Another person to miss for a while.

"An Angel sent here to help other Angels get their wings."

An Amazing Mom to everyone, a Wife to one, and friend to all, has crossed over to a new Journey, on March 26, 2009. On her way to heaven, we are sure she will stop to retrieve her very loved pets: Mickey, Lacey, Freddie, J.D., Peaches, and Buddy.

She leaves behind all the loves of her life. Husband, James; Son, Bryan; Daughter, Racheal ; Stepdaughter Marlo (Tony); Stepson Jason (Deborah); Four Grandchildren, Tyler, Madeline, and Jaylen, and Mason; Brothers, Steve (Susan), Larry; Sisters, Sher, Kim (Steve), and Leslie (Dan); and many, many nieces, nephews and a TON of friends and work associates. Preceded in death by parents, Dres and Darlene and brother Gary (Kathy).

Her passions were the care of her family and serving others with everything she had - body, heart, mind, and soul. She also enjoyed family outings, camping, theater, her country music and dancing. A private celebration of her life will be Sunday, March 29, 2009. In lieu of flowers please send donations to: www.secondchanceanimalshelter.org,

God be with you Mama. Guest book at: www.memorialutah.com

If you knew Lyn and are interested, go here to leave a message in the guest book.

Maybe it came unexpected,
Maybe I'm left unprotected
And that's the last place
I want to be, the last place
And there is so much we don't know
So we love and we hope that it holds
--Uncertainty by The Fray

Cheesy as it may sound, I use this blog as a journal/history for myself and our family. Although most of it is Mason cracking me up (he does that all the time), I think there's a little space on here to be serious for just a moment, too. Forgive me if it seems maudlin or lame, I promise I won't go on forever.

My aunt Lyndy died this past week. She had a heart attack, remained for a couple of days on life support, and then her kidneys gave out and her children and husband made the decision to remove her from life support and put it in God's hands. Although I agree with their decision, and believe that there is a degree of suffering in the state she was in, I know it wasn't easy for them. It's a loss that will be felt by our family forever because she was the glue in so many ways. After my grandfather died, she was the one who took on the holidays for the family. We were always welcome at her home. She worked hard for all of us and would do anything for someone she loved-- and that was many people and animals. She had a huge, open heart.

That may have been most proven to me when she took on her younger sister's bratty kid so her younger sister could work full time (I would be the bratty kid in question). I spent many summers, trips to the zoo, and school breaks up at her house with my aunt Lyndy and her two kids, Racheal and Bryan. Even though I'm six years older, we grew up together in a lot of ways. And how do you forget the person who taught you everything you needed to know about doing housework and taking care of your family? Long after I was married, I could call her with any stupid question (and frequently did!)-- how long do you bake potatoes for? How do I season ribs before I put them in the oven? How in the WORLD do you get your whites that clean, even when the kids were small and we were playing in the mud all the time? She never complained, usually just chuckled (probably at how much I still have to learn) and gave me the answer I was seeking. I think I'll be keeping a list for when I see her again; until then, we'll miss her lots.

I'm a little worried...

...that our brains might be too full. One of my favorite aunts is having some serious health problems, and even in the midst of all of it, our family is still just as sarcastic and comedic as ever. Here are a few things from our day and night.

(As Alan was approaching the waiting room we were in, dressed in his red flight uniform.)

Tyler (my funny cousin): Hey, look. It's Mah-rio!
Me: Oh, please say that to his face when he walks in.

***

(Alan and I were talking about the risk factors for heart attack due to my apparently total family history)

Alan: ... and a sedimentary lifestyle.
Me (giggle): Sedimentary? Do you mean sedentary?
Alan (realizing his slip up): No. Sedimentary. Like full of rocks and dirt and stuff.

(Just a side note that if this really were a risk factor, Mason would be in huge trouble. Life among the dirt and rocks suits him well!)

***

Mason: What are you doin?

Me: Watching Samson. (I was looking out the back door at Samson in the snow.)
Mason: What's he peeing on? (Since he's always peeing on something-- really.)

Ummm....awkward!

Mason: Mom, what's under here? (pointing to his pajamas)

Mom: Umm... under your finger? A monkey.

Mason: No, under the monkey and under the diaper.

Mom: (searching my mind desperately) Your body.

Mason: It was going up.

Mom: Yeah, sometimes they do that.

Mason: It doesn't go down very well.

Mom: Well...as long as it doesn't hurt that's okay.

I was totally hoping we could avoid this conversation for a while yet. And I was totally hoping I wouldn't be as embarrassed or unprepared as I was. And who are we kidding--- I was hoping his dad would have to have it with him!

Some Light Reading for Your Down-time (HA!)

We haven't been up to much lately, which has led to a lack of posting. And even when we have been up to something, I haven't photographed it because my memory card is full and I'm still working on the backup before I delete everything. Plus, not much of it has been interesting.

We took a drive up to Pocatello, ID last week when Alan's cousin got married. Whitney had lived down here for a while to go to aestetician school, so we got to know her pretty well then. We wish her all the best, and Mason was a trooper through the drive. Plus he was a dancing fool and a ladies man all in one at the reception. I kind of wished for my camera during that, but my saying it will have to suffice. Oh, and my kid is totally the one who YELLED, as the bride was walking down the aisle with her dad that "I don't need to be quiet now, not at the start!!" I had an aisle-side seat and could not escape with said loud toddler in time, but Dad did a timely dash in my stead.

Otherwise, we've just been spring cleaning and getting ready for this baby. The room is coming along, but not at a place where I can brag about it by posting pictures (because by "coming along", I mean "almost clean enough to paint if I could decide exactly what I'm doing").

Also, I realized I haven't said much about being pregnant while we've been expecting the newbie. It hasn't been too bad for me so far. I'm getting to the part where I have to remind myself that it's a marathon, not a sprint; I'm one of the lucky ones because I get tired but otherwise manage to make it through okay. I'm grateful for that. I did get the special treat of failing my first glucose test, and thus sitting through the three hour long version to learn that I don't have gestational diabetes. I sincerely hope none of my friends/loved ones have to go through that thing and a word of advice if you do: don't drink the fruit punch flavored one. Some people think it tastes like a melted popsicle. I vote for undiluted Hawaiian punch, which in my book means it tastes like crap.

Anyway, on to what I conjured up to post about (man, this is taking a long time for having nothing to say!)... Mason has recently acquired some books (thank you grandma!) that we love and I wanted to share the child book joy with you.

First is the classic The Little Engine That Could. Mason recently stumbled upon/begged for this book on a trip to Borders and Alan was happy to comply with him. In the subsequent reads, I've come to appreciate this one (first published in 1930) as a story that would not be published today. The "dolls" are not ethnically diverse, the "good food" is not low fat, organic, or sugar-free, and to be honest the clown is a bit creepy. That being said, it's message is simple and I love to listen to Mason read it to himself since he has the whole thing memorized.

Second is also a train book (wait, I'm sure we're shocked) that was a Valentines Day gift from grandma. Freight Train by Donald Crews is also an older book (I believe it was published in the late 1970s) and has received the Caldecott Medal for illustrations. The drawings and the narrative are simple and straight-forward, but stunning. Mason loves to pick out the colors and numbers, as well as name the different types of train cars. He also asks me to point out all the individual letters, so I'm glad the words are fairly simple! Alan mentioned this book was a favorite of his growing up, so I'm glad it's something they have been able to share as well.

Last but not least is Duck!Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. It was also a Valentines Day gift to Mason, and while he likes it, I think I'm the one who enjoys it more. This is probably for kids a little bit older as the concept is a bit abstract for him. I'm glad the cover art copied over so large because you can clearly see the ambiguous drawing. The book is two out-of-frame characters arguing over whether the drawing is that of a duck or a rabbit. Which do you see? I saw the rabbit and there is only one illustration in the book that allows me to see the duck. Also, it took me a few pages to catch on and I laughed and laughed when I finally did. Good times.

I have a plan...

...kinda. I used to be so good at menu planning and for some reason, I stopped doing it. I don't know if it's busy or lazy or a combination, but I would love to get back on top of it, because it keeps my grocery budget in check and I never have to scramble to figure out what's for dinner. Or breakfast and lunch.

So here is my "menu" for the next two weeks. I said before that we aren't as traditional about all of this because of our work schedules. I figure out how many dinners we are going to need and then get the ingredients and just prepare them over the next two weeks. So here is our list. Most of the recipes are experimental, and if they work out to our liking I will post them on The Unpampered Chef. At least one of them is already there.

- Coq au Vin fondue (from the cooking class I took)
-Tuscan Chicken Simmer
-Broiled salmon and Honey Roasted Red Potatoes
-Texas Lasagna
-Baked Chicken Nugget Spaghetti
-Garlic Cheese Chicken Rollups and salad
-Maple Ham and an undetermined side dish

A few of these things I'm making in anticipation of leftovers, so I have two nights scheduled for those on purpose because they are nights mom or dad is working late. Plus I will have vegetables left over from prep and sandwich stuff to use for lunch. Also, we will continue with our usual breakfast combinations: yogurt, fruit, cereal, toast, and eggs on occasion. Our latest favorite snack to have around is a sliced/cored green apple and string cheese.

Double dipping is nasty... dipping itself is fine

I came across the rare opportunity to do something fun and just for me the other day. My fantastic mother-in-law watched Mason and made it possible, and my husband looked the other way when I spent $75 for a cooking class.

So I went and learned how to make fondue at The Melting Pot, which is one of our favorite special-occasion-we-also-have-extra-money sort of restaurants. Or a we-have-a-coupon-so-we-can-afford-a-splurge restaurant. Either way!

But included in the $75 was: a two and a half hour class complete with demonstration where you are put into pairs to make a swiss cheese fondue, a cheddar cheese fondue, one broth-based meat/main course fondue (we had chicken, steak, shrimp, and ravioli for the meat, plus vegetables), and a chocolate fondue. And of course, we got to eat the results. Good thing fondue is easy, because most of us were paired with total strangers and we ended up sharing. My partner, as well as the other pair at our table, were all really nice and fun to visit with. We had a lot in common and shared good conversation with the good food.

Also included was a hardcover copy of The Melting Pot Recipe Book, with a few coupons for our benefit at the end. I've been looking for this book for a while now, since getting a fondue pot for Christmas, and it's kind of expensive and also usually out of stock at the bookstore (even the online ones). Getting to take it home was a big plus. I was really surprised to find the number of recipes included. In addition to recipes for almost their full fondue menu, the book also has recipes for their salads and salad dressings (all prepared on site), all but two of the sauces they serve (including one called Green Goddess that might be the best thing ever to put on basically any kind of vegetable), and a good number of their "house" cocktails.

Some of the fun facts/things I learned:

• How to make a cheese fondue that doesn't turn into a big clumpy melted ball of goo


• How to cut a loaf of bread so there is crust with every cube, ensuring the bread won't fall apart when dipped


• The best (totally simple and surprising!) way to make dipping chocolate with a smooth, even consistency


• How to stir basically any fondue so it comes out smooth


• When to use steam by placing a small metal salad bowl in the top part of the fondue pot over boiling water so that everything melts perfectly

I have a few friends who have told me they would be interested in taking this class. This was the first one actually taught on behalf of the restaurant. I heard about it (and have heard about some other special offers) by signing up for Club Fondue. You can also check out their menu options and make reservations any time at The Melting Pot's website. This links to the one in downtown SLC, which I believe is the only one in Utah.

Anyway, that's how I heard about it, but if you're interested let me know. I'm going to email the woman who taught the class because I already have several friends who have said I should sign them up for a fun afternoon/evening or get more information for them, so I can easily pass it on to anyone else who thinks this sounds fun.