Another use for a drill?

I love having people over for dinner. This past Sunday, we decided to invite our neighbors-- who have been learning about our church, some friends of Will-- who are very anti-our church, and an active family from our church. Yes, I know, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen in its self.

About half an hour before everyone was to show up, I pulled a pan out of the cabinet not knowing that there was a cast iron pan right on top of it....the cast iron pan fell handle first on my left big toe while I was the only one home at the time. I hobbled over to the garage and yelled for Will, who came rushing in asking what happened. He instructed me to lay on the couch while he got some ice for me. I was in so much pain that I could barely breathe...I was screaming and crying at the same time. Will suggested that we have our neighbor come over and finish dinner for me. I couldn't really argue, though I didn't want her to see me like that! Will called the other families and asked if they could come a little later.

When they all got there, I was still not ready for everyone to eat, though I was doing my best. I didn't want to look like a cry baby, so I sucked the pain up and tried to be as sociable as possible. I had asked Will beforehand to not talk about ANYTHING religious as I didn't want any contention. About an hour into our dinner, the bishop, who has never been to our house before, just spontaneously showed up to see how we were doing! An hour after that, the missionaries showed up to drop off scriptures for our neighbors. I kept thinking, "Oh my gosh! These people are going to think that I planted this "show!'" So, not only am I entertaining our originally planned guests, but I'm also trying to make sure that the bishop doesn't say something that might offend someone since he has no idea who these people are. Then, I have to try and keep the missionaries from offending, or being offended.

By the time everyone left, which was about 7:45 pm, I fell apart. I lied down on the couch and the pain became so unbearable that I started crying uncontrollably. How had I dealt with it this whole time? I really can't answer that. I have no idea. All I know is that I was in more pain than even labor.

Will decided to call the priesthood holder that had just left our house from church to ask for a blessing. He came over and I didn't even care that I looked worse than I've ever looked. After the blessing, he said that he had broken his toe several times and relieved the pressure by putting a needle in the top of the nail and letting the blood out. I didn't like the idea, but thought that if he had done it before, then I might as well try. All we had was a safety pin because I didn't want to spend the time to try and explain where to get my sewing kit out of the garage. So, Will, thinking hard as he always does, said "Honey, I'm going to use the smallest drill bit on my drill and it will work great." I refused and cried harder thinking about how much pain that could cause. He assured me it would be alright, so I put my foot in a bucket I had been using with ice and he started the drill. It took a few seconds and the drill went through my nail, and beyond. Will pulled the drill out right away. Blood started flowing out and I let out a blood-curdling scream. Instead of instant relief, there was instant and excruciating pain! Will then stood up and said "I think I went too far. We're going to the ER."

Alright, so I'm a tight wad and said "I don't think I want to spend that kind of money so that I get sent home with Tylenol." We decided to go anyway. Luckily, our kids were all asleep at this point, so leaving them with our friend was fine with me. Off we went to JFK.

When we arrived, there was a line through the entire hall way with someone walking out saying "I'm not going in there....I'll get even more sick." On that note, we left to check out Eisenhower in Palm Desert. I thought for sure it would be packed too. When we walked in, we were the only ones there! I was SO HAPPY! When we explained to the staff why I was there, they said "Oh, good, we thought you were in labor! We were going to have to send you away since we don't have a maternity ward." They put us in a room right away where we waited for a couple of hours to see a doctor. When the doctor finally came in, he told Will that he had done a good job and that I just needed antibiotics in case my nail wasn't sterilized. (I was only worried about the drill bit (which Will had sterilized). I didn't even think about my OWN dirtiness!) He gave me a prescription for Vicodin as well, said that I'd be bleeding for a few weeks, and that was all he could do. Being pregnant, there was no need to expose me to an X-ray and I'm too unstable as it is to use crutches. He did say that after I deliver the baby, I need to have an x-ray to make sure it healed right. If it didn't, I might have to have surgery. So off I went with some gauze!

I was doing much better after the ER. Relieving the pressure of the blood really did help in the long run. Now, I am just scared to death that someone is going to step on my toe, or I am going to accidentally bang it again. It still hurts if I am on my feet for a long time, and yes, it is still bleeding.

I am just really thankful that it was my left foot so I can drive, that it was only my toe and not my entire foot so I can walk on my heel, and that everyone else is doing alright. I need an end to this medical drama, though. Daniel just stapled his thumb today and a few weeks ago I had surgery on my pallet again. Will it ever end? Oh ya, I just remembered, I will be delivering a baby soon. HELP!

Camping

Growing up, my family went camping a lot. I never understood the sacrifice my mom made doing this until now. I know WHY they did it....it was a cheap, fun vacation for the kids. I am in awe now knowing how much work is involved. Just packing to leave took us all day! (I'm still not done cleaning all the sleeping bags and clothes one week later.) In the process of picking up last minute things at Wal-Mart, my husband, who was trying to help out, ended up leaving Ani's favorite blanket in the shopping cart. When we went back a half hour later, it was gone. No one has turned it in since, so it's safe to say that someone took it. Bad omen? I think maybe.

My sister, who lives in Idyllwild, said that it might snow. I didn't believe her. We knew the forecast called for rain. I love rain since we never get it so I thought this would be GREAT! It rained non-stop from the time we were there till the time we left the next afternoon. It was FREEZING cold, down into the 20's at night. I, apparently, like to punish myself. I spent most of the night trying to make our tent comfortable for everyone to sleep well in. Will set up the tent and was lucky to have other people to help set up a tarp over our fire, so we had some heat. If he hadn't been able to do that, we would have left.

The kids, even though they were told not to, got soaking wet within hours. Luckily, I was prepared and changed them all into dry clothes and rain boots with umbrellas. They had a blast. They complained every once in a while how cold they were, but for the most part, they were just happy to be doing something different. Daniel was so cold and tired, that after I changed him, he cuddled up in the sleeping bag and feel asleep for the night at 5 pm.! I'm glad we went and incredibly grateful for my parents who did this for us for so many years.
Poor Daniel's in the back so squished that he could bearly move to get in the picture!

In the beginning, they were so happy and more than willing to pose.

Ariel and her good friend, Virginia.

Leave it to Will to always have a smile on his face!

Ani ate a diet of marshmellows the whole time!

Will didn't figure out that you have to cut wood from the outside in until a boyscout pointed it out to him.

My Abigail is always ready to make herself look great!

Even Ani was a good sport.

Camping without marshmellows would have been like going to the beach without your swimsuit.

The next morning, I made a deal with Will that if he took pictures of the activities I would pack up the inside of the tent. (I think I got the better deal.) They made cookies and went on an egg hunt. I love the moments he captured.

Having Spencer and Virginia there made my kids so happy....I love it that my kids have such great friends.

Abi wanted me to write this: Crazy pictures are always awsome.

I wish I had captured this on video. Abi almost pulled the tarp down on top of the fire.

Shopping Fast

Read bottom to see update!
You may think we're crazy, but here's the deal: We have decided to not make ONE purchase (gas and bills only) for one full month. We want to see how well we've done in preparing for hard times. Our goal was so have a year supply of all our necessities and this will help us figure out what we missed. Why aren't we just doing it for a week or two? Because that wouldn't be hard for me. It's going to be hard to not stop at a fast food place to feed my kids when I'm in a rush. I usually go out to eat because I want a break or to reward my kids. That will be hard as well. I don't think it will be hard to not "shop." I've never been a big spender. I'm sure after a couple of weeks I'll be feeling it. I'll keep posting my status!

What I'm missing or forgot:

Day 1: Baby shower gift! Uh oh, looks like someone's going to be getting diapers and/or wipes as a gift. (I'll have to explain in my card =)

Day 22: I'm really tired of forgetting that I have to make more bread and having to stay up till midnight. I love home-made bread, but having to make it day in and day out is tiring. I have to say, though, that my family is probably eating MUCH healthier and LOVING the food. I did a good job with planning meals in advance.

That's what I've learned so far: Organization and planning are key when taking care of your family in any avenue, not just in food storage. Life is much easier and less stressful when things are organized. I would love to prepare a month's worth of meals in one day and have it ready so I have to do almost nothing for the next 29 days. So, it takes a lot of work for about a week, but I'm sure you'd end up saving money, eating better, and maybe even saving time once you get good at it. I don't know if I'm up to that challenge yet, but I know that I need a lot more of certain things to make a year's supply. What are they?: Honey, Flour, learn how to make butter and cheese, grow a garden with fresh vegetables, plant some fruit trees, invite more people over to eat dinner with us and when they ask what they can bring, tell them to bring Ice Cream!

1 week after fast is over:

Well, that was so much better than I thought it was going to be! I LOVED feeling prepared, and I was. So, I spent most of my day preparing meals and cleaning up after them. My husband was thrilled to have great dinners EVERY night. Now, grant it, this is not what it would be like in a disaster. I would be rationing our food and certainly not eating like a king every night. I really liked not having to run out to get things. From now on, I'm going to do one big shopping trip a month to replenish my freezer and fridge. I'm also going to get together with a friend and make dinners for about 20 days and freeze them. I'm going to refrain from buying more food till most of my freezer and fridge are emptied, thus saving money on food that would otherwise go bad. I'm only going to eat at a restaurant once a month and fast food once a month as well. I was relying way too much on these luxuries. My kids were being spoiled and food was going to waste at home. This way, I figure, I will have something to really look forwards to and feel like I have deserved it. My kids will feel this way too, I'm sure.

Food storage: Okay, so our leaders have asked us to have a supply of at least 3 months of food. Here's how easy this really is. Find 5 meals that you KNOW you eat at least once a month that contain ingredients which can easily be stored for up to a year. (ie. spaghetti, chicken/rice casserole, chili, tortilla soup, etc) Then, buy enough food to make 12 of each of these meals. This will get you 60 dinners. So, now you know you can have at least one meal a day for your family.

If you eat cereal, as my family does almost daily for breakfast, this is a great food to store and rotate. It lasts for up to a year and never gets wasted in our house. (We drink dry milk mixed with water, so that's not a problem for us...if you don't, it will take you quite a while to get used to...I'm glad we started that when we got married.)

So, there's two meals a day. Lunch is not too hard. If you know how to make bread, storing peanut butter and jelly along with flour, honey, and yeast in your freezer will get you by for a long time. (Lisa would do well on that diet being that PB&J is one of her favorites!)

So, there you have it! An easy way to figure out a three months supply of food for your family. The harder part is figuring out where to store it. We have an entire walk in closet devoted to food storage. The things that don't go bad (toilet paper, cleaning supplies, diapers, wipes, etc) are in our garage. Under our bed, I have rolling shallow boxes that hold all of my canned goods. It's a work in progress still, but I feel like I have a better grip on how to do this efficiently.

Today a speaker in church told of how they had spent tons of money on their dream home that was destroyed by a natural disaster. They now spend money on being prepared and spend the rest on things that can't break like vacations. I think that's a wise way to go. It's taken us the nine years since we were married to gather together what we think is necessary....and it keeps changing as our family grows. I have yet to figure out what we would do if our power went out. We need to store a good supply of propane for the BBQ, which I can cook a lot of things on. We still need to work on our water supply (unless the disaster happens in the summer when our pool is up!)

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." I know this to be true. I have to remind myself that I'm not only preparing for my family, but for those who were not as fortunate to have been counseled to do so (or whose supply was destroyed). It would feel great to have enough to share. I am blessed to have been exposed to leaders inspired by the Lord.

As far as preparedness in your home is concerned, organization is the key. Rotating and easy accessibility of your supplies is crucial if you don't want to waste what you buy. It's a life style that I'm proud to be working my way into. Feel free to ask me questions!

Horse-Back Riding

Yesterday we were invited over to the Halpenny's house to go horse-back riding and eat dinner. It was planned over a month ago and my kids asked almost every day when it was going to happen. Because Will is allergic to every animal on the planet, it was really quite a sacrifice on his part to go. He loaded his self up with allergy medicine and off we went. Ariel has always been an animal lover with horses being at the top of her list. My other kids love horses too, but I know that when Ariel grows up she is going to resent us for not letting her have a pet and I'm sure will have a zoo in her own house. The truth is that even if Will wasn't allergic to animals I would still be against having a pet. I'm sure they have their benefits, but I feel like I have enough to take care of with my growing family. (Not to mention that I really don't want to spend money on an animal.) Don't get me wrong; I'm glad other people have them and take good care of them. There's nothing worse than people who mistreat animals....I'm just glad that I don't have to worry about that.

It was wonderful to make the kids happy with their day of riding horses. I love making my kids happy. I, however, ended up with quite the sunburn and dehydrated body. Yes, I DID ride and even gallop for a while. I realized why pregnant women usually don't do this after I got off. My stomach was super tight (probably induced contractions) so I discretely excused myself "to change Ani's diaper" while I lied down in the car for a bit. I love riding horses. The most thrilling feeling for me is to ride a horse in a full on run.....totally scary, but totally fun, too.

We ate a great dinner and headed off. I'm so luck to have so many friends who live completely different lives that we are able to experience. From friends in snowy Utah to family in Hawaii, I sure have a great life.

Confession

Alright, so here's a confession: I've gained 30 pounds since I found out I was pregnant over five months ago. "They" say that you are supposed to gain between 25 and 35 pounds TOPS for the WHOLE pregnancy. I have never gained more than 50, but I can see myself just going overboard this time. With that in mind, and realizing I wasn't going to be going out because of our "shopping fast," I decided to try and eat healthy for the rest of my pregnancy.

I was doing really well till I remembered I had signed up to make a cake for church on Tuesday. I thought that I would be able to make this cake and not sample one bite. I have a strong will, or so I thought! The dang cake just looked so good that I couldn't help licking the beater of the moose, then I had to sample the cheesecake filling, and soon, especially after I opened the can of cherries, I was eating ALL the leftovers! Because I had ruined my "healthy" eating for the day, I decided to not stop there. At church, there was such yummy looking food that I went crazy and ate the worst of everything.

It took me the entire day to make this cake! (the sampling tasted better than the end product.) During that time, Ani found a black permanent marker and wrote on my couch. Lovely! I googled it to see what I could do and found that spraying with hairspray and scrubbing works the best. It faded the mark, but it's still there. Ahhh, the terrible two's have started.

Am I upset with myself? Not at all. I went back to my healthy eating the very next day and have been doing well ever since. I am finally starting to see what "moderation" in all things means. It's OKAY if I mess up...I just can't KEEP doing it!

Liz's Idyllwild Snowy Back Yard

A couple of weeks ago we went to my sister's house in Idyllwild. Her back yard was awesome for playing in the snow. The only down side was that it was snowing while I was trying to take pictures so I didn't get really good ones. My hands were freezing cold and I was worried I'd ruin my camera. The kids had a blast, though! They went airborn many times. Thanks, Liz!