My Firstborn's Birthday

We drove to Palm Desert on Friday for one more Christmas with the grandparents. They have a beautiful new house that always makes me come home and start cleaning my own house. We celebrated Christmas, then switched gears and celebrated my son's 14th birthday.

The view from my in-laws' backyard:


Morgan's birthday cake:


Then we drove home, went to bed, woke up and went to the other grandparent's for another birthday party. Here is a photo taken from Pacific Coast Highway on the way to my mom's:


This one is a little better:

It's hard to get a good picture when we are going 60mph. The people on the beach are looking at something, but we couldn't see what. Last Christmas there was a group of dolphins swimming past, so we pulled over to watch them. We had no camera, so we had to just remember it.

We are now finished with parties for awhile! My birthday is on Thursday, but all I want is a nice relaxing day.

We gave my son a TV stand for his room, so we finally got to get in his room and clean it up. Once I saw his closet, I went and put my rubber gloves on. It was quite scary. But now it is nice and clean, and he is very happy to have his TV on a stand. Now I just need to pray there is not an earthquake before we get something to secure the TV to the table or the wall or whatever we are supposed to do with it.

We haven't had a large earthquake here in awhile, but I know we should stay prepared. Although I feel if an earthquake is big enough to throw his TV across the room, the house would probably fall down anyway. We saw the men who built it!

Oh, and here is Morgan's other birthday cake:


It's his favorite color and actually looks a bit like him!

A Little More Shopping...

We took the girls to Old Navy to use their gift cards. I decided to get a couple new t-shirts for myself. I was in a weird mood and actually almost walked out of there with an orange shirt. My son was telling me what a great color it was, which made me think twice about it. I went back and traded in for a safe, black shirt. I can't believe I can make shopping for a shirt into a difficult task.

I also planned out everything I want to buy with my own American Express gift cards, then decided to be responsible and save them for a rainy day. Since my husband owns his own business, almost everyday is rainy, so the odds are it will be spent on the electric bill.

Tim and the kids are watching "Glory Road." I saw the ads for it so many times, I don't even want to watch it. Besides, we already watched "Invincible" and Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2 this week, so I have had enough of boy movies. I am gonna take control and get the Fox and the Hound 2 for the next movie. Annie and I have had enough nightmares from the movies the boys pick!

The Aftermath

We had the most amazing Christmas this year. We celebrated with my side of the family on Christmas Eve, we had Christmas Day all to ourselves, and we still have more Christmas to celebrate with my in-laws. It helps the kids to not feel let down after Christmas when we have another celebration to look forward to.

My mom gave me tons of sweatshirts and pants, so I spent yesterday all warm and cozy. She and my dad also gave us a gift card, so I can think of what I want to get myself for Christmas. I am thinking about replacing the dining room chairs with the money.

Morgan, my soon-to-be 14-year-old, asked for nothing but books for Christmas, so he came home with a huge bag of Star Wars novels. Haley is getting cheetah print bedding, hand sewn by Grandma. Annie got the cutest little idog:


You hook it up to an ipod or any music player, and it plays the music through its speakers. It also has a personality and barks and whatnot.


And unlike many other electronic toys, it is not annoying,

and it doesn't wake up in the middle of the night barking. Now if only I could say the same of our real dogs.

I took both dogs on a walk yesterday, and I actually had to phone my husband to come help me because they were going crazy. I almost had to just let go of the leashes so they wouldn't pull me down. I cannot wait until we are out of puppyhood. Then I guess we get to go through doggie adolescence. I look forward to doggie old age! I want a dog that sleeps all the time and goes with me on long, slow walks, rather than one where I am being dragged down the street screaming.

Merry Christmas!

More Dog Pictures...

Daisy on the couch:


Daisy and Janie in their brand new dog bed right before they tore it up and ate it:

I was hoping to post the picture of my bright, shiny cleaned up hallway, but I got distracted by other things. I had to finish up Christmas shopping, help collect more toys for the Foundation gift drive, and work on the Foundation web site.

We are starting a new program to give birthday gifts, a cake and party supplies to children who have lost a parent in the military. I am very excited about it. It will give people a chance to choose a particular child. If the community responds to it as well as they have our holiday gift drive, it should be so much fun.

The Christmas shopping was interesting. I actually had to explain to my husband why we can't give a used gift to my son. He was very proud of the great deal he got on it, but I sent him back to trade it in for a brand new version.

I still have to wrap gifts tomorrow. I got all set to do it today and then ran out of tape.

We also need to bake cookies for dessert for our Christmas Eve celebration with my parents. We will have nothing to do on Christmas Day, then we will probably go out to the inlaws on Tuesday. Last year we got to spend a nice long weekend with them at their beautiful new house, but because of the puppies, we will have to just drive out for the day.

I never thought I would need a babysitter for my dogs! I could ask my parents, but if they destroyed their house, I would feel awful. Next year, after they mellow out and are very house-trained, we can take them to the desert with us.

Morgan's birthday is on New Year's Eve, so after Christmas, I will need to plan a party for him. Since our house is such a disaster this year, I think we will have the party at my mom's.

It is so funny to read on other blogs about the funny conversations the moms have with their toddlers. I remember when my son used to actually talk to me. Now he will only talk to me very late at night. It's strange. He will ignore me all day and then suddenly get chatty at midnight.

Anyway, I better get to sleep...

Edit: I have had to edit this post five times! Maybe I shouldn't post after midnight...

Big Mess

My house is a total disaster. With five people living in 1500 square feet, it is important to keep things picked up. But while I was sick, no one picked up anything, ever, and now I can hardly walk through the house without tripping on something.

I got most of the stairs clear today. We were literally risking our lives walking up and down stairs with all of the junk on them. We just have too much stuff, but several members of my family are packrats, so it is extremely hard to get rid of things without major counseling sessions. I live in fear that someone will catch me throwing away their prized possessions.

I am dreading the kids getting more stuff on Christmas.

I remember reading a book by Erma Bombeck, many years ago, where she talked about what happens when you leave a sock on the mantel. After awhile, she said, you no longer see the sock anymore. It just becomes part of the decor. Well, I think that may be what happened in my hallway:

I cannot believe that I walk through this hallway everyday, and I didn't really see any of it until today. I think the closet is stuck open because there is so much stuff pressing on both sides. So this is my project for tomorrow. The good news is that we do have toilet paper. But it's not going to do anybody much good sitting in the hallway.

Toy Drive

We just finished organizing the gifts for our toy drive. My back is aching! But I am so happy with how many gifts everyone donated. After reading the scary news everyday, it is good to see that there are still good, loving, generous people in the world.

I really loved the wonderful gifts people sent for the moms, too. There are pajamas, throws, vests, blankets, towels and bath sets. I would love any of it, so I know the moms will be happy with them.

This is our first year for the toy drive, and we only had one month to prepare, so we are pleased that it turned out so well. Next year, hopefully, we will have the time to get gifts specifically for each family.

Christmas Shopping

We went Christmas shopping yesterday. We started at Ikea, because we wanted to get mattresses for the kids. They had tons of stuff on sale, and Tim and I almost walked out of their with a sheepskin beanbag. But we came to our senses.

We wandered aimlessly there for awhile, then I found an adorable rocking chair, so that's what Tim got me for Christmas. We also bought the puppies doggie beds. We brought them home, put them on the floor, Daisy peed on them, then ran across the room dribbling and jumped on the couch. So now I have a laundry queue of the couch slipcover, two dog beds and Morgan's new sweatshirt that was unfortunately also in her path.

Then we had to go to Target for the traditional gift cards for the niece and nephews. We found Haley a cute outfit to wear on Christmas, since she had a growth spurt and had to give all of her clothes to Annie. Everyone is getting socks for Christmas, too, which is actually pretty exciting. Not one of us can find a matched set of socks without holes in them, so even my teen boy was thrilled to see new socks.

We found some bouncy balls for the dogs. Janie loves the kind that just bounces and goes crazy all over the place. Let's see...the rest of the stuff is surprises, so I won't share it here. We never get our parents anything, because they seem to have more of everything than they need. I wish I could think of something nice to give them that I can afford and that they could actually use.

Express Yourself

Over on the right you will see a link to the Quietly Working Foundation for the Children of Fallen Soldiers. Please click on the link and write your Expression of Condolence to the children. It will only take a few minutes, it won't cost you a thing and it will show the children that you care.

My goal is to get 1000 Expressions of Condolence from readers of this blog, so please tell your friends to stop by and send their appreciation, too. Leave me a comment, so I can keep track of how many people have sent their Expressions after reading this.

You can leave your name or write it anonymously. The most thoughtful Expressions will be featured in a book in 2007.

Let Me Know...

I have noticed from Google Analytics that there have been people from all over the United States stopping by my blog. If you have a blog of your own, I would love to link to you. Leave a comment with the url from your blog and what state you are from. If you don't have a blog, just leave your state. Thanks!

Also, if you have a dog, send me a picture of your dog so I can post it. Send them to posybunny at gmail.com, or leave a comment with a link to the picture and tell me it is okay to post it here.

Happiness...

...is definitely a warm puppy. After a few weeks of my puppies driving me crazy, I am in love with them again!

They are five and eight months old, so they have been testing their limits...but then they go to sleep...and they are so adorable.

They accidentally got out of the backyard the other night, and I got my jacket on, prepared to search the whole neighborhood for them. When I went out, I blew my whistle once and they came running! I was so glad I had trained them to come for the whistle. Also, I was very happy that they had stayed close to the house. I thought if they ever got out, they would run far away.

They are getting so big, we might need to get a second crate. I can't decide if it is more important for them to snuggle together or have their own space. As soon as they stop tearing up fabric, I want to get them a cute doggie bed for the living room.

Daisy...

Perched atop the Little Tikes table:

More Knitting

I was going through the blogs that I have bookmarked, and I came across the knitting blogs, and once again, they inspired me to drag out my loom. I need to get some new yarn, and this time I want to get cotton yarn that is not dyed. For some reason, I have a need to make soft, natural hats and scarves.

When my son was born six weeks early, he was placed in intensive care, and the volunteers gave him a little blue knitted cap. If they still do that, I would love to knit some of the preemie caps, because it meant so much to me back then.

My preemie baby will be 14 years old on New Year's Eve. Although he got off to a slow start, he is now close to six feet tall and way smarter than me. And believe it or not, even though his birthday is on New Year's, the whole family comes to his party every year. We just try to send them home early, so they don't drive with the drunk drivers.

Speaking of family, I am going to be an aunt again. My only nephew is 18 years old, so I have waited a long time for this! I only have one sister, and my husband is an only child, so I don't get a lot of chances. I am quite excited, because I am desperate to hold a baby. I actually introduced myself to a lady in my neighborhood who was holding two babies, in the hopes she might let me hold one. I am incredibly shy, so that was quite a feat for me.

The only reason that I know anyone in the neighborhood is because of my dogs and my kids. Most of the people with dogs are very friendly and want the dogs to "meet up," but the people with the tiny dogs always look terrified by my black dogs.

The mailman always looks scared of them, too, which gives me a strange sense of satisfaction.

Now, do these dogs look like killers? They are so sweet, that if I put my hand in their mouth, they panic that they might actually touch my hand with their teeth. The most annoying thing about them is how they act when you have food in your hand. They track your hands with their eyes, and you know they are just hoping you will accidentally drop it. The one good thing is that after the kids eat, there is no longer food on the floor under the table. But there is an incredible amount of dog hair everywhere. I love them, but I will never get a dog that sheds again. Or at least I will get one that matches the floor!

Puppies

I love to look at the puppies at Cuddly Canines. We fostered puppies for them last summer, and it was quite an experience. There is nothing better than waking up to five adorable puppies jumping all over you. I want to do it again, but Tim is resisting. It was an incredible amount of work, but being able to snuggle puppies made it all worth it.

I just realized that I already posted about this. Oh, well. Anyway, I was just reading that some of their puppies died of parvo. It made me very sad for the foster family, because you really get attached to the little things. We were lucky the ones we had were all healthy and all went to great homes.

Basic Recipes

These are pretty basic recipes, but it took me a while to find ones that were just right.

Cornbread

• 1 1/2 Cups Flour


• 1 Cup Sugar


• 3/4 Cup Cornmeal


• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder


• 1/2 teaspoon Salt


• 2 Eggs


• 1/2 Cup Margarine (1 stick)


• 1 Cup Milk

Mix together flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add eggs, margarine and 1/2 cup of milk. Beat on low speed until blended. Add remaining 1/2 cup milk. Beat on low speed until blended.
Spoon into foil baking cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.


Pancakes

• 1 Cup Flour


• 1 Tablespoon Sugar


• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder


• 1/4 teaspoon Salt


• 1 Egg


• 1 Cup Milk


• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, milk and oil. Mix on low speed until blended. Let batter rest for a few minutes before cooking pancakes. If your family is anything like mine, you will want to double this recipe!

Potato Pancakes

• 2 Cups Mashed Potatoes


• 1/2 Cup Flour


• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder


• 1/2 teaspoon Salt


• 1 Egg


• 2 Tablespoons Milk


• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Just mix the ingredients together! If batter is too thick add more milk. If it is too thin add a little extra flour. Cook on a griddle just like pancakes. They taste so good with gravy. (I am still experimenting with this recipe, so let me know how it works for you).


Drop Biscuits

• 2 Cups Flour


• 3 teaspoons Baking Powder


• 1 teaspoon Salt


• 1 teaspoon Sugar


• 3/4 Cup Milk


• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil


• 1 Egg

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add milk, oil and egg. Hand mix until dough is formed. Drop onto greased pan. I use a Pampered Chef Large Round Stone from their stoneware collection. It helps biscuits and cookies cook evenly without burning on the bottom.
Bake at 450 degrees 12-15 minutes.

Oh no...

I am feeling a little achy and feverish. I think I am getting what my kids are just getting over, and I am not looking forward to it. Morgan had a high fever for nine days. I have never seen him so sick. Haley is in the nasty cough phase right now. Annie is in the "can I go play?" phase, but she still has a bit of a fever.

Anyway, the last time I was very sick, I ended up having to have one lobe of my lung removed, so I get quite nervous when I am coming down with something. I know logically that it probably will never happen again, but it is still hard. Actually, the reason I started this blog was to write about my illness and surgery, but I haven't been able to do it yet. It is kind of depressing to get into, but I will get around to it one of these days.

Great Blog

I found this blog today and was so excited to bookmark it, so I could go back later and read it all when I have time.

She has beautiful photos, too, which make me want to spend some time experimenting with my camera.

This post really made me laugh. It reminded me of my nephew, when he was little, sputtering out, "You...you lampshade head!"

Destruction and Microsoft

Well, my "work" on the server went as expected. I totally destroyed all of the work Tim has done for the past two weeks, including client databases. But...I stayed up all night until I fixed it. I actually fixed it! I have to give God all of the credit, as I had an intense religious experience around 6:30am, where I acknowledged I knew nothing, so would He please help me fix it.

Anyway, I have definitely been humbled.

Part of the problem is that I use a Mac. I have always used a Mac. I have experimented and tried new things with my Mac and downloaded every new program I could find, and it has always worked perfectly. Last night, I attempted to have the same freedom on a Windows 2000 Server. Well, Microsoft is just not as forgiving of incompetence.

I still hope to learn enough to feel competent, but from what I have seen so far, you never know what can go wrong on a PC. I hope I can always remain loyal to Macs.

Like my five year old once said,"When I have a choice, I always choose Macintosh!"

Miscellaneous Thoughts

• We are trying to figure out if we can trade our car in to lower the monthly payment. We made a big mistake and bought a BMW when business was good. Now when business is slow, we are trying to get out from under the payments.
  
  
• Tim just got back from the 24-hour pharmacy with cough medicine for Morgan. He is 13 years old and will pretend he is not sick so he can play football, but I heard him coughing all night last night. Hopefully, the cough medicine will help him sleep through the night.
  
  
• Two of our hamsters died last month. They shared a cage, so they must have had the same sickness. Our third hamster is in a separate cage, and he is fine. For the first hamster we had a little funeral. The second one, we just dug the hole. I felt bad, but I didn't have a real connection to them. They didn't seem very interested in us unless we had food in our hands. I guess the dogs are the same, but they like to cuddle, too. :)
  
  
• Now I am off to try to install Visual Basic Web Developer on the server. Wish me luck...
  

December Begins!

The kids are all sick with some fever/throat thing. And the temperature has been in the 30's at night (which is quite cold for Southern California). The neighbors have the plastic baby Jesus on the lawn, so I guess it is finally Winter!

I have been busy working on a website for Tim's business. It is fun to make a website that someone will actually see. I am also trying to learn to handle the more technical aspects of his server and database stuff, but I am way lost. I keep thinking back to the computer programming class I took in junior high. I wanted to have the same schedule as my friends so I switched to home economics. Now I wish I had taken the class.

Although, I suppose the info would be outdated by now!

Anyway, I need to get smart, very quickly.

I did learn to make my own cream cheese frosting from scratch, so I have that to fall back on.