Congrats!!

Congrats Kirsten W!

I used random.org to select the winner! Enjoy your new blog banner! You have 3 days to contact me (leave a comment with your e-mail address). I'll then be able to send you your blog banner with all the instructions/info for installing on your blog:)

Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments! I feel very loved and I am so humbled by all the nice things everyone said!!

Enter for a FREE BLOG BANNER!

I'm giving away a free personalized blog banner!

Here are some examples:

You'll be able to put into the blog banner whatever pictures you want. I can put your blog title, your family name, or whatever text you want on the banner. You can pick from any of these blog banner examples or I can put together a new one depending on your blog colors.

Here is how to Enter:

1) Simply leave a comment after this post. (Leave your first name or your blog address so I know who to announce as the winner tomorrow night)

2) In your comment, tell me what kind of posts you would like to see on my blog in the future.

3) Come back Friday evening to find out if you're a winner! (the winner will be drawn randomly)

(Note: sometimes you have to click "publish" twice when leaving a comment depending on your browser)

You'll have 24 hours to enter. No entries after 6:00 p.m. Friday night.

A Simple Change: one ingredient at a time

I don't know about you but I'm getting really tired of hearing about people making their own butter and drinking unpasteurized milk for the sake of eating "healthy". I've made some changes over the past 6-8 months with what I eat and how I cook.

However, I decided to not be one of those annoying people that posts 23 things you need to do or buy today to eat better. That is too overwhelming for most and usually not helpful. I'm not going to ask you to all the sudden stop buying prepackaged foods that have High Fructose Corn Syrup and Partially Hydrogenated Oils because that turns most people off right away. Cooking well and using natural foods is a process. A process that takes time and is a journey. It has taken me about 8 months to get to where we are with cooking with natural foods and we have a long way to go! Most people are good to start with small changes, introducing a few new things all at once. When you do that, your changes usually stick. That is what my journey has been and continues to be. I hope you follow along with me on that journey:)

My goal through this series is to offer REAL, EASY suggestions on simple changes to make. Again, overloading most people with long lists of what to buy just turns people off...usually:)

So, once or twice a week for the next couple weeks I'm going to do a series of posts titled, "A Simple Change: one ingredient at a time". I think most people who have a million things going on (like I do) will find this a little more helpful. I'll suggest about one (maybe two) ingredients a week to substitute into your cooking for a healthy, all natural lifestyle. No, this isn't about losing weight. It's just about making sure we know what kinds of things are in the food we eat. Trust me, it can be overwhelming at first and I'm constantly learning and not the best example of a healthier eater. But with small changes here and there, we all can hopefully notice more of what we put into our food.

The first cooking ingredient that is relatively easy to change is your flour.

We buy organic whole wheat flour that is unbleached, and not enriched. Now, a lot of those elements are important. I'm guessing that if you are reading this post you know how bad ingredients are for you that are enriched, bleached, or contain any hydrogenated oils. Whole wheat flour is also higher in fiber, vitamin E, some B vitamins and trace minerals, and protein than enriched white flour. Because of the presence of bran, which reduces gluten development, baked goods made from whole wheat flour are naturally heavier and denser than those made with white flour .

I'm here to tell you that once you switch, you'll never go back. It might sound silly but whole wheat flour tastes better too. Plus, you aren't putting all those extra chemicals into your body that white, bleached, enriched flour has. Now, if I went into why all those bad things in some flours are bad for you, this post would be 10 pages long. So, I encourage people to do their own research. Talk to a nutritionist maybe. Many popular webpages have basic info that helps also, for example, oprah.com has helpful tips from Dr. Oz on these subjects. Here is a link that may help you out: http://www.oprah.com/article/health/wellnessandprevention/pkgyourhealth/20081113_tows_checklist/2

I attached a picture of a kind of flour that we use. We buy our flour from a couple different places depending on where we shop that week but this kind is actually available at most grocery stores. Now, you may have to prepare yourself if you are always looking for the cheapest groceries. This kind is more expensive than other kinds. But, can you put a price on trying to eat healthier:) Okay, I think I've talked long enough about that. I could keep going but I don't think most want a 4 page post.


Like I said, we've made several small changes in what we buy for cooking. We do eat out a few times a week and cook with some "bad" ingredients still. But, learning to cook healthier is a process. It isn't about how much you weigh (I should know, I don't really care to lose those couple baby pounds that are sticking around:). It's about what you cook with and how that makes you healthier. I hope to share these changes we've made with you in this series. Have a wonderful rest the day!

Blog Banner Giveaway!!

I'm having my 1st GIVEAWAY! This Thursday & Friday I'll be giving away a personalized blog banner. For those who have just started a blog or don't want to spend money on a customized blog banner with your own photos in it, I'm giving one away for FREE!

(I'll even walk you through how to install it on your blog, it's super easy!) I know how complicated decorating your own blog can get with codes and formatting, yuck! So, visit back throughout the week for info on how to enter, that is super easy too:)

Look for my post later today on the "One Easy Cooking Ingredient to Change".

25 random things about me

I actually replied to one of those forward things people get that are annoying:) I thought I'd share my list of 25 random things about me. This is probably more than you'll ever want to know about me.....but if you read my blog, then I'm assuming you know me and like me...:)

1. I gained 3 pounds last week from drinking a lot of pop.
2. I lost 7 pounds the week before from stress.
3. I think people who say they don’t create drama are usually the ones always creating it.
4. I actually enjoy living on a college campus.
5. I didn’t tell anyone the sex of our 2nd baby for 3 months because I thought it was funny that people kept asking.
6. I love my job but rarely admit it to people I work with.
7. I told a friend “That is the man I’m going to marry” two days after I met my future husband.
8. My closet is a nightmare.
9. I love the idea of having a 3rd child but I’m not sure I can go through it again.
10. I could eat the same thing everyday for lunch.
11. I argue with my mom a lot.
12. I don’t really feel comfortable in most social settings; therefore, I act kind of snotty and mean when I don’t know what to say.
13. I’m missing a tooth and have no current plans to go to the dentist.
14. I hate spending money on things like laundry soap or toilet paper, yet I bought my car randomly without caring much about what kind I bought.
15. My period was late last month and I panicked…I got it five days later.
16. I’m in love with both of my boys.
17. I skipped most my senior year of high school (they only required me to go 2 hours a day).
18. I got along really well with my husband's dad before he passed away.
19. One of my favorite movies is “A Night’s Tale”.
20. I really like listening to my husband sing, he has a really good voice.
21. I didn’t plan much of my wedding, nor did I want to.
22. My best friend in college was a guy, people think we liked each other, but we really were just best friends.
23. I have several keys on my key chain and no idea what they go to.
24. I miss living in the twin cites but I don’t miss some of the people there.
25. I assume a few people who read this will judge me, but I have faith that my true friends won’t.

Winter Blues

Two main reasons why I didn't have any posts this weekend.....

1) We had my niece over for playtime Saturday. Saturday also included the funeral of a church member and life long servant of God.

2) I had a slight case of "cabin fever" over the weekend. I usually like most of the winter, but this past weekend it got the best of me. Here are few pictures that will help describe why:

This was last Wed, it was 50ish outside and beautiful! We took long walks those few days without any coats. I felt warm for the first time in awhile...it was wonderful.

This is Friday, Sat, Sunday, and yes, today. It snowed....a lot....and is still snowing.

I don't mind snow and I actually like it most the time. But, I enjoyed what was a glimpse into spring last week which made this snow harder to like.

I'm not the kind of person that turns on a movie every time the kids get hard to entertain, so spending a lot of time indoors yesterday got interesting.

For that very reason, we decided to blow up the ball pit hiding in the closet.

This is the before....

Fast forward to an hour later....

HA! Those boys can destroy just about anything and I love it! The ball pit made an appearance for a day, then went back into the closet for more "snow day emergencies".

I'll be posting tomorrow about one simple ingredient you can change in your cooking that can make a wonderful difference. Look forward to my 1st Blog Giveaway later this week. I'll be blogging about my son's 3rd birthday party happening next weekend. Also, I've been asked how my husband and I get so much done in a day with only having help 6 hours a week....at first I thought that question was a joke, but I'll try to fill you in on our schedule during the day with the boys.

Have a blessed day!

Friday's Weekly Update

How do I sum up this week.....

I planned some of my son's birthday party, he turns 3 in one week from tomorrow. My eyes are starting to tear up so I'm going to change the subject...

A big part of the week was hiring a nanny for 6 hours a week. She is turning out to be the best thing ever! I came home this afternoon and she was having a dance party with my oldest. He LOVES dancing so she fits right in. She also left my oldest son books she checked out at the library for him. Did you catch that? She went to the library on her own time, picked out books for my almost 3 year old, brought them over to show him, and left them here for him to read over the weekend! Needless to say, I love her. (I secretly hope no one in my town finds out her real name because I'm keeping her to myself:)

I came home today about a 1/2 hour after the boys woke up from their nap. We set up a fort inside the indoor jungle gym/slide thing. Here are some words to describe spending an hour inside a covered fort.....hot, tight space, lots of sweating, laughing, my youngest crying over lack of space, and more sweating....... My husband came home and snapped a picture. If you're wondering why I look kinda gross, see the description above (hot and lots of sweating).

We took several walks with the boys Wed and Thursday seeing as it was 50-60 degrees out. Fast forward to today...it has now just stopped snowing. We got what is probably several inches this afternoon, which means we'll be doing some creative stuff with the kids indoors tonight. (In case you didn't know, we're kinda boring people on Friday nights...especially in the winter)

An elder from our church passed away this week. He was an amazing man! Out of respect for his family, I'm not writing much about it. However, he was such a great influence in many peoples lives. His funeral is tomorrow afternoon.

Now comes some really good news....my husband was accepted to ACU today for a Masters in Higher Education. No, we're not moving to Texas! He'll be able to do the program by distance. He starts March 2nd and his graduation date is set for December 2010. We're pretty excited since he has been waiting for a few months to hear if he was accepted. Congrats babe!

And that's our week. Some good times and a few sad times. But a blessed week none the less.

Recipe

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

Ingredients: Serves 12
6 pounds sweet potatoes, skins on
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups warm whole milk
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 (16-ounce) bag large marshmallows
Freshly ground pepper , to taste

Preheat oven to 325°. Cut sweet potatoes into 2-inch slices and leave skin on. Add to a large stockpot and cover with water. Cover pot and bring to a gentle boil for 30 minutes—potatoes should be firm, not mushy. Drain. Peel potatoes while running cold water over them. Mash in a bowl with a ricer or masher.

Put potatoes back in stockpot over medium heat and add cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, and salt. Pour in the milk a little at a time. Mix well. Spread potatoes evenly into coated 10" x 14" baking dish, leaving 2 inches for marshmallows. Add marshmallows on top in even rows. Bake for 30 minutes, checking frequently, or until the marshmallows are golden brown.

This is one of those sweet potato recipes that isn't too sweet. It has a rich flavor, but if you're looking for more of a sweet taste, you can add some brown sugar. Enjoy!

Taking a Walk

Nanny Thana

We hired what most would call a nanny. When my oldest son says her name it sounds like "Thana", so that's what I'll say when I refer to her:) We have a new schedule for the spring semester that has proven to be just what we needed to feel more rested. At the beginning of the semester we decided to hire someone to come to our house for 2 hours in the afternoon 3 days a week (6 hours total) and watch the boys during their naptime. "Watching" the boys during their naptime basically means that Thana hangs out at our house and is available if the boys wake up or something. Since I don't really miss out on anything while the boys sleep, I figured I'd take advantage of the time.

Today was her 1st day...actually today was her trial day to make sure she likes the job:) I put the boys down for their nap (just like everyday) and Thana came over shortly after. I then get whatever done that I need to at the office or have meetings. They woke up about 10 minutes before it was time for her to go:) I think this is probably the easiest nanny job ever, but we've known Thana for awhile and LOVE her, so we don't mind paying her for being here.

Without going into much detail about her (since I didn't ask her if I could post about her)....she is just a doll! She has been one of my students for a year and a half and she is one of my husband's RAs, which means he is basically her boss. She is one of those girls who has a 4.0, good at everything, and is one of the sweetest girls ever.....okay, I'll stop...but she really is the best.

Since this is our first time having someone else (besides my parents) watch them, we were a little stressed out with the whole process of finding someone and getting the boys used to them. But the minute my husband and I talked about who to ask, we both said Thana. She used to teach the boy's Sunday school class so they were already used to her from church. We asked her the next day and she said "I'd love that!".

So, for 2 hours in the afternoon on Monday, Wed, and Fridays, the boys have Nanny Thana come over. My almost 3 year old is already asking if she can come over for sleepovers....hmmm.....I'm not sure he understands the concept of "nanny".....

How a 3rd row seat can change your life....

Our new suv has a 3rd row seat which we've never had before. Reminder: I have an almost 3 year old and a one year old. Can any other mom out there relate to my list below?

A 3rd row seat in your suv can....

• reduce the amount of times a child throws a sippy and it hits you
• absorb some of the volume in the car from 2 toddlers
• give mommy the opportunity to sit in the back row all my herself on a long trip
• reduce the amount of times one child grabs something from the other child due to more space
• allow mommy and daddy to breathe instead of feeling slightly claustrophobic
• make it so that everyone has their own cup holder for sippys, water bottles, and drinks which reduces the tension in the car....
• give you a chance to take your weekly recycling in one carload instead of two
• increase the number of hiding spaces that your 3 year old uses for his crayons, dinosaur toys, and rocks
• allow the grandparents to ride along with you even though most the time they want to take their own car due to the chaos that is our family (love you mom and dad!)

Yes, it's chaos...but it's wonderful chaos.

3rd Birthday

I spent a little time this afternoon planning my son's 3rd birthday party. It is going to be pretty simple. It is just family for most of it. (just in case you're wondering why you didn't get the invitation shown above) We'll be doing several things that day with granny and grandpa, his cousin, and other family members. We'll save the dessert for when our small group comes over that evening. Our small group has become somewhat of an extended family to us, so we'll do the 2nd half of the celebration that evening. I'll make some individual cupcake cakes possibly done in red velvet mix. My son loves fruit with fruit dip so I'll prepare a fruit plate.

We're trying to do different kinds of gifts this year rather than more toys! That child has more toys than he can play with (reminder: Christmas was just a few weeks ago:) My parents are giving him/us a year long family membership to the Omaha zoo, which my son will love. We're still thinking about what we want to get him. I have a feeling we will probably skip giving him another toy (seeing as there are still toys from Christmas sitting there unused). I think we'll do something unique......I guess you'll have to wait to find out what....

We're off tomorrow for MLK day. So whether you're off for the day also, at work, at home with the kids, or doing your normal Monday routine, I hope everyone has a wonderful start to their week. Have a blessed day!

Minus One

Granny and Grandpa (my parents) took my almost 3 year old to a playdate with his cousin this afternoon. They picked him up around 2:00 and they should be back any minute. It's amazing how much easier life becomes when you're minus one child for the day.

After running some errands, cleaning, and some class prep, I spent some of my free time this afternoon learning how to create blog banners. The formatting and coding is somewhat tricky at first but I think I created a good enough banner on my first try. When I started this blog, I decided I wasn't going to spend any money on decorating the blog or paying someone else to do it! So basically I opened up my photoshop this afternoon and went to work. After an hour or so of figuring out how to create picture designs with backgrounds, I finished a very basic new banner that you see above. Hopefully the more I learn about website design and formatting (those darn HTML codes are tricky), the better blog design I'll have.

Some new features from last week include audio playing when you visit my blog. I currently have 5 songs downloaded on the blog, those will change periodically. Also, I've added a "label" feature on the right hand side. I'll put my posts into a category if they fit into one so that readers can easily find the information they want. If they just want recipes, then they'll click on that label "COOKING" and all the recipes from the blog will load on their screen.

That brings me to my next topic. For over a week I've been re-doing the side buttons, links, and comment features on my blog. I have a lot to learn about how everything works and what formatting I like or don't like. Having said that, there are two issues I'm currently having.

The first has to do with readers leaving comments. I changed my formatting last week so readers shouldn't have to enter a password to leave a comment. People should be able to simply type in their comment and leave their name. On a side note, if you simply want to leave your name and don't have a google account, then select the "Name/URL" option within the "Comment As" list. You should be able to enter just your name (leave the url space blank if you like) and click continue. The problem that seems to be happening is that readers have to hit the "Post Comment" button twice depending on what explorer you use. This has only happened a couple times so I'll keep working on it.

My second issue is that two of my link buttons on the sidebar won't connect with the specific webpage they are linked to. That usually is the webpages problem on the other end. Hopefully that will iron itself out in time.

So basically I'm working on the blog. It will probably be constantly changing and updating with different features. I'll try my best to update everyone on what those features include. I sometimes feel like I'm minus one blogging assistant. Someone who tells me how to do things and how to make things works. But I'm proud of myself for doing it all on my own and learning more and more about webpages.

Now, if you'll excuse me my "minus one" child is knocking on the front door, home from his playdate!

Friday's Weekly Update

Last Sunday we enjoyed church, going to lunch with friends, and then small group. Monday was registration day at the college, so my husband was busy checking in students, dealing with housing issues, etc. Tuesday was the first day of classes, which is always exciting and energizing for us. Tuesday also brought our little "cut on the hand experience" with my youngest, which I'm glad to say his hand is a lot better as of today. He no longer has to sleep with the glove on!

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much spent indoors seeing how to was very cold outside! I spent the free time inside to work on my hobby of taking pictures and editing photos. It has become something more than I thought it would be. I love learning new things about it. However, I don't love spending the money to buy good equipment/programs, but it comes with the territory I guess.

Today we tried to get the boys out to use up some energy. They have both been stuck indoors due to the cold and if you know our family, we don't allow much tv for the boys. Therefore, it gets pretty interesting and creative around here filling the hours with activities and entertainment. Just to give you a hint of what I mean, here is an example. From about 4:00-5:00 this afternoon, the boys and I played in the pile of clean clothes that I took out of the dryer. They thought it was the best jumping into the pile and making forts out of them. Now to someone who has to have everything perfect, this would probably be stressful to them. But I went with it and the boys laughed so hard that Ethan fell over. It was definitely worth having wrinkled clothes for an hour of giggling.

Also, I felt weird about never getting a real picture of my car up like I said, so here it is. That is my son wanting to be in the picture but being really concerned about the snow on his shoes....

Shots from the Day

They both love to cuddle with each other:)

He loves wearing his winter hat inside for some reason.
He would not stop laughing when I put mine on also...

Reflecting

Over the course of the past two weeks or so, we've had 2 friends, one relative, and an acquaintance have a baby. Weirdly enough, they have all four had boys but that is probably just by chance. Three more of my friends are currently expecting, so it has of course gotten me thinking about the day my two boys were born. Both my boys came in the middle of the night. Labor wasn't as bad as I thought with either of them. The minute both of them were born, I remember thinking "That's it, I thought it would be harder". But again, that was what I thought after...not during! They both have the same vibrant blue eyes they had the day they were born, which I remember being surprised at since I have very dark brown eyes and my husband has green.

My oldest boy was born on February 1, 2006. He came into the world around 6:30 a.m. weighing 6 lbs 13 ounces. He was the best gift I could have ever imagined. He was and is as perfect as could be. I remember thinking he was so small and I was so in love with him. Here he is the day he was born......

My youngest boy was born on November 1, 2007. He was born around 4:20 a.m. weighing 7 lbs 8 ounces. He came fast, like he wanted out:) He has to be the most precious baby. He is full of expression and I was overcome with joy the minute he was born. Here he is on the day he was born......

Our photos

I've received so many compliments and e-mails about the photos on our website (the ones on the sidebar to the right). This is kinda a shock to me seeing as I've seen so much more amazing photos on friend's websites. I also have a friend Tyler that is so creative and takes beautiful photos, better than I ever could! However, I decided to talk a little bit about our photos since I've been hearing so much about them. I think people are just interested because they didn't realize we are so into photography as a hobby at our home.

I've been using a Nikon coolpix from 4 years ago that has 3mp....that's right 3! For those who don't know cameras, that isn't good. It was about $150 or so in 2004/2005. Since good photos usually begin with a good camera and of course, a good photo editing program, I'm buying a new camera. Since I have a small photo editing program, I've managed to edit my photos a little.

I've been doing some research, looking at friends' cameras, learning all I can about photoshop and actions, vibration reduction lenses, rapid firing, exposure, composition, and so on. It is exhausting sometimes but I love pictures as most know. So now, I'll be upgrading to this.....or the D90, whichever is on sale next weekend.

I'm satisfied with the Photoshop program I currently use but realize that if I want to get serious about my photos, I'll need to upgrade that also. I'm still learning about which program I need, so that will come a little later. I could not be more excited. I have even scheduled a day at the beginning of February for my husband and I to take the boys to various locations for some photo taking practice! Share with me today in my excitement! Have a great day!

_____________________________________

On a side note, the cut on my son's hand is doing better. He slept with the glove all night:)

A little boy and his glove

My 1-year old cut his hand this afternoon. He dropped a bowl so hard that it shattered. As I quickly grabbed him, he even more quickly lunged for a piece of the broken bowl and cut his hand. My husband took him straight to the clinic because it was bad enough that we thought he might need a stitch or two.

The doctor said that he probably could use a stitch but the cut is in the natural crease between his thumb and index finger. Which basically meant that the cut will bond on its own in a few days. Since giving a one year old a stitch would be super traumatic for all of us, he put several steri-strips on the cut and bandaged it up. Once he got home, our little guy wouldn't stop picking at the bandage and he needs to keep it on so the skin will bond back together. So.........

We put a glove on his hand and wrapped the glove with tape/band-aids to keep him from messing with the bandages and steri-strips. For the next few days he'll be the "boy wearing only one glove".

Best Friends

My oldest and his cousin are 5 weeks apart. My son was born in February 2006, his girl cousin "Ree" was born in March 2006. They have basically grown up together and hit all their "milestones" around the same time, which has created this close knit bond between them.

We are blessed to live about 20 minutes away from my brother/sister-in-law. So we often get the cousins together for play times and family meals. My oldest loves his cousin, her nickname is Ree. They both will turn 3 in the next few weeks/month. It has been such a blessing for us and him and also my 1-year old. I'm grateful to be close to family and to be able to give my boys the opportunity to be close with our family. I grew up living next to my cousins and those are memories I'll never forget.

Holding hands:) They do this completely on their own.

(this was taken with our camera phone; hence the blur)

They always get matching gifts at Christmas because they want to play with them together. This year they got art easels. This is at my parent's house on Christmas day.

I think this picture is hilarious! This is them waiting to open presents at Christmas while our 1-year old opens gifts. They were so patient but so bored at the same time!

When your job is your mission....

Many of you know that I work at a Christian college teaching English courses.

And no, I don't always proof my posts perfectly, nor do I try to proof them perfectly. I started in August of 2007 and it has been a journey that has shaped my life. Before I was offered my job, I didn't really understand the true concept of a mission. There have been several ministries I've been apart of in my life, but I can now honestly say that I live, breathe, and work in a mission field.

By no means do I know much about life, but surprisingly it doesn't matter at times how much you know or if you have something wise to say. I've experienced a lot of life changing times with students in my classes and I'm beginning to understand what it really means to be there for someone. Not only is it worthwhile when you teach someone how to write well, but to be able to go along on the journey with a

student to finding God is unexplainable.

There are always hurting people, and here there will always be a student that needs someone. I am not at all the most popular teacher, nor do I strive to be. However, I cherish the moments a student comes to my office in need of someone to talk to, to share with. It is a rarity in some of the students' lives to sit in front of someone

without judgement. I hope to offer that to those who need it here.

When your job is your mission, it doesn't feel like work. You get up for the day excited for the chance to be someone that is needed. You know that there is a opportunity for you to change someones day and possibly even their future.

_________________________________

As of today, I'm officially a graduate student at FHSU. In December of 2010, I'll receive a Master of Arts in English. The application process was long last fall so thank-you to those who supported me then and everyday in achieving my goals.

Free Book

If you love Suze Orman, than you'll love this free item. If not, you will probably still benefit from this free book her and Oprah are offering.

It's called Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan; Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound.

I watch Suze on her show here and there and I even have one of her books. Last week Suze did a special on the Oprah show on how to handle your money in this new economy. Again, I'm not endorsing Oprah or Suze, I just wanted everyone to be able to take advantage of the free book they are giving away on Oprah's website. There are no strings attached. You don't enter any info onto the site, you just click download and the 277 page book downloads on your computer. It took about 30 seconds when I downloaded it last week. You have till midnight on Thursday night to download a free copy.

The information is all geared toward what our economy has been like recently and what it will be like in 2009.

Chapters include information on credit, retirement accounts, spending, saving, real estate, paying for college, protecting your money, etc. I have followed several of her plans from her show and books, including what to buy in this economy and what to invest in during this poor market.

Again, I'm not endorsing her. I just want to give people the info on how to get "free stuff". Here is the information below on how to download her free book:


Suze Orman's Free Book Download

1) Go to this link on Oprah's website:
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081119_tows_bookdownload

2) Note: This book is copyrighted. You may view and download the file, but you may not copy the file or share or forward it to any other person. Offer expires at 11:59 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 15.

3) Follow the directions on Oprah's site to download your copy. Pay attention to what kind of explorer you use, that will determine how you download your copy.

Enjoy the book! One last thing, there have been a few changes to the blog over the past few days. I'll be adding a few more features over the next few coming days. I'll create a post this week explaining the changes and informing everyone on the new features. Have a good evening and join us tomorrow for more living beautifully!

Sesame Street Show

As most already know, we took my oldest to the Sesame Street musical show in Lincoln last night. He loved it and I'm so glad we went. Here are a few pictures from the evening. It was 90 minutes of songs and dancing along with a story-line. It was such a fun night. Our seats were in the 5th row, so we got to say hi to all the characters and my oldest got to hug one of the characters during a song. My youngest stayed with my parents for the evening.

The opening song/dance.

There was a song about love and he kept hugging me throughout the whole song.

They released streamers and confetti at the end of the show.


He wouldn't look at the camera at all due to all the characters of the show walking around waving at kids but I like this picture anyway.

Under Construction

Our blog will be under construction today. I'll be changing some design, adding new buttons, sorting posts into categories, etc. Hopefully these new changes will help readers get to the information they need and make their reading experience more enjoyable. Thank-you for your patience!

(Saturday's post on the Sesame Street Live show we attended will be coming later tonight after design changes)

Friday's Weekly Update

My one year old has been walking all over the house. Yes, he gets into everything but I think its funny. I love that he loves exploring. He has been wanting the same foods pretty much all week; turkey, cucumbers, grapes, pickles, and blueberries. I guess that is okay with me since those are all mostly healthy foods. He is getting to the really cute stage and by that I mean he knows how to look at you and make you want to give him everything. He loves giving kisses and waving and saying hi/bye. He also has adopted the family trait of dancing to silly music which is just adorable to watch.

My almost three year old loves to practice writing certain letters of the alphabet. He really likes the outdoors which in the winter gets interesting (see pictures). He really likes giving hugs. He has been asking to go play in the new car ever since we got it. I'm not sure what is so fun about playing in the new car but he really likes it. He enjoys to look at his books and try to read which just comes out as random words he puts together. He helps me cook and clean up even when I don't ask. He has grown accustomed to the organic peanut butter we use on his sandwiches now and he even eats oatmeal instead of sugary cereal when we ask.

My husband started back to work on Monday

from being off for over two weeks due to the holidays. We are counting down the weeks till he turns 30! I'm working on something for him to celebrate. I gave him a new bible for Christmas that he loves. Tomorrow he plans on playing with the boys all day. He is such an active father. He took them outside to play this morning because it was supposed to be okay weather right before the winter storm. He took these pictures from his cell phone (which is why they are fuzzy).

I have stayed busy taking care of the boys this week, working on my hobby of blogging and learning to take photos better (again, I didn't take these two pictures, my husband did:) I had my first set of meetings at work for the spring semester on Thursday and today. Of course you already know that I bought a car on Wed which proved to take more of my time than I thought over the week. This was the first time I had bought a car solely in my name so I didn't realize how much paperwork there was. Yes, I know...I'm 28 and I just now bought a car in my name. But to my defense, I was a co-signer the last time I bought a car with my father 6 years ago but being a co-signer is a lot easier than doing it all yourself:)

Well, that pretty much wraps up our week. Tonight we went to the "Sesame Street Live" show which will make this post really long if I start talking about all the fun we had, so I'll save that for tomorrow.

I'm glad everyone joined us this week and have a enjoyable weekend!

New Comment Feature

Before I get to today's "Friday's Weekly Update" post, I wanted to let everyone know I added a new comment feature. This will let anyone leave a comment without having to register or enter in a password, which gets really annoying! I also changed the formatting so that the comments don't appear in a separate window, they should appear right after the post. Having changed the formatting so that readers don't have to enter in a password will hopefully make it easier for people to leave comments.

I also made it so all comments go through a filter (to avoid foul language, etc), so your comment may not appear right away, but will be added after it goes through the "filter". Hopefully that all makes sense to everyone!

Turkey Meatballs

I didn’t like the sound of “turkey meatballs” when I first read a recipe for them. First, I’m not a big fan of ground turkey or ground meat in general, but my husband and I are cooking better foods now so I decided to try these. I do have to admit that the recipe is from http://www.oprah.com/. Now, I don’t endorse Oprah and I have very different views than her on a lot of things. However, you have to admit that she has almost unlimited resources to the best chefs in the country….hence why I am drawn to her menus/recipes. These turkey meatballs are protein-packed and a healthier option than most store bought meatballs. I also suggest to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. If you can, use extra virgin olive oil. They were very delicious and we have leftovers for at least two meals out of what we made. They fill you up fast so you don't need many side dishes to go with these.

Here is the recipe. I also included pictures of my turkey meatball making experience:

Ingredients:
Makes 15–20 meatballs
· 2 pounds ground turkey
· 1 medium onion , chopped
· 1/2 red pepper , chopped
· 1/2 green pepper , chopped
· 3 cloves garlic , chopped
· 2 eggs
· 1 Tbsp. bread crumbs
· 1 tsp. salt
· 1 tsp. ground pepper
· Olive oil or vegetable oil

Heat oil in large skillet (use enough oil to cover just the bottom of skillet). Add onion and stir briefly, until it's almost yellow. Add red pepper, green pepper and fry for 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 2 minutes, then remove from stove to cool. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Place flour on a large plate (for ease in creating the balls). With a wooden spoon, mix together turkey, eggs, parsley, salt, pepper, sautéed onions and peppers, and bread crumbs. Form a tablespoon size of the turkey mixture in the shape of ball. Place each meatball in skillet and fry until slightly brown. Slightly press the center of each meatball to make sure the center cooks.

Serve on a platter and sprinkle ground pepper over top of each. They are delicious!


My husband is now getting ready for the game tonight. Apparently it’s the national championships tonight so our home has been converted to football dome like experience. I’ll be giving the boys their bath and putting them to bed then joining him as we watch the game. Join us tomorrow for more blogging!

"Sesame Street Live"

Tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. can't come fast enough! We are taking my almost 3 year old to Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Green Thumb show at the Pershing Center in Lincoln. We've never been to anything like this so we are really excited about it! Plus, our tickets are almost right in front of the stage in the section where the kids get to dance around next to their parents. We just can't wait! I'm sure I'll be a camera crazy parent the whole time!

Later today after dinner I'll be posting our account of making "turkey meatballs" for the first time. For those who like to cook, check out tonight's post. For those who want more of an update on our lives, check out our blog tomorrow for a new segment I'm calling "Friday's Weekly Update". In this new segment I'll start to do every Friday, I'll update everyone on our week. A little more info on our personal lives, stories from the week, etc. For those of you who have requested a picture of our new car....I'll try and post one later tonight or tomorrow. I might even include a story about how I started crying on the way home from picking it up because I missed our old car that I traded in.....

We interrupt normal blogging....

I had a regular kind of post planned for today, but my blogging schedule for the week was interrupted by a little car buying....

Yes, I bought a new car. I've been thinking about it here and there for the last year, and I decided this week I'd go through with it. I'm posting it on my blog as my excuse for not having a regular post today:)

After being at the car dealer all morning signing papers, waiting to hear from the bank, then signing more papers, cleaning out my old car, putting my stuff in my new car, I'm home only to have a pile of stuff to get ready for my faculty meeting tomorrow. Luckily, the boys are on such a routine that they instantly both fell asleep at 1:00 so I'm getting my to do list ready for the afternoon before they wake up in a few hours. Join us tomorrow for a more regular post!

Keeter Center

I wasn't going to post about the lodge we stayed at last week, but I just have to! We stayed at the Keeter Center in Branson, Mo. Below are some pictures....

The Main Lodge

Our room, we had a two room suite with a full kitchen area. This is the living room area. The other room had two beds. It also had a private patio/deck area.

They have a waterfall area and pond on site. Ethan really liked watching the water and walking around the lodge.

This was my dinner. I know it's kinda weird that I took a picture but it literally was one of the best meals I've ever had.

In the lobby area.

Another one in the lobby.


They have a working farm on the property and we got a little tour from a worker that befriended us. This calf was born 3 days before we got there. They milk their own cows and use that milk at the lodge for cooking and such.

The staff also comes and turns down your bed for you and brings you cookies and milk before bedtime. They wrote "welcome" on the plate in chocolate sauce.

It was a really unique place and we enjoyed our time there!

One sad thing that happened today is that we had to cancel our trip to Minneapolis that we had planned for this weekend. We were trying to make it up there to see our new nephew that was born last sat. We've been watching the weather reports the last few days and it doesn't look good for Iowa and MN. We only have a couple days to travel and absolutely have to be back Sunday night so we decide to play it safe and not travel.