Dirty Mouth?

As many of you cat owners out there may have seen, cats have some often interesting and funny behaviors.  One of these is what Ben and I called the "Dirty Mouth," from the many Orbit chewing gum commercials.  After smelling something particularly interesting or stinky, they will sit back with their mouth hung open and nose wrinkled, as if saying "EWWWWW!"  We find this most frequently occurs after they have smelled each other's rear ends, which we always find disgusting and they consider completely acceptable.  Well, I have turned this idea into Orbit and look forward to seeing this as a commercial some day, maybe during the Super Bowl.  I will keep you all updated on any feedback I receive from the company and I welcome comments regarding your cat's "Stink Face."  I will attempt to videotape this face to show you all, but I'm not making any promises.  

Thanksgiving SUCCESS!

This year was my first attempt to host the Thanksgiving dinner.  I cooked for 9 and learned many lessons along the way.

Lessons Learned:

-My mom knows how to cook just about anything and was very valuable in making the meal come together.  Thanks mom!

-When serving appetizers or hors de voures, make very few.  If you give a huge selection or a lot, your guests will fill up on this and not eat much of the meal.

-Always wear the wrist strap on the Wii.  We had an accident over the holiday weekend, in which our tv ended up very broken and was replaced at 9pm the night before Thanksgiving.  Thank goodness for "Holiday Hours" at retail stores!

-Step out of the kitchen to enjoy your guests.  No meal is worth missing out on your family, friends and the fun they provide when visiting!

Hopefully this will help a few of you if you host the next holiday, or maybe you can even pass on the tips to your families.

Happy Belated Turkey Day and best of luck with your future holiday events!

Christmas Season

So one look at the parking lot at the malls will tell you that Christmas is near.  For me, this means no more leisurely strolls through the mall on the weekend to window shop or just enjoy warmth inside, despite the freezing cold outside.  This mad rush chaos is also the reason that I do my Christmas shopping prior to Thanksgiving, and anything after this date, I use the world wide web!  I believe that Amazon.com has some of the best and amazing deals online, including free shipping and buy 4, get one free kind of deals!  I got 4 books for less than $25!  B&N would have cost well over $40 for these same books!  Getting a deal on any sort of shopping excursion makes me feel excited and proud of my accomplishment.  No sense in paying more for the same item.  I do like shopping local but around here, "local" is difficult to ascertain.  Many stores seem to be local but in fact are chains, simply unknown little chain stores in Iowa.  

My main reason for this post is simply to boast about being finished with shopping.  And for those of you who say, but what about all of those "After T-day Sales"?  Many of these sales are the same as offered the day BEFORE Thanksgiving, and often their online sales save you more than fighting the millions of people who want the same items you do.  Personally, I don't care to argue and fight the crowd.  I like people, but don't care to be packed in like sardines for a sale I can get elsewhere and another time and not feel rushed into.

Ahhhhh Fall

Hard to believe that it is November already.  Not only because time has literally flown but also because it has been absolutely gorgeous for nearly a week straight.  I can't remember a time where it has been 70 in November for so long.  Now, watching the news, I know that it will not last as the forecast for later in the week changes to cold, windy and rainy but I am determined to enjoy it for now.  

Updates should be numerous as I haven't posted for awhile, however, there is not much to tell.  I officially voted and Ben hopes to be able to make time to do so between work, school and homework.  He should have taken my advice and voted early.  *shrugs*  

I officially begin graduate school on January 20th and am getting nervous about having time to work and study and attend classes, as well as paying for it all.  But if not now, when?  Right?

I hit a deer with my baby, I mean the Prius and it is currently in the shop.  They gave me a Charger to drive.  Talk about day and night.  This car is huge and powerful.  Feels like I'm driving a boat and wasting a lot of gas.  Time will tell, I suppose.  We'll see how many times I have to fill it up before my car is done.  I am ready to have my baby back and on the road.  

Got to visit my co-worker's new baby.  He was born Sept 29th and is absolutely adorable.  Can't wait to watch him grow!  Someday will be our turn, however school has definitely gotten in the way of those plans.  I have 2-3 years before classes are done, so I will make an attempt to be patient.  I suppose it's the responsible thing to do.

Til next time.   

GOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL

I reached my goal on October 19th, 2008 in 3 hours, 27 minutes and 17 seconds!  The half marathon went really well and much better than I expected.  I had planned on a 4 hour run but managed to beat that time without even trying.  I averaged 15.50 miles per hour, of course starting out faster and gradually slowing to almost an 18 minute mile in the second half.  I was running on my own and was bummed to know I didn't have a running buddy but was very glad to find a gal in WaterWorks who was running my pace and had the goal to finish.  Once out of WaterWorks she was still very strong and pulled ahead, so I told her to go on without me.  She was so sweet and checked on me, looking back every once in awhile.  I couldn't have finished as strong as I did without her.  Thanks so much!  

Everyone always asks, what was the hardest mile?  The last one, of course!  It took me the longest and I walked this one more than others but this was also the mile that I couldn't believe I was actually finishing!  I made it!  All of the encouragement and support via Twitter and Facebook was sooooo helpful as well.  My family rocks and I totally appreciate everything they have done for me!  

Next year, the plan is to walk the 13.1 miles and my mother-in-law is planning to join me.  Maybe we can make it a family affair and get all the ladies rocking the course!  As of right now, my calves are aching, my right hip is in pain and my back muscles barely hold my body up so next year can't be far enough away but I'm sure I'll be ready!  For now, I celebrate completing a goal I set out to accomplish.  Now on to the next goal.  Not sure what that will be yet.  Skydiving????

Half Marathon

I am starting to feel very apprehensive about this race.  I have yet to run more than 8 miles on my own and have a partner that is not 100% sure she is going to run with me.  My goal is simply to finish the race, however, with lack of support around me, I am considering changing to doing the 5K, instead of all 13.1 miles.  Almost feeling like I am sabatoging myself, as I have not been making much of an effort to run farther, however, I am simply not as prepared that I could be.  Trying to be positive but it's getting more and more difficult the closer the race gets.  We'll see...

Running...

Had a great run this morning!  I jogged 3 miles in 37 minutes!  Almost a 12 minute mile!  Which is a new thing for me!  I am still concerned with being able to make the entire 13.1 miles.  My friend Katie has said she will run with me and our goal is to simply finish the race.  I hope that the race goes well and we'll treat it as a definite challenge.  Next year, my goal will be to jog the whole thing and run a few more races prior to the 1/2 marathon.  Just a quick little update.  Hope to see y'all soon!

Vacation in StL

We just got back from a great vacation in the St Louis area.  Our excuse to take time off was a wedding on Saturday of Ben's step-sister but we turned it into time for us to explore a new city.  According to an acquaintance from high school, we managed to hit all the major sites and she had no advice for us for the last day we were there.  

Thursday afternoon, we arrived and promptly cursed the GPS, as it does not have live traffic updates and the major interstate, 64,  that it kept telling us to stay on and it was frustrating to figure out where we were going when the brewery closed in 1 hour!  We finally chucked the GPS and used it as an expensive map and reached our destination just in time for the 3:30 tour.  Very neat, old brewery and samples at the end!  Can't get any better than that!

Friday, we were out and about early and made our way to Forest Park, where the Zoo, Art and History Museums are located, as well as a Boat House to rent canoes and paddleboats.  With the exception of the boat rental, all of these were free.  The Zoo was AMAZING, although, initially no animals were visible in their cages.  It was about 4 times the size of the Des Moines Zoo and we didn't have to pay a thing!  A definite stop for families on a budget with kids or without!  We then took the MetroLink to the Arch and explored the flooded river area.  We wanted to take a riverboat tour but the ramps were flooded and we were unable to do so.  Then we hit up the City Museum.  A gigantic jungle gym for kids and adults alike.  This "museum" is considered as such, since each piece of art has been made of recycled or reused materials or something turned into something else.  It also had a 7 story slide, which we of course took advantage of.  Outside were planes and a fire truck suspended in the air with stairs and tubes to crawl through to explore!  Ben was  grinning the entire time.  After the long day, we made our way back to the hotel and discovered Westport Plaza, a little shopping and eating area outside St Louis and enjoyed dinner and ice cream, as well as the beautiful weather and some people watching.  

Saturday we were out bright and early, headed to Grant's Farm.  This is a wildlife preserve of sorts, where acre upon acre are home to many different animals, including buffalo, zebras, elk, elephants and foxes!  We took a tour around the park and then saw the famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales for a second time.  Then, headed out to the wedding.  Very laid back wedding and very unorganized but it was fun to see family and enjoy the night.  WAY too many bugs, however and I am still dealing with 30+ extremely itchy bites on my ankles and legs.  

Sunday, we headed home and stopped at the Mark Twain Cave and Hannibal, IL, both featured in the Mark Twain story, Tom Sawyer.  The cave was neat and pizza in the town was yummy.  Then headed back to DSM, 4 hours away.  

Coda is "Special"

I have come to the decision that Coda is "special."  I don't mean, oh he is so precious/What a special cat.  I mean, "Is there something wrong with him?  He seems a little...special."  You all may ask why I say such a horrible thing about my pet, who might as well be my own child.  Recently, my beliefs have been affirmed on a daily basis.

Coda often will meow, which yes, is normal for a cat,  however, he meows as if he is lost and is no where near us.  As you call him he will walk a few steps, meow again and then once we respond, will take another couple of steps towards the direction of our voice.  Like a sad version of Marco Polo from childhood.  As you can imagine, this is great fun when standing in the echoing hallways and stairwell and he cannot find which direction our voice is coming from.  Deliciously cruel, but hilariously entertaining as well.  Why have pets if you can mess with them, right?  

He also brings his "sqwishy" to bed with him each night.  Its a little ball with fuzzies sticking out of it, kinda like the newer beanie babies.  It reminds me of the puff ball that Horton heard the Who on and Coda talks to it and carries it around like it is something precious and special.  Again, adding to the "special" belief.  As I write this, he sits outside of the bedroom door, pretending not to fall asleep sitting up.  He is more entertainment than I ever bargained for and I can't wait to share more about my "Special" little boy!

Getting back in the game...

After being injured and apprehensive about getting back into running for a week and a half, I am now starting to run again.  I'm nervous that I will not be prepared by October 19th but am willing to give it a shot and probably even walk part of the race.  I have run into a small snag in my training however.  As we slowly creep into fall, the daylight hours keep depleting and I am running out of light to run safely and treadmills are not an option for me.  So now I am having to be less picky on when I run.  Thankfully we have been having wonderful weather lately and my caseload has been decreasing, allowing me to get home in time to run in the evening before the sun goes down.  I am now planning on running on Saturday and Sunday for sure and then picking two days during the week to train, which will allow me to be a little more flexible in my training.  

I had every intention of making up excuses once I hurt my back and knee but have since found myself more determined to complete the race that I have signed up for.  

Wish me luck!

I Love My Car

So this past tank of gas has gotten me an average of almost 54mpg, despite driving mostly interstate, as well as highway and in town.  i do feel that I am now spoiled by this amazing mileage, as anything under 50 to me seems like a disappointment.  

I have been doing experiments with different gasoline and have since found that BP gas, with the new "Invigorate" has been giving me the best MPG, while Casey's has been the worst.  I have not yet tried Wal-Mart or HyVee but feel that it is not necessary to test these since I believe they run on par with Casey's.  This test is obviously not scientific but I have been putting in two tanks full of the same "brand" in a row and thus far BP is doing it for me.  Last month I drove 3300 miles and only spent $260 in fuel!  Prior to last month, my average was 2400 miles, spending almost $400.  I believe, despite the value of the car depreciating quickly with so many miles already on the car, it is the best purchase we have made so far.  

YUM YUM

I made banana bread yesterday...and it was good.  My mom gave me an America's Test Kitchen cookbook and I've used it for just about everything.  The recipe called for plain yogurt, however I don't ever have any...so I used Yoplait Light Apple something or other and all I have to say is YUM YUM.  It did need to cook a little longer than the 55 minutes advised in the book but I must say, I am glad that I didn't get around to eating those bananas when they were ready.  Even Ben liked it and ever since a banana oatmeal incident, he is not so keen on banana anything.  

In other news, my back if feeling better.  It seems that flip flops are aggravating the pain so I am on the hunt for more supportive sandals so I don't have to wear tennis shoes all summer long.  I am not a fan of socks unless it is winter and it is most definitely not.  My knee on the other hand, continues to be a mystery.  It still is painful and almost getting worse by not running on it.  The mornings are the worst and causes pain all around it but as the day goes on, it improves slightly and I am able to put more pressure on it.  So far, we are thinking I need to build up my quad muscle and see if that makes a difference but if this continues, I think I'm going to actually see a doctor regarding my pain.  I've never known lack of exercise to cause an issue.  *shrugs*  

No other real big news.  Just going out to a couple of garage sales today to see if we can find any decent furniture without spending a fortune.  My hopes are not high.

I am broken...

Apparently the reason that I have not been a runner all of these years is because my body says so.  After nearly 2 months of running, my back has been out for nearly a week and my knee is suffering from some chronic pain and is progressively feeling worse, much like a knife being ever so gently inserted above and to the right of my kneecap as it bends.  At least this week will be a break from any activity except maybe trying out Curves on Friday to keep working on building the muscles around my knee if that will help.  

This is probably the most frustrating part of the whole thing.  I'm afraid that I am going to end up with pain for the rest of my life.  I don't want to be one of those people who hobble around and accept the pain that they have been dealt.  There has to be something that can make me feel better right?  I'm waiting to have my knee looked at until my back is at least 75% for fear that something will be messed up there, also.

Why did I decide to be ambitious?

Back pain

My training has been put on hold due to an unexplained injury to my back.  Could be the miles upon miles I've walked in my flip-flops or the strange crap on recovery boards at Curves the other day.  Who knows.  What I do know...I am in pain and uncomfortable.  I've been to the chiropractor twice.  The first time was wonderful and I could stand upright again.  The second, I thought was even better until I got put on the traction table and feel as if I did when I walked in bent over in the first place.  So far, I've been icing every hour for 10 minutes.  We'll see how it goes but I am putting training on the back burner until I am feeling better.

I did buy myself new running shoes and can't wait to get them on and run down the road.  

This weekend is the first weekend in a month and a half that we don't have any plans...as of now.  Not sure if I am okay with this or going to be bored.  We'll see how it goes.  

Nothing else too exciting for today.  

IDK

I couldn't think of anything witty for the subject so there ya go.  This past week was awful but I ended up with almost a 12 mile week, which was were I had been before.  Only this week, 3.5 of those were walking.  I didn't count the possibly gazillion miles we walked at the State Fair.  I just call them "bonus miles."  Hopefully this week goes better.  I already got a strength training work out in and tomorrow is a four miler, if it isn't dark.  However, without having a respite client this week in the A.M. I really have no excuse...damn.  

On a funner, yes funner note:  my college friend Ellyn is gonna have a baby!  I can now officially use two hands to count the number of pregnant people that I know and/or work with.  I keep telling Ben that this is a sign but he seems to be the more practical? one about it.  Yes, the question mark is there on purpose because as many know/say:  If you wait til you can afford it, you will never have kids.  Well......I guess we are never having kids based on the monetary criteria.  We are by no means broke but floating along just fine, however, my lovely and wonderful opposite is thinking just opposite of me.  Patience is not a virtue I possess and I am hearing an almost constant ticking in my brain on a daily basis.  If only I could transport this noise into his, maybe he would more quickly change his mind.  I will keep you posted on this...however, I think it may be awhile.  Til then!

Crap Day

Woke up at 5am.  It was DARK.  Country roads+dark=me not running.  So I tried the tredmill....I Do Not like this contraption.  I am not in control, which those of you who know me realize that this does not fly with me.  I am very much in charge and running on a belt that picks a speed and keeps it there, not for me.  So I only ran 1.25 miles today on a 4 mile day...so to make up for it, Ben I rode 7.2 miles on the bike.  Not the same but I am hoping to be able to run some tomorrow morning and Thursday and just switch around my cross training days.  So far, this week is about a D on motivation and completeness.  I am a mess.  Maybe the rest will go better.

LOST

One piece of advice if you are going out for a run:  get directions!  I started out on the Greenbelt Trail in Clive on Saturday and thought I had an idea of where I was going and how I would get back.  Taking the trail West, it ends somewhere in rich upscale suburban hell!  All of these mansions were surrounding a "private" country club lake and though I was apprehensive, I decided I could figure it out by just taking every left I could to go around in a circle and get back to the trail.  As I was running, I went to take a left onto a street that ended in -circle.  Any reasonable and smart person, which I feel I am, would not take this road as the name in and of itself tells me I will end up where I started.  I passed up this option and continued to run.  The next left was a -drive.  Maybe this was me just being skeptical but I did not take this one either.  Something about it told me that I would be ticked off taking this road.  Sure enough, after continuing to run straight, out came the same stinking road that I am super glad I did not go down.  I ended up all the way down on University out by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, KinderCare and Panera.  To those of you unaware of Des Moines, this is very much WEST of the interstate, somewhere around 140th-ish.  While running East on University, I came across the main entrance into the country club but chose not to stay lost in the maze and continued on University, hoping to run into 128th and an "on ramp" to the trail.  Turning down 128th I thought it wouldn't be much farther until I was back on the shaded, very flat trail.  I was very wrong.  It is quite a distance and I thought I was going to have to run through the on ramp intersection to 35/80 on Hickman.  Thank God, just before I started to have a panic attack, I saw the connection point from the road to the trail.  Just in time!  I took the last mile back to the car at a pretty sloooooowww pace but I did finish, only walking for 15-20 minutes up the evil University hill.  I ended up running 6.33 miles and now have very sore calves and feet.  Good thing it's too hot out to run so I get a much needed day off!  

Case in point:  know where you are going before you get lost on a run!

Running...

So my long run on Saturday went extremely well.  I was so excited after the first 3 1/2 miles at a 14 1/2 minute pace I went on to run two more!  I ended up running 5 1/2 miles in an hour and twenty minutes, just shy of my 90 minute goal.  I didn't care, I was sooooo ecstatic to have run FIVE AND A HALF MILES!!!  Three weeks ago, this would have been a dream but now I am actually almost half way to my total mileage of 13.1 for the half marathon.  I was sitting at my parents house today and realized that I actually have to run this thing in two months!  Yikes!  But if things continue the way they have, I have no worries that I will be able to finish the race, which is my only goal.  I don't care about time or if I run the whole thing.  I just want to finish the race.  

In other news, after coming home from a weekend at my parent's house, Ziggy, the cat, was very......hmmmmm.....excited?  This is the only way I can think of to describe his erratic running around the house.  After taking the suitcase upstairs and unpacking it, Ziggy practically flew into the bedroom and onto the bed...but forgot to put on the brakes.  He proceeded to fly/bounce off the bed and straight into the wall, giving himself a fat and bloody lip in the process.  Needless to say, he calmed down a bit after that.  Not sure what got into him but I'm taking it as he really missed us!  

Also, I have my application in for graduate school at Buena Vista, UNI and Drake and am hopeful for someone to think I am worthy of their program.  I am really banking on getting into Drake, as it is close and would make taking classes extremely easy and less stressful, not to mention I would again be a Bulldog.  Ok, I don't really care about the part but it is a really great school and is comparable on cost per credit hour.  Wish me luck on admittance into any one of these programs for Spring!  

Progress

I am slowly making progress on my 1/2 marathon training.  I was supposed to run for 90 minutes on Satuday but only made it 60, mainly because I misjudged how long it would take me to run.  I ended up going 3 1/2 miles in 60 minutes, with probably 1/2 of a mile being walked.  July, I've been told is the worst month for running due to the awful humidity and heat, even at 5am.  My thought it, if I can run in this, October will be nothing right?  Hope so.  I have improved my time already from 20 minute miles, yes I am SLOW, to 16 minute miles.  In only 2 1/2 weeks, I am very proud of my accomplishments and can't wait to see how much more I progress.  I would love to be down to a 10 minute mile by the time I am running the race in October but I'll be happy with even a 14 minute mile.  The other day, I went and bought two "running outfits."  Yes, there is such a thing.  And I spent nearly $100 on two tank tops and two pairs of shorts!  Yikes, running is spendy!  Not to mention, I am in need of new shoes, which are going to cost $100 as well.  Guess you gotta start with something when you came from having nothing even remotely related to running.  :)

On another interested note, we had Evan over this weekend for our first overnight respite.  It went quite well, however we are constantly trying to find things to do that are entertaining for a 12 year old as well as not super expensive.  We went to see Hancock and also saw an iCubs game before the weather rolled in.  Keeping a 12 year old entertained is quite a challenge and I'm glad that we will have time to ease into the ages once we have our own.  Maybe next year, you'll get to start reading about baby news.  Ben's still wanting to wait, despite my constant nagging?  I don't know if it's nagging but definitely prompting and justifying the timely and financial ability.  Oh well, we'll get there when we do.  Until then, I'll just wait, semi-patiently.  

Des Moines Marathon?

So, I got a little ambitious the other night while reading Juice, which was advertising the Des Moines marathon.  I got to thinking, "I could do this..."  I logged on to the website to register and then began to have second thoughts.  Not because of the money I had to spend to register, but because 26.2 miles is a lot of miles.  I drive that far just to see my closest client.  Do I really think that I can run/jog/ok probably walk that far?  Considering I really don't classify myself as a runner, I think not.  So I left the webpage up and began watching tv, but my mind kept wandering back to that October race.  What about a half marathon?  13.1 miles, which I have probably walked while visiting in Chicago in November.  Surely I could take the next four months and increase my running/jogging/walking skills to be able to complete the 1/2 marathon.  Without another thought, I registered, paid my $40 entry fee and began to research training schedules to be sure that I can work up my miles by October 19th.

What the heck was I thinking?  So far, it has gone well, however I am only up to two miles and that is not a 10 minute mile that I am jogging either.  I know that the whole running mile upon mile is mostly a mind over matter challenge and hopefully I can build up my mind to ignore the sore muscle matter and burning lungs to complete the training without killing myself or my knees.  I'll keep you updated on my journey and will definitely be blogging when I finish this beast!

Summer...so far

So far, this summer is well under way and it is hard to believe that we are into the month of July already.  We have gone camping, experienced flooding, spent time at Adventureland, grilled out frequently and celebrated the 4th of July festivities.  We also got our new Toyota Prius on June 30th and are enjoying 50+ miles per gallon.  I have put almost 1,000 miles on it already and have been averaging 52 mpg, even though I drive interstate most of the time.  Very impressive in my opinion considering the EPA estimate of 45 and 50, highway and city respectively.  I told Ben that I was in love with this new car but he has yet to feel the same, although he does enjoy getting a chance or two to drive it!

For the 4th, we enjoyed the carnival in Urbandale as well as the fireworks, which was nearly 25 minutes long.  We also primed and painted the upstairs bathroom in a grey color to match the red curtain and dark grey towels.  We will be putting the room back together and hope that it looks a little less blue than it currently does.

We still do not have plans to extend our family for at least a year.  Ben is working on getting a few more programming classes in and I am applying for graduate school at Buena Vista, UNI and Drake for guidance counseling in elementary schools.  Hopefully I will get into one of the programs for Spring 09 and be on my way towards the career I have finally decided on!  

Coda has been improving but still continues to eat his special diet.  He has been using the litter box and doesn't seem to have any strain.  I found that a product called Stink Free Instantly has worked miracles on the carpet that I thought was ruined.  Recently, he snuck past the gate we had put up to keep him away until it got super cleaned and he completely ignored the spot, which I can only assume means that the smell has been removed.  Next, we will attempt a final urine sample to get to the vet to be sure that the crystals are gone before changing his diet back to normal.  

Things are finally getting settled here in Grimes.

Sandbags Galore

Due to all of the massive flooding around the state, we decided to give our time to those in need by helping fill sandbags this past Thursday evening.  We spent an hour helping different groups stack bags and load them into skidloaders for them to haul them off to the Birdland levee, only for the levee to unfortunately fail on Saturday morning.  Friday afternoon I again went out for another two hours with my sister-in-law and actually filled, tied and stack bags in the wind and sun.  I came home with sand in places that no person should have sand.  Thankfully, overnight last night the rivers have been coming down and the Raccoon and DesMoines Rivers dropped almost 6 inches.  While we are in the clear, we haven't forgotten those in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Waterloo who continue to deal with the devastation and hope you will all give your part in helping to clean up the aftermath.  You can sign up to volunteer through the United Way in your area by going to unitedway.org  Please help those struck by this terrible disaster!

Autism Walk, HOT and Sweaty

Went on the Autism walk this morning with a family I work with that deals with Autism on a regular basis in their three children.  Also joining us were some of the workers from The Respite Connection.  While it finally wasn't raining for once, it was hot and definitely sweaty.  The kids had fun on the 2 mile walk, especially because it ended up in them playing in the fountain at city hall in West Des Moines.  Luckily we weren't given a ticket but then again, our kids were just wading, while others were fully submerged and swimming in the strange smelling water.  We finally finished up and headed home, only to discover the extremely red, almost purple looking shoulders, chest and neck after looking in the mirror.  I now plan on spending the next two days in the house after making a quick run to get some aloe.  If only we had cable to keep myself entertained while I "recover."

In other news, Coda seems to be doing better.  I only say seems because he is still not able to go downstairs to check out his "spot."  However, he has not peed anywhere else in the house since he has been restricted and has been using the litter box.  He still tries to sneak "good food" from Ziggy but is still on his special diet.  Next week entails contacting the vet and hopefully one last urine sample to be sure that his struvite crystals are gone.  Gotta love the money we shell out on the pets!  

Coda's issues

So, we still don't know what Coda's issue is, as they have take x-rays and found nothing significant enough to suggest that he is having any bladder infection or stones.  Glad that he is not sick, but what the hell is the reason for him peeing all over the rug and carpet???  Well, after getting back from a Memorial Weekend camping trip with Matt and Morgan I decided to do a deep cleaning so no pet could ever smell urine in the carpet again.  I ended up ripping up 1/2 of the carpet on the landing and cleaning the padding as well as the front and back side of the carpet.  Next, Ben tackled the brand new rug that Coda decided to "christen" as his own, cleaning the front and back of that as well, trying to do so quickly as it began to lightening, thunder and rain.  So now as we wait for those to dry and hopefully become fresh and clean, we have installed a baby gate to keep Coda out of the stairway.  We recently found out that "Skinny" aka Ziggy can slip his narrow little hips through the gate and get through, and taunts Coda from the other side.  Unfortunately or not, he then cannot figure out how to get back through the way he came from and cries from the other side to be let back in.  Ah, the life of cat owners.  I guess we will be prepared for when we have children and won't have to spend $60 on a gate at that time as we already took care of it.  Stay tuned for more of the cat's shenanigans to be posted throughout the year.

Autism Walk-June 7th, 2008

Hey!

I am walking on June 7th to support four of my respite kids who are diagnosed with Autism and am trying to raise $200 to fund research.  Just calling out to anyone who is willing to donate even $10-20 to sponsor my walk and do our part.  Anything helps!  Go to this website to sponsor a walker on our team:

www.walkforautismnow.org/desmoines/team/therespiteconnection

Thanks again!

Stacey

Melt In Your Mouth Peanut Butter Cookies

So I got this recipe from Simply Recipes Blog, which you can find a link to on the right.  I have never made Peanut Butter Cookies before and have tried several recipes on this website with success and decided to try again.  Wow!  Is all I can say.  You can make these cookies however you like, whether that is a little under done and soft or cooked a bit longer to make the edges crispy with a melt in your mouth middle.  I cooked them at 300 for about 15 minutes which made them so melt in your mouth, soft and chewy.  I also rolled them in white sugar prior to pressing them, to give them that extra sweetness I remember from childhood.  Hope you enjoy!

1/2 cup of each of the following: sugar, packed brown sugar, butter (at room temperature), peanut butter

1 egg

1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Cream the butter for 2 mins.  Add sugars and cream 2 more mins.  Mix in peanut butter and egg.  Mix together dry ingredients: flour, soda, powder, salf.  Stir into sugar/butter mix.

Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375.  Shape into 1 1/4 inch balls.  Place approx 3 inches apart on ungreased sheet.  Flatten in a crisscross pattern, the true way to make a peanut butter cookie, and bake until light brown 9-10 minutes.  Cool for a minute and then transfer to a rack to completely cool.  

Makes 2 dozen.

Super Yummy Asian Salad

So I got a gift card for my birthday to Bed Bath and Beyond and couldn't think of something I absolutely needed, so I walked around the store for nearly an hour with poor Ben in tow to find enough stuff to spend $20.  Of course I found something and that something was a lettuce knife, among other things.  I then went out and bought a nice head of lettuce to try out the new knife.  This morning I got things all ready and chopped up my first head of lettuce with the new, might I say amazing, plastic serrated knife.  Now what, I thought, as it was only 10:30, well past breakfast, not near enough to lunch.  Eh....I was going to make a salad.  

Poking around the refrigerator, I found some leftover marinated chicken, asian toasted sesame dressing, carrot and almonds.  In the pantry was some mandarin oranges and the salad was complete.  I always shied away from adding fruit to my salad but I tell you it is the yummiest flavor when mixed with the sesame dressing and chicken.  It was the best meal I have made myself in the longest time!  Try it yourself...just add your favorites and presto....easy, healthy(depending on your favorites), delicious meal!

Angelfood Birthday

This is my birthday cake.  Yes, I made it for myself, but it is the cake I have had every year since I can remember and I wanted it!  My mom used to make this cake for me and I remember watching her put it all together and then hide it in the cake platter in the fridge.  I think YUM every time I see it so I wanted to share it with you all as my birthday fast approaches.

1 store bought Angelfood Cake (you can make one if you like, but to make it super easy you can buy it)

1 can of cherry pie filling

1 tub of cool whip, I used lite (tastes the same)

some powdered sugar to thicken up the cool whip

Cut the cake in half and put enough cherries to your liking in between the layers.  Then put the top of the cake back on.  Mix the tub of cool whip with powdered sugar, just enough to stiffen up the cool whip a bit so it won't run off of the cake.  Use too much and it will be slimy.  Use your best judgment.  (Mom didn't have a measurement for me!)  Cover the entire cake with your yummy cool whip frosting, including the inside.  Once finished, decorate the top with a few cherries and then put the remaining pie filling in the center of the cake.  Voila!  Quick easy and yummy desert.  Especially when you have guests coming and don't have time to spend baking!  Hope you enjoy my "birthday cake" as much as I do.  

Sick Kity

So Coda stopped using the litter box and was peeing on the floor.  He also hadn't been eating or drinking as enthusiastically as usual.  No environmental changes had been made so we didn't think it was behavioral, so off to the vet we went.

After spending the day at the vet, he wouldn't give them a urine sample and he was stuck in a room with noisy dogs, so I couldn't bear to leave him over night, scared as he was.  Home he came and spent the next night in the bathroom, with a make shift litterbox made of cling wrap and NoSorb, provided by the vet what I thought was for free...later to discover it was $15 worth of cut up plastic tubing.  Finally got a sample for the vet, but by the time they got to it, it was 12 hours old and not the best, but it would do.

The verdict, Coda has crystals in his urine, due to an unknown cause.  They can cause blockage, leading to straining and kidney damage or even failure.  I was devastated!  What did I do wrong, how did this happen, will he get better?  The vet assured me that some cats just develop the problem, so I did not cause the problem, but some cats get better and some cats live with the condition all their lives.  "So my cat might always pee on the floor?"  Very well possible.  Well, now what the hell am I supposed to do?  Keep him in the bathroom for the rest of his life and monitor his pee output?  

Coda has spent the past 4 days when we aren't home and nights in the bathroom with very little progress in passing urine any more frequently, still eating minimally and drinking rarely.  He has urinated on the floor again, even when we were home, watching him.  We decided to let him run free last night, as he went potty in the litter box just before we went to bed and felt that it wasn't fair to leave him locked up and it was probably stressing him enough to not want to use the box or eat.  

So this is day 5 in a prescribed diet, lower in phosphorus and magnesium and taking anti-biotics.  He had free run of the house last night and did not have an accident to our knowledge and has use the box another two times this morning.  Coda has also eaten an entire serving of food today and has been drinking water!  Strange to get excited about pee and eating, but I was worried that this was not going to work and we were doomed to taking care of 'special needs' pet, which wasn't what we had bargained for, but were willing to do.  

Things are getting better, still not wonderful but we are on the road to recovery.  I'll post another update as things progress.  Lucky you, you get litter box updates!  

Ben's Favorite Egg Salad

So Ben had a hankoring for egg salad and I had never made it before, so this was my first attempt.  I pulled several recipes together to make one that I knew he would like, as he's pretty picky on what type of "vegetables" (whispered so he won't hear) go into his food.  Here's what I ended up with:

Ben’s Favorite Egg Salad

This recipe can be doubled or tripled, easy!

4 hard boiled eggs

1/3 cup of mayonnaise (or less if you prefer), I used Miracle Whip

1 tbsp of good quality Dijon mustard

Salt and black pepper to taste

Dried onion, reconstituted to your taste

(I used about 1 tablespoon)

Pinch cayenne pepper

Obviously add and subtract what you will.  I would like some finely chopped celery and maybe some small chunks of cheese, however, that is Ben's arch nemesis within the vegetable world.  I'm going to start working on hiding the veggies and he won't even know, nor will I.  Hope you enjoyed my first foodie blog.  Maybe there will be more.  Ben's already asking what else I will make him.  As if I don't cook already!  Adios!

Hola Amigos!

So we are recently back from Cancun, about a week ago. It was nice to get out of the Iowa weather but we came back to sleet and snow. It was a balmy 85 degrees while we were in Mexico, with 50% humidity, so while not really hot, very steamy. At night, our sheets felt a bit damp and I always woke up feeling less than ideal but it was mostly fun because it was totally free.
Ben and I both agree we would only go back if it was another free trip. Don't get us wrong, we are not ungrateful or unappreciative of the reward, I just think we are not really "beachy" people. Something about the things crawling and swimming around under the water that I can't see, makes me avoid the ocean and my light, easily sun fried skin makes a quick enemy of the sun. Applying sunscreen for 1/3 of the day makes for a lot of work.
The first day, we were delayed in our flight out of Dallas to Cancun due to weather, so the flight was delayed by at least 30 minutes and then we sat on the runway for an additional hour. Never fear, the airline provided the movie Enchanted for us. Glad to see it then and not waste a perfectly good movie for the Netflix. Finally arrived in Mexico, were bombarded with crazies trying to get us to sign up for their vacation clubs and made it to our bus to take us to the resort. A short bus ride later and we were checked in, got to our room and our room keys did not work. Another hour later, after standing in line at the service desk, we finally got into our room and were greeted by a local gecko. Ben was not thrilled about the idea of sharing with this local, but we ignored it for the time being as we wanted to change out of our "Iowa" clothes and into some more appropriate sub tropical attire. Three hours later, and several trips back and forth from each of the two lobbies, which was a fifteen minute shuttle bus ride across the resort, our luggage arrived, all four pieces within 20 minutes of each other, outside of our room. We were finally, officially in Cancun.
Each morning, Ben had a "meeting" that he had to attend. The first morning was the motivational speaker who was an amazing guitarist, playing many songs on only the neck of the guitar, two handed. Then it was out to the beach for the different departments to battle it out in beach games, including tug of war, magic carpet ride and beach blaster. Check out our photo website to see pictures. Our first disappointment came next...food. Despite the multitude of restaurants on the resort, we struggled to find semi edible, non-fried, tasteful food. It was not an easy feat. Every restaurant claimed to have a theme, Brazilian, Mexican, Italian...none of which seemed to follow their theme. They were all buffet style, with many greasy, fried old food that had been sitting for most of the morning under hot lights and warmers. This unfortunate food theme continued in all of the restaurants and breakfast was our only decent meal of the morning. We found La Gondola, a restaurant on resort, but it served and INTERNATIONAL breakfast, which included scrambled eggs, french toast, belgian waffles, bacon, fresh fruit, yogurt...and we gorged ourselves, glad to finally have a meal that didn't trip the gag reflex.
That morning was an award ceremony type meeting for Ben, so I took the opportunity to lay by the pool and enjoy some time reading and relaxing, which is not Ben's idea of fun. While enjoying the sun, sitting in the shade, a large iguana meandered past me and headed to the pool for a quick drink. While I write this calmly now, I could not read or relax for that matter, until this beast of a lizard had continued on his journey far, far away from me and my strawberry margarita. After some time digging through and around a bush, Mr. Lizard finally went back to where he came from and I was able to sit and enjoy myself once more. Ben's meeting was finished and he met me pool side and we again began our search for some sort of decent meal to enjoy. We found a grill near the pool that was cooking, none other than hamburgers, french fried and chicken. We were back to eating decently. It was mostly normal tasting. I think our biggest disappointment was that being in Mexico, we couldn't find chips and salsa, a staple of all Mexican food known to us in the U.S. Come to find out, they ran out of chips, presumably because it was the only decent tasting food in the whole place, and were not getting more for the day.
There were more random events throughout our stay, including Ben getting sick with a cold, causing us to miss the lead singer of Train, but we enjoyed the whirlpool tub in our room and got a good night sleep. Another evening included several carnival games where you could earn prizes, "exotic" animals such as parrots, snakes and iguanas and a DJ who had an enormous drum kit that he played. I held one of the parrots on my arm, which was pretty cool and petted a lizard but refused to hold it. We won several prizes at the carnival games, most of which were wooden flutes but no Jacob's Ladder, much to Ben's disappointment.
Our last full day, we went on a mini speed boat and snorkeling tour through the mangroves in Cancun. They touted this as a jungle tour. Now, jungle it was not, but it was a lot of fun to drive the boats and I managed to actually snorkel in open ocean. We saw a huge, dinner plate sized parrot fish and many different kinds of coral. One of the tour guides actually caught a small octopus and was pretty dramatic, chewing on it's tentacles and calling it his dinner. He wanted each of us to hold the octopod, which everyone clumsily tried to run from in their awkward flippers from snorkeling, but I did eventually touch the suction cups on it. Soft and slimy. Snorkeling was a lot of fun, with the exception of all the salt water that ended up in my mouth and freaking myself out about being in the middle of the ocean with nothing in sight but more water.
On our last morning, we got room service for breakfast, which looked like a egg and potato omelet, which turned out to be ham, as we had ordered. It tasted good, but was definitely different. We should have gone to the buffet, but alas, did not. That was the end our our Cancun trip and we flew home, enjoying only an hour to go through customs and security, while reclaiming and rechecking our bags in Dallas. Another short delay, again in Dallas and finally home to Des Moines and the sleet and slush.
We can't wait to take another vacation, but maybe will head to a different part of the world.

Tormenting the cats

So here is a little video I posted on YouTube and also on our Phanfare site. Just thought it was funny so I thought I would post it here too.

Life...

Things have been busy for both Ben and I...okay, maybe just me. With Ben working in the "mortgage" industry, things can't really be much slower, at least we hope not. I have recently started a new position with Mid-Iowa Family Therapy Clinic working with families who have been assessed through DHS for neglect, abuse, etc. I go into the homes with the Community Care Program and help them get basic needs met through resources in the community, provide relationship and skill building and help them address needs, to help reduce stress and the likelihood of additional DHS involvement. So far, it's going well. VERY different from teaching anger management and coping skills to kids, but I was thankful for the change. I was getting pretty burnt out. The only downfall is the amount of drive time I have. I cover the four south central counties in Iowa, Clarke, Lucas, Wayne and Decatur, so my closest clients will be an hour away. The farthest may be three. So we will see how it goes. I'm still waiting to hear back from Buena Vista about my acceptance into graduate school. If accepted, I will start this coming June and I am pretty excited for that!
Anyway, I guess there is not a whole lot else going on. Ben is taking two classes at DMACC, looking to complete a degree in Business Information Systems, with Wells Fargo paying for his classes. That has made finances a lot easier. :) We will be flying to Cancun March 30-April 3 or 4, as Ben earned a trip through work, due to all of his extra work he has done on macros and making the process a little easier, thus saving the company time and money. We can't wait to get out of cold Iowa and enjoy some time on the beach. Next time we see you, we will be slightly less white than we both are now. Yes, be jealous!