Halloween Fun has Just Begun

'Tis the Season...for ghouls and goblins--or Werewolves, Ninjas, Sorceress', Butterflies, and big Money!

With all the parties spread over several days this week--we are on the ball with our costumes early this year. After the outing to the pumpkin patch over the weekend, one of our stops was for costumes. I'm usually a little tight-fisted with the urge to splurge on things that they will truly only wear once! But as we are a little short-changed in the costume department at home and feeling even less creative to pull it together for 5 kidlets before the big day--we let the kids do some shopping for their costumes--with restrictions.

I have many titles in life...some aptly linked to my hobbies, talents, and interests. But I've acquired another title. I'm a "Mean Mom"--or so they think, right now. I have rules and if they don't follow them--their world grinds to a halt. They had to follow these guidelines when they picked their costumes: 1) Nothing with a mask; 2) Nothing immodest; and 3) Nothing gross or gory or too violent. It was a little challenging for a couple of them...namely, Braden and Cameron--because they wanted to be zombies, slashers or swamp-like creatures dripping with blood. Nathan only wanted to wield a bloody axe, just for kicks--no costume needed. Thankfully, Ashley found two modest choices that were equally cute--and then let her friend help her decide. After seeing her all made up...I think that she did a great job!

Nathan settled on being a werewolf. His costume came with a mask, but I cut the mask a part to leave his face exposed and then used a colored eyeliner to bush out his eyebrows. He was happy with the results--even minus the axe.

Braden fell for the Ninja Warrior costume. I allowed him to get the plastic samurai swords...which sold him on the costume. He may be a warrior for the next 10 years because it's big enough for an adult. But he's happy...and that's what counts.

Jessica could have been a nurse, Southern Belle, Sailor girl, Bumble Bee, Lady Bug, Fashionista, etc., etc., etc. She LOVES everything. She narrowed her choices down to the Butterfly and a witch. But she was a darling witch last year and I talked her into trying something new. (Give me some variety in my pictures, please!) So she went with the Monarch Butterfly costume. I embellished the headpiece with orange, yellow, and white flowers. We painted her fingernails orange and she was gushing with pleasure and pride in her choice!

Cameron. What to say, what to say. The boy was set on being a gross swamp creature. His choice went against all the guidelines. He really thought that he could be the exception to the rules. He turned me into a mean mom, very quickly. I finally found the $100 bill costume and it seemed so innately appropriate for him! He nags me about money and questions the cost of everything. We added a cup that says: "Alms for the Poor". He's hoping that people will give him money instead of candy. [He'll probably grow up to be an accountant one day!]

So--we are ready for Halloween Fun--early this year. But I'm thinking that on November 1st, we are going shopping again...for next year's costumes...and we are going to put Cameron's message to work and save our money by buying them on clearance. And if all else fails with that plan for next year...Braden can be a werewolf, Cameron can be the Ninja warrior, Nathan the $100 bill.... The girls? They're so easy to please if it involves sparkles and nail polish!

Two-fer One Chicken...

A few days ago I wrote an entry about the fabulous ways to use a rotisserie chicken that I hadn't thought of before on my other blog: http://savingspokane.blogspot.com/. I decided to put the rotisserie bird to the test on Sunday, to see if I could make the most of it--and it was amazing!! I got 2 full meals out of one chicken (as in 21 servings)! First, for lunch, I made 15 chicken rolls with most of the breast meat. They're always a success and a true family favorite.
Chicken Rolls
2 cans crescent rolls............ 3 c. cooked/cubed chicken
1-8oz pkg cream cheese....... 1 bunch chopped green onions
1 ½ c. crushed bread crumbs... ½ c. melted butter

Soften cream cheese. Add chicken and green onions; thoroughly mix. Roll out crescent rolls and place a scant ¼ c. of chicken filling on the roll. Join sides together and shape into a ball, sealing the roll around the chicken filling (repeat for each crescent roll). Melt the cube of butter. Dip each ball into the melted butter and roll in the bread crumbs. [I like to use Pepperidge Farms Herb Stuffing mix--crushed in a plasic bag, as my crumbs.] Place on a baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees, until golden brown. (For the optional gravy when serving these, mix 1 c. sour cream and 1 can cream of chicken soup together over med. Heat, and then spoon over each roll). I like to serve them with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.

After lunch-I put the remaining chicken in a stock pot with onions, bouillon, garlic, green/red peppers and water. It boiled for 20-30 minutes. I drained the broth into a crock pot and then pieced through the chicken, removing the bones and skin. I added meat and vegetables back to the broth and set about making Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Start with 4 chicken breasts--seasoned/cooked/shredded or boil 1 rotisserie chicken and sort the meat from the excess skin and bones. Save broth for soup base or use water mixed with bouillon to start the base. Taste broth for additional salt or bouillon before done cooking. [Desired hotness to be varied by the amount of chili powder added.]

2 1/2 c. of water--opt....2 green/red peppers--chopped
2 onions--chopped............... 6 cloves minced garlic
1 T chili powder.................. 1 T cumin
2 tsp dried oregano............ 3-4 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans chicken broth......... 6-8 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cans corn--drained........ 2 cans golden hominy--drained
2 cans diced green chilies...1 can black beans--drained
1 can pinto beans...... 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
sliced avocado.......... shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions....crushed tortilla chips or strips

Add everything except for the toppings of: avocado, cilantro, green onions, cheese and chips. I let it cook on High for 2-3 hours. Ladle soup into bowls and top with crush chips, avocado chunks, cheese and onions. Sour cream and limes are optional. It's YUMMY!!

I took it over for dinner with friends last night. We had 10 kids between us and there was only 1 serving amount left in the 8 quart crock pot. For a real treat, Lisa cut the corn tortillas into strips and fried them in oil to make our chips that went on the top. Totally Delicious!

So--thanks to a great conversation about dinner with my friend, Cathy, and reading about the marvels of rotisserie chicken on some fun blogs like this one: (http://www.peanutblossom.com/blog/2010/08/stock-your-freezer-how-to-use-rotisserie-chicken.html)-- it's going to be the latest time-saving addition to our weekly menu plans. Chicken rolls and Tortilla Soup worked out great with 5 stars for each...so I'm going to try a couple more "tried and true" recipes with the rotisserie bird and see if we're trending into a new phase of home cooking. Fast food never tasted so good!

Kits A plenty

Saturdays are busy because it ends up being the catch-up day for things that didn't get done during the week.  After a full week of activities and lessons--we were ready for some play time.  We went to the pumpkin patch in the morning and spent the afternoon together.  After some down time and dinner--it was time for the big project to be cleared off the table!  A couple of days earlier, I set out all the supplies that we would need to make 150 hygiene kits for the homeless shelters in downtown Spokane.  I figured if it covered the dinner table--it wouldn't get missed--it would have to get done rather quickly.  Not always the best plan of attack.  Two days went by...and we were out of time!  So mass assembly started Saturday night...and went rather quickly at that!

 I set out all the toothbrushes, dental floss, combs, hand towels, toothpaste, and deodorant in boxes.  I also had body wash and medicated lip balms for some kits.  The gallon-size Ziploc bags were stationed at one side of the table and we created an assembly line.

 

After multiple attempts to not have a pile-up in the middle of assembly, the kids actually came up with a new strategy.  Ashley loaded the bags with the towels, while Nathan, Braden and Jessica stuffed the guts in. Cameron sealed the bags and loaded them into boxes.  Some of the kits are made specifically for women--with additional products for feminine care and beauty aids added later; while some of the kits are for men, with razors and soaps just for guys. Men are simple creatures and don't require as many frills in their kits!

I've been toying with the thought of adding a card to go in each bag--explaining that we are just aiding His hands in trying to make a difference in the community that we live in.  My hope is that the kids will learn a great life lesson when we take the kits down to the Women's Hearth and Union Gospel Mission in November.  I want them to see that they can make a difference, no matter how small or big their contributions are.  And by then, we will have assembled at least another 100-150 kits.  Till then--I'm still accumulating the products that will go in each new bag. I can't wait for them to take them downtown!  I love these kits and the positive impact that they have in peoples' lives!  http://peaceablewalkldshsp.blogspot.com/

Our family has assembled hundreds (actually closer to twenty five hundred+) hygiene kits in the past.  But it has only been within the last 3-4 years that the kids have been helping put them together. With coupons and sales, I've been able to add floss and deodorant to our kits.  A lot of other items (feminine needs) I'm keeping separate because the bulkiness prevents it from going in the bag. But it is all for a good cause and it keeps me inspired to want to do more, be more, and live more fully, so that I can do all that I am able to make a difference somewhere. My kids don't have a choice in participating in this activity. I'm their mom and this is what I want to do--at least once, if not twice a year.  They really don't squabble too much about what we are doing.  They ask lots of questions about the people that are going to receive them and how they came to be there.  I don't have all the answers to those questions...I just know that it matters and that we can make a difference. 

They've made the project go together a little faster for us.  Who knows--maybe they will find their passion doing something similar in their lives, and others will continually be blessed wherever they are.  I'm thankful that my husband allows me to keep up this "hobby" and that he knows we are blessed because of it, as well.  I get very moved when I see stories like Mariama Kallon's.  I remember the first kits I put together back in 2000.  I became obsessed with numbers.  I felt driven to do more, make more, and give more.  I didn't know about her then.  But as I heard her story in person and read it in articles like this one--I know why and how these simple things can alter a person's life.  So as long as I can shop and string two words together...I'm going to making more hygiene kits!   http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/news-features/hygiene-kit-helped-african.html

Pools in the Pumpkin Patch

After a busy morning of cleaning the church building and then breakfast burritos made by Dad...we headed to the pumpkin patch at Siemer's in Greenbluff. It was raining pretty steady when we left the house...and was in full torrential downpour by the time we got to the farm. Jeff asked if we should come a different day instead--but the parking lots suggested that we weren't the only crazy people willing to take a shower for some seasonal pumpkins.

Nobody complained...they just pulled up their hoods up and headed towards the fields of orange. I figured that they'd be easily deterred and pick the pumpkins closest to the walkway, before heading back for the promised pumpkin donuts and hot cider, immediately. But, irregardless of the rain, they wandered the fields looking for perfect pumpkins. Ninety four pounds of pumpkins and half an hour later--it was time to go--because Dad said so ;) He was the only one without a hood....

We had a family day of favorites--Krispy Kreme donuts and hot chocolate afterwards, shopping for Halloween costumes, Costco dogs for lunch, and some down time at home. We capped the day off with Vietnamese Spring Rolls for dinner and a putting together a service project for the homeless shelters that I'll write about tomorrow. It was a full and busy day--but well-spent with our kids. Traditions, traditions, traditions. It's what keeps the happy moments rolling.

I'm Pinned!!

Pinned is the new word for "hooked"!! As in, line and sinker, baby.

Ok. It's my new addiction. I have to say that I was fairly warned that it would be awesome, but time consuming. Yep. True that!! All thanks to Pinterest. So what is it? I thought the website explained it best.
It's a personal archive of all your likes, ideas, wants, and potentials. It feeds on the people that are already doing and pinning their loves and creations. It creates order out of possibilities that may never have happened because you just "didn't know that!"

I've tried new menu ideas, created fun party favors and foods, and am making plans to create more order in my home because of pins and things that I've seen on pinterest.

There are so many different categories of boards that you can create. You even title the boards with your own words, so that it personalizes the board to you. The types and number of boards is up to the creator, or "curator" of the board.

I made an attempt at being efficient in my pinning, by differentiating my boards in similar categories. Under the topic of "food"--I have 'Amazing Foods', 'Recipes', 'Party Foods', 'Souper Saturdays', 'Breakfast', 'Freezer Meals', 'Chicken', 'Super Sandwiches', 'Crock Pot Cooking', 'Yum Yums', 'Kid's Foods', and 'Finger Foods'. That way--I can find an idea faster when I'm looking for something specific. Food has the most categories--what a surprise--but it seems to be what I find that I'm doing the most in my house at this point in life.

Sometimes you see things that just make you laugh--but don't know quite where to put it. It doesn't really justify a spot in the annuls of the journal entry, per se-you don't want to leave it on the fridge for 30 years...but it was something that tickled your funny bone. Now pinterest allows you to pin pictures of anything....so it's fabulous to save those funny sayings, odd ball cartoons, etc., etc.

Pinterest is like a virtual catalog of ideas, inspirations, recipes, pictures, and temptations! Everybody can create their own "boards" that pictures from the web, blogs, personal folders, and other boards can be "pinned" to. It's the ultimate filing system for a great idea and visual of something that strikes your fancy!

I've even started boards for topics that are just for "Brilliant Ideas"...like homemade household cleaners, ideas for food storage, preschool lessons and activities, tips for do-it-yourself projects...and the list goes on. It's a virtual wealth of information all conglomerated onto one website. It's fun to see what people are doing with their family traditions, Halloween costumes, and home decor. It saves hours, if not years, of finding personal tastes and styles. It can be found in the mega amounts of boards that others have created and inspired.

I used to rip pages out of magazines and stick them in a folder so that I could have a reminder of a cool craft or decoration. The folder never seems to come out when I'm looking and doing my activities.Now--I don't plan on a wedding anytime soon in the family. But in 5-10 years, I'm sure that I'll be throwing together some plans. What a great resource to refer back to for some beautiful and memorable wedding opportunities. All I'll have to do in show the bride to be some ideas and she can create her own boards...and hopefully, I won't get it wrong because a picture if worth a thousand words, right? Pinterest is awesome! I can dream, see what I like, plan, be inspired, think...and when somethings new comes along and I want to remember it--I know just the place to put! No more ripping up magazines for me!

What's on your Face?

This was our morning observation and conclusion with Jessica breaking the genetic ties for Freckles Vs No Freckles.

Jessica is loving first grade and her introduction to the "big-kid" schedule. She's starting to make herself more independent by wanting to do her own hair (hit or miss, at best)...choose her own clothes (from the 2 choices I give her)...and come to her own conclusions about why things happen the way they do (way too random to help out there!) So we had a little conversation this morning about her face. It started with me asking her--"What's on your face?" Nothing. "Go wash your face." Ok. "Go wash your face again." Why? I just did. "You missed some spots." She starts to lick around her mouth. "Not that spot. Go wash your face again." Fine. But I'm going to do my own hair. "That's not what I said." Hmmph!

Spots were still noticeable after three scrubs. So I went to take a closer look at the problem. Well. There's no problem. I think nature might be getting off to a late start on delivering sun kisses to Jessica--but I think that's what they are!

Most people with a simple biological understanding know that we are genetically predispositioned to get or not get freckles. I have loads of freckles. Jeff doesn't have any. So there's a reasonable 50/50 chance that we'd have freckled or freckle-less children--or some variation in between. And with five kidlets, you kind of get to see the gene pool at work. We don't usually keep score in the genetic department, but here's the freckle ratios. Ashley doesn't have freckles. Nathan doesn't have freckles. But Cameron and Braden definitely have large helpings of those genetic hits of melatonin.

I thought Jessica was going to remain blemish-free of the "sun kisses" because I haven't seen too much change in her skin-tone or coloring since she was a baby...until now! I noticed 2-3 spots on her face recently that I thought were traces of food. After washing her face several times, she kept coming back with a spotty wet mug. So what's going on?

Not doing the job right? Nope. It's not chocolate. It's not markers. It's not even boogers! I think we have a new case of Freckles in the family! That means 4 people with freckles, and 3 without freckles. Woo Hoo!

With or without freckes, she's definitely a cutie...and a soon-to-be freckled cutie, at that! Jessica doesn't think anything of them. She's still too worried about the tooth she just lost down the drain the other night and how the tooth fairy is going to pay her without a tooth--never mind the gaping hole in the front of her mouth! I'm sure we'll have to fabricate some story about shrinking fairies, squishy drains, and twice the amount of money for pain and suffering sans tooth...but for now, I'm still chuckling about the sweet sun kisses on her cheeks.

And between spitting teeth down the drain and washing her face, she's constantly got her nose stuck in a Junie B Jones book these days. But I had a thought...she might get a thrill to read one of my childhood favorites--Freckle Juice, by Judy Blume!

Legg-Perthy's Strikes Again...

Braden was diagnosed at 3 yrs-old with something called Legg-Perthys Disease. It's a condition in the hips where the blood supply is not reaching the bone and so the bone starts to die and collapse. It happens in older people as well--and it's called Osteo-necrosis; usually treated with a hip replacement and life goes on. But in children, they are still growing and trying to develop with this condition, compromising the growth we take for granted. They say the the younger a person is diagnosed, the better the results. And being that he was so young...we've really haven't given it much thought through the years, because he's been so active and undeterred. Until the third week of September. He came home from school complaining that his leg hurt. It's always the left leg...Ok. We pacified him with some video games and an early bedtime. But Saturday came, with endless complaints and some funky walking strides. By Sunday morning, he looked like he'd been pole-axed through his tail and his legs didn't go together straight. What to do, what to do.

I called Shriner's on Monday morning. They are not the easiest place to get into right away because appointments are made months out. But we had just received a card in the mail reminding us to call and schedule the 6-month follow-up that he needed since his April appointment. When I called, I mentioned the problems that we were having, and they got him in immediately with a PA. She ordered x-rays...and this is what she came back with.

(April 2011--the left side still has a circular ball-shape)

Braden had had a lot of pain since April, because his femoral ball is no longer round, but in more of a mushroom-shaped collapse. Pictures really do tell a broader story of what's going on, than just watching him walk around.


(September 19, 2011)

There isn't a lot they can do right now...since he's only 9 yrs-old. But they said he needed to have steroids put in immediately for pain-relief. So between Jeff's crazy graveyard work schedule and the other kids' activities...we got him in for surgery on September 29th. We had to be at Shriner's pre-op room by 6am for check-in and medical scrubs. We were lucky to be first in the day's operating room line-up.



The same surgeon that did Nathan's surgery back in January, Bryan Tompkins, did Braden's. He injected the femoral head with steroids and put some dye in the socket to see what was going on the the joint. He said that thankfully the head is matching the socket, despite the shape, and not impinging his movement too much, otherwise. His range of motion has decreased a lot compared to what's normal. He is 100% exempted from PE and contact activities--which is totally sad for him. (He loves a good brawl with the boys, if you know what I mean). They are hoping that the steroids give him enough reprieve to walk and keep up low-strain activities, at least for the time being. They warned us that he would need the exact same procedure as Nathan when he is about 14-15 yrs-old. AGG!! The doctor explained that it's really 1 in a million chances that two boys from the same family with totally different diagnoses would have to have the exact same surgery. But that is how they have to treat Legg-Perthys as well as the SCFE in Nate. Wow. Both boys will need hip replacements before they are 20...or sooner.



The two boys we thought were destined to be our football players have been forbidden from the field. They are in swimming right now...but need to work hard to increase their kicks and strokes because of bum hips. Core build-up and work-outs are going to be the goal this winter, to help the muscles around their hips increase in strength, so that they can swim better. They both love the water--so hopefully--we can have some strong swimmers instead of footballers!

What to expect? A gradual limp in his walk. A surgery to stunt the growth plates on the good side to allow the left side to catch up. Massive reconstructive surgery in his early teens. Constant monitoring. Treatments as needed. Hip replacements. No big deal. Just par for the course in our family. We seem to have the fiery challenges in life well-stoked. At least Nathan can be a morale booster for his brother. We'll have to compare the pain thresholds between them...and see who's the winner! But I already know that they are both winners for the amount of crap they've had to go through for their young ages.

I thank God every day for hospitals like Shriner's. I don't know what we would do with even 10% of the hospital bills that we've accrued so far and will continue to mount in the future. We were hoping that Braden would grow out of his childhood bane, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The doctors are amazing and the hope for a normal future is on the horizon!

Twin Saxophones...for Twin Boys

Welcome to a new era in parenting--Band Season in a young 5th graders heart. Saturday was a very busy day at my house. We brought the twins home! Not those twins, but these twins! With band starting the end of September, I took the boys to the open house at the high school and let them try the instruments before we decided on what they wanted to play. I had a pretty good idea that Cameron wanted to play the saxophone, but Nathan was leaning towards trumpet...until the open house--where he announced that he also wanted to play the saxophone. Uh-Oh. Got a problem.

I only had one saxophone in the closet and I vaguely remembered the the music stores spiel about all the instruments being $15 a month rent, except for saxophones...they were $45 a month to rent. Aggg. So, thus, the dilemma of how to pro cur another saxophone without bilking the federal reserve.

Jeff and I took my alto sax down to Hoffman's Music store to have them work it over right after the open house. It was in pretty good condition for idling in the closet for two decades...but cork, leather, and felts needed to be updated. We also got an idea of when the horn was made (1940's) and the value. Let's just say--whoa! That's a great horn!! We had to replace the case and buy some new reeds. Somehow I didn't think that 22 yr-old reeds with pearly pink lipstick on them would go over too well with the Cam-daddy!

But we still had to resolve another issue. Band had already started September 29th--and we still only had one instrument, yet two boys, attending sans horns. We got the call from Hoffman's Friday afternoon to say that the horn was ready for pick-up...and since the boys had band Monday morning, we had to pick it up on Saturday or they wouldn't have an instrument going into the third week of practice.

So while we were there, I had them show us some horns to rent. Their rental program is a rent-to-own...but I didn't see any saxophones that I was particularly excited to own in the $600-900 range. So many of the instruments for band programs are coming made from China and aren't deemed to last longer then 5-6 years. Well--I don't call that an investment in a sound product. So I told the sales lady to bring only US-made products out. She brought a Bundy Selmer from the back that came in a case like the one we had just bought my sax. It was dirty and had dog hair on it, but the price tag had me keenly interested...$249.99. Whoa--either it's cracked or mismarked. I was pleased to see that it was indeed a Bundy Selmer and in pretty good condition. I pilfered a new reed from the box we bought the boys and gave it a run-through. Not too bad--especially compared to the blase knock-offs. But was very disappointed when someone mentioned that the price tag did not belong to Hoffman's--but rather to a local pawn shop--and they had to find out the real price.

Oh...huge let-down. It took the manager a long time to get some calls made. Jeff even left for awhile and came back. The sales staff started looking through their consignment horns to see if there was anything comparable to appease me. They finally found a newer model of the same horn for $395. He said that he knew the person selling it and that they would take $295 for it. Well-at least we were getting to the stellar price-range that sold me on the other one. So I took my mouthpiece and gave that one a blow. It definitely needed some new felt and pads. They took it right over to the premier saxophone-fixer...who worked it over. But I hemmed and hawed because I didn't want the 1960s case that came with it...I wanted the case that the pawn-shop sax was in because I knew exactly what the case was worth--never mind the saxophone! And it would match well for boys that were twins! After an hour--the salesman asked me if that was my only hold-up with buying the consignment horn. Sadly--yes. So he got up and took the better horn and put it in the pawn store case and said that we could have the saxophone for the $295 price! He walked us up to the front cashier and we were very pleased!

Now the twins had matching saxophones, in matching cases--no less, and I was extremely pleased with our find for under $300. [Who would want a rent-to-own plan for $150 more a year, then what we just paid!!] We had paid almost $200 for the case that we put my sax in...just the week before. So to find a sax that was American-made in a $200 case--in great condition--was like manna in the music store. So we bought that beaut and brought it home. I didn't want to show preference in the horns or cases, so we took them to our room first. I cleaned up the black case till it looked new-ish--and then I let the boys pick the instruments by the case.


Nathan wanted the black case and Cameron wanted the red case. So Nathan got the Selmer (a GREAT horn) and Cameron got the Conn (a STELLAR horn). Both instruments will withstand the playing and wear and tear for decades to come--because both were made in the USA with quality and old-age in mind. Nate's horn is the baby--definitely only in it's 40's, while Cameron's baby dates back to the WWII-era, when jazz was king and the saxophone was a raging machine!

I can't wait for them to have great experiences in band. In just a couple of weeks, the Mead High School band is leaving for Disney World, in Orlando, for a week of playing and sightseeing. They go every 4 years. So--we could be sending these monkeys on some amazing memory-making experiences before we know it. The great investment now will pay off in the end. I remember all the great trips I did in high school. I'll never forget marching the Rose Parade--going to Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, Hearst Castle, Alcatraz, Hawaii, Victoria, BC, and hundreds of other experiences. That saxophone could open the doors to a lifetime of memories!