Black Friday Adventure

I seem to have a fan base that misses my blog posts! "'chelle, when are you going to update?" I keep hearing...granted this fan base is solely made up of my mom and my sister, Amber...heck I have to give the people what they want!

I LOVE black Friday! It is like my Christmas. I am one of the "crazies" that goes out at 3 am to stand in a line and freeze all in the name of Christmas Giving. In fact, one year I was sick and in serious pain, and still went. I the middle of my shopping, my mom finally convinced me to call my doctor...I did, set up an appointment, and went to 3 more stores. By the last store, I could barely walk and had to lean on the shopping cart. Later that day, I was admitted to the hospital for diverticulitis and had to stay for 3 days! Brad loves this story, because it shows that I am either very dedicated to Christmas Giving or Crazy...I can't remember which angle he goes with...;)

This year was different. i really wasn't up for standing in lines. I have completed a lot of my shopping on-line. There was nothing in Target's ad or Wal-Mart's that I really needed. My partner in crime, my sister Stephanie, had surgery on Tuesday and wasn't ready to stand in lines either. So I opted out...however...Old Navy had a few things Emily had asked for...and they opened at Midnight. I figured Brad and I could drive to Jordan Landing, after leaving my sister Jacki's (thanks for hosting Jacki, It was wonderful!) He and the kids would wait in the car and I would "run in and get the things I needed." I am not sure why I thought this...I am a Black Friday VETERAN...I know that one does not simply "run in and get the things one needs".

As we were leaving West Haven/Roy, Brad said, there is an old navy in Layton, we could go to the movies to kill a couple of hours and then go to the old navy there. Then came the task of finding: a) movie we both wanted to see and b) one we could take the kids to. In the end, Brad and Em wanted to see Mega Mind and Brin and I wanted to see Tangled. So off we went to purchase tickets. Now both movies we went to see had 3-D times...did you know you pay more for 3-D?...neither did we...when our cashier said, "38 dollars please". I gasped... Brad pooped his pants....Needless to say, we did not purchase treats. Brinley and I LOVED Tangled. and the 3-D was AMAZING! At first, Brin kept trying to touch things. Brad and Em thought MegaMind was "good".

We left our expensive movie memory about 11:45 and went to the Layton Old Navy...the line...oh my...I tried to text my sisters and mom....Finally they said they were near the front, but I didn't want to leave my spot, because the doors were going to open any second. My sister, Amber asked what I most wanted so she could grab it for me. If I got out of line, they could be in the store and then I would be a girl without a spot...so I waited and got in the store.

It was crowded. I found my mom and sister, they had the item I wanted most. And then I shopped, pushed and bumped into people. My arms were full, I lost my mom and sisters, so I just got in line to pay...only to discover this wasn't the line....I moved...where the store associate told me I should....only to have another associate move us again....I put my stuff on the floor, dug out my cell phone to find my mom and sisters. They didn't seem that far ahead of me...so I stayed put...only to have the line move AGAIN. I tried to find my mom, couldn't see her and wasn't willing to loose THIS spot.

At this point, I did not feel good. I was hot and tired and thinking that Brad was right...I am CRAZY for doing this! I put my stuff down, dug out my phone and told him I was starting to question if this was worth it. He reminded me of the time I had spent and the 38 dollars we spent to see a movie. So I picked back up my stuff and continued to wait. The people in front of me were really bugging me. and the line NEVER MOVED...for over 20 minutes...it was at a stand still, we didn't even shuffle. I was hot, bugged, and feeling dizzy. Then my sister called and said they were ready to pay, i looked up and saw my mom looking for me through the polar fleece...

now I may be in my thirties, I have my own home, my own kids and a career....but when I saw her...my heart jumped for joy and I thought, MY MOMMY is here to save me!

So my sisters made a big deal about my looking so sick and pulled me into the line with them...I am not sure if they played this sick card for the people behind them or because I actually did look awful...but I really didn't feel good and let them make a fuss. I payed for my purchases...argued over a sale price...payed for the argued items...and left...to hug my sisters and mommy for saving me from the WORST BLACK FRIDAY ADVENTURE EVER!

I love this time of year...
I can't wait for next year...

Eating Healthy

I have been reading these books by Michael Pollan and he talks about how unhealthy the American diet is. The main idea of the books is we need to get away from so much of the processed crap we put into our mouths and return to how our great-grandparents ate. He states, "if your great-grandparents wouldn't recoginize it (or the ingredients) as food...don't eat it". It makes sense, if your grandma wanted waffles in the morning, did she throw an egg-o in the toaster? No, she got out of bed and made them...from scratch...and she probably had to walk to the chicken coop to get the eggs!

In an effort to "return to basic ingredients" I have tried to get my family to eat more of the "basics". I do not buy quick rice mixes anymore, I read labels on juice and don't buy ones with corn syrup, and I have been trying to use half whole wheat flour when ever I can sneak it in.

Now I am FULLY aware that for weeks, I have been obsessing over mcdonald's pumpkin pie shakes, which are not "basic"...but we are taking baby steps, here people(...and don't judge my pregnancy cravings.)

Anywho, on Halloween morning I made pumpkin pancakes. I used a recipe I got from the twopeasandtheirpod website. They were good, everyone liked them, especially my niece Madison. They had half whole wheat flour and no one knew! The cinnamon syrup was also good...but even better if you did a little maple with it. Well, I found another recipe on line for pumpkin pancakes which claimed to be SUPER healthy and delicious. Since I was awake at 5 am I whipped them up.

they called for whole wheat flour, I can't do that...Emily can tell everytime. So I did half and half. The recipe went on as usual, but then it called for aguave nectar....dang! i used up the last of my aguave nectar last week. (just kidding...I am not 100% sure what aguave nectar is, let alone if I can find it in Tooele, Utah!) The recipe said I could substitute honey. I had that.

As i was heating up my griddle, I tasted the batter...it was NOT good.
Now, I teach Foods; I know that pancake batter does not and is not supposed to taste good. It's not cake batter, but it should taste like SOMETHING! So I added more honey.

After all the pancakes were cooked, I ate one...WITH LOTS OF SYRUP. (I need to ask Mr. Pollan is this counts in the "back to basics" movement)

Conclusion: the pumpkin pancakes from two peas were way better...and while maybe not as "basic" they are made from scratch and did have some whole wheat.

Maybe it was the lack of aguave nectar?
Probably not.

sick days

Sick days....oh how I miss thee
I will be the first to admit it,
in the past i have been somewhat reckless in using my sick days.
Brad and I joking called them, "mental health days".
I would claim that me or one of the kids was sick and take the day off of work.
I would clean or craft or watch Law and Order:SVU marathons

Sometimes I took so many "mental health days" that if my kids (or I) did actually get sick
i would panic that I had any leave left.

But this year, I have to save all my sick days for maternity leave.
Which means I have not taken one, not one "mental health day"
and it's second quarter!

Some mornings, the alarm goes off
and I want to call in sick
oh yeah-need those days for maternity leave.

Some nights, I wonder...Is Brinley getting sick?
oh yeah-she can't...I need to save for maternity leave

My 1st class will be obnoxious
and I want to leave
oh yeah-need the day for maternity leave.

Tomorrow, my two friends from my department are going to a sewing conference in Park City.
We get to stay overnight.
the principal paid for it
(it did not occur to him that two of us do not teach sewing...my BRILLIANT department head said things like, "we collaborate with other teachers, it gives a chance to network, etc"...and he paid for it)
I get to sew and listen to one of my favorite crafty bloggers talk

I am hoping this conference will rejuvenate me,
just like a good old "Mental Health Day"!