My semi-annual trip to the salon.

I actually promised myself that I would start having standing appointments at the salon, instead of getting to the point where I am so frustrated with my hair that I want to cut it myself. After 4 years of not highlighting my hair (I just couldn't bear to let anyone but Heidi bring foil anywhere near my head, even if I had to fold them myself :)), and after realizing that I would not be in the vicinity of the Stuart Fraser salon for a long time, I had Chelsey go ahead and bring the sunlight back into my 'do this summer during our long layover in California.

Well, someone forgot to tell me that summer was over and that it might be a good time to freshen up the three inch visible roots. I think part of me was hoping that Heid or Chels would come visit us and want to work while on vacation. So I had to find someone and after reading good reviews online I found Danne who is supposed to be great at giving you hair that is appropriate for the Hawaii climate (HUMID!!!) and your lifestyle (I don't have one). He is Bumble trained so I felt like the girls would approve. Also, (besides the H. & C.) I prefer to go to men. My last three, now four, have been men, and although I'm not screening, straight men who like long hair which makes Ben happy (that they will keep my hair long, not that they are straight). Anyhow, Danne was no exception to this, even though I wanted to go a lot shorter (it's just too hot) and lighter, he ended up keeping it longish and taking it darker, via lowlights (even though he did compliment Chels' color choice and work). I think he knew what would suit me best even though next time I think I will still try to talk him into shorter and lighter :) One thing that was crazy was that he never used scissors once, just a razor as far as I could tell. He really seemed to understand my super-fine, curly underneath, straight on top hair and he identified the cowlick in my bangs immediately. Now if only I could learn how to use product...
Here are some before and after pics:


How I end up wearing my hair everyday, no matter how ambitious I started out:

The reason why I wear it in a bun everyday...
( i asked avery to take a pic of my hair and I think she was intent on getting the pony)

A few days after the cut/highlights:

(It looks lighter in these pics than it does in person...probably from the light through the window)

Bonus Footage:

Because I know Sara loves it when I add stuff to a post days later...I was using the laptop and found some pictures of my hair after a couple (semi-annual, also) trips in Maryland. I don't think of myself as one who changes styles often, but maybe I have enjoyed a little more variety than I thought. I'd say these were late summer (bottom) and winter (top) 2005.

back


front






before (yikes)

after (no cut, only semi-permanent color)

How do I look?

That's what she said as we were leaving the house to go to Thanksgiving dinner.

To be fair, she did ask me if she could put on some of my makeup, I just didn't know that she took after her great-great gma Fern who invented this look in her later years, only she prefered red.

Someone has a future at the MAC counter I'd say.

Modest is Hottest

First of all, the church must be true because the three Mormons are still "safe" on Dancing with the Stars.

Also, Avery has cast her vote for every girl, except for Julianne (Mormon), because she was wearing "too less clothes". Hmmmm, that would be the only one that her dad wants to watch...

Good job Avery, for knowing when a girl needs to cover up.

Most Dramatic Rose Ceremony Ever

I first started watching The Bachelor in it's first season...hard to believe that it must have been around six years ago, because Ben and I were living in Texas. Americans must have really needed something inane or ridiculous to get our mind off of 9-11, plus reality TV was just starting to take off. I watched the first few seasons, then my better judgment kicked in and it seemed to get more salacious so I stopped (watching faithfully that is, I must have caught a few episodes here and there, now as I look at the list of Bachelors and realize I am familiar with most if not all*). I hardly expected that two kids and four states later it would still be on, or that I would be watching it. But about 3 seasons ago I did resume the habit (either it got less bawdy, or I became more base). First there was Dr. Stork and we (a group of med. school wives) had to watch it and then Prince Lorenzo and then Lt. Andy Baldwin (an officer and a gentleman, which we also had to watch because he was a doctor in the military. the husbands even joined us for that one. it's way more fun to watch it in a group, especially with guys and girls) and now there is Brad Womack, he's my favorite so far, because he's actually manly, and after last night. I like him that much more.

Because I'm pressed for time (due to watching too much worthless television) here is an excerpt by Mary Beth Ellis for MSNBC on how it all went down:

In a show that has been rarely been little more than an opportunity to knock back the womens’ movement a good 40 years one rose at a time, this season’s edition of polygamy on parade promised an “unprecedented” ending. Rumors swirled over a request to date both, an instant Vegas wedding, an “actually, I’m gay” — not many expected that Brad would stone-cold drop the final two. Bachelors have upended the “I’d like to see where this amazing incredible journey takes us” wheelbarrow before, but to stand before each with “I have to say goodbye”? Ouch.

For once, a bachelor gave “The Bachelor” a great big one-finger salute — and it wasn’t by slipping a big old diamond on the left hand of a tooth-whitened real estate agent from Tampa. Brad didn’t issue a proposal, or a promise ring, or even an “I love you — I’m just not in love with you.” He rejected both finalists.

Read her full article here. She wrote exactly what I would have written had I the time and eloquency.

Although Tuesday, is a no TV day for me, I feel I must make an exception and watch The Bachelor: After The Rose special tonight.

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*Britt is even more familiar with Bachelor related "stars" as she met Mark Burnett (producer) and Chris Harrison (host) in the elevator once in NY (she thought Chris was a creep - must have been a long elevator ride to determine that) and has hung out a handful of times w/ Estella, "winner" of season 4. I can't resist the opportunity to name drop!

We are AWANA Cubbies.

20+ years ago, my sisters and I started going to AWANA, a weekly program that has activities, games and scripture mastery for which you can earn badges, pins, the chance to go to camp, Awana Olympics and more! I think it was an important factor in shaping who I am today and we really looked forward to Wednesday nights at grandma and grandpa’s, who faithfully listened to our memorized verses, sewed on patches and shuttled us to and from church. So needless to say I was excited when I saw a local churches banner outside advertising the start of a new Awana year. And Avery is old enough to join! She is currently a Cubbie, and although I never was one since I started out in the next age-group up, I still remember the Cubbies song. It's weird how things come back to you years later. I peeked into the gym while the older kids were playing and was amazed that they are still playing the same games there as well, bean-bag toss, 4-way tug, 3 legged race and the balloon relay. I remember it like yesterday.

*The acronym Awana comes from the first letters of Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed from 2 Timothy 2:15.

Advice to be taken with a grain of sugar

Due to Miles' smallish stature, I was recently referred to nutrition counseling at the hospital. First of all, there is no cause for alarm because he is trucking steadily along the 5th percentile curve. Furthermore, if plotted on a growth chart for any third world another country, like say China, he is well above the 50th percentile, so he's not destined for horse jockeydom just yet.

So I admit that at first I was a bit peeved that I, with my dedication to all things nutritious, would be sent to counseling, especially by a doctor who had just graduated with Ben and is going into radiology, not pediatrics or family medicine. Which also means that he should know that Miles' dad might be capable to recognize any nutritional shortcomings in the home. Anyhow, I considered the fact that I just might learn something, so I swallowed my pride made the trip.

Let me preface the experience by saying, that I really liked the Registered Dietician that I met with. She was very pleasant and had a great collection of stickers for the kids. Her advice... well, not only was it not extremely informative, it was downright appalling. So the purpose was to disuss ways to increase his caloric intake. So she gave me a handout entitled SUPERCHARGE RECIPES FOR WEIGHT GAIN with some of the following advice:

Special Tips For The Little Ones -

- Use ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing and BBQ sauce on everything.
- Sprinkle Carnation Instant Breakfast powder on ice cream, cereal, cake and muffins and tell him it is special sugar.
- Ice Cream and a story before bedtime
- A pint of Ben & Jerry's or Hagen Daaz ice cream 1,300-1,500 calories per container.
- Put peanut butter on everything. (wait, I thought we were supposed to put ketchup on everything!)

High Calorie PB&J Sandwich -

-Take two slices of bread of your choice and toast them
-Spread margarine (gag) on one slice and spread a generous amount of PB on top of that
-Slice half a banana and place slices on top of PB
-On the other slice, spread MARSHMALLOW CREME and top with jam or jelly of your choice!
-Put the two slices together and there you have your sandwich.

7-Layer Bars -

-1 c. butter (2 sticks)
-11 oz. bag of mini-m&m's (1 bag)
-16 oz. butterscotch chips (1 1/2 bags)
-7 oz. coconut
- 4 c. graham crackers
- 6 oz. pecans
- 2 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven yada yada...

Oreo Milkshake -

-8 oz. whole milk
-One packet of vanilla Instant Breakfast
- 1/2 c. high fat cookies & cream ice cream
- 5 Double Stuf Oreos
-Mix in Blender. Serve in frozen beer mug w/straw. Cookies are a nice addition.

Okay, so once my child wakes up from his sugar-coma... Hey but at least he'll gain 20 lbs in a week! Is this a conspiracy from the makers of the lap-band, Avandia or insulin? Am I being punked?!!

She did admit that these recipes were more on the desserty side, and suggested for regular meals that I add additional oils to his foods. When I mentioned that I occasionally add flax-seed oil to dishes I make for the kids she thought for a minute and then said, "well, i guess that that is just as good as any other kind of oil" Just as good?! Whatever. She didn't even look at the 3-day food journal they insisted I bring with me to the appt.

So, the above is just a sampling of the five pages she gave me (I have three more milkshake recipes if anyone is interested). It is scary to me that they hand this out to parents. Does this scare anyone else, or are you just thinking, that sounds delicious...

Misadventures in Nursing

Things are getting desperate around here. I am wearing cabbage leaves to dry up my supply and Miles is “drinking” from spray bottles he found under the sink*. I found him with one bottle slightly to his right and one slightly to his left and he was alternating sucking each one.

*One was club soda for cleaning mirrors and the other was something bitter (yes, I tasted it) but non-toxic. I do keep chemicals up high or locked up.

Happy (Observed) Veterans Day!

A thank you to all who have served from Miles:

Heroes Welcome

Welcome home to Ariel's (Bailey, now Lively) husband Jim and ALL of the Marines he was deployed with on this year -long stint (his second that I know of)!

Major Lively led a 16 Marine MIT Team (Military Instructional Transition Team). In layman's terms, he and 16 other Marines were embedded with an Iraqi Battalion to advise them about their operations etc... and help them become autonomous. It was NOT a very safe place when they arrived but below is a description in his words of the improvements they saw in his year there.

To summarize the year in Ramadi would be difficult and I know that most of you have been stayed informed via the IDL. I recently told a senior Marine officer that my year as a combat advisor was by far the most rewarding and challenging year of my 10 year Marine Corps career. In a word – phenomenal. As I left Iraq, the city of Ramadi was continuing to move towards greater stability and increased security. Schools that were rubbled in October 06 were open and full of children in September of 07. Our neighborhoods that had no civic leadership because of the fear of murder and intimidation at the hands of Al Queda when we arrived last year now have a thriving neighborhood council that cooperates with the city government and the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police. The police themselves are probably the biggest accomplishment in Ramadi. There was not a single, blue-shirted police officer in our area of operations when we arrived. When we departed there were over 1500, and many more waiting for training and equipping. Are they perfect? No, but they’re effective and they’re fighting with us and not against us. Thousands of men in their 20s and 30s are uniformed and working hard to prevent an Al Queda resurgence….and they’re accomplishing that. When we arrived last year the city was literally a giant trash dump and portions of the city were completely ravaged by fierce fighting. When we left, the enormous piles of trash – in one case in our neighborhood a trash pile was actually surrounding and partially covering one of the schools – were cleaned away and the city’s trash services were beginning to operate effectively resulting in hundreds of jobs for men who previously could turn only to the insurgency for a paycheck. Millions of dollars in reconstruction funds were committed to rebuilding streets, walls, water plants, irrigation systems and other key infrastructure. Probably the greatest sign to me of change was a simple 5K race, not unlike you’d see around White Rock Lake in Dallas. Prior to the war, the men of Ramadi ran a 5K road race each year as part of pre-Ramadan (an Islamic holiday) celebrations. Well, for the first time in at least 5 years they were able to run that race again. I saw with my own eyes hundreds of men in their running suits streaming down the main street in Ramadi – ecstatic at the safety and security that allowed them to enjoy this simple pleasure. That same stretch of street in central Ramadi was one of the top three most frequently IEDd spots in all of Iraq when we arrived!!! Now Iraqi men were safely running a road race.

As an advisor to the Iraqi Army I’m proud to report that the Iraqi Army played a huge role in all of these things. Our forces provide guidance and some resources, but the Iraqi Army in Ramadi is a viable and competent security force. These men are fearless soldiers and are proud to serve their great nation. It was a great pleasure and honor to serve along side them. It was also a great privilege to serve along side the Marines, Sailors and soldiers on my team. They are the true heroes of this deployment. By God’s grace, they all returned home and only one was slightly wounded in action. They performed with honor and distinction and eight of them received awards for valorous action in the face of the enemy. I’ve never served with a finer group of men. You’ll never imagine my thankfulness that they all returned home.

All of these things were a bi-product of your fervent, disciplined and faithful prayers. Please know that I’m eternally grateful for your vigilance here at home to cover me and my men while deployed. Thank you and praise our Father for His provision, protection and faithfulness.

Will Hike for Pancakes (or Pork).

Since Ben was home (and awake) we decided to go on a family outing. Well, he had a few errands to run and I decided we would be tagging along and that we would start the day off at Boots and Kimo's, a local breakfast place that is supposed to have great pancakes with Macadamia Nut Sauce. Ben's not a huge breakfast person but it was nearly 11am by the time we got out the door so it counted as lunch for him. I knew he would love it when I ran inside to put our name on the list and noticed all of the Denver Bronco's paraphernalia. Also, because it is popular and doesn't have a ton of seating they take your name and when a table is close to coming up they come out and take your order, then when you are seated your food comes pronto...a feature which I knew would suit Ben's principles just fine (we have a slight patience problem).

We ordered an omelet and a stack of their famous pancakes and all was great (service was lacking). Then we completed our errands and were driving around when we came across a trail head that we decided to check out. A mile and a half, four stream crossings and a 400 foot elevation change later we were at Maunawili Falls. Since we were just going to check out the trail and not complete it, we were all wearing flip flops and Avery's had about a two-inch wedge on them. But she hiked all the way up by herself despite the mud and a trail thick with roots (on the way down she fell asleep on dads shoulders, using his head as a head rest). Miles got packed in by mom, which he loved of course. And I was the only one who got to swim beneath the falls (despite the warnings of leptospirosis, which I had thought was a type of leprosy but it's actually just a bacteria common in fresh water sources that wild animals might use a urinal) because I had thought we were going to the beach at some point and was wearing a suit. Had I known we were going to be going deep into the wilderness I would have brought a roll of duct tape and a knife. Ben doesn't like to hike just to so that was a small victory in itself (he only wants to hike if there is a purpose, like say, fishing, or a merit badge associated with it) because I do like to and it's challenging with two kids and only one back (although I have packed Avery on the back and Miles on the front before - just ONCE, like I said, I only have one back, I'd better preserve it).

To replenish the expended calories we hit up Keneke's for a couple Kalua Pig Sandwiches on the way home and called the day a success.

Pictures by someone else.

VOTE for Sara!

Do not pass GO, do not collect $100, do not read my other posts that I added below, go directly to this website: http://www.milliehollomanblog.com/ and vote for this picture -

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It is Election Day after all. What else do you have to vote for today, besides propositions to save our children and our environment?! Now when someone asks if you voted today you can say yes! (It's also okay to vote tomorrow, when it's likely that you actually read this). She made the various iPods out of foam core that she put in the machine, not to mention eveything else that went into the shoot. Just because she won another contest recently (that was way back in October) doesn't mean she doesn't deserve another victory. Let's make her famous so we can all say we know her. And be grateful that I'm not asking you to submit an online vote for one of my kids in a lineup of a thousand others. This is real talent we're talking about here! (And if you have multiple computers, vote twice)

Quilters Beware

I joined the ward quilting group. Add that to the book club, choir and nutrition class and you can see that I am either a) desperate for socialization b) uncomfortable with being under-scheduled or c) eager to learn something new. The answer is, of course, d) all of the above, but why quilting!? I saw one of their projects and it was actually pretty neat. It all comes down to fabric choice and Chelsey has introduced me to some designers like Amy Butler among others through her hip projects so I might actually make something I like. Anyhow, I need to learn how to make something besides pajama pants with the sewing machine anyway.

So tonight I went to the crafting store to browse their poor selection of fabric for my first project with the group - a friendship quilt - where each person does 9 copies of their square and then we trade. I'm not in love with this project but you have to start somewhere and if they are willing to let me learn then so be it.

While painstakingly trying to find THE fabric to go with the fall-theme, I saw this sign advertising a particular group of fabrics. I so wish I had my camera (I would have sent it to Jay Leno), but I wrote it down word for word:

Festive Knit - 60" Great for Hoochie Mamma Dress $3.99/YD

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You know I got me some of that! But, at an arts and crafts store. Really?

Also while at the store, I couldn't help but skim a few quilting books so I could drop some cool quilters terminology on them tomorrow. I'm a bit like Peanut that way. Example - I was checking out the fat quarters at the store and I thought that maybe some of the fabrics in your jelly roll would make awesome prairie points. And by the way, does your machine do trapunto?

I feel closer already.

We don't fall back, spring forward or any of that nonsense out here in the middle of the ocean, but communication with the mainlanders should be a tad bit easier now that we are an hour less behind.

October Recap

Ben - Doing the ICU thing this month, a joyful joyful place to be I'm sure. Most of the time we see him lately he is asleep, or trying to sleep...certainly not his kindest state of being. Yesterday I was trying to nuzzle him to wake him up at 4 in the afternoon and he says grouchily, Get off my Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus neck! The problem is that, that could very probably be a true statement. Who knows what else has hitched a ride home with him from the ICU? I promptly washed my face with a combination of boiling water and bleach and did the same on the sheets and pillowcases.

Miles- 4 new top teeth. Actually 2 and almost two more. But they are coming. Loves to help me cook. He should be darn good too since he is ALWAYS right on my hip when I'm in the kitchen. If he isn't the youngest person ever to win Top Chef I will be sorely disappointed.

Avery- Oh where do I begin, as always. Avery doesn't particularly like to help me in the kitchen, like I had always hoped she would but she does make a great sous-chef as she enjoys peeling garlic and pulling the leaves off various herbs. A few weeks ago I was telling her that we eat cilantro with beans because it cuts down on the toots. She thought about it for a second and said "well ,then Uncle Brady needs some ceeelantro"

A. also spent October spreading joy to others. I witnessed her tell, and almost floor, two women on separate occasions, that they looked beautiful. It was almost as if they both really needed to hear that that day, because I swear I saw tears as they thanked her. She does it all the time. If you are wearing a dress, flashy jewelry or a patterned scarf like a turban, you can almost be certain that she will compliment you.

Me- My month could be entitled "Adventures in Nursing...and Weaning...And Nursing". Even though Ben told me that it was the worst birthday gift ever, M. got weaned completely just before he got a taste of his first cupcake. It wasn't too bad because I've been phasing it out for the last 5 months. Then he got a fever, whether it was the 4 teeth or a virus, he wouldn't eat anything and being that he is not actually plottable on the weight chart as it is, I couldn't bear to see him starve so I gave in. Now that he is being weaned yet again, he has gotten smart and has boycotted milk in a cup. It's a battle of wills, but I'm a Taurus so I should prevail.

On a side note, I lost 3 lbs the week I weaned him and promptly put it back on when he got reattached. It's a crazy phenomenon, but just in case you are also one of the 1 in 5 women whom breastfeeding doesn't help you shed the pounds, there is hope. This happened to me with Avery too. I don't know how it works with the hormones (the same ones that make any moles I might have plump up) or water-retention or what but it's very real.

Britt- Got her identity stolen, but at least she still has her Gucci bag! The situation is being investigated now and luckily they didn't get away with much, but it's a good reminder, at someone elses expense, to be aware and check your credit periodically. And of course, I do have celebrity sighting news from B.'s camp. Not firsthand but very close, as "Uncle Sammy" was on a private jet with Prince (I can't figure out how to do the whole symbol bit), whom he was instructed not to speak to unless spoken to and not to look him directly in the eye. Okay, I made up that very last part, but there were other restrictions. What is also true is that Prince was wearing 4 inch clear-heeled shoes that lit up when he walked. Purple, of course.

TV - Started watching Samantha Who? because I need a break from Reality TV and it's actually a very entertaining half-hour. It's Christina Applegate, who is very cute and a whole host of actors with excellent comedic timing (including Martha from 24). The premise is a girl who wakes up in a hospital with amnesia and doesn't remember anything, hence what I already wrote about her having amnesia, and in her previous life she was a horrible person but now is..well a blank slate...who is nice. Since I'm doing a terrible job explaining this, you can read more about it here if you want to but it is a fun, funny show, that that makes me laugh out loud...and Ben watches it too.

Giveaway - Daved David Booth won the copy of Kite Runner. As if he doesn't have enough to read!

Stock Picks -

AGN (Allergan) - 65.75 to 67.58 Up 1.83
FRX (Forest Pharm.) - 37.10 to 39.07 Up 1.97

Happy Halloween From Under the Sea

It's over! No more parties, trunk-or-treat or trick-or-treating. Now we're just left with what we pillaged from the neighborhood and what we didn't give away. Luckily I picked out stuff I liked in case we had some leftover. We've never been home to give out candy on Halloween night so I thought that would be more fun than taking the kids around myself. Avery thought so too. We did hit up our street and got some good loot (jr. mints, milano cookies and reeses are mine!) but A. was really excited to give candy away. And I even convinced her to go through her bag and add to the bowl whatever she didn't want. I hate the pure sugar/foodcoloring candies, like Nerds, Sweet-Tarts etc. At least chocolate has some nutrients! Here are some random snapshots of our ghoulish adventures. We're lucky that there are any sequins left on that mermaid dress.

Keep your friends close.

Avery was at a party the other day when another Ariel showed up. To her this meant they were instant best friends. She would not let her get more than 5 feet away. It made me think about how an adult would probably get as far away from the person wearing the same outfit as possible. Even as a mom I was thinking, man that other mermaid's wig is so much nicer (meaning that her mother must not have let her play with it for the three weeks prior) but Avery only saw a girl who loves the same things she does. Or is she merely keeping her "enemies" closer.























(Enough muscles for all the ladies)

Ghost of Halloweens Past

If I have a picture of you in a costume it's in the slideshow. Look closely, you might just see someone you know!

TU Football

Ben, the ESPN addict that he is, found this video of Trinity's football team in a recent game of...rugby or maybe hot potato? They've always had a pretty good team but this is just ridiculous.

Time to myself

Although I don't like the idea of Ben missing birthdays and holidays for the rest of his working life, I do actually enjoy the occasional night to myself.* No need to cook, and therefore no mess in the kitchen to clean up. And no need to scramble around to erase all evidence of the destructive fun we had that day. Generally, I feel compelled to straighten, vacuum and shine before the good doctor comes home, not because he expects or demands it but because I feel that I at least owe him that for letting me get 4-5 more hours of sleep per night than he gets. Plus, I like a clean home, complete with telltale lines on the carpet that say, I won't tell that there were Cheerios here if you don't. So these lonely nights become a much needed night of rest, for both me and the Dyson**. I'm not exactly sure why, but I feel like I must always be moving and doing when Ben's home. I know most women feel the same way. We don't veg out like guys anyway for the most part, but we work hard all day too, so I'm not sure why I can't just plop on the couch and recuperate without feeling a teensy bit guilty and wanting to prove just how busy I am every single second.

So with the night all to ourselves, we built a fort/bed, watched a Pixar classic and had popcorn for dinner. I didn't multi-task once. And when the kids went to bed I picked up a fashion magazine, that will do me no good whatsoever, if only to give me a momentary lift from the bouquet of Euphoria, Chance and something by Michael Kors scattered among the pages. I still can't resist the urge to do more than one thing at a time so I turn on the TV to catch up with my favorite billionaire and tend to the blog. New videos uploading at this very moment.


*Our neighborhood has an active neighborhood watch program so I feel safe, plus, what are the chances of being broken into while we're home a second time (probably just as good as having it happen once - but now i'm prepared)?

**Comes with the rental of the house. I have a Hoover that I LOVE, b/c it has a green light=clean/red light=dirty function, but the Dyson is an awesome machine that also provides visual cleaning confirmation with it's clear canister. Plus it uses no bags and it "never loses suction".

Big Love

I must say that I am fascinated by polygamy. Much as I am by the prison system, North Korea and the Amish, meaning, I don't want to actively participate in the lifestyle (although I could use an extra set capable hands now and then) but I will watch any show about it, no matter who is exploring the issue - Anderson Cooper, the WE channel, Dr. Phil's son or most recently Oprah and Lisa Ling (I think she is just the best journalist). I'm currently not so much interested in the child-bride, FLDS type of polygamy (although I did almost had Kit pull-over so I get a closer look at the town of Colorado City, AZ and it's ultra-modestly attired inhabitants and their extra-dark tinted car windows, when we were driving home from Lake Powell) as much as I am the modern, Big Love-esqe plural marriage (but not legally married), living in 30,000 sq. ft. homes with your 22 children and 5 flat screen TV's polygamy that has been featured in Newsweek as well as on Oprah this week. During which I spent the whole episode thinking to myself, please clarify that they are not Mormon, please don't just say FLDS because it could be misheard and please iterate that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints banned the practice in 1890, and maybe even mention that experts think there is a growing number of evangelical Christian and Muslim polygamists that may even exceed the number that describe themselves as Mormon. But they didn't. While watching I was thinking that the "sister-wives" they had on were pretty stylin ladies and that perhaps the competition of being one of many wives keeps you well-groomed, in shape and kinder to your spouse. One woman made a good point about how in Utah it is illegal to have more than one legally declared spouse but that there is no punishment for having a mistress or fathering children with multiple women, as long as you don't commit to them. But that was the extent of the good points. Oprah said that maybe they were just more highly evolved spiritual beings for being able to live this way because she just didn't get it. I am intrigued but neither do I.




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What happens in Hawaii...

is also happening in Texas. I just got an email from my dear friend, and former Maryland neighbor, Teresa. She has a ward chili/cornbread cook-off and needed a recipe for cornbread that I have that could ensure her a win, if the judges like their cornbread on the sweet side (I do). What is funny is that probably at about the same time she was sending her email, I was in the grocery store trying to figure out what side-dish I could bring to our ward's chili cook off when it hit me...Charlotte's (pre-nutritionist) cornbread.

So since it's just a matter of cutting and pasting I thought I would share it in case anyone else is having a fall festival chili-cook off or if you just want a cake-like slice of cornbread heaven.

Charlotte's Cornbread Recipe

Makes 9x 13 pan

(I like to do mine in a cast-iron skillet)

1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. buttermilk
4 eggs
2 c. yellow cornmeal
1 3/4 c. cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 c sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Coast pan with spray or butter and sprinkle with sugar. In large bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in buttermilk then eggs. In separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add all at once w/ sour cream to batter and mix until just blended. Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

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Substitution Note: If you don't have buttermilk on hand you can always add a tsp. of vinegar to regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes and it mimics buttermilk. If you don't have cake flour you can use all-purpose less one tablespoon per cup called for. I've tried to make a baking powder substitution-concoction before and it is tricky it involves baking soda and an acid, ideally cream of tarter, but really, if you have cream of tarter on hand you probably have baking powder.

How do you know...

If a mechanic has actually done all the work on your car that you have paid for? I left the VW dealer $1400 poorer today and my car still runs the same as it did yesterday when I took it in for the oil change, ahem, 5000K service (they can charge more when it's called that), which is fine. What does this sum get you? New rear brakes, brake fluid flush, a valve gasket made of CORK and oh yeah, oil and filter.

When I asked to see the old, supposedly leaky gaskets, they had already been thrown in the big trash bin so what am I supposed to do except trust that they needed replacement.

They didn't even vacuum my car.

Blu Ribbon Cupcake Artist

BluDomain Contest Rules : Send a photo of your favorite colored" cupcakes in a plain white background. MUST be homemade. One cupcake must have our logo and one cupcake must have your age and one cupcake must have sprinkles and one cupcake must have a happy face. Place a photograph of you on the rest of the cupcakes.

Entries : Over 600

Only one can be victorious... Sara Westbrook !!

If you want to see some of her competition you can go to http://bludomain.com/blog.cfm and scroll down to see some of the other entries.

I know Sara has this on her blog too but I just thought it was too cool to not be repeated. Congrats on the win sister!

Tap tap tapping along.

I had already started documenting some of the outfits that miss A. likes to...no, insists on wearing in public but today just killed me. Being very independent and surprisingly helpful Avery has started getting herself in the car ready to go when she knows we are going somewhere. Sometimes she does so prematurely and has had to wait anywhere from 15-45 minutes, which is fine (we don't have sweltering heat here and she leaves the door open) except that I can't sign off on what she is wearing. Take today for example. We get to our first stop of the day, claims office at Schofield Barracks, and I hear a familiar click click click behind me and notice that it is not her black Sunday shoes but her tap shoes (or my tap shoes rather...from when I was her age) that she is wearing. This doesn't bother me, even when people are snickering, except that she can't even keep these on for a 30 minute tap class without complaining and I know we have a full days worth of errands and no other shoes in the car. Surprisingly, she makes it through a 3 hour wait at the VW dealer (for an oil change, that I had an appointment for, but that's a whole 'nother diatribe), a doctors appointment and dinner with dad. Here is a sampling of some of her oufits and shoe choices.

























She also likes to dress her animal companions. This
one, she said, is going to soccer practice.

Kite Runner

I bought this book on a Friday evening and was finished on Saturday by the time the sun went down. Intriguing, yes. Did I like it? I'm not sure. I had to finish it to get it out of my life, plus there is no good place to put it down. The character development is thrilling but haunting. Disturbing even. I was left wanting to know more about the country, culture and politics of Afghanistan and more compassionate for those who have sought safety and normalcy in our country. My sister said it makes her think twice about foreigners working lesser jobs here, jobs they may have been forced to take despite keen intelligence. But it's still disturbing. I had a hard time finding anything in it I could read-aloud to Avery when she approached me in the middle of the night, wanting to know what had me holed up in a dark living room with only a book light. So I made up a story about kites and kids who run with them whipping about. I should have told her a story about an American Indian whose name was Kite Runner, because that's what I thought it was about before I read it.

Anyhow, I'm giving my copy away. It's definitely not something I need to subject myself to again. And I need to make room for Hosseini's next book anyway. Like I said it's disturbing but intriguing. If you are interested at a chance at my book raffle just leave a comment stating so. You have a week to comment. I'll have a drawing next Monday. I'll try to get it to the "winner" before the movie is out next month and everyone is talking about it and ruining the unexpected.

We believe ...

in the same organization that existed in the primitive church. The sixth Article of Faith.

I got to teach Gospel Essentials today and got to choose my own topic so I decided to use my favorite (truthfully, the only one I ever liked) missionary discussion. I like this "lesson" because a) it utilizes visual aids - good for both the teacher and class members and b) it is a clear and concise introduction to what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is. And what that is, although similar in many ways, is not a Protestant church, but restored New Testament Christianity.

So the Cliffs Notes version of the lesson goes like this (stacking cups labeled with the bold words)... When CHRIST was on earth He established His church by REVELATION from our Heavenly Father, calling PROPHETS and APOSTLES who recorded His teachings in the SCRIPTURES. (Next Level) Christ and his apostles taught the Gospel which consisted of FAITH in Jesus Christ, REPENTANCE, BAPTISM and the conferring of the gift if the HOLY GHOST. (Next Two Levels) Other ordinances and practices taught and encouraged in Christ's church included PRAYER, FASTING, TITHING, SERVICE, SACRAMENT and then on the top level I put FAMILY, emphasizing the opportunity to be together temporally and eternally and the joy, love (and work) therein. The top layers can have any number of topics on them.

Then what happens...This was Miles' favorite part since he got to help me bring down the tower. With Christ's crucifixion and the subsequent martyrdom of the apostles (pull these cups out) the established church crumbles. Apostasy occurs. Over time with the help of the teachings recorded in the scriptures, spiritual promptings and desire to worship God, people begin to form churches again, taking bits that they remember, adapting them, with the best intention (i.e. - forms if baptism, law of tithing, how to pray) as they interpret what record they have, both written and passed down. Of course, councils ensue, more churches and philosophies form; resulting in many denominations and sects striving to bring glory to God.

Roger Williams founder of the first Baptist church in America said "There is no regularly constituted church of Christ on earth, nor any person qualified to administer any church ordinances; nor can there be until new apostles are sent by the Great Head of the Church for whose coming I am seeking" Had he only lived longer...

Fast forward to the 1800's and to a land of religious freedom. Joseph Smith, after divine visitation and commission, restores the priesthood and ordinances lost in the apostasy (Re-stack the cups, this time I make them all one level with Christ the cornerstone), and voila, the church of Christ is re-established on the earth today.

From that point you can talk more about any of the "cups" or topics that anyone has questions or comments about until you run out of time. It makes for good discussion, especially if you have class members from different religious backgrounds.

Birthday Scoop

The Cards


The Loot

The Day

Well, since Ben was going to be gone for Miles' bday we kicked off the celebration the night before, which was fine because our friend Souly from back home, was over, and technically it was the 18th in all of the other time zones (unfortunately between 9 and 9:30pm is M.'s self-imposed bedtime so we had to squeeze in a lot of celebration in a small window). Besides, I actually had to search through files and eventually through email archives to find out if he was indeed born on the 17th or 18th. So this was a good compromise in case I was wrong.

Our Internet had been down for the few days prior (turned out that the router needed to be reset - Isn't that the worst when you call tech. support and they slowly walk you through the steps of powering down your machine and restarting it and then the problem is resolved? And I'm supposed to have an advanced degree in tech. mgmt? ) so I wasn't going to be able to get on and get the recipe for the cupcakes I wanted to make, specifically the Magnolia Bakery recipe, but luckily I remembered that it was saved on our laptop from A.'s bday so I proceeded to make those, but I really wanted chocolate too so I just melted semisweet chips in a makeshift double boiler and poured it into half of the vanilla batter. I never was very good at the chemistry involved in baking. Or measuring for that matter. They came out more like brownies, but I never met a brownie I didn't like so it worked for me! No frosting needed for those. Which was a good thing because trying to make frosting in Hawaii is a challenge. What I once considered a blessing - butter softens really fast when you don't have air conditioning - is a bane when you want fluffy perfect buttercream, not melted butter and crunchy sugar with a touch of poisonous but occasionally forgivable blue food coloring that won't stay put on your cupcake no matter how hard you try. But in the end who cares, they got eaten. Mostly by Avery and myself, surprise surprise.

Miles was mostly thrilled with his cards and envelopes. I had to move quickly to save the checks that were sent. Thanks to some kind relatives he now has a thriving bank account of his very own. Even though the celebration and singing happened the night before, I couldn't not make his bday a special one so we went to the zoo where he had a great time chasing peacocks and petting goats (maybe he has an affinity for these creatures like his dad). When Ben got home and eventually rose from the dead on Saturday Avery said to him "I'm sorry you couldn't join us for Miles' birthday dad" which I found amusing because she said "join us". So polite.

All in all, Miles' favorite bday gift is getting to ride forward in his car seat. He really thinks he is getting away with something.

But, when your hair starts to look like Jim Halperts, you know it's time for a cut.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!

So I tried to pick my favorite ONE picture for every month of Mr. M's life as a bday tribute but I just couldn't choose. We love you Miles B.!

Spoke too soon.

About Ben's call schedule being not too bad. He got his new schedule. He is only on overnight call on Miles' bday and on Halloween. That's all, no big deal.

Blue Angels

On Saturday we went to see the air show at the nearby Marine Base. I decided to take the kids because for the previous two days we had been getting buzzed by the jets as they were practicing. I thought a missle was coming straight for our house it was so loud. The sonic boom even set off my neighbors truck alarm. Unfortunately, by the time you realize that you are, in fact, not under attack they are out of sight. Miles likes planes, Avery likes going inside the static displays and hearing about her Great Gpa Big Al who flew those big planes and I like the fact that two of the Blue Angel pilots are women so we went and had a great time. It reminded me of going to see the Air Force Thunderbirds at March AFB when we were kids. Here are some pics and a video I took. The footage I have of the Blue Angels would make even the sturdiest sailor nauseous it's so shaky (those planes are FAST) so I included a little video I found of them online, it's a special treat for all of you Van Halen fans out there. It's crazy how close together they fly (18 inches at times) at those speeds (up to 700 mph), it's no wonder that of the 226 pilots they have had that there have been over 20 deaths in action. Yikes.

Husband for Hire?

Ben hasn't had all that much overnight call since we've been here, making his internship somewhat painless so far, but of course, true to Finagle's Law (a corollary to Murphy's which adds the caveat —at the worst possible moment) disaster struck. We had already had a pipe burst in our backyard and I was extremely glad that Ben was around to troubleshoot that one (albeit an additional $50 in water bills later).

Again it was a plumbing issue, a rather disgusting one, but at least one I could maybe handle, except that we were on our way out the door to the air show. I ran into the kids bathroom to grab something and noticed that the bathtub was filled with water and gunk that looked like mud, or sewage, but didn't smell too terribly bad. Then I see a piece of chicken floating by, next to what at one time was recognizable as zucchini. And, having just been cleaning out the fridge, I realized that it was the contents of the garbage disposal. Unsure of what to do and not even having Ben's pager number we went to the show (and had a great time, see above). When I came back the water was drained, leaving quite a mess. Still not prepared to deal with it I sprinkled baking soda all over the offending contents (thank you Costco for those ginormous bags), which then sparked the thought to pour vinegar on it and maybe loosen the junk in the drain but most definitely would be fun to watch. And then, although I'm not generally an emotional eater, I went for the pint of Dove Mint-Fudge Ice Cream and gathered my thoughts.

Now, had I been in Maryland, I would have immediately called Joseph Kamerath, construction worker turned doctor and home improver extraordinaire (the ideal home teacher if there ever was one). His drain auger (commonly known as a plumbing snake but I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea) has been in many a household in the Seneca Ward, saving much grief and plumbing bills along the way. But, not an option for me so I turned to Bob Vila instead. Googling "garbage disposal contents in bathtub" came up with few options, and I was sincerely hoping that no one would say not to pour vinegar and baking soda down the drain cause I really really wanted to do that. I found out that that would indeed be okay and was an environmentally, health friendly option to Drano so I went for it. The "show" was not as impressive as I had pictured in my mind and I had little hope that it would make an impact and I chased it with several gallons of boiling water (I knew that nifty quick water boiler that I got in Australia nearly a decade ago would come in handy someday). It looks like it's draining and then I notice a black checker piece among the gunk. We knew something had been causing some draining issues in the past week and I can just pictures Mr. Miles secretly carrying the checker in his mouth into the tub, removing the drain strainer and seeing if it would fit.

Problem solved, although I'm still not sure how the garbage disposal got roped into all of this.