jet-force suction on the toilet flush? Certainly not me until I watched that swimsuit disappear with a whoosh.<br />
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I had to leave her there confused and half-naked while I retrieved her swim cover and then tried to explain that she could not, in fact, get back into the pool, and that she had to stand up very straight while we cleaned up the party.<br />
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Now she keeps asking where her butterfly swimsuit is...and I resist the urge to tell her that it flew away.Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-30850905004274892152011-08-31T21:32:00.001-05:002011-08-31T21:32:41.094-05:00Back to School, take three!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2vblmKJDtM0/Tl7k3WYN8BI/AAAAAAAABjQ/RMi98ZKdUW4/s1600/pink+first+day+of+school.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2vblmKJDtM0/Tl7k3WYN8BI/AAAAAAAABjQ/RMi98ZKdUW4/s320/pink+first+day+of+school.JPG" width="240" /></a>Rounding out our week of first days of school, yesterday was Pink's first day of preschool. She was totally excited about the whole idea of preschool - although it might have been more about the new outfit and the princess backpack than the actually learning.<br />
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Once we got to school, and Pink wrapped her head around the idea that I was going to leave her, she was a little nervous - or maybe it was that her teacher asked her to find her nametag, and while Pink can name every disney princess and tell part of their life story, she cannot identify all her letters. Epic parenting fail.<br />
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Fortunately, she was able to catch up with 2 other little girls whose older siblings were all in a class with Blue at this age. And really, red playdoh cures most ills, doesn't it? Wait, not when it comes home on their shoes...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bof4acQKPUc/Tl7lxzpCivI/AAAAAAAABjU/CJurcLgRNfw/s1600/3+cute+girls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bof4acQKPUc/Tl7lxzpCivI/AAAAAAAABjU/CJurcLgRNfw/s400/3+cute+girls.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At final report, she had a great day. Circle time was fun, playing dress up with her friends was awesome, and the snack of goldfish crackers and water was just perfect. Maybe if the teachers are willing to come in their Cinderella dresses, she might even learn her letters.</div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-51758772853210093752011-08-24T16:02:00.000-05:002011-08-24T16:02:31.335-05:00Back to School, take two!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wSX6odQVLxs/TlVlq5kAvJI/AAAAAAAABh4/ImibQuDA-QQ/s1600/backpack.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wSX6odQVLxs/TlVlq5kAvJI/AAAAAAAABh4/ImibQuDA-QQ/s320/backpack.JPG" width="306" /></a>After a successful send-off for Blue on Monday, and an uneventful first school bus ride home on Tuesday, it was my turn. Lots of syllabus reading and lab orientation, but a good start to the fall semester. I've got my new backpack and lab-approved closed toed shoes, so I guess I'm good to go. Now, all I have to do is wake up this old brain!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-39996125113651531942011-08-22T20:24:00.000-05:002011-08-22T20:24:56.973-05:00Blue goes to school!Today is the first of three first days of school that our family will experience this week. First Blue, then Green, and finally Pink. Not sure why Red isn't in school - guess someone has to earn the money!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pnUVqazMQsg/TlKMhjKd7FI/AAAAAAAABhY/lvbwF3q7tIA/s1600/waking+up+is+hard+to+do.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pnUVqazMQsg/TlKMhjKd7FI/AAAAAAAABhY/lvbwF3q7tIA/s320/waking+up+is+hard+to+do.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We didn't get off to a very quick start, since they both collapsed on the floor after I woke them up for breakfast:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nevertheless, after a little prodding, we managed to get everyone around the breakfast table. As happened last year, Red's bacon omelets won out over my spell-your-name pancakes. Protein is a good choice for a first day breakfast anyway, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4A9OwTFkO2o/TlKMe-M5X6I/AAAAAAAABhQ/P-TQ9p7bdRU/s1600/back+to+school+breakfast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4A9OwTFkO2o/TlKMe-M5X6I/AAAAAAAABhQ/P-TQ9p7bdRU/s320/back+to+school+breakfast.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Here's my baby boy, all ready for the big leagues. I can't believe how quickly his little-boyhood is passing us by:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekFIwZWUC-Y/TlKMgJMMruI/AAAAAAAABhU/e5FVy6V7D8w/s1600/DSCN1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekFIwZWUC-Y/TlKMgJMMruI/AAAAAAAABhU/e5FVy6V7D8w/s320/DSCN1227.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div>All things considered, it was a successful day: no one cried, no one got lost, and the report at the end of the day is that kindergarten is "great". </div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-18603469804366840892011-07-12T08:46:00.001-05:002011-07-12T18:43:21.113-05:00Prima BallerinaHave you ever had the<strike> torture </strike>pleasure of attending a small person dance recital, and noticed that one little dancer who can't find her spot on the stage? The one who looks ready to burst into tears (or worse)? I am proud to announce that this year, that was our Pink. <br />
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Of course, what can you really expect from a ballerina so excited to perform that this is her on the drive to the theater:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xyMvCMhmlOU/Thuo2P8MQkI/AAAAAAAABd4/sfELqfnYl3M/s1600/pink+sleeping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xyMvCMhmlOU/Thuo2P8MQkI/AAAAAAAABd4/sfELqfnYl3M/s320/pink+sleeping.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> In her eyes - and certainly in her Daddy's - she is a prima ballerina<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xd4SSQQjE8o/Thuo4eghV7I/AAAAAAAABeA/Dui0qEqWk24/s1600/pink+flowers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xd4SSQQjE8o/Thuo4eghV7I/AAAAAAAABeA/Dui0qEqWk24/s320/pink+flowers.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
In the true spirit of family togetherness, Blue attended his sister's recital - and in the true spirit of little boy-ness, asked every 3.2 seconds if it was over yet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ib0LyQ6mUa4/Thuo3WmBDdI/AAAAAAAABd8/Hob8VV6yBCE/s1600/pink+and+boys.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ib0LyQ6mUa4/Thuo3WmBDdI/AAAAAAAABd8/Hob8VV6yBCE/s320/pink+and+boys.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Honestly, this was a lot of fun for her mom. Seeing Pink so excited to do something that was all hers, and not just another thing she gets dragged to or included in because of her older brother, was priceless. Her little ballerina friends were adorable, and since I had the pleasure of helping out in the dressing room before the recital started, I got to spend some quality time playing ring around the rosies with them.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p6LH8vJ84TA/Thuo52JiwyI/AAAAAAAABeE/p6aLyowJhvk/s1600/pink+mom+blue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p6LH8vJ84TA/Thuo52JiwyI/AAAAAAAABeE/p6aLyowJhvk/s320/pink+mom+blue.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Her studio closed its doors after the recital - I guess the economy has been hard on everyone. We have the summer to figure out what to do next, but I'm not sure it will be ballet again - especially after Daddy took her to see Kung-Fu Panda (and may have told her that Kung-Fu was just like dancing, but with hitting). We might be looking for karate lessons instead.</div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-33602588621815512952011-07-11T20:30:00.031-05:002011-07-11T20:39:19.371-05:00Like drinking from a firehoseA few years ago, I started talking about what my next career would be. My first, as biochemist, didn't mesh so well with my second, as mom, so I started looking around for the third. <br />
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This past spring, after much deliberation, and the incredible luck of finding a like-minded friend, I decided to take the first steps toward a career in nursing. I dusted off some very old college transcripts, re-learned the academic hoops necessary to pass the clep test in biology, and then enrolled in anatomy and physiology 1 during the accelerated 1/2 summer semester. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tse5AHQ_fp8/Thuh4rmErLI/AAAAAAAABd0/JC8BRYkdv9A/s1600/notecards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tse5AHQ_fp8/Thuh4rmErLI/AAAAAAAABd0/JC8BRYkdv9A/s320/notecards.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Why I thought this would be a good idea escapes me at the moment, but I enrolled, paid my tuition, and showed up for my first day of classes in a very long time. Despite the technological advances since the last time I was in a college classroom (really, the powerpoint slides are online? why would I show up to class?), I still found it incredibly helpful to make notecards (see pyramid above) - lots of them - and memorize like crazy. <br />
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Compressing an entire semester of anatomy into just over a month was overwhelming and frustrating - a little like academic water-boarding - but was also probably a good way to start. Kind of that "if you can live through this, everything else will seem like a breeze" way of thinking. My family has been ignored, my household chores have been neglected, and my dining room was turned into study central. The result - I passed, and I got an A. One down, many many more to go. Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-15037027553431383432011-07-10T00:29:00.000-05:002011-07-10T00:29:49.728-05:00Sleepover?We read a library book this week about sleepovers, and Pink and Blue thought that a sleepover sounded like a marvelous idea. Of course, with no family nearby, and most preschool parents not so keen on the idea of their children sleeping away from them (yeah, okay, it's us), they were kind of out of luck.<br />
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Never easily deterred, Pink and Blue found a way around these problems. Blue designed and manufactured an invitation for his sister (okay, it was a piece of paper with the word "bed" written on it), and invited her to a sleepover in his room. Since her toddler bed is pretty light, we moved it in after bath time, and put them both to bed. There was some giggling and getting up, but they managed to fall asleep and are happily snoozing away.<br />
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I'm just grateful they didn't decide that we all had to participate and started lobbying for the tent in the backyard - especially since it's still a delightful 93 degrees at midnight.Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-83327424286590414392011-05-29T22:25:00.000-05:002011-05-29T22:25:42.850-05:00Enviable, indeed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I know, I know, everyone is jealous...and really, who wouldn't be? It's only May and we're already in the 90's temperature-wise, which means the first round of swimming lessons is already over. We've had the chance to be taught by a cowgirl with an alligator in her hat...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pT4K7lf1p0E/TeMKg-p5-DI/AAAAAAAABc4/pDAjBFahYc4/s1600/with+miss+margaret.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pT4K7lf1p0E/TeMKg-p5-DI/AAAAAAAABc4/pDAjBFahYc4/s320/with+miss+margaret.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...been forced to swim like a fish....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CX4wV-3rcHg/TeMKZBNk7MI/AAAAAAAABco/PRPlYNMZw-U/s1600/blue+at+swimming+lessons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CX4wV-3rcHg/TeMKZBNk7MI/AAAAAAAABco/PRPlYNMZw-U/s320/blue+at+swimming+lessons.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...worked on our freestyle swim stroke....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EyCqRmICaCg/TeMKasrvvdI/AAAAAAAABcs/B2J_t4Qx694/s1600/blue+swim+stroke.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EyCqRmICaCg/TeMKasrvvdI/AAAAAAAABcs/B2J_t4Qx694/s320/blue+swim+stroke.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...been given unintelligible instructions like "hum your bubbles" and "pull your arms"....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bM73xpFsHns/TeMKdvPA-5I/AAAAAAAABcw/rgz6miPBofs/s1600/pink+at+swimming+lessons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bM73xpFsHns/TeMKdvPA-5I/AAAAAAAABcw/rgz6miPBofs/s320/pink+at+swimming+lessons.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...and been <s>pushed</s> helped off the diving board.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AmKT92-4fG0/TeMKfKxGL5I/AAAAAAAABc0/mUdcOufak6U/s1600/pink+on+the+board.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AmKT92-4fG0/TeMKfKxGL5I/AAAAAAAABc0/mUdcOufak6U/s320/pink+on+the+board.JPG" width="209" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yup, pretty enviable stuff.</div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-85458485969312843922011-05-29T22:04:00.000-05:002011-05-29T22:04:21.108-05:00When Dad pays up, he really pays up!About a month ago, Pink accepted a challenge to stay in bed for 30 days in a row - with a reward of a night in a hotel if she could do it. It turns out that given the appropriate motivation, anything is possible. We had to sneak in a few "bonus points" to make it to Memorial Day weekend, but last Friday, Pink filled her sticker chart and was rewarded with a night and two days in this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gRwIWBzmBv4/TeMHRp3HixI/AAAAAAAABcc/ewm4GNSd99Q/s1600/great+wolf+water+park.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gRwIWBzmBv4/TeMHRp3HixI/AAAAAAAABcc/ewm4GNSd99Q/s320/great+wolf+water+park.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> The biggest indoor water park I have ever seen - and all of it connected to a hotel. Fabulous! We were able to use the water park starting early afternoon Friday, spend the night in the rustic-themed room (and start our day with pajamas, pop tarts, and cartoons)...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ortRZ8yb_jM/TeMHTiKcjII/AAAAAAAABcg/p5cOmUDbqh0/s1600/poptarts+and+pajamas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ortRZ8yb_jM/TeMHTiKcjII/AAAAAAAABcg/p5cOmUDbqh0/s320/poptarts+and+pajamas.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> ...and finish with a full day of water slides, lazy river, and wave pool on Saturday. Absolutely fun! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a8RyRVL9gj8/TeMHVGYGs1I/AAAAAAAABck/_vg0vVK0Hic/s1600/three+ready+to+swim.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a8RyRVL9gj8/TeMHVGYGs1I/AAAAAAAABck/_vg0vVK0Hic/s320/three+ready+to+swim.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>There was also an outdoor pool and more water slides (and yes, I managed to let every person get a sunburn). Pink still refuses to take her wristband off, and keeps telling us she is going back to the hotel!Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-46513519551287493332011-05-22T21:14:00.001-05:002011-05-22T21:15:32.443-05:00Everything I know, I learned in Pre-K.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KAcJCEjRp6g/Tdm_TtX0hwI/AAAAAAAABcY/sgmHq708o64/s1600/room+J.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KAcJCEjRp6g/Tdm_TtX0hwI/AAAAAAAABcY/sgmHq708o64/s400/room+J.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hKTgKGfFbKw/Tdm_QlaaKgI/AAAAAAAABcQ/jwMcSyDTlXA/s1600/blue+with+teachers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hKTgKGfFbKw/Tdm_QlaaKgI/AAAAAAAABcQ/jwMcSyDTlXA/s320/blue+with+teachers.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> As those who have known us for a while realize, we really like going to school. Since we have been married, we have experienced 4 college graduations. This past week, Blue reached his first educational milestone, with graduation from his Pre-K program. Despite being a big man on campus, he managed to avoid the late-night parties (bedtime is still 7pm) and binge milk drinking.<br />
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Pictured above is the sweetest group of preschoolers one could ever hope to meet, and to the right are his 2 fantastic teachers - Ms. Jen and Ms. Jacee, who proudly taught in room J this year.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xMHZQRsIoAE/Tdm_Rdr8SQI/AAAAAAAABcU/_F3lPcRSdKk/s1600/cowboy+hat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xMHZQRsIoAE/Tdm_Rdr8SQI/AAAAAAAABcU/_F3lPcRSdKk/s320/cowboy+hat.JPG" width="222" /></a></div> As part of the festivities, the kids performed several songs including "Deep in the Heart of Texas", of course. In keeping with his Yankee roots, Blue sang with heart and feeling, but had his cowboy hat on backwards.<br />
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We are so proud of all that Blue has accomplished - he can read, write his full name, and do basic math. He is ready for his next adventure: the public school system!<br />
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</div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-25577951668681607942011-05-06T22:32:00.001-05:002011-05-06T22:33:17.680-05:00To All the Moms:<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It is not surprising to anyone who has ever so much as seen a pregnant woman that carrying and birthing a child is a full-body experience. That part is a given. But there is so much more to the full body experience of motherhood than that. Mothers give their whole bodies to their children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">With her eyes, a Mother sees her newborn baby for the first time, watches her toddler’s first tentative steps, see her child off to school on the first day, watches them dress for their first date, and sees her child shine on their wedding day. With her ears, she hears that first cry, that first word, she listens to accounts of trials and troubles, to stories of schoolyard spats and hurt teenage feelings. She listens to her adult children as they venture forth into their own lives, and hears stories of her grandchildren and maybe her great grandchildren. With her lips, she kisses away boo-boos and ouwies, reads countless bedtime stories, teaches principles, and changes the outcome of a bad situation with a smile. She also bites those lips when she watches her child suffer through something difficult or when she wants to offer advice that she knows is better left for another time. Perhaps most importantly, with her lips, she prays for her children – for guidance to know how to raise them, for help with struggles, and with gratitude that she is allowed to mother these sweet spirits.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A mother’s arms and hands rock a baby to sleep, hold the uncertain hand of a preschooler, hug a tired teenager, and work, work, work. Laundry, dishes, and household cleaning are usually a mother’s job too, and she gives herself to these tasks as an act of service, charity, and love to her family. She throws and catches balls and Frisbees, and twists little girl hair into braids and buns. Her shoulders are a place of solace for sorrowing children, her shoulders stand proud as she sees her children accomplish things they thought they could not do, and those shoulders stand strong when she is faced with trials that threaten her family.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 24px;">A Mother's heart is permanently changed by having a child. The author Elizabeth Stone said, “Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A mother’s hips may never be quite as svelte as they were before she gave birth, but they make such an excellent shelf for carrying a baby and toddler – and sometimes even a preschooler who just can’t go one more step. As the mother ages, those are the same hips that often fail, and make it harder to run around with her grandchildren, but easier to sit and enjoy their exuberant youth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A mother’s feet walk the floor with a fussy infant, teach a toddler how to walk, and play soccer with a growing young boy or girl. They pace the floor awaiting the sound of a teenager coming in at curfew. Her feet walk with joy at a graduation ceremony, a wedding ceremony, or walking with her children in their accomplishments. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A mother’s knees crawl on the floor to encourage her little one to learn to move independently, then crawl some more to race matchbox cars and toy trains around tiny tracks, later, her knees run to keep up with lightning-fast children. And her knees are used in prayer - In pleading with our Father to know how to raise his children and how to help them learn and grow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I am a mother. To my children and their upbringing, I have given my whole body. I do it willingly and lovingly. It was done for me and for each of us by our mothers.</span></span><br />
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</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, my Friends, and my Friends' Moms, all of whom helped shape me into the mother that I am.</span></span>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-1170040584349480692011-04-30T20:36:00.000-05:002011-04-30T20:36:01.211-05:00When a child opens a door, her parents want to jump out a window<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Am I really about to tell a story about door handles? Yes, yes I am.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A few weeks ago, we had our "looked cool in the 90's" round shiny brass doorknobs replaced with the oiled-bronze beauties pictured below (what does it say about my life that I am so excited about new doorknobs?). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Since then, we haven't gotten a full night's sleep. Pink, who was formerly being kept in her room by one of those toddler-proof door locks, can escape from her room at 2am now, and does every single night.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L0rp2kOi0SA/TbyxdbTb5dI/AAAAAAAABcI/kTBuUYJFFlE/s1600/door+handles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L0rp2kOi0SA/TbyxdbTb5dI/AAAAAAAABcI/kTBuUYJFFlE/s320/door+handles.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> In my last attempt to save my sanity before I go buy another round doorknob and re-attach it to her door, we are starting a sticker chart today. See those cute beds? Every night she stays in bed all night, she gets to put a sticker on one. Six nights in a row, she earns a lollipop; twelve nights, she gets lunch at chick-fil-a; after a full 30 nights, she gets to go to a hotel. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LaCBGKejr0c/TbyxfUDVPhI/AAAAAAAABcM/NcVGwUzHUTM/s1600/staying+in+bed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LaCBGKejr0c/TbyxfUDVPhI/AAAAAAAABcM/NcVGwUzHUTM/s320/staying+in+bed.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The first two of these incentives I understand - she loves candy and those weird nuggets and fries, but that last one I was surprised about. After some intensive questioning (which is hilarious, since this 3-year-old doesn't really reason yet), it turns out that hotels are fun because:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">* you get to watch tv in bed</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">* they have a pool</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">* everyone sleeps in the same room</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">So does this mean that if we work and try and finally get Pink to sleep through the night in her own room for 30 nights in a row, we will completely undo all that effort in the reward? </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Never a dull moment in this parenting game....</div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-68253784431367941522011-04-22T22:20:00.000-05:002011-04-22T22:20:33.326-05:00Happy Earth Day!Earth Day!<br />
Torment the bullfrogs...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tT37N79Mjt8/TbH_DoIgFkI/AAAAAAAABcA/mzSDnlnklsg/s1600/IMG_20110422_141726-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tT37N79Mjt8/TbH_DoIgFkI/AAAAAAAABcA/mzSDnlnklsg/s1600/IMG_20110422_141726-1.jpg" /></a></div> Torture the children with a hike in 90-degree humid weather...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oN9wlF5zlNc/TbH_EcG8SvI/AAAAAAAABcE/v_zx5iXG0mg/s1600/IMG_20110422_151531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oN9wlF5zlNc/TbH_EcG8SvI/AAAAAAAABcE/v_zx5iXG0mg/s320/IMG_20110422_151531.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Tell Dad about it later!Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-36701747284926322472011-04-14T21:03:00.000-05:002011-04-14T21:03:11.415-05:00The big catch up postIt's been almost 4 months since I posted any pictures or any substantive family nonsense (is that an oxymoron?). If I set myself up to chronicle the last 4 months in depth, I'll never do it, so here is one big catch up post and a fervent hope that I might stay on top of our lives a little bit better.<br />
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Christmas, 2010:<br />
We continued our tradition of having Santa bring the presents on Christmas Eve. So much more pleasant (to me) than an early-morning trashing of our living space. There were plenty of presents to go around, including a very unusual necklace for Red.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-65cYmZlRCpM/TaZt3DPpPSI/AAAAAAAABbQ/V-2kTgVa0Jk/s1600/christmas+2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-65cYmZlRCpM/TaZt3DPpPSI/AAAAAAAABbQ/V-2kTgVa0Jk/s320/christmas+2010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rya6WcYfn8s/TaZt4dIqpPI/AAAAAAAABbU/S9D_Y49ArvQ/s1600/dad%2527s+necklace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rya6WcYfn8s/TaZt4dIqpPI/AAAAAAAABbU/S9D_Y49ArvQ/s320/dad%2527s+necklace.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pNKc0PYOB8M/TaZt5blx1JI/AAAAAAAABbY/0vOy-jHHlPA/s1600/new+apron.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pNKc0PYOB8M/TaZt5blx1JI/AAAAAAAABbY/0vOy-jHHlPA/s320/new+apron.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aqPaDo3GWk4/TaZt6OvYRVI/AAAAAAAABbc/pwItK_fedTM/s1600/stinky.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aqPaDo3GWk4/TaZt6OvYRVI/AAAAAAAABbc/pwItK_fedTM/s320/stinky.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>January 2011:<br />
After 5 good years, we said farewell to our trusted Labrador Elvis. He went to live with Red's grandparents in Pennsylvania. It is an ideal arrangement for everyone - Elvis was slowing down and getting stressed about the rapidly increasing speed of Pink and Blue, and the grandparents, who lost their dog last year, got a well-trained companion. In typical fashion, I didn't take a single picture to commemorate the handing off of our beloved dog, the visit with the kids' great-grandparents, or the car (dubbed "snowflake") rented to take us all on this grand 2500 mile adventure - not even New Year's Eve in Nashville, and a visit to a life-sized replica of the Parthenon.<br />
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At least I remembered to pull out the camera a few weeks later when we celebrated Pink turning 3 - or maybe it was her father who had the good sense to take some pictures:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8UvhfVAII54/TaZw7jHnm7I/AAAAAAAABbg/0Eb5zusJCmA/s1600/3+years+old.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8UvhfVAII54/TaZw7jHnm7I/AAAAAAAABbg/0Eb5zusJCmA/s320/3+years+old.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E5F3Wa3yEeg/TaZxRJXpeTI/AAAAAAAABbo/WVyknJbL7rQ/s1600/pink+blowing+out+candles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E5F3Wa3yEeg/TaZxRJXpeTI/AAAAAAAABbo/WVyknJbL7rQ/s320/pink+blowing+out+candles.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-615sA0f9Wdo/TaZxQADAPOI/AAAAAAAABbk/bqmL6zIo3aQ/s1600/opening+presents.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-615sA0f9Wdo/TaZxQADAPOI/AAAAAAAABbk/bqmL6zIo3aQ/s320/opening+presents.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
February, 2011.<br />
This month was full of ice and snow, and one major holiday. Which Red and Green celebrated by taking a painting class...and giving the paintings to Pink and Blue for Valentine's Day. Yup, we are an original bunch. But what we lack in originality, we may make up for in ability to follow directions. Note how much our paintings look like the prototype, seen over Red's shoulder.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v6L9_r-I4r0/TaZ1gpxGXxI/AAAAAAAABbs/gngSUnZ-sQE/s1600/greens+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v6L9_r-I4r0/TaZ1gpxGXxI/AAAAAAAABbs/gngSUnZ-sQE/s320/greens+heart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lOaqM5xlVmw/TaZ1hlGcV9I/AAAAAAAABbw/H9y8s4GwggY/s1600/reds+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lOaqM5xlVmw/TaZ1hlGcV9I/AAAAAAAABbw/H9y8s4GwggY/s320/reds+heart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">March, 2011.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Regardless of any wagers taken to the contrary a decade and a half ago (or perhaps to spite the wagerers), we celebrated 15 years of marriage in March. We attended a <a href="http://devotchka.net/">Devotchka</a> concert with friends, and, as might be expected of a smallish indoor concert venue, the pictures taken are kind of dim. Lack of photographic evidence notwithstanding, we are still happily married. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">April, 2011.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Apparently, when the sun comes back out, so do the cameras - and the crazy ideas. I came home from a Friday-afternoon doctor's appointment to find my family frantically throwing clothes into suitcases for a "surprise vacation". We drove way into the night, and didn't tell the kids where we were going until the next day. "Bat Cave" and "Hotel Pool" were enough to sell it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SBfIjoAdA8s/TaelP-e0GEI/AAAAAAAABb0/p84320QeEpA/s1600/carlsbad+sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SBfIjoAdA8s/TaelP-e0GEI/AAAAAAAABb0/p84320QeEpA/s320/carlsbad+sign.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--4LBVR2cHUk/TaelSeNMzBI/AAAAAAAABb8/_xLh5L1UUAg/s1600/inside+the+caves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--4LBVR2cHUk/TaelSeNMzBI/AAAAAAAABb8/_xLh5L1UUAg/s320/inside+the+caves.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b76JE2gIRB4/TaelQ9umaOI/AAAAAAAABb4/D4SkAVqAJy8/s1600/hotel+pool.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b76JE2gIRB4/TaelQ9umaOI/AAAAAAAABb4/D4SkAVqAJy8/s320/hotel+pool.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whew... I feel better now. I am sure there are a few things I missed, but at least we don't have a gaping hole in the family record.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A big thanks to anyone who made it through all this!</div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-75353114103728256172011-04-13T22:33:00.000-05:002011-04-13T22:33:06.068-05:00What happened to this blog?Sometimes, the smallest events can really change my attitude about everything. Take, for example, the last post on this blog. I put it up a couple of days before we left town. It was, for the record, a picture of Red's feet as he fixed a minor leak in a valve on the back of our refrigerator. One that we discovered after coming home from a week to visit loved ones in Utah at Thanksgiving. I meant to post something humorous about leaky fridges and and my live-in-handyman. Of course, I didn't get around to it before we had Christmas (and all of it's associated chaos) and then left town again for a week. A week from which we returned to a true flood. A lift-the-carpet-to-dry-it-out kind of flood that leaves a particular texture to hardwood and stains that need to be painted over on walls.<br />
<br />
In the midst of cleaning it up and eradicating the sour smell of wet house from the air, I lost my blogging momentum - and my ability to write witty things about small floods. I blame the sound of the fans and the creeping suspicion that our house might actually not like us very much. Or at least, not like being left alone.<br />
<br />
I've vowed to change (not a vowed like my marriage vow, which I take quite seriously indeed, but more like my "eat less chocolate" vow, which only applies on days that I designate), and I will catch up and keep writing on this blog; if only so that my children will have some written record of what they did during their childhoods. But I'm not writing about floods.Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-22556604178390104912010-12-22T08:00:00.000-06:002010-12-22T08:00:07.181-06:00A New Game!Anyone willing to play, "Write a funny caption"? <div>I'll tell you tomorrow what's going on in this picture!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRF1HHVUPKI/AAAAAAAABbA/zMx5Y9nUDw4/s1600/write%2Bme%2Ba%2Bcaption.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 375px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRF1HHVUPKI/AAAAAAAABbA/zMx5Y9nUDw4/s400/write%2Bme%2Ba%2Bcaption.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553348580612521122" /></a></div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-8558435237696446522010-12-21T21:41:00.003-06:002010-12-21T21:44:36.204-06:00Our Two Snowmen<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >November 21, 2010. Sandy, Utah:</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRFzgVygnlI/AAAAAAAABa4/J3bcQD8a4X8/s1600/Blue%2Band%2BSnowman%2B%25282%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRFzgVygnlI/AAAAAAAABa4/J3bcQD8a4X8/s400/Blue%2Band%2BSnowman%2B%25282%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553346814966537810" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >December 21, 2010. Dallas, TX:</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRFzgB4aV1I/AAAAAAAABaw/E4eu19-ccyo/s1600/pink%2Band%2Bsnowman.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRFzgB4aV1I/AAAAAAAABaw/E4eu19-ccyo/s400/pink%2Band%2Bsnowman.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553346809622583122" /></a>Hope that wherever you are, and whatever your weather, you're welcoming winter with a smile!Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-14380947375618649692010-12-20T22:13:00.003-06:002010-12-20T22:29:12.490-06:00Elf on the FloorFor our family, this is the first year that the children really understand the Santa aspect of Christmas. Blue has known for a while that he's a guy in a red suit, but the idea of a naughty and nice list and not beating up your sister equaling presents is just sinking in.<div><br /></div><div>To help the "elves are spying for Santa" story along, we've made a big deal about rustling bushes in the backyard, and have even had a couple of elfin visits. Our first elf visitors took away the letters to Santa that we left in our stockings and replaced them with candy canes and books. This morning, we had another reminder that the elves are watching.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sometime during the night, small, pointy footprints appeared on our windowsill and floor, and little packages of candy were placed in our shoes. When Red went to put on his work shoes this morning (poor guy, he's the only one not on vacation this week), he couldn't find one, and everyone was very shocked to find it in front of the fire place.</div><br /><br />Here's Pink admiring what a midnight frenzy and some washable markers can do:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRAq84SlfvI/AAAAAAAABag/YbxesG2dM74/s1600/pink%2Band%2Bfootprints.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRAq84SlfvI/AAAAAAAABag/YbxesG2dM74/s400/pink%2Band%2Bfootprints.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552985565938679538" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><br />I think Blue might have been onto me, but once he saw his beloved York peppermint patties, he forgot to delve deeper into the mystery of the footprints:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRAq9GHZuaI/AAAAAAAABao/iiK_jtSLFLY/s1600/pink%2Bblue%2Bwith%2Bcandy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Ij2NG6N34w/TRAq9GHZuaI/AAAAAAAABao/iiK_jtSLFLY/s400/pink%2Bblue%2Bwith%2Bcandy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552985569649867170" /></a>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-67209642725888315402010-12-11T23:00:00.003-06:002010-12-11T23:05:29.990-06:00Feature Presentation: Christmas Letter 2010<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>"My Mama always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.'"</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span">The constant search for unique Christmas letter themes ended with this series of famous movie quotes. What can we say, it seemed like a good idea at the time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a %$&*!"</i></span></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span></strong><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Pink turned 2 in January of this year, and has developed a bit of an attitude. A pint sized cutie with a Texas-sized attitude. She likes to speak in complete sentences, annoy her brother, and dress up with accessories. We love her spunk, we’re not so in love with her ignoring us when we ask her to do something.</span></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><i>"Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."</i></b></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 18px; ">We’re still adjusting to life in Texas – this year we had a run in with the local pests. While planting a garden this spring, Red was bitten on the hand by some fire ants. Normally, this would lead to a couple of uncomfortable, itchy welts that go away in a few days. Unfortunately for Red, these fire ants <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hadn</span>’t brushed their teeth, so the bites got infected, and he had to go to the emergency room for intravenous antibiotics. We were also fortunate to have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Oma</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Opa</span> visit for Easter – they were smart enough to get out of town before the 110 degree weather hit in August, although <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Oma</span>’s visit in September was still mighty toasty. For a change of pace, we took the kids to Utah for Thanksgiving and got snowed on – over and over again. They got their wish to go sledding and build a snowman, but after the excitement of owning snow boots wore off, they were done with the cold weather.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><i>"Go ahead, make my day"</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Blue had a friend birthday party this year, and what a day it was! Blue turned 5, and had a marvelous time dressing everyone up as a pirate and eating pirate ship birthday cake. Green had a great time planning the party, and can’t wait to have another birthday. As an added bonus, Blue’s great-grandparents were able to be here for the party, and did their part to make the event a success.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><i>"What we've got here...is failure to communicate."</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Green attempted to spiff up our communication by attending the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">BlogHer</span> Conference in New York City this summer with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Vermilion</span>. The conference was a whole lot of fun, but whether this blog is actually better because of it is debatable. Green also keeps busy with her church calling in Primary, and loves working with the kids and watching them learn and grow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><i>"Houston, we have a problem."</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Well, not so much of a problem, but certainly a frequent visitor. Red continues to work with the Department of Justice, and spends a good deal of his time traveling back and forth to Houston. He is grateful for the opportunity to work in a field, and at a job, he enjoys. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><i>"I feel the need—the need for speed!"</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span">For the first time in 10 years, Red bought a new car. His Volvo, dubbed “Meatball” by the kids, is providing much commuting enjoyment. In other speedy news, Green has been experiencing the true suburban mom commute – running Blue to preschool five days a week and Pink to various activities and classes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><i>"Have fun storming the castle!"</i></span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><b><i> </i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span">We introduced Pink and Blue to Cinderella’s castle this spring at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Disneyworld</span>, and all had the time of our lives. The kids had a great time on the rides and meeting characters, and the parents enjoyed themselves too!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>"There's no crying in baseball!"</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span">There is, however, crying in soccer. Blue played summer and fall soccer this year, and after the first game, where about 80% of the time was spent crying, he finished the year really enjoying himself. Pink has started taking ballet and tap class, and although her dancing skills are pretty minimal, she loves having a big girl activity to go to every week. Red continues to improve his golf game every chance he gets. Green has started taking piano lessons, and feels like she is making good progress.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "> </span></b></span><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; ">"I'll be back."</span></strong></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; font-weight: normal; "></span></strong></span><strong><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Wishing you all the best for a joyous Christmas Season, and wonderful 2011.</span></span></strong></p>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2155249771555630217.post-71516022071506156972010-12-03T18:15:00.003-06:002010-12-03T18:21:42.739-06:00Please share your best EASY recipe!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><div>Friends who love to cook! Friends who hate to cook! I need your help. A friend of mine is trying to give a wonderful gift to her very deserving sister. Here is her story:</div><div>_______________________________</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br /></span></div><i>My sister has a goal to have 10 dinners she can pull off. I want to help her with this as a Christmas gift.</i></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i> It is more difficult than it sounds. Her family was T-boned in a car accident in the 90's and she has had terrible back pain ever since. It has gotten progressively worse. So when she prepares dinners she can't stand there chopping or stirring. Even opening can's and jars is a problem. Her husband is a great guy, but is a busy Dr and the bishop of their struggling ward. He would like her to invite the missionaries to dinner and others but she is overwhelmed by the idea. So here is where you come in. </i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><i>Everyone has one or two throw together meals don't they? I hope that you do! Would you share yours with me? Money is not an issue. I tried a list of 10 I thought of and when I got to more than 3 or 4 ingredients she almost cried. (And most of those were spices or soup mixes-no chopping involved.) She can pick up any prepared or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span>-chopped or frozen items needed. The only caveat being that she can't lift anything heavy-as in she can't lift a gallon of milk. Her husband thinks he has not had dinner if meat has not been served. She told me one of her current recipes is to put a pot roast in the crock pot with some water and then cook it all day.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">__________________________________</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">Do you have any recipes that might work? Please leave them in a comment or email them to me!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; border-collapse: collapse; ">Thanks so much!</span></div>Claudiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668701748069530341noreply@blogger.com7