New Wheels

Last Friday we took our Odyssey in because the check engine light was on. I didn't think it would be a big deal. Last year it kept going on and no one was able to figure out why. Finally it went away, and I figured that it was going to be a similar issue. However, I did not expect this:

• Our transmission was going out (hence the check engine light) -- $3000-4000 minimum
• It was time to do the timing belt and water pump -- $750
• The front brakes were paper thin and the back ones needed work too -- $400-500
• Spark plugs and misc other stuff -- $100-200

Our van was ten years old and had a blue book of only $2000. There was no way we were going to do that much $$$ in repairs when it wasn't worth that much. We were also planning on trading it in next year, so . . .


I now have a spiffy 2010 EX-L Odyssey. I am in love. Seriously. Now, I loved our old van. It was awesome. But this new baby? It is amazing. I drive around town with a goofy smile on my face. I am finding excuses to run errands. We splurged for the nicer model so we could have the leather seats and sunroof. So not necessary. So not needed. So much fun. Roy wanted me to have something nicer since I am beginning to live in the van because the kids are getting older and I am turning into an unpaid and underappreciated chauffer. The kids named her Blueberry (hence the dark blue paint), and Tyler is telling everyone he comes in contact with that he has a van with "automatic doors". The kids won't leave the power windows alone, and Nathan is continually messing with the rear controls for the a/c. I have to keep both locked to keep my sanity.

So if you see me driving around with a smile on my face, you know why.

Halloween 2009

Halloween has come and gone again. I am super sad that it is over, since it is one of my fav holidays. There is just something magical and fun about the whole thing. I think a lot of it stems from the fact that my birthday falls right before the holiday, so as a kid, I always had warm fuzzies just thinking about the upcoming candy fest.

However, you can't have Halloween without:

Giving pumpkins lobotomies (I had to explain to the kids what that meant -- too funny). They had way too much fun this year carving those big ol' squashes. For the first time, Megan carved hers all on her own. She was super proud of herself.


Driving by the Halloween House every single day (or sometimes two or three times a day) throughout the month of October. We love our neighbor. He does this every year -- totally full out each year. The think that boggles my mind is that each year it is something different, and each year he just throws the stuff away instead of storing it for another year. The downside is that our neighborhood gets major Halloween traffic because of the house. Tons. It is unreal. We went through eight bags of candy, which is nothing compared to how much the houses close to the Halloween house go through (because people drive over to our neighborhood to trick-or-treat there).


Trick-or-treating around the neighborhood + trunk-or-treating at the Ward Party = way too much candy. We could have easily stopped after the trunk-or-treat at the Ward Party. However, we now have three extra large mixing bowls on the counter that were mounded six inches above the rim. I use the word "were" because it is amazing how fast the bowls are emptying. The kids are snarfing down candy at speeds that would rival the speed of light. It also helps that I am taking out a few handfuls a day and putting the candy in large Ziploc gallon bags, which will go into the freezer and make an appearance at Christmas (hey, it works).


Dressing up as one thing and then changing your mind. Usually all three kids do this. They change their mind about costumes repeatedly, which forces me to scramble. Ty was the only one who put me through grief this year. He wore an adorable elephant costume (which made me super nostalgic since Nathan and Megan both wore it). However, he only wore it for a short period of time. He wore it for five minutes at preschool before he decided that he didn't want to be an elephant anymore, and that he wanted to be a "regular person". He changed his mind by the end of the preschool party and let me snap a few pictures (which was a good thing too, because they were the only ones I got). He endured being an elephant through the Ward Party, but he was miserable. I knew there was no way he would do it again for trick-or-treating. On Halloween morning he came downstairs wearing his superman shirt. I looked at him, and a lightbulb went on. Yeah, it was a thrown together costume (jeans, Superman t-shirt, and a red cape), but he was happy and that it all that mattered.

Baptism Portraits

A few days ago I took Megan to a nearby grassy spot to take pictures of her in her baptism dress. I figured it would be some great mommy/daughter time, and that it would be a memorable experience. Wrong. It was very stressful. She was uncooperative. She made funny faces. Most of the pictures did not turn out well. Luckily I got a few that were ok . . . but nothing stellar or awe inspiring. Oh well. At least I got a few ok shots of her.

Camping @ Big Sur

A month ago we went camping over fall break. For a month I have been meaning to blog about it. For a month I haven't really blogged at all. Lately I have been waking up at 5:00 AM (or earlier) -- and I am unable to go to back sleep. This morning, I figured I would just get up and get ready and see how much blogging I can get done before I have to drag the kids out of bed and get them off to school.

Anyway. . .

We love to camp. Yeah, it is A LOT of work getting ready -- planning out meals and packing up all the food, getting all the clothes and misc. stuff we need, gathering up all the camping gear and somehow fitting it all into the van . . . but we love it. Once we are at out campsite and everything is set up, it is WONDERFUL. All my stress goes away, and I forget about all my worries and cares. All I need is a good book. The kids love to ride bikes, climb trees, and they explore everywhere, but most importantly, there is fire. They are major firebugs and would spend everyday in front of the fire pit poking at it and throwing on leaves and debris.

We spent fall break camping at our favorite place -- Big Sur. Why do we love it there so much? SO many reasons:

• The drive up Highway 1. This is probably Roy's favorite part. He loves to drive down windy roads, so driving on a crazy road that winds back and forth while hanging on a cliffside was just so much fun for him. Not so much for Megan. She was terrified for the first 1/2 hour of the drive until she got used to it. Every time I got out of the car to take a picture she was afraid I would fall over the edge (I guess pretending to do so wasn't very helpful in that matter).
• There is nothing like camping in the redwoods. Stepping out of the tent each morning is an awe inspiring experience -- mist around the tall trees that extend all the way up. So amazing.
• Pfeiffer State Beach. This alone is worth the drive. It is my favorite beach -- hands down. It is amazingly gorgeous with all the ragged rock formations. The kids loved it. There were tons of shells to collect, and lot and lots of rocks to climb on. It is just so surreal. The locals tear down the signs that tell where the turn off to the beach is, which makes me kinda giggle. You have to know about it already, or there is no way to find it. We didn't bring swimsuits because we knew how cold the water would be. The kids had strict instructions to play in the sand, not the water. Nice that Megan didn't listen as she "accidentally" got wet. She paid for it later and was miserable as she froze. Too funny.
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium. Monterey is about 45 minutes away, and the aquarium is super cool. We have an aquarium close by in Long Beach, but this puts that one to shame. We always spend the whole day there -- from open to close -- and we usually could use lots more time. Plus, it is where Star Trek IV was filmed. :) Nathan was obsessed with the great white shark -- the only one in the world in captivity right now. He LOVED it.
• Point Sur Lighthouse. This lighthouse was built in 1886 upon a 361 foot tall rock that is out in the water. The history of the place is just fascinating. They now have a road that goes out there, and they offer tours. Our kids were the only ones on the tour, but they were SO good. They were fascinated by all the stories the tour guide told, and many people commented on how well behaved they were. If only those people knew how the usually are. . .
• Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. A super cool state park with lot of fun hikes. We went over there to go hike up to a waterfall. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that they had closed the easy hike because the trail was damaged. We ended up going up a mountain and around to get to the waterfall. To say that the kids complained would be an understatement. Once we got there, however, they were super happy. We reminded them that sometimes it takes lots of hard work to get what you want. They didn't complain on the way back.

Can't wait to go back!!!

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Beans, Beans, the Glorious Fruit . . .

I have discovered a baking trick that I love. Beans. I bake with them. No, not in my main dishes, or even my side dishes. I bake with them in my brownies, breads, muffins, cookies, and cakes. My favorite food storage website, everydayfoodstorage.net, has such great baking tips and tricks. I was wandering around and stumbled upon how to substitute pureed beans for oil (see more here and here). You just soak and cook your beans (or just open a can), put them in a blender with a little of the leftover liquid, and puree until you have a thick paste. Then, simply substitute for oil (for all of the oil or just part of it) in you baking recipes. I used to use applesauce for all my substitutions, but now I am using pinto beans. I like it better because it doesn't flavor the recipes, and the texture stays pretty close to the same (plus the added fiber is great). It works best to use the same color of beans (black beans in brownies, pinto beans in light colored quick breads, etc.), but I am just using pinto beans for everything. I have a big batch I pureed and then froze in 1/2 cup portions in my freezer. Try it, you'll love it!

Pumpkins and Fire Trucks

Yesterday we went on our annual trip to Lombardi Ranch. I decided to just take Tyler, and make it a little date with him and I. He didn't really remember much about where we were going, until we pulled into the parking lot. Suddenly his memories from last year kicked in. All he could talk about was the fire truck -- the old one they have parked for the kids to play on. I knew that if we went there first that I wouldn't be able to get him to do anything else. So, we visited the scarecrows and the animals and wandered around looking at all the different types of pumpkins. However, I heard every 5-10 minutes, "Mom, can we go see the fire truck?". Finally, I giggled and gave in. He was in heaven. We were at Lombardi Ranch for an hour and a half, but he spent most of his time climbing all over the truck. I love my little vehicle obsessed boy.

Meal Plan Monday -- Halloween Week

Roy has recommended that I post my meal plans so that I can reference them in the future. I usually do my meal planning on a piece of paper taped inside my cupboard, or on the white board on the side of the fridge. I had way too much fun planning out this week because it is Halloween, so here goes!

Monday: Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore (called it blood and guts), brown rice, steamed carrots, garlic bread
Tuesday: Meatloaf (aka roadkill meatloaf), garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, chocolate cake (My Birthday Dinner -- the kids are making it)
Wednesday: Spaghetti and Eyeballs (a pimento filled olive inserted into a meatball), pumpkin shaped 3D loaf of bread, cauliflower w/ white sauce
Thursday: Hamburgers w/ jack-o-lantern shaped cutouts on the cheese, garlic roasted cauliflower, Fish shaped Jell-o w/gummy worms inside
Friday: Lunch: Jack-o-lantern quesadillas, fruit, cottage cheese
Dinner: Chili (I am bringing to our Ward Party)
Saturday:
Lunch: Mummy Dogs, mixed fruit, yogurt
Dinner: Split Pea and Barley Soup with black cat croutons, witch finger breadsticks, mixed vegetables
Sunday:
Lunch: Fridge Cleanout (aka Leftover lunch)
Dinner: Grilled Basalmic London Broil, potato salad, grilled veggies

Birthday Cake Chaos

Right now I am hiding upstairs listening to the utter chaos that is ensuing down below. I am doing my best to not laugh too loudly, but if you were here, you would be having a good chuckle with me. Why? Because tomorrow is my birthday and Roy wanted to make a cake with the kids. They are down there baking up a storm -- litterally. Roy is doing his best to keep his cool as the kids are arguing and fighting over who gets to stand by the mixer, measure/pour the next ingredient, or anything else they can find to fight over. I am really proud of him for attempting to cook with all three kids. Tyler is impatient, Megan just wants to be a little chef, and Nathan (apparently) knows everything and is telling everyone what to do. I guess that I made things a little difficult for them, since I didn't want a cake from a box. Why should I have cake from a box when I can have my favorite chocolate cake. My mouth is watering just thinking about it, although I hope that it tastes the way it is supposed to, as opposed to a chocolate brick. . .

Something's Fishy

The other day I was at Goodwill looking for costume stuff for Nathan, when I stumbled upon this:

Now, most of you are thinking, ". . . yeah . . . it's a fish mold". However, I was thinking, "YEAH! A fish mold". Why on earth, do you ask? Well, my sister-in-law has a fish mold. I have SO many fond memories of hacking up fish shaped Jell-o dishes and desserts at countless family dinners. I always got excited when it made an appearance. It was my favorite. A little weird? Yeah, but I loved it. I could not wait to take that 99 cent baby home and use it. I first had to give it a lot of love, however. I soaked and scrubbed and cleaned until the copper was shiny and new looking (it was pretty gross). I happily made a basic Jell-o with some fruit mixed in (I haven't molded Jell-o before, and I wasn't sure how easy it would be). This is what turned out:


The kids loved it. They argued over who got the tail and the head. The whole thing was consumed way faster than normal and the kids cannot wait for it to appear again. I am thinking of pulling a funny Halloween trick with gummy worms and such -- but we shall see. . . In the meantime, I am swimming in nostalgia. . .