Monday, February 2, 2009
I Need Ideas
Teagan turns... *gulp*... FOUR in March.
We had a party at our house when she turned 1. An "open house" with a cake and party food and a long invite list.
We had a quieter celebration when she turned 2. Grandma came and we spent the day painting a giant cardboard box to create a play house.
Grandma and Uncle Daniel came to visit when she turned 3. We ate at her favorite restaurants, Daddy baked her a special cake... We celebrated her last day of being 2 as well as her first day of being 3.
What to do for turning FOUR?
She doesn't really have a social group yet. We have some friends at church. The kids at daycare are all younger than she is.
I'm thinking that we'll stick with the family focused celebrations this year. And next year, when she turns 5, will be her first friend party. Because she'll have friends from preschool, she'll be more involved at church...
Care to share memories of your kids' 4th birthday parties? Any great ideas? She's really into the Imagination Movers. And Tinkerbell. Maybe a fairy party? I dunno.
SIDEBAR: Totally off topic. Zach had his well baby 15 month check up last week. He's healthy as a horse, of course. He thought it was great fun that he was hanging out in nothing but a diaper so he was really cracking us up and showing off. He weighs 27 pounds and is 33 inches long. Hitting all his milestones and such. We go back at the end of April for his 18 month well baby check.
Links are to the message board I had started back when I was first pregnant in 2004. If you really are bored and have way too much time on your hands and are so infatuated with me that you want to know a zillion bits of info about me and my family, feel free to explore. I gave up the message board for this blog... Lynn Freeman, a regular commenter here, was on that message board (we met through an online Atkins community a long time ago).
Blogging a Fight for Life
I've got another blog to share... I happened upon it when I was clicking through the "Next Blog" link at the top of the page...
Tom's Updates
I suppose that Tom maybe started the blog as a way for his friends and family to be part of his journey... but I started reading and got hooked really fast. He's a husband and dad and friend and he's battling Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He just started chemo last month and details his experiences on his blog. It seems he has a fantastic support system- family and friends who really love him (as evidenced in the most recent post "Bald Melon Club").
Day 4: Love is thoughtful
Daily Reading
"Love thinks. It's not a mindless feeling that rides on waves of emotion and falls asleep mentally."
I find myself disagreeing with a lot in this reading because it says that men are this way and women are this way... and I always have a hard time with that. In my own marriage, we tend to be the opposite in those roles. More accurately, we both tend to be in the middle of the male/female spectrum. So we each have times when we are more literal and each have times when we want the other to "read between the lines." Today's entry in the book really focuses on the differences between men and women. I'd hoped the book could be more universally applied to intimate relationships, too. And I think it still can. You just have to step outside the box and recognize that it is 2 people who make up a relationship and not focus on the gender of the people in it and not label behaviors based on the gender!
For example:
"A husband should listen to his wife and learn to be considerate of her unspoken messages. A wife should learn to communicate truthfully and not say one thing while meaning another."
I think that both of those "shoulds" swing both ways. I need my husband to be open and honest with me, to tell me what he wants and needs. We've certainly had fights where I've told him that I can't read his mind.
Instead, I think the focus for thoughtfulness should be on being open and honest in your communicate while still being positive and kind and patient.
Today's Dare
Check in with your spouse at some point with no other purpose than to see how their day is going and see if there is anything you can do for them.
Reflections
"What did you learn about yourself or your spouse by doing this today? How could this become a more natural, routine, and genuinely helpful part of your lifestyle?"
Have to admit that this is one we already do... we talk to each other a couple of times each day, for no reason other than seeing how the day is going... so no real challenge here today. But good to reflect on why it is important!
"Love thinks. It's not a mindless feeling that rides on waves of emotion and falls asleep mentally."
I find myself disagreeing with a lot in this reading because it says that men are this way and women are this way... and I always have a hard time with that. In my own marriage, we tend to be the opposite in those roles. More accurately, we both tend to be in the middle of the male/female spectrum. So we each have times when we are more literal and each have times when we want the other to "read between the lines." Today's entry in the book really focuses on the differences between men and women. I'd hoped the book could be more universally applied to intimate relationships, too. And I think it still can. You just have to step outside the box and recognize that it is 2 people who make up a relationship and not focus on the gender of the people in it and not label behaviors based on the gender!
For example:
"A husband should listen to his wife and learn to be considerate of her unspoken messages. A wife should learn to communicate truthfully and not say one thing while meaning another."
I think that both of those "shoulds" swing both ways. I need my husband to be open and honest with me, to tell me what he wants and needs. We've certainly had fights where I've told him that I can't read his mind.
Instead, I think the focus for thoughtfulness should be on being open and honest in your communicate while still being positive and kind and patient.
Today's Dare
Check in with your spouse at some point with no other purpose than to see how their day is going and see if there is anything you can do for them.
Reflections
"What did you learn about yourself or your spouse by doing this today? How could this become a more natural, routine, and genuinely helpful part of your lifestyle?"
Have to admit that this is one we already do... we talk to each other a couple of times each day, for no reason other than seeing how the day is going... so no real challenge here today. But good to reflect on why it is important!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Garlic Parmesan Artichoke Dip
OMG. This stuff is insanely good.
I went to a Tastefully Simple party a while back and bought this stuff called "Garlic, Garlic." It's used to make a chip dip and you can use it to season stuff, too. It's, obviously, heavy on the garlic.
I had found this other recipe for some kind of spicy artichoke dip and got to thinking about it and came up with the following renovated version:
1 cup mayo
1/2 c parmesan cheese (use the good shredded stuff and not the sprinkly dry stuff)
1 c crushed ritz crackers
1/2 ts worcestershire sauce
1/2 ts Garlic Garlic (just use garlic powder if you don't do the Tastefully Simple thing)
2 14-oz cans of artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Blend together all ingredients except the artichokes.
Fold in artichokes.
Spread into casserole dish. Cover. Bake 20 mins.
Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, hawaiian bread, or whatever you love to dip!
It's seriously yummy and addictive. I'm in trouble because I am the only person in my house who will eat it (kids are in bed and Jeff doesn't eat artichokes).
Liz's Canned Chili
I am all about simple, easy, and less work when it comes to cooking. I don't do complicated.
Once upon a time, I found a great recipe for a knock off of Wendy's chili. It was good but involved a lot of cutting and chopping and such. So I adjusted it to make it easy. And now I'm going to share it with you! It's a little late to make it for the Super Bowl... but it's dang good chili anytime! Mine's in the Crock Pot right now.
Ingredients:
3 lb ground sirloin
frozen onion
minced garlic
seasoning - salt/pepper, etc
2 cans of kidney beans, drained
2 cans Red Gold tomato sauce
2 cans Red Gold petite diced tomatoes
1 can Red Gold roasted garlic and onion tomatoes
1 can Red Gold chili ready with onions tomatoes
2(ish) tb chili powder
1(ish) ts cumin
1 1/2 c water
In a large skillet, add onion and garlic. I love both so I use a lot of each and I never measure. Get those started up and add your ground sirloin. Sprinkle on seasoning halfway through browning. I use a local seasoning called Shoup's that I get from our State Fair. It has a lot of stuff in it but the main seasonings in it are garlic, salt, and pepper. In a crock pot or large soup pot, open all those cans, drain the kidney beans, dump everything in. I do mine in the Crock Pot- easier but not as fast as on the stove. Add chili powder and cumin, mix well. Drain the meat. Add drained meat to the tomato mixture, stir well. Add in 1 1/2 c water. Cook it. I do mine in the Crock Pot on high for 2-3 hours. You can simmer on the stove for an hour. Basically cook until everything is hot and bubbly and well melded and such. Serve with... sour cream, cheese, fritos, crackers, etc.
Once upon a time, I found a great recipe for a knock off of Wendy's chili. It was good but involved a lot of cutting and chopping and such. So I adjusted it to make it easy. And now I'm going to share it with you! It's a little late to make it for the Super Bowl... but it's dang good chili anytime! Mine's in the Crock Pot right now.
Ingredients:
3 lb ground sirloin
frozen onion
minced garlic
seasoning - salt/pepper, etc
2 cans of kidney beans, drained
2 cans Red Gold tomato sauce
2 cans Red Gold petite diced tomatoes
1 can Red Gold roasted garlic and onion tomatoes
1 can Red Gold chili ready with onions tomatoes
2(ish) tb chili powder
1(ish) ts cumin
1 1/2 c water
In a large skillet, add onion and garlic. I love both so I use a lot of each and I never measure. Get those started up and add your ground sirloin. Sprinkle on seasoning halfway through browning. I use a local seasoning called Shoup's that I get from our State Fair. It has a lot of stuff in it but the main seasonings in it are garlic, salt, and pepper. In a crock pot or large soup pot, open all those cans, drain the kidney beans, dump everything in. I do mine in the Crock Pot- easier but not as fast as on the stove. Add chili powder and cumin, mix well. Drain the meat. Add drained meat to the tomato mixture, stir well. Add in 1 1/2 c water. Cook it. I do mine in the Crock Pot on high for 2-3 hours. You can simmer on the stove for an hour. Basically cook until everything is hot and bubbly and well melded and such. Serve with... sour cream, cheese, fritos, crackers, etc.
Sportsmanship
I'm a fan of the Olympics. I don't really follow any sports on a regular basis. But the history, tradition, pomp and circumstance... the global gathering of athletes... it fascinates me.
I'm a fan of good sportsmanship. I love hearing real stories of athletes or teams making good, fair decisions. Even if to their own detriment. I remember a story a couple of years ago of a college softball team who helped a senior player from the opposing team round the bases. She had hit a home run but broken her foot or ankle or something on her way to first base. Game rules indicated that she wouldn't get her home run point if she didn't round the bases herself. So the players of the opposing team picked her up and helped her around the bases, pausing to make certain her foot touched each one.
Sportsmanship... to me, it shows an athlete who is passionate about the sport, the art of it. An athlete who isn't caught up in only being focused on how to win, win, win.
I watched a lot of the Beijing Olympics this past summer. I remember the excitement of watching Michael Phelps and his mom. I remember watching the female runners in the marathon- you can always find amazing stories of triumph there. I remember watching the rowing teams. I remember gymnastics and diving.
But watching track and field seemed to be one of my top events to watch this past summer. And a great story of good sportsmanship has come from this past summer's Olympic Games in track and field.
I remember watching the race. It was the 200 meter final. And 2 runners were disqualified for stepping out of their lane. Shawn Crawford went from 4th to 2nd after the 3rd place (Wallace Spearmon) and 2nd place (Churandy Martina) runners were disqualified. I remember at the time... thinking that I wouldn't feel right about that medal if I were Shawn Crawford. It's an easy sentiment when you aren't the one who dedicates their career to training and competing and getting to this place. It's easy to sit in the comfort of my home, knowing I can't even run a mile on the treadmill at the gym, and shake my head at the situation.
But apparently Shawn Crawford felt the same way.
An article from Yahoo:
NEW YORK (AP)—Shawn Crawford confirmed that he gave his Olympic silver medal to Churandy Martina, the sprinter who finished second in the 200 meters but was later disqualified for running out of his lane.
“I’m like, if a guy is 10 meters in front of me, I don’t care if he stayed in the middle of his lane,” Crawford told The Associated Press on Friday after finishing third in the 60 at the Millrose Games. “He was going to beat me anyway. He didn’t impede in anybody’s race.”
Crawford, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist, originally came in fourth in Beijing. Teammate Wallace Spearmon was third but was disqualified for running out of his lane.
American officials studied video of the race and then filed a protest against Martina for the same error. Martina and his Netherland Antilles team have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that the protest was filed too late under rules set by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Martina finished in 19.82 seconds behind world record-setter Usain Bolt. Crawford’s time was 19.96. “It wasn’t about doing the right thing. It’s just me as an athlete—I feel like we all compete and train for four years to get to the Olympic Games,” Crawford said. “We got there, he was told he finished second after all that, he took a victory lap. I can understand his humiliation and embarrassment and all that.
“Me being an athlete, I know how he feels, so I feel like it was to me to give it up to him.” Crawford left the medal for Martina at a hotel during a meet shortly after the Olympics. The two have since spoken about it.
“He was very surprised, thankful about it,” Crawford said. “He thought it was very big of me to step up like that.”
Sportsmanship. Defined by Merriam-Webster as "conduct (as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport."
And in a blog post about a track and field Olympian, I'd be remiss not to mention that I have at least one reader who IS an Olympic athlete!!! And it just tickles me to pieces that she reads my blog and I love reading hers. 5th Time's the Charm, Jackie Edwards. She's a long jumper and she went to Beijing as well. And I love her blog!
I'm a fan of good sportsmanship. I love hearing real stories of athletes or teams making good, fair decisions. Even if to their own detriment. I remember a story a couple of years ago of a college softball team who helped a senior player from the opposing team round the bases. She had hit a home run but broken her foot or ankle or something on her way to first base. Game rules indicated that she wouldn't get her home run point if she didn't round the bases herself. So the players of the opposing team picked her up and helped her around the bases, pausing to make certain her foot touched each one.
Sportsmanship... to me, it shows an athlete who is passionate about the sport, the art of it. An athlete who isn't caught up in only being focused on how to win, win, win.
I watched a lot of the Beijing Olympics this past summer. I remember the excitement of watching Michael Phelps and his mom. I remember watching the female runners in the marathon- you can always find amazing stories of triumph there. I remember watching the rowing teams. I remember gymnastics and diving.
But watching track and field seemed to be one of my top events to watch this past summer. And a great story of good sportsmanship has come from this past summer's Olympic Games in track and field.
I remember watching the race. It was the 200 meter final. And 2 runners were disqualified for stepping out of their lane. Shawn Crawford went from 4th to 2nd after the 3rd place (Wallace Spearmon) and 2nd place (Churandy Martina) runners were disqualified. I remember at the time... thinking that I wouldn't feel right about that medal if I were Shawn Crawford. It's an easy sentiment when you aren't the one who dedicates their career to training and competing and getting to this place. It's easy to sit in the comfort of my home, knowing I can't even run a mile on the treadmill at the gym, and shake my head at the situation.
But apparently Shawn Crawford felt the same way.
An article from Yahoo:
NEW YORK (AP)—Shawn Crawford confirmed that he gave his Olympic silver medal to Churandy Martina, the sprinter who finished second in the 200 meters but was later disqualified for running out of his lane.
“I’m like, if a guy is 10 meters in front of me, I don’t care if he stayed in the middle of his lane,” Crawford told The Associated Press on Friday after finishing third in the 60 at the Millrose Games. “He was going to beat me anyway. He didn’t impede in anybody’s race.”
Crawford, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist, originally came in fourth in Beijing. Teammate Wallace Spearmon was third but was disqualified for running out of his lane.
American officials studied video of the race and then filed a protest against Martina for the same error. Martina and his Netherland Antilles team have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that the protest was filed too late under rules set by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Martina finished in 19.82 seconds behind world record-setter Usain Bolt. Crawford’s time was 19.96. “It wasn’t about doing the right thing. It’s just me as an athlete—I feel like we all compete and train for four years to get to the Olympic Games,” Crawford said. “We got there, he was told he finished second after all that, he took a victory lap. I can understand his humiliation and embarrassment and all that.
“Me being an athlete, I know how he feels, so I feel like it was to me to give it up to him.” Crawford left the medal for Martina at a hotel during a meet shortly after the Olympics. The two have since spoken about it.
“He was very surprised, thankful about it,” Crawford said. “He thought it was very big of me to step up like that.”
Sportsmanship. Defined by Merriam-Webster as "conduct (as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport."
And in a blog post about a track and field Olympian, I'd be remiss not to mention that I have at least one reader who IS an Olympic athlete!!! And it just tickles me to pieces that she reads my blog and I love reading hers. 5th Time's the Charm, Jackie Edwards. She's a long jumper and she went to Beijing as well. And I love her blog!
Day 3: Love is not selfish
Daily Reading
"If there was ever a word that basically means the opposite of love, it is selfishness."
"Love is never satisfied except in the welfare of others. You can't be acting out of real love and selfishness at the same time."
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Philippians 2:3
We are all selfish. I know that I act selfishly every day, sometimes in big ways and sometimes in small ways. I also know that I sacrifice my own choices, happiness, preferences and wants very frequently. Generally, this is for my children. And often it is for my husband. But probably not often enough. I feel like I need to really dig into this one and look at my own choices and actions and behaviors to determine the areas where I am selfish and not putting the needs and even wants of my husband before my own.
Today's Dare
Today's dare says that we put our time, energy and money into the things that are important to us.
Keep with the "no negative comments" dare from Day 1 and also... invest in your spouse by buying your spouse something that says "I was thinking of you today."
Reflections
"What did you choose to give your spouse? What happened when you gave it?"
I gave Jeff a box of Life cereal. He had made a passing comment recently about us never having cereal he liked, I asked what cereal he liked, he said Life. I went to the grocery store alone today and was thinking and thinking of what to get my husband to show him I was thinking about him. I didn't want to go with the typical things- a movie, Turtles candy, ice cream, snacks. I also didn't want to spend a lot of money because I think the best gifts are the ones high on thought and low on price.
His reaction? I could tell by the look on his face that he was pleased. I had remembered what he said, I had listened when he said it.
I feel like I give to my husband and my family a lot. I don't feel like buying gifts is the best way to show love or thoughtfulness or a lack of selfishness. I agree that we put our time, money, and energy into things that are important. But I don't think that money has to be part of time and energy to give a gift that shows that someone matters to you.
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