See the poll at the right and HAPPY THANKSGIVING :)

I have no idea how to fix the world but...

why do we (U.S.) keep getting deeper and deeper in debt like someday we're going to have all this money fall from the sky to pay every one back? It's cruel to saddle our future generations with our current government's debt. They (our elected officials...Republicans and Democratics are both way guilty) have been spending money like it grows on trees and their ongoing "solution" to everything is spending more.

Here's a quote from a Russian who can see clearly...why can't anyone in the U.S. see clearly?: Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily IZVESTIA published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse."

Ok, so thanks for letting me post the "lamest post ever." I just need to vent b/c I'm really frustrated by this situation.

Cooking veggie dogs in the toaster oven...

I'm not sure what else to say about it.

Our only child...

is J.R. Anna Kate had a Thanksgiving party at her preschool this morning then went home with Gabby and Sugar to visit Gabby and Papa's house. I sure do miss her!!! She's my buddy and I totally ADORE talking to her all day...it's probably one of my most favorite things in the world. I hear a lot of parents say they wish their kids would stop talking sometimes, but Anna Kate talks a lot and I love every minute of it...I just love to talk, too, and it's more fun when it's interactive!!! :) So it's much quieter around here and SO EASY just taking care of one child compared to 2...WHOA...what a HUGE difference!!!!

When J.R. is ready for his "ba-ba" and he's tired, he'll just plop down anywhere and hold his button and drink his milk until he falls asleep...and he has fallen asleep on the tile before!

24 - TONIGHT

This is the one and only show we watch and we love it!!!! I'm SO EXCITED!!!!

We are no longer sleeping through the night...

and Jon and I are pooped! Anna Kate has been potty trained for a while, but still slept in a diaper during her naps and at night b/c she's a deep sleeper and sleep was way more important than no-diapers-ever. Now, for a few weeks, she no longer wants to wear a diaper when she sleeps, and she wakes up and goes, but she wakes up Jon and me, too, inviting us to join her in the bathroom...and a lot of times we have trouble falling back to sleep. That child goes potty SEVERAL times in the night. Sometimes I want to beg her to just wear the diaper so we can all sleep...sometimes she does put on a diaper for fun, but she won't use it...well, actually, she says it's so she can "be like Trey."

Thankfuls

Since this is my first Thanksgiving to have a blog :) I'm going to start a list of all the things I'm thankful for...

1. Jon - my hero, my love, the best husband/dad in the WORLD
2. my kids I adore - Anna Kate, J.R. and Caroline (we think that will be her name)
3. our house
4. getting to live in America in a warm-climate state
5. God - I'm always embarrassed I don't think of him first...he's everything good
6. my pets - even though they are huge toots
7. my health and Jon and our kids' health...including mental
8. getting to stay-home with the kids
9. parents who love me
10. my sister
11. all of my family and Jon's family...so many special people
12. cooking and being able to get good fresh food at our *NEW* super Walmart 2 min. from our house
13. the internet and having my own computer
14. amazing Christian people I look up to in my life throughout my life
15. having had loving, great teachers all my life
16. Michael Medved's and Dennis Prager's radio shows
17. my friends...the few, the dear, that I have here
18. our church, Watermark
19. that we're not called to be missionaries in the Middle East where they want to rape and kill the infedel (sp?)
20. Jon's job

That's all I can think of for now...I'm sure there's tons more...

Happy Birthday and Surgery Day Daddy!!

Jon's 27th birthday is tomorrow and he had cartilage sucked out of his knee today. He already hobbles around on it though and shuns the narcotics he was prescribed...what a tough guy...sure wish he could give birth to our babies for us :) Our kids LOVED having him as a captive audience and story-reader on the couch all afternoon...

Then we celebrated his birthday with his favorite cake, German Chocolate...and this isn't any German Chocolate cake, it's the recipe his grandmother, Sugar, uses...it takes about 3.5 hours to make...phew! It's a labor of love for his birthday every year :)

This picture cracks me up...

He's always trying to get his little toy cars to new "spots" so he can roll them on new places and do his little "vroom" noises while he does it......he loves airplanes too (he always freezes and points to the sky and says, "sky" when he hears an airplane even when we are indoors and if we're outside and he sees one in the sky he calls them "sky car")...man oh man does that child love cars. He looks for them in books, at the store and "car" and "sky" are the two words he says the very most...it's like he's constantly "tuned-into-them." He still hasn't said anything resembling, "Mommy."

2 books i really want to read...

that I've recently ordered, but I hope I don't just let them collect dust on my shelf b/c they are potentially "good for me" and that makes me more averse to actually reading them even though I'd love the idea of having read them and I love the idea of their contents...

While I was calling an electrician...

b/c some power is out in our kitchen (including our refrigerator) and the breaker box fuse isn't affecting it, Anna Kate was using my beauty products in my bathroom, "Getting ready for the prince." Poor thing got some of my toner in her eyes.

p.s. The electrician came out and $124 later all he did was hit the "reset" button on one of our outlets. I never knew the "reset" buttons affected multiple outlets.

I need to clean the house but....

Since yesterday, every time I bend over to pick something up, I have a contraction! And then while my tummy is tight and contracted, it's really hard to bend over at all! They are not contractions that hurt, they are just inconvenient and I don't remember them starting this early with Anna Kate or J.R.. It's definitely inhibiting my stay-home-and-clean-house-Mondays which has turned into stay-home-and-clean-house-Tuesday.
This is a pic of the kids in Ty's bed...they love him so much...especially my animal-loving J.R. I'm so thankful for my new camera!!!

The BEST King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe

King Ranch Chicken
Luby’s Restaurant’s recipe adapted by me

2 TBS butter
½ cup diced yellow onion
4 cups (about 1 lb) diced cooked chicken
1 10.75oz can low-sodium cream of chicken soup
1 8oz tub sour cream
1 10oz can Mexican Rotel
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (12 oz) shredded American cheese (found at deli counter)
6 cups Tostada Gold Hearty Corn Tortilla Chips (it is best with these exact chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook butter and onions til tender and slightly browned.
3. Add diced chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, Rotel, chicken broth, cumin and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes more stirring frequently.
4. Add 1 cup of cheese and fold together until melted.
5. Place 4 cups of Tostada chips into a greased 13x9 casserole dish and pour chicken mixture evenly over top.
6. Bake 20 min.
7. Top w/ remaining cheese and chips, crumbled.
8. Let casserole rest 15 minutes before serving.

What a fun Saturday!

This morning we called and woke-up our (hopefully still) good friends the Henrys accidentally at 7:30 am b/c it felt like 9 am since we'd been up so long and we forgot to check the clock. Then daddy took Anna Kate to ballet. Then we all went to spend a cold day at the zoo to meet some new friends of friends that could potentially be a church community group for us and Anna Kate had a great time hanging out with a new little friend named Alexa. My favorite zoo comment from Anna Kate was, "Those giraffes are tall like me!" J.R. enjoyed the swimming frogs and running lizards the best...he's into speedy things these days and has great sound effects for his toy cars and airplanes. Another neat thing about our trip to the zoo today was that there was a huge fundraiser walk for the Alzheimer's Association...it's an annual thing so I'm glad to know about it now and I may walk in it next year for my grandmother! Then we came home to a clean house thanks to our sweet monthly housekeeper Isabel. Then we put the kids in their Christmas outfits and attempted to get a Christmas card pic with our NEW camera that had just arrived in the mail, but didn't get anything good at all...even with cookie bribery. And Kenny Henry (hence the morning wake-up call) came by to help Jon move a couch that had been crowding a room and driving me nuts. Then we all watched The Lion King in mommy and daddy's bed with popcorn. Anna Kate loved it...she's sleeping with the video (yes we are t.v. old-school and watch videos on our tube t.v. w/ a built-in VCR) jacket right now. J.R. was mostly interested in his "ba-ba," which is his milk in a bottle and throwing or squishing the popcorn in our bed and his and his mommy's belly buttons the whole time. Now I'm going to plan our meals and grocery list for the week. I'm so thankful Jon didn't have work today and we got a fun family day!!!

My Grandmother's funeral was yesterday...

Dorthy Jean Willhite

November 2, 1924 - November 11, 2008

This is her with me at my wedding on July 24, 2004...soon after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She moved into assisted living soon thereafter, and then spent the last 3 years in a special home for people with Alzheimer's disease and that is where she died in her sleep. Here is her obituary.

This is what I said at her funeral:

I just wanted to share a little about my Grandmother Dot from my perspective as one of her granddaughters.

She loved so many things (England, teapots, Martha Stewart, tea, bread, her Methodist church, her Volvo, a good burger, pretty dishes)…

She loved to do so many things (cooking/perfecting recipes, painting, sewing/knitting, listening to classical music and going to musicals, taking hot baths, reading, gardening, crossword puzzles in the DMN, setting her table for a party, anything simotaneously creative and tedious)…

But above all, she loved her friends and her family. Her greatest joy was to give us gifts and to serve us in her home as though we were royalty… holidays and family reunions were the highlights of her life. She spelled love T-I-M-E and I believe she cultivated so many collections and hobbies just to pass time until the next time she got to spend time with the people she loved.

On a more personal note, Dot always made me feel loved and special because of the way she patiently listened to my dreams and youthful fancies. Never once was she critical of me or skeptical that there was anything I couldn’t do. Her confidently believing in me has shaped who I am today. She taught me to take the time to appreciate beauty and to make things beautiful. The time we spent together is my most treasured and priceless gift from Dot. I will cherish her and remember our times together always.

The whole funeral was beautiful. My Aunt Lynn is a Methodist Minister and officiated and read the most beautiful Scriptures: Psalm 103, Isaiah 40, Romans 8, Proverbs 31 and John 14. I got to help pick the music with my mom:

• Beginning Song: Jim Brickman - Holy, Holy, Holy (instrumental)
• Middle Song: Phantom of the Opera - Think of Me
• End Song: Michael W. Smith - The Giving (instrumental)

The leftovers (that the family had not already taken) from Dot's 400+ teapot collection were brought and placed outside so that every one could take a teapot (or several) to remember her.

It was great to see family and 3 special people came...Jon's grandmother and Aunt Missy, and my dear friend Libby (who went so far above and beyond by watching J.R. after he yelled and chunked a handful of goldfish into the aisle right after the service started). Anna Kate was really sweet during it and before and after the service she kept wanting to go up front and stand on her tippy toes at the casket and "see Dot." Thanks to every one for your thoughts and prayers!!!

Where is my camera?!?!

I haven't been able to find it anywhere for about a week and I am SOOOO frustrated!!!

This has been a hard week!

Ok, so I've been super hormonal/emotional/stressed about...

1. some really silly things like specific foods I want to eat RIGHT NOW and needing my house totally clean RIGHT NOW...
2. other things that are silly in some ways but serious too like my OBSESSION with following the presidential election that occurred Tuesday and my DESPERATE desire to be in a community group at our church b/c there aren't Sunday School classes, so that's how you connect and we're not connected, but it's really hard to find a community group that's open and near where you live and in your life-stage and all that...
3. my kids have been and are EXHAUSTED from the time change and a crazy busy halloween weekend and we're still not back to "normal" and I'm exhausted too actually...
4. and my grandmother was given 48-72 hours left to live on Monday by her alzheimer's home b/c her breathing was deteriorating so quickly, so they brought in hospice and lots of family came up and the kids and I spent Tuesday visiting her, but now she is BETTER -- praise the Lord!!!

I'm making some King Ranch Chicken right now b/c I've been craving that...maybe that will get me back on the right track... ;)

Quote of the Day

We should never despair, our Situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better, so I trust, it will again. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new Exertions and proportion our Efforts to the exigency of the times.
~George Washington

I'm not exactly sure what half the words in this mean, but it sounds good to me!

The Election

I feel like there is so much at stake this election...the candidate that will probably win wants to "fundamentally change America," and my anxiety regarding this is huge.

I just need to remember that I believe Jesus is my only hope. Oh how I love Him. I am thankful every day that He stands for kindness, truth, justice, love, mercy and all things good, pure and right. I have no greater honor than to serve him and to be on His side. I try to love the people he places in my life each day...usually this comes easily for me, but sometimes, I am reminded that there is no love in April's selfish heart, the only good in me comes from my precious Savior and I pray to grow to be more like Him and less like me.

I hurt and ache for my fellow citizens of the world who live in desperate situations of poverty...especially those who are exploited for evil purposes and profit. I love people. I love life. I love it from the first moment it is formed to the last breath even if that means there have been many difficult years of pain and suffering...I love it because we were designed instinctively to fight for our last breath...to survive...to seek...to need each other...I just hope my fellow Americans will turn from their busy lives tomorrow and reflect...Why am I here?...What is my purpose?...Am I a Darwinian accident or was I created with the capability to love and hate and to see beauty and to feel pain that shapes my character or makes me bitter?...and Can I not choose what fills the days that make up my life?

My greatest joy I have ever known is the love I know for Jon and my dear dear children that Jesus has entrusted to me. I long for their future to be bright...but if dark times are ahead, I know that our lights will be needed, like a light-house in the night, and I pray we will be strong and brave and will fight for with love the lives of each person that they may see Light in this dark dark world...that they may know true hope that is eternal and not just "American" or tied to the name of one man...any thing besides my God who is personified in Jesus' sacrificial life of love.

Spinach-Artichoke Squares

These are REALLY good and REALLY easy!!! :)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® “Garlic Butter” flavored refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 can (14 oz) Progresso® artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup light mayonnaise
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 of a Vegetable soup mix envelope

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Unroll both cans of crescent roll dough; separate into 4 long rectangles. Place crosswise in ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan; press over bottom and 1 inch up sides to form crust. Press perforations to seal.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown.
4. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients until well blended. Spread mixture evenly over partially baked crust.
5. Bake 8 minutes longer or until topping is hot. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares. Serve warm.

Impulse-buy no-no

I LOVE Stoneyfield fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts...they are my favorite yogurts in the world and I LOVE chocolate Silk Soy milk, so I thought this could be a great healthy combo of two of my favorites and impulsively bought it at the grocery store yesterday....this stuff can only be described as YUCK-O!!!! I could almost guarantee you I spend more at the grocery store when I'm pregnant b/c I get all this random stuff that sounds too delicious to resist....but a lot of times things don't always end up being as good as their marketing makes them seem like they will be -- is that "Life Skills 101" for living in America in the 21st century or what??

Halloween Costumes - Plan B

See the previous post for an explanation, but we ended up having a cow and a cowgirl on Halloween night. My cousin Melissa totally saved the day b/c this cow costume J.R. is wearing had been in a box of clothes she handed down to us a few weeks ago. J.R.'s original costume was this cow "boy" one you see Anna Kate wearing, but it was way to big for J.R., and thus he became a dwarf to go with Snow White, but it all worked out in the end and they even won a prize at our neighborhood Halloween party (so did every one else, but it sounds cool to say "win a prize"...how's that for honest journalism?) I also met a new stay-home mom friend in our neighborhood who was super friendly and nice and I'm so exccited!!!

The cow who LOVED ketchup.

Her favorite phrase of the night was, "Let's go do another house!!!"

Trick-or-treating with Trey (Batman), Grace (Robin) and our neighbor friend Hannah (clown) and families.

We all had so much fun!!!

Halloween Party at Daddy's Office on Thursday

This time around J.R. wasn't nearly as good of a sport about being a dwarf and would NOT leave his beard and hat on....but he did become very happy after getting a cookie with black sprinkles to eat...

...and Anna Kate's dress was built to self-destruct after one wearing b/c it got so dirty so easily and was so cheaply-made, so we pushed the limit by doing two parties in it and these were some of her last moments as Snow White...if I'd call her "Anna Kate" this night then she'd say, "I'm not Anna Kate, I am Snow White mom."