A hiccup

I've had a little hiccup with Halloween costumes. The sizing chart was all wrong on the website I bought Tyler & Cameron's from. (Or, I don't know how to read sizing charts. This is more likely.) Tyler's costume didn't fit him, but it did fit Cameron. Cameron's didn't fit him, but it did fit Avery. So, I've talked Cameron into wearing Tyler's and Avery into wearing Cameron's. There's nothing wrong with a little girl being Mario. Right? I just didn't want to go through the hassle of shipping them back. It was much easier to return the one I already bought Avery rather than doing that. I now have to find something new for Tyler. He's decided that he wants to be Link from The Legend of Zelda. Do you think there are any licensed Link costumes to purchase? No. There are not. If he's really set on that, I'm going to have to make it. Great.

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What's on the menu today: Tater Tot Casserole. My kids love this one. Ryan, not so much. I don't care though. If the kids will eat something without complaint, I'm all about it.

I don't remember

I have a terrible long term memory. Actually, my short term one isn't great either. I can't list every teacher I've ever had. Maybe 1 or 2. I don't recall any of the combinations to any of the lockers I had in school. I can remember the phone number and address to the house I lived in from 2-14, but I can't remember the address of the house after that. I can only remember the phone number to that house because my parents still have it. I have no idea what their current address is. I know the general area and I know it's in a circle.

I've been married to my husband for 11 years and still have no idea what his parents address is. I know what street it's off of, but that's it.

If I need a phone number and can't find it written anywhere, I ask my son Tyler. He has one of those freakish, photographic memories. If he's heard a phone number and dialed it at least once, he remembers it forever. It's like he has a little Rolodex in his brain. My whole life I've dreamed of being that way and last night, I came very close.

We were sitting at the dinner table and discussing our upcoming trip to Disneyland. Our plan is to leave on Tuesday, the 29th and drive to St. George, Utah the first night. We're going to stay in a condo that Ryan's grandparents have there and then go on to California the next day.

The kids were wondering if they had ever been to Grandpa & Grandma Hendriksen's condo. I reminded Tyler and Cameron that they had. I had taken them there(I was pregnant with Avery), along with Ryan's parents and little sisters for a weekend, just over 5 years ago. Ryan said he didn't come because he had been really busy at work and was working the whole weekend. Then, something magical happened. A light bulb went off in my brain and I remembered that wasn't the case at all. I remembered that he just hadn't been able to get off work on Friday and so decided to stay home. I also remembered that he wasn't working on Saturday. He went to his brother's house and helped him with some phone and or electrical things. I believe he was working on the phone that was in their detached garage. I remembered that he spent the entire day there and when he got home he cooked himself some buffalo wings. When he tried to take the pan out of the oven, he spilled the wings in the bottom of the oven and on the door. I remembered that because every time I cook buffalo wings, I think about it.

I was practically bouncing in my seat and clapping my hands because I remembered so much and remembered with almost perfect clarity. Then Ryan and Tyler both said (Ryan has the freaky memory too), "I don't remember anything like that. I'm pretty sure none of that happened." I kept insisting that it did. I was so frustrated that I was finally having a shining memory moment and nobody could back me up on it. I started to doubt myself and think that I had simply imagined it all. It was almost like the old proverb, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" I had no one to back me up and now I'm not really sure if any of that happened the way I thought I remembered it happening.

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What's on the menu today: Orange Chicken.

My report

I've finished my first complete week of For Just One Week. Remember how I said that once I tried this during the week of Avery's birthday and my goal was to go without sugar for the week. Well, I only succeeded 6 out of the seven days because of her birthday. I was silly to think I could resist cake and ice cream on a birthday. This time around, I'm 7 out of 7. You're right, I rock. Here's the breakdown:

I read the first 97 pages of The Book of Mormon and now have a schedule to finish it by the end of the year. I haven't read it cover to cover since 9th grade seminary. That was like 6 years ago, ☺, or 6+14.

I also read this novel and am 100 pages into this one. I'm not good at book reviews and so I won't even try. I'll just tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed the first. It was a nice, easy, fun read. As for the second, I'm enjoying it so far. It's a modern/contemporary retelling of Hamlet and I've found it very intriguing. It's actually been hard for me to put it down.

This was such a good goal for me, I plan to continue with it indefinitely. My brain really needs the exercise.

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Now, on to my goal for this week. FJ1W, I am going to try my absolute hardest to not YELL. Most people think that I'm just so quiet, mild mannered and easy going. I am. In public. In private, it's an entirely different story. I yell and sometimes, I yell a lot. I let frustrations get the best of me and end up blowing a gasket. I know it's not pretty. I especially know that it's not nice. It gets the whole house riled up and agitated. I really want to NOT do it. So, for this week I am going to try my best to keep my temper in check.

"A soft answer turneth away wrath." -Proverbs 15:1

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What's on the menu: Ravioli Lasagna. I got the idea for this from my sister-in-law's mom. It's really good and for some reason, my kids will eat it better than regular lasagna. Don't ask me why, because it's pretty much the same thing.

Food stuff

I have a teeny, tiny request. If you've tried any of the recipes I've posted, could you maybe leave a comment on the particular one you tried on my cooking blog? I would be interested to hear how they worked for you, if you liked them, didn't like them, what changes you did or didn't make, etc. My friend Angelique told me she tried the Mexican Pie, but had to make some changes because she didn't have a couple of the ingredients. She said it turned out well. I'd love to see what the changes were. Wink, wink Angelique. I mean, I know you told me, but that was like 24 hours ago. I've forgotten already. Leave me a comment telling me and I just might try them. My sister in law left one on Chili Relleno Casserole. I'm intrigued by her ideas and will most likely try them. I think cooking is a very personal activity. Most of the recipes I've posted are nothing like they were originally written. They're posted with the changes I've made. I know what I'm capable of doing and what I like. I like to make my recipes suit me. If you'd like to tell me what you've done to make them suit you, please leave a comment.

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What's on the menu: Well, I sort of forgot that there was and Elder's Quorum party last night. A dinner Elder's quorum party. I didn't need to cook anything, but I didn't remember until my Chicken Cacciatore had been cooking for about 2 1/2 hours. I should have remembered it because my husband is in the presidency, he sent me an appointment in Outlook and Outlook reminded me about it when I checked my email in the morning. Yet, I still prepared the chicken. Oh well. We're having it tonight. We were supposed to be having baked potatoes, but I kind of forgot to buy some potatoes. It's kind of hard to have baked potatoes when you have no potatoes to bake.

"After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one's own relative." -Oscar Wilde

Friday tunes Sep. 18th edition

1. Takin It to the Streets - The Doobie Brothers
2. Humpty Dance - Digital Underground
3. Where It's At - Beck
4. Bad - Michael Jackson
5. Kodachrome - Paul Simon
6. Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
7. White Flag - Dido
8. Not The Same - Ben Folds
9. Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
10. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me - Elton John

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What's on the menu today: Chicken Cacciatore.

An ode to Certain Dri

First, before I begin rhapsodizing, I need to say a few things. My love and use of this product has not diminished. I simply use Certain Dri at night and the clinical deodorant in the morning.

Next, I am not a constantly wet, dripping, sweaty mess. I'm afraid this being my second post about an anti-perspirant might imply that. I just don't like to feel sweaty. At all. Anything that I can do to combat that, I do.

Finally, I need to thank Boob Nazi for telling me about it. Why, oh why, did it take me so long to listen to you? I should have tried this ages ago.

Oh, Certain Dri, I love you so. I've only been using you for 3 days, but I've already felt and seen a difference. You have totally changed my world. I simply swipe you across my skin a couple of times before I go to bed and you take care of the rest. Nary a drop of sweat escapes. I feel dry all day. I love you so very much and never want to live a day of my life without you. You are that amazing.

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What's on the menu today: Baked Mac & Cheese.

18

18 days. That's how long I lasted. I said I was going to grow my hair out and yesterday I had it cut off. I went to my sister in law to have her do a color and a trim. I even said when I sat down "now, I'm trying to grow this out so don't let me talk you into cutting it off". After the color, when it came time to cut it, she asked the expected question. "So, what do you want to do with it?" I said something like: "I'm not sure. (2 second pause) Just cut it off. I'm not afraid. It's just hair and it grows back. Nothing you do to it will scare me." I also blame Chad, the owner of the salon I think there's an actual website coming soon, because when Stephanie said to him "Chad, what do you think I should do?" He said, "here's what I would like to see happen. I would like to see it cut like this" and it involved cutting off my shampoo commercial tresses. So, I have a basically short style again. Yes, I am weak, but I am not sad. I knew I wouldn't be able to grow it out for long.

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I've been giggling just thinking about the dinosaur books I got for Peyton. I had to get them out last night and read them. They're just so funny to me. No! I will not grow up.

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What's on the menu today: Beef Stroganoff. Yeah, I didn't really think when I planned this one. Two creamy meals in as many days will probably cause my husband to complain. Oh well. If he doesn't like, he can cook dinner tomorrow. Uh-huh.