The Men in My Life

In this time of giving thanks… I’ve been thinking a lot about the men in my life… well, really only one man and a boy. We had been married for ten years when we welcomed our only son to our family and what a wonderful blessing he has been to us all. At first glance you can pinpoint their noticeable physical similarities…but spend some time with them and you will see they act a lot alike as well. For the past two years Rob has been stationed two hours away from home…this is hard on us all…however hands down it has had the most obvious effect on these two. I am thankful for the personal sacrifice they both make cultivating their father-son relationship with such limited time together. I am thankful for Rob’s dedication to his family and his country. I am thankful for his willingness to commute this distance to keep our children in the home, school and city they love. I am thankful that Sonny Boy otherwise known around here as “Brother” has been willing to make this compromise to accommodate the rest of his family…because if Brother had it his way he would make the commute with this Daddy and have Rob homeschool him from his office. In our haste and hurried days I hope you both know how much I love and appreciate you and how thankful I am to have you in my life.

Welcome to the Spinning World Baby

On the day you were born
the Earth turned, the Moon pulled,
the Sun flared, and, then, with a push,
you slipped out of the dark quiet
where suddenly you could hear....
a circle of people singing
with voices familiar and clear.
"Welcome to the spinning world," the people sang,
as they washed your new, tiny hands.
"Welcome to the green Earth," the people sang,
as they wrapped your wet, slippery body.
And as they held you close
they whispered into your open, curving ear,
"We are so glad you've come!"
-Debra Frasier

Apple Muffins

Dear Tina,
These are a La Leche League meeting favorite. Everyone calls them Vickie’s Muffins. Actually I guess that’s okay….I saw a recipe in a magazine for fruity muffins…they called for cranberries and raisins. I adapted it using apples. I fixed them for the first time in years just the other day and Jessica came running from her room yelling “Is that apple muffins?” Enjoy!
Love,Vickie

1 cup all-purpose flour
(I use stone ground multi grain)
½ cup oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
¾ cup packed brown sugar
(I recently started testing honey as a sugar substitute)
¼ butter-melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 medium apple, unpeeled, cored and diced

Preheat oven to 350˚
Grease muffin pan.
Mix flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in large bowl.
Beat egg in another bowl. Add sugar and whisk until smooth. Add butter and whisk until smooth. Add vanilla. Stir in apple
Pour over dry ingredients.
Fold just until ingredients are moist.
Spoon batter into muffin cups.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until browned and firm to the touch.

My Favorite Person

I would like to introduce Mister....my very first guest writer. I appreciate his willingness to share his essay about my sonny boy.
Thank you Mister.

Mister & Sonny Boy

My Favorite Person
By Mister

Best friends are great. I have one. He loves animals. He’s mostly happy. He is one of the funnest people I know. This is why he is one of my best friends. He loves animals. He has a million stuffed animals. When we were little we would play zoo. We would use bowls to feed the stuffed animals. Now we watch Animal Planet and draw animals. I love doing this with him.

He is almost always happy. He never is trying to have a bad attitude unless he’s playing. One time he was really mad, but when I came over he tried hard to be happy and in an hour or so he was happy again. This is one of the best things about him. He is a fun person. He always has fun ideas. One of his fun ideas was Satoga, a made up world. Most of his fun ideas are in the summer. Satoga was in the summer too. All of his fun ideas get added on to by my fun ideas. We have fun every time I visit. This is one of the many things I like about him. I’ve been telling you why he is one of my best friend. He loves animals so much. He can always tell me a new fact about animals. He is a great person to see if you need happiness. If you are feeling anything but happy see him. His happiness wears off on you. He is one of the funnest people in the world. He inspired me to be the funnest person I can be. He is a great person. Do you have someone like him in your life?

Embracing Change Part Two

I have mentioned before I am a midwife…..however I am not presently practicing. Even so, I am approached weekly for midwifery care. Just as I knew it would be… turning families down is very difficult. There has been a lot of confusion regarding my decision. I have not quit, I can not quit…not anymore then I can quit breathing. I am a midwife and I can not and do not want to change or stop that actuality. I was fraught with guilt regarding the decision to cut back and then to completely take time off. I realize this decision affects more then just me…and I am not a selfish person. I am prayerfully driven and I know that stepping away from midwifery is the right thing to do. Despite the popular belief to the contrary, the right thing is usually the harder thing… I’ve written about the path of less resistance before…and it’s a well known fact at least in my world the easier path is not always the right path. The world is full of people… like a herd of sheep… following each other around doing and saying the same things…embracing the status quo and marching off a cliff one right after the other. I am not that person. I have made some unpopular decisions in my lifetime; I have personally pioneered ground that no one I am acquainted with has ever explored. My brain is hardwired to meticulously think things through…and not necessarily to follow the trend or herd. So when recent legislation was passed in my state regarding midwifery I had to reevaluate how that would affect me and my future ability to care for families. I was already being pulled to be more present for my children and to scale back my midwifery clientele when the licensure issue sealed the deal… I would be stepping down for a while. My heart was heavy for weeks and months as I realized what a debacle a handful of midwives created. I am alarmed at my sister midwives lack of regard…for not seeing the whole picture…for not ensuring the availability of a midwife for all…for not taking the higher and harder path…for not doing the right thing. I am not opposed to accountability, regulation or licensure… I am opposed to this license. Midwives and consumers walked circles around the original intent and settled… they just plain settled…swooped off their feet and over the cliffs edge like a bunch of sheep. So I am open to reinventing myself…embracing change…see my post from Monday, September 21, 2009.

Character is Everything

A Mother

God knows that only a mother needs fortitude and courage and tolerance and flexibility and patience and firmness and nearly every other brave aspect of the human soul.

Warren Miller’s Dynasty

With screenings often running for one night only, Warren Miller films attract a cult-like following and mark the official start of winter for sports enthusiasts everywhere. Warren Miller premiers are an experience, a party, and a phenomenon you'll be sorry to have missed.

Tonight, we (the local cult-like following) filled up the theater to watch the film. At one point The Hippie leaned over towards me with a smile I could see in the dark and she said... "does anyone else feel like crying?" It was more then the breathtaking images on the screen... I knew that she was thinking about her own life and personal commitment... as a dedicated snowboarding athlete....whose talent is evident and who has a promising future ahead of her. Humble yet confident The Hippie is destined to do great things in this industry. If you're on the mountain...watch for the girl in the purple pants...she rides with a style that sets her apart from the rest. When she points her board downhill she sees more then the average weekend recreational rider.... ...she is an artist and the snow her canvas.

Blogging for Dummies

She said I would love it, that it would be easy…she made it sound like following a recipe. She gave me these step-by-step directions how to get started…she said it will be a cinch and fun and would only take me 30 minutes a day.
She Lied! In her defense, I do love it…but its really NOT that easy, and I ask ye wise ones…when is the “start up phase” over… two weeks, two months, six months… I’ve never in my life know a single a thing about HTML codes, maxwidgets, showaddelement, 2 vs.3 column templates…I have questions, A LOT of questions and the answers to my questions generate more questions…I am having trouble keeping up with my favorite blogs these days because I am getting up close and personal with Peter @ Blogger Tips and Tricks. I am spending what time I have… figuring out how to blog… well that is not entirely true, I can write what is on my mind, that part IS easy…so blogging…is easy…but... if you care one iota about colors, spacing, size of your pictures and/or you want to personalize your blog at all…be prepared for a mini-masters in computer-slash-blog science. I may over think this whole deal… but honestly… Missy, as you well know from the misplaced HTML code the other day…. the error that scrambled my whole page with a simple click…this isn’t easy peasy…I am giving it my best boy scout effort up in here and still my layout lacks the kind of character I desire. Its getting there…. Suffice to say, I had no idea things would be this complicated and require so much research. I am addicted now and unable to stop…lets be clear about one thing … when I start bargaining a daily shower for just another hour on the computer….you may need to make up the spare bedroom sister because I might be blogging myself into the singles ward. Ha ha complete exaggeration as you well know Rob likes the blog... I am just saying I can totally see how one could risk personal hygiene, proper nutrition and adequate sleep perfecting their blog.

Let it Snow

It’s officially November and this family is not-so-patiently waiting for the Ski and Snowboard Season. We are all excited.... for the past few years we’ve been ready for snow before anyone we know…the more snow the better…and the longer it stays the better, needless to say we are to the point where we are looking outside every morning just to see what, if anything came in the night……this year I am really, really ready.... I personally have a bit of reconciliation going on...more mental then physical I think. April 4th last day of the ‘08-‘09 season…..one of the best powder days of the year…practically untouched because even the most die hard skiers were gearing up for Spring…. Suffice to say it was unbelievable snow! First run... I hate to even type it (or say it out loud).....I broke my leg. So it’s with mixed feelings that I await the snow… I am ready… I want to know that my leg works (on skis)… I am not even sure if I have any apprehension…alright...maybe just a bit of reservation…For the past few years I’ve been fortunate to ski several days a week…I am just hoping this year is no different.