Happy Halloween!

Comedy Sportz party: Lady and the Tramp

Hallow's Eve:

Little Animals:

Enjoying the Loot:

Ahhh-Oooo!

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Chez Moi

I hesitate to put any pictures up of our current residence for fear that we may move soon, as has happened in the past. That being said, we have no immediate plans to move and so I'm posting pictures. This is for ma famille.











Maggie & Cash's Room: {I still need to make some bedding for both of them... but my sewing machine is currently out-of-order...}

Can you spot the sleeping child?

Oscar's Room:

Look for the baby...

And for the very anti-climactic ending... my room {yawn}. It definitely needs some attention paid to it.


Other things my home could use:
Dining room table and chairs
Bookshelves
New bath towels

My Son, the Star

Dear Virus,

As your host, I feel it is my responsibility to inform you that you have worn out your welcome. Perhaps I gave you the wrong impression when I mentioned that you weren't that big of a deal. I take it back. Your presence in this household has become irksome, to say the least. You are a nuisance and a bore and we are tired of you. Had you shown more generosity, maybe springing for dinner or cleaning the guest bath, your extended stay may not have been so exhausting. But, as it is, all you have caused is pain, discomfort, and a preposterous amount of mucus. Please demonstrate that you have a shred of decency by clearing out at once.

Sincerely,
Your Host Family

p.s.

photo credit: Heather Allred Bliss

Vintage Love

So I've been wanting to get a headboard for our bed. We've never had one. My bedroom has always been at the bottom of the totem pole as far as decorating goes. Even the kid's rooms have taken precedence over mine. Anyhow, I LOVE the headboard that belongs to Don and Betty Draper on Mad Men. Ben hates it. He says it's depressing and reminds him of something in his grandparents basement. What do you think?

photo via here.

photo via here.

Oink, oink...

So I'm feeling pretty great. Still coughing a little here and there, but I feel pretty good. Too bad that Thursday night Cash woke up crying that he couldn't breathe. I went into his bedroom and the poor little guy sounded like he was sucking air through a straw. I wrapped him in a blanket and took him outside in the cool air to reduce the swelling in his breathe-way, and then put him in a hot bath with lots of steam. When his breathing was less labored I slathered him with Vick's, set up the humidifier in his bedroom, stuffed some rolled up blankets under his mattress to elevate his head, gave him a dose of Tylenol to bring down his fever, and put him back to bed. Then I went in to check on Oscar. Repeat story. Friday both boys continued getting worse, so Friday evening I rushed them to the doctor before the office closed for the weekend. She thinks both boys have swine flu. Wha??? That hadn't even crossed my mind! Swine flu. After both boys received a shot in the leg of steroids, she sent us home with an armful of prescriptions and an order to stay in the house. Sigh. The last few warm days of the year and I'm going to be stuck in the house with sick kids. Today it looks like Maggie is starting to get symptoms. So I'm buckling down for a week of indoor activities. I have to say though that being a swine flu "survivor", it's really not that big of a deal. Or maybe I should say I'm glad we seem to have gotten a mild case of it.

So, anyone have some fun indoor ideas to keep kids entertained? Pass them along, friends. Pass them along.

Here's a picture of Oscar yesterday. Sad!

On the Mend...

I feel so much better today than I did yesterday. So much better. I think it was the chicken soup I made last night for dinner. Chicken soup that literally brought tears to my eyes when I took the first bite- it was that good. Lemon and chicken broth and rice. Of course, I might feel really good today because of the NyQuil I took at midnight last night. Two doses. Oscar was up until eleven because one of his front upper teeth is coming in (it finally "popped through" this morning). Ben was gone until about eleven-thirty practicing for a gig he has Saturday night. When Ben got home he put the baby in his crib, brought me a tall glass of water and gave me four NyQuil pills. I hardly thought twice about taking a double dose, I was that desperate for a good night's sleep. And a good night's sleep I got. I was knocked out until ten in the morning. Ten o'clock! Ben got up with the kids and gave them their breakfasts and I didn't even hear a thing until he finally woke me. All day long I've been in a medicinally induced fog. Needless to say the house looks like a war-zone. I reclaimed our couch this afternoon by folding the mountain of clean laundry that had taken up residence there. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to clean a little more. The bathtub needs scrubbing, the kitchen floor needs to be mopped, closets need organizing, and clutter needs to be dealt with. But for now I'm turning in for the night. A second night of heavy sleeping might be what I need to kick this little sickness to the curb. But before I turn in, I'll share the recipe for that magical chicken soup with you (it was such a hit at our house that Ben actually had me make it again tonight... that's never happened!):

Yummy Chicken Soup with Rice

6 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup rice or tiny pasta
1 tsp grated lemon zest
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer the chicken broth and rice for 15 minutes. In a bowl, beat the 3 egg yolks and add the lemon zest and lemon juice. When the chicken broth and rice have cooked for 15 mins, scoop out a small portion and add it to the egg mixture, stirring constantly (the idea is to bring the egg mixture up to a warmer temperature so the egg won't cook in chunks when you add it to the soup). Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the broth stirring constantly. Continue to stir and cook for 5 minutes. Soup will thicken slightly. Add salt and pepper. Serve hot. Yield: approx. 6 servings.

I added chunks of chicken meat to my soup- it made it a little more hearty. My mom always cooked her own chicken and made her own chicken broth, but because I've been under the weather, I just went the super easy route on this one and used canned chicken broth and a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket (or at least that's my excuse!). Ben thought it was a little too lemony the first night, so I used a little less than 1/4 cup tonight and he liked it better. I used bottled lemon juice, which may be stronger than fresh...

Bon appetit!

Thoughts

I'm sick. I've got a horrible chest cold that feels like fiery explosions in my chest every time I cough. Explosions that fling shrapnel into the fleshy insides of my lungs. Not fun. It should be illegal to get sick on the eve of your anniversary, don't you think? Ben and I dropped off the kids with their aunt and uncle anyway and headed up to Salt Lake for a delicious dinner, some shopping, and a movie. On the way home we stopped by the drugstore so I could stock up on some Vicks, Sudafed, and saline spray. Romantic, no? Today my evening of "reckless abandon" is giving me the gift of hoarseness, sore muscles from head to toe, and an extremely clouded mind (ergo this post probably makes no sense). I've been forcing glasses of Airborne down my family's throats. And I've been drinking my fair share of tea, hot lemon juice with honey, orange juice and just plain water. Also the t.v. has been on pretty much all day. Dora, Diego, and lots of Disney. Although 'Map' is starting to wear thin on my patience and so I think the play-dough is soon to be making an appearance at the kitchen table.

Ben and I have successfully navigated our way through 7 years of marriage. We have 3 beautiful, healthy, exuberant children. We have a cozy, comfortable home. We're still in love. And so, even though today I feel like wrapping myself up cocoon style in a thick, heavy quilt and jamming three sets of ear plugs in my ears, I have to say that my life is pretty sweet. Sweet and mentholated...but mostly sweet. Except for that hint of yucky that is wafting from the general direction of Oscar's pants (and actually it must be more than a hint because I can smell it through the Vicks). So I'm off to correct that.

Happy Anniversary, Ben. I love you.