Pink Puppy Chow for the Party

We have been focusing on love at our house.  Preparing for Valentine’s Day is always so much fun for me.  I love this hearty holiday for several reasons.

Firstly, my mother was born on Valentine's Day and let's face it.... without her I am nothing. Happy day of birth, Mom!  We love you very much!  Secondly, I love the heart shape.  I love that it is symmetrical and portrays a nice warm, fuzzy feeling without being overly girly like flowers and butterflies.  In addition, I get to assist my very special sidekick in making Valentines for her classmates.  I always love going through the new list of names.  This year we have: Griffin, Aaron, Esae, Katie, Jenna, Adrian, Connor, Adilynn, Landon, Carlos, Ms. Peterson, Mrs. Stone and of course my favorite mate, Jentry.

Jentry is responsible for bringing a snack for the class Valentine's Day party and I found the cutest idea on Pinterest.  Which by the way has become my new obsession ever since I gave up Facebook for lent.  I may be missing the point.  Nevertheless, I so enjoyed making Strawberries and Cream Puppy Chow. 

5oz white chocolate or white vanilla candy melts
5oz read candy melts (found in craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby)
5 cups rice chex cereal, divided in 2 parts
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup strawberry cake mix
1 bag of Valentine M&Ms

1. Put 2 1/12 cups rice chex cereal into a medium sized bowl. 
2.  Slowly melt white chocolate in the microwave, stopping it every 30 seconds or so to make sure it doesn't burn. 
3.  Add melted white chocolate to chex cereal and lightly stir to coat evenly.  Be careful not to break the chex cereal too much.
4.  Add the powdered sugar to the shite chocolate covered chex cereal and lightly stir to coat evenly. 
5.  Repeat the same process with the red candy melts and strawberry cake mix (instead of the powdered sugar).
6.  Allow to dry completely, combine the two kinds of chow together and add M&Ms.

When the chow was mixed and ready, I had two beautiful blondes assist me with filling the individual treat bags.  Miss Jentry and her friend Avery did an excellent job!

The class is learning about the letter P this week.  Pink Puppy Chow for the Party....I have really outdone myself this time!

Jentry is so excited for her class party.  I know this because she said and I quote, "This is going to be the best Valentine's party ever.  I have everything organized and ready to go."  Nathan's is terrified that she is already organizing, however that makes this OCD mama very happy.  She even selected and set out her Valentine's Day outfit three days ago.  Love it!

What a wonderful day to spread the LOVE!

Stripe Out on the Wild Side

Last week I did something I had never done before.  I painted stripes!  Yes, stripes on the walls of my new laundry room and I absolutely love them.  I was a bit intimidated by the entire process and even doubted my decision half way into the task, however the end result was fabulous and it was really quite easy.

Several months ago, I painted the walls a gray color so it was good and dry.  Since then, they installed the floor and ceiling tiles and trim board.  

1. I measured from the ceiling to the trim and divided by seven.  This way I didn't have to paint against the new ceiling or the new white base trim.  Lazy perhaps but I prefer to call this efficient.   The measurement was 87.5 inches and so my stripes came out to an even 12.5 inches.  

2. I borrowed a laser level from the carpenter.  This device projects a red laser light throughout the room and was absolutely the way to go.  I would highly recommend this tool when painting stripes.  

3. I began taping along the red line with green painter's Frog Tape.  Easy as pie and the outcome was super straight lines.  

4. I used a credit card to seal the tape to the wall and ensure that no white paint would bleed past the tape onto the gray.  

5. I opened the new white paint and rolled away.

6.  After I was sure the white stripes had two good coats, I immediately removed the tape.  I did not sit and watch the paint dry.  This allowed the tape to come off very easily.

7.  The result, straight white lines with no bleeding. 

Love, love them and think it is fun to have something a little on the wild side in our home.  OK, OK so it is only white on gray which is fairly subtle and the crazy stripes are hidden away in the laundry room, but this is a pretty big step for me.  The rest of the basement is tan, tan and more tan.  Very neutral.  I did enjoy the challenge of trying something new and appreciate stepping out of my box every once and a while.  I may even try them again someday.  Maybe bolder color choices or more, narrow stripes.  Time will tell, but until then I am enjoying doing laundry again!

New Bling

Jentry has very big news:

I have been wanting to get Jentry's ears pierced for a while now and we finally made it happen.  

No more of these:

Many of these and more to come I'm sure of that!  

I allowed Jentry to pick out some new earrings that she can wear in six, long weeks.  It was buy two get one free, and I thought she made some excellent choices. 

So far, she has been doing great with her new bling and has not complained about me cleaning them once. I would typically have waited until she could take care of them by herself, however I thought because of her short hair she needed something a little girlie to set her apart. My mother mentioned wanting to get a second piercing in her ears, and I thought it would be great fun if Jentry could go with her grandma to get their ears pierced together. Jentry thought it was a great idea and I told my mom about our grand plan.  Apparently grandma forgot about the plan, because she went and got her ears pierced on a recent trip to Kearney with my sister.  I couldn't believe it, what was grandma thinking!  Jentry immediately called her grandmother and said, "Grandma, you are in BIG trouble!"  I think it may be a while until grandma lives that one down.

On the way to Lincoln last Saturday, I asked Jentry if she was ready to get her ears pierced and she was somewhat hesitant.  Even though grandma had told her it was easy, she has some girlfriends that have told her otherwise.  I really didn't think I would get her talked into going through with it, but when we arrived at the mall there was only one thing on her mind.  "Where is the earring store?" 

The store was very busy and there was a girl sitting in the chair waiting to have the procedure done.  Jentry's eyes were glued to that little girl and there was no distracting her.  She wanted to see exactly what was going to happen.  I just stood there hoping and praying that the little girl would keep smiling and not break down and cry.  Luckily she did awesome and Jentry was ready to be next.  She selected beautiful, diamond (fake of course) studs set in white gold which made me happy.  Then she sat tall in the chair and hugged "Claire Bear" tightly.  Before I knew it, it was all over and Jentry's eyes lit up when she looked in the mirror.  She didn't cry, she didn't scream, she simply smiled the rest of the day. 

For a special celebratory treat for her bravery, we went to the the Cookie Company for a chocolate chip cookie and a soda.  The first picture I took revealed the chocolate all over her teeth.  Lovely, isn't it?

When I asked to take another shot this is what I got:

What a cheese!  Bling Bling

Jentry has since been having all kinds of fun showing off her new earrings to all of her friends.  When asked if it hurt she says, "Yes, it hurt a lot!" 

Mr. Mom

I had to travel to Las Vegas this week for a three-day, work conference.  Monday morning started at the ungodly hour of 3:15 am and I arrived safely in Vegas at 8:15 am Pacific Time.  Yikes!  I am not even sure how I managed that.  Then we rolled right into meetings and dinner and before I knew it, it was 10:00 pm.  This means my body felt like it was midnight and I was absolutely exhausted.

Normally I would be concerned about leaving Jentry and interrupting her routine, however this time I was not worried about her at all because she was home with Nathan. He has definitely learned her routine over the past nine months and to my surprise he was ready to undertake my roll ...for a few days anyway.

They sent me a video message on Tuesday and I was able to call home and chat with them a few times.  I even utilized FaceTime and caught Jentry in the tub.  I knew that leaving Nathan to take care of everything was a huge request, because I know what it truly entailed, but he certainly stepped up to the plate and did an amazing job.

I was very busy the week prior to leaving and therefore I hadn't even thought about what they were going to eat while I was away.  Nathan said he would just make his bachelor standards like spaghetti, mac-n-cheese and pizza.  That would have been easy and great except for the fact that we didn't have hamburger, noodles or pizza in the kitchen.  What kind of a domestic engineer was I?  I left them with a shopping list and wished them luck.

I think Nathan started to worry just a bit when he realized his mother was not even going to be around for back-up.  I never doubted him and everything went very smoothly.  He never once forgot to pick her up from preschool or daycare, and as far as I could tell they had been eating something while I was gone. He even remembered to find something that started with a K for Jentry to take to show and share on Thursday.  He was kind enough and perhaps trusting enough to let her take his keys!  Jentry was so excited.  He was even took the time to wash her favorite pair of red pants so that she could wear them again the next day.  It was nice to see that even Nathan caves to the requests of a four-year-old once and a while.  Nathan said that Jentry behaved much better for him than she does for me, which was not shocking at all.

When I arrived home, I had a special note on my desk from Jentry that said, "I love you Mommy!"  I could not have asked for a better welcome home gift.  I think Nathan was just as happy to see me.  He did an awesome job being Mr. Mom, however I think we all realized just how much we appreciate each other and all of the small tasks that go unnoticed on a daily basis.  I am reminded of the advice the pastor gave us on our wedding day. "Never, ever take one another for granted!"

Mom, Call 911

Last Sunday, Nathan and I decided to go to Hastings for lunch.  Jentry had been very well behaved in church, so we thought it would be a fun treat.  I grabbed my shopping list, a gift card to Applebee's and we loaded up in the car.  About eight miles into our drive I looked at my shopping list and realized that I had failed to bring my camera along.  I really did not want to turn around and add twenty minutes to the thirty minute drive, however I desperately wanted  needed to get some pictures developed.  I had pictures from October still on my camera for goodness sake!  We turned around and went back.  Jentry was contently playing on her new "iPad" so she didn't seem to mind the slight detour.

We arrived at Applebee's and waited approximately twenty minutes for a table.  The kind waitress put Jentry's order in right away and her food was there in no time.  She took about four bites of her corn dog and said, "Mom, my tummy hurts. I think I need to go to the bathroom."  I lead her through the crowded restaurant to the bathroom, which was unfortunately located on the other side of the building from our table.  She did her business and we headed back to our seats.  Nathan and I were still patiently waiting for our food while Jentry took a few more bites.  She then turned to me with a look of despair and said, "Mom, I think I'm going to throw-up."  I rushed her back through the crowded restaurant to the bathroom. When we got into the stall she quickly tore off her shirt and hugged the toilet.  I anxiously waited for the worse and rubbed her little, bare back.  After ten minutes of nothing, I asked her if she wanted to go home.  She replied as if I had just asked an absolutely insane question, "No, I can't leave the bathroom!"  After several minutes of me trying to convince her that she could make it outside, she finally agreed and put her shirt back on.  I swooped her up into my arms and made a mad dash for the front door.  As I passed by our table, I grabbed our coats and told Nathan to meet us outside.

Just outside the main entrance to Applebee's my poor little girl was bent over with her hands on her knees and certain that she was not going to make it.  I was trying to get a coat on her and told her we needed to walk to the car.  She began to yell, "Mom, call 911, call them now! I can't ride in a car, mom, I need an ambulance!"  I could not help but laugh at her dramatic request.  Maybe the fire safety week had soaked in a little too much with this preschooler.

I was still waiting for the worst, but since nothing seemed to be happening I got her talked into getting into the car.  I found some plastic bags in the back and without having to explain she immediately held them to her mouth.  Nathan arrived with my food in a to-go box and I climbed in the back seat with my sick, little girl.  I asked her if she thought she would be OK in the car for awhile if I ran into Walgreens to at least get my pictures developed.  After all, we had gone out of our way to get the camera and I didn't want our trip to be a complete waste of time. She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "No, I need to go home."

On the drive home, she asked me, "When am I going to feel better?"  I kept reassuring her that she was going to be fine.  She then said, "I wish dad was here, because he had some medicine last time I got sick."  I quickly remembered that she had gotten sick and actually threw-up at her dad's house the previous weekend.  No wonder she was so terrified of being sick again!  So to appease my patient, I called her dad and asked him what medicine he had given her before.  Because she had run a fever, he had given her Tylenol, however Jentry just did not understand that Tylenol would not help her turning tummy.  I called my Pharmacist sister to ask her if a four-year-old could take a Tums, because I was fairly certain that she just had a severe case of gas.  Aunt Kelly said Jentry could have a half tablet of Tums.  Whether or not it really helped her stomach pains or simply worked as a placebo drug we may never know.

As soon as Jentry was home and in bed, she was perfectly fine.  She even went to the gym and worked out with me later that evening.  What a little stinker.  For several days, she tried to gain more extra attention by telling us that her tummy still hurts, but her behavior has been proving otherwise.  However, I have been allowing her to have a "tongues" once a day just for good measure.

The Unknown Teen Years

Some of the things Jentry does makes this mother a wee bit nervous about what the teenage years might entail.

Firstly, Jentry is obsessed with her clothing style.  She changes her clothes several times a day and loves to play dress-up.  She will never wear an outfit that her mother has chosen for her even though she asks me to pick one out every morning.  She always rolls up her pants into shorts regardless of the temperature outside and would wear high heels to any event if her mother would only allow it.  One day she came to me and asked if I would tie up one of my swim cover-ups so that it would look like a mini skirt.  Complete with heels and a sparkly necklace she looked like she was 24 not 4!  Yikes!

Secondly, she is one very determined little girl with unbelievably advanced negotiating skills.  Mom is currently one step ahead, however I wonder how long this will last.  While shopping for groceries the other day, she spotted some pre-made brownies with colorful chocolates on top and begged me to buy them for her.  Of course, this mean old mom said, "NO, we can go home and make our own brownies."  I almost had her convinced but what she really wanted was the colorful chocolates.  I told her that she had some Mini M&Ms left over from Christmas and that she could put them on top of the brownies at home.

 

Can you tell which brownies belong to Jentry?

Lastly, she is most certainly from a different generation than me.  Her technology skills amaze me more and more everyday.  John and Jan gave her a VTech Inno Tab for Christmas which she refers to as her iPad.  I could not believe how quickly she adapted to the new toy.  She also loves to make phone calls on my office phone but would prefer to "FaceTime" on my iPhone.  Being able to instantly converse with someone in another town is just not fun at all. Yes, we need more stimulation! Even if the picture makes us look like aliens in a dark room.

I can not and quite possibly do not want to even imagine what Miss Jentry will be like at 14.  What will her fashion style be in 2022?  Will she still love chocolate or will she already be conscious of her weight?  Will she have a real iPad and iPhone of her own or will there be something more advanced by then.  Thankfully, only God knows the future and the heart of my little girl.  Therefore I am going to try not to flip-out about the teenage years just yet and focus on the present.  

Wrapping Up A Month Of Blessings

The month of December has been crazy, busy.  I have only slept in my own bed sixteen out of the thirty-one days and have only worked seven days total.  So many things have happened in one month it is hard to even remember them all, however each one of these things and/or events has great meaning in my life and I want to remember each detail as much as humanly possible. 

December 1, 2012 - The Huskers lost to Wisconsin in one of the most embarrassing games I have ever watched.  OK, so that detail I would rather forget!

December 3, 2013 - Jentry and I got our very first experience of  Sutton's annual Parade of Lights.  At 6:30pm everybody lined the main street and waited for the town lights to go out.  The lighted floats made their way down the hill.  Much to my surprise there were several entries and some amazing light displays.  My favorite was a boy on his bicycle entirely lit up in Christmas lights.  Of course, Santa and Mrs Clause made an appearance at the end of the parade which made Jentry's eyes light up.  The businesses in town were all open and offered drinks and snacks for everyone to enjoy.  I felt like I was in the movie Funny Farm and Sutton had transformed into the charming little town of Redbud.  I can't wait until next year!

December 6, 2012 -  My father turned 60!  Yes, it's true and I can hardly believe it.  He really seems much younger to me.  May God bless him with many many more.

December 7, 2012 - My mother, sister, niece and nephew were here to help me get ready for the wedding, but that is not exactly what took place.  Kelly woke up with a terrible headache and we decided that she needed to see a doctor here in Sutton.  After a trip to the clinic here in town, a trip to the Hendersen hospital, a CAT scan, a trip to the Grand Island hospital, a MRI, and a SOS call to my dad and brother-in-law, Kelly finally made it back to my house in time for the wedding rehearsal.  She was on some fun pain killers but at least she was able to attend the festivities. 

December 8, 2012 - I became Mrs. McKenzie! I married my Nathan, my love, my best friend, my teammate.  It was a beautiful, crisp winter day and I could not have asked for anything more.  Everything was not perfect but it was just right for us.  I will forever cherish the memories of this day.

December 10, 2012 - After a quick stop at the Social Security office in Lincoln to change my name, Nathan and I headed to the Omaha airport.  Let the honeymoon begin!

December 11, 2012 - We flew from Miami to the beautiful St. Lucia.  The next seven nights were simply amazing.  We laid on the beach, soaked up the sun, swam in clear blue waters, drank fruity drinks, took a tour of the island, went zip lining, ate way too much food and enjoyed time with each other.  We even had our very own butler!  It was paradise for sure.  Nathan planned the entire trip and let me tell you, I am one spoiled girl.  I really don't think he should have set the bar quite so high. 

December 19, 2012 - We arrived back in Nebraska and boy did it feel good to be back on our own soil.  I was beginning to really miss my little girl and was so ready to sleep in my own bed.  Unfortunately, mother nature had her own plans and it took us four hours to drive 100 miles.  A blizzard had hit the state and we had to give up the drive and stayed in a motel at York.  We were so close to home yet so far that it just would not have been safe to try and drive the rest of the 30 miles home.  I didn't even have any proper clothing with me to keep me warm if we had gotten stranded.  I laughed as I told my sister that my pink polka dotted bikini wouldn't be very helpful in the snow.  She replied, "At least it would work to flag down some help." 

December 20, 2012 - We finally made it home the next morning.  We scooped the front walk, started the first of many loads of laundry and then Nathan went to get Jentry from his parent's house.  I was so excited to see her!  I felt like a little kid continually watching out the front window to see if they were back yet.  It was nice to have some adult time, but Nathan and I were both ready to see her little face and hear her little voice again.

December 23, 2012 - We loaded the truck with presents and headed west to Orleans.  I was looking forward to some quality time with my family.  The Boses gathered at my Aunt and Uncle's house for supper and some quality entertainment from my cousin Jason and his sister Dani.  Nathan said he laughed so hard his gut hurt the next day.  We had a great time and it was fun to be back in Grandma Bose's home where so many of my childhood Christmas memories were born.  It is hard to believe the next generation of kids are now sitting at Grandma's kitchen table. 

December 24, 2012 - My sister woke up with another bad headache.  Chad took her to the doctor in Holdrege and mom and I watched the kiddos.  Apparently, she went numb and was not coherent, so the doctor referred her on to a Neurologist in Lincoln.  I was happy to think she was finally with specialists and told Chad not to leave without getting some answers.  She was not able to meet with the Neurologist until the next morning so she settled in for the night.  Back in Orleans, Nathan had the wonderful idea of watching a movie with the kids so we all enjoyed the movie Brave and then tucked the little children snug in their beds.  Well acutally snug in Grandma's beds. 

December 25, 2012 - Mom and I tried to keep the three kids busy with stockings until Nathan and Papa returned from doing cattle chores.  We opened gifts the rest of the morning.  Isaac's favorite gift was a Nerf gun and Anna was excited about everything even her new pajamas.  Jentry wanted to know where the rest of her presents were.  I told her she really didn't deserve any toys because she had been so naughty.  She thought for a few minutes and said, "Well maybe Santa just ran out of coal." 

Thanks to my mother's amazing cooking we had a fabulous Christmas dinner and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.  Kelly called and said that after yet another MRI the doctors had determined that she was suffering from severe migraines.  They gave her some medication and released her from the hospital.  We were sad that she will most likely suffer from migraines the rest of her life but so thankful that it was nothing more serious.  It was a crazy Christmas, but we thanked God that she was able to come that night.

December 26, 2012 - We bundled up and walk across the street to my sister's home to open even more presents, but this time we were finally all together.  Santa had left even more presents for the kids and they had a great time playing with their new toys.  After even more wonderful food, Nathan, Jentry and I headed home to Sutton and we were so thankful to finally be home for more than just a few days. 

December 28, 2012 - I took Jentry to her dad so that she could celebrate the holidays with the rest of her family.  Nathan and I were happy to curl up on the couch and watch a movie by the fire as two, very lucky, newlyweds. 

December 30, 2012 -  Nathan's parents arrived safely home from their trip to Arizona.  We attended church, ate lunch at the Legion and began planning our last Husker football party of the season.  Nathan purchased a new TV and surround sound for his new, basement Man Cave and is excited to host his first party.  The carpet and the ceiling tiles are not yet in, however we are happy to be close to finishing the project we started in July. 

We really don't have any big New Years plans but after a crazy year of moving, relandscaping our yard, finishing our basement, getting married, honeymooning in St. Lucia and celebrating Christmas, I am wishing for a very uneventful 2013.  May God continue to bless our family!