Crazy Day

Yeah, yeah. I know. I've been terrible at keeping up with what is going on lately. But this is definitely a "journal" kind of day.

I worked out with Dixie (personal trainer) this morning at 5:45. (Killer workout, had a break down.... again!.... and bawled like a baby.) I got home at 7:15, rushed to make breakfast, pack lunches, gobble down some breakfast, fix Mary's hair, nag the boys to brush their teeth, and get everyone out the door and in the car to go to school.

So at 8:00 on the dot I was pulling out of my driveway to make it to school in plenty of time. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a SWAT team in full get-up running toward the house directly across the street from mine. I was obviously a little concerned, but then immediately an SUV pulled up in front of my driveway, blocking my way out. Then 2 large armored trucks pulled up, along with a number of other vehicles (I counted at least 20) from several law enforcement agencies (DPS, state police, ICE, DEA, local police and fire, etc.)

I immediately pulled back into my garage and opened the car door and looked out. Two guys in armor with sniper rifles jumped out of the SUV in front of my house and waved me back, saying, "Get inside!" My kids were panicked, of course, but we all went back in and shut the garage door. We could hear over the loudspeaker they were calling things like, "This is the state police. You are surrounded. Come out with your hands up or we will shoot," etc.

Mary was on the verge of tears, and Collin was kneeling in the corner praying. :) We spent the next hour holed up in our house, since the street and the neighborhood was blocked off and we couldn't leave. (Nor would we have wanted to, as that would have put us in the line of fire.) We couldn't see much out our window (mostly just the snipers in front of our house) because of the (very large) armored trucks blocking the house, but we eventually saw several men brought out in handcuffs. The snipers in our driveway finally stood up with their guns pointing upward, so we breathed a sigh of relief.

After awhile, I got brave and went outside. A DPS officer came over and spoke to me. He said everyone was out of the house and they were going to investigate further, but that the trucks would be leaving shortly, allowing us to get out. I asked if it was a drop house for illegals, and he said, "Well, it's a lot more complicated than that." I didn't ask anymore questions, because I'm assuming he wouldn't have been able to tell me anyway.

The investigation has been going on all day, with mostly ICE and DEA officers still hanging around. There are still plenty of official people and vehicles coming and going though. Two women were being questioned in the front yard, and 2 very small children are with them. Sad.

I saw on the news that there are several other "busts" like this going on around the valley. Thankfully there were no shots fired, and everyone is safe. And the kids made it to school in time for recess. :)

I was bombarded with phone calls from my neighbors all morning.... of course they wanted to know what was going on.

What a crazy day.

Here is an illustration Jack made of the "incident."

Recent Discoveries

1) Listening to Owl City motivates me when I'm working out, especially this song, and this one.

2) Listening to Owl City motivates my 6-year-old to get his homework done fast, without complaining!

So much for the Mozart Affect.

Send a Message

I usually avoid getting involved in controversial issues (I admit I stick my head in the sand a lot), but this one seems worth taking a moment to stand for what is right.

If you don't want to read further, I won't be offended (I won't even know). I don't know if anyone even reads my blog anymore, besides family and a few friends.

Here goes:

A friend of mine, who is closely involved with family issues at the UN, recently discovered that copies of a vulgar, sexually explicit and highly controversial International Planned Parenthood booklet entitled, “Healthy, Happy and Hot” was available to girls at a meeting sponsored by the Girl Scouts USA. (You can see the booklet here, but be warned that it is quite explicit.)

Adults were not allowed in the meeting (meaning parents could not hear what was being preached to their own daughters) so my friend was forced to leave, but she managed to get a copy of the booklet from the table by the door.

I find this very disturbing in itself, but I am equally disturbed by the fact that the Girl Scouts of the USA continues to deny that they are associated with IPP and it's programs (read more about it here).

If you would like to stand up and send a message to the Girl Scouts CEO and officers, click here. You simply put your name and email in the boxes and click "send." It literally takes just a minute.

Thanks.

Celebrating Jay's Birthday

Yesterday was Jay's birthday. I made his favorite breakfast, Eggs Benedict. Personally, I don't like it, because I don't like Hollandaise sauce, but I make it for Jay on special occasions.

[By the way, here is the easy way I make "fake" Hollandaise sauce: Combine 1/4 c. sour cream, 1/4 c. mayo, 1 tsp. lemon juice, and 1 tsp. mustard in a small sauce pan and heat. This is enough to cover 2 eggs. Jay says it's great.]

Jay spent most of the day helping Collin make his car for the upcoming Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. That was how he wanted to spend the day, so he was happy.... especially since he likes how it's turning out.

I spent most of the day (after my 10 mile bike ride....aaahhhh) making a birthday cake for Jay. He usually wants "Hula Hula Dream Cake," but this year he wanted something like it, but strawberry. So I had to get creative.

I found a fantastic recipe* for strawberry cake on allrecipes.com (How do I know it is fantastic since I'm not eating sugar? Well, I accidentally licked my fingers when I was making it.... ooooooops. And besides, Jay said it was. I put a piece in the freezer for me.). I modified the recipe a little bit.

To make it like "Hula Hula Dream Cake," I mixed a large box of instant banana pudding with 2 cups milk and 8 oz. cream cheese and spread that on top of each layer, then covered the whole thing with 8 oz. Cool Whip.

Then Jay and I went to District for dinner. It has become one of our favorite restaurants; we have been at least a half a dozen times and have never been disappointed in the least. The food is delicious, the service is excellent, the atmosphere is nice, and the prices are very reasonable (dinner entrees are $15-$23). (Plus it's in a great location if you are headed to an event downtown afterward.) The menu is changed a bit every season, but there are a few items that always seem to be there, and they are definitely worth trying; the Baked Tomato Soup, the salmon with shrimp risotto, and the short ribs. (The breakfast buffet is delicious too.)

Last night we tried the Shrimp Po' Boy Sliders as a starter. We were kind of sad to not have the tomato soup (we have had it every other time we've been because we love it, but we decided to try something different) but the sliders were excellent! Then Jay had the filet mignon, which absolutely melted in your mouth; it came with potatoes and mushrooms which were also very good. I had the halibut, which was slightly spicy and very delicious, and came with jalapeno cheddar hush-puppies and a crab fondue that was HEAVENLY! I couldn't stop gushing about it every time I took a bite.

Then we walked a block to symphony hall and enjoyed the Phoenix Symphony concert featuring Mozart's "Requiem." It was excellent, as usual. It was a very nice evening, and a great way to celebrate the birth of the man of my dreams. :) (He is going to hate that I put that in.....)



* STRAWBERRY CAKE
(from allrecipes.com with a few modifications)

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry jello
4 room temp. eggs, separated (the recipe didn't separate them, I did)
2 3/4 c. pre-sifted cake flour (I used all-purpose, but I did pre-sift before measuring)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. strawberry puree (I just threw some frozen strawberries in the food processor and chopped them up fine, then measured out 1/2 cup. I put the left overs on top of the filling.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9" round cake pans. Cream together butter, sugar and gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time; mix well after each. Combine flour and baking powder and stir into batter, alternating with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Beat eggs whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter. Divide the batter between pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool on rack at least 10 minutes before carefully removing from pans.

NOTE: The batter was really thick, making a very dense and moist cake, but that's not necessarily bad. If you want it lighter/fluffier, I would probably add a little more milk and a little less flour.

Spring Break - Day 5 - Around Town

Today we took advantage of the fabulous spring weather and spent it all outdoors. First we went to the Mesa Community Farmer's Market in downtown Mesa. We sampled lots of yummy things, and bought pasta, a piece of carrot cake (for Jay), cheese curds, and kettle corn. Then we walked down Main Street window-shopping and saw this fun traveling art exhibit.
After lunch we decided to go miniature golfing. I hadn't been in about 15 years, and the kids had never been.
It was really fun. The kids had no idea what they were doing, and didn't seem to care if they got bad scores.
Mr. Competitive (Jay) won, of course. Here he is doing his best professional golfer* impression for the camera after a hole-in-one shot.
It was a gorgeous day, and we had a great time.
Then it was off to Lombardo's for some more fabulous gelato. (I still couldn't have any.) Have you tried it yet?




*Not so long ago I would have said "Tiger Woods" but it turns out he is an idiot, and Jay is not.

Spring Break - Day 4

Today we had Claire, Jane, Oliver, and Nicholas at our house all day. The kids loved having their cousins over. They especially enjoyed painting together.

Tonight Jay and I went to "The Brass Armadillo" in Phoenix (holy cow, that place is huge.... so much stuff!), and then to "Last Chance" (can't ever pass up a chance to go there). We are such exciting people.

Spring Break - Day 3 - Food & Masterpieces

For our adventure today, we took the kids to try Indian food at Guru Palace for the lunch buffet.
They acted excited to try something new.... at first. They were a little concerned at how some of it looked, and though they tried everything (I made them) I think they need to be exposed to it a few more times before they like it. They mostly filled up on fruit and naan bread.
Jay spent the afternoon installing new lights on the sides of our garage door (woohoo!) and the kids played with their cousins at grandmary's house.

I bought a few large canvases at Big Lots a while back because they were a really good deal. So, this afternoon I brought them out for the kids to create something.

Here are their finished "masterpieces." (Jack had some help with the tree, and Mary had some help with the eyes.)(That's a flower on her shirt.)

Instead of creating a "masterpiece," Collin made dinner.
He was very pleased with his "masterpiece."

Spring Break - Day 2

Today we took cousin Oliver with us and headed to the mall (I haven't been to a mall in ages!) and visited the (really expensive... what's up with that?) puppies at the pet store (the closest my poor kids will ever get to owning one), rode the carousel ($2 for one ride? Ugh!), got "Hot Dogs on a Stick" for the kids ($1 Tuesdays? Why not.), played in the kids' zone, waved to the "Easter Bunny" who had zero customers, went to see cuter-than-expected "The Princess and the Frog" ($1 Tuesdays? Sweet.), and ate at Pei Wei for dinner.

Wow, I just got all of that into one very long sentence.

I'm beat. Should we take it easy tomorrow?

Spring Break - Day 1

Jay took the week off and we are doing fun stuff as a family every day for Spring Break. Rather than leave town when the weather is so nice at home, we decided to stick around and enjoy it.Today we went to the Arizona Science Center in downtown Phoenix. We ended up buying the annual membership since it was a better deal than just paying for one day. (We are looking forward to going back on hot summer days... a large air conditioned indoor space to play.... sweet!) My sister and her family met us there.
Jack had his first experience climbing a rock wall. He did really well, but got a little scared when he looked down just before he reached the top, so he had a little trouble getting down. I don't think he will want to do that again for a while.

(Jack lifting himself with the pulley)

There are lots of fun exhibits... 3 levels of hands-on stuff. We especially enjoyed the "Forces of Nature" immersion theatre where we all experienced a hurricane, tornado, volcano eruption, wildfire, and monsoon storm. I was surprised to actually get wet!

(The flight simulation)

We also really liked the live demonstrations of air pressure and fire. And we got a free visit to the planetarium for signing up that day. We had a grand tour of the planets with a very funny guide.

If it looks like we only took Jack, it's because Collin and Mary took off with their cousins, so we hardly ever saw them.

Fun day! Looking forward to another one tomorrow.

Yummy Food in Not-So-Great Locations

Friday night Jay and I went to dinner with my parents. We ate at Flancer's, one of our favorite places.... incredible sandwiches (hey, I just realized that's their actual slogan, but it's true!) and awesome french onion soup (Jay hates onions, but loves the soup... go figure!). If you haven't already, try the "It's About Thyme" chicken sandwich, and/or "Two Tickets to Paradise" shrimp sandwich. Yum!

Then we went to Lombardo's Gelato for dessert. It's hard to find good gelato in the United States, so this was a great find (apparently my dad is a frequent visitor since it's located next to his barber shop).

[Bummer for me... I couldn't have any because I'm doing the "No Sugar Baby" 30-Day Challenge from Dixie. (Half-way there!)]

Anyway, here's the scoop.... very reasonable prices, excellent product, and lively conversation with the sweet owner's wife of this family owned and run business. The cups look small, but they really load them up. Give it a try!

It was Jay's first time to eat gelato; he thought he had died and gone to heaven. He had the "Hazelnut Crunch" and said it tasted exactly like a Godiva chocolate. I'm drooling just thinking about it! I think I will be heading there in about 2 weeks.....

What do these two places have in common? They both have fabulous eats, and they are both located in dumpy strip malls. So, don't judge a restaurant by it's location.

Field Trip

I was a chaperone for Jack's kindergarten field trip to Superstition Farm. Strangely enough, the bus ride was one of the highlights, since the kids normally ride to school in a car.The kids learned all about cows, toured the dairy on a hayride, fed goats, sheep and a horse, and petted chickens and rabbits. Then they tasted flavored milks, played in the hay maze, and ate ice cream.
They are a lively and fun bunch of kids. Here is the little group I was in charge of. Fun day!

Finishing off February

Thursday night was the Cub Scout Blue & Gold banquet. Each boy was supposed to bring a cake he decorated with his dad. I thought Collin's turned out really cute. I helped by finding the idea on the internet, buying all the stuff, and making the frosting.

Friday night Mary and I went to see "Mary Poppins" (Broadway Across America).... it was so much fun, and the first time Mary had seen a production that big. A very fun show! Mary was absolutely delighted to see the other Mary actually fly across the theatre at the end. Very cool.
Saturday was Jack's last basketball game. He had been talking about it being the last game, and "the day I'm going to get my trophy, Mom." So, I was a little worried when I saw that they were giving out medals instead this year. (Because it's an Olympic year?) Thankfully, Jack was still thrilled.... even more so about the giant doughnut he received as the post-game snack.
Six-year-olds are pretty easy to please.

Roses

Jay got me these gorgeous roses for Valentine's Day. I am amazed at how long they lasted....I only just threw them away today, and they were still looking pretty good!

Bubble Boy

Jack got a VERY large pack of bubble gum for his birthday. I don't usually let him chew gum, but I finally relented. He was determined to learn how to blow bubbles, and he didn't give up until he had accomplished his goal. I have noticed that he is a pretty determined little boy.

Jack turns 6

Jack decided to have a "Carnival" birthday party this year. It turned out really fun. I borrowed some "real" carnival games and used older siblings/cousins to run them.
Jay did face-painting, which was a huge hit! There were lots of fun prizes, and corn dogs for lunch.
Another one down... and only 2 more to go. We only do birthday parties until the kids turn 8. I think I will be sort of disappointed though when we are done. Jay and I both like throwing parties.