Fall quilt exchange

If you don't quilt... I forgive you.

If you do quilt... check out the latest block exchange organized by my amazing friend Jackie
http://theblockexchange.blogspot.com/

Allergy conversation with Doc

For the next 8 weeks I will go into the allergist every week to be skin tested for tons of things. 

I had an appointment today... here is the conversation I had with the Dr. as he was poking needles into my arms.  Fyi- the red words are my thoughts.

Me-"So Doc I have been religiously following your strict diet and my sinuses have not changed at all.  Can I stop restricting so many foods?"

Dr.- "I can tell you are following it because you look so good" 

(you are lying, between Lucy and the puppy I did not sleep from 4 am on and I feel like dirt)

"You will feel so good that you will never want to stop eating this way"

 (That will never happen)

Me- "But I really have not noticed any changes"

Dr.- "Oh, you have got to give it at least six months before you start to notice a change to your sinuses. (s i x   m o n t h s?) You have got to let the tissue swelling go down, you have some serious damage done to your sinuses because of all the infections, you need to give it time" (you have GOT to be kidding. I will weigh 80 lbs in six months and be suicidal. Sinus surgery is sounding good to me now)

"Actually this is how you should eat for the rest of your life" (Ok- I'm out. I am so freaking done with this diet, you can stop talking now) "Our bodies were not made to eat so much sugar and wheat, you really will never want to eat those things again you will feel so much better..blah blah blah blah" (I can't wait to get home and eat lunch) blah blah blah blah blah blah (I would rather take 5 pills every day for the rest of my life then eat like this)

Eric (yes he was there)- So Dr. Let me get this straight, this was not a temporary diet, this needs to be permanent" (Oh stop rubbing it in Eric, this is not funny, it's over!) 

So after the appointment I went home and ate 3 handfuls of wheat thins..... 

now I feel much better!

What am I eating?

Jill commented on my last post asking me this question. I find myself asking the same question.

I am constantly eating, because I feel like I am starving. Everything I eat seams so dry. I am used to lots of sour cream, cheese and butter but I can't have any of that right now. Here is a sample of what I have been eating:

Shredded chicken on lettuce with apples (pureed in the food processor) as the dressing. I cannot have any mayo or salad dressing.

Black beans with creole spices and white rice. Sometimes I go crazy and add some salsa!

Corn chips and salsa. I eat this all day long

Grilled chicken

Tons of fruit. I have been averaging 5-7 pears a day 3-4 apples, lots of carrots, cucumbers and red bell peppers.

6-7 egg whites (hard boiled) a day

That's pretty much what I have been eating for a week now.

In reality, this is totally completely awful and last night I had a mental break down because I can't imagine doing this for 3 more weeks.

Trying to be positive... my kids are eating lots of fruits and vegetable because that's what our fridge is full of.

Since this is my year to "Remodel" I am finally doing something about my allergies and constant sinus problems. After meeting with the Allergy Doc and going through testing, he feels that my allergies are food based and not environmental. I had already cut out sugar which has been huge, but now the Doctor is asking me to significantly restrict my diet for approx one month. He gave me 4 pages detailing what I CANT eat and just this half sheet with what I can eat.

I am already eating no sugar, now no wheat products or dairy!!!! I live on dairy products - I feel like I have been told that I cannot eat ever again.

After walking around the grocery store reading labels forever, I am feeling emotionally over budget on this remodeling project. So help me if I am allergic to dairy...

You may be wondering if I have lost any weight with my dietary changes- Yesterday Lucy asked me if I had a baby in my tummy because it was so big... apparently I am gaining.

Ruby's Party

Ruby's "Real Birthday" was on Sunday, so Saturday night as she was laying in bed trying to fall asleep she yelled out "Mom, don't forget to put the Birthday quilt on me". I didn't forget and she woke up so happy. I took a photo of her in front of the quilt after church. Later Sunday her Primary teacher from church Ms. Jinky called and asked if she could drop off Ruby's present... I was just as surprised as Ruby that she gave her a sewing machine!!! Needless to say she spent the rest of the day sewing. Thank you Jinky!

Ruby's birthday party- a slumber party was the following Friday night. I sewed little sleeping bags out of chenille and slipped the invitations into them (sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the sleeping bag).
We ate pizza and played games.I tried to make a cake that looked like all the girls tucked into bed. They loved figuring out which face was who.

We opened presents!

Then we put all the girls in trash bags and sent them out to the garage to paint pillow cases. They all opted for modern art.

We watched Game Plan, then read storied and went to bed.

We had Micky Mouse and Hello Kitty waffles for breakfast then everyone went home with a bag full of candy jewelry and a CD of Ruby's favorite songs .
I am a recent convert to I tunes (no, I do not own an I pod) but did you realize that you can print out the CD case with all the songs on that playlist right from I tunes??? So cool.

Overall they I think everyone had a great time and I actually got more sleep them I was expecting.

We met on a blind date in February 1993...

Summer 1993

Engagement photo December 1993

Wedding February 5th 1994

1995... still married

1996 Bought our 1st house (Salt Lake City) and our 1st dog Makita.1997 Salt Lake City

1998 Haley was born

1999 We moved to New Orleans.
Tulane white coat ceremony .

2000 Cafe DuMonde in New Orleans

February 2001 Ruby's blessing

2002 Mardi Gras, New Orleans

Tulane Graduation trip to Hawaii 2003

2004 We moved to California

Eric's favorite anniversary 2005

Family portrait 2006

Washington DC 2007

January 2008

We have been married for 14 years
Moved 6 times
Lived in 3 different States
Gone through 11 cars
We have had 3 children
Changed hair styles hundreds of times
Had 3 guinea pigs, one hamster, 4 fish and 3 dogs (but not all at the same time)

Over the years a lot has changed, but one thing will never change...

I absolutely adore you!

Happy Anniversary Love!

My little Ruby

Today is Ruby's 7th Birthday!!!!!

Here are my 7 favorite things about Ruby:

1. Her smile.
She started smiling when she was only weeks old and has never stopped. She has a very happy spirit.

2. She has a kind heart.
She is so nurturing and aware of other's feelings and needs, it's amazing to watch.

3. Her style.
She has a definite personal style.

4. Her ability to communicate.

She is really good at expressing her feelings and explaining things.

5. Her prayers.

She says the most honest tender prayers. She prays for everyone... I have even heard her pray for Satan to make good choices!

6. She is honest.

Sometimes too honest. Last week she announced to me that she wished she had a "Fashion Mom", I started to ask her what she meant but looking down at my baggy sweats I already knew. Then she continued to say "a fashion Mom would buy me my own sewing machine and teach me how to make dresses- you don't know how to sew dresses".

7. She is extremely sociable.

Ruby can get along with anyone in any situation.

Happy Birthday Ruby

We love you!!!

No ordianry Friday

There was no school today so at 12:30 we were still hanging out in jammies when Eric called and said can you come down to the hospital RIGHT NOW. We all threw clothes on and ran out the door.

Once a year they do a big motorcycle show in the parking lot of the hospital and it was about to start. Normally the girls are in school, so we have never seen it before. We got there right before it started.

Apparently the 3 guys that were jumping are big time. The one guy is a 9 time winner in the X games. Of course I don't remember their names, but their jumps were unforgettable!

The 1st time I saw them jump across the 75 foot jump 30 feet in the air, I lost my breath. Then they started doing tricks in the air.


When I saw them standing on their handlebars, I could not believe it.
I was amazed and terrified at the same time!

Right about here I was thinking how thankful I am that I don't have boys.
Yes he did a flip on the bike in the air... twice!



We had our friend Carlie with us and on the way home she said "This is the most fun I have ever had playing over at your house!"

SCORE!

I am so excited!!!!
I recently commented on this blog and then was selected here to receive a pendant from Lilly Lane with my word for the year "Remodel"

I will post photos as soon as I receive it!

Ruby's dream gift from Ms. Kira

We have some friends named John and Kira. They are seriously one of the most genuine and kind people ever. Eric and John worked together as Chief last year and Eric really enjoyed working with him. Kira is one of my extreme quilting friends that also got me into Yoga (her Power Yoga class is a killer).

Both Eric and I really like John and Kira.... but Ruby worships Kira. I have no idea what exactly happened or how Kira did it, but Ruby absolutely LOVES her. This year when I asked Ruby what she wanted to do for her Birthday she said that she wanted to go to Disneyland with just her and Ms. Kira. She was really sad when I explained that since Ms. Kira moved to the East coast that would not be possible.


So you can imagine how excited Ruby was when she received a box in the mail from Ms. Kira for her Birthday!

She sent a purple (Ruby's favorite color) Tinker Bell purse...


Loaded with tons of Hanna Montana accessories like lipstick, a bracelet, a necklace, a notebook & pen, a bunch of other stuff and these beautiful glasses.


Thank you Ms. Kira and Mr. John, you guys are the BEST!

I'm remodeling!!!!

It's not that I don't like where I live, I just see that there are areas that can be improved and I am commited to making those improvements. I love the idea of remodeling a house. You keep what you like, and tear out what you don't like so you can replace it with what you want in that space.

My friend Kristi has encouraged everyone to choose a word for the year that represents your goals. My word is for 2008 is "remodel"- because I am taking out what I don't like and replacing it with what I really want.

The older my girls get it's more evident how much my habits (good and bad) influence their actions. I want to be a better role model and example for them. I think overall I am a pretty good example but there are definite areas where "do as I say, not as I do " apply.

So 2008 is my year to re-model!

Here's my blueprint of what I am tearing out and upgrading:

The kitchen cupboards- I ate way too many treats and as a result our cupboards were full of sugar and my kids were full of sugar. January 1st I stopped eating simple sugar....moment of silence...
yes, this is a huge deal for me. I can't believe how much of a change this has already had on my kids in only 25 days. Because they see me eating healthy snacks and lots of fresh fruit they want to eat them too. I have not imposed this no sugar rule on the girls or Eric, but I have cleaned out the cupboards of junk and replaced them with healthier snacks.

Framing- I will have better posture. I will do Yoga more often and encourage the girls to do it with me.

Re-roofing- I have reworked our budget and completely changed the way I spend money. I have done away with the debit card and gone to all cash. When it's gone it's gone- ouch this one hurts!

Landscaping- My sister sent me It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh. This book completely changed the way I think about things and stuff. I have been meticulasly going through our house purging all the unnecessary stuff that accumulates and creating better systems to help the girls be better organized.

Foundation- Last but not least, I have changed the way I teach my kids. I am trying to teach them more of the why and less of the what. I can tell them what to do and they will do it to please me, but when they truley understand why something is important hopefully do it because they want to.

So if I follow my plan, by the end of 2008 I will be a super- model for my girls!

If you have not already seen this book you need to check it out!



This book was just awarded the 2008 Caldecott award. As you know the Caldecott award is usually given to Children's PICTURE books... trust me, you have never seen a picture book like this!

Here is the description from this web site:

ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together...in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

This 526-page book is told in both words and pictures. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things. Each picture (there are nearly three hundred pages of pictures!) takes up an entire double page spread, and the story moves forward because you turn the pages to see the next moment unfold in front of you.

She's here!

I need to answer the question that everyone (including my Husband has asked me)...
Why are we getting another dog?

A friend of ours named Kelly bought this beautiful Teddy Bear breed puppy and I have heard for weeks how beautiful and cute she is but that she pees all over the place. Kelly sent her to a trainer for several weeks and the puppy came back still peeing all over the place. So Kelly and her family decided that this dog was not working for them.

My Sister mentioned that they needed to get rid of it and I immediately said we would take it... to which my Sister replied "Don't you understand that it's retarded and will pee everywhere?". I told her I still wanted it. Shortly after that they found out from the Veterinarian that the puppy had a REALLY bad bladder infection. Kelly and her family had already made up their mind that they were not dog people and called and said if you want her you can have her....I was thrilled!

****The Eric Contractual Agreement (Yes, he made me shake on it) **** If I am not really the dog whisperer and she is still peeing all over in 3 months, we have to get rid of her (My Mom has already has 1st dibs). To avoid three crying girls at our house, we have told the girls this is Kelly's dog and we are training it for her then sending it back in 3 months.

I am going to do everything in my power to insure that she is fully potty trained as soon as possible.

So after that long introduction..... here are some photos of our new little girl that after much thought and deliberation, Haley and Ruby have decided to name Opal.

She looks just like Max only 7 lbs instead of 20 lbs.

I thought my challenge was going to be potty training her, but so far she has been going on the piddle pad. The hard part is going to be convincing Max that she is not the Devil. He wants NOTHING to do with her.

Still waiting...