Happy Thanksgiving!

My mom sent this to me in an email.  hehe!

I already know a few things I'm going to do differently next year:

1.  Chop the celery and onions for the stuffing/dressing in advance and freeze them.
2.  Plan menus for the three days before Thanksgiving to be easy and minimal mess with NO leftovers to crowd the fridge. 
3.  Have a clean house before the day before Thanksgiving-- especially the kitchen. 
4.  Have enough freezer containers for the leftover turkey to be used throughout the next couple months.  (I probably do if I can find all the lids.)
5.  Plan kid activities for the day before Thanksgiving if hubby is going to be working all day. 

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!  Wish I were home (with parents and siblings).  *sigh*

Umm honey, you're looking a little chunky there. alternate title: Random nonsense on an unseasonally warm Monday afternoon

Danny asked me the other day, "Do you actually do any of those crunches?"  Nice huh?  Then in his defense he said, "It's just that I never see you do them."  I explained to him that I just barely added it back to my sidebar and I usually do them as soon as I see a comment so I don't have to do a whopping 25 crunches all at once.  And I definitely do not do crunches in front of him so he can see me huff and puff away before reaching a meager 10. 

My plan is to surprise him one day with a suddenly slim and svelte Nikki.  Where did this gorgeous trim wife come from?  I can almost hear him say.  Have you been working out?  You'd never guess you had six babies in the last 7 1/2 years. 

Perhaps it may sound something more akin to this:

"Honey, why are you walking slumped over?  Were you trying to do stomach crunches again?  Don't you know I love you even in your grand stage of life?  You have an excuse," he says as he tries desperately to make slightly loose skin around his waist look like pudgy love handles.  "It's just late night snacks with me.  You have six kids to show for it."

"Nah," I say, "I was fat before having kids.  Pass the hot cheetos please."

Twins are 3 months old

Wednesday, November 18, 2009, twins are 3 months old here on Q. Mouse's baby quilt from Grandma C.  Q. Mouse on left and Squdge on right.  (I seriously couldn't tell them apart from this pic other than their belly buttons.)

Grandma W., Squdge, Sue (Danny's youngest sister), Q. Mouse

10/31/09

Thanksgiving Prep: Thaw the turkey & plan for kid activities

The Thanksgiving preparation that I do today is clean the fridge, toss out the scary leftovers, and take the turkey out of the freezer. I usually forget until Sunday and find that it's not thawed on Thanksgiving morning. I am a wee bit nervous about it thawing too fast. So I put it in a brown paper bag in the fridge. I'm also squeamish about it thawing and dripping all over everything else and giving us food poisoning. Raw turkey-blood flavored leftover Freschetta pizza is naaaaaaasty.  Not that I would know. 

Planning for kid activities to keep them out from under foot on Thanksgiving morning is a must.  Whether or not we have company coming with children, it's helpful to plan things that are not in the way of the dining table or the kitchen traffic for my children.  I've seriously considered hiring a bored teenager to come play in the backyard with them this year. 

Here an oink, there an oink, everywhere an oink oink!

I was just thinking to myself last week, I'm done with being sick.  That translates to:  I'm done with the horrible cold everyone had for two weeks just two weeks before the three middle kids got H1N1, the Swine Flu.  Danny and I have been under-the-weather as well the entire time.  Of course, it's hard to say if it's just lingering with us because of lack of sleep.  SEVERE lack of sleep.  Time to sanitize.

I washed and disinfected sippy cups and lids, bottles and pumps, doorknobs, light switches, counters, floors, etc.  I washed bedding and laundry and just plum wore myself out.

Then Friday afternoon, the fever started with Baby A, who shall hereafter be known in Bloggityville as Q. Mouse.  He showed absolutely no other signs of being sick-- just a fever of 100.2.  Saturday afternoon Baby B, who shall now be known in Bloggityville as Squdge (pronounced:  nudge but with a "skwa" sound.), started his fever.

I just got back from the doctor and they both have Swine Flu.  *sigh*

No worries.  This too shall pass.  Go over to There's a Hole in the Earth and read this blog post that my awesome hubby wrote for me.  He's so cool; I invited him to join my blog.  So you might read him here sometimes as well.

The Twin Birth Story part 6

If you're just joining us for the Twin Birth Story, start with part 1 here. 

August 23rd I was discharged from the hospital with Baby B. Baby A was being kept for observation to make sure he gained weight adequately.

I was feeling weak and in pain. But my fever had dropped and I was approved for discharge.  They did not remove my staples from the C-section.  I was so swollen (read:  hippo retaining water) that the doctor feared the incision would bust open if she removed the staples already.  She said to give it a couple more days and have my local OB take them out.

Upon discharge, I was given a breathing thingamajig to help strengthen my lung capacity and prescribed four medications:  800 mg Motrin for pain, Lortab for mega-pain, an antibiotic for the "raging infection somewhere in [my] body" and iron for the crazy severe anemia.  It was Sunday afternoon.  By the time I was back in the small town near our base, Wal-Mart's pharmacy was closed.  We called the hospital to have them call it in somewhere else.  Walgreens was closed.  The base pharmacy was closed.  When we located a pharmacy in a larger town 30 minutes from base, they couldn't call it in because there were already prescriptions called in to Wal-Mart that couldn't be cancelled because remember:  it was closed.  And when you prescribe Lortab to someone it is not good medical practice to call it in to multiple pharmacies.  I went home drugless.  I did have iron pills at home and Tylenol.  I also had a small bottle of 100 mg Motrin.  That was going to have to get me through the night until the base pharmacy was opened in the morning.

When I arrived home I was so freezing cold walking in (remember I don't live in North Dakota anymore and this was August on the West Coast) that I didn't realize how hard I was clenching my fists until I burst a blood vessel in my right hand. 

I shivered on the couch under my yellow blanket.  I finally asked Danny for the thermometer figuring I probably had a fever.  It was 103.5.  That is stinking high for an adult (you know, in case you're from Mars and don't know that kind of thing).  We called one of our home teachers and Danny and he administered a priesthood blessing.

I retired to my bedroom for the evening.  I was so excited to be sleeping in my own bed again.  For several weeks before hospitalization I had to sleep in the recliner.  I layed down on the bed and immediately was in immense pain and couldn't breathe.  Luckily Danny was in there with me to help me sit back up.  I was upset. 

"This is so unfair!  These stupid ginormous ovaries are preventing me from laying down in my own bed!  I just want to sleep in bed with you and now I have to sleep in that chair.  AGAIN!"

Danny was brave and tried to use his calming influence on me.  And then the scariest thing I've ever experienced in my entire life, and that's including the c-section, happened.  The "major hormone changes" kicked in.

to

be

continued . . . 



What?  You missed part 5?  Click here.

Where you might find me some days

Guess what?  I just joined a blog called Focus and Discovery.  Come see what it's all about.  I just posted about theme days.  Admittedly, I feel like my writing and lone post so far pale in comparison to the awesome posts already there.  But maybe one day I'll write something that makes you go, "Hey!  That's a great idea.  Let's do that." 

Anyways, come say hi.  I think you'll like it; especially if you're a parent of preschoolers. 

Always. Sometimes. Never.

I saw this on my sister Rachel's blog. I'd link but it's private. Leave a comment if you do one on your blog so I can hop over and read it.

I ALWAYS....

sing in the shower and the car

use vinegar in the rinse cycle doing laundry

talk to my hubby way too long on the phone when he's at work

decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving

enjoy a good cuddle

I SOMETIMES....

brush my teeth in the shower

clip coupons

leave my dirty clothes on the floor

volunteer for things and regret it immediately (like baking 10 dozen muffins for this upcoming Wednesday's PTA sponsored "Muffins with Mom")

borrow Danny's razor to shave when I forget to replace mine in the shower and my legs are like a rain forest

screen my calls

drink caffeine soda

I NEVER....

drink alcohol

wear perfume

go to bed at a decent hour

go a whole day without saying "Use soap!"

put toys in the donate bag in front of children

Which of the following was a lie?

Which of the following is a lie?

1. Danny said to Baby A (who yes has a name), "You are your own worst enemy." 6 votes

2. Nikki went to the doctor with visible homemade nursing pads showing through a stained white shirt that had multiple holes. 1 vote

3. There are 7 loads of clean laundry in my room waiting to be folded. 15 votes

The answer . . .

3. There were 8 loads. . . and 2 on the couch. Ahh, you guys can't be tricked.

And why is it, by the way, that only one person doubted number 2? Just what kind of a person do you think I am?

1. Baby A was flailing about and kept popping his pacifier out of his mouth and getting mad about it. Danny said that to him. I warned him should things like this be uttered from his mouth that they will be blogged.

2. Obviously I was sick if I was going to the doctor. At least I didn't leak through the shirt like my previous week's visit to the commissary. But oh, those embarrassing circles showed through and I didn't even know it until later. Nor did I notice the holes in the shirt until I got home. I did discover the stains while I was waiting in the office though. :P

3. I've been exhausted getting used to two new babies and all that goes with it. The laundry gets backed up into giant piles in no time at all. By the time that evening rolls around and children are all asleep and I'm done for the time pumping bre*stmilk, I just don't feel like doing laundry. So I watch episodes of Lost on Netflix. or I read blogs. I'm trying to moderate it a little though so I don't get overwhelmed.

My kids are making me fat.

I went to Wal-Mart today with all six kids by myself. I strapped Baby A to me in a baby carrier and Baby B was in his carseat in the back of the shopping cart. Ham was in the seat buckled in and Bun was riding on the end of the cart (the place Mom would never let me ride as a child because it wasn't safe). Gabbers was holding on to the left side of the cart and Pookie holding on to the right.

I was feeling pretty good about myself running errands while Danny was at work- not asking him to expend more energy after a long day to run my errands. I didn't make a list because it was a last minute thought. So on the way to Wal-Mart I had the kids each memorize what we were supposed to get.

me (Nikki): Pookie?
Pookie: stuffing and Corn syrup
me: Gabbers?
Gabbers: gravy mix and straws (only time of year, by the way, that I buy gravy mix and it's to enhance the amount I'm able to make from the turkey drippings and grrr! it was expensive)
me: Bun?
Bun: address labels and vitamin C drink
**repeated 5 more times**

After we'd been walking around Wal-Mart about 10 minutes finding our items I saw a man see us. He looked absolutely disgusted after surveying us, shook his head, and walked on. My stomach dropped. My mood darkened slightly. What business is it to him how many children I have? It's not like they were acting like the usual monkeys they are. They weren't crying with snot running down their faces. They weren't reaching wildly for things. I wasn't telling them "Don't touch that!" They weren't fighting or poking each other. They were being very good. I was pleased with my brood. My little ducklings who were now following me obediently in a line with Gabbers only occasionally stepping on my flip flops were cute and quiet. In hindsight they were probably tired. I tried to think of what I might say if he or someone else said something rude to me like last time, "Got enough kids?!" or "Man I feel sorry for you." But as I thought of these previous comments I felt sicker. So I let it go.

Good for you I patted myself on the back. Don't let anyone else decide how you feel.

Then I continued shopping. And when I finally remembered where the office supplies section of our recently remodeled Wal-Mart was I found myself in the same aisle with this man again. I was actually on the same side of the aisle right next to him apparently looking at the same thing. And he looked disgusted again. Really disgusted. How dare I share the same space with him. I wanted to blurt out, "I'm NOT octomom for heaven's sake! I actually married BEFORE having children and my husband is STILL in the picture and we're not relying on food stamps. I love all my kids and take them to church. And I DO KNOW what causes it."

But I did not say that. No ma'am. I bought Cheetos instead.

Pillsbury? Pshaw. I have Grandma Kahn's.

This week we are making the pie crust for the Thanksgiving pies. When I am done forming them, I will freeze them until the day before Thanksgiving and the day before Christmas Eve. We will be using Grandma Kahn's Perfect Pie Crust. Previously I used wax paper for my pie crusts. But for a couple years now I've been using cereal bags.

I just open them at the seams and use just like wax paper. After I have all four circles of pie crust wrapped nicely in cereal bags I put them in one bag, label with a sharpie "Nikki's coveted pie crust" and the date.

When you are done with a box of cereal, shake out the crumbs and save the bag. I like to save the cereal bags in a cereal keeper from Tupperware. I feel good knowing I'm recycling these bags and that they work much better than wax paper. Cereal bags are also great for crushing cracker crumbs in and shake and bake type recipes.

Now to the pie crust. Click on the link above to my post about Grandma's pie crust. It will open in a new window so you can toggle back and forth if you need to.

The key I believe with preparing your own flaky-shatter-at-the-touch-of-a-fork pie crust is in not over-kneading. Step 3 where it says, ". . . add to flour mixture and stir until moistened," do just that. Stir until moistened. Then stop. Do not knead and knead until it resembles playdough. It does not need to have a consistent smoothness to it. In fact, when I get to step 4, "Divide dough into 4 portions and shape each in a flat circle . . ." it is quite crumbly and falling apart. This would've bothered me years ago, but I've learned with baking that patience is the key.

I mend the crust when I'm rolling it out. If it's too moist (ugh, hate that word) and sticking to the rolling pin, then I dust a little flour on. If it's too dry and cracking and falling apart much too easily, I use a little water. Don't pour it on. Just dip your clean fingers into a small bowl of cold water and sprinkle it on. Seriously like a drop or too. Not even a half teaspoon.

I was twelve or thirteen when I made my first pie crust. It was for a dessert contest at Young Women's. I made Lemon Meringue Pie. I was so frustrated with the pie crust- mostly the rolling part. It turned out hideous but tasted really good. I was tired out from it and didn't try crusts again until I was eighteen or nineteen.

Pie crust gets easier with every try. But you can't let it go six years in between-- or you won't remember the tips and which parts you want to modify. Try it out on your family first. Make pot pies or meat pies. If it's REALLY bad on Thanksgiving, say your four year old helped you. ;)

To me this makes sense. If it doesn't to you, leave your question in the comments and I'll do my best to clarify. I'll post my pics when Danny is home to remind me yet again how to upload them. Or download. Whatever.

Homemade Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls

I happen to be in the percentage of the population who does not have a 2-oven kitchen and tons of spare time Thanksgiving week. So I like to dissect my Thanksgiving menu and see what I can prepare in advance.

Since the freezer is very much my bosom buddy, and my family LOVES homemade dinner rolls, I like to bake them in advance. About three kids ago I started baking them in advance-- usually three weeks before Thanksgiving-- which is today. Normally our homemade bread items are whole wheat, but I like white rolls for Thanksgiving. Unhealthy traditions die hard.

This is my mom's recipe and it's never failed me. Unless you count the time that I was in charge of rolls for Thanksgiving at my parent's house when Danny and I had been married about two years and long-time friends Boyd and Priscilla were coming over and I decided to add dill to the rolls to make them extra yummy and accidentally killed the yeast with overly-hot water and disappointed the whole family which incidentally pales in comparison to the time I dumped hot gravy on Doug's lap leaving us each to serve very small portions of gravy and not enough for leftovers. I usually triple the recipe for Thanksgiving. No one seems to balk at leftover rolls to go with their leftover turkey and gravy. So the more the merrier.

Yields approximately 18 small rolls.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Rising time: 75 minutes
Baking time: 8 to 10 minutes

1 package or 1 tablespoon active-dry or instant yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk, scalded
2 to 3 tablespoons shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, well beaten
3 1/2 cups flour

1. Soften yeast in warm water.
2. In a small bowl combine milk, shortening, sugar, and salt. Cool to lukewarm.
3. Add yeast mixture to milk mixture; add egg and beat in with wooden spoon.
4. Gradually stir in flour to form soft dough. Beat vigorously with wooden spoon.
5. Knead on lightly floured surface 8 to 10 minutes. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk, about 45 to 60 minutes. (High-altitude rises much faster; watch carefully to not let over-rise.)
6. Turn dough out of bowl and shape. (NOTE: Keep dough as sticky as possible to work with.) Roll on lightly floured board. To shape rolls Parkerhouse style, roll them out to 1/2-inch thick. Cut with a round cookie cutter. Pull each round piece of dough to a slightly oval shape, then fold over and crease.
7. Place rolls slightly apart on a well-greased cookie sheet. Let rise until double in bulk again, about 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (high-altitude 425 degrees).
9. Place cookie sheet on top rack of oven. (NOTE: Small things are baked high in the oven; medium things [like bread and cakes] are baked in the middle, and large things [like turkeys] are baked with the rack in the lowest position.)
10. Bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden, but still have some white on them. Do not overcook or they will be dry.

To adapt the recipe for the bread machine and save some time:

1. Dump all ingredients in the bread machine and press "dough" setting.
2. Come back in approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes and continue from step 6.

Festive Helpers

Instead of getting frostbite at this year's Fall Festival, we got sunburned. But I'm not complaining. This picture is four of my scarecrow stuffing helpers decked out in their Halloween wear: Pookie, Bun, Gabbers, & Ham.

Good-bye Lucy

Today our dear hamster Lucy passed away. Danny is very sad. Please hop over to his blog to view the one and only video we ever took of her.

Attack of the random blog post

The surgery has been postponed. Apparently it's a red flag in regards to anesthesia to have a slight fever (99.4) and been exposed to Swine Flu when you're only two months. But before officially telling us we needed to leave, a dozen nurses and orderlies came by to "ooh" and "aah" over two month old twin boys.

So far the babies don't seem to have it. They are a bit fussy. It could be me though being sleep-deprived and under the weather.

I have a hole in my front tooth. again.

My house smells like poop. again.

I'm longing for the days when there were only 17 loads of laundry in one week. I shudder to think about how many there are now. I wash so many burp cloths (which are actually our cloth diaper prefolds) that I contemplate making a permanent home for them in the laundry room until the babies have passed the drench-you-with-spit-up phase.

I need to shampoo my living room area rug.

Let's play a game. Which of the following is a lie?

1. Danny said to Baby A (who yes has a name), "You are your own worst enemy."

2. Nikki went to the doctor with visible homemade nursing pads showing through a stained white shirt that had multiple holes.

3. There are 7 loads of clean laundry in my room waiting to be folded.