Bloggin while the baby sleeps

Lately nothing really blog-worthy has occurred in the Miskin household, but here are a few things on my mind lately.

Somebody named Brenda Denison is in big trouble. I think she used to have my cell phone number, and I get calls DAILY from creditors and collection agencies wanting Brenda to pay up. Debt is a bad thing, people.

The other day I hit the Pandora goldmine on my Celtic Woman radio station. Feel free to mock me, but yes, I love them. They have this song called "Nella Fantasia" that makes me want to cry. It's from the movie The Mission. Don't watch it unless you REALLY want to cry... and see a lot of topless tribal women. But the theme song inspires me.

I'm halfway through the unabridged Les Miserables. Everybody who thinks they know the plot of Les Mis from the musical/movie/abridged version is so wrong. They leave out SO much! This book is a must-read. I love it I love it.

Now that my sister Mckenna is on a mission I need to fill in my #2 speed dial slot. I miss her.

I saw a trailer today for the movie Lincoln. Oh good. Something to offset the atrocity Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

I think therefore I win.

I was talking to my sister Rylee yesterday about hair school. Here is our conversation:

Me: "How is school going?"
Her: "I LOVE it. I'm at the top of my class."
Me: "Wow! That's great, Ry! What decides class rankings?"
Her: "I do."

Let's hear it for positive thinking!

Fleeting thoughts

I've been missing my long hair lately. My blow dryer hasn't though.

Somehow I got roped into being on the HOA board. I'm the secretary, and all I will do is take minutes and listen to a bunch of old retired men complain about the college ruffians and their loud cars and unkempt lawns. It's amusing for about an hour, and then it gets annoying.

I tried to watch a replay of olympic speedwalking, but I couldn't. It's just unnatural.

I kind of miss school, surprisingly. Especially writing, because let's be honest: blogging isn't super intellectually stimulating. I decided to write a book... or an essay if I can't make it long enough. I'm only on page 4, so we'll see. It's a collection of stories from my life, so I guess it's an autobiography. No Pulitzer material here, but I'm having fun. Here's a sample--the story of my first date:

"Near my 17^th birthday I finally got asked on my first date. His name was Leroy, and he had short-term memory loss. Really, he did. He got in a serious car accident and when he woke up, all he remembered was French. It was a rather bizarre case, but I did not know any of this at the time, which is why I found it odd that he called several times to confirm our date. The night I had been waiting for came, but my date didn't. My parents were probably more devastated than I was, though. They left me on the couch eating ice cream and watching Steel Magnolias, and went to a wedding reception. Little did I know that I would go on my first date that very night. The doorbell rang an hour or so later. I wiped double fudge brownie off my face and answered it. A handsome young man stood before me.“I heard you got stood up on your first date,” he said. “Put a dress on. We’re going out.” My first thought was wishing I had not been wearing my Mickey Mouse pajamas. They were bubble gum pink with an image on the front of Mickey and Minnie kissing, and “Pucker Up” in giant cursive letters. My parents gave them to me as a joke for Christmas, obviously referencing the lack of “Puckering up” I had done in my lifetime. I felt like a textbook symbol of desperation as I stood there at the door. But I did put a dress on, and I did go out that night."

Family Fun

We went camping last weekend. I have a love/hate relationship with camping. Loves: hiking, biking, foil dinners, sitting around a campfire with my hubby... the hates: sleeping on the ground, and smelling like smoke. This particular trip was so fun. We went with some friends to Turkey Run State Park. 

 Alaina doesn't like wearing her hat, but she didn't mind the doo-rag. So adorable.

 I think this state park is the only place in Indiana where the elevation fluctuates at all.

 Caleb caught his first catfish on the trip. He cooked it up for dinner.

It was delicious.

We also went to the annual Tippecanoe County Steam and Gas show. It was SO HOT, but Caleb loved every minute of if. I enjoy how excited he gets at things like these.

 There were like 1,000 tractors there.

A nice man let us take a picture in his 1908 Buick. Caleb almost cried.

Retail Therapy, sorta.

I recently found that getting new baby clothes satisfies me just as much as going shopping for myself. This is great, because it's cheaper, and I can use fabric scraps to make cute baby dresses and not even feel guilty!

I had scraps from making these for my twin friends who just had babies...

And so I made this:

I know it looks weird. But, just like shopping, it looks cuter once you try it on.

Also, I hate Coats and Clark thread.

That is all.

Thoughts of a mommy blogger

The most recent BYU Alumni magazine had an article about mommy blogs, reporting that moms who blog about their children, favorite recipes, etc., have less incidence of depression and anxiety. Well, it's cheaper than medication, and I don't have any ice cream on hand. So here's my weekly personal opiate:

I'm now enjoying the firstveggies of my labors. I love having a garden. I've learned a lot (mostly through trial and error), and there's something so satisfying about eating food that I grew. The yields so far:

Basil pesto. We put it on chicken sandwiches. Can somebody tell me why pine nuts are so expensive?

Compliments of the garden jalapenos, lettuce, tomatoes, and basil, last night's dinner consisted of Jalapeno poppers, bruschetta, and a salad. Caleb is still singing praises about the poppers. I just seeded them, filled them with a cream cheese-garlic-parmesean mixture, and wrapped in bacon. Bake at 375 for 8-ish minutes, until bacon is crispy. Here is where learning by trial and error comes in. Take my advice: use gloves when removing seeds from a jalapeno, especially when you have a paper cut. My fingertips are still on fire.

Another thing that has been consuming my time lately was helping plan a wedding for a woman in our ward. I threw the bachelorette party. No, not that kind of bachelorette party. We made facials and watched a PG movie.

I have oatmeal and lemon juice on my face. I have no idea if it has any beneficial effects on skin, but that's what Google said.

Lainey was even allowed to join with her friend Gelisse.

I am also reading a book that I LOVE called Unbroken. It's a WWII biography of the coolest guy ever. In fact, when I started reading it I thought for sure that it was fiction. There's no way anybody's life is that exciting. But sure enough, he's real, and he's awesome. That being said, I'm not done yet, and I've learned that I shouldn't recommend a book until I finish it. Recently I recommended a book I was reading, only to find that the next chapter was no bueno. Oops.

Hot.

We hardly got any photos from the 4th of July. To be honest, it was so blasted hot that we didn't do much at all. You know, I thought I knew what hot was. I grew up in California, so I expected that I could easily manage 100+ temperatures. Not so. I think if the devil himself left the fire and brimstone of the infernal pit, he would set up camp in the Midwest. For the past few weeks I feel like I am swimming in flames when I step outside. And that's why we didn't even watch fireworks this Independence Day. Sad. We did, however, go to a potluck, which had so many adorable pinterest-esqe foods that I thought I would die. My particular favorite was the layered flag drinks found here. Caleb, of course, appreciated the  drink for its chemistry-based demonstration of liquid densities. Anyhow, these are the only photos of the day:

I've also been meaning to share this video of Alaina laughing. Nothing humors her more than violence, I guess.

And lastly, I will share that two teeth recently popped up in Alaina's mouth. All I have to say about that is, well, it makes breastfeeding darn-near excruciating at times. The worst thing: my baby thinks it's funny.

Views on Obamacare—one nurse’s perspective.

I've been meaning to write this for some time, and in the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling I thought now would be an appropriate time. Let me first preface my comments by saying that our current system has some gaping problems that need to be addressed. Also, while I disagree with a healthcare mandate, I do not think it inherently evil, and I would remind people to be respectful of others’ differing views.

One basic problem with health care in America is that many people choose not to buy health insurance. When an emergency strikes, they seek medical care, rack up a huge bill, but then can’t pay it. Those unpaid costs are factored into everybody else’s costs, making both health care prices and insurance premiums skyrocket. Obamacare seeks to eliminate this problem by mandating that everybody purchase health insurance, and then fining anybody who doesn't.

I see a few problems with this. One: there are plenty of people who still won’t get insurance, and the small fine would never cover their medical costs, which means we would still be stuck trying to cover unpaid medical bills. Two: this bill will drastically change the healthcare system by essentially putting it under the power of the federal government. Now, many don’t mind having a socialized health care system, and I can understand why. Everybody is covered, which is great. But the downside of socializing medicine is that it erases any competition in the market. Thus, American innovation in the health care world will plummet. So I guess you can either give everybody mediocre care or most people excellent care. I know which I’d rather have. In nursing school I studied abroad in Australia, which has a socialized health care system. Don’t get me wrong; health care is fine there, but it wasn’t great. I felt like I had stepped back in time about 30 years. Elective surgeries such as knee replacements had year-long waiting lists. Amputations were much more common because doctors didn’t have the technology to repair limbs like they do here. If you really wanted good care you went to a private hospital rather than a public one because care was so much better there. The fact of the matter is that the private sector ALWAYS does things more efficiently than the federal government. Case in point: the DMV and the Post Office. If any business was run like those two, they wouldn’t last a year.

Another problem I see with this bill is that America simply can’t afford it right now. We are TRILLIONS of dollars in debt right now, and we want to spend another couple trillion to make health care more affordable. I admire the goal to make sure everyone has access to affordable health care, but if it doesn’t fit in the budget, it should wait. Now just isn’t the appropriate time.

I have heard people argue that this bill isn’t any different than forcing people to buy car insurance. But it is. Driving is a privilege. You choose to drive, you don’t choose to be born.

I have a lot more to say, but already this is getting too long, and I actually want people to read it. Lastly I will say that the biggest reason I disagree with this bill is because, in my opinion, it does not align with constitutional principles. Nothing says America like “Federal Mandate,” right? When the government claims to provide free or more-affordable benefits to the American people, all it really means is that our taxes will increase, and we will end up paying for it anyway. 

The new doo

Ok here are finally some pics of my hair. We were gone all weekend, so I didn't get a chance to post them. I'm actually glad I cut my hair,which is good news considering I wanted to cry when the lady cut it. I told her to take off 10 inches (the minimun for Locks of Love) and she took off 12. Those 2 inches nearly did me in, because they still had to take off more to style it. I can hardly put it in a ponytail now. But I'm ok with it. I don't look like a boy, and the humidity of the midwest doesn't bother me as much with short hair. And of course, hair will grow back. Another reason I donated it is because my cousin Tara is battling brain cancer at age 22. She is such an inspiration to me, and it seemed rather pathetic to keep my hair long for purely vain reasons. Since I can't donate blood again until December, at least I can do something small for humanity.

 The "Before" shot.

 I never thought I would cave and get the "mom" haircut.

Another plus is that we will save a ton on shampoo and conditioner! And Caleb won't have to unclog the shower drain as often, which is probably his favorite thing ever.

Lately Alaina has had some decent exposure to the country lifestyle, thanks to her daddy:

 Doesn't she look so excited? (not. it was past bedtime.) At least Caleb enjoyed it.

I was a little wary about getting this picture. Sure enough, as soon as I took it, the mama horse tried to bite Lainey's head off. Nice.

A Drastic Decision

I wonder what Caleb will say when he comes home today.



Snell Girls; No Slugs allowed.

I love my mom and sisters!

So glad summer is here.

I have a new favorite things as of late.
1. Garage Sales! We used to go all the time growing up, and Caleb and I went for the first time on Saturday. I'm never shopping in a store again. The best purchase of the day was a kiddie bike trailer. They can be anywhere from $100-$400 in stores, and we got ours for $15. Now I can ride my bike again!
2. I loved reading The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emma Orczy.  It was humorous and enjoyable, and a really fast read. Caleb even read it (the first non-scriptural, non-text book he's read since high school). Plus, I now have a few cool phrases to incorporate into my vocabulary, complements of Sir Percy Blakeney:
    "Begad!"
    "What the devil?"
     "Odd's Fish!"
They all sound much cooler when accompanied with a British accent.

3. Fresh homemade salsa. Here's how I make mine. The amounts are all estimates since I never use a recipe:

5-6 tomatoes
1/2 a yellow pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
juice from 1 lime
1/2-1 jalapeno, depending on how spice-a-licous you want it
2/3 cup corn
2/3 cup black beans
1/3 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste

4. BBC
5. Teaching summer school. Our neighbor kids asked me if I would teach them once a week. It's so much fun! We have everything from math class to recess. Last week we learned the anatomy of a plant, and drew corresponding pictures. (Mine's on the right.)

6. Alaina. Ok, that's nothing new.

Lately

I love sister missionaries. Perhaps it's because there is a small hole in my heart because I never was one, or because my sister is going to be one, or because I just really admire their hard-working, charitable, pleasant spirit, but I love them. We currently have sisters in our ward. There were three of them, but one finished up her mission last week, so now there are two. Caleb told me he thinks they are the 3 Nephites in female form. I wholeheartedly agree. 

 Goodbye Sister Little! We love you! 

I think the hardest rule for sister missionaries to follow is that they can't hold babies. Us women are nurturers! We must hold babies! Here are Sisters Gillman and Donaldson. Such sharp women. I love feeding them because they bring such a wonderful spirit to our home.

I'm trying to think of a clever segway into my next topic, but nothing is coming to mind.

I introduced Lainey to rice cereal this week. She loves eating it, and wearing it. I'm thinking her and I share the "Live to Eat" motto.

She also currently loves sitting up, sucking her toes, bouncing in her exer-saucer, and biting anything that comes near her face. 

Family, Fun, Friends, and Food (and it's not even Thanksgiving!)

I'm back! After a wonderful, much needed (for Caleb) vacay in Utah with the Snell fam, life has returned to normal. The trip was much too short, but we crammed a bunch of fun into the week. Here are some highlights:

 Lainey had fun with Aunt Corrie!

Lots of girl time.

 Aidyn and Alaina in their matching dresses at Temple Square.

 Family Photos

 Matching pjs, compliments of Mom. She went to like 4 different Targets to find enough matching pants.

 We made a movie for my grandma, and all of us had costumes. Corrie was feeling left out, so she came 

downstairs wearing this. A pair of pants on her head. (?)

A personal favorite from the trip: A 5-generation photograph. Doesn't my great-grandma look fabulous for being 92?

 Cousins get together! Kasen is obviously loving it.

 Kenna went through the temple in preparation for her mission--Kyiv, Ukraine! She reports Aug. 29th. We were sad because that was the last time we'll see her until 2014.

 Alaina's 1st pool experience. I've been looking for an excuse to put her in her adorable swimsuit.

A family mountain biking excursion. It was Caleb and my 2 year anniversary. We've made it a tradition to go mountain biking on each anniversary, since we went on the day we got engaged and our first anniversary. So fun! My dad and grandpa came too but they didn't make it up. My dad said he didn't want to leave my grandpa behind, but we all teased him for being out of shape. :)

I love my family so much. It was so fun being together with them.

Other things that have happened lately:

 Lainey joined her dad in studying for his finals...again. Last time she was 3 days old. Time has flown.

 Our neighbors gave Alaina this hilarious hat. I think she looks like a character straight out of a Dr. Seuss book.

 Our good friends Justin, Brittany, and Jackson Hendricks came to visit on their way to St. Louis. We loved having them, and wish they could have stayed longer. Jackson adored his new pal "Baby Laina!"

 We planted a garden. I feel so grown up! We didn't have much space, so we just tore out all the plants in our planters. This summer we will have tomatoes, peppers (bell, banana, jalapeno), garlic, basil, lettuce, and a watermelon.

I'm hoping the rabbits won't get to it.