Chargers Clinch Playoff Spot!

They did it again. The Chargers pulled off another win...and clinched the AFC West! I knew the beginning of the season didn't show their true potential. Nate Kaeding didn't let us down when it came to the final seconds...he kicked the game-winning 52-yard field goal and gave the Chargers momentum going into the playoffs. See the article in the SD Union-Tribune.

(Photo from the SD Union-Tribune.)

Madison & Her Shoes

Madison is a girl after her auntie's heart...she has a thing for shoes. Last time I visited my family in San Diego she tried on my shoes. This time, 2 weeks later, she put on her mom's shoes (2 sizes bigger!) and walked all around the house. It was actually quite impressive.

Later in the evening she grabbed two pillows from the couch and put them on the tile to make a bed for herself. Smart girl! I sure do miss seeing her more often.

Fabulous Christmas Scrapbook pages.

I normally don't post crafty stuff on this blog, but I quite impressed myself with these pages so I needed to double post. (In case you, my few dear readers, are interested, I have a craft-only blog, which I update more frequently.)

As you know from my previous post, I went to Mammoth over Thanksgiving weekend...where I'm most inspired to craft. I made this layout, which I spent way too much time on, but love the outcome. You will find similar layouts on pages 8 and 11 of the Close to my Heart Autumn/Winter Idea Book. I absolutely adore those layouts and have wanted to recreate them ever since I laid eyes on them in August! Each page will hold a 5"x7" picture of mine and my husband's side of our family. (The left side looks like it should hold an 8"x10"...but I don't like putting photos that big in my scrapbook. 8x10's are for framing. So that photo will have a big border.) Click the photos to see them larger.

(don't mind the spoon, it's just holding the pages up!)

Every stamp I used is from the Holiday Trinkets Stamp Set (my favorite!) and the paper is Jingle. To make the ornaments, I used second generation and rock 'n roll stamping techniques. First, I inked up the ornament stamp. Then I stamped it onto scratch paper. Without re-inking, i rolled just the edges of the stamp in the ink again. Then I stamped the image onto my white cardstock, cut it out, and adhered it to the page with 3D glue dots. The Olive cardstock on the left side of the page is random-stamped with the "Deck the Halls" stamp.

To make the crumpled paper, I cut the paper to the size I needed (about 1" x 3"). Then I lightly spritzed it with my stamp spritz cleaner (because it was handy and already in a spritz bottle...but water will do the job). Once it was evenly damp, I crumpled the paper (careful not to go too crazy, the paper will tear). I flattened it out and formed it how I wanted it, then let it dry. It's adhered to the page with glue dots.

The "pine needles" were time consuming, but totally worth it. And actually not very hard. I just cut a bunch of curved strips of Olive Cardstock (cut more than you think you will need). Once they were all cut, I sponged them in Olive ink to get them more depth. I adhered them to the page with a glue pen.

The trees on page 2 are more time-consuming than the pine needles. First I stamped the trees in Olive ink all the way across the strip of white cardstock. Then I second-generation stamped the trees a couple times on a separate piece of white cardstock (stamp first on scratch paper, then on cardstock to give lighter color). I cut out each tree on the extra cardstock and sponged the edges, then used a glue pen to glue them over some of the trees on the white strip. The ornaments are colored with a tulip marker, then used a glue pen to add glitter on top.

This flurry dimensional element makes the whole page come together! I used spray adhesive on the entire snowflake, then sprinkled glitter over it. (Tip: Put your dimensional element on a few sheets of scratch paper, then go outside and spray it. Throw the scratch paper away before glittering or the glitter will stick to it.) I adhered the snowflake with 3D foam so that it is raised above the felt piece it is covering.

The "J" and "Y" are dimensional elements that I covered with paper. Tip: When covering chipboard with paper, file the edges when you're done to give a smooth (and distressed, if you'd like) finish.

San Diego & Mammoth for Thanksgiving Weekend

We spent this Thanksgiving in San Diego at my parents' house. It was great to be able to spend time with the WHOLE family! I miss seeing sweet little Madison as often as I did when we lived in SD :( Every time I see her now she's so much bigger! We also celebrated my birthday since it was the following Monday and everyone was already together. Here's Maddie trying to put my shoes on as I was trying on my new boots. SO freaking cute!

And then trying to walk in them.


She also loved carrying around my new purse, which is almost as big as she is.

And my gift bag.


This girl is going to be quite the girly girl...and will LOVE playing dress-up with Mommy and Auntie's clothes, shoes, and makeup!

Earlier in the day we had my lovely friend and professional photographer, Lauren, take our Lewinger family photos. They turned out just lovely, but I don't have them yet, so you'll just have to wait to see how good we look ;)

On Thanksgiving evening Chris and I headed up to Mammoth. We did NOT enjoy the 6-hour drive now that we're used to the 4.5 hour drive from LA. But it was worth it to be in Mammoth. It's one of my most favorite places and never disappoints!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Malme family on Friday. Mmmm...more mashed potatoes, my favorite! Before dinner we got a pretty good Malme family photo for their Christmas card. (I don't like how I look, and this is after photoshopping my hair, but everyone else looks great.)

It snowed on Friday night all through Saturday, leaving us 14 inches of fresh powder on Sunday. We took Oslo to the meadow...boy does he have fun there!

I took Stephanie's awesome camera with me to get some fun snow shots.


And Steph got some cool pictures that night and in the morning.

Sunday was nothin but bluebird skies. Oslo the Wonder Dog likes to show off.



(Can I just point out how perfect these photos are?! I have tried taking action shots of him time and time again, and they just never turn out great. I'm SO excited about these!)

This next photo was taken on the mountain, across the street from the lift (chair 2). It's so beautiful up there, especially with fresh snow!

And of course, our little family photo had to include our son and be in the snow. (Good thing it snowed or I don't know what we would have done.) Chris was complaining about our photo shoot taking too long...he wanted to be finished after 1 location, but we tried 4, and I still hadn't seen the perfect shot. Our lovely photographer, Stephanie, was so patient with me. Finally, once I said "one more," we got the perfect shot on the last try! (And if you're wondering, yes, I was freezing my butt off without a beenie or jacket. But worth it for the cute hair.)

How do we get Oslo to look at the camera, you ask? Stephanie was holding his tennis ball. Works like a charm every time. (Although he did bolt over to her a couple times to try getting the ball.)

It was great to have lots of family time over the weekend!

Jim Carrey on The Ellen Show

Jim Carrey's entrance is awesome. No one else could pull this off like he did.

He wasn't necessarily promoting his new movie, Disney's A Christmas Carol, but they show a quick promo in the beginning. The movie is pretty awesome. I saw it opening weekend at Disney's El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, and it was nothing less than Disney style. Motion-capture technology made it possible to create this movie as close as possible to the classic Dickens tale. It is still a ghost story (I don't recommend bringing your small children), but it's also comedic. How could it not be with Jim Carrey?!

Toy Story 3 Trailer

This looks so cute! I laughed out loud when I watched this trailer.

Madison at Bate's Nut Farm

...Try saying that 3 times fast! :)

Ashley and Justin took Madison to Bate's Nut Farm to pick out a pumpkin and play in the pumpkin patch. From what she explained, Madison had a BLAST! And they got some great pictures to boot! I can't believe how long Maddie's hair is getting.

Glee - Single Ladies

Hilarious!!!

Oregon Sandcastle Competition

I received a forward with pictures of some amazing sandcastles from a competition on the coast of Oregon. Not that I could ever in a million years conjure up something like this, but if I could, I can't imagine sculpting such a work of art, then just leaving it, knowing it will eventually get destroyed. That's why I scrapbook...my artwork lasts forever :) Here are a couple pictures of my favorite one from the email.

Joey's Story

One of my sister's co-workers, Tony, has a 14-year-old son named Joey. After a terrible accident in April 2009, Joey, a surfing champion, was left in a wheelchair and told that he would never walk again. However, with very expensive treatment there is hope that he will walk again. I thought I'd share his inspiring story.

This is re-posted from Joey's mom's online journal:

Use it or lose it

There has been research done and recent books published on brain plasticity (the ability of the brain to "rewire" itself). It seems to me that they are basically saying just this: use it or lose it. The more fascinating thing that is now being looked at is how, once you lose it, you can use it again.

From my understanding, whether it's called plasticity or learned unuse, if you stop using part of your body, it will adapt by redirecting neuropathways/brain signals to somewhere else in your body that you do use. The theory holds true for those that lose an entire sense and can't hear or see; their other senses use those unused reserves in neuropathways to increase the senses that are working. There is a therapy called constraint-induced movement therapy where if one arm is paralyzed and the other is not; the working arm is constrained so that you can't rely on it to compensate for the nonworking arm - you don't allow it to take over the unused pathways that were used at one time to tell the paralyzed arm to work. If there is no attempt to use the paralyzed arm, the brain will tell the body that it is no longer needed, but if your able arm is placed in a sling, and you continually tell the brain to move the paralyzed arm, it begins to fire the pathways necessary to move it.

There have also been unbelievable things done where the brain can actually be tricked into thinking that a paralyzed arm works (using an able arm and mirror). The brain sees, in a mirror, what appears to be the paralyzed arm working, and when it registers that it can work, suddenly the paralyzed arm does work. I've heard this mirror method used when working with phantom pain as well. Dr Joe, Joey's Chiropractic Neurologist, explains some of these things by discussing the inhibitors that the brain naturally sends or does not send to the body based on the brains input from different sources (I may not have interpreted that exactly right-I've given up trying to quote dr joe as the terminology is like a foreign language to me - but I think I'm close).

The brain is pretty incredible and it's encouraging to see more and more interest and information out there on its ability to "rewire itself". It can only be expected that more research on plasticity and the spinal cord will follow.

In the past, physical therapists worked with spinal cord injury (SCI) patients on only those muscles above the level of injury, and pretty much ignored anything that was paralyzed. New therapies (Project Walk among them) concentrate on the areas that are paralyzed and work on the body below the level of injury. It is hard to imagine how you work on a an arm or leg that is paralyzed, but the first thing they do is ask you to try to move. Then they assist the movement while you visualize doing it on your own. This is about making connections, reconnecting, or maybe even redirecting, neuropathways that at one time told the body to move this way.

Another important aspect scientists have found with connecting neuropathways is the importance of reward. When studying plasticity, it was found that major changes in rewiring the brain occur when the body releases endorphines, or other pleasure chemicals in your body, at the same time it is attempting to rewire. Even if there is no result when trying, rewarding the attempt (shaping) will help to build neuropathways. This is like how the body responds to some addictive behaviors. The more the body is rewarded, the stronger the addiction becomes. I think this is also the power of positive thinking, muscle memory, and mind over body; maybe all that stuff will be scientifically supported and explained in the future as brain plasticity.

On Joey's first day at Project Walk they made a video as his starting point in recovery. He was asked to try to move his leg while the trainer moved his leg for him. Joey was encouraged at each attempt and by the end of the first hour, they had to retake the video because he was able to do more than he thought he could, and a lot more than he showed in the first filming. Seeing that he could do more than he thought was another boost of confidence/reward and those initial movements were built upon.

Having an exercise-based therapy like Project Walk also adds the reward of endorphines which are naturally released with exercise and help reward and strengthen the message to the brain that this is what we want the body to do.
While at Project Walk, the trainers use positive reinforcement for effort, and with gradual and repetitive movements, tap into those connections and eventually strengthen muscle.

A very long way to say just this: Use it or lose it.

Recipe Week Day 7: Vanilla-Lime Grilled Pineapple Skewers

This is my final post for Recipe Week. I hope you'll try all my recipes...they're my tried-and-true favorites...husband-tested and all :)

Grilled pineapple isn't usually a dessert you think to make. But it sure is yummy! Especially with this brown sugar sauce. This recipe is from Alton Brown on Foodnetwork. (If you haven't watched his show, "Good Eats" on Foodnetwork, you should!)

Ingredients

• 1 tsp vanilla extract none of that imitation stuff (he calls for 1 vanilla bean, but I don't typically keep those on hand)
• 8 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1 cup firmly packed
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 whole pineapple
• 8 (12-inch) metal skewers

Directions
Add the vanilla, brown sugar, lime juice, and salt to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk together and bring to a boil, stirring just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 2 hours before using. Once cool, place the syrup in a squeeze bottle or other sealable container. Store in the refrigerator. (This will store in the fridge for a very long time...so you can make extra!)

Preheat grill on high.

Peel and remove the core from the pineapple. Cut the pineapple into eighths, lengthwise, and remove any prickly brown eyes.

Thread the pieces of pineapple onto the skewers lengthwise. Coat the skewered pineapple on all sides with the syrup. Grill on all sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side, 12 minutes total, or until the pineapple is tender. Serve with any remaining sauce.


YUM!

Recipe Week Day 6: Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken Breasts

This recipe is adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine.

8 servings prep time: 10 min Cook time: 25 min
(I usually split this recipe in half.)

Ingredients:
1/4 Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 C honey
2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp lemon juice
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 4 lbs)
Salt

1. In a small saucepan, heat 1 tbsp EVOO over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent and beginning to brown (6-8 min). Add the honey, hot pepper sauce, and chili powder and simmer for 1 min. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and set aside.

2. Preheat a grill or large grill pan to medium-high. Drizzle the remaining 3 tbsp EVOO over the chicken and season with salt. Grill until well marked, about 7 min. Flip and cook until the bottoms are well marked and the chicken is cooked through, another 2 min. Transfer to a plate and brush with the reserved honey glaze. Cover with foil and let rest for 5 min.

Recipe Week Day 5: Popcorn Shrimp with Chili-Lime Dipping Sauce

This recipe is adapted from Ellie Krieger from Foodnetwork. I love that her recipes are healthy and still packed with flavor. The cornmeal crust gives these shrimp a nice little crunch, plus it's gluten-free. This recipe is a little more involved than my past posts, but it's worth it.

Ingredients

For shrimp:

• 1/2 C rice flour (or other gluten-free flour)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 C cornmeal
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 lb medium rock shrimp (90-100 count), shelled and cleaned (any size shrimp you have will work)
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• Spray cooking oil

For sauce:

• 1/3 C nonfat Greek yogurt or 1/2 C nonfat plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp lime juice (about 1/2 a lime)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 lime, zested

(I usually omit the lime zest, and sometimes even omit the yogurt if I don't have it on-hand and just make a mayonnaise-based sauce.)

1. Combine all sauce ingredients and set aside.

2. Place flour, chili powder, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp salt in a shallow bowl and stir with a fork to incorporate. Place egg whites in another shallow bowl and beat lightly. Place cornmeal, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper in a third bowl and stir with a fork to incorporate.

3. Toss the shrimp, a few at a time, in flour until well coated. Shake off excess flour, then dip in egg whites. Transfer to cornmeal mixture and toss to cover all sides. Reserve coated shrimp on a baking sheet or piece of parchment paper and repeat with remaining shrimp.

4. Preheat broiler. Brush a large cookie sheet with the oil and heat the oiled sheet under broiler for 3 min. Remove from oven and quickly arrange shrimp in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Spray the tops of the shrimp with cooking spray. Place shrimp under broiler and broil until crisp and browned, about 5 min.

5. Serve with dipping sauce.

Serves 8 (12 shrimp each + 1 tbsp sauce)

View Past Recipes:
Day1: Crockpot Turkey Chili
Day 2: Crockpot BBQ Beef
Day 3: Spicy Peanut Sauce
Day 4: Mixed-Up Lasagna
Bonus: Stovetop Turkey Chili

Recipe Week Day 4: Mixed-Up Lasagna

If you're anything like me, you don't want to bother with fussy meals. I love lasagna, but don't want to deal with the layers. So why not mix it up? The lasagna gets mixed up on your plate anyway...it tastes the same.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com years ago and printed it out, but I can't find it online anymore. It's one of my family's favorites, so it's a good thing I printed it!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or I use 1-2 tbsp already-minced garlic)
• 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 8 oz no boil lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths (I use brown rice noodles, which are gluten-free. I have also used regular pasta instead of lasagna noodles. Be sure you don't boil them very long because they'll cook while baking.)
• 3 C tomato sauce (one 29-oz can)
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
• 2 C shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add the onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes until the onion softens. Add the ground meat, brown and season with salt and pepper.

2. Mix the basil, oregano, noodles, tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, and Parmesan cheese into the meat mixture. Pour the mixed up lasagna into a 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the noodles have softened and cheese is melted. (I like the top of my casseroles to be browned and crunchy, so I usually leave mine in about 45 min.)

Enjoy!

View Past Recipes:
Day1: Crockpot Turkey Chili
Day 2: Crockpot BBQ Beef
Day 3: Spicy Peanut Sauce
Bonus: Stovetop Turkey Chili

Recipe Week Day 3: Spicy Peanut Sauce

I love peanut sauce, and I've tried many different recipes for it. This one has been my favorite time and time again. Plus, it's super easy to make! I usually serve it with chicken skewers or grilled chicken breast as a dipping sauce.

Adapted from Ellie Krieger on Foodnetwork.

Time: about 10 min. Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 C peanut butter (chunky or smooth works)
1/4 C chicken broth (I make sure mine is gluten-free as well)
3 tbsp soy sauce (Tamari wheat-free if you're gluten-free)
1-1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1-1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger (or 3/4 tbsp ground dried ginger)
2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
3-4 tbsp onion, roughly chopped

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Will keep well in the fridge for a few days. Sometimes I freeze in ice cube trays so I have individual portion sizes ready to defrost.

View Past Recipes:
Day1: Crockpot Turkey Chili
Day 2: Crockpot BBQ Beef
Bonus: Stovetop Turkey Chili

Recipe Week Day 2: Crockpot BBQ Beef

I'm going to go ahead and start off my Recipe Week with both of my Crockpot recipes. But who am I kidding....I'm really posting them for my own selfish reasons. I can't find them on Allrecipes.com anymore and I already had a scare that I lost my only copies of my 2 favorite Crockpot recipes! I really only have 2 that I go to on a regular basis. Now I have a record of them online :)

(This fabulous BBQ beef recipe was submitted by Corwynn on Allrecipes.com...love that site! I altered it a bit, though.)

Prep time: 20 min. Cook time: 8-10 hrs.

• 1-1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 1/4 C red wine vigegar
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 4-lb boneless chuck roast

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except roast).

2. Place chuck roast in Crockpot and pour ketchup mixture over it. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hrs.

3. Remove chuck roast from Crockpot, shred with a fork, and return to Crockpot. Stir meat to evenly coat with sauce. (The recipe says to continue cooking another hour, but I never do and it is still yummy!)

View Past Recipes:
Day1: Crockpot Turkey Chili
Bonus: Stovetop Turkey Chili

Recipe Week Day 1: Crockpot Turkey Chili

I love cooking and trying new recipes, so I decided that this next week is recipe week on my blog. I'm going to post a new recipe each day. Since I'm gluten-intolerant, any of you out there who have the same issue, rest-assured all my recipes are gluten-free!

Since I gave you my recipe for stove top chili in my last post, I decided it's only fair to give you my crockpot chili recipe. It's SO yummy....I've gotten rave reviews! But I have to give credit to LauraKE on Allrecipes.com :)

Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 4 hrs (on high)

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb ground turkey
2 cans (10.75 oz) low sodium tomato soup
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 dash ground black pepper
1 dash allspice
salt to taste

1. Brown the ground turkey, drain.

2. Spray Crockpot w/ cooking spray and mix in all ingredients.

3. Cover and cook 4 hrs on high or 8 hrs on low.

4. Enjoy!

Serves probably about 4-6. (Hard to tell because my husband eats more than the average Joe!)

Feel free to change up the beans...I use whatever is on-hand. I hope you try it...you won't be let down!

For my stove top chili recipe, click here.

Back in the Swing of Things - Stovetop Chili

I just created a blog for my sister so that she can post pictures and give updates about Madison and baby #2 once he/she arrives! So I thought I should probably start updating my own blog more often :) I have my craft blog though, which I do update regularly.

I'll start off with a great recipe for chili that I made last night. I have 2 chili recipes...once is for the crock pot and one is for stove top. This is for the stove top:

I adapted this recipe from Sam the Cooking Guy.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey, browned and seasoned with a little kosher salt, garlic powder, and chili powder (or Lawry's season salt)
• 4 sm cans of beans, your choice (I used white kidney beans and black beans...but I usually change it up depending on what's in the pantry)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (More or less depending on your preference. I usually use a dash.)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken stock

In a stock pot, melt the butter and saute the onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Toss all ingredients into the pot, let simmer for about half an hour to let all the flavors marry, and enjoy!

Easy peasy! Serves about 4.

I choose to live

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."

He continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes', I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'! Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'"

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34. After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

My Last Day at Work Phone Prank

My co-worker, and master prankster, Michelle, got her husband involved in this prank. He works in video at Jobbing.com and had his co-worker make the call, and they recorded our whole conversation. Fun times.

Saved by the Bell Reunion?

Fiesta Island on Memorial Day

Chris and I took Oslo to Fiesta Island on Memorial Day. It was a beautiful day with dozens of jetskis and boats out in the bay. It made me want to wakeboard again soon!

We don't often let Oslo go in the water because he gets all sandy and dirty and he's not the easiest dog to give a bath. But we let him play in the water on Memorial day. He ran back and forth from the water to the shore for an hour straight. He was SO wiped...but could have kept going all day! That dog loves playing fetch more than any dog I've ever met.

Here are some pictures of our boy having a ball (literally)...

Easter week with the Nelsons

Chris's cousin, Bill, came out to visit from Minnesota (or Minne-so-cold as the Malmes call it) the week before Easter. (I know I'm behind on posting.) He brought his lovely wife, Barb, and two adorable kids, Elise (5-1/2) and Cyrus (4). Elise was the flower girl in our wedding...she had just turned 3 years old...time sure does fly!

Chris and I went on a double date while Great Aunt Jan and Great Uncle David watched the kiddos. We took them to the Fish Market downtown.

The Nelsons left to go back home on Easter Sunday, so we celebrated Easter with them on Saturday. We walked with Oslo and Cassie over to the park near the Malmes' house and took some pictures of the kids (little and big).

Cyrus is concentrating on climbing that chain ladder...


Elise looking pretty...

Oslo and Daddy posing for the camera...

The Want Ads

Holly and the Box

I just love my little Holly baby. She loves crawling into boxes, and she especially loves that this box has paper packaging inside. Isn't she a cutie?!

Watch out for these over-the-counter flea products

Watch this video and watch out for over-the-counter flea products!

My cat was sick last year and I couldn't figure out why he was throwing up every week or two, losing a lot of fur, and getting really skinny. I thought it was an allergic reaction to his food. When I switched his food he slowly got better. But that also coincided w/ the flea season being over and I stopped giving him flea baths. This video shows a shampoo I used on him last year (Biospot) when he had fleas...now I'm convinced it was this flea shampoo that made him sick.

Awesome Dance Moves, Little Guy!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Happy birthday to my sweet husband, who turns 28 today :) I usually don't give a whole lot of thought to St. Patrick's day because I celebrate my hubby's birthday instead of the holiday. But I am making him a traditional Irish dinner tonight, so I thought I'd look up what St. Patrick's day actually is. This is from Wikipedia:

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa AD 385–461), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.

The day is the national holiday of Ireland. In Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday.

St. Patrick's feast day was placed on the universal liturgical calendar in the Catholic Church due to the influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding in the early part of the 17th century, although the feast day was celebrated in the local Irish church from a much earlier date. St. Patrick's Day is a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The feast day usually falls during Lent; if it falls on a Friday of Lent (unless it is Good Friday), the obligation to abstain from eating meat can be lifted by the local bishop. The church calendar avoids the observance of saints' feasts during certain solemnities, moving the saint's day to a time outside those periods. St. Patricks Day is very occasionally affected by this requirement. Thus when March 17 falls during Holy Week, as in 1940 when St. Patrick's Day was observed on April 3 in order to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and again in 2008, having been observed on 15 March.

More than you ever thought you wanted to know about St. Paddy's day!!!

Craziness!

Why doesn't our administration learn from history?

The Worst Best Man Ever

3 Things

This post is thanks to Melissa :)

Three Names I go by
1. J
2. Hymes
3. Jaymalew

Three Jobs I have had in my life
1. Flower cleaner
2. Barista
3. Marketing/Customer Service/Web Maintenance/anything that comes up Coordinator

Three Places I have lived
1. Jamul, CA
2. Carlsbad, CA
3. Pt. Loma, CA

Three TV Shows that I watch
1. Lipstick Jungle
2. Man vs. Wild
3. Entourage

Three places I have been
1. Madrid, Spain
2. Colorado, US
3. Caribbean, USVI

Three People who email me regularly
1. Mandy
2. Erika
3. Meli

Three favorite foods
1. asparagus, mashed potatoes & filet minon (from Whiskey Creek in Mammoth)
2. French fries
3. Nut thins with cream cheese

Things I am looking forward to
1. East Coast with my hubby in July
2. My hubby being done w/ school and working full time at a div. 1 university!
3. Finishing the Twilight saga

I bet she'll never miss another flight...

Love Quotes

I'm not one of those sappy romantics; I don't like cheesy lovey dovey quotes. But in honor of Valentine's Day, here is a compilation of some of my favorite (non-cheesy) love quotes...

"Love is the only thing you get more of by giving it away." -Tom Wilson

"People need loving the most when they deserve it the least." -John Harrigan

"The greatest happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather loved in spite of ourselves." -Unknown

"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Anonymous

"Love doesn't give a person what they deserve, but what they need." -Unknown

"We find rest in those we love, and we provide a resting place in ourselves for those who love us." -Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

Boba is the BEST!

I was introduced to Boba a couple years ago by my lovely friend Melissa. We went to an asian tea bar in Clairemont and I got a bobalicious tea drink. It was love at first sip. What's there not to love? Tea....Any flavor addition you want....Chewy things in your drink...milk to make a latte if that's your forte....Mmmm. And you drink it all through a big fat straw so you can suck up the tapioca pearls.

Well, lattes and teas are just as expensive at a boba bar as they are at Starbucks, so I started making them myself! I get tapioca pearls at Ranch 99...a whole bag for $1.29! Then I just add them to my hot tea for a nice chewy morning and afternoon snack. I even got fat straws...I think it was like 99 cents for a whole bag of them. I don't add the flavoring, just honey and some almond milk. I'm really just in it for the chewy treats at the bottom. For those of you who have not experienced the world of boba, you may be wondering what the heck I'm talking about! Let me enlighten you...

Bubble tea (or boba tea) is a special tea beverage that originated in Asia in the 1980s. It is a mixture of of iced or hot sweetened tea, milk, and a flavoring - often fruits such as mango, traditional flavors like red bean and taro, or others.

The bubbles in the tea are chewy tapioca pearls that sit at the bottom of the cup. You drink the tea through a super fat straw which allows you to suck up the tapioca balls and chew on them as a treat.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say...

Bubble tea, also called "Boba" tea, is a tea beverage containing gelatinous tapioca pearls. It originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, spread to nearby East Asian countries, and migrated to Canada before spreading to Chinatown in New York, then to various spots throughout the West Coast of the United States. The literal translation from Chinese is pearl milk tea (traditional Chinese: 珍珠奶茶; Tongyong Pinyin: jhenjhu nǎichá; Hanyu Pinyin: zhēnzhū nǎichá). The word "bubble" refers to "bubbling", the process by which certain types of bubble tea are made, and not the actual tapioca balls. The balls are often called "pearls." Drinks with large pearls are consumed along with the beverage through wide straws; while drinks with small pearls are consumed through normal straws. Bubble tea is especially popular in many East Asian and Southeast Asian regions, and more recently popularized in the United States.

Happy boba drinking!

The Dog Park

Chris takes Oslo to the dog park every morning. He's such a great daddy! But this weekend Chris was sick, so I took him. I do enjoy going to the dog park every now and then. I enjoy it more on the weekend than during the week...if I go during the week I have to go right when I get home from work because it gets dark so darn early now. I like to enjoy being home for a bit before running off again...so I usually just walk him around our condo complex instead of going to the park.

I digress. Yesterday I stepped in dog poo at the park. I'm usually good at watching out for it, but wouldn't you know, I had it on BOTH of my shoes. I didn't realize it until I got in the car...the small space concentrated the smell. At first I thought it was Oslo, but then realized it was my shoes. WHY is it so hard for people to pick up after their dogs?! Why can't you watch them to see when they DO poo and go pick it up?! I see people's dogs pooping all the time, and their owner is no where to be found...they have no idea their dog is doing its duty. Maybe it's just me (and Chris), but we know when to expect Oslo to do his duty and watch for it. Sometimes he does it 2-3 times (and now I carry three bags with me!) I just don't understand why it's so hard to watch your dog and pick up after it.

/end rant.

That was kinda fun talking about poo for two paragraphs :) Well, I guess the poo talk was really just one paragraph. It was fun nonetheless.

This is Oslo's next trick

iPhone Calendar

A calendar feature can be found on most phones nowadays. There are calendars in our email, on our walls, etc. But I never used a calendar to its full potential until I got my iPhone.

Now my days are so organized it's insane. I even had an event in my calendar to call my dentist to make an appt on Monday, and set an alarm to remind me to call (which I did).

I had this capability in my last phone, and I used it occasionally, but it took like 7 steps to even reach the calendar, then inputting anything was so difficult. But the iPhone is SO easy! You push the calendar app on the home screen and your calendar is open. You can view the month, day, or just a list of events. And it couldn't be easier to add/edit anything...you simply press "+" or "edit" and type. As seen in the picture, a dot on a day means you have something going on. You can touch that day and a list of events is shown at the bottom. SO handy!

Now I can tell you what I'm doing every day and don't forget appointments anymore (I used to forget dr. appts if they didn't call to remind me the day before). I even put in tentative plans since it's so easy...and since I'm SO popular I'm sure never to double-book :)

I LOVE my iPhone. Everyone needs one.

One Minute Painting

Awesome One Minute Painting - Watch more How-to

Asians are awesome!

Japanese Treadmill Challenge - Watch more Free Videos

The Garden Song

Safe Landing

This is fascinating. What an amazing job by this pilot!

Oslo catching a snowball, then fetching his real ball

Trip to Arizona

My cousin got married in Seattle this past May. In December her family had a big party at their house in Arizona so that all their friends and family who couldn't make it to Seattle could celebrate with them.

Chris and I went to Arizona Dec. 27-28 and got to see my grandpa for the first time in years. It was the first time Chris had ever met him. And the first time my grandpa got to meet his first great-granddaughter. I won't got into all the details, but once my grandma passed away several years ago, my grandpa hasn't been the same person. There was a lot of tension in the family once he remarried. But recently he's been slowly coming back into our lives. On Dec. 27 we had 4 generations of our family in one place.

Here is a picture of my grandpa, my dad, my sister, and my niece...


Madison loved her great grandpa. And I think Grandpa enjoyed Madison. She would smile at him whenever he'd make silly faces at her, and she kept reaching for him.

It was definitely worth the trip to be able to take this picture and see four generations of our family together (it would have been worth the trip anyway, however). Who knows if this will ever happen again in my lifetime.

Ok, Go - Here It Goes Again

The Office: More of Jim's Pranks on Dwight - "The Best of"

Super Mario Reanactment

Holy cow...this is SO awesome...especially for a Nintendo junkie like myself!

The Office: Jim vs. Dwight

My Newest iPhone app: iHeart Radio

Chris and I are addicted to the Mikey Show on Rock 105.3 in the mornings. We wake up to them, laugh in bed for an hour or so before we get up, listen while we get ready for work, and listen on the way to work. I often find myself sitting in my car in the parking lot to finish listening to a bit before I go into the office. I recently got a shower radio so I could listen in the shower, and Chris got a Walkman so he could listen when he takes Oslo to the dog park. When we drive to Mammoth we download podcasts of past shows to listen to on our long, boring drive. Makes the time go by so much faster! We're ADDICTED!

Well, Chris just found an app for our iPhones called iHeart Radio. It's put out by Clearchannel so you can listen to all of Clearchannel's radio stations on your iPhone. Now if we are driving and go out of range...just listen on our iPhone. Chris doesn't need his Walkman anymore because he can listen on his iPhone. If there's a good bit on when I need to go into the office...just listen on my iPhone. You get the picture. The iPhone apps and features never cease to amaze me.

(For those who are curious about my addiction, The Mikey Show is on 105.3 weekday mornings 6-10...sometimes 10:30...or whenever they feel like finishing. You can also listen live online at www.mikeyshow.com)

Family Guy: Peanut Butter Jelly Time

iPhone Feature of the Day: NOTES

I've had my iPhone for about 5 days now, and each day I fall in love with it more and more. As if it's not awesome enough, I keep running across new features and find myself saying "Wow, that's SO cool!" Then I show whoever is around how cool it is and they agree. Then I tell my fellow iPhone junkie, Meli, and she agrees :)

So...I'm starting an "iPhone Feature of the Day" label for my blog!

Today I played with the NOTES app for the first time. I was making a shopping list for Target (very cool in itself...no more post-its shoved in my purse). I was about to call Chris to see if he had anything to add to my list, but then I saw a little envelope button at the bottom of my screen. Being the curious person that I am, I pushed it to see what it did. It pulled up an email with my list already in the body. I simply emailed the list to him...he emailed me back what he needed. Since we both have iPhones, we got the emails instantly.

WAY COOL!

Oldies but goodies

BLAH

I'm in a weird place today. No, I have been for the past week. Ever since I came back to work after 1-1/2 weeks off I've been thinking a lot about my life and what I'm doing with it. I love my home life...my husband is amazing, my dog makes me happy, and my crafting hobbies keep my creative juices constantly moving. I have an awesome place to live, a supportive family, a niece who I adore, and the best friends a girl could ask for. But I feel like I'm missing something lately.

Chris is working on his graduate degree and has a pretty good idea of where he's going with his career. And quite frankly, he and I have been discussing what he's doing with his life so much, that I haven't given much thought to mine. (Not that I'm complaining...he comes first in this discussion.) But where am I going...what am I doing? I know I'm capable of so much more than I'm doing right now. Eventually I want to be a stay-at-home mom, but I'm not able to do that yet. I know that I want to do something where I get to use my uber-creative talents. I've been trying to figure out how to make crafting more than just a hobby, but it's a slow process. My job at Christian Ed Publishers has gone downhill with the economy...it's now more stressful, less fulfilling, and sometimes just plain miserable. If it weren't for my co-worker, Erika, I don't think I could have lasted this long! But it's a job in a time that many don't have one.

Which brings me to whatever plateau I'm currently at. A plateau in my professional life. I've been doing a lot of soul-searching but am not quite sure how to decipher what I need to do. I have been putting a lot more effort into my crafting business and my crafting blog (Playing with Paper), so hopefully it will lead somewhere. I have so many ideas to make it even better, but not enough time (with a full-time job) to put those ideas into action. I want to love my job. It's something you spend too many hours of your life doing to not enjoy. I guess I will continue in my search for the next stage of my life...

I'm officially COOL!

Last night Chris and I became proud new owners of iPhones! We've both been wanting one for a long time, so we both asked for Apple/iPhone gift cards for Christmas. Our family/friends were so good to us! We were able to get 2 of the 16GB iPhones and only had to pay $50 out of pocket. Here's a picture of the used gift cards. Our Genius Apple tech got a kick out of scanning all the cards. He said we hold the record for the most gift cards used. Go us! He's actually the one who staged this picture :)


I was so excited that I couldn't even hold the box forward for the picture. Thanks, Meli, for documenting this important milestone in our lives! I'm glad you don't have to be embarrassed to be my friend anymore! :)

Winter Wonderland

Chris and I were in Mammoth from Dec. 29 - Jan. 4...a whole week! That's the longest we've been able to stay up there. And I could have stayed so much longer. Oslo has never been more tired in his life. He played his heart out the entire time and at night he was just konked out! It was hilarious...coming from an endless-energy dog (so I thought).

H loves playing with his ball in the snow, but he mostly loves digging. Here is him trying to dig up this tree. He dug about 5 feet...


On Friday it was snowy and fabulous! We went up to the lakes (where we normally hike in the summer). The lake was frozen over and was covered in snow!


Here's our cute little family in the snow. You can't really tell, but it was snowing and Oslo has an ice beard :)