Red Potato Salad with dill

I am super picky about my potato salad, so I was super happy when I found a recipe that I LOVED!  But just now when I went to my Pinterest page and tried to click on the link it said the blog no longer existed!!  What!?!!?  So, I googled "red potato salad with dill" hoping I could find it.  It took a while, but I managed to find the same recipe on a different page!  I couldn't pin it from that page so I decided to blog it on my own blog so I'd never lose it!! 

I've changed it slightly to my liking, but the original recipe can be found here.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed
• 3 to 4 eggs, hard-cooked and diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons diced dill pickle
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon freeze dried or fresh dill, or about 2 teaspoon dried dill (I tend to use more)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

Cut the potatoes into small, bite-size chunks and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and boil for about 10 to 12 minutes, until just tender. Pour off water, set the pan in a sink or larger pan of cold water to cool the potatoes quickly. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with eggs, celery, green onions, and diced dill pickle. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, and mustard. Add to the potatoes and stir gently to combine. Fold in the dill and add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6

I was born this way

Preface:  This is all my opinion and I'm allowed to share it thanks to the First Amendment.  Just as anyone who disagrees has the right to as well...because, you see, we're all equal.


Equality has nothing to do with religion.  As most of us know, most religions seem to think they're better than all the others, hence, not equal.  So why would it surprise you that most people supporting Prop 8 are siting religious scripture as the reason why marriage should only be between a man and a woman.  Now, I'm not trying to get into a religious argument here...I don't know enough about it to argue much...but what I'm trying to say is that we're trying to get LEGAL equality for the LGBT community, which has nothing to do with religion.
If you believe God only wants marriage between a man and a woman, that's fine.  But since when did God write the constitution?  We're not asking that a religion be forced to perform marriage ceremonies for gay couples, we're asking that these couples be afforded the same legal rights to join in a union together as a straight couple has. 
I hate to break it to you but I didn't have "God" anywhere in my marriage ceremony, yet I am allowed to visit my husband if he were in the hospital, I have the right to make life or death decisions for him and I can be added to his health insurance.
To me, my marriage wasn't (and still isn't) about religion or God, it was about committing myself to my husband and sharing that with our friends and family.  I, personally, don't see how anyone can deny that to another human being. 
How is any of this any different than the civil rights movements back in the 50s and 60s?  Just because they were black, it was assumed they didn't deserve the same rights as the whites.  They weren't equal just because of something they had no control over.  Having learned about this is school, I couldn't believe that anyone could think that way and was so glad that we've come so far with equality for women and African Americans.  Then things like Prop 8 happen and you realize history is repeating itself with a different group of people.

I'm just hoping that my children will be able to love whomever they want and LEGALLY be able to show that love and share it with everyone who loves them. 

Giving Thanks

As the holidays roll around this year, I look back and wonder where time went.  But then I look forward and realize that time has just begun.  I have so much to be thankful for this year...my wonderful husband and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary this summer, we have two beautiful, healthy little girls and I get to spend every day with them, watching them grow and become the wonderful people they were meant to be.

This all hit home for me a few days ago when I sent a text message to a friend of mine who was expecting her first child.  My first text said, simply "Hey!  How are you doing?"  She replied with "I'm doing ok."  So then I asked her if she knew the sex of the baby yet.  She then informed me that she had lost the baby two months ago.  Wow.  First I felt like an awful friend for letting that much time go by without talking to her, and then second, and more obviously, I felt like a jerk for bringing it up.  I mean, granted, I had no idea, but I still can't imagine having to deal with a loss like that and then to have someone ask about the baby. 
She said she and her husband were getting better, dealing with the pain and left it at that.  I told her I'm always here if she needed to talk to me, but I know her well enough to know she probably won't talk to me.  She was always a very private person. 
After that conversation, I just sat here and thought about how awful it would have been if I had lost one of my girls, even before I met them.  I know how lucky I am every day, but having something like this happen just makes me even more aware of the blessings I've received in life.  Sure, I complain from time to time about tantrums and sleep deprivation, but if I couldn't imagine life any other way, this is the norm. 

So, while the holidays have always been a special time for me, this year they mean just a little bit more.  I'm just so happy that I get to spend them with my lovely family.

Times flies when you're...

...a stay at home mom.
I was informed recently that I hadn't made a blog post since October 1st and that I was "slacken"  :)  So, while the girls are eating their pancakes and eggs I thought I would update a bit.
I haven't had much time for blogging recipes, but with the holidays coming up, I'm hoping to be able to make some neat gifts and perhaps share those on here.  We shall see.

Yesterday my sister and I took the girls to the zoo.  It was second Tuesday which means it only cost $4 to get in (the girls are still free)  once I calculated the cost of riding the Max (which gives you an additional $1.50 off your admission, making it only $2.50) I realized that with the recent price increase in tickets, it was actually cheaper to drive and pay the $4 for parking.  I wasn't really looking forward to parking though because it always takes at least 20 min to find a spot. 
We pulled in and...whoa...the parking lot was pretty much empty.  I took a picture because I couldn't believe it.

 

This never happens.  But we parked and headed up to the entrance.  It was chilly, but dry and not very crowded so it was a great day for the zoo. 

Squishy spent most of the time in the wagon drinking from Munchkin's sippy cup or eating crackers.  Munchkin on the other hand was behaving really well and it made for a nice trip.

 

We were there for about 3 hours or so, I knew it was time to leave when I asked Munchkin if she could see the tigers and she replied "No! I don't wanna see them!"  :)

 

All in all, it was a fun day and I feel lucky that we're able to create memories like this for our girls.

 

 

With Auntie in the eagles nest

Look! Zebra butt!!

 

Riding the lion

 

Squishy checking out the Lorakeets

 

It was a long day...



 

 

 

 

Fall is here

Today, being the first day of October, really feels like fall is here finally.  I love summer, don't get me wrong, but I love fall just a little bit more.

First, there's Halloween.  Something I've always loved and am so glad to have children now so I can go trick-or-treating again!  This will be Munchkin's third Halloween and Squishy's first and I'm way more excited than I probably should be.  Munchkin wants to be Cinderella and since Squish can't tell me what she wants to be, she's going to be an Angry Bird. 

Another reason I love fall is getting to take the girls to the local pumpkin patch.  It gets a lot more fun as they get older too.  Going on the hay ride, visiting the animals and picking out the perfect pumpkin followed by a cup of hot cider, sounds like the perfect fall day to me. 

I've also found so many DIY decorations on pinterest that I just can't wait to try, I think Hubby might be getting annoyed. 

And then comes Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday...I love food...and getting to spend time with family. 
Our situation is a bit different though.  Hubby's parents live in Japan and of his two sisters, one lives in Boston and one lives just down the street.  That's pretty much the extent of his family.  My siblings have sort of spread out and I've lost touch with a couple.  My mother...well that's a whole other story, but lets just say I don't usually spend holidays with her.  Most of our holidays are spent with my ex-boyfriends family...yeah, I told you it was a bit different.  It seems strange, but it works.

This December is extra special this year since not only do we have Christmas, but one week before is Squishy's first birthday!!  Doesn't seem possible that in just 2 1/2 months my baby girl will be one. 

So much fun to be had in the next few months!  The holidays are such a wonderful time!

I'm (Not) a crappy mom, just ask my girls

This photo has been making it's way around facebook, I've seen it posted by several different pages.  I read it and thought it was great.  The mommy wars are getting ridiculous, it was nice to see something celebrating our differences instead of throwing them in every ones faces.

But that's not what everyone thought.  There were some women who decided to take this photo and use it against other moms who they disagree with.  One particular discussion happened on Life With Levi's facebook page over the choice to circumcise.  I didn't get to read the actual posts, but I did see some of the aftermath on other posts.  It just seems so ridiculous to me that moms are attacking each other like this.  Being a mom is hard work, why make it harder for others by saying they're horrible parents because they chose to do things differently?  I mean, I know I was the perfect parent...before I had kids...and then I was given a violent reality check when my first daughter was born.  So, to help out and not let the few "perfect" parents out there win, I'm going to let you all know just how crappy of a mom I am!

• I tell my daughters I love them on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times a day
• I let my two year old eat fast food sometimes
• We switched my oldest to forward facing in the car when she turned one and will most likely do the same with her little sister
• I pierced my older daughter's ears when she was 11 months old
• I don't make them wash their hands as often as I probably should
• I make sure my two year old brushes her teeth before bed every night
• I only breastfed my oldest for 4 weeks, then she was on formula
• My youngest is 9 months old and still breastfed
• I use disposable diapers
• I read books to them both several times a day
• I let them watch age appropriate TV
• I swear in front of them both and my two year old has repeated me a few times
• Sometimes I yell at them when I'm angry
• I only spank when it's absolutely necessary
• I don't "baby talk" to either of them
• I let my two year old have soda sometimes
• She also drinks way too much juice
• I just started letting my 9 month old cry it out at bed time
• I threaten time out/spanking more times than I've actually done it
• I've bribed my oldest with ice cream/cookies
• I love them unconditionally and they love me back

I could probably go on, but I think that gets the point across.  I'm not perfect, I know this, but I'm doing the best I know how and if you don't agree with my choices, that's fine, but calling me (or anyone) a bad parent because of that is just plain childish and wrong. 

We have to realize that we're all raising the next generation together and if we want to make this world a better place, we need to teach that to our children.  I don't want my girls growing up thinking they're better or worse than everyone else just because of how I raised them.  I want them to treat everyone with respect and not judge people based on their beliefs.  I can only hope that others treat them the same way.

So to all you other crappy moms out there...keep it up!  :)

Road trip!

We got back yesterday from a week long trip to Spokane.  All four of us (Me, Hubby, Munchkin and Squishy) drove over there from Portland on the 7th and then Hubby flew out to Ohio Saturday morning for a work seminar thing.  He was gone for all of last week, returning Friday morning.  The girls and I stayed with some friends who have a little boy 3 months younger than Munchkin.  It was a lot of fun, we went to the park several times, took the kids to a children's museum, and just hung out.

We left Spokane this last Saturday and drove to Meridian, ID so Hubby could check in on a customer of his.  We stayed the night in a hotel there and then woke up Sunday morning to Munchkin having a fever and dry heaving.  Great.  We had a 7 hour drive ahead of us and sick kiddo, not going to be fun. 

We went through a drive through to get breakfast for me and I decided to get Munchkin some oatmeal (which wasn't bad for fast food).  She would have eaten the whole thing if I had let her, but I made her stop and she eventually fell asleep.  About 3 hours later, I saw the oatmeal again...We had to pull over on the side of the freeway and get everything cleaned up and get Munchkin calmed down.  We managed to make it home without another incident, but she didn't really eat or drink much the rest of the trip. 
Once we were home I was able to take her temperature and she had a fever of 102.5!  I gave her some Tylenol and she went to bed.  I was a bit surprised she didn't wake up during the night, but she was up bright and early at 6:30 wanting water.  I gave her some and then had her lay in bed and watch cartoons with me and Squishy.  She then decided to get off the bed and throw up all the water she drank.  And then, promptly asked me for oatmeal.  Kids, huh?  I convinced her to have some toast and a few dry cheerios and so far, so good. 

But of course, now Squishy and I are coming down with something.  I think we caught a cold from someone we met while in Spokane (I won't hold it against her, these things happen). 

So, today I get to take care of two sick girls and try not to get too sick myself.  Thinking it's time for some tea.