1.30.13 Happy Birthday Cara

I am thinking of our sweet Cara today.  Happy 5th birthday Cara!  She is with her father and grandparents in Mexico.  I am glad to know they will celebrate with her. Cara, we are saving gifts for you here!  Feliz cumpleanos Caracita!  Love from our family...

1.30.13 Priority Club Points

I've never been good at using the "points" accumulated for airlines and hotels.  Last year I received an email encouraging me to use up my free discover award points for a kindle fire, which I did, for Joe.  My goal is to become better at utilizing this benefit!  Priority Club points are for Holiday Inn/express chains.  I made a reservation for Joe's hockey tournament Saturday, and used points for the first time.  The first thing I learned is that you have to call the 1-800 reservation number to use priority club points, not the individual motel.  However, I spoke with them first...so I knew they had a king sized bed suite with pull out sofa available!  Also, I learned that the points are typically only allowed to be used for 2 adults, and that the motel doesn't have to allow kids to stay.  However, this motel did, and was fine with it.  We also have invited Emily to meet us there, for Target shopping, pool time, and just a winter getaway day, and time with Joe.  She will actually only see one game before leaving to return to school, so she can drive in daylight hours.
Anyway, back to the priority club points....the value of the room is $129.99 for one night's stay, and I have enough points for one more night, which I may use next weekend in another location.  I may have to pay taxes...not sure yet, but still a sweet deal.  It makes me realize I should have been more diligent about using the points, as I've had twice the number expire that I have now.
So...credit card rewards, points for flying, and points for motels, are my goals, in addition to my favorite reward program of all time...the Kmart points, which also apply to Sears and LandsEnd.  I LOVE getting cash back, and I've gotten over $100 in cash back since I starting using the Kmart Rewards card. What does the Shopko card do for us?  NOTHING! Here are my faves..Kmart rewards, and priority club points for holiday inn express.

1.29.13 Salmon cakes

Last night for supper, I made a dish from my childhood...Salmon patties.  They are highly nutritious, and delicious.  This morning the house still smells like salmon, and since I made a double batch, it will smell this way for a few days.   Light a candle!

Salmon Patties

1 can of salmon, drained.  (Give the salmon water to your cat!)
2 eggs
1 cup of panko bread crumbs

Mix together and shape into patties.  Pan fry in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and a couple tablespoons of butter until golden brown, flipping once.  About 10 minutes total over medium heat, probably less if you have a gas range instead of an electric stove.

When you kids were small, i used regular breadcrumbs for this.  What I love about the panko bread crumbs is the crispiness they give to the cakes.  I do find that the panko absorbs the olive oil and butter, so I added more to the pan before frying the second batch.  I drain them on paper towels after frying them.  They are so good I picked one up and ate it with my bare hands while I was frying the second batch.

This is a great meal served with potatoes of your choice, a steamed vegetable like broccoli or asparagus, or roasted brussel sprouts.  Last night I just served a mixed green salad, with spinach and lettuces, craisins, sunflower nuts, shredded cheese, and a little dressing.  You get the idea.

Dr. Oz is a big believer in eating salmon. The omegas are great for us!
Sorry, no photo  today...just the recipe.

1.27.13 Goalie Gear Assistance

Yesterday were Joe's first three hockey games ever.  The boy who has been playing goalie had a basketball tournament, and so could only goalie the 5:00 game, so the coach asked if Joe would play the goalie position...with never having practiced or wearing the gear before.  To me, not an ideal situation for any child to step into.  We were glad Matt came for the day.  He was able to help Joe get the gear on....

The leg pads seemed ok for size, but the chest protector was somewhat large.  We also don't know how Joe's left hand dominance affects whether he should use a left/right handed stick...and now blocker, or catcher.

Here's a better picture of Matt.  I think Matt, Zach, and Katie all enjoyed the games, and found them very amusing. I am not sure if Matt and Zach even remember playing as mites.  Matt summed it up pretty well.."They can't developmentally understand where they're supposed to be and what they're supposed to do, but even if they can, they aren't coordinated enough to carry it through."
I took advantage of Matt and signed him up to work in the penalty box for Joey's game.  I think he smiled the whole time.
Tonight, Dan and Joe are going to open skate, as are Zach, Renia, Corbin, Caleb, and Caleigh.  DeeDee's going to stay with me.  We are fortunate to have an ice arena in our town!  Dan says Zach is amazing when he skates, and Zach hadn't been on the ice for about 10 years.  So nice to enjoy our kids as adults, and grateful they support each other, in all that they do.

1.27.13 Lava Lamp Safety?

Well, another carnival day  has come and gone.  I decorated the classroom, and Dan and I also ended up taking down the streamers and balloons. This year we were signed up for decorating, cleanup, and a 2 hour shift in the dice rolling game.  (Other years have included bingo card work for Dan, and kitchen work for me.)

You can see the streamers overhead.  Joe is holding the giant, stryrofoam, felt covered die.  Kids are able to roll twice.  If their total score is 3-5, prize is tootsie roll.  If they roll greater than 5, they get tickets for the larger roll amount.  Doubles are awarded exact number of points on the die, times 2! The fun thing about this game, is that even toddlers and preschoolers can play this game and do well. Sometimes teens roll 3-5, receiving a tootsie roll!  Older carnival goers are street smart, and Joe falls into this category this year.  They go to the prize room first, see how many tickets they need, and play games until they have enough tickets to buy the prize they want.  

This year, the popular prize was...a lava lamp!

Ours is plugged in now, heating up.  Katie was here doing laundry this afternoon  She reminded me that dad and I would NEVER let the older kids have a lava lamp, because we claimed it was a fire hazard.  We still believe this may be the case!  Does anyone ever remember touching one of these and burning their hand in the 70"s?  They were wicked hot! There is practically a safety booklet inside the box.  It will take 4-6 hours to heat up the wax for perfect blobbing effect. But you aren't supposed to leave it on more than 8 hours.  Don't put it in direct sunlight either.  (Contents can fade.)

Dangerous for pets.  (Could be knocked over!(

Definitely something we don't want in a bedroom.  We're testing it out in the dining room for now.  

Bracelets cost only $5 for people who want to do the cakewalk or play games.  Caleigh and Corbin were both cake walk winners! 

People donate prizes for the prize room, such as gently used books and stuffed animals and happy meal toys, but the school also buys items for the prize room, like the lava lamps. 

Here is Joe, pictured with his total haul...

Hawaiian leis, yoyos, noisemakers, kazoos and whistles, small rubber ducks, small items that you get in the fish pond or duck pull.  Three pretty nice stuffed animals as well!

Lunch is very reasonably priced, and always tasty.  My favorite item, the pork producers' smoked, shaved pork loin sandwiches for $2.50.   Also popular, pizza, pretzels and nachos with cheese, and walking tacos. People donate bars, brownies, rice krispie treats, and pies for dessert items. 

Another super fun time is BINGO.  Cards are a quarter a card for all games other than blackout.  Winners keep half the pot, with half going to the school.  If there's more than one winner, they have to share the winner's half between them. 

Caleigh won $14.25! And there's her german chocolate cake walk win! 

Corbin was a BIG winner at bingo...$28.00 and free beverage and chips. Not to mention Lava Lamp, (70 tickets) and the cheesecake sampler won in the cake walk. 

Indyra won $9 in bingo, free drink, dessert, and chips.  She also won a talking Puss and Boots stuffed animal, and some other creature.  Corbin and Caleigh  helped her earn enough tickets for a pretty jewelry box. They also found a Care Bears puzzle for Cara. 

Pretty much, carnival day is always fun filled.  It's nice to interact with other families from Joe's school. 

1,26,13 Another Mite Skater

Joey's hockey games in Huron a couple of weeks ago were cancelled due to icy roads.  So, today's were his first ever games. The goalie also had a basketball tournament today, so the coach asked if Joe could goalie the first two games.  He had never worn the pads before.  Matt gave him some quick practice at home.

Keep your stick on the ice. 

Cover the puck.

Watch the puck.  Or the tennis ball, in your living room. 

We enjoyed lunch together as a family.  Everyone was there but Emily. 

An enjoyable day. 

1.18.13 Corbin's birthday

Corbin's birthday is January 17th.  I called the radio stations to give them his name for the birthday lists they read.  Q107 pronounced his name "aguilera", like Christina.  However, Tim Smith from KMIT pronounced it  correctly.  I heard Q107 and Dan heard KMIT.  Mrs. Mills surprised Corbin at school with a card and an ice cream treat.

We were invited out to the farm for Corbin's birthday supper.  Renia made pork chops, oven potatos, and an asparagus casserole.  Corbin had 2 cakes...chocolate with the coconut frosting, and a lemon cake with strawberries.  Everything was delicious! It's a good think Zach and Renia have a large house, as we filled both tables.  Katie and Jordan came also.

Corbin is such a decent human being!  So fun...a great thinker.  We are proud to know him and happy to celebrate his birthday.

1.17.13 Surprise!

Joey had a surprise for me when I got home from work today....

He has a super toothless grin now!  Louise pulled his other top, middle tooth at daycare! Another tooth fairy visit tonight. The two, top teeth to either side of the gap are wiggly also.

1.14.13 Lost tooth!

Joe's top two middle teeth were very wiggly.  I assisted by pulling the left one with dental floss.  The other could come out also, but he was too tramatized.

We are scheduled for a tooth fairy visit.  

1.14.13 Abominable care

Taking care of all Emily's monsters is getting to be a full time job for Joe...

 There are all these abominable snow men! 

And these ugly dolls...

And Joey's ugly dolls...

1.13.13 A very Lego Birthday

Birthdays for boys are often easy.  For most boys, Lego is all you need to know. There are some things we have been considering for a long time for Joey.  Lego finally jumped on the dinosaur bandwagon with this "Jurassic Park" like theme..

Consider the "Lego Dino Defense Headquarters." It comes with several dinosaurs, but their marketing people strategically separated the triceratops and pterodactyls into separate sets.  As we are feeling out what Joe would like, he is leaning more toward the Hobbit sets. They definitely have more fun, interesting pieces and characters!

Joe loves the wolves in the "Hobbit Attack of the Wargs" set. 

Also cool...the "Hobbit Unexpected Gathering" Set...

This is very fun...lots of unique pieces and characters.  Not to mention the food!
 Check out the inside view...

Wizards and little maps, bearded characters...but strategically, 

all the pointy eared characters are in other sets.  

The "Hobbit Attack of the Mirkwood Spiders" set has a delightful web for a person to be captured in.

How about these goblin like characters? Pointy eared characters, ogre, cool rope bridge and traps...

Finally, Lego has a series called "Chima".  Joey says the Chimas are like Thundercats.  

They seem to "fly."

This is the Lego Chima Eris Eagle Interceptor. 

 Who wouldn't love that name?  Or these characters with wings?   

Reply to give us feedback!  What theme would you choose for Joe's birthday?
We've got a month, and counting down.  

1.13.13 2013 HGTV Dream Home

I'm registering!  The 2013 HGTV dream home is built on an island off the coast of South Carolina, which is where i would love to vacation.  Charleston would be a fun city to visit.  you could spend time enjoying the architecture and taking photos, or appreciate the low country marsh land and water.  Here's the link:
http://www.hgtv.com/dream-home

They use a lot of blues and greens in the decor.

If I enlarge the photo, the resolution is too grainy, so you'll have to use the link to view.  Love, love, love the shakes in shades of green the metal roof, the outdoor spaces, and the palmetto trees in the landscaping.

1.12.13 Rearranging Joe's room

Joe's first hockey games were cancelled today.  He was so disappointed.  However, we jumpstarted the day by rearranging his bedroom.  To make more room for Joe to play, we moved the full bed into Emily's room, and the twin bed into Joe's room.  We also moved his nightstand to Katie's old room. He will use the desk to function as his nightstand, and drawer for his special stuff.  The room does feel more open, and nice.  We also cleaned his closet, which had a lot of stuff from older brothers...hockey jerseys, boy scout uniforms, and old work uniforms.  I washed all the bedding today, and artifully arranged Emily's ugly doll collection in her room.  Joe's is yet to be done.  I told Joe he's probably growing out of his character bedding, such as the glow in the dark space bear bedding.  I suggested plaid or stripes instead.  He said, "But I like my space bear bed!"  O.k....maybe we'll get a couple more years out of it.
Here are a few amusing things from the depths of the closet....

 A car powered by mousetrap power...one of Zach's fun scout projects.

 A quizbowl medal...also Zach's.

The yo yo has Zach's name and our phone number written on the back!  Do you kids all remember your LLBean bookbags, that were sturdy enough to last your entire elementary school years?  And you all made these crafty beaded key chains! You know it's hard for Dad to let go of things. He said he wanted this book bag to put jumper cables in in the van.

1.2.13 Harlem Globetrotters

A few months ago, there was an ad in the Daily Republic about the Harlem Globetrotters coming to the Corn Palace.  I purchased 3 tickets, for Dan, Joe, and I for the second row.  (Dan had gone with Katie, who won Globetrotter tickets as a 3rd grader, for reading the most Accelerated Reader books that year.) Joey's only reference point for the Globetrotters was that they were in an old Scooby Doo episode.
Dan came down with pnuemonia or bronchitis, and was miserable.  I thought of Joey's good friend Charlie, and asked if he would like to come with us.  The show was a blast!
Some of the players this year were "TNT Maddox", (who is the 8th woman to be part of the Globetrotters) Cheese Chisolm, Hacksaw Hall, Prince Johnson, Ant Atkinson, and Dizzy Grant.  The skill of the players is truly amazing, even the team that travels with them, "The Select".  They are not all tall, in fact some were fairly short, under 6 ft., but they were fast! We truly enjoyed sitting so close to see the antics of the show.  Even the straight men, the referees, were hilarious. We enjoyed their 4 pt. shots, which were totally amazing. There were tricks with water and confetti, lots of audience participation, and amazing feats of break dancing and even climbing and standing on top of the hoop.  It was a delightful night of fun that I would recommend to anyone.
I didn't even think about merchandise being sold.  All I had was a $20 in my pocket, and they were selling basketballs ($25) and children's jerseys ($60).  A man near us sat down with a program/booklet, and when I learned it was $10, I sent Charlie and Joey with the money to buy a booklet for each, thinking they would have something to remember the show by, and be able to read it and enjoy the pictures.  It turned out to be a great purchase, as at the end of the show, they have an open autograph session for about 45 minutes.  Joey and Charlie took their books around the edge of the court, and got the autographs of all but three players that night.  We learned that Dizzy Grant was the first player to make the 4 point shot on film. We also learned that when he was 7 years old, he went to a Harlem Globetrotters show, and said he wanted to do that when he grew up.  Very cool that he reached his goal.

1.4.13 Em's birthday project

This week Louise was on vacation, so Emily and Grandma Estell helped care for Joe.  On Friday, Grandma and Joe completed a project for Emily.  It was a gingerbread house kit. I don't know how edible it is, but Joey bragged that it took them and hour to assemble it and decorate it.  Grandma said they used soup cans to hold up the roof pieces while the frosting dried.

It is good to be loved!  Usually Emily rarely wears her spectacles.  This week, she is taking steroid & antibiotic drops for an eye infection.  She is dismayed that she will "have to wear glasses on her birthday."
As Joey grows, it is interesting to watch his face change.  In this photo, I see similarities to katie at a younger age.  This morning I noted his top, middle teeth are becoming looser, so it's about time for him to be wiggling those and get ready for permanent teeth.

PS...gingerbread house pictured here has been consumed since by Joe, DeeDee, Caleigh, Caleb, and Corbin!

1.6.13 Busy day

Today...
We're greeters at church.
Joe has a 3 hour swimming party at the comfort inn for cub scouts that needs supervision.
Emily and I are working 2 hours in the hockey concession stand, which has been 10 hours of work this weekend.
Kind of frustrated that I am not finding time to keep writing new year cards, now that they have arrived from Shutterfly.

1.5.13 Downton Abbey

For Christmas, one of my gifts to open was seasons 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey on dvd.  When Dan was sick on New year's eve and day, I ended up not cooking a big dinner and inviting anyone over.  It was just a quiet, restful day.  So I cracked open the dvd s and started viewing.  I was hooked after episode one.

I think the whole class system thing is interesting to American people, because it really does not exist in America.  This series offers such a great view to the era, beginning in 1912.  Their dress, their way of living, the running of the household, are all so fascinating, in addition to the storylines of the characters.  Good authors always give us nemisis characters, and Julian Follows does that.  He also shows the good side of the nemisis characters, making us occasional pit them, then hate them again.  Julian also paints the character flaws of the very good characters that we love.  The cast in this series is simply wonderful. I think I laugh the most at the Dowager Duchess, played by Maggie Smith.  She's the formidable matriarch of the family, and she's an old bat who's used to wielding power and getting her way, so we love it when people challenge her.
In addition to the class system, there is such insight into the role of women in those times..that women of privilege were there to look pretty and be hostesses and so gracious. In season 2, all that changes.

Season 2 has a large storyline of World War 1, and how it impacted the lives of everyone, people of all classes. Matthew Crowley, downtain's herr, came from a family in which his mother was a nurse, his father, a doctor.  They were a working class family. His mother needs to be useful and busy, and encourages the youngest daughter, Sybill, to enter nurses training.  Toward the end of the season, the war has ended, and you find the women examining their purpose, wondering how they can ever return to just looking pretty and living a lift of privilege, dress fittings, and social events, after making real contributions.
Season 3 starts tonight, and I have it programmed in to record.  highlights of the season will be Sybill's baby with her chauffer turned publisher husband, the first grandchild being a commoner. We anticipate the wedding of Mary to Matthew Crowley after previous seasons of roadblocks, and on again off again tension. And of course, Lord Crowley's valet, Mr. Bates, is in prison for murdering his ex wife, and we know he is innocent.  A delightful addition to the cast will be Shirley Maclaine, who plays Cora's mother from America.  She and the Dowager Duchess will spar all season.  I can't wait!

1.4.13 Cornbread

There are a few things that reminded me of Grandpa Bill this week.  The first, I was cleaning out a drawer in the dining room, and found an envelope with his handwriting on it.  He always wrote my name with a "typewriter" style letter a, which noone else has ever done.
Secondly, when I'm on vacation, I like to do the crossword puzzle in the Daily Republic, which grandpa always enjoyed.
Finally, Emily wanted cornbread.  Aunt Cheryl used to make cornbread for grandpa's birthday, at his request.
Here's the recipe I use, which is the Quaker Cornmeal recipe on the round canister box!  This recipe makes an 8' round pan, or a small square.  I double it for a 9x13 pan.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the dry ingredients together with a fork, then add the wet:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg.

Pour all into greased pan, and bake at 400 for 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

1.3.13 January Birthdays

There are many January birthdays.  Even if I don't send a card, these are people I think of and send good wishes on their special days....

January 6th....Great Grandma Esther
8th...Louise, Joey's daycare provider
8th...Matthew Thomas, age 4
9th...Emily, 20
15th...Corbin, 15
30th...Cara, 5

No anniversaries this month!

1.1.2013 Early Birthday

Matthew's birthday is over a week away yet.  Because we usually are not with him on his birthday, we try to celebrate early, right after Christmas.  this year he will be 4 years old.  I asked Joe to pick out something from the porch to decorate Matthew's cake with.  He chose heavy equipment and vehicles.  All pieces were washed before putting on the cake!

This year, Matthew had a lot of people join the celebration, but most importantly this year, Daddy could be here!

Candles lit, ready, set, blow!

Presents from Grandma and Grandpa are modest...an outfit, some books, a couple of puzzles.

Richard Scary's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go....new copy. 

Grandma buys books for Matthew, just so she can read to him.

 He will be read to until any reader stops reading!

Happy early 4th birthday Matthew Thomas! You are greatly loved.