Pages for a snowy day.

Oh we had so much fun on Spring break. Sleepovers, playdates, and sunny warm days playing at the Rose Garden.



This morning we woke to 4 inches snow! Boo. Oh well - just a little more incentive to stay inside and work on Spring cleaning.
And scrapping :)
Natasha with her Guitar, photos taken while working on an assignment for my Karen Russell photography class (so sad that it's over). Inspired by a page in the Tim Holtz gallery, although quite a bit simpler, as well as a challenge to use rub-ons, stickers, and black. Bazzill Cardstock spritzed with Huckleberry and Pashmina Glimmer Mist, The Good Housewife PP scrap by Amanda Johnson inked with brown Colorbox, Frame/scroll by K & Co., Muse letters by Thickers, ATC transparency by 7-gypsies (?), Tim Holtz Fragments charms with various bits of leftover rub-ons (Basic Grey, Bo Bunny and?).
Sarah, journalling about her recent tube in, adenoids out experience. Hopefully last tubes? Page based on a March 2010 Pagemaps sketch, combined with a challenge to use chipboard letters, stamp is Tim Holtz, combined with Ranger Faded Jeans Distress Ink. White Basic Grey chipboard letters spritzed with Huckleberry Glimmer Mist. Papers & rub-on Sarah letters from a Jenni Bowlin Kit, journal papers leftovers from? And some really, really old circle clips.

Marching On

Corny, I know. What can I say?

Once again, we've been crazy busy. I am soaking up everything I can in my photography class (Karen Russell, Snapshots of a Good Life), as you can see below. Class ends next week. Very sad. However, we still will have access to the class forums for a year - Yay! Everyone in the class is so supportive, I'm looking forward to continuing and building those relationships and improving my photography.

In between, I have started on a new project (non-paid, but very cool. I'll share more info when it's finished).

Rich went out of town and our furnace died while he was in a nice warm hotel room. I was here, trying to keep warm by blowing condensation out of 25 year old rubber furnace hoses (YICK!) and flipping switches while listening to the wonky motor rattle and hoping the thing wouldn't blow up overnight. Then I tried to sleep with all 3 girls in my bed. We had it replaced the next day. Well, it took two days, but we were able to return the borrowed space heaters after the first day and the house was warm by the time Rich returned from his trip.

I really wish things would NOT happen every time he goes out of town. I know I am capable, there is really no need to prove it!

Then we found out the neighbor the girls calls Grandpa Don was in hospice. He left this world on Friday and I attended his funeral today. He will be missed by all of us.

We celebrated the 89th birthday party of Rich's Dad, the first Grandpa Don. He requested a pecan pie instead of cake, so I found a recipe for a pie without corn syrup... and with rum. I'll share the recipe this weekend as it was OH so yummy.

Sarah had her adenoids out on Monday. And another tube placed. She was quite nervous but when they took me back to her afterward she smiled her sweet smile and softly said "I can already hear better! Dr. Y told me they took out "huge chunks of adenoid tissue" so it was a good decision and will hopefully end the ongoing hearing problems. Side note, I did NOT eat lunch after he told me that. Being the school lover she is, she went back the next morning because they said she could. She didn't want to miss math or piano. She made it the whole day too, twice visiting the nurse for a short nap but not wanting to come home.

I had a naaaasty migraine. Natasha & I made chili for 100, then helped her confirmation class serve dinner at church. Then I slept for 12 hours. (The chili was also yummy, I'll share that recipe too. I promise, because this is the safest place to not lose them!)

Today Sarah asked to stay home, not feeling well. Usually she is mad when she has to miss school, so I thought she must need the rest, and her throat has been hurting her a lot. Rich was rather dubious when I called to let him know and I wondered myself when Sarah spent part of the morning playing piano (it relaxes her). This afternoon she developed a fever and will be staying home tomorrow as well.

In between we've been looking at houses, so we can live in the school district we are open enrolled in. However now we're wondering if we should look elsewhere? Hard decision no matter we do. More on that later. I know you have other things to do today, so I'll leave you with my sweeties, no photos taken on auto!

Mira, passing out Valentines:


Natasha, looking older than should be allowedSarah sunshine

Too much - as usual!

I am having such a GREAT year!

Learning and applying so much in my photography class that I have turned into a menace with my camera. Took about 40 photos yesterday during my lunch out with Mira.Fun lunch, and some great photos (though I tend to push ISO too low, working on that). Of course now I have a list that includes new lenses, a white balance filter, a new camera... on top of my current needs & wants list: new eye-glasses, a replacement for my dying ancient cellphone, a piano bench to hide the unsightly pile of piano books, a new house (maybe).

Vegan diet - Sorry I stopped posting what I was eating, I really wanted to have a record for myself as well as share but I was so busy... and I didn't exactly stick to the PCRM menu though I do want to try some of their recipes. It was just easier to plan to make the foods I already ate or knew how to make than to try to add in several new recipes per week, so my menus would probably have seemed a little boring to you anyway.

Overall, I felt wonderful during the challenge. Not much change in my aching fingers, but I didn't expect much change in 3 weeks, and being stubborn, I refused to start creeping my methotrexate back up just yet.

What I didn't expect was what happened when I went OFF the vegan diet. The girls were home during a snowstorm. We ran out of almond and rice milk, so I used cows milk to drink and in my hot cereal. I made a fruit smoothie with honey and yogurt. Natasha made potato soup (milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon - all stuff I had avoided for 3 weeks). We had a roast for dinner... and in TWO days I was having trouble getting up off the floor, I was achy all over, my hands swollen. Practicing piano was frustrating beyond belief with my swollen fingers that would not behave. The worst part was that it took me a few days to realize that the cause was adding back the animal foods, and I was genuinely worried because I had just had both my Humira and Methotrexate - those should have been my easiest days. I was very relieved when I figured it out. I relented and added 1 extra Methotrexate back weekly and after 2 weeks my fingers are about back to normal, no aches. Point about why I would like to eventually decrease is that the small difference between 6 and 7 pills a week and I have several nasty mouthsores. Oh they'll heal and my body will adapt, and obviously that was enough to return me to normal function, but it is not a kind drug, and not good for the liver either.

My plan is to stick at current med levels and continue to work out 4-5 days a week until I can walk or bike the neighborhood without having to climb a mountain of snow at every crossing. Once I've lost another 10 pounds I will talk to my Dr. about decreasing the meds again. I am also eating 12-14 vegan meals a week minimum and staying away from as much cows milk and dairy as possible in hopes of decreasing my body's inflammation response (again hoping for lower effective levels of meds) while still allowing me some of my favorite foods.

Tonight, several of us will be enjoying a spa experience, sipping wine and eating quality chocolate and truffles from the local confectionery. To balance, todays' meals (and probably tomorrows') will be all vegan goodness.

To come: House hunting, purging, Grace gardening, and more photography.

Snow Days

I love snow days, having the girls home.

Only, I like them home in summer too. School will now be extended until Friday June 11, which the girls won't be happy about. I won't really mind picking them up those extra days in milder weather and no worries about wind chills below -25, as long as this is the last of the snow days. Any more days off will interfere with camp & art class dates.

I know - I need to start adding more photos to my posts, wouldn't a nice photo of the drifted snow in my driveway be perfect to add just here? Not having the big computer working has been a hindrance as now I have to dig out the card reader, etc. - a few extra steps for just one or two photos keeps me from it. Now that the big computer is working again and I'm starting to play with my camera settings for my photography class, I'll have PS and the card reader ready for action all day. I really do need to think of a way to repay my Dad for fixing that for me!

So the girls are enjoying their extra days. A little piano practice, Natasha getting in a little extra review for finals postponed for weather, and babysitting tonight to make money to pay for guitar lesson books. Otherwise, yesterday was a pajama and video game day. Today, legos, piano, tents in their room made of blankets. Gotta love it.

Vegan Day 6 & 7

The vegan diet is going rather well. I don't think I've lost any weight yet as I really haven't changed my breakfast and lunches have not changed all that much. I can tell you though that I feel lighter on this diet. I had been hoping to exercise daily but with the early outs and getting back into the school/lesson schedule combined with snow days, I've only been 4 times. Not bad, but I'm working towards 5-6 days a week.

Yesterday I cheated (menu for the past few days to follow) while I was making a cookie plate for the rest of the family, and consolidating cookie tins. I should have asked one of the girls to do this because I ate a few cookies. It has been a whole week, after all, so I thought why not a treat for a mid afternoon snack? I had let the girls sleep in, so we had a LATE breakfast, so I hadn't had lunch and these wouldn't extra calories. Well, I ate one small frosted star cut-out cookie, one rugelach which is a baked flour/sugar/cream cheese dough filled with almond filling, and a grybaii - a soft orange gingerbread formed in a mushroom shape. HAD to have one of those.

Well, it was WAY too much. I felt heavy and overstuffed, like I'd eaten a brick. Won't be doing that again.

Menu Day 6
Breakfast: OJ and Hot Malt O'Meal for me, made with Silk. Instead of the usual brown sugar I stirred in 2 tsp. of Solo apricot filling leftover from a Christmas dish. Yum. Fast standby while I'm making pancakes and hot chocolate for the girls.

Lunch: I wasn't very hungry so I kept lunch light. 1 Navel Orange, Mango Tea (a black tea), Blue Diamond Almond/Rice Smokehouse crackers with 1/3rd avacado sliced and marinated in lime juice, a dash of olive oil and pepper. I usually add a sprinkle of salt too, but the crackers were salty enough on their own. I love the taste of the Blue Diamond crackers, except for the saltiness.

Dinner: Wednesdays are usually at church and I had been planning to pack myself a wrap, but when the snow canceled everything Rich wanted to pick up Chinese from our fave local restaurant. I had the Vegetarian Friend rice, which did have a bit of egg in it. Not alot though, and it was filled with more than enough bite sized vegetables: zucchini, mushrooms, peas, snow peas, baby corn, broccoli, water chestnuts, onion. I had planned on having a vegetarian egg roll from the freezer if I needed, but I had more than enough for leftovers too. Water to drink.

Day 7: A Snow day!
Breakfast: The girls slept in and I made them puffy pancakes (1 egg. 1/4 cup each milk and flour per serving in a hot pan with 1Tbsp melted butter for 2 servings).
Since I was up early to watch the school ticker I had time to bake an apple. I added a few Tbsp. water and a few dried cranberries to a tiny baking dish. I sprinkled the inside of my cored wrinkly apple (pickled locally last Fall and stored in the basement pantry) with cinnamon, and popped the dish in the oven for 30 minutes at 350. When it was cool, I chopped up the apple and stirred it into my Malt O'Meal, made with Almond Milk today. I like it better with almond milk. OJ to drink.

Lunch: Due to the late and slightly larger than normal breakfast, I just had an Orange and some pomegranate tea.

Dinner: Homemade Pizzas. Rich made a Taco Pizza for Natasha and I. I can't vouch for how vegan the tortilla chips were, but there were only a few. He left the taco meat and cheese of my portion, and the meat off Natasha's portion. crust, refried beans, lettuce, tomato and chips. Yum.

Day 5

Day 5 Vegan Diet. Mostly good. I did take a bit of Mira's M&M cookie today, but that beats making hot cereal in the morning, absent-mindedly making it with milk as always, and not realizing it until later in the day as you search for the Silk or Almond milk. I think I did that 2 days in a row. It's just habit to grab that gallon of milk!

Kind of like when I play something new at my piano lesson - pay attention to the note, pay attention to the ingredients. Maybe my word for 2010 should be intentional, or aware! Nah - I still like Just Do It. Cliche maybe but it fits.

I have jumped in, and how. Todays schedule was so crazy busy that I still haven't read todays photo class lesson. Still, I'm about to do that and the day WAS productive after a calm morning playing with Mira. I had a bit of a longer workout too. My ipod shuffle ran out of juice almost immediately, so I was forced to watch HGTV so I stayed on the elliptical machine 14 minutes longer than planned just to see how the kitchen remodel turned out. Maybe I should just leave the ipod at home?

My meals for the day:
Malt O' Meal (hey, I like maple syrup flavor!) with a little extra brown sugar.
Orange. OJ.

Not hungry at lunchtime today so I just had tea and a bite of Mira's cookie. Trying to eat when hungry only, not just by the clock, though I usually prefer to sit and eat with Mira.

Starved after running errands and working out - ate several whole raw almonds. I keep a bag in the car - keeps me from buying a chocolate bar when I shop.... I love all nuts, but whole almonds take a little longer to chew than a handful of pecans, walnuts, or cashews. When I have those for a snack, I limit portions by taking a small dish to the basement pantry, filling with just a few of each, and then take my bowl upstairs. They still disappear fast.

Dinner: Soy/sake/lime marinated salmon for everyone else. Sigh. THAT was hard. Brown/wild rice mix made with a 50/50 mix of water and vegetable broth. Yum. Butternut squash (from my garden) peeled, chuncked, and tossed with a mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and a little olive oil before roasting. Yum! Oh, and a few raw carrots, no dip.

January restart.

2010 has been a good year so far. How about you?

December 31 we stayed at home. We ate junk (some more than others), watched the Cyclones win the Insight Bowl, played video games, built stuff with legos, I worked on my December Daily album and scrapped several pages. Rather a good day if you ask me.

January 1. I hoped to scrapbook a page about my phrase for the year Just Do it - Jump In! (check out One Little Word). Didn't happen. Instead we all slept in. Late breakfast made later by the fact the girls wanted pancakes and Natasha and I are participating in the PCRM 21 day Vegan Challenge.

I'm doing it for my health - a lower weight may allow me to take lower doses of my meds. I'm looking at taking methotrexate and a prescription-strength anti-inflammatory every day for the rest of my life, neither great for liver function. I am decreasing doses with physician supervision and encouragement, but have only made it a little way and already my hands are bothering me. Many of you know how much I love butter, cookies, hot chocolate... these are exactly the things I need to cut out to drop my weight- even if only for 21 days. In the first 4 days I've managed to walk past the tins of Christmas cookies and have NOT eaten at least 8 cookies, probably more because of this challenge.

In addition, cutting out dairy and meat may reduce the inflammation response to lessen the need for arthritis drugs. I am under no delusions here as I prefer meds over pain, weakness and immobility, but if I could significantly reduce even one of the two lesser meds, so much the better. I don't plan on being vegan forever, but simply get back in the habit of eating less animal products once I have hit my goal. Natasha decided on her own to join me.

Natasha & I worked out at the gym. She has been wanting to go forever, so we added her to our membership. Talk about incentive! She'll go with me at least once each weekend, and we are going to try Yoga on Thursday nights. Afterward the girls helped me with a 500 piece puzzle, everyone played video games and Legos, we watched 2010. Natasha found it MUCH more interesting than 2001 A Space Oddessy: which she thought was 'annoying and borrrring'.

Natasha also decided to only be vegetarian and not vegan for the challenge. Giving up butter or sour cream on her baked potato was too much! If only she'd try a sweet potato...

January 2: A few church duties, a little sale shopping, and another workout with Natasha. Saturday's activities were much the same as New Years... there is now a giant Lego castle in my living room. The walled garden has a formal reflecting pool with a fountain. I want to move in!

Oh - I almost forgot - Rich and Natasha picked out Natasha's Bass Guitar! It's blue and totally suits her. She's already figured out the notes and has picked out Twinkle Little Star. Lessons start soon.

January 3: After church, a trip to Ames to watch an exciting/stressful Mens' basketball game. Dinner at Hickory Park where Natasha decided to be vegetarian for 21 days except when eating at Hickory Park because her only choice would have been the kids Grilled Cheese dish. Truthfully - it IS a BBQ restaurant known for it's smoked meats. I ate a side salad without the cheese and with a raspberry vinaigrette, a side of mashed potatoes without the gravy (ok, so it probably had milk), glazed carrots (a bit sweet), and cinnamon applesauce. No - Natasha does not like any of those foods.

January 4: School back in session and Sarah was the only one excited. I miss my girls!
Mira stayed home and cuddled with me most of the day as she had a very upset tummy. She thought she should still go to preschool because "They have a toilet there - I can get sick in that." Sorry Charlie!

Today was also the first day of my photography class. Both Missy and I are taking Karen Russel's 10 week online Photographers Workshop. Daily lessons, a weekly assignment - looking forward to knowing my d-slr camera better and improving my skills. Taking the class with my sister? A bonus!