Thursday, August 23, 2012

P.E.



"Physical fitness is not only one of the most keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity."-JFK
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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Jamming' With the Sophomores

For the past few years I have demonstrated how to make jams and jellies for the AC sophomore Home EC class. It is always a blast! I have had as many as 11 girls in my kitchen. This year it was just 4 in the Home EC trailer.

We have made a few tried and true jams and some new combinations. Today we made strawberry-peach and kiwi. The girls like to give them as gifts and these turned out looking very nice. The strawberry-peach tasted great! We didn't have any kiwi to taste test though I think there will be some very happy AC guys!

In two weeks we'll make some marshmallows. That's always fun too

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Looking Forward to the Summer

With tomorrow being our last day of golf for the spring session, I realized that I  hadn't gotten Elijah signed up for the summer session.  Then I began to think about what we would be doing and wondered if we would even have time for it.

First of all, life is going on.  Just the everyday activities are expanded in the summer.  There is the extra added work of a garden and lawn care.  The fruits of the garden (and hopefully there will be many this year) will have to be preserved in one form or another.  This usually takes a great deal of time.   School work does ease up a bit, but since we school year round, it never really stops.  There will be summer reading programs, more field trips, and maybe an extra class or two.  Doesn't sound much like a slowdown does it?  We are cutting baseball but may add swimming.  Not just the regular swim lessons, but we may look for an actual team as well.  I think Elijah may be built for it, long and lean.
Next we are looking forward to our new tradition of heading off to the mountains to camp.  We had such a great time last year when we went.  I expect to be in much better shape this year as well, so it should be more fun.  I don't think we will be able to get in two trips again, but we are thinking that hitting Angel Fire and their new zip line will be a great addition to our trip!

Then there is PYC.  I don't have a camper going and haven't for a few years.  What I have done for the last several years is laundry.  That may not sound all that exciting, but it is always a nice time with the ladies and since most of us seem to have little boys, I think they have a lot of fun too.  This year there may be a shortage of regular camp workers because there are many (at least we are hoping) heading off to Jerusalem.  So, I applied to be a regular camp worker.  I am still waiting to hear about that.  If accepted, that will make things a bit busier.  At least Elijah is old enough to help Jeff out and go with him if necessary.  Depending on where I would be needed, he may also be able to come with me.  If I end up with laundry again, he'll just go with me as usual.

Then at some point during the summer there is the trip to Elk City to see my mom.   I would also love to head down to Possum Kingdom where my family spent a several cummer trips.  I haven't been there in years and would love to go camping and fishing down there.  Maybe even get is some time with my cousins who still live in the area.

In spite of the busyness (spell check says it is correct at least) of summer, I think we can work in First Tee and only miss one lesson.  They don't begin until June 13th, and since May seems to be busiest on Sundays with Mother's Day, a wedding, Tabitha's graduation, our anniversary and a holy day.  Oh, and NBA playoffs and Memorial Day.  Now, how many would he miss in the fall session?

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Pomegranate Deseeder

It really worked. It may be better than the mango splitter. Why can’t I think these things up?  And yes, I had pomegranates still in the fridge.  They are waaaay out of season right now, but they keep surprsingly well.  I am making grenadine as we speak.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Land Run Fun!

Yesterday was the 123rd anniversary of the very first Oklahoma Land Run.  We spent the day celebrating with the students of Imperial Academy.  In13  the years that I spent in Oklahoma public schools and the 4 that Tabitha spent in them, we had never done this.  It was a lot of fun.  Here is a brief history of  what the land runs were all about.
Then

Now


"April 22 was Oklahoma Day! Previously known as 89ers Day or Land Run Day, it marks the date in 1889 when the Oklahoma Territory opened for settlement. For those who didn't grow up in Oklahoma, Boomers were those souls who waited until the BOOM of the cannon at high noon to set off and stake their homestead. Sooners didn't see a reason to wait and chance losing the prime lands, so they hid out and staked their property a little SOONER than legal." (Yes, the University of Oklahoma has named their sporting teams for a bunch of cheaters.  That's my own bit of info there.)

"There were actually seven land runs in Oklahoma. April 22, 1889, the first land run began at high noon and involved the settlement of the Unassigned Lands. In September 1891 there were three land runs to settle Iowa, Sac and Fox, Pottawatomie, and Shawnee lands; County B, later renamed as Pottawatomie County; and County A, later renamed as Lincoln County. On April 19, 1892, a run settled the Cheyenne and Arapaho lands. On Sept. 16, 1893 the largest land run in U.S. history opened nearly 7,000,000 acres of land purchased from the Cherokees for $7,000,000. The final land run was held May 23, 1895 to settle the Kickapoo lands." -events.oucpm.org  (Part of the deal with the runs was that you had to make improvements in the land that you were given.  You had a certain length of time in which to do it.  If you did then the land was yours free and clear.)


After they all staked their claims, we were treated to live music and a great potluck.  Then the kids could put up their tents if they brought them. The main stakes Elijah had for his were too blunt to go into the ground, so we made a tent today as part of our history lesson. He is planning on sleeping in it.  We'll see how that goes. 

They also has games and activities for everyone to enjoy including stilts, wagon races, and bread making

Tractor ride bandit

Tabitha

He's not very happy.  He jumped off of his bike and the handle bar jammed into his ribs.
.
Sharing with his friend.


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

2012 Snowboarding

Finally have a moment to breathe since our trip. We normally just head to Sipapu. This time they only had a room available for part of the time we had set aside, so we went to Angel Fire for a day.

Angel Fire is a nice resort. This was our first time there and we enjoyed it. It is much longer than Sipapu. I only made one run. It's all my poor legs could take.

No one broke anything and everyone managed to stay conscious. This made a good trip even better! Here are a few pics from our day in Angel Fire.
Not sure about this pic.  I think I was trying to get video.  Elijah learned to go from heel to toe this year!  That just leaves me to learn it.
The view from Summit cafe at Angel Fire

Taos Ski Valley in the background
Finally made it down.

We decided to take the long way home this time.  It actually wasn't any longer or any slower but it was a nice change of scenery.  A portion of one of the highways we took was actually a one lane dirt road.  Yes, it was actually a highway.  NM 120 to be exact.  Then we came to the Canadian River.  Here is Oklahoma it is a wide and shallow river for the most part with sandy banks.  Not in this part of New Mexico.  It has created a canyon.  It was a pretty interesting site and we got a few pictures there.  After that it was just varying landscapes that we had not seen before.  We stopped at Ute Lake briefly.  We may camp there for a night this summer.  We followed the rain most of the way home.  We finally caught up to it about Weatherford.  Lovely rainbow greeted us there.


Good bye Angel Fire

Some fatted calves


the road (highway) less traveled
Canadian River Canyon

Again
One end of the rainbow...


...and the other.
Jeff and Elijah in the canyon.  No, really.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The Wait is Over!

Today the AC sophomores found out if they are staying for 2 more years or not.  Tabitha is!!!  I had to pick her up for a shopping run and she came running out to the car war, slung open the door and tearfully exclaimed, "I'm re-accepted!".  I am so very proud of her.  She has worked so hard to get to where she is but she was very unsure of what would happen with her reapplication.  I'm glad they all know and no longer have to wait.  For those going home, i know they will do well if they apply all they have learned while here for the last two years.  I wish them all the best and remember you can always reapply if you want to.  To those of you who are continuing at AC, I am proud of all of you!  Keep up the hard work and keep your focus. 

Congrats to all!!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

New Blog

For those of you who don't follow near enough blogs, here is another one. I have decided to keep a seperate blog for my Paleo stuff. I think it will be easier for me to keep track of what is going on with my challenge and the results. I'll post recipes, info, and tips. If you want to follow along, here is the link:

http://practicallypleasingpaleo.blogspot.com/

Friday, February 24, 2012

Sweet and Sour Sauce

I love teriyaki sauce on my stir fry, but since it is soy, it is a no-no on the Paleo diet.  Here is a very easy substitute.

Citrus Sweet and Sour
juice from 1 each
lemon
lime
grapefruit (pink, from Texas of course)
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp granulated garlic

Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to a simmer and reduce to desired consistency.

Yesterday did not go so well.  My blood sugar was low, too low, all day. (I don't think cavemen used insulin, so they didn't have to bring their blood sugars back up.)  I drank several ginger ales, ate sugary snacks like they were, well, candy.  Then we went to the Thunder/Lakers game and it dropped twice while we were there.  That.'s after eating a meal at home before going and another at Toby Keith's (it got low there too).  So I finally said the heck with it yesterday and just ate whatever and let me tell you, the baked potato with sour cream and butter and cheese was awesome and it wasn't even that great of a potato.  The few bites of Jeff's chicken fried steak were good too!  Feeling much better today.  Not sure what the deal was, but hoping it doesn't happen again.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Seniors

Last night the Alumni played the AC Jr./ Sr. Team for the championship. We (Alumni) won ending our season with only one loss. Just a couple of weeks ago Elijah asked why the seniors played the students. I was a bit confused, thinking that the seniors are students. Then it dawned on me,

"Do you mean the old people?"

"Yes."
"We aren't old. I'm the oldest one of the team."
"But it's not fair."
"Why not?"

Is he about to redeem himself?

"Because they are younger and more athletic."

No redemption. My indignant reply?

"Well, we've beaten them all!"

Long live the Seniors!!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Three Hurdles

I have found three basic hurdles to a strict paleo lifestyle (besides not scavenging): Cheese, brain farts, and Thunder basketball. Cheese- because I loooooove it, brain farts- not just sticking any food item in my mouth without thinking, and Thunder basketball- water is the only thing at the concession stands that is Paleo.

Cheese I'm doing okay with, even though I really do want a big chunk of Brie right now. it's just sitting in my fridge calling to me as I write this. (Don't worry little Brie, open meal is coming up!) Brain farts are getting better, at least there are fewer of them. Thunder basketball is another story. Well, it wouldn't be if I would just eat before the game. Problem with that is that we leave around 5 to get there.

Solution: I am just going to have to sneak food into the games! So today I am preparing my Thunder snack food. I bought strawberries and they are dehydrating. I have coco-coconut bars I could take or just some nuts. Then I can always take some jerky for some protein.

Paleo is taking a little more planning than I would have liked, so it had better be worth it. Not seeing anything to be able to say one way or the other yet. Of course there have been two Thunder games this week and one more to go.

On another subject. I have been working out one-on-one with Jason at Crossfit OKC. I can see improvements there and I finally did some lifting today. That's the part I like! He told me to be ready for a big workout tomorrow. Great, he may actually be trying to kill me. Especially since he convinced me to buy some fish oil. It helps get rid of excess belly fat. It doesn't come by the gallon though.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Blast From The past

I got to thinking about this earlier when I was asked what my goals were for Paleo. Do I want to be healthier, stronger, faster? Those are all great and the answer would be "Yes", to all. But if I must be honest, it is purely vanity. I want to look good naked (TMI, I know). Anyway. as I was thinking, this came to mind. Captain Caveman was probably Paleo, and I am pretty sure that is not a look I am going after. Wait, are any of you even old enough to remember Captain Caveman?

Day 4-I Think

I didn't bother to look back to make sure, but I am pretty sure this is day 4.  I had a basketball game tonight.  It went really well.  First of all, I didn't injure anything but my thumb nail, so that's good.   Second we won.  We played against my daughter's team, this means I am playing girls that are quite literally young enough to be my daughters.  This was the least tired I have felt all season.

Well, for breakfast this morning I had leftover Chicken "Noodle " soup.  I figure that cavemen probably ate whatever they had around, so I guess I will too.  Besides, what makes that any weirder than cold pizza (besides the delicious cheese)?  For linner (lunch/dinner) I had ocean perch (wish we could get fresh fish around here) with lemon, smoked paprika and garlic, with cauliflower and salad.  on the salad and cauliflower I had a homemade dill vinaigrette.  The recipe is below.  Then after my game it was a boiled egg and coco-coconut square.The recipe for them is below as well.

Dill Vinaigrette 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (some say it's not paleo, some say it's fine you can replace with citrus juice)
1 tbsp honey (or 1 packet of Splenda)
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a blender, combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, dill weed, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.


Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-delicious-diy-salad-dressings/#ixzz1mn71nB3l

Coco-coconut squares
1/2 cup of each of the following-2 1/2 cups total
raw almonds
raw walnuts
raw pecans
raw macadamia nuts
raw hazelnuts
raw pumpkin seeds

6-10 dates
2-4 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

to taste
cocoa powder
freshly ground coffee (very fine)
Shredded coconut

Place nuts and seeds in food processor and blend t a course meal.  Place in a bowl to the side.  Put dates and coconut in the processor.  Process until smooth.  Add nut mixture back and add coconut oil, cocoa, and coffee.  Process until it starts to form a ball.  (The amount of dates will depend on personal taste and also on how well the mixture sticks together.)  Sprinkle shredded coconut evenly in 8x8 dish and spread nut mixture over that.  Sprinkle more coconut over the top and press in to mixture.  Cut into 1 inch squares. Set in fridge to harden.  Best stored in the fridge since coconut oil melts at such a low temperature.

You can also roll the mixture into balls and roll in shredded coconut, or use mini cupcake liners or candy foils and sprinkle with the coconut.  The 8x8 pan is the laziest and easiest way to do it!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Day 3 The Taco Salad Dilemma

Yesterday went fine. Turkey, boiled egg, strawberries, and my no grain granola bar (a mistake that turned out to be okay). Then a salad for lunch and dinner. Vinegar really isn't on the Paleo plan but I did use just a bit on my salad. I'll use citrus next time.

Today I really wanted taco salad. How can you do that without chips, cheese, sour cream, and olives? Here's how- leave them out! Fine, but now you have meat and lettuce with some tomatoes, mmmmm! Well, since cheese is gone I added a boiled egg for a little more protein. To replace the sour cream or any dressing I just stirred in some guacamole. It was good but man I miss the cheese!

Now time to get dinner ready. Friday is dessert night so I am going to try coconut milk ice cream. If it's good I'll let you know.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Oops

What do you do if you let you granola process too long and it turns into a paste? Press it into an 8x8 pan and bake for 20 minutes. Then you will have something like a Lara Bar. I used figs in this batch (didn't have enough dates). We'll see how it goes. It smells like Fig Newtons. Mmmm!

I tried frothing my coconut milk this morning. It did okay. I also put a little cocoa powder in my coffee grounds. It makes the stevia a little easier to take.

So, it is only day two and I have already found that one of the bigger challenges will be not snacking off of what I make for the guys. Tuesday was my last night of regular eating. We went to the Thunder game so before it we stopped at Toby Keith's. I love the nachos there but they could feed 4 people so I brought the rest home. I heated them up for Elijah and before I even realized it I had eaten 3. Sooooo not on the Paleo diet. Old habits die hard I guess. Oh, did I mention we stopped at Marble Slab after the game? Might as well go out with a bang!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Day 1

Day 1 started out a bit hectic. The girl called saying she was sick and needed some delicious soup. So I started the morning out making soup. Then I hit the shower and headed out for my workout with Jason. He has yet to kill me! On the way I realized I had forgotten to eat breakfast. Fine, I'm sure cavemen missed meals but they didn't take insulin. I do, so I had to get something. Mickey D's offers nothing, no time to hit the store. Subway, here I come! Ordered a flatbread omelette minus the cheese, added turkey, spinach, and tomatoes plus a bag of apple chips (they are apples and lemon juice only). Tossed the flatbread and headed to Crossfit.

I had taken the girl her soup and we had it for lunch at home too. Chicken "Noodle". Just make your favorite recipe minus any non Paleo ingredients and use spaghetti squash in place of the noodles!

Monday, February 13, 2012

What is Paleo? Why Try It?

What did cavemen eat? Well, contrary to popular belief, I wasn't around back then, so I can't say for sure. Fortunately for the world, (I need sarcasm font) science believes it has figured it out. That is what this Paleo lifestyle (not a diet they say) is all about. They feel our "ancestors" lived healthier lifestyle than we do today, mainly due to the foods they ate. Once again, I wasn't there so I can't vouch for that. I also know that they were not my ancestors. Why then would I want to eat like them. I mean they were probably scavengers as well as hunters and that does not appeal to me at all. And the first time the hubby tries to drag me somewhere by my hair, well, let's just say that will be the last time he does it too! I digress. Again, why would I want to eat like a caveman? In a few words-maybe I can lose some weight and feel a little more energetic.

Here it is as simply as I can put it:
-cavemen were hunter/gathers and did not farm, there for they would have eaten very little, if any, grain, legumes, dairy, or concentrated sweets (sugar, honey, maple syrup).
--since they did not farm or raise livestock their meats would have been wild and subsisted on a grass diet, not one of grains. Their fish and seafood would have also been wild and not farm raised. This also means they would have had more omega-3 acids in their meat.
--They would not have had access to processed foods. No Twinkies, not TV dinners, no Buffalo Wild Wings (poor guys). They also have eaten a lot of raw foods. Very simple meals.

What busy mom these days wouldn't love to have simple meals all the time? Sounds good to me. And raw foods means less cooking, therefore less clean up. Right?

So here are some things to avoid in your Paleo lifestyle (not a diet, remember):

--Grains-even ancient grains, sprouted grains, and grain-like seeds-buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa
--dairy products-all dairy products (I will miss you cheese)
--legumes-beans, peas, peanuts, lentils, miso, soybeans
--Starchy veggies-potatoes (sweet too), starchy tubers, tapioca (that will be a hard one, not)
--Salty foods-condiments, bacon, processed meats, olives
--fatty meats-bacon, ribs, fatty cuts of meat, lamb
--fruit juice
--concentrated sweets, including honey and maple syrup (although these two can be used in strict moderation), candy, cookies cakes
--anything containing any of these products

Now you are thinking "Great! What can I have? That is my entire diet!" I know, that is the typical American diet (lifestyle). Here you go:

--lean meats of any kind-preferably grass fed or free range, organ meats also
--wild or game meats-bison, deer, elk, fish, turkey
--eggs-about 1 a day, remember, for cavemen these would have been seasonal
--Nuts and seeds-but not peanuts, they are a legumes. Walnuts are the best. You want a good ratio of omega 6/omega 3
--flax seed and it's oil
--low glycemic fruits and veggies-basically stay away from the starchy veggies.
--dried fruits in moderation

The Paleo Diet-Loren Cordain, PhD is a great reference book. It has a lot of info and some good recipe ideas. I would recommend reading through it if you are interested. Also check out www.everydaypaleo.com This mom and Crossfitter has some great recipes and info on her site. She also has some personal examples of how it has affected her family's life since they started eating this way.

Two more day of the American diet and then I will try this new lifestyle Will I stick with it? I don't know. I may only make it two days and then decide I want my dairy. Especially my cheese. One day at a time for the next 30 is what I am aiming for. I'll have some more info in my next post.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

So far...

...so good. Tried the granola this morning with some coconut milk. Pretty tasty. I'll have to try the milk out in my coffee. That will be the real test. Actually, using stevia will be the real test.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Date change

After looking at the calendar and what will be happening in the next month, I will now start my challenge on the 15th.  After all, I have all that Valentine's chocolate to consider!  Okay, not really, but it will work better with our snowboarding trip in March and it gives me a few more days to get things in order.  This is not something that I plan to impose on the family.  Elijah will still have his cheese sticks and oatmeal, and Jeff his protein bars, but when I cook dinner, it will be what I am eating for everyone.  If they want to add to it, that will be fine. 

Dairy is going to be the hard one to replace.  I, as the doctor who took care of my broken arm reminded me, am at that age where I need to supplement calcium.  I know I can get it in a pill, but there are also plenty of other non dairy sources.  Most of which I like. (I'll get a list together and post it later.)  Of course, I like food and that's what got me to this point in the first place.

So, time to put the groceries away.  By-the-way, Sunflower Markets had great looking portobello mushrooms today.  They make great replacements for burger buns!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

No Grain Granola

I posted this recipe on my gardening blog a while back, but I am in the process of making some more. I am going to try (and it will not be easy) to do a 30-day Paleo challenge. No grains, dairy, (the hard part), legumes and a few other no-no's. I'm not a huge cereal eater, but here is my substitute for the next month. Well, I actually wont start until the 10th, but I need to get some things going.

No Grain Granola

2 cups raw pecans
2 cups raw almonds
8-10 pitted dates
1 tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 eggs (cage free or omega-3)

Process the nuts, dates, and cinnamon until they are a course meal. Stir in the coconut. Add the two eggs, slightly beaten. Stir. It will be thick and clumpy. Spread on a baking sheet with sides. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, stirring at 10 and 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container. Serve with your favorite milk and add fruit, fresh or dried, if you like. I will be using almond or coconut milk for the challenge.

So, if you want to know how it goes you can keep up with my progress here. Hopefully you will get 30 days worth of updates.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Our New Baby

So, here is our latest addition to the family.  Drew is his name.  Some of you may wonder why we have taken in a dog that weighs in at around 85 pounds and that did weigh just over 100 pounds a couple of months back.  You my be even more surprised to learn that he is a house dog.  WHAT?!

It is a bit of a story, but here is a fairly short version.  About three weeks ago, this stray shows up.  He is very friendly and takes commands well.  He also has a tag.  Normally when a stray shows up we run it off before Jeff has a chance to.  In this dog's case, since he seemed to be well mannered, we called the number on the tag.  The vet let us know that they would have the owner call us back.  So, while we are waiting for that call, the wheels in Elijah's head are spinning triple time.  He wants a dog.  He wants a dog so badly it is almost painful. 

"What if they don't call?  Can we keep him?" 

Great!  Now I get to remind of how much his daddy really does not like dogs, especially strays.  I had already called to let Jeff know not to freak out about the dog in the yard, that we were just waiting for the owners.  He was surprisingly at ease with that.  I told Elijah that if he wanted to keep the dog that he had to pray about it.  Not just a selfish, "please let me keep the dog prayer", but one where he prayed that if people were looking for this dog that they would call and come get him.  Also he had to pray that the idea would come from his daddy. I told him that he was not allowed to ask.  I think every little boy needs a dog and this is a boy's dog.  So I prayed about it too.

About an hour later a lady called saying she was a former owner.  She said she had been trying to contact the new owners for quite a while because the dog was on medication and she just wanted to be sure he was doing well.  The new owners had avoided talking to her.  That had just been a couple of months ago.  This dog, when he showed up was in sad shape.  You could count his ribs from 20 feet away and you could see his hip bones.  She said he weighed 102 pounds when she gave him away.  I bet he didn't weigh 75 at that point.  I told her we would wait to see if they called and that we wouldn't take him to the pound.  His name was Drugo.  Having no dog food, we gave him some cat food, a couple of stale biscuits and gravy.  That was gone in a minute.  And drink!  This poor guy drank water like a horse.  Elijah played with him in the yard and they were fun to watch.  He knew all the basics commands: sit, stay, come, etc.  When Jeff got home he even played with the dog a bit.  Then the dog was tired and he just laid on the deck.  He was obviously under nourished.

The next day, Jeff asked if anyone else had called.  They had not.  He told me to get some more info from the lady who I had talked to.  Based on that, we might be able to keep him.  What?!  Who are you?  I knew it was one of two things.  Alien abduction and brainwashing or an answered prayer.  I'm going with the prayer.  I got the info I needed and still no one else had called.  That evening Jeff said to call the lady back and let her know that we were going to keep him if she didn't want him back.  You cannot imagine Elijah's excitement.  Mine either.  Probably the biggest difference between Jeff and me is that I love animals and he really doesn't (except the edible ones).  I may be just about as happy as Elijah.  Maybe more.

So it's been three weeks.  The dog ran off within two days but then came back.  We had learned that he was a house dog and decided that, at least for now, he will remain one.  We took him to the vet last week.  He only weighed 82 pounds.  The vet said that he could easily carry the 102 he had weighed before.  His paws are as big as the palm of my hand and his head is kitchen cabinet height.  About the only down side to this dog is the shedding.  I guess the silver lining in that is that I am dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming daily now.  Deleavening should be a breeze this year!  Oh, and he may not be much of a guard dog.  He rarely barks and just let the OGE guy right in the yard to change out our meter. 

Mineral Wells park in Guthrie

So, it seems we have a great dog.  Much of the work has already been done for us.  It is like getting a new baby that is potty trained.  Maybe even better.  I wonder if the dogs like to snowboard?  Maybe we'll have to see?

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Monday, January 2, 2012

A Year to Review

What a year 2011 was!  While it did not start out great for yours truly (broken wrist) it ended great!  So here is a brief review.

January-we went to Sipapu for some snowboarding and on my 5th run of the day fell and broke my wrist.  This was also our first day of snowboarding so that really stunk up the rest of the trip for me but we had good company in the evenings so the whole trip was not a bust.  Later in the month I hit the big  4-0 so I guess that was another milestone.  I went to my first ballet, and what better ballet for a first than Swan Lake performed by a Russian ballet company.  Then came the bucket list item-George Strait in concert!

February-Snow!  Lots of snow!  We were calling it Snow-klahoma.  I loved it.

March-At some point this month, the cast came off!  Elijah started baseball and we started garden prep.  Little did we know it was going to be crumby year for gardening.  I got to go snowboarding again and this time nothing broke!

April-We finally made it to the Medieval Fair in Norman!  That was about it for the month as far as anything new and exciting.  Oh wait-the Thunder made the playoffs!!  We had tickets!!!

May-our 22nd anniversary, Thunder still in the play offs and we still have tickets!

June-backpacking in Colorado.  Jeff, Elijah, and I took off for the mountains and a few days of backpacking.  We had a good hike in and out and caught a few fish too.  I've been camping several times, but always within a few yards of where we parked and with no chance of meeting a bear.  This time it was 3.5 miles away, uphill, and chances of bears increased dramatically (although we never saw one).  It was awesome!

July-June had been hot and dry and July it only worsened.  Elijah went to my mom's for a week, so we did some work in his room.  We replaced some windows with shelves and his room just looked so much better.  Now he has a place for all of his Lego creations and have more to dust. Yay!

August-We went backpacking again, but this time Tabitha was able to go with us.  We went to Colorado Gators while we were there as well.  This hike was not nearly as pleasant as the first.  We had an elevation change of 2200 feet in about 4 miles.  31 switchbacks!  I never want to see another one of those.  It was still a good trip with the whole family.  School started back up and it was time to get back to a routine.  i also wanted to get my pull-up back.  Still waiting on that to happen :(

September-We went out to Elk City for the annual Labor Day rodeo and that is really about all that happened.

October-The Feast!  This year we went to England, Scotland, and Ireland!  I would love to go back and spend a month in each place.  There is so much history, and it is my history as well.  Through some research we found that my father's side of the family has a sizable connection in Edinburgh and in England.  Jeff and I also have Stewarts on both sides.  Elijah had his last single digit birthday.

November-Tabitha left the teen years behind this year.  Jeff and I had a second honeymoon of sorts. We left the kids with Nan and we headed for Hawaii.  That you Living Social Deals.  Now Another bucket list item is marked off.  We hiked Diamond Head, snorkeled in Hanauma bay, swam in the waters of Waikiki beach and watch the sunset on Friday night on the beach.  We road ATV at Kualoa Ranch, and same some big surf at Waimea bay!  It was a great trip!

December-still waiting on some snow.  The NBA started back up and we have tickets!!  I've taken Tabitha and her friend Sarah to a game and Elijah and his friend Mitchell.  Jeff and I made it alone to the last game of 2011.  We also now have a dog!  I am just as excited about that as Elijah is!  A 100 pound German Shepard showed up and adopted us.  It is a bit of a long story, but I'll get some pics and post about him later!