What's Cookin'?
It's Monday. Menu Plan Monday to be exact. Hop on over to The Beans Blog to see what's on the menu for us this week! I will be posting a fantastic recipe using quinoa later today!
It's freezing here! See...
Staying warm inside today... Laundry, school, and cooking a new dish for dinner tonight.
Apricot Chicken Curry. It's a dish that requires a lot of time to prepare. A marinade, and baking for 1 1/2 hours. Today is the perfect day for such a dish.
David is doing o.k. His roughest day was yesterday. He stayed home from church since he is still not very mobile. He said his pain was annoying, and he was bored. Not a good combo. Our friends invited us over to their house to play board games last night. We had to politely decline. We really wanted to go, but knew it would be too much for David right now. He is still taking Percocet for his pain. Trying to space the dosages out a little more. He has not been sleeping well, and doesn't have much of an appetite. We know it will get better...
Gwyneth was able to go to our friend's house after church yesterday though. Her and our friend's youngest daughter (same age as Gwyneth) get along famously!
It was good for her to be out. She's been cooped up in the house too much. She says she is fine with all the attention I have to give David, and she wants to be home. But I know it was good for her to have a little distraction, and she has so much fun with her friend. They are inseparable! Two Peas in A Pod!
Yesterday was not too great for me either. I ALMOST wrecked the car again on the way to church! Same thing as last time, slick roads, locked up brakes...I was headed straight for another sign. Thank God I missed it this time, and recovered with nary a scratch! Shook me up though! I am so thankful it was early, and there were hardly any drivers out at that time. God was watching out for us! Must-buy-snow-tires! :o)
Have a great day everyone!
It's freezing here! See...
Staying warm inside today... Laundry, school, and cooking a new dish for dinner tonight.Apricot Chicken Curry. It's a dish that requires a lot of time to prepare. A marinade, and baking for 1 1/2 hours. Today is the perfect day for such a dish.
David is doing o.k. His roughest day was yesterday. He stayed home from church since he is still not very mobile. He said his pain was annoying, and he was bored. Not a good combo. Our friends invited us over to their house to play board games last night. We had to politely decline. We really wanted to go, but knew it would be too much for David right now. He is still taking Percocet for his pain. Trying to space the dosages out a little more. He has not been sleeping well, and doesn't have much of an appetite. We know it will get better...
Gwyneth was able to go to our friend's house after church yesterday though. Her and our friend's youngest daughter (same age as Gwyneth) get along famously!
It was good for her to be out. She's been cooped up in the house too much. She says she is fine with all the attention I have to give David, and she wants to be home. But I know it was good for her to have a little distraction, and she has so much fun with her friend. They are inseparable! Two Peas in A Pod!
Yesterday was not too great for me either. I ALMOST wrecked the car again on the way to church! Same thing as last time, slick roads, locked up brakes...I was headed straight for another sign. Thank God I missed it this time, and recovered with nary a scratch! Shook me up though! I am so thankful it was early, and there were hardly any drivers out at that time. God was watching out for us! Must-buy-snow-tires! :o)
Have a great day everyone!
Dog Sledding - K-9s For Kids
No matter how much we may hate the bitter cold of winter, and wish for summer almost daily, this is what makes it all worth it!The base here has a program called K-9s for Kids. It is a day of dog sledding that provides a way for kids to experience the thrill of racing their own team of dogs.The first hour was a classroom instruction on dog mushing and what it takes to have your own dog mushing team. Gwyneth learned what it takes to be a Jr. Sprint musher. The next two hours all the kids in the group each had a turn driving a two-dog team over a .5 mile course.
All by themselves! There was a snow machine in front, sort of leading the dogs, but other than that it was all the dogs and the kids!
Gwyneth learned the different commands for the dogs.
go: "HIKE!"
stop: "Whoa!"
turn right: "Gee!"
turn left: "Haw!"
She said it was "AWESOME!"
Waiting her turn. She was one of the last to go. They wanted to tire out the dogs by letting some of the bigger kids go first, that way when the smaller kids drove the team they would be easier to control.
It was about -5° while we were out there. We kept the truck running and the heater on high and kept sitting in there to warm up every few minutes.
At -5° it is absolutely necessary to cover any skin that would be exposed! It feels like a million tiny needles pricking your skin without covering. I remember from last year! Gwyneth later told us that goggles would have been good too. We'll remember next time.
She's up!
A few last minute instructions...
And they're off!
She made it!
Here's a little video clip of her coming in:
Yes, that's me in the corner of the frame taking pictures. It was so cold outside, my camera battery died! Right at the end! So the last picture I included is cropped and zoomed in a little!
Up next: Gwyneth's first time ice skating! (And Daddy & Mommy's first time back on skates in YEARS!)
he's home
David is home. He came home just before lunch. The doctor came in to see him before his discharge and bent his leg 90°. David said it didn't hurt so much during, as it did after! He's been on Percocet since last night. He rated his pain in the car on the way home at an 11-12! Off the chart of 0-10! Nerve wracking for me to be the driver today, especially when he was in so much pain. We came up to the two lane bridge we have to cross to get to our neighborhood, and discovered there was an accident right at the end of the bridge. We had to take the long route home! Of all days! I had to check my attitude though as there may have been some injuries in that crash. It didn't look too good.
So he's home, and resting. He slept most of the afternoon. We plan to watch Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End tonight.
I got the DVD for him for Christmas and we haven't had a chance to watch it yet. It's almost 3 hours long! Quite a time commitment, and not a movie we think Gwyneth should watch. Tonight might be the night! If David can stay awake through it! hee! hee! The Percocet makes him a little sleepy, probably the exhaustion from the pain too.
It's pizza night too! I LOVE pizza night! It's such an easy meal to put together!
So he's home, and resting. He slept most of the afternoon. We plan to watch Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End tonight.
I got the DVD for him for Christmas and we haven't had a chance to watch it yet. It's almost 3 hours long! Quite a time commitment, and not a movie we think Gwyneth should watch. Tonight might be the night! If David can stay awake through it! hee! hee! The Percocet makes him a little sleepy, probably the exhaustion from the pain too.
It's pizza night too! I LOVE pizza night! It's such an easy meal to put together!
thank you
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for David today. He did very well through surgery. Gwyneth and I were able to be with him after they moved him to the room he'll stay the night in. When we arrived he was on the phone! :o) He had plenty of free time, so he decided it was a good time to catch up with friends and family.
*HERE* is an informative web page with info about the surgery. It is mild compared to the very graphic websites I've seen! I don't know how David handles being in the operating room! ugh!
He was out of surgery by 9:30AM. We arrived around 11:30AM. He was pretty groggy, but coherent. He dozed off and on all afternoon. It was a relaxing day spent in front of the TV. Gwyneth played her Gameboy, and I painted my nails. We even went downstairs to get her last shot she'll need until she is 11. We went ahead and got our flu shots while we were there.
David had an IV drip all day with a Morphine option. He did not push the button for Morphine all day! All the staff kept asking about his pain, if he wanted meds. His leg is wrapped up so tight, I don't think he can feel anything. He got up and walked with the aide of his crutches. They had disconnected his IV by the time Gwyneth and I returned from dinner. He was just finishing up his Chicken Cordon Bleu when we arrived. He ate ALL his dinner. Up to that point he didn't have much of an appetite. Before we left for the night he also had a Reese's Peanut Butter cup (his FAVORITE!) and his beloved Dr Pepper. He can't live without those two things! Those two things were also two of his Mom's favorites! She hardly went a day without a Dr Pepper and always had Reese's on hand!
Please continue to pray. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a little more uncomfortable for him than today. The anesthesia will have completely worn off, and he will have to control his pain with meds. The doctor says he will have to bend his leg a complete 90° tomorrow! (OUCH!)
His recovery will be long, and his physical therapy will be tough.
One of the perks is he gets four weeks leave from work! He's very hopeful he will have a brand new knee and is looking forward to being active again, and beating these young soldiers at running!
So tonight we sleep in separate beds. I never sleep well when he is away. There is no one here to turn down the bed , put out my dental floss, put toothpaste on my toothbrush, fill the humidifier.
I'm so pampered! I have such a wonderful, sweet husband!
*HERE* is an informative web page with info about the surgery. It is mild compared to the very graphic websites I've seen! I don't know how David handles being in the operating room! ugh!
He was out of surgery by 9:30AM. We arrived around 11:30AM. He was pretty groggy, but coherent. He dozed off and on all afternoon. It was a relaxing day spent in front of the TV. Gwyneth played her Gameboy, and I painted my nails. We even went downstairs to get her last shot she'll need until she is 11. We went ahead and got our flu shots while we were there.
David had an IV drip all day with a Morphine option. He did not push the button for Morphine all day! All the staff kept asking about his pain, if he wanted meds. His leg is wrapped up so tight, I don't think he can feel anything. He got up and walked with the aide of his crutches. They had disconnected his IV by the time Gwyneth and I returned from dinner. He was just finishing up his Chicken Cordon Bleu when we arrived. He ate ALL his dinner. Up to that point he didn't have much of an appetite. Before we left for the night he also had a Reese's Peanut Butter cup (his FAVORITE!) and his beloved Dr Pepper. He can't live without those two things! Those two things were also two of his Mom's favorites! She hardly went a day without a Dr Pepper and always had Reese's on hand!
Please continue to pray. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a little more uncomfortable for him than today. The anesthesia will have completely worn off, and he will have to control his pain with meds. The doctor says he will have to bend his leg a complete 90° tomorrow! (OUCH!)
His recovery will be long, and his physical therapy will be tough.
One of the perks is he gets four weeks leave from work! He's very hopeful he will have a brand new knee and is looking forward to being active again, and beating these young soldiers at running!
So tonight we sleep in separate beds. I never sleep well when he is away. There is no one here to turn down the bed , put out my dental floss, put toothpaste on my toothbrush, fill the humidifier.
I'm so pampered! I have such a wonderful, sweet husband!
Cute Video and a Prayer Request
This is so cute! You can't help but laugh when you hear this cute kid's giggle!
We needed a little laugh to lighten the mood around here.
Tomorrow David is having surgery. Here is an excerpt from his blog post on MySpace. If you aren't one of his friends you can't see it. I wanted to post it here to ask for prayers.
"If you don't know I will be getting a new ligament in my left leg...about five years ago I blew out my ACL and messed up my medial meniscus. It has taken the Army doctors five years to say something was actually wrong with me. Up until now there was "nothing wrong" with me or it was a "very bad sprain". Anyway, I will be having ACL reconstruction and a medial meniscus repair this Thursday. I have placed this blog as a friends only, that means that I am only sharing with you and would like your prayers for an uneventful surgery and speedy recovery (oh with little pain). Right now I am most nervous about the night that I might have to spend in the hospital. Otherwise, I have full confidence in the surgical team, who by the way I work with everyday. Thank you for your prayers."
He is in fact(just learned today at pre-op) going to be spending the night in the hospital. They will be giving him a course of antibiotics while he is there. He doesn't want to stay, but we think it is best. He will have access to the best care, and drugs. He's going to have to do more of this on his own, as children are not allowed in the recovery room. Being the middle of the week I was not able to think of or ask anyone to keep Gwyneth for us. We will drop him off tomorrow morning and then we won't see him until he is moved to the ward he is staying in. I'm kind of sad I won't be able to be there for him, but I have full confidence in the medical staff there. Naturally he knows everyone fairly well, having worked with them all for over a year now, so I know he is in good hands.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers!
Menu Planning Monday
I am participating in Menu Planning Monday hosted over at I'm An Organizing Junkie.
I posted this over on the "Beans Blog" too.
Technically it is still Monday here in Alaska. 10:30pm to be exact. I was so excited to join in Menu Planning Monday because I ACTUALLY had a list, and was going shopping today! I had to post! Here is our menu for the week:
These are all new recipes for us. I can say that tonight's recipe "Turkey Loaf to Live By" was excellent. You can see a photo at the end of my post. I will type out the recipe on the "Beans Blog" tomorrow.
Here's my grocery tab for this week:
(When we first moved to Alaska -12.14.06- I immediately had to up our food budget. Everything is much more expensive here than in the lower 48. It also didn't help the budget when I went organic almost a year ago! Prepare to be shocked!)
Health Food Store:
Organic Dried Apricots: $6.29 (for a dish Mon. 1/14/08)
Lundberg Organic California Brown Basmati Rice: $5.79
Food For Life Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Spaghetti pasta: $5.79
Garam Masala spice mixture: $1.50 (also for Mon. 1/14/08)
Local Grocery Store:
Roma Tomatoes 2.5 lbs. $3.64
2 Lemons $2.58
Anise (fennel) organic $3.70
Shallot $0.76
Organic Red Bell Pepper $2.87
Organic Green Onions $1.99
Yellow Squash $1.76
Asparagus 1 lb. $5.29
4 oz. Organic Basil $4.29
Avacadoes (2) $5.00
2 Limes $1.78
Organic Free Range Chicken Broth $2.99
Snack Crackers for G. $3.49
Kashi Waffles $2.99
Organic Bananas .99lbs. $1.19
Kraft Shredded Mexican 2% Cheese (for G.'s quesadillas) $3.79
Organic Brown Eggs (2 dozen) $7.98 (I eat three scrambled egg whites each morning!)
Organic Whole Wheat Pasta $1.99
Diced Mexican Tomatoes $1.49
Bay Leaves $2.29
Organic Raisin Bran (for David) $3.29
Organic Black Beans (1 can) $1.59
Del Monte Organic Whole Kernel Corn (1 can) $1.49
Sundried Tomatoes $5.99
White Wine Vinegar $2.29
Hormel Canadian Bacon (for David's pizza Fri.) $2.89
Whole Wheat Tortillas (for G.'s quesadillas) $3.59
Grand Total: $102.27
Here's a picture of dinner tonight...
Turkey Loaf to Live By with Roasted Asparagus, and salad with fennel, tomato, raw sunflower seeds, and oil and vinegar dressing. Yummy!
I posted this over on the "Beans Blog" too.
Technically it is still Monday here in Alaska. 10:30pm to be exact. I was so excited to join in Menu Planning Monday because I ACTUALLY had a list, and was going shopping today! I had to post! Here is our menu for the week:
These are all new recipes for us. I can say that tonight's recipe "Turkey Loaf to Live By" was excellent. You can see a photo at the end of my post. I will type out the recipe on the "Beans Blog" tomorrow.Here's my grocery tab for this week:
(When we first moved to Alaska -12.14.06- I immediately had to up our food budget. Everything is much more expensive here than in the lower 48. It also didn't help the budget when I went organic almost a year ago! Prepare to be shocked!)
Health Food Store:
Organic Dried Apricots: $6.29 (for a dish Mon. 1/14/08)
Lundberg Organic California Brown Basmati Rice: $5.79
Food For Life Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Spaghetti pasta: $5.79
Garam Masala spice mixture: $1.50 (also for Mon. 1/14/08)
Local Grocery Store:
Roma Tomatoes 2.5 lbs. $3.64
2 Lemons $2.58
Anise (fennel) organic $3.70
Shallot $0.76
Organic Red Bell Pepper $2.87
Organic Green Onions $1.99
Yellow Squash $1.76
Asparagus 1 lb. $5.29
4 oz. Organic Basil $4.29
Avacadoes (2) $5.00
2 Limes $1.78
Organic Free Range Chicken Broth $2.99
Snack Crackers for G. $3.49
Kashi Waffles $2.99
Organic Bananas .99lbs. $1.19
Kraft Shredded Mexican 2% Cheese (for G.'s quesadillas) $3.79
Organic Brown Eggs (2 dozen) $7.98 (I eat three scrambled egg whites each morning!)
Organic Whole Wheat Pasta $1.99
Diced Mexican Tomatoes $1.49
Bay Leaves $2.29
Organic Raisin Bran (for David) $3.29
Organic Black Beans (1 can) $1.59
Del Monte Organic Whole Kernel Corn (1 can) $1.49
Sundried Tomatoes $5.99
White Wine Vinegar $2.29
Hormel Canadian Bacon (for David's pizza Fri.) $2.89
Whole Wheat Tortillas (for G.'s quesadillas) $3.59
Grand Total: $102.27
Here's a picture of dinner tonight...
Turkey Loaf to Live By with Roasted Asparagus, and salad with fennel, tomato, raw sunflower seeds, and oil and vinegar dressing. Yummy!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!
(Picture is from Jacob's Navy boot camp graduation. Crappy scan, sorry!)
I love you baby brother! Have a great day and a safe trip back to Connecticut this weekend!Love your big sis, Khrista
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!
Our newest niece was born this morning!
Emma Kyle Johnson
January 2, 2008; 8:57AM
7 pounds 0 ounces
19 1/2 inches long
I've heard she has beautiful red hair and blue eyes!
Mommy and baby Emma are doing great!
My baby brother is a DADDY!
I will share pictures when I get some!
Emma Kyle Johnson
January 2, 2008; 8:57AM
7 pounds 0 ounces
19 1/2 inches long
I've heard she has beautiful red hair and blue eyes!
Mommy and baby Emma are doing great!
My baby brother is a DADDY!
I will share pictures when I get some!