Yay! Summer Movie Express is...YESTERDAY?!?! Uh-oh!

Yup.  I blew it.  Mom sucks.  This one totally blew up in my face.  BIG TIME!  I have been pumping the boys up for this all week.  I woke up this morning and even made a big deal about it when AJ came in to say good morning.

I didn't realize anything was amiss until I decided to check to see what movies were playing next week when I noticed the line that said "Tuesdays and Wednesdays".  My heart fell.  It's Thursday.  Oh no!

Immediately I dreaded the conversation I was about to have.  I started scrambling for solutions.  How was I going to make up for this?

I grabbed my phone and looked up Redbox.  I searched for Ice Age: Continental Drift (the movie that we were supposed to see).  It was at WALMART!  Suddenly my mind began to clear.  I can do this!  You see, Walmart sells Movie Theater candy for 98¢.

I now had something to bring to the table when I approached my boys.  Granted, I knew it still wouldn't be pretty (and it wasn't), but at least I was trying.

As I figured would happen, AJ cried and G got mad.  It took me ten minutes to calm them down so that they could hear me out.  Unfortunately, that calming down included me walking away and telling them that if they didn't want to hear me out then they could settle for nothing.  Not my proudest moment, but it did the trick.

I took them to Walmart after breakfast and we got all we needed.  We even stopped by Dutch Brothers because Daddy wanted a blended coffee to cool him down.

Overall I think I more than made up for the lack of theater.  They got to see the movie, they got candy (which they probably wouldn't have at the theater) and they got popcorn.  In two weeks we will go and see Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked and all will be well with the world once again.  So maybe Mom doesn't suck that much.

Summer Is Here...Time To Read!

This weekend Todd and I got our Library Cards.  Let me tell you, there was a LOT of excitement surrounding this event.

I am prodigiously ashamed to say that while living in Humboldt County, I took the library for granted.  The Humboldt County library is beautiful and has a lot to offer to the community.  Unfortunately, it also had a particularly odd schedule.  Due to lack of funds, for the first 10 years after it's move to the new building, the county could not afford to actually run the library.  This lead to many people abandoning the library out of sheer frustration and confusion.  I will admit that in recent years they have improved their hours, but they still need more support to get to where they want to be.

This brings me to the delight that surrounded our new Library Cards to the Salem Public Library.  The library itself is huge (to me) and has half a floor dedicated 100% to the Children's Section.  Obviously this is where we will be spending most of our time.

While we were there we decided to not only sign both boys up for the Summer Reading Program, but we also decided that Kindergarten Graduation was a good reason to get AJ his own Library Card.  He was so proud and loved the frog on the front.

We spent nearly an hour there and pulled the kids out with the promise that we will come back at least TWICE this coming week.  The effect of visiting and getting the cards had the desired effect on both of the boys, because since that visit we have read about three hours.  It also presented a challenge that I was more than happy to meet.  Do I really want the boys tearing books off the bookshelf?  Or can I make a box or basket of some sort to organize their books?

Thus came about the idea for the "READING BOX".  I took a medium sized, slightly shallow box and cut the flaps off.  I labeled the four flaps as dividers for the box ("Read To Me", "Read With Me", "Read Myself" and "Library").  Then I wrapped the box, labeled the box, and reinforced all of the loose edges with packing tape.

The idea for the dividers came to me while I was sorting through books to read with AJ.  We have a TON of Children's Books.  Some of them AJ can read all by himself, some of them he is working on and still needs help with, and some of them are harder books that I read to the boys at bedtime.  I also decided to add a section for Library Books so that there is always a place to put them while they are not being read.

It makes me so happy to see AJ applying himself to his reading.  He wasn't so thrilled with reading during the school year, so I think this Summer Reading Program might be the best thing that happened to us.  I made a deal with him that I would only match his hours of reading.  I read to the boys all of the time, but I told him that half of his logged hours would have to be his own.  It seemed to help because this morning he read 45 minutes all by himself!

What A Larger Kitchen Means (Help with Pancakes!)

Growing up, my family always had a rather small kitchen.  I often heard my mom mention wanting a larger kitchen, but I didn't really know what that meant.  Every kitchen I had been in was about the same size as our kitchen.  No one I knew had a "larger" kitchen.  Besides, what would you do with one?  (Keep in mind, this was my childish mind speaking.)

I started to understand the upside to a larger kitchen around the age of 12, when I started to really cook.  By this time my brother was already cooking as well.  Two adults and two teenagers could NOT fit in our kitchen at the same time.  In fact two adults could barely fit in the kitchen without getting in each other's way.  Yet still, what did a "larger" kitchen look like?  I had still never seen one.  

Then two things happened around the same time:  My grandmother bought a larger house and our next door neighbor remodeled her kitchen.  Suddenly I knew exactly what I wanted in a kitchen.  I wanted something more that two people could work in at once.  I wanted something open enough that I could teach my children to cook and do dishes.

It was nearly two decades before I got my large kitchen, but the small kitchens I worked in in the interim taught me a lot about appreciation.  Last year, when we were in Washington visiting my FIL, my SIL referred to his kitchen as a "two-butt" kitchen.  That meant that one person could be working at the stove, counter, or sink and there was just enough room to allow someone to pass or stand behind them.  I love this phrase and now use it quite often.  

Our first apartment had a "three-butt kitchen".  Until now, it was the largest kitchen I had ever had.  It was tucked into a corner and had very little counter or cupboard space, but it was open, so it wasn't all bad.

Our second and third apartments were both "one-and-a-half-butt kitchens".  They were not family friendly at all.  I love to cook, but these kitchens made it very difficult to achieve anything beyond small batches.  I found myself doing a lot of prep work in the living room.

Our current kitchen is an estimated "five- or six-butt" kitchen.  That means we had four people working in the kitchen at the same time and there was plenty of room for more.  My husband actually stopped what he was doing and pointed it out.  We both laughed and had to explain it to my sister and mother.

I love the fact that I have a kitchen large enough for many people to congregate.  I also love that it is centrally located, so anyone who is working in the kitchen doesn't feel like they are banished to the back of the house.  To me cooking is a social activity, not a chore.

That being said, I mentioned above that I started cooking around the age of 12.  This is kind of a tradition my parents started that I want to continue with my kids.  My parents started teaching us how to cook at a young age.  By the time we were 12 we were tasked with being able to cook an entire meal unaided (my meal was meatloaf, baked potatoes, and corn).  I think this instilled in all three of us a love for cooking, and an understanding of the importance of independence.

At this point my little guys are only 6 and 3, but it won't be long before it is their turn to cook for themselves. I want their repertoire to go beyond Mac & Cheese and Top Ramen.  That is why I am so excited about them being able to help me in the kitchen whenever they get the chance.

A few weeks ago I decided to make a large batch of pancakes (in order to freeze left overs).  As I was going about my routine of prep work I saw G peeking around the corner.  It suddenly dawned on me that now was the perfect time for them to help.  It was Memorial Day and we had no plans to make us hurry.  So Cooking Lesson #1 commenced.  They both took turns putting in the ingredients and stirring.  Afterwards, both took turns helping me portion the batter onto the griddle (we have one of those cool pancake squirters).

I'd like to think they enjoyed them all the more for having helped make them, but who am I kidding...they love them no matter who made them.

PANCAKES

(Modified from recipe in Betty Crocker Cookbook)

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp sugar (I usually add more, but I like mine sweet)

3 tsp baking powder (I know it's a Tablespoon, but that is how the recipe is written)

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp oil or butter (melted)

Directions

1. Heat a griddle or frying pan over Medium heat.

2. Mix together all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

3. Stir in milk using a wooden spoon.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and oil until frothy.

5. Stir egg mixture into batter until smooth.

6. Oil griddle, then ladle batter into small circles.

7. When batter starts to bubble (about 2 minutes), using a wide silicone turner, flip pancakes, cook for additional 1 minute.  Remove from griddle.

To Lamb-Baste A Lender

I am usually not a very vindictive person.  Accidents happen, mistakes are made, and people just have to move on.  However, if someone can help others by sharing their bad experiences, I think it should be done.  This is true for our experience with our lender.  I don't wish to sound whiny or bitter, so here are some points laid out as impersonally as I can manage.

• Our lender (American Financial Resources) was found for us by our broker.  They were the only ones who would finance a manufactured home under FHA guidelines.  Our broker had not had a bad experience with them before so he had no reason to believe this time would be different.

• Despite having a broker, AFR tried to contact us three times on their own in order for us to sign "their" paperwork.  They essentially tried to cut our broker out of the process.

• As our original closing date was approaching AFR began having problems receiving documents.  Our broker was forced to resend bank documents and the appraisal reports on more than one occasion.  The appraisal report actually took three weeks to finally get transmitted properly.

• As our second closing date approached AFR called our broker and informed him that we did not have enough money to close escrow.  This was a mystery to us, seeing as we had enough money in the bank to close escrow twice.  It took two days of arguing (and a second extension) before our broker was able to decipher that all they wanted was proof that the "outstanding" earnest money check was cancelled and replaced with a cashier's check, per their request, at the beginning of the process.

• Once everything was finally in and ready to go AFR sat on the documents for two days, forcing us to request a third extension.

• Finally the documents were signed, the down payment was wired, and all that was needed was for AFR to wire the money to the Title Company.  Once again, they sat on it until literally two hours before our deadline.

While their national reputation is mixed, I did read some complaints online that almost mirror our experience with them.  My recommendation is that if you can get a loan somewhere else, do NOT use American Financial Resources.  If you cannot get a loan anywhere else, find a broker.

In fact, find a broker at the beginning.  It is their job to navigate the paperwork, find you the best loan, and fight for you if things start to turn nasty.  If you live in Salem or the surrounding areas, I highly recommend calling Nelson Lomax at Landmark Professional Mortgage.  He was totally our champion and got the job done by sheer will power.

Home Sweet Home!

It's done!!!  We can finally talk about it!  IT IS OURS!!!

Last week Todd and I signed the papers and picked up the keys to our very first house.  I tell you what, though, it was a huge struggle to keep this one quiet.  Everyday for the last two months I have wanted to shout it out to the heavens and everywhere below it that this was happening, but after the last time we tried to buy a house ended badly, we decided to keep this to a need-to-know situation.

In the end everything happened very quickly (even if the last three weeks seemed to drag on with one drama after another).  At the end of February my MIL e-mailed me a listing for a house in South Salem that she thought we might like.  The listing looked promising so I called Knipe Realty, a complete cold call based on an ad at the bottom of the listing.  For some reason they put me in touch with Nicole Greenspan in their Portland office (a HUGE God-send), and she made arrangements to meet with us and take us around to three or four other houses that Sunday.

Well, it turned out we didn't like the first house, or the second.  The third was nice, but a bit out of our price range.  After two more "definitely not" houses, she told us to keep the third house in mind, give her a few more details about what we wanted, and go and talk to a broker about financing.  She gave us the name of Nelson Lomax at Landmark Professional Mortgage, who just happened to be a customer of Todd's.  He called us that night and scheduled an appointment for that week.

After meeting with Nelson, and getting pre-approved, we decided to not lose momentum and scheduled a couple showings for Todd while I was out of town.  The first house he saw was a manufactured home in West Salem that had come through my e-mail a couple of times.  He told me flat out that he wanted me to look at the house when I got back and see what I thought.  A few days after I got back I walked into the house and from that point on all other houses paled.

A week later we made an offer and discovered that we were not the only ones coveting this beautiful home.  The seller put it to a bid and we came out the victors.  After that it was a matter of getting inspections, appraisals and paperwork all done.  We did discover that the house needed one thing done before we could close, but that was done fairly quickly.

As I said above, it was the last three weeks that were the real nail-biters.  We were supposed to close on April 30, but after major delays with the appraisers, Title, insurance, HUD, and our lender (whom I will lamb-baste in my mind for years to come) we were required to take out not one... not two... but THREE extensions in order to keep from losing the house.  Even with the extensions we still had a harrowing 11th-hour signing that nearly required Todd to take an extended lunch just so we could get everything buttoned up in time to get the keys on the last day of our final extension.  But you know what they say - all's well that ends well.  I never appreciated that phrase until now.  Nothing else matters now except the fact that we have the house!

Oh, you want to know about the house?  Okay, here it is.  The house is 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 1,782 square feet.  It has vaulted ceilings and an open floor plan.  The kitchen is large with a wrap around counter and opens into the living room, dinning room and family room.  There is a fire place in the family room, ceiling fans in the family room, dining room, and master bedroom, and a WALK-IN CLOSET!  There is a separate utility room off of the kitchen that leads to the garage, which is split level to the house.  The back yard is uneven and needs to be re-fenced, but it has a perfect east-facing spot for a small garden.

I'm sure I will post pictures of my future remodeling of the house at later times.  But until then, thank you Lord, and everyone else who has had a hand in making this happen!

Deep-Dish French Bread Pizza

Just like your average American family, my family loves pizza.  But I am going to let you in on a secret...that is not really a secret:  take-out pizza can get 1) boring, 2) expensive, and 3) detrimental to your wardrobe.

The great thing about pizza is that it is easy (at least the take-out kind), and a great option for long days where cooking dinner just doesn't sound so great.  This argument seemingly nixes my suggested alternative: Homemade Pizza.  But wait, not so fast.  Homemade pizza can be easy!  It is called French Bread Pizza.  You know those sandwich rolls you have in your cupboard?  Cut them in half, spread some pizza sauce on them, sprinkle cheese and toppings, and bake them.  Easy as making a sandwich!

Now, this option is great for the kids who only like one or two toppings on their pizza, but if you are anything like me, you love the combination of flavors multiple toppings provide.  With French Bread Pizza, multiple toppings can be tough.  They usually fall off, and that can get frustrating.  Well, I found a solution to all of your problems (at least as they pertain to French Bread Pizza).  It is called Deep Dish French Bread Pizza.  The process is just a couple more steps, but it takes virtually no time at all.

Instead of cutting the Roll in half, just cut the top 1/2" off.  Using a small serrated knife (i.e. steak knife) cut around the inside of the roll to loosen it up.

Hollow out the roll, leaving about 1/4" - 1/2" rim and crust all around.

Add the pizza sauce all the way around the edges, not just on the bottom.  This will add to the flavor greatly!

And then we layer!  Cheese, toppings, more cheese.  I even sprinkle garlic spread on top of mine to give it a bit of a kick!

Bake on 400°F for 8 minutes, or until it reaches your desired crunchiness.

So now your only argument is that your local pizza joint needs your business.  It is a fact, the take-out pizza industry is thriving.  It does NOT need your business.  Don't think you are supporting it with your weekly (or bi-weekly) purchase.  There!  I have now released you from your dependency on take-out pizza.  That is not to say you can't enjoy take-out from time to time, I do like Papa Murphy's, but that is a treat, not a regular meal!

Napkin Roses for Mother's Day

I had the huge honor of teaching Sunday School for several years at Grace Baptist Church in Eureka, CA.  I still miss the kids there very much.  They challenged me to find different ways to challenge them every week. It wasn't just about learning the Bible.  It was about applying those lessons to everyday and helping them to become witnesses to the World.

Of all of the lessons I taught, I only repeated one.  This lesson I repeated every year on Mother's Day.  The lesson changed from year to year in content, but the basis was the same:  Finding Ways to Celebrate Mom.  The Bible tells us to "Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:15).  This is the fifth of the Ten Commandments of God.

God gave us a lot of rules in the Bible, but for Him to have made "Honor your father and your mother" one of the Ten Commandments, and for it to be the first of the Commandments that have a promise attached to it  - well, it stands out.  Our parents came before us.  They learned lessons ahead of us so they could teach us and we (hopefully) won't need to learn the same lessons the same ways they did.  This is a fact that demands respect.

In America we set aside one day a year to celebrate our Mother (Fathers get their own day in June, but this isn't about them).  I want to make it very clear that "celebrating" them should not be confused with "honoring" them.  We should "honor" them (as a person) everyday.  We don't need a special day to do that.  No, Mother's Day is about celebrating her "mom-ness".  What makes her a great mom?  Why did God give you the mom He did?  It is a day to thank her for being your mom, and apologize for forgetting to thank her every other day of the year.

To go along with the lesson I always included the same object lesson/craft:  the Napkin Rose.  This is a very simple craft, but it means so much when the meaning behind it is explained.

Pretty much everyone knows that flowers have meanings.  Colors matter in conveying the message you want to deliver.  Yellow rose = friendship, pink rose = puppy love or infatuation, red rose = passionate love.  However, on Mother's Day, two of these colors take on a different meaning.

I learned this lesson as a young adult, attending a Mother's Day brunch at the Elks Lodge.  My father presented my mother and my grandmother with two different colored roses.  My mother wore a red rose on her blouse, my grandmother wore a white rose.  I leaned over and asked my mom why my father got her a red rose when her favorite color was yellow.  My grandmother was the one who answered.  "Your mother wears a red rose today because the mother she honors is still here on Earth.  I wear a white rose because my mother is no longer here."  

Those words struck me then, and then struck me even harder several years later when I gave my mother her first white rose on the day I wore my first red rose.  It was my first Mother's Day, and her first Mother's Day without her mother.  That was also the first year I presented this Object Lesson.

I found the idea on You Tube (ironically it was a video of a guy trying to impress girls by making roses out of cocktail napkins, but hey, whatever works).

 

 

 Literally all you need is a red or white napkin (cocktail napkins work best) and tape (floral tape works best).

Lay the napkin out flat and tightly roll one entire edge between your fingers.  Only roll about 1/8 of an inch worth.  Just enough to give it a "curled" look.

Flipping the napkin over, roll the napkin into a loose pinwheel tube.  Make sure the rolled edge is rolling out and not in.

Pinch the tube about two inches from the top and start a tight twist all the way down to create the stem.

Wrap the stem in floral tape.  Pull the petals slightly to open up the rose, and - Viola! - you have yourself a Napkin Rose ready to give to your mother (or grandmother, aunt or mother-figure in your life).

Apple Chips

Our family goes through phases with food.  We like a food, buy a lot of it, eat a lot of it, buy more of it, eat more of it, buy even more of it, get tired of it, and then we are left with a bunch of food we are not quite willing to eat any more.

This happened this week with apples.  My kids were tired of apples, yet we still had three apples that were going to go bad if someone didn't eat them.  Then I saw a Pintrest post that solved my issue:  Apple Chips!

So I sliced up the apples very thin, pre-heated the oven to 200°F, sprinkled them with a cinnamon-sugar mixture, and baked them for two hours.  They'll keep for a week in an air-tight container, but they won't be hanging around that long in my house.

This is definitely a healthy alternative to candy and chips, and I can make them while the boys are at school and have them ready when they get home.  WIN!

APPLE CHIPS

Ingredients:

- Apples

- Cinnamon

- Sugar

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°F.

2. Core apples if you wish.  Slice them very thin.

3. Mix equal parts cinnamon and sugar in a small dish.

4. Sprinkle apple slices with mixture.  Flip and repeat on the other side.

5. Bake for two hours or until the slices take on your preferred level of dehydration.  (I like mine slightly crispy)
*I also decided to flip the chips 90 minutes in to help them dry a bit more.

Greetings from Salem!

Wow!  Who knew that moving would take so much out of me that I would need to take an 8-month hiatus from blogging?  Well, to celebrate making it back to blogging, I have changed the look of the blog.

Our lives have been very eventful in the last eight months.  Here are a few high lights, month-by-month:

September - We arrived to fairly hot weather and were able to get some awesome family time in before Todd started his job and AJ started his new school.  Gordon and Scott (the FIL and BIL) helped us move and stayed one extra day.  The day they left my parents arrived to visit.  Two days after they left Chad and Jamie (BIL and SIL) arrived to visit.  What a wonderful time!

October - Todd started work, AJ started school, Gordy and I decided to "get lost" a lot in order to find our way around town without depending on GPS.  It only took us two weeks to stop using it.  Halloween was fun (the boys were Mario and Luigi) and we were able to sneak a trip down to Eureka to celebrate Ti Aula's birthday.

November - More adventures around town.  The leaves turned, so we were able to have some fun in the leaves.  Rain toward the end of the month provided Todd with his first challenge as a carrier: delivering mail in a flood.  Was able to host Thanksgiving with most of Todd's family (missed MIL).

December - Busiest month of the year!  I decided to bake goodies for Todd's co-workers 2-3 times a week, and apparently they liked them.  My parents surprised me by visiting the weekend before my birthday.  I cried like a baby (we are talking huge sobs) when I opened the door and saw them standing there.  The in-laws were here for Christmas and then a week later we traveled to Eureka to celebrate with my family.

January - The New Year was rung in while visiting family in Eureka.  After returning home the rest of the month was spent settling in to a routine and enjoying life.  Mommy and Gordy spent a lot of time at the YMCA and the biggest excitement of the month was the "new" bunk bed Daddy found while at work for $25.

February - Being a short month, it flew by very fast.  Uncle Scott and Mike and Justin all sneaked in visits at the beginning of the month, and the boys got to spend a bit of time at the Discovery Village.

March - This month was packed VERY full.  Between a quick trip to California for my niece's birthday, Easter, another visit from Mike and Justin, and AJ being invited to TWO birthday parties we were busy every weekend.

April - Finally, last month opened with a BANG!  AJ turned 6 and my parents surprised him with a special visit.  We celebrated all weekend by doing some of his favorite things and ended it with a party at his favorite pizza restaurant.  The rest of the month zoomed by.  As the temperatures started to rise we spent more time out of doors.  It culminated with a visit from our cousins, a trip to the Ag Fair, and a case of pneumonia for AJ.  Not the ending we would have chosen, but he is doing much better now.