You're Welcome

You're on Pinterest, right?  If not, where on earth have you been?  Check it out.  I like to get on there and just browse the "Humor" category if I need a laugh.  I also like to check out the "Popular" category to see what's trending all over.  And, of course, you can just take a look and see what your friends are into lately.  Recipes are a big part of it.  I love getting new recipes!  But I don't just pin wildly - I always click the picture to get to the actual recipe so that I can determine whether or not I will realistically ever make the recipe.  If it has 42 ingredients - no.  If I have to pre-cook something before it goes into the crockpot - no (seriously?  eliminates the purpose!).  Since there's no professional requirement for putting a recipe on there, some of them don't work out so well.  I've pinned tons of recipes and have had the chance to put a few of them to the test this holiday season.  I thought I would share with you all the ones that I've tried so you don't have to experiment as much:

http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/03/crock-pot-chicken-dumplings-recipe/

 

This was pretty good to me, but Alan is the chicken & dumplings expert around here and it wasn't his favorite.  I think when you add the biscuits, if you don't mix them in so that they cook a little more on top, it could be better. 

 

Crock Pot Cinnamon Almonds

http://richestoragsbydori.blogspot.jp/2012/09/crock-pot-cinnamon-almonds.html

 

DELICIOUS!  I gave them as gifts to some of the people who work for Alan.  YUM.  I did find that it made enough of the sugar mixture to cover twice the amount of almonds it calls for, so double the egg white and the almonds, but keep the sugars and cinnamon the same. 

 

Chubby Hubby Truffles

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/12/chubby-hubby-buckeye-peanut-butter.html

 

These are yummy if you like crunchy peanut butter.  They are a little tough to roll and dip because the pretzel pieces in the mix tend to make it fall apart easier.  Might be easier if the pretzels are crushed to pretty tiny pieces.  Taste great as a finished product, though!

 

 

Pumpkin Muffins

http://sweet-verbena.blogspot.jp/2011/08/pumpkin-muffins.html

 

EASY!  I added some pumpkin pie spice to the cake mix and pumpkin.  When I put them in the muffin pan, I thought there was no way they would turn out well, but they did!  I took them to Life Group and everyone thought they were fantastic.  You can substitute Spice Cake, which I'll try next, as well.  But I highly recommend this recipe!  Yummy and easy.

 

Spinach Feta Rolls

http://clairebidwellsmith.com/2010/01/22/windy-city-crescent-rolls/

 

Eh.  Just OK.  Mine did not turn out like the photos, first of all.  Second, I used three tubes of crescent rolls instead of two and still had enough of the stuffing mixture to make at least two more tubes.  I was ticked that it was so off.  I ended up eating it as a salad, but still...You can only pile so much of the mixture onto the tiny triangle and by the time it bakes up and the cheese inside melts and the spinace wilts, I felt like the inside was pretty empty except for a few olive pieces.  Just so-so.  Maybe you can figure out how to make it turn out well and let me know.  I like the idea of them.

 

Bacon-wrapped Smokies

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/bacon-wrapped-smokies-with-brown-sugar-and-butter/

 

MAKE THESE NOW!  They are so good.  I do think you can change a couple of things:  First, I think you can do less brown sugar, like maybe only 1 1/2 cups total, or even less.  Second, I think if you only slightly cooked the bacon to get some of that fat off it would allow for less liquid in the pan in the end and maybe crispier bacon (who doesn't like that).  Even after turning up the heat and then broiling them, my bacon was a little soggy.  But they still all disappeared, so that's a good sign!  Loved them!

 

http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/03/parmesan-roasted-zucchini-recipe/

 

So, so good.  My favorite way to make zucchini now.  Exactly like the recipe, no changes. 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

 

Yes.  Do it.  These are chocolate covered heaven - and no salmonella (not that it ever stopped me before)!  Alan's favorite.

 

You're welcome.

 

Merry Christmas!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Do You Know The Laws?

A friend shared this video on Facebook the other day and it really affected me.  I can't stop thinking about it and how right he is.  Sorry, I had trouble embedding it, so you'll have to click on the link to watch.  It's Mike Huckabee talking about where God was when the horrific tragedy occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  Watch it, then come back to me.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/2038135300001/

 

 

What a revelation!  Here we have been, cutting God out of school, out of politics...out of society.  But in a time of crisis, what do we do?  We run to Him.  We run to church.  We beg of Him to help us understand "Why?"  I love this monologue.  Especially the end, where he reminds us that laws are already in place to prevent these sort of tragedies.  WE ARE JUST FAILING TO TEACH THEM.  We should all feel responsible a little bit for tolerating the direction our society has gone in.  Bratz and Monster High dolls?  Is that the sort of trash you want your daughter looking up to?  And video games - Halo, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto...all glorifying guns and making kids think it's cool to be really good at shooting.  What about the top TV shows?  Dexter, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy...all glorification of crimes.  People automatically think something is mentally wrong with people who commit these crimes.  What if they are perfectly normal people, just doing what they think is OK to do - what they are taught to do?

 

As a child, I grew up around guns.  Daddy was a hunter.  The guns weren't even locked up!  The rifles were propped in a corner, easily accessible for defense (never necessary) or a good buck that wondered close enough to the house (we lived on 11 acres).  You know what?  My sister and I never touched those guns.  Friends who came over never touched them.  You know why?  Because our parents taught us two things: 1) The Ten Commandments and 2) Guns were not toys and can hurt people.  Because we knew #1, we didn't want to hurt anyone.  Do you think the kids who have mastered the above mentioned video games understand #1 or #2?  Doubtful...

 

I don't completely disagree with stricter gun control guidelines.  I do agree that no civilian has any business owning a semi-automatic weapon.  And I do know that any gun in the wrong hands can be disastrous.  But I also know that there are far more people who legally and safely own and operate guns.  And I also know that the people who use them to be disastrous are not going to follow any law put in to place.

 

Guns don't kill people.  People kill people.  Teach your people the original Laws and they will live a respectable, rich life.  I don't like to blame the parents when things like this happen because it's not my place to judge, but I think parents do hold a lot of responsibility for how our children turn out.  Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, some kids stray and I get that.  But if you're a parent, pay attention to what your children are being exposed to!  You are not responsible for their actions - individuals are solely responsible for their own actions, but you are responsible for setting them up to live the best way possible as adults.  It's your job.  Try to do it right.  If you need an instruction manual, there has always been one.  It's a little long, but it's effective.

 

 

Mike Huckabee had more comments here:

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/mike-huckabee-news?ID=70415326-e438-41e4-9972-467097d2029f    

In My Head

1.  I love my kids, but sometimes I think about how useful duct tape could be...especially with the girl.

2.  I think schools could collect a lot more Box Tops for Education if they were on: coffee, wine, OTC pain relievers and band-aids.  And maybe Mott's Natural Apple Sauce.  And did I already say wine?

3.  I can't remember a time in our life when Alan and I have gone through as many pain relievers (Tylenol, Advil, Excedrin, Aleve...) as we do right now.  See #1.

4.  Did I tell you we're going to Australia in a couple of weeks?  I'm super-excited, but I hope I don't forget to pack pain relievers and band-aids...and maybe duct tape...and maybe wine.

That is all.

Squatty Logic

If you were excited about me blogging again, then you'll probably be disappointed.  This hardly qualifies...

When we first moved here, I was appalled to find these:

 

We call them "squatty potties" because...well, you understand, right?  I remember thinking "Why on earth would they have these?!"  They do have normal potties, as well.  In fact, they have very fancy potties with warm seats and a white noise function and bidets.  Then, sometimes they have squatty potties and I just don't get it.  Seems barbaric, almost, except that there's plumbing, which means it's not any less intrusive to install.  Baffled.

 

Until last week, when I was reading Real Simple magazine and there was an advertisement for a "Squatty Potty toilet stool."  Seriously.  That's what it's called.  They've taken your everyday stool, which most of us have around, especially if we have kids, and they have marketed it as a supposed health tool that they sell for $35.  You prop your feet up while you potty.  So you potty like this:

 

Because, apparently:

 

Here is their claim: 

 

"The modern day toilet is convenient, but definitely not perfect. While sitting to do our business may be sold as civilized, this position has brought on a number of health problems that plague us today. Squatty Potty changes your anorectal angle for faster, cleaner, more effective elimination."
~source here
 

Huh.  I guess these Japanese people are smarter than me.  I still don't think I'll be installing a squatty potty any time soon.

3 Years!

A few days ago we silently celebrated three years of living on this little island paradise.  Three years!  I can hardly believe that much time has passed.  Arriving here like a giant whale...by the time we leave (we don't know exactly when that will be yet, so don't ask!), the twins will be as old as Adam was when we arrived - maybe even older!  That's crazy talk.

 

We've had so many great opportunities here.  Recently, I was invited to participate in a kimono fashion show at our Officers' Club.  It took them about 30 minutes to get me dressed!  Here I am, being dressed, with the other "models" and the instructor, and making my modeling debut:

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

We attended our favorite festival a few weeks ago, as well - Orion Beer Fest! 

 

Here we are with some new friends that night, who taught us some of the music (there's a video, but...):

 

And here's the guy who took our picture:

 

Finally, here I am with our Co-Commander, who has been so kind as to show us around a little bit:

 

Honestly, it's a pretty cool life we have here.  How many people get an opportunity like this?  Sadly, lately, the military presence on Okinawa has gotten a bad reputation due to a few idiots who don't know how to treat their hosts.  I am appalled and embarrassed by the actions of these members and I would like to state, for the record, that these two incidents by these three individuals are not business-as-usual for military members here on Okinawa.  For the most part, we do our country proud and we represent Americans well.  But there will always be that 5% - that take up 95% of your time and give everyone a bad rap.  Rest assured that those guys are not your typical military member and we are not proud to serve with them.  Despite the inconveniences that have been imposed upon ALL of us due to these two criminal acts, I hope Americans living all over the world are reminded that you are always an ambassador, always a representative and always serving as an example of "America" to your host nation, whoever/wherever that may be.  Act like it.

 

 

 

5 Questions

 

 

 

AUDIE

Audie's first because he never gets to be first.

Favorite Color:  Blue

Favorite Drink: Juice box

Favorite Food: Cereal

Favorite Toys: "Aminals" (animals), Buzz, "'puter" (computer)

Favorite Quotes: "Dat's coool!",

"I weawy (really) wanna...!",

"Anaya did that" 

 

 

 

ADAM

 

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Drink: Sprite

Favorite Food: Pizza, macaroni, carrot cake

Favorite Toys: Buzz, Woody, Leap Pad, Leapster

Favorite Quotes: "I love you",

"Um, you might want to come and look at what the twins are doing!"

"I want one of those!"(at any random toy commercial on TV) 

 

 

 

ANAYA

 

Anaya's last because as if that would ever happen in real life.   

Favorite Colors: Purple and Pink

Favorite Drink: Red Juice (V8 V-Fusion)

Favorite food: pink bagel (bagel with strawberry cream cheese)

Favorite toys: Baby doll, stroller and blocks

Favorite quotes: "NO!  I'M NOT!",
"Lemme tellyou sum'fin",
"'Naya's turn!"

 

 

 

As Good as it Gets

Well, we've battened down the hatches and are waiting out Typhoon Bolaven, a Cat 4 storm beating the crap out of us.  Since we still have power, I figured I would pass the time by updating the blog (plus, Grandma Sissy has asked me every day for the past two weeks if I have put up a new blog, so I guess I'll take the hint...).

We had family pictures taken at the beach a couple of weeks ago.  In a rare moment of optimism, I thought it seemed like a good idea.  During the two-hour shoot, however, optimism did not show it's pretty face.  It seemed like my worst idea yet.  I was sure that there would not be a single good picture of the whole family.  My friend Christy is a fantastic photographer (CLH Photography).  She was not the problem.  They were the problem.  However, she assured me that there would be plenty of good ones and that I would be happy.  And she was right - there are several good ones.  As long as your definition of "good" does not include "all persons looking at the camera and smiling."    It's a relative term...I'll share a few of the good ones with you in a bit...

First, let me ask you this - if you take six pictures of a family in the same pose, how many would you expect to turn out well?  At least one, right?  You would be expecting too much...

 

Really, Anaya?  Not even a grin?  Do you have to look so miserable?

 

Then there are ones such as these:

 

 

In all seriousness, we did get plenty of great shots.  Here's a peek:

 

 

 

I think I've reached my upload limit, so I'll post more another time.  Thanks for checking in!

 

 

Unhappy Anniversary

There is no card to be bought for this anniversary.  There is no traditional or modern gift to be given.  There is no reason to celebrate, no reason to smile.  It has been a whole year since Daddy died and still, every day, I struggle to believe that he is gone forever.  I am torn between desperately trying to recall every last moment spent with him, and desperately trying to forget them.  In hopeful moments, it seems entirely possible that he is just on vacation somewhere, only gone for a little while.  Those moments eventually pass and give way to reality, though, and I am left to constantly distract myself so that I don't submit wholly to the grief and sorrow...so that the fog doesn't completely overtake me.  In quiet moments, when I have the time to be overtaken, though, it does feel good.  To cry, to remember, to miss him.  To imagine what he might have liked best if he had ever visited Okinawa.  To imagine how he might have interacted with my kids as they grew - what nicknames he would have made for the twins to go with Adam's classic of "Chupacabra Deluxe from South Texas."  To imagine...

It's what you do, unthinking, that makes the
quick tear start; the tear may be forgotten....
but the hurt stays in the heart.
(Ella Higginson)

I'm The Best

I came across this article on Shine from Yahoo! about three months ago.  I haven't been able to forget about it.  At first, I felt terrible, but then I felt realistic.  The article is a list of "5 Things Parents Shouldn't Say to Their Kids."  Here's the list:

1.  "I don't care"  Reason: "because you're cutting off communication with your child and saying that something important to him or her isn't so important to you".  Right.  Whether they use the green or blue crayon really isn't so important to me.  I use this phrase all the time.  Because I mostly don't care.  In fact, I just said it to Anaya rightnow when she came over to me randomly and said she was going to lay down to watch cartoons.  I don't care how she watches cartoons!  I say it.  Judge, if you must.

2.  "Act your age!"  Reason: "Kids hear their parents criticizing them at a time when they, as children, are having trouble and perhaps need some help gaining control."  Rebuttal:  Well, maybe they should have listened the first FIFTEEN times I told them how to do something and how to act.  When Adam is acting like the twins, I make sure he knows that he is acting like he's two instead of almost-six.     

3.  "Say you're sorry!"  Reason: "Young children don't automatically understand why they have to apologize. Corbett says that if parent forces a child to say they are sorry, 'it could delay the child's natural acceptance' of apologizing."  I'm a mixed bag here.  I agree with the logic...but I still say it.  I explain the wrongdoing and the emotion of the hurt child to my child, but I still make them apologize.  If I wait around for them to have a "natural acceptance" of apologizing, I might be greatly disappointed.  If it was truly a "natural acceptance," then every kid would automatically do it at some point and we all know that is not the case.  So I would rather teach manners than leave it to "nature." 

4.  "Don't you get it?"  Reason: "this comment is degrading. 'If the child 'got it,' which he desperately wants to do in order to please his parent, it would be clear. Implicit in a 'don't you get it' comment are the judgments of 'Why don't you get it?' followed by 'What's wrong with you for not getting it?' While a parent may not mean to send those messages, that is the message the child receives.'"  Guilty.  And I actually do feel a tad bit bad about this one.  Maybe I'll try and not use it.  Don't hold me to it, though...I claim very little control over my impulsive responses in moments of incredible frustration. 

5.  "I'm going to leave without you!"  Reason:  "For young kids, fear of parental abandonment is very real... 'The biggest problem is that we want our kids to believe what we say. For a whole host of reasons, we need our kids to believe us. If you want them to believe what we say is true, we cannot say something that is patently false'...The result is that the child quickly learns that mom or dad makes empty threats."  Ha!  I dare you to try and find a parent of at least a toddler who has not used this threat!  You won't!  And they will never figure out that the threat is empty because they get their little butt moving when I start walking away!  Damn right, "fear of parental abandonment is very real" - because I'm leaving without them!  Or, at least, I'm telling them I am. 

I'm the best!  The good news is that we have already started saving for our children's therapy.   

Is that a mustache?

I've been struggling with motivation and inspiration to write lately, which should explain the absence of posts.  Well, as usual, Adam saved the day by providing material.  That boy is comedy-in-motion, seriously.

Last Friday, we were preparing to spend the weekend at the beach, so I asked Adam to go gather the clothes he would like to take to the beach.  He's nearly six, so I figured he could handle this task.  Here's what he came up with:

(That's a Halloween shirt he made in preschool,

heavy flannel pajamas and a set of mismatched pajamas. 

He did also set aside underwear and swim trunks,

so we'll give him credit for that.)

Never mind, I'll do it.

A couple of weeks ago, Adam finished Kindergarten.  Here was his class:

And his teacher:

On the last day of school, we received a big brown bag full of lots of school work they had done.  One thing they did was a Kindergarten "Memory Book."  The memory book was full of "fill in the blank" pages, such as "My favorite color is ___" or "My favorite lunch was ___."  Then, there was a blank page that said "I look like this now," where they were supposed to draw themselves.  Here was Adam's:

 I think that's a mustache.  And I'm not sure if those are ears, or not.  I seriously couldn't stop laughing.  Then, I finally pulled it together only to see the next page - "This is how I will look when I am in first grade."

I guess I better get busy because we have a lot to do before he (she?) starts first grade!

Oh, dear.

 

Sexy And They Know It

You know us.  We like to P90X it.  I wasn't on-board at first, when Alan installed the pull-up bar in the living room doorway.  I didn't want to have to go through all the trouble of disguising it when I entertain.  Well, as it turns out, I hardly ever entertain anyone - and I eventually jumped on the P90X bandwagon, so the pull-up bar became a necessity.  As a result, our kids have seen us do countless pull-ups.  No doubt wondering what all the fuss was about, they began bugging us incessantly to do pull-ups.  Now, everytime we do a set, they take turns doing a set.  Well, they mostly take turns.  A certain blue-eyed girl always thinks it's her turn.  Ignore Adam's open fly - it was too late, once we realized it.  But par for the course, I think... 

Yeah...They work out.

Kiya!

At the beginning of March, Adam started taking karate.  This is, after all, Okinawa - the actual birthplace of karate - so how could we leave here without someone actually learning the art?  We just had to wait until he was old enough to take a class.  So every Tuesday and Thursday night we head down the street about two blocks to the Youth Center and Adam takes on the role of karateka, learning Shorei-Goju karate.  While he was very excited about starting the class, I was perhaps a little more excited.  I had visions of a very intimidating Japanese Sensei scaring the daylight out of Adam, turning him into an obedient, disciplined version of himself, who would be able to ward off any bully (let's face it - between his father and myself in our youth, he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of being anything but scrawny).  I thought my problems would be solved for $45 a month.

Well, the Sensei is not Japanese.  And he's also not very intimidating.  In fact, the kids laugh at him more than anything.  It didn't take Adam very long to figure out that his normal M.O. of playing "class clown" would work out just fine here.  So that's the role he played.  I tried to be patient, thinking the discipline that other kids showed would somehow rub off on him.  But after the first month, I wasn't so sure.  So I asked him if he wanted to learn karate, to which he professed that he did.  But, still, the behavior stunk.  He was the first of any student to get called into the "time-out" position - a high plank.  He was constantly asked questions to which he didn't know the answer.  He could never stand still.  I never even bothered taking my camera because this was standard.  He started complaining that the class was boring because all they did was learn stances, so I explained the importance of the stances.  He still didn't seem interested, yet always protested when I told him we were going to stop taking the class.  I was at my wit's end.  Two nights a week, I have to be ahead of the game enough to either have dinner in the crock pot by 10 a.m. or start preparing it by 4:30 for it to be ready at 5:30 so we can walk out the door at 6:00 to watch Adam act like a fool by 6:15.  I'd had it.  To top it off, he had a test looming sometime in the near future for his White belt.  He had to memorize all 15 stances to earn it.  He knew about six.  Or so I thought...

Two Thursdays ago, we did our normal routine and got to karate right on time.  For some reason that day, I figured I should take the camera and maybe catch him in a few moments of actual obedience and effort.  But that night, Alan had to work late so he never made it to karate and I was left with not only observing Adam, but keeping Thing 1 and Thing 2 from disturbing every karate, gymnastics, dance, piano and guitar class going on in the building that night.  I didn't get a single picture of Adam.  Not that there seemed to be one to take, as I constantly heard Sensei yelling his name while I chased the Things around.  I didn't figure he did well.  Then, right before the end of class, he had everyone sit down.  Then he started calling out a few names, telling them to stand up.  I heard him call Adam's name (he actually said "This kills me...Adam", so I turned my attention to the dojo.  I looked around, confused, at the group of kids standing at attention...I couldn't figure out why he had chosen these nine kids to stand.  Adam and two others were the usual suspects, but then there were some others who were always on top of things.  What was up?  The next thing Sensei said made me drop my jaw (and almost Anaya): "These nine kids have just earned their White belt!" 

WHAT??  ANAYA, GET DOWN!  I HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE!!

I could not believe it!  I guess he was listening, after all.  That's kind of scary, actually, that he can clown around and still semi-know what's going on.  He's not perfect and there is a lot of room for improvement, but he's one step closer.  The following class, they received their belts.  Here he is, just after having it tied on:

I love that clown.  We'll try one more month, I guess.