max the champ

Yesterday we took Max in to the Children's Hospital in Boston for a rather delicate (but routine) procedure. I was a nervous nelly the whole way there... would we make it in time? Would Max fuss from being too hungry? How could I keep Ruby from sharing her breakfast with him? And on and on...










As you can see, Max was unconcerned (and unaware) that anything was going to happen to put a damper on his cheery day. He didn't fuss at all about being hungry or thirsty. His only concern was that we weren't letting him crawl around the room where they were prepping all the kiddos for surgery. He wanted to be climbing the furniture and visiting the other patients. Probably wondering where all the cute girls were!








Thankfully, everything went absolutely perfect. Jared was even able to go into the operating room with Max while they were putting him to sleep. I decided I wasn't up for that challenge. Something about holding the mask over his crying mouth and then watching his little eyes roll up in his head was too much for me! Jared said that it was hard, but he was thankful that one of us was able to be there with him so that he wouldn't be as scared.








After an hour or so, Max's surgeon came out and said that everything went perfectly and he was in recovery. Ruby said, "Wake up, MAXY!!" and he popped his head right up and was ready to go.




He didn't slow down much at all, regardless of the tylenol with codeine! Good job, Max!

a wee little dental rant

A few days ago I went to the dentist and was told that I need FOUR fillings due to grinding / clenching my teeth at night and ONE possible root canal. He also prescribed a night guard to stop my clenching, which most dental insurance does not cover. Oh, and by the way, they cost $650!!

So, between just the fillings and the night guard I was up to about $800--not including the possible root canal.

I got home and I was pretty much in tears. We are not really raking in the dough here and I felt terrible. How could things have gotten so bad with my teeth!? And the one thing that really got to me was that most of the problems were due to something I can't control--namely, what happens while I sleep-- yet, the insurance company would rather have me in dentures at age 30 than foot the bill for the night guard.

Anyhoo, Super Hubby to the rescue... Jared found a site called Nightguardlab.com that we'll be able to use to get the same night guard at less that a third of the cost. I am SO thankful. The maybe root canal is still looming large in my future... but at least we've trimmed a few hundred off the bill.

Jared goes in for his big check up in another couple weeks, so we'll see what they say about his chompers. We're praying for a mouth full of keepers!!

nearly wordless wednesday

Our new church home, North Shore Community Baptist Church.

Mmm, mmm, good.

Yes, my hubby is pretty cool.

Bubbly top hat.

empty tomb cookies

I've really been wanting to try these cookies for a few years, but I think that this year is the year we can try it for the first time...

Empty Tomb Cookies

1 cup whole pecans, in a plastic baggie
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
1 pinch salt
1 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees--you MUST do it now. Also, gather a cooking mallet, kitchen mixer, masking tape and Bible.
2. Read John 19:1-3 ~ Jesus was beaten for our sins; beat the nuts with a cooking mallet; set aside.
3. Read John 19:28-30 - Jesus drank something like vinegar (gall), sniff the fragrance, dip finger in and taste, too; place the vinegar in a mixing bowl.
4. Read John 10:10-11 - Egg whites symbolize Jesus' holy, innocent life; add whites to the bowl with the vinegar.
5. Read Luke 23:27 - the bitter tears of the women; taste a few grains, remember your own sins; add the salt to the bowl.
6. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16 - Sweet salvation! Taste and see; add sugar to the bowl.
7. Crank up the mixer and let it go while you read from Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3; let the mixer go for about 12-15 MINUTES; this needs to be VERY stiff!
8. Read Matthew 27:57-60 - Fold the nuts into the egg-sugar mixture; this symbolizes the rocks in the garden.
9. Using a scoop or knife & spoon, drop by spoon into mounds (to resemble a rocky tomb); put into the oven and turn it OFF!
10. Read Matthew 27:65-66 - The tomb is sealed; use two pieces of tape (5-6 inches long) to "seal" the door edges (symbolically).
11. Read John 16:20 & 22 - Consider these passages, then go to bed!
12. NEXT MORNING: Read Matthew 28:1-9 - Jesus is risen! Behold--the empty tomb! Unseal the oven door, take out the cookies, break or bite one in half -- it should be hollow inside---empty---just like the Tomb!
13. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah

boy, that's good brisket!

We are one of those families that actually really likes corned beef and buys several when St. Paddy's sales come around. So, tonight I had to make brisket in honor of our ginger-haired friends.

If you're ever in the mood for brisket, here's a great recipe that's super easy and super delicious. Can't beat that combination...

Guinness-Braised Beef Brisket

2 c. water
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped carrot
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. Guinness Stout
2/3 c. brown sugar
¼ c. tomato paste
1 T. dried dill
1 14.5oz can beef broth
6 black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
3 lb. corned beef brisket, trimmed

Combine all but beef in slow cooker; stir to blend. Top with beef. Cover and cook on HIGH for 8 hours or until beef is tender. Remove beef; cut diagonally across grain into ¼” slices. Discard broth mixture.

not so "quiet" time

On the advice of some BTDT (been there done that) moms, I've decided to implement quiet time during the time previously known as afternoon nap. Since Ruby's sad farewell to the pacie, our afternoon naps are spotty at best. I've found that if I require her to play quietly with just one or two toys on my bed about half the time she'll end up falling asleep after all. At the worst, I get an hour or more of quiet to get a few projects tackled or just rest. Today, wasn't so successful. I thought that Ruby had finally fallen asleep as it was totally quiet until...

"Mommy! Mooommmy! MOOOMMMMYY!! Come look what I did!" (Right next door to her lightly sleeping brother of course!) When I entered the bathroom I found that she had scrounged up a sheet of those mini stickers and decided to "decorate" the bathroom. I had to laugh--she certainly was proud of herself. And she was quiet. Even if it did mean 5 minutes of peeling tiny stickers off the tub, vanity and bathroom door!

Better luck next time!

do the bunny fold!

My mother-in law sent me the tutorial for this great napkin fold this week and so I thought I'd share it. It's definitely one of the more complicated ones that I've attempted, but sure would be cute for an Easter brunch!

Thanks Good Housekeeping and Mama Kay! Our tables will be cuter because of you!

little dude

I wish that I had a better picture of Max for you, but it seems like it's extremely difficult to get pictures of him these days! Our little dude is on the move all the time and Ruby is right there with him 99% of the time!

We are totally shocked that in less than a month Max is turning ONE!! How did the year go by so fast? How could I possibly have taken so few pictures!?! I'm thinking that once the weather warms up we'll be able to do more outside that's "photo-worthy". We'll see.

Anyway, I just wanted to give everyone some of Maxwell's highlights (long overdo!)...

Max loves to eat. He eats everything we do now and loves to feed himself finger food. He's getting very interested in spoons and forks so we bought a new set last night so that he and Ruby both have a set for dinner time.

Max loves to climb. He is constantly on Ruby's bed, on chairs, and has even been known to climb onto their kiddie table and STAND on it. He's a risk-taker.

Max took his first steps a few days ago!! He loves walking while you hold his hand and now has taken about 4 steps on his own before falling. Ruby loves, loves, loves to hold his hands and help him walk. He isn't as crazy about it.

Max isn't too keen on story time. He wants to eat, tear, and generally destroy all books. He's also a strong believer that bookshelves are meant to be empty.

Max is crazy about music and loves to dance. He can really get his groove on--it's SO cute!

Well, that's about all for now on our little man. We love him so much!

ice windsurfing!

On our way out of Salem we decided to drive out to the coast and get our first view of the Atlantic. We were actually in some sort of cove so we couldn't see much, but it was pretty all the same.

Closer to home we spotted half a dozen people windsurfing on the ice! Wow! We'd never seen this before, but apparently it's kind of a big thing out here.

I couldn't really decide which picture was the best, so I just chose one and added the video below (compliments of YouTube) so that you could see what it's like. Looks like fun!

happy chinese new year!

Okay, okay. So, Chinese New Year was eons ago. But, I have pictures from our activities, so forgive me. Please. Pretty please! With sugar on top!!

So, we were able to visit the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, MA the Saturday following New Years for various family friendly acidifies. They had a lion dance which was short, but neat. Afterwards, they let the kids try out the dragon "costumes". Ruby was totally obsessed with the dragons and wanted to know where they were at even when we went into other exhibits. Needless to say, she was far too nervous to actually get under one of the dragons herself!

They had a really awesome origami exhibit, that made the whole trip worthwhile for me! I am in awe of some of the creations they had on display all made from a $1 bill. I think they have some pretty neat pictures on the website...

Ruby and I also enjoyed doing some print making to create a few greeting cards. Who were the cards sent to you may ask? Well, I guess we're saving them for a special occasion because they are currently residing in our craft drawer! I am SO BAD about writing these days. I swear I used to be better at that sort of thing.

Jared and Max kept busy by trying not to get run down by the hoards of people jostling for position at one of the tables. It's a dog eat dog world in the crafting biz. Especially on Saturday mornings!

We were also able to make a neat lantern. Ruby loved putting the stamps on the side. Also, since doing this project she's been obsessed with her little scissors and LOVES cutting. Especially receipts.

The great thing about the whole visit is that it was free! Our local library has free passes to lots of the museums around here which is great. We already have our pass reserved for a visit to the Science Museum in a few weeks. Should be big fun!

Another big highlight for Jared and I was the Thai lunch we had afterwards. YUM!! We've missed being able to eat out so cheaply. There's another reason why we're glad to be back in the US. I knew there had to be a few more hiding around!

just for fun

I haven't felt up to blogging lately for various reasons, but I'm going to try my hardest to get back into it. Here's a few fun things to get us rolling...

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51% Geek

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There are lots more where these came from! Have fun!