Tot Talk Tuesday

Zoe was pretending to speak in a microphone (really, it was a dining chair, upturned, to she was speaking into the leg) and she started with, "untention, untention"
And then proceeded to say a ton of cute stuff in her announcement. I scribbled as much down as I could, but now I can't find the paper I scribbled it on. Oh well.


Lana and Kaya fell asleep on my bed, and Zoe was watching them and said,"shhhh the kids are sleeping". Which seemed really cute to me.

At the movie theater on Saturday, she kept pointing to the screen and asking, "is dat Tinkerbell?" about everything. The boy, the house, the balloon, the dog, the stair lift. She thought everything was Tinkerbell. That was moments before her total freak out session...

Last night at supper (we had tempeh meatballs and marinara over spaghetti), Zoe accidentally dropped a spaghetti noodle into her water. She asked me, "Mummy, can you get it out peese?" I couldn't see it in there, "There's nothing in there, honey". "Yes there is. I dwopped a spaghetti taco in there"
I guess we've been watching too much I carly!


Ah my Zoe. She is so high maintenance and sometimes I really feel like I'm pulling out my hair with her. But she has a good heart. She's incredibly intelligent and is frustrated in a 2 year old's body. I love the ways she changes up our days and adds so much to them. She's not an "easy" child, but I never asked for one.

Here's a pic of her
I love her so much









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Read what a Tot Talk Tuesday is and how you can join in here, remember to include the following code in your blog

<a href="http://nieceyd.blogspot.com/search/label/tot%20talk%20tuesdays"><img src="http://monkeys.smugmug.com/photos/553142566_qKoTk-M.jpg" /><br /><br />Click here to join in</a>

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I heart faces - Blue

Woohoo, I made the top ten again last week. It certainly made a bad weekend a lot easier to handle. It's so exciting to wake up on a Sat morning and find that I've made the top 10. It's such a buzz.

This week's theme is BLUE.

I just edited this, because I changed my mind and went for a different pic. There's still time...



I took the pic today, along with a few others, specifically for the blue theme. I got a couple other cuties too, which will be up at my smugmug account in the future at some point. I am currently still working through August photos, so bear with me.

Anyway, here's the bit where I say; I heart faces is a super awesome blog photo contest thingy with hundreds of contestants each week. It is loads of fun and very inspiring and there is such a wide variety of photography levels, from complete beginner to professional. So you should come join in. Click on the graphic

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I'm glad we have a toilet

Long story short ('cause it's 2am and I want a little sleep before the monkeys get me up for the day)

We had a bad weekend.

It starts with Zoe flushing the toothpaste down the toilet Friday afternoon.
It blocks up. We try plunging, sticking coat hangers down, no luck.

We watch a movie. Turtle knocks over my drink all over my laptop. It won't power up. I grieve deeply.

Sat morning, the laptop works again. Woohoo.

We all really need to go potty. Spend the morning trying to unblock toilet, borrowing various pieces of equipment from neighbors, shop vacs, long coily metal things (I dunno what it's called. It's not my scene) etc. Much sweat. A few trips to the local grocery store for the bathroom.

We decide to destress by going out to Omaha (1 hr drive) to go see some cheap movies. Rene goes to see Food inc, and the kids and I go to see Up.

Zoe won't sit down and is making a bunch of noise. I notice she has a poopy diaper so I take her and Turtle out to change her. Zoe throws a complete flakey. Like I've never ever seen. People are staring like I'm a horrible mother. She takes off her clothes and won't let me put them back on. She is screaming like she's demon possessed. I don't think I can handle it. Turtle is splashing in toilets. I drag them out to the car, hoping she'll calm down and I can find comfier clothes for her, while Zoe squirms.

The car alarm starts going off. Rene has the keys. Zoe escapes and runs away from me in the parking lot, butt naked and screaming like something evil. I'm scared. The car is loud. Zoe is loud. I'm crying my eyes out. I get some trousers on her and take them back into the theater building. Zoe lies on the floor, in such a frenzie. I beg the man at the front to "please, get my husband. He's in the food inc movie. I need my husband".

Rene comes and saves the day. He handles Zoe while I go back in the movie with Turtle. Everyone laughs at UP while I bawl my eyes out, releasing a ton of tension. Rene brings Zoe in beside me, with popcorn, she's happy.

We watch the rest of our movies then head home to tackle the toilet some more. My brother comes. He and our neighbors work on our toilet until 11pmish at night. No luck.



We settle kids to bed and stay up late watching Dollhouse (season 1, no spoilers please).

Next morning, Doug, Kaya and I go to church while Rene stays home to wait for maintenance. We'll just have to foot the bill. Church is good. We come home just in time for maintenance to arrive.

The guy stays for hours, can't unblock it (but there is strawberry toothpaste oozing out of the toilet) so replaces the whole toilet. It's going to be pricey.
We subsequently miss our Scottish Clan Gathering potluck we were looking forward to.
Lana comes down with a 102 fever and is very sleepy. I guess we're in the house for a few more days.

We get the kids to bed then stay up late working.

Crazy weekend. I'm just glad we have a toilet now. And I'm glad we have good neighbors and my awesome brother.

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Delicious, crispy, melty lentil burger recipe

This is my own recipe. I made it up and tweaked it a few times until I was happy and have had a couple requests for it and I wanted to share it because it is really yum.

The pics are not great, because I took them in the dark and my counter was all messy so I couldn't pose them properly. Plus I was fighting Rene back at the time, who was salivating and chanting, "get in my belly" and had his arms stretched out like a zombie looking for brains, so I was kicking him back with one foot, balancing with the other while pleading, "just one photo, just let me get one photo first", and snapping up as quickly as I could.



Ok first a tip: I find there is often a variance with cooked lentils, depending on brand, volume of water used and length of cooking time. Adjust the measurements of dry/wet ingredients depending on how wet your lentils are. You want the patties to hold together well and hold their shape but not be too dry. If it's too sloppy, add more flour/breadcrumbs and if it's too dry, try adding in more chopped tomato/Worcestershire sauce.

Also, Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian. It has anchovies in it. But you can buy veggie/vegan alternatives, like this one.

INGREDIENTS

14 oz green lentils
2 slices bread
1/4 cup whole grain flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder
1.5 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp mustard
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
2tbs oil or butter (maybe more)
6 slices swiss cheese

Cook the lentil according to package instructions. You want them soft and malleable, but not pureed.

Allow them to cool. Add seasonings and flour. Process the bread or grate with a cheese grater to make bread crumbs. Add to lentils.

Add all remaining ingredients other than swiss cheese and oil/butter

Mix together. Add more wet or dry ingredients if needed.

Melt 2 tbs of oil or butter (my preference is butter) in a large skillet. in moderate heat.

Take a lump of lentil mix and form a thin, wide patty. Place a slice of swiss cheese on top and fold in overhanging edges (leave a small amount overhanging for delicious crispy bits). Make an identical thin patty and place it on top, squashing it together slightly to make one big patty with cheese in the middle. Put patty in the frying pan and make some more to go beside it. Fry until golden brown and crispy on the outside with melty cheese in the middle. Yum!

Serve on a bun with mayo, ketchup and fresh salad. Rene said the leftovers were good with BBQ sauce on top.

Oh, it makes about 5-6 patties. You can double the recipe and freeze some.

Do try this one. It is a keeper. (If I do say so myself)

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International Babywearing Week (foto fest)

This week is International Babywearing Week.

I'm not necessarily a babywearing advocate. I don't think wearing your baby makes you a better mother than if you simply carry your baby. But it sure does make things easier. I *love* wearing my babies. I love having them close and snuggled up next to me without having to make my arms exhausted.

Here's a cute video to show what it's all about.




I thought what I'd do to honor the occasion, is sift through my pics and have a major photo fest of baby wearing pics. And invite you to join in too. I created a meme, and I'd love it if you'd post some baby wearing pics on your own blog and link to them below. I'll keep it open for a nice long time. But get your pics in this week if you can, while it's still International Babywearing Week.


And here are the pics.









This is Zoe. Aw, so wittle.






















And back to Turtle.














Look Maw, no hands























I hope you enjoyed these :)
Now I want to see some of yours.

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Tot Talk Tuesday

Sitting down to supper, Zoe takes one look at it (curry w/basmati rice) and says, "No, I don't wike sediment". She said it over and over. I guess she had heard the word from somewhere and didn't know what it meant, but figured it means something yucky and, well, that supper looks like something yucky, so it's a perfect fit.

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ME: Remember, Lana spent her money on that floaty, pink ,foamy cylindrical thingy
(simulataniously)ZOE: I want that hat, Kaya
LANA : No, it’s called a NOODLE
ZOE: I want that noodle, Kaya
LANA: (laughing) This is not a noodle. This is a hat.
ZOE: No, *I* want that hat boodle






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Read what a Tot Talk Tuesday is and how you can join in here, remember to include the following code in your blog

<a href="http://nieceyd.blogspot.com/search/label/tot%20talk%20tuesdays"><img src="http://monkeys.smugmug.com/photos/553142566_qKoTk-M.jpg" /><br /><br />Click here to join in</a>

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Introducing Stormy Docherty

We are smitten. And that rhymes with...












Is he cute or what?

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Introverted

I don't even know where I'm going with this post. I'm just going to open up my mouth and let the belly rumble...or open up my fingers and let the keyboard rumble??

Like the rest of us, I play a good game. For the most part, I'm thriving. I'm loving life with my kids, homeschooling them and watching them grow and blossom. I am in a great (not perfect, but right for me) marriage, living in the wonderful State of Nebraska, which I adore, growing in Christ and learning more about how he loves me and who he wants me to be. I feel like I'm progressing. I have much. I am happy.

But last night I had a panic attack. And it's not the first I've ever had. It developed into an asthma attack. Thankfully I still had an inhaler. My chest still hurts today, and I'm exhausted.

And it was all about people. I don't want to go into details about the situation, but what it boils down to is, I'm an introvert. I'm scared of people. I love people, I want to have friendships and relationships. I want to help people and get involved in their lives and welcome them into my own. But I'm scared of them. It's part temperament, part residue from bullying in high school and part low self-esteem. A bit of genetics and a bit of environment. It's who I am.

I do well in a controlled environment. Like hosting a party. Or going to a potluck. Where I know the boundaries and I know when it will end. But I can't handle the relaxed, comfortable stage that most relationships develop to. I end up pushing people away. It's not a fear of intimacy thing, I love intimacy and real, raw relationships. But in nice controlled spurts. If that's possible. I need to have my space to fall back into. I crave my alone time. I end up making people feel rejected because I back out when I feel out of control, or like I can't have my space.

And then I wonder if this makes me some sort of freak. Does everyone else manage to have healthy relationships? I'm a strange sort of introvert. I love meeting new people. I love getting to know people better. Especially if Rene is beside me to give me strength. I can't handle the whole, lets-phone-each-other-and-go-shopping-together thing. I don't know what to say to people if I'm alone with them. I make a complete fool of myself and end up cringing for the rest of the day.

Rene is a total extrovert. He needs to get his fix of talking to people just to stay healthy. I can't figure it out for the life of me. I need my fix of being completely away from people to stay sane. I'm thankful that God put us together. We're the ying and yang. We compliment each other and can help balance each other. It works.

And I hope that as I grow in Christ and mature as a woman, that I'll learn to not be so afraid of interactions with people. I guess in the meantime I need to learn to accept myself the way I am. I'm not someone else, I'm me. And I'm trying. And hopefully I'll get there one day.

Ok so what are you, introvert or extrovert? Are you neurotic or 100% normal and perfect? Especially tell me the bad stuff, to make me feel better.

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I heart faces - candid

This week's I heart faces theme is candid. Most of my pics are candid anyway. I love being a fly on the wall and catching real life for fun memories.

Here's one of Zoe having a lot of fun in the wading pool.




Check out the other entries:

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