Halloween

DAY 304

The kids made great pirates this year, but it might be Little Man's last year in costume. Hopefully not. We'll have to wait and see how he feels next year. Every Halloween we get together with the Jarbos and go trick or treating. It's become a tradition. The kids had lots of fun and scored some serious loot. Luckily I've got dental cleanings scheduled for next week.

DAY 303

"Sometimes you like to let the hair do the talking!" James Brown

The children don't get to wear costumes to school for Halloween (a sore subject with me). Instead they have "fall parties" and this year they let them have crazy hair day. I had a great idea for Pokey's hair, but unfortunately her hair wasn't quite long enough. Little Man's was easier but I'm kicking myself that I got his hair cut last week. We could have really had some fun.

We've been having lots of fun this week with food. Yesterday we got the jack o lantern Papa Murphy's pizza and tonight we made these scarecrow tostadas. The kids got to design their own and they seemed to be a hit.

After a long day I took Pokey's hair out so she could shower and this was the result. This will totally be her crazy hair for next year.

In other news:
Little Man had his last soccer practice of the season tonight and the dads played against the boys. I think the dads won 6-5. It started at 5:30 and was already dark, so by 6:30 it was pitch black. It was seriously windy and cold. Pokey and I watched most of it from the car and after about 6 PM it was just too dark to see. I think the boys had fun though. Little Man scored 2 goals and had 1 assist.

We also watched "Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space" with the kids tonight. I was anxious to watch something else later with Haldan. Scary movies are my absolute favorite! Not the gorey disgusting kind, but the good old fashioned scary kind. Unfortunately Haldan's a party pooper and not a lover of scary movies. Luckily I have one kid that likes Goosebumps. Maybe I have a movie watching companion in the making.

Spider Cupcakes

DAY 302

"Endurance is patience concentrated." -Thomas Carlyle

So, maybe I should have listened to my husband when he said to just buy some cupcakes for the kid's school parties and be done with it, but don't tell him that. (mistake number one) I was determined to make something original. I waited until the last minute to decide what I wanted to do (mistake number two) and then came up empty on almost every ingredient needed. By the way, Wal-Mart and Target do not carry Nutter Butters- just in case you were wondering. I was going to do witches with the Nutter Butters, but couldn't find the wafer cookies or the thin candy bars, so ended up doing the spider cupcakes. I would have done the ghosts tonight, but didn't have any white chocolate on hand. (mistake number three) The spiders turned out more like turantulas because I couldn't find the pull and peel black licorice anywhere. Haldan was a great helper today while I was at work and stopped at several places to try and find them. When I got home I must have called at least a dozen other places only to realize they were no where to be found, so I bought the regular thick licorice (mistake number four) which proved to be much more time consuming and annoying than (I'm sure) it's worth. I think I actually got a blister on my finger from cutting, if you can believe that. I had to cut them in sixths lengthwise (to make 300 legs). It tested my patience on many levels. I ended up making 50 of these puppies. And yes I realize spiders have 8 legs, but as it was I just had enough to do 50. Haldan actually helped me when he got home from work tonight even though he was against it from the beginning... I owe him big time. It's 12:30 and I have to get up early to try to figure out what to do to Pokey's hair for crazy hair day. I had this totally different idea in my head, but isn't that how things usually go? They were much cuter on the bakerella.com website, but I think they turned out ok. Hope the kids like them.

In other news, it was a nasty day here today. It poured buckets! They say we have had a record amount of rain for the month of October... and I was out in it all day long running errands for work wishing I could still be in New Mexico (where today it's 70 and sunny).

DAY 301

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." - Jacqueline Kennedy

Halloween preps are underway. We have been enjoying all of the things that go along with the holiday. This has been Pokey's favorite book forever. For a long while it was the only book she wanted to read. After telling her to find another book for so long she had forgotten about it. She finally pulled it out at the appropriate time and it was much more fun to read.

We had the Halloween Trunk or Treat at the church tonight. I wanted to share those photos, but wasn't quite ready for the costume reveal. You'll have to wait a couple more days on that.

DAY 300

"Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter." Carol Bishop Hipps

So, I've made it 300 DAYS!! Can you believe it? 300! I'm so relieved and yet still have 65 days to go. 65 days through several holidays... should be interesting.

Today was a gorgeous day here. Perfect temps and sunny. What more can you ask for on a Tuesday in late October? The leaves may not be super vibrant, but with the sun finally gracing us with her presence, they are crisp and plentiful.

DAY 299

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort." Norman Kolpas

It was a grilled cheese and tomato soup kind of night in the Rasmussen household. So, I decided to make it fitting for the season.

Grilled Cheese Jack-O-Lanterns

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

8 slices bread

4 slices Monterey jack cheese

4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread butter on one side of each bread slice. Place bread buttered-side-down on ungreased cookie sheet.

Using a small sharp hors d'oeuvre cutter or knife, cut out shapes from 4 bread slices to make jack-o-lantern faces. On remaining bread slices layer 1 slice Monterey jack and 1 slice cheddar.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven; place jack-o-lantern bread slice on sandwiches and serve.

DAY 298

"Perhaps the most famous icon of Halloween is the jack-o-lantern. Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish or Irish origin. However, it seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who traveled the road this night, the scary face to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray. Set on porches and in windows, they cast the same spell of protection over the household." -Mike Nichols

I've had some requests for photos of the pumpkins. So, here ya go. They both ended up doing cats this year. Pokey used a template for her lite-brite set and Little Man's is his own creation. We have to prop Pokey's a bit so you can see the face lit up. (She placed it a little low on the pumpkin.) I think all in all they both did a great job, especially for doing almost all of it themselves.

This above picture is actually the page I'm putting in my scrapbook for yesterday. It's actually been harder than you can imagine to pick just one photo a day. There's been times I can't resist for my blog, but I've stuck to it pretty well. I've been secretively making multiple pictures on my own pages, particularly for trips and birthdays (anything with lots of photos). It's so hard when you have hundreds to pick from to just use one to represent a day.

This is the other pumpkins they did. These were a cinch. Aren't they cute? One of these pumpkins is what they are going to be for Halloween this year. (Hint, hint.) All of these photos turned out blurry last night. I tried again after church and even though it wasn't that sunny their eyes are all scrunched up.

In other news, I finally did the Ford's family photo shoot today. We've been waiting for the weather to cooporate and them to get healthy again. This is one of my favorite ones. I had fun playing around with them. For those of you who remember, Nick Ford went to high school with Haldan. Now his kids go to school with my kids. They are a sweet family and the kids did great today. We had a hard time finding nice foliage. It would appear that most of the leaves have dropped in the last couple days. We worked up until the first drop of rain.

Now I just need to coordinate with my friend Missy to get her photos done. If only it would stop raining...

DAY 297

"Family tradition is the glue that binds." http://www.familyhistoryproducts.com/family-tradition-ideas.html

... even when it involves scooping out the innards of a pumpkin. Every year we go to the pumpkin farm, carefully select our pumpkins, and then spend hours carving them. This year was the first year that the children did almost all of it themselves. Pokey did the lite-brite set and Little Man designed his very own pumpkin pattern in a shape of a cat. He refused to use a pre-fabricated pattern and his design was very intricate and time consuming to say the least. Once we were done with it they both agreed to do the Mr. Potato Head kits that I got on clearance last year. They were all done within 15 minutes... no scooping gooey stuff or mess or anything. I would totally love to do that every year, but the children had lots of fun with the other and I was reminded that it is a family tradition. We also had one of our pumpkins stolen tonight by some kids on a pumpkin smashing mission. It ended up in a billion pieces down at our neighbor's house. Why in the world kids think it's cool to steal people's pumpkins and destroy them is beyond me. It was our cute white one Pokey picked out. I think it must have happened while we were carving our other ones. So, I guess it was good timing. Otherwise they probably would have taken more.

DAY 296

Can you say BOGGLE?

I don't know if it's because it's a passion of mine or because my kids got the gene, but boggle is a family favorite in my household. Anyone who knows me well already knows this about me, but I actually used to read the dictionary as a kid to help my boggle score. Today I caught the kids playing the 5x5 grid and Haldan playing Wordsplay (the online version) on my laptop. It's not such a bad pass time on a rainy day. Both of the children are excellent spellers and Little Man especially loves to find long, challenging words for the higher points. We have almost every boggle game ever made... seriously. Did you know they have a body boggle too? I recently bought the boggle app for my iphone only to learn that I couldn't download it. It's a long story, but the short version is that my phone is unlocked and too old now. I'm patiently waiting until our plan expires with iwireless to be able to get an upgrade. I'm thankful that life always seems to present new photo ops. Rainy days are especially challenging for me. There seems to be an infinite amount forcasted in our future.

Today Haldan got off work early. It was a pleasant surprise and we spent the afternoon together. We had Panera soup for lunch and then saw "Couple's Retreat" at the movies. It was a fun, lazy afternoon together. A perfect way to spend a rainy Friday. We really struggle to find sitters, so it's great to get some alone time.

DAY 295

Where do grasshoppers go when it rains?

Something I've never thought about until today. I was sitting helping Pokey with her neighborhood map project and she saw this grasshopper outside. It's been raining all day long and when I found him he was clinging to this tall piece of grass. I maneuvered the grass a bit to try to get a picture without getting myself drenched in the process and he never moved.

So then I did what I do when I'm curious, I googled it. The answer: They perch themselves on a tall piece of grass so as to not get drowned by the rain. Their legs can easily get stuck in the mud. Still not quite clear what happens to them in the winter months though. I read they winter over as eggs (whatever that means) but just exactly how eggs or nymphs get through the winter months is unclear. Any braniacs out there?

The weather in Iowa is back to the cold, rainy days and seems to be a trend for some time to come. It only got to the low 40s today and was miserable to contend with. I did lots of errands in the rain. Uggh. Missing my beautiful sunny days in the 70s.

DAY 294

"It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn." B. C. Forbes

So, no Project 365 would be complete without the harvest picture. It's been a good year for crops here in Iowa and tonight there were many farmers out running their combines. Dad, this photo is for you.

It got up to 70 degrees here today and the rain forcasted never happened. Couldn't ask for a better Oct 21st. Maybe we brought some of the warmer weather home with us.

On another note, I've had several people ask how we got that picture in the leaves yesterday. So, for those of you who care to know we actually took it ourselves. We set up the tripod and used my little canon point and shoot camera. It was a perfect day because it was overcast. I'm sure if it were really sunny it would have been near impossible to keep our eyes open. As it was Little Man struggled with that. I realized today the reason my eyes are such a light blue color is because my pupils are so small. Generally they are very large and are a darker blue color with not much of the iris showing. Pretty cool effect. If you're looking for a cool family photo you should give it a try.

Only 70 days of my P365 left. Can you believe it? Wherever does the time go?

Winners

Sorry this is so late, but here are the September winners.

September 1st Place Nature/Scenery Category is:

September 2nd Place Nature/Scenery Category is:

September 1st Place People/Other Category is: (Tie)

September 1st Place People/Other Category is: (Tie)

September 2nd Place People/Other Category is:

There were so many tied for second place in the people/other category I decided to pick my own favorite, which wasn't even on the calendar for those of you who are paying attention. Sorry to those of you who voted. I really do appreciate all of your votes and hope this doesn't dissuade you from voting again. I just can't put 8 pics for 2nd place. I could have used one or two more votes to mix it up. Thanks for the continued support. I appreciate it, particularly now when I'm getting to the end of my goal and my momentum is lessening.

DAY 293

“Other things may change us, but we start and end with family." -Anthony Brandt

Search for Fun Adventure 09

The pictures are not all in the right timeline, but gives you a good sampling of our adventure. I was in more photos from this trip than any other family trip taken thanks to Haldan and Little Man both having cameras. Highlights of the trip include: Sandia Mountains & Wilderness Area, Horseback riding in the Sangre De Cristo Mtns, Bandelier National Monument, Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Rio Grande Gorge, Pike's Peak, and Garden of the Gods. This was an awesome family adventure! I'm sure the kids will have lasting memories from this one. Enjoy the slide show.

DAY 292

"October is a symphony of permanence and change."

Bonaro W. Overstreet

I'm officially home in Iowa again. We arrived early this morning and it's been a beautiful, sunny day here, high of 62 degrees- a lovely day. However, rain is in the forcast the rest of the week. We'll have to see how it plays out. I am slightly disappointed with the fall color too. There must have been lots of rain this last week because the river is high and the leaves are not all that vibrant. It makes for a pretty picture though.

DAY 291

"All good things must come to an end."

-English Proverb

Such is the case for our adventure. It’s been a full, fun filled week and I’m really sad it’s over. Now we must go back to the grind of everyday life. I hope we’ve had enough fun and sunshine to get us through the next rain spell that’s headed our way.

Today was a very long day in the car. Unfortunately there’s not much on I-80 in Nebraska. Haldan looked up things to do and it’s pretty sparse for activities along the way. He did manage to find this little restaurant that he thought the kids would like. It was in Paxton, NE just off the road; a very old, strange little place. It was called the Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse and Bar. It had all sorts of mounted animals randomly placed around the restaurant (polar bear, giraffe, baboon, jaguar, elephant, buffalo, elk, and jackalope- to name a few). The other thing Little Man noticed were the pictures of naked women all along the bar area, so we had to ask to be moved. It was nice to get out and stretch a bit, even if we did scar our son for life. The restaurant also had a piano… under an elephant and I played Beethoven’s Fur Elise there. It felt a little odd, definitely not something you do everyday.

The only other thing there was along the way was the Great Platte River Rd Archway Monument, which happened to be closed. I think this is the 3rd time we’ve tried to stop and it’s always closed. Annoying.

Other highlights: Pokey sobbing out of nowhere due to a gas bubble in her ribs, Little Man having a near melt down when he realized he had accidentally deleted his DS hours played, and lots of nothingness. We did see a wind farm near Walnut, IA- which we were all excited to see after the hours and hours of corn fields. I got to drive 4 of the last hours. Otherwise Haldan has done all of the driving. (I think he prefers it that way and I'm ok with that.)

Some may say we’re crazy (I’ve heard this from several people this week) for driving so far for an unplanned trip. Maybe they say this because it’s so unlike me… to have such an adventure, but I think everyone should have at least one trip like this in their lifetime. Of course a shorter drive would have been more ideal, but the sun didn’t come out until we got through Armarillo, TX. So we powered on and found ourselves in the lovely state of NM. It was in the mid 70s and sunny everyday.

The most surprising part of the trip was the beautiful deciduous trees in abundance there. Who knew? I was under the impression that NM had only cactus and tumbleweed. The trees were much more vibrant than the trees back in IA and the state had a wide variety of different landscapes. You can drive just 10 or 20 miles and the scenery changes drastically. The mountains are all so different, formed by a variety of elements- earthquakes, erosion, and volcanic activity… contributing to the varying activities. While we were in the Bandelier National Monument we learned that it was an “ecotone”, a transition area between two adjacent communities (offering a wider variety of plants and animals). It’s no wonder the Pueblo Indians settled there. Beautiful and sensible.

We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful country in a time when travel is so easy, comfortable, and readily available.

DAY 290

"No matter what happens, travel gives you a story to tell." Jewish Proverb

We took a detour today and decided to take a train ride to Pike's Peak, elevation 14,110 ft. It was an amazing feeling being on the top of that mountain, as if we were on the top of the world... and it's only the 2nd tallest peak in Colorado. We were inadequately dressed for the temp at the top. With the wind chill it was 23 degrees. Quite a difference from the 65 degrees we had just come from. We expected it to be cold, but had to make due with what we had. Remember, we had an unknown destination when we started this trip. Makes things a little more interesting that way, that's for sure. I think we did just fine. We didn't freeze and got some amazing photos- definitely worth it. We even managed to grab some fudge before the train left. The Garden of the Gods was just a few miles down the road which worked out well. The kids really enjoyed mining for gem stones and climbing the rocks. Too bad we didn't have more time. Again it was about an hour and a half prior to sunset. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in a day. The rock formations were amazing and we could have spent several days there. But had to move on. We stopped in Brighton, CO for the night and when Haldan pulled off to the hotel we had chosen there were about 7 police cars with flashing lights swarming the building. He was leery, but I was tired and wanted to stop. We've had a full week and I could use some good rest. He found out the police officers were there in response to some drunk guys checked in at the hotel. Haldan joked that he should get a Brighton Police discount and it was granted. Score. Hopefully there is no more trouble.

Other trip highlights:

• My toe has healed just fine and Pokey's cold seems to be getting better, Unfortunately my rear end is still sore from that horseback ride. I'm pretty sure the saddle wasn't sized correctly. Hopefully the last leg of the trip is bearable.
• I've really enjoyed the Red Box movies, what a wonderful invention for travelers.
• We have enjoyed some beautiful scenery and I've taken so many pictures it's been so difficult to choose just one each day. I'll be sad tomorrow when our adventure comes to an end. When I have a chance I'll post a slideshow of my favorite pics from our trip.
• I forgot to mention yesterday that Little Man made it to the top with such lightening speed that some onlooker from the top thought he was a coyote. Pretty funny. It was amazing how quickly he got up there. It was extremely difficult. It was straight uphill and felt like quick sand. It was so hard to get a good footing and progress forward. It took everything I had to get as far as I did and once I made it the sun was almost completely gone. The temps dropped about 20 degrees and the winds really picked up. I knew we had to leave quick because we still had a good hike back to the bottom. On the way out of the park we saw a herd of elk, must have been at least 40 of them. Amazing.
• We finally had a sit down dinner tonight and Little Man insisted on eating off the adult menu and NOT the children's. We let him only with the understanding that it wouldn't happen again if he couldn't eat it all. We're still undecided whether he passed or not. He ate all the meat and half of both the sides. His eyes are always larger than his stomach.

DAY 289

Great Sand Dunes National Park

750 feet tall makes them the tallest dunes in North America located near Alamosa, Colorado

Highlights of the day:

• found a couple treasures at a local flea market in Tesuque
• amazing scenic drive to Taos
• bought some crushed chilis, chili peppers, and salsa spice mix at a local stand
• crossed the Rio Grande Gorge bridge, which puts the river in a different light (last stop in the great state of NM)
• stopped at the Great Sand Dunes National Park near Alamosa, CO an hour and a half prior to sunset; Little Man climbed the entire distance to the top and I fell slighly short. (Wish we had more time there- a truly amazing phenomenon)
• drove to Pueblo, CO where we found some lodging and finally had dinner at 9:30PM

DAY 288

“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” John Hope Franklin

Since the kids are missing school we have made a point to make our trip educational. There's so much history here.

Highlights of the day include:

• shopping downtown Santa Fe; the kids got an education in bartering with the locals for some souvenirs (Little Man didn't fare so well)
• eating a delicious fajita and tamale from a local street vendor
• visiting Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave (a collapsed lava tube formed the ice cave, which stays at 31 degrees year round)
• missing the Tram at the Sandia Mtns... again
  

DAY 287

Boston for beans, Seattle for rain, San Francisco for bridges, and Santa Fe for a long, far look at what God made." Home Country, Ernie Pyle

We love New Mexico. It's such a beautiful state with such diverse landscape with so many fascinating things to explore. I wish there was a power plant here.

The highlights of the day include:

• Horseback riding up the Sangre De Cristo Mtns, beautiful scenery and a sore kiester
• Hiking in the Bandelier National Monument on a paved trail with a map in daylight; climbed the 140 feet to the alcove house by ladder- very cool
• Stopped at Camel Rock, which is exactly as it sounds.
• Sore toe from the cactus. Don't know if it's poison or some cactus remnant or both.
• Pokey has come down with a cold, poor girl.
• Too many amazing photos to choose from so I'll have to post a slide show later.

DAY 286

We lodged in Amarillo, TX last night about 2:30AM and arrived in Albuquerque, NM about 3PM this afternoon. We thought that would be our destination, but ended up in a Homewood Suites north of Santa Fe near Pojoaque. Love the suite we found.

“We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character” -Henry David Thoreau

So, we wanted adventure and adventure is exactly what we got today. We arrived in NM in the afternoon, picked Pokey up some hiking shoes, and headed up to Sandia Mountains/wilderness area for a great hike and then a tram ride down. At least that was our plan when the hike began. It was a beautiful, sunny day- perfect for hiking. We started in about 4PM thinking it was an 8 mile hike to the top. The tram closed at 8PM and we had high hopes that we could hike it up within 4 hours and ride the tram back down. The hike had other plans for us. It was not like any national park I'd ever hiked at. It was a very rugged, rocky terrain with loose gravel and multiple windy paths that were confusing to say the least and not well marked. We ended up at some dead ends several times and must have lost at least 30 minutes meandering about trying to find our way. 2 1/2 hours into the hike we finally reached a sign that said, "7 miles to crest". It was at that moment we realized we had bitten off way more than we could chew. Our 8 mile hike was actually more like 10. The sun was starting to set and we knew our only hope was to turn around and go back the way we came. I was starting to panic, knowing full well that we would never make it back in time. When the sun went down and it was pitch black we would be lost not knowing what way to go with rocks and cacti and wild animals. Pokey began to cry and I tried to keep it together for her. Haldan offered a prayer, asking our Father in Heaven to help us find our way safely. We did have a backpack with water, power bars, jackets, and a pocket knife, but we failed to bring any fire starter or flashlight. I was able to use the light app on my iphone to help Haldan try to lead us down the mountain. We had entirely lost the path and our only hope was that we could make our way down safely and find a house that we had remembered seeing inspite of the many obstacles before us. It was about that time that I stepped on a cactus and the thorn went through my foot. It was painful and when I yelled out it only made the kids more afraid. So, Haldan tried to pull it out and I limped my way down the mountain in the dark. We were able to find a road and a house and the elderly couple were very nice and drove us to our car. We never did the tram nor did we make it to the 10,678 foot crest, but boy will we remember this hike. We learned invalubable lessons and to work together. We also had a prayer together the minute we made it to our car to thank our Heavenly Father for watching over and protecting us and bringing us safely down the mountain in the dark. When we are faced with such perils it is a comfort to know that we are not alone.

This photo was taken towards the beginning of the hike.

This photo was taken at dusk.

Due to the sense of urgency, getting up the mountain and then back down... I didn't spend much time or thought on photos, but managed a few. These really do not do justice. It is beautiful here. we love it and could totally live here.

DAY 285

"And that's the wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind." -Dave Barry

Sitting at the Flying J in Sayre, Oklahoma on a road trip adventure- that's what we're calling it now. (We've stopped counting how many times it's changed.) We're on a quest to find sunshine.

Highlights include:

• moldy gummy worms (Haldan doesn't believe me, but I swear- spit it out the window)
• DVD player nearly busting my eardrums as it experiences a quick death (possibly caused from a faulty outlet splitter that actually melted.)
• having 6 electrical devices plugged in at one time (pathetic, I know)
• packing a suitcase for an unknown destination
• a movie from Red Box
• 12 hours in the car and still counting...

Hopefully scenic pictures to come. Stay tuned to see where our adventure takes us.

DAY 284

"A tiny daughter gives parents a life in a climate of perpetual wonder." -Pierre Doucet

This one sure keeps us on our toes! But how thankful I am to have been given a daughter who despite wanting to go fishing with the boys, also has a tender, sweet, feminine side. She loves girly things and has recently taken an interest to fashion and likes to coordinate her accessories. She seems to be in her own little world most of the time, always coming up with the most imaginative, clever, funny things to say and do. Haldan thinks she will always believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. She has also started cleaning her room on a much more regular basis. Not perfect yet, but now I know what she is capable of and it gives me a glimmer of hope.

I still haven't mastered photos in mirrors yet. (I'm looking slightly distorted.) And yes, Pokey has a giant mirror on her closet doors. Before we moved into this house we had already made plans to remove it, but it didn't happen and then some time along the way we took a liking to it. I think everyone should have at least one full length mirror in their house... ya gotta make sure you're presentable to the world.

calling all voters...

If you haven't voted yet, it's not too late. I need to tally and post results. Check out the September calendar http://weloveiowa.blogspot.com/2009/10/moments-by-months-september-2009.html. Thanks!

DAY 283

It was a freezing cold, need some hot chocolate kind of day...

We had our first snow today. It was mostly just flurries. We had a very small accumulation and then it turned wet and was gone quickly. It's way too soon for this though. It seems to be a pattern though in many parts of the country. Curse you weather... it seems to be foiling our vacation plans at every turn. So, now we move on to plan D. (Not quite sure what that is yet.)

In other news:

Little Man got his first pimple this week. (You can kinda see the remains of it on his chin in the photo above.) He'd probably kill me if he knew I was sharing, but wanted to document this milestone. He also seems to have dislocated his finger playing intramurals. It's still swollen, but doing better.

Little Man's team won the soccer game today 5-0. Picture was taken by Haldan with his Olympus Stylus 770SW following the game. I had to take Pokey to ice skating, so was unable to watch Little Man's game. Shucks.

DAY 282

Do I Have To?

So, it's 9PM and I realize that I have no POTD, not even one picture taken today. Can you believe it? As the kids were about to get ready for bed Haldan suggested I photograph them brushing their teeth, which is a big deal in this house. As in... they won't do it. What is it with kids and brushing their teeth? I even got Pokey the one that sings some Hannah Montana song as she brushes and Little Man has an expensive electric one (Oral B Triumph) that does most of the work for him. I know I've explained the reasons for it dozens of times (and it seems like more). It just doesn't sink in or maybe it's sheer laziness. Can't figure it out. The other morning Pokey came in my room and I sent her to go brush her teeth. She asked why she had to brush AGAIN. I simply told her not only would she look funny without teeth, but that she wouldn't be able to chew her food very well. She said, "You mean you have to PURE it?" And I corrected her, "you mean puree it?" "Yeah, " was the response. They've heard the stories over and over about how they didn't get their bottom front teeth until they were at least 2 years (both of them), so I had to puree their food. Little Man actually got the last of the 4 bottom front teeth (I think a lateral incisor) at the age of 3. Both of them got their back molars first; at about 14-15 months they cut the first one. They never followed any rules in any book and had several dentists mystified, but they eventually got them all.

Pokey had a friend from school over about a month ago now and I couldn't help but notice her teeth were black and rotten. I try not to be judgmental, but I felt so bad for her. These were her permanent teeth and how could a parent allow that to happen. My kids may not always have the squeakiest teeth; they may even be a little furry at times... but I would NEVER let it get to that point. EVER!

I learned many interesting tidbits in the little while I was in dental hygiene school:

Mostly that we don't brush enough, but that brushing the wrong way can be damaging too.

There are also certain foods that you wouldn't think would be bad for your teeth, but they are. Things such as bread, crackers, milk, juice, fruits, and many more. Baby bottle syndrome comes to mind with this one.

If you can't brush right away after eating, rinse it down with some water. It inhibits the growth of bacteria that contributes towards gingivitis or tooth decay.

If you eat your carbs and protein together, have the protein last.

Some people have better bacteria in their mouth than other people and actually don't need to brush as often. Doesn't seem fair, but it's true.

If you let the tartar (or plaque) build up it becomes calcified (calculus) and only a professional can remove it once it has reached that level. That's why we need to brush daily and have regular cleanings. The calculus can lead to gingivitis, tooth decay, or periodontal disease.

Gingivitis is reversible if daily brushings of teeth and gums are re-introduced.

We have salivary glands near our upper back molars and behind our lower front teeth that contribute towards the calculus build up in those regions.

There are many systemic diseases which have been linked with the bad bacteria in our mouths. Diabetes, heart disease, and pre-term pregnancy are some of them.

Our mouths are so very complex. It's just hard for a child to fully comprehend. I guess that's why as parents we need to be vigilant with our efforts, even if we feel like we're not getting through.

DAY 281

Cedar Rapids, home to Quaker Oats

I work downtown two days a week in the Iowa Realty building across from Quaker Oats. Today was a rainy morning as I parked my car. The entire city smelled of maple and brown sugar oatmeal. Last week there was one day that smelled just like captain crunch. The city has long been known as the city of five smells, but I thought you should know that sometimes they're not that bad, actually pleasant aromas.

I have to add that I was literally kicked off the Quaker Oat's premises today as I was attempting to get some photographs. I guess it's private property and they have a no photograph policy, which I think is a little ridiculous seeing that you can photograph the factory from almost anywhere downtown. I was asked for identification, written up, and escorted out of the visitor's parking lot. I told him I was just trying to take a picture of my city and he told me I could go across the street and take pictures from there. I ended up going to the boat ramp and shot a more wide angle. All for a building that's not even that impressive to look at.

Another little known piece of trivia is that Cedar Rapids is one of the few cities in the world with government offices on a municipal island, which is the precise reason it was flooded this last year.

Not too much else to report. This weather has me in a funk and I've been a little unproductive.

DAY 280

"Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad." -Anne Geddes

The kids and I love having Haldan around more. Tonight we skipped soccer practice and went out to the Coralville Reservoir. It was a beautiful day and I'm not sure we'll have another one of these again anytime soon -sunny and a high of 64 degrees. Haldan and the kids did a little fishing and then we had a BBQ. Haldan has got to be the most patient Dad around with all the snags the kids managed to get. There were tons of seagulls there today and the colors are just starting to turn. It was gorgeous and I ended up with too many photos to choose from. The purse that Pokey is wearing is actually the CTR purse that Aunt Kirstina got her for her birthday. I thought you'd like to know that she carries it almost everywhere these days and it's become her "first aid kit". She's pretty cute. If it wasn't for all the whining at this age "eight" might be my favorite year for her. And no, we did not get a golden retriever. I didn't even know I photographed him until Haldan saw him in the photo. I decided to leave him in because it's kinda funny.

DAY 279

"There's no place like home."

(Corny, I know- but feeling just like that tonight after the 2 hour drive home from Des Moines. I should probably find a quote about "culture" or something, but I'm too tired.)

A cold, very windy day in Iowa with only my point and shoot (and very low battery) made for very few unimpressive pictures and cold, uncooporative kids, but a great show and a good time. A great cultural experience that will leave lasting memories. Mom, I'll see it again with you. We'll see how eager the children are to wake up in the morning to go take their ITBS tests. I't's 1 AM here and my bed is callling my name, so I'll have to share more later.

DAY 278

“There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October.” -Nathaniel Hawthorne

For family night we put out our pumpkins and gourds we selected at the pumpkin farm. Every year we try to do a new kind of stack. We've been doing this for at least 4 years now. This year we found these gnarly ones that look like they're covered in warts. Love them. The rains have definitely helped the pumpkins. They looked amazingly healthy and such a wide assortment too. We also got other ones for the kids to carve later, but we still are undecided if we will carve or paint the ones in our stacks. So many decisions...

I've had a couple questions regarding the acorn squash we tried a few days ago. It comes from Tiffany Ivanovsky's blog. Click here to see the recipe or go to http://theivanovskys.blogspot.com/2009/01/acorn-squash-pauls-favorite-side-dish.html. It's a pretty straight forward recipe. Cut them, add butter, brown sugar, and bacon, and bake. Didn't think there was any going wrong with this one, but evidently I was wrong.

In other news:

Our plans to go to South Dakota this week (to the Badlands and Mount Rushmore) may no longer be a viable option. It would seem that a snow storm is headed that way and it will be in the low 30s with possible freezing rain as well. The kids are pretty bummed. I'm kicking myself about now because I knew better than to tell them before it happened. It's like I'm a rooky or something. Hopefully we can think of something, but we also found out that the ITBS tests are this week as well. We haven't decided if those are something really all that important for them or if it's more for the school. If we do decide to do something it might have to be next week now and the weather isn't looking like it is going to improve. There's really not many national parks nearby and a trip that entails driving more than 20 hours or flying is pretty much out right now due to time and money restraints. Decisions, decisions... life seems to have too many these days. Too bad Haldan couldn't have taken time over the summer months when weather wouldn't have been such an issue. Such is life though. No going back now.

Great Christmas gift idea for boys

$5 Sports Illustrated for Kids. This is 90% off of the original price. Click here to order. Hopefully the link works, if not check out "My Litter of Six" Blog at http://theivanovskys.blogspot.com/2009/10/amazon-5-sports-illustrated-for-kids.html.

Creamy Candy Corn Puddings

Here's a dessert for ya. If you are allergic to food colorings this one won't be for you. One of my kids didn't like the whipping cream, so I guess you could opt for cool whip. (FYI: My proportions of the butterscotch and banana are backwards. It would be better with more butterscotch.) Just a fun fall treat. Just save image and print on cardstock in 4x6 format. Enjoy.

DAY 277

"This bright, new day... complete with 24 hours of opportunities, choices, and attitudes… a perfectly matched set of 1440 minutes.This unique gift, this one day, cannot be exchanged, replaced or refunded. Handle with care. Make the most of it..." Author Unknown

I love this idea that each day is a new day. Last night I went to bed in a funk, totally depressed despite all efforts to feel differently. This morning I awoke to the bright sun shining in and was so happy for this new day. I had the opportunity to watch general conference and what wonderfully uplifting messages! Great words were shared about families, temples, the "ity" virtues and much more. I was especially touched today by the words of the prophet, Thomas S. Monson. He spoke about acts of service and kindness and it really touched me how each and every one of us have the opportunity and ability to make a difference in the life of someone else. I loved hearing all the examples of small children and the acts of service they provided. Oft times I feel so "ordinary" and it's hard to imagine that I could impact someone else, so it was a great reminder to me that it doesn't matter how big or small... I need to reach out.

We made the choice to visit the Pumpkin Farm today because rain is forcasted for the next couple days and we are going to take the kids out of school and do a small getaway next week. Nothing much, but we didn't want to miss the opportunity to do the annual pumpkin patch run.

On another note:

I finally had the candy corn pudding today and I liked it. I realized that Little Man just didn't like the whipping cream. I think he's used to cool whip, so it came as a bit of a surprise. Haldan and Pokey liked it too, so it's a keeper. I'll have to share it later. It seems strange that banana and butterscotch would be good together, but they are.

Little Man has taken up magic tricks, particularly with cards. It's quite hilarious. He makes it up as he goes along. The way his mind works is nothing short of fascinating.

Photo above was taken by Haldan. He saw a giant field and grabbed the camera from me. I'm thinking this picture doesn't do my 5 foot tall stature justice. For some reason I look even shorter in the photo than in person. My husband says it's in my head.