Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all have a very special Thanksgiving:)

~Brenda

The Joys of Autumn

There is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!
~Percy Bysshe Shelley


I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

What's Up With That?

Twice in the last week we've given rides to kids who were scheduled to be picked up by their parents, but they "were in a crabby mood" and didn't want to go out as planned. Wow, no one told me this was an option. I wish I had known. I have PMS and I could have just stayed home instead of picking them up after that test they had to make-up, or the science lab they needed more time to work on. If only...

Seriously folks, what is up with that? My son tutors kids in math, and I can't tell you how many times I've given them rides home or picked him up and then found out one of the parents was home, but for whatever reason didn't want to help out. He tutors the kids for free. I'd think a ride home would be a nice gesture; a way to say thanks.

I've gotten the sense from some parents lately that they don't want to be inconvenienced. They let their teens fend for themselves as far as getting picked up or dropped off. I know not all parents are like this. One mom calls me if she is working late and asks if I can pick up her son and drop him off when I pick up mine. Another one gave me a gas gift card because I had dropped her son off during track practice for most of the season. No, I didn't expect anything, but I really appreciated the gift and the thank you.

My husband and I are more than willing to help out the kids our teens hang out with. Most of the parents are the same way, but I'm running across more instances where the teens seem to be on their own much of the time. We hear so many complaints of teens "gone bad". Yes, it can happen in the best of families. It's a complicated, hormone raging, period in a person's life. We can't control or protect them 100% of the time, but we can be there whenever possible. I believe the small things make a difference. Picking your kid up when you've told him that you will be there is one of them. They need to know they can count on us. There may come a time when that makes all the difference in the world.

~Brenda

The Zombie Princess Carves Pumpkins

The boys both had scheduled Halloween fun with their friends, so Emily and I went to the school trick or treat party, which was on Thursday. I'm not sure why she wasn't smiling because she was giggling at all the costumes, especially the tiny kids, while we were there. In case you can't tell, she is a Zombie Princess. Her make-up was rather smeared and not too elaborate because it's VERY hard to apply make-up to someone who is fidgeting!


Chuck and Emily were in charge of the pumpkins. They decided together to carve small pie pumpkins this year. I think Emily was more excited about these than any of the huge pumpkins we've carved over the years! Here they are after the two masters carved them:


I was amazed when the Zombie Princess carefully started picking all the seeds out of the pumpkin guts so I could roast them. Usually mom is the only one who can do this messy job. Of course the tiny pie pumpkins weren't nearly as messy, so that might be why she did it. I roasted them with kosher salt and a drizzling of vegetable oil in the oven at 350 degrees F. for a little bit, then turned it down to 300 F.. I always shake the pan and flip the seeds a few times while baking. We ended up about 1/2 of sandwich size plastic bag. Here is the pumpkin girl picking out the seeds:

Over all it was a quiet but fun Halloween. No smashed pumpkins or toilet paper in sight!

~Brenda

Crock Pot Recipe: Mexican Cheese Dip

This week was chaotic to say the least, but I wanted to share a crock pot recipe that Chuck and I have made a couple of times when we've needed something for a dozen or more people visiting. It's easy, but tastes great and the leftovers can be stores in the frig and warmed up later.

Chuck and Brenda's Mexican Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
1/2 of a 6 pound 11 ounce can of Nacho Cheese Sauce
1 pound ground hot pork sausage
1 15 ounce can spicy refried beans (or plain)
2 regular size bags tortilla chips

Pour the cheese sauce in the crock pot. Use about 1/2 the can. It doesn't have to be exact. Use the other half for people that want plain cheese sauce with their chips. It's good hot or cold. Serve it at the same time you do the dip.


Brown the sausage and drain the grease off. Add the sausage and the refried beans to the cheese in the crock pot. Heat on high, stirring frequently, until heated through. Turn on warm after it's heated through. We left the lid cracked slightly so the steam escaped instead of keeping it tight. Water will build up a little bit if you don't. Serve with the tortilla chips while warm. We put out plates, the tortillas chips in a large bowl with both the plain cheese and a ladle for the warm cheese dips.

Extras: You can provide salsa, green onions, olives, and jalapeno peppers if you wish in little bowls next to the dips.

~Brenda

Babies Are So Cuddly

Yes, I'm over my baby fever days. You know, those days when every cute baby you see makes you want to run home and try to have your own. *snicker* I was able to get my fill of baby goodness this weekend while we visited with my brother-in-law and his wife plus their new baby. She is adorable! I took pictures so I could share her with you. First, you can see her cheeks are very kissable:

She slept on the couch where I could watch her while her mom made us a couple of yummy apple pies. See how nice she's sleeping:


Here we see her shock at Aunt Brenda accidently waking her up with that nasty ole flash on the camera. Oops! How did that happen?


Lastly, here she is with Great Grandma Dorothy who is 85 now. I actually am slightly bitter that she didn't nag at my sister-in-law the way she always did with me. Why should she not suffer as I did? Okay, I guess that's a little immature of me. (grumble, grumble, grumble)

For some reason none of my pictures with the baby and Emily turned out very well, but I will take more in the future. She loves the new baby and asks a million questions about her behavior:)

What is the best part of having a new baby in the family? I didn't have to change diapers or feed her. Nope, I just snuggled with her and took pictures!

~Brenda

Losing Ourselves During Motherhood

When I became a mom, I lost myself for awhile. It happens. Caring for the baby, entering into a new relationship with your husband as a partner in parenting, and dealing with changes in your body that no one warned you about. Don't let anyone tell it's not overwhelming. They will be lying to themselves and you. Here is what I learned:

Moms need someone to vent to that will not judge them or try to fix what is wrong. Sometimes we just need to say "Oh man, what the heck was I thinking! This is SO hard. Why didn't someone warn me!" You need to vent and you need someone online or offline that will let you scream, cry and rant. Afterwards you will feel better, and you'll laugh together at what made you so crazy. As much as I love my husband; I found you really need another mom for this job.

Moms need time to themselves EVERY day. I don't care if it's a half hour in the bathroom pampering yourself with a bath and a good book, or a quick walk by yourself around the block while cranking up the tunes on an MP3 player. You NEED space to breathe. Take my word on this.

Moms need to talk to the new daddy in a calm and rational voice BEFORE things build up and you either scream like a banshee or weep like a baby. Explain what you need and work out a plan. This is different for each couple depending on who works and what your schedules are like. Do not assume that he won't be comfortable with certain things. If you don't talk it out you won't know.

Motherhood is everything I thought it would be and at the same time NOTHING like I imagined. It's an daily adventure. Every baby, every child is a unique person from the time they make their appearance. There is no cookie cutter method to parenting. Just when you think you have it figured out one of your kids will step outside the box and either take your breath away or make you wonder who this alien child is, and where did yours disappear to. After 16 plus years I can say that I wouldn't have it any other way.

~Brenda