It's Burning my Mouth

Since there is a ton of snow out, I decided to make chili to make us all warm and fuzzy on the inside. I checked on allrecipies.com and found a highly rated recipe. I turned out I didn't have enough of one ingredient, so I used some Rotel and spicy V-8, and hoped for the best. Well, we have a pot of good, but FLAMING hot chili! My mouth is still recouperating. It isn't for the timid, and I'm not sure I'll make this again.

ON the other hand, the cornbread muffins were de-lish, topped off with cinnamon butter spread!

It's a Process

This is Zach. He is looking a little shy, tentative, and needing a little reassurance. A friend told me last week that one time when Zach was at her house while Avery was in the hospital, she heard him saying to no one in particular, "I want to go to the hospital". :( At least he loved going there.

On Sunday, a friend had asked me about Zach's potty training, how it was going. Zach has had some great days lately, but it seems like it's taking a long time. She said something that just made me feel tons better. She said, "It's a process". Did I miss that before? Did I glaze over that tidbit-o-info? Apparently. What had stuck in my mind were stories of kids learning in a day or the day they started walking or something else insanely wonderful like that. All the while I have been feeling like a loser. :) Although I don't know much about teaching and less about being the perfect mother, I take comfort in knowing we're following the average process with this important milestone.

Slowly, but surely, both Zach and I are getting better at the process, and he is becoming more independent. I throw that term around a lot more lately, and it seems to be working. :)

Making Do and Making it

Photo (has nothing to do with this post subject, just here to draw you in). Here is Avery at the hospital before we went home. She is showing a little shoulder, but happy as a lark.

FOOD CHALLENGE:

Today ends our emergency preparedness challenge, or not buy food for a week. I'm glad it's over and I've got a detailed grocery list ready. :)

Highlights from the experiment:

-Our fridge is almost bare, except for the door full of condiments (and freezer is emptying out).
The thing I miss and and we need to stock up on is fruit! Canned or dried, but I love it too much to go another week.

-Because our fridge is bare, I was able to clean it very easily. :)

-I'm glad I used up some food storage. I made some things from scratch and feel more domesticated.

-I think it was a great challenge to force yourself to use what you have and I had to fight the urge not to run through a drivethrough as I was out and about, or pick up some quick for dinner. I think that was the hardest thing, to not go to the store, knowing it was a few minutes away.

-More importantly I learned that I can survive a week without going to the store.

If you're slightly intrigued by the experiment, then try it, starting today!

Highlights

Just a couple pictures for funsies.

I couldn't resist this photo. I'm biased, but she was pleased as punch to be in that big-little chair.


Zachery with his great Aunt Susie. Uncle Bob and Aunt Susie live here in Toledo and are not only relatives, but friends. :) Susie stopped by back in December here and gave Zach a little birthday treasures.

1) Our bishop issued a challenge for this week. Starting yesterday, we are to eat only the food we have at home. That means no eating out and no grocery store. I only heard part of what he was saying, due to the kids, and so I thought, no problem I'll go to the store in the morning and we'll start tomorrow. :) I quickly found out he meant starting then. Eric and I are going to try it and use up all that's in our freezer, fridge and parts of our dry goods. I love the challenge though, because I'll be more aware of the food we have, the food we eat and try foods I haven't had in a long time. The bishop said it was a test to see if there was a big blizzard and we couldn't get to the stores, could we survive? I hope so.

2) Another highlight is that we got some shelves for the basement and finally emptied out some boxes we've had stacked up down there. I love that! I then realized that we've got a few too many things, like books (okay they're mostly Eric's, but if we'll never read them, why do we have them?). I do love things picked up, clean and everything in it's spot. :)

3) Avery will eat, yes eat, a Gerber wagon wheel! Baby steps here, but not literally (she's not crawling yet).

4) I started jogging again today! I really wanted to get back to it, but actually getting dressed for it and getting on the treadmill is another thing. I didn't do much, but I did some.!!

T-Shirt and Resolutions

Avery received this cute t-shirt from a good friend living in Florida, where it's nice and warm, hmmmm sounds great. Avery was happy til I tried to take her picture. :) Or maybe because she is sensitive about her bum looking big in a diaper.

That's more like it.
We've had such cold, snowy weather (crazy I know, it's only winter). Eric and Zachery bundled up and made snow angels and threw snowballs in the yard. The picture isn't that great, but you get the idea. Brrrrr, it is very cold outside.

New Year's Resolutions
I've made 3, been working on 2 and have forgotten the 3rd one. :) What was it?

Get to bed early (like before midnight):
Eric and I both have been going to bed late, pretty much everynight for 6+ years. I've probably gone to bed early less than 10 times the whole time we've been married. Now that I wish I could go to sleep a little early, I am up to at least 11 to get Avery's last tube feed in. OR, I'm using that as an excuse. hmmm. I am still trying to get into bed earlier and I am hoping it will "change my life". At least let me feel more alive in the am.

Time:
So elusive sometimes, or gets sucked away (seemingly). I want to be more time conscious, thus allowing me to be a) more on time and b) get more done.

I remember the last one, but I need to keep some things to myself, alright?! Please, leave me alone. jk

Christmas Day

Our family went to Newark, OH for Christmas. All of Eric's siblings were together and we had a fun time being together.

This is Avery and her cousin, Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn loved getting Avery to laugh and spent some time hanging with lil' Ave playing peek-a-boo.
This is, sadly, the only picture I got of Eric that day. Avery loves Eric and lights up whenever he's around. (In the background is another cousin, Parker, who, as you can see, loves to play his gameboy.
Thanks grandma and grandpa Marks for a nice time at Christmas!
We went to get family pictures at Eric's sister's studio. Here, Zachery is about to leap off as his cousin, Trevin, waits his turn. That was a background for photos and all the kids had fun running in and out and jumping off of it. :) Zach really got to know his cousins from Idaho and we all miss them:(
Zach took 30 seconds out of his playing time to pose with his sister. Sweet lil chilluns.

Little blip blog

I didn't know they made hospital treaded socks for infants. :) I thought they were so cute!

Here is Zach, up close and cheesing it.
Little Avery without the tube! -and isn't she pleased. Boy, she does look like Eric, minus the flower.

Holidays in Review: Part 1

Part 1 of our holidays: Here are a few photos from my brother's wedding reception in Colorado. I got to fly out alone and spend a wonderful time with my family and friends out west. Besides the wedding, reception and luncheon, I met a new neice and nephew (not that they're newborn, just hadn't met them yet). Hung out with high school friends and my sister, Shanna and I highlighted each other's hair. :)

During the luncheon, I sat with an old friend who is so funny, it was great. The bride's sister, Melissa and I are the same age and we've, as I've mentioned, known each other a long time too. Mel and her family lived in Michigan, and we got to see them a couple times. Anyway, Mel is great and we had a great visit. The Sparrows are great people (bride's family) and I'm happy for Gary and Emm.

and to the photos:

My brother in law, Brian, my sister, Nickell and their son, Tyler - munching before the reception
I had to add this one. This is Zerin Loosli, a nephew to the bride, and a magician. He was entertaining us with card tricks and had all the lingo and hand movements down. Look at that smile.
The adults here are my sister in law, Dixie annd my brother, David. The girl smiling is their daughter, Audrey, and the other toddler is a niece, Maren, from my sister, Shanna (not pictured). (munching before the reception)
Myself, older sister Shanna, our mom, Christie, and my younger sister, Nickell. All our shades of moss green were different. :) Someone said I looked tan, and I know I haven't seen much sun, but it looks like it here.
The happy couple, my brother, Gary and my new sister in law, Emmalee. They are both deaf and have known each other since they were 4. We've been friends with their family that long too and it was such a fun reception being able to visit with lots of folks I know. Weddings are the best parties!

Ramblings

We had a Zimmerman family Christmas party this evening. It was nice to see and visit with family, that's all part of the holy days/holidays. Kids all over, especially Zach. :) He was so excited to see cousins, and got in the mix of the crowd too, and that wasn't always good. I love the little man and have been blessed recently, to see what he needs to succeed at his stage in life. I don't have all the answers (durn it), but someone else does who loves him even more.

Avery is happy and sans her tube in the nose! I wish I could read her thoughts about it. I think it'd be something like, "wa-hooooo, that thing is out of my throat!". Avery was unusually fussy last night and this morning I felt her gums to find little teeth tops! Maybe that's a sign that she's soon on her way to swallowing food.

Our camera is either somewhere in aunt Cheryl's yard or in our car, waaaaay out in our garage, and stopping me from photos of our holidays. Oh, and don't you want to see some. :)

I have really loved getting and reading Christmas cards/letters. All of our decorations are still up and will stay that way for another week, at least. What' s the rush? Only the warm Christmas-y feeling isn't really there, except when the tree lights are on.

I was going to mention one other thing, but it's escaped me now, and since I'm rambling, I'll end.