Our WA ADVENTure!

It's that time of year again! We all love Advent in our family, and the kids were thrilled to see the perpetual Advent calendar come out last Friday. That reminded me that I needed to get posting...

Since these are our first official holidays in the Pacific Northwest, we have had to make some changes in our traditions. The most obvious change is... well, we have no relatives closer than 20 hours away. This after being two hours or less from all of the grandparents before we moved. Boo. Since it was just going to be our happy little family for Thanksgiving, we tried to make it memorable. The five of us participated in a local 5K to raise money and/or food for a local food pantry that morning. The weather wasn't bad... about 55° and a bit rainy at first, but it dried up soon after we started. My husband and our oldest son ran the whole thing. Our daughter jogged a considerable amount of it (but stopped occasionally to look back and make sure she could still see me). And our youngest and I walked as quickly as we could. He sang "Jingle Bells" for approximately the last half-hour, to the amusement (or annoyance) of those around us at the back of the pack.

Thanksgiving dinner was prepared lovingly by my husband and it was delicious. Once we had all rested our bellies a bit, we drove about 15 miles to the only tree farm we could find that was open that day and we purchased a perfect Christmas tree. Once we got home, I helped the kids all put up their mini trees in their rooms and they decorated them. Friday was spent getting out all the decorations and cleaning. We were all extra excited because my in-laws were coming Saturday! They'll be with us until Thursday morning, and we are loving the company from back home.

So, I finally sat down Saturday night and wrote out this year's Advent plans. If you'd like to see what we did last year, you can read all about it here. I've found several local things to do here that will be new to us, and I picked up Lisa Whelchel's The ADVENTure of Christmas to glean a few more ideas.

Here are the plans for 2014:

Dec. 1st - 24 days until Christmas - After school today we are going to make cookie mix to give to friends. There will also be peppermint ice cream after dinner (after soccer for London)!
Dec. 2nd - 23 days until Christmas - We will play a couple of Christmas games this afternoon and then we’ll get pizza with Nana & Pa after Eden’s yoga class!
Dec. 3rd - 22 days until Christmas - We’ll make cookies after school and tonight we will drive through the Portland WinterWonderland with Nana & Pa!
Dec. 4th - 21 days until Christmas - This afternoon we will have hot cocoa and make angels to hang!
Dec. 5th - 20 days until Christmas - Tonight is the downtown Christmas tree lighting. L’s choir will get to sing and we’ll talk to Santa!
Dec. 6th - 19 days until Christmas - Tonight is the Christmas ships parade! We’ll go have cider and cookies at the port, then we will watch the ships head down the Columbia River.
Dec. 7th - 18 days until Christmas - Today is the 2nd Sunday in Advent. After church we will wrap our gifts for one another and watch a Christmas movie or two!
Dec. 8th - 17 days until Christmas - After school today we will play Christmas BINGO!
Dec. 9th - 16 days until Christmas - We’ll make candy canes into reindeer this afternoon to give to friends of your choice!
Dec. 10th - 15 days until Christmas - There will be a yummy treat we’ll make after school today. They look like Christmas trees, but they’ll taste great!
Dec. 11th - 14 days until Christmas - Today we’ll learn how to say “Merry Christmas” in a few different languages!
Dec. 12th - 13 days until Christmas - For movie night tonight we’re going to make red and green popcorn!
Dec. 13th - 12 days until Christmas - This afternoon we are going to go on a “Journey to Bethlehem.” There will be a live Nativity scene!
Dec. 14th - 11 days until Christmas - Today is the 3rd Sunday in Advent! Dad is going to the Seattle Seahawks game; we are going to make gingerbread houses for the first time ever!
Dec. 15th - 10 days until Christmas - This afternoon you can make Christmas cards for your grandparents!
Dec. 16th - 9 days until Christmas - Today we will bake cookies for your teachers!
Dec. 17th - 8 days until Christmas - We will make containers for your teachers’ cookies out of Pringles cans!
Dec. 18th - 7 days until Christmas - Tonight is B’s preschool Christmas program!
Dec. 19th - 6 days until Christmas - Tonight we will walk through the Portland Grotto Festival of Lights!
Dec. 20th - 5 days until Christmas - Today we will make treats for our neighbors and deliver them to their doors!
Dec. 21st - 4 days until Christmas - Today is the 4th Sunday in Advent. We are going to make paper luminaries to line our sidewalk!
Dec. 22nd - 3 days until Christmas - Tonight we’ll all get in our PJs and drive around looking at Christmas lights!
Dec. 23rd - 2 days until Christmas - Today we are going to make Wassail (a special kind of homemade apple) and watch another Christmas movie!
Dec. 24th - 1 day until Christmas - Today we will make cookies for Santa, read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and go to the Christmas Eve service at church!

As I mentioned last year, I go into all of this in a very flexible frame of mind. I only print out a few of the notes at a time just in case we need to make changes. This morning our daughter happily opened the first door on the Advent calendar to read what we were doing today. I love seeing the kids' faces when they find out what the activity is. They never seem to mind if it is a big thing or a tiny thing.

I also need to give a shout-out to my friend and former co-worker, Ann, who gave me a little story last year. It's called "The Last Straw," and she said she'd read it to her children at the beginning of Advent for several years. Last night (the first Sunday in Advent), I read it to my children. It got just the response I was hoping for and my oldest created a little manger that we are now filling with toothpicks (in lieu of straw). You'll have to find the story (or ask me for it) if you want the details. :)

As always, *For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

How Young Living Essential Oils Have Changed Our Lives

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Yes, this is far off the course of ABC ideas. But my family has truly changed since becoming loyal Young Living Essential Oils users almost three years ago. It's time for me to share with all of you!

I had been using essential oils from Campbell's Nutrition for years before finding YL. I used them for aromatherapy purposes, for cleaning my yoga mat, and for making air fresheners and disinfectants. I thought they were fine, but then I started hearing more and more about Young Living through acquaintances on Facebook.

If it hadn't been trusted friends that were posting testimonies, I would have been more skeptical. Since I did, in fact, trust their opinions, it didn't take me long to go to a workshop in one of their homes. In less than two hours, I was completely sold on Young Living. And I had my husband 80% convinced by the end of the night (men are naturally a bit more skeptical). 

A little background history of our family's minor medical issues for you... I have suffered from seasonal allergies my entire life. My three children all displayed symptoms of the same allergies from the time they were two years old. My husband, while being allergy-free most of his life, "grew into" allergies in his 30s, though not nearly as severe as the rest of us. I was using Flonase nasal spray every day and often had to supplement with Claritin to "survive" the long cottonwood season in IA. Our kiddos used Children's Claritin from the day of the first spring thaw to the first hard freeze in the fall. Also, our oldest tends to get ear infections (twice resulting in ruptured ear drums when he was five) every time he catches a cold and he is very prone to catch strep throat if it's been anywhere near him. When he gets strep, he is one those special kids who displays strep rash (aka Scarlet Fever). It's a lovely rash that starts on the trunk and can spread over the entire body. Not itchy, but hot and uncomfortable, not to mention unsightly. 

All that said, I purchased my Essential 9 starter kit from Young Living in January 2012. While anxiously awaiting the kit's arrival, my youngest, my husband, and I all caught the respiratory flu within 48 hours. We had all been vaccinated (and yes, I am still a firm believer in vaccinations regardless of loving my oils), but that year's vaccination combo had not covered the flu strain that made the rounds fastest. I was the only one who went to my family practitioner, who assured me that if we hadn't received the flu shots, we'd be sicker for longer. So, I gladly took the Tamiflu she prescribed (and so did my husband). It was truly the sickest I've ever felt. Our baby got over it very quickly with no meds. Two days after I felt better, my oils came. Now, they'd already been exposed and hadn't caught the flu, but just to be safe I began slathering my older two children's feet with Thieves oil. They never did catch the flu bug that winter. 

Thieves oil is an amazing blend that helps to support our immune systems. I put it on my children's feet (this part of the body absorbs oils very quickly and isn't sensitive to potent oils like thinner skinned body parts) every night of the school year to protect them from all the sickies that go around school. They still catch minor colds, but that's typically it. I also only use Thieves hand soap, Thieves household cleaner (great on my hard floors and in the laundry with Norwex detergent), Thieves hand sanitizer, and Thieves spray, which I'll mention again soon. My two oldest children also love the Thieves toothpaste.

That spring I decided to chance not buying Claritin for our family. This felt like a big risk, but I knew I could go buy it if necessary. Rather than daily doses of purple chewables or liquid, I rubbed a drop of lavender oil on the base of our necks (right where the skull meets the spine) each morning. If one of us had a case of the sniffles or itchy eyes, I added a little lavender on our cheekbones. My daughter loves lemon oil under her nose if she's stuffy. Not only have we not used OTC allergy meds since buying the oils, but also stopped needing the lavender oil as often this year. In fact, we only used it a handful of times. And I threw away my Flonase. I can't claim that the oil made our allergies go away, but I do know that none of us have displayed major allergy symptoms for over two years. 

Here's my big child-related oil testimony. In July of 2012, our oldest went to Bible camp for 5 nights. We picked him up on Friday, found out that his cabin counselor had a nasty sore throat, and heard an hour later that our son's throat hurt. We were leaving the next morning for the Wisconsin Dells to meet my side of the family for a little vacation. Saturday morning he had a low-grade temp, but was excited about the trip. I sprayed his throat with Thieves spray. This is not for the faint-hearted, but it works wonders on sore throats. He wasn't complaining too much by that evening. The next day was a big, long day of hard playing at the Chula Vista water park. By 3:00, he was wiped out. This is not at all like him, so we knew he still wasn't feeling well. We went for an early dinner, and headed to our hotel to get the kids cleaned up and ready for bed. After L's shower, he showed us the bad news. There was a familiar rash creeping up his tummy and lower back. We were out of state and not even planning to head for home after the trip (plans were to go to my in-laws' for the annual 4th of July celebration). His temp was 101° (I'd packed the thermometer since he'd been under the weather when we left home). As my heart sank, I sprayed his throat with Thieves, rubbed more Thieves on everyone's feet, tucked him into bed, and went to call our pediatrician's office. I begged the after-hours nurse to check his chart (to prove that sore throat + rash *always* = strep in his case) and call in a prescription to the pharmacy nearest my in-laws', where we were heading the next day. She refused. Sadly coming to the conclusion that we'd have to miss the 4th of July fun we always had with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, I went to check on L. I had decided to apply some lavender to his rash and see if it helped at all. As I pulled up his PJs, he sleepily informed me that he'd been praying God would make the strep go away. Wait for it... No rash. Not even a sign of it. I checked his temp and it was down to 99.5°. My husband and I just stared at each other. Never had one of his rashes gone away without antibiotics. It was crazy. He slept soundly and rested more on the way to his grandparents' the next day. Our daughter (who is the lucky one who vomits with the strep virus) had a fever and threw up one night on the farm, but felt better the next day. I firmly believe we fought off the strep virus with a heavy duty combo of essential oils and prayer. 

One last big testimony for you. Before starting with YL, I was taking Prozac half of each month. This wasn't for depression, but for extreme PMS issues. I'd never had PMS problems until my youngest was born. I seriously felt like a crazy person for up to a full week before my cycle would start. It would be so bad that I would scream at my family for no good reason. The screaming episodes would be like an out-of-body experience: I could see myself doing it, but I could not get control. It was scary for everyone involved. After discussing this with a close friend (whose father was a pharmacist), she shared that she'd had similar issues in the past and her dad had recommended Prozac. I made an appointment with my OB-GYN, and she agreed. She explained that Prozac works differently in women who do not have depression. I would take it from day 15 of my cycle until the next one started. It worked wonders and I felt normal again. I also had nasty heartburn from the Prozac, and I just didn't like the idea of taking a prescription so often. Once I'd started YL, I began researching alternatives to the Prozac. The best suggestion I found was to blend basil oil with Dragon Time (a blend of oils specifically for preventing PMS bloating and cramping). The basil was supposed to help with irritation during PMS. Let me tell you, I was scared to stop the Prozac. What if I felt crazy again? I didn't want to be that kind of mom or wife. I decided to try it for one month. Praise the Lord, the oils worked just like the Prozac. Without a single side effect (other than smelling like black licorice from the fennel oil in the Dragon Time... My sister is the only one who regularly mentions this). 

Those are my big stories, but we truly use YL oils every day. Aside from the Thieves, I also protect my children with Ningxia Red juice, which has strong antioxidants. We use this in place of vitamins, and it can be blended into smoothies for those who don't care for the strong wolfberry taste. My children all drink it straight, however.

We keep our oils in two places: a kitchen drawer (I use an old egg carton to organize them) and one of my bathroom drawers. Most of them have labels on the lids so we can find them easily. The oils we use the most are lavender (great in place of Neosporin for cuts, scrapes, and burns), Purification (a blend that cleanses the air of any nasty smells and is a great acne deterrent), peppermint (for tummy aches, head aches, and sinus congestion), PanAway (a blend for muscle aches or bruises), Peace and Calming or StressAway (blends for just what they sound like), Raven (a blend for really icky coughs or sore throats), Digize (a blend for tummy issues too strong for peppermint), RC (a blend for nasal congestion that is too much for peppermint, lavender, or lemon), and Progessence Plus (a blend that is great for helping women keep hormones in balance).

I also keep the two sheets shown above hanging in the cabinet near our oils drawer. I have all sorts of notes written on them about how the 9 essential oils can be used. You can also see the reference book in my oils drawer. Some call this the "oils bible." It has been very beneficial in finding what oils to use for certain ailments. I love this book!

My husband is now completely sold on YL oils as well. He talks up the Thieves with co-workers, and he testifies that our children haven't needed antibiotics since we've relied on the oils. I finally got our oldest through a double ear infection without resorting to a doctor's appointment or meds just a couple weeks ago. It took diligence, but it worked. 

I know that many people are leery of "new-age" homeopathic medicine options. However, oils are mentioned in the Bible many times for their healing properties. There are entire books and classes about the healing oils of the Bible. There are many, many different brands of essential oils. The oils sold in stores (like I used to buy) may say "100% essential oil" on the bottle, but if you look more closely, they also warn against using topically or ingesting internally. There are very few YL oils that cannot be used internally or topically. This isn't just aromatherapy, friends, it is a real, healthy, non-pharmaceutical based alternative to OTC medicine. It is working for my family! If you'd like more information about Young Living, please do not hesitate to ask me. :)

Eating our Ws, Xs, Ys, and Zs!

Today is not only Labor Day, but also the final day of summer break here in our neck of the woods. We had a fun and productive last week of summer and we had a few good ABC foods along the way.

My kiddos found plenty of W foods to eat at for three days last week. We had waffles, Wheat Thins, whole wheat bread, wafers (of the Nilla variety), and watermelon galore. I made Waldorf Salad (with walnuts!) for the first time. I thought it was delicious, but none of the kids were sold on it.

Thursday was our X day, and I made Xavier soup (an old Catholic recipe). It was pretty blah, but E loved it. The little ones also enjoyed their Extra gum.

We celebrated the letter Y on Friday with yams (well, my husband and I ate them... the kids have had sweet potatoes before and aren't yet fans) and yogurt. I let them each choose one container of yogurt (normally I only buy the Chobani plain and add frozen or fresh fruit to it). After making their selections, the older two read the nutrition labels on the way home. They now understand why I haven't let them pick out flavored yogurt before.

And so, today is Z day. We are going to cookout on our fire pit tonight, but I'll be steaming some zucchini to go along with the hot dogs and chicken breasts we grill. I am also about to run to the store to grab a Z treat. It will either be Zingers or Little Debbie's Zebra Cakes... whichever is available.

The sun is shining after a dreary weekend of clouds (I was bummed that my dad and uncle visited on the only two days in the last five weeks that were too cloudy to see Mt. Hood). Our kids have all been outside meeting new friends, and they're all excited for school!

I will be spending the next few months finding local ABC things to do around here next summer. As I get stuff figured out, I'll be posting. Happy Labor Day!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Us & Vs

This week we discovered that U foods are hard to come by. I did make Upside Down Cake for the first time, and it was also the first time my children had eaten it. Half of the cake was pineapple (for three of us), a quarter was cherry for L (who doesn't care for pineapple), and the final quarter had no fruit for the picky little one. It was all good.

We made a concerted effort to locate an ugli fruit. Our awesome little local produce store didn't have any, so I went searching online. Walmart typically stocks them according to their website, but we just missed the ugli fruit season. Bummer. For those of you who have never heard of it, it's a hybrid of tangerine, orange, and grapefruit. It can also be called a tangelo.

V foods were a little more abundant. I let the kids choose a V8 Splash juice, which is a treat in this house since I normally only buy Trop50. B thought it pretty much tasted the same as the OJ, but E didn't care for it (which is perfectly fine by me!). I never heard L's opinion on the V8, but he drank what was in his cup.

Also on our menu were lots of veggies (carrots, red bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes). We also ate a few vanilla wafers yesterday. Today my husband brought us a special Portland area treat: Voodoo Donuts. This is not a child-friendly donut shop, but the donuts are delicious. Here is a pic of the yummy selections he brought home for us. Clockwise from top left are: the Portland Cream (note it has eyes... in true "keep Portland weird" fashion), the Marshall Matters (cake donut with vanilla frosting and mini M&Ms), the No Name (yeast donut with chocolate frosting, Rick Krispies, and PB), and the Maple Bacon Bar. Mmmm.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Ts

I can't believe we're nearing the end of the alphabet, but I realize that all of our IA peeps have already started back to school! We have two more weeks of summer break to enjoy here, so I'm not complaining.

Last week we ate (plate) tacos, toast, and Tootsie Rolls... all foods that are much loved in our home.

I couldn't find a T food that I wanted the children to try for the first time, so we improvised and tried a local pizza bistro Friday night. It's called Twilight Pizza and it was tasty.

Monday I made Tator Tot Casserole. Definitely not a new food in this home, but I did try a slightly different recipe. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but it hit the spot!

Yesterday and today are U food days and the rest of the week will be V foods, and we didn't find a lot of either, so I may post those letters together.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Ss

I believe S is the letter that has been the easiest for us. We probably could have found enough S foods to eat solely S foods for three days straight.

We started off a day early on Sunday, which happened to be National S'mores Day. Who can resist that? We fired up our backyard fire pit for the first time and roasted some yummy marshmallows for our s'mores. Mmm-mmm, good.

Monday brought us smoothies, steaks, sweet corn, and spinach salads (okay, B did not eat a salad...).

On Tuesday, I made Simple Scones from allrecipes.com. I swapped out the raisins in the recipe for dark chocolate chips... just because I felt like it! They were buttery goodness and all of the children (trying scones for the first time) agreed that "British cookies" are great. We had spaghetti for dinner that night and in a mind-blowing turn of events, B asked for a second bowl. Oh happy day!

Last night my husband and I actually got to eat out (on his company's dime - we took out a couple from Des Moines as part of an interview process). It was the first meal I've had away from my children in almost a month, and it was in the swanky Portland City Grill, so I was in heaven. Here at the house, we had a new babysitter (whose name is Sierra - perfect for an S day!), and she served the kiddos sandwiches, strawberries, and veggie straws. A great night was had by all!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Rs

I may have improved a tiny bit with this letter, but not all that much. ;) Truly, I believe God has finally made it clear that I can let go of control and still survive. I do still want to have fun with the rest of the alphabet this summer, though.

During a trip to the Oregon Zoo this week, we all had raisins for snacking. They are easy to throw in the bag, everyone likes them, and as a bonus, they're made from red grapes.

We often have smoothies for breakfast around here, and the kids aren't always aware of what healthy items I include in the blender. Ignorance is bliss, as far as smoothie ingredients go. For instance, I almost always throw in plain Greek yogurt for protein, spinach for vitamins, Ningxia Red juice for immune system boosters, and a variety of frozen fruits. Thursday morning, I made a point of letting them know that there were raspberries in their smoothies, since that was our R food for the day. You would have thought I had told B there was rat poison in his cup. Despite assuring him that he'd had many smoothies with raspberries in the past, he would only succumb to one little drink (insert eye roll here).

I saved the week for him by making Rice Krispie Treats to finish out our R days. I love these sweet treats so much that I could easily devour an entire pan of ooey-gooey goodness in one sitting. Alas, I did share a few with the kids.

Earlier this summer, one of our Ankeny neighbors (Ginger, of the beloved neighbors... Fred and Ginger... no joke) made us a homemade rhubarb pie. None of our children had tried rhubarb before, but they all loved Ginger like a surrogate grandmother, and since it was in pie form, they all tried it. Our oldest proclaimed it to be good (especially with lots of Cool Whip), our middle child declared it to be "eh" and wouldn't have a second piece the next day, and the picky youngest took one bite and said, "yuck." There was not enough Cool Whip in the house to make it edible in his opinion. I decided that since they'd all been brave and tried that, I wouldn't make them try another R food this week.

They are already asking what we're having for S & T this week, but I haven't even thought about it yet!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Qs

I really wussed out on Q foods. Not much imagination left, I guess... Yesterday we ate quesadillas for dinner. Everyone chose their own ingredients and even The Picky One was satisfied.

Today I let the kids have Quaker Popped Rice Snacks for their afternoon snack. Again, they each chose the flavor they wanted, and all was well. That's as exciting as it got for Q foods. I wanted to find Suzy Q's, but either they don't exist anymore, or they just don't sell them around here. Since Quaker is a good ol' Iowa company, I just went with that. I will try to be more creative for R days!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Ps

As anyone can see, I have let go of some (or most) of the guidelines I set out for this edible ABC summer. Though it always makes me a little sad when things don't go as I've planned, I am practicing flexibility and it hasn't killed me yet.

Last week we did have a couple of P-themed days. I found it odd that the Fred Meyer grocery chain was advertising pumpkin pie when we went grocery shopping on Tuesday. The kids were excited to sample some pumpkin pie in the bakery section (I was surprised to see even picky Mr. B inhale his sample). THey begged me to buy a pie, but I declined. Wednesday night as I was thinking about what we could eat for P foods, I decided to go for it and make pumpkin pie.

I don't think I've ever eaten (or had any desire to eat) pumpkin pie in any month other than October or November. But, I went for it and made it for the first time (every Thanksgiving I make Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake that is to die for, but have never made basic pumpkin pie). Before serving it up, I also made pasta and Parmesan garlic bread. Everyone was pretty pleased with this meal.

Friday night we planned to make homemade pizza. This normally includes whole wheat pizza dough I make in our bread machine, but we ran errands after my husband got off work and I forgot to get the machine going before we left home. Since it takes a couple hours, I knew we wouldn't have time to make it for dinner. So... our pepperoni and pineapple pizza was prepared on a Pillsbury pizza crust. ;) Not quite as tasty (or healthy), but the kids thought it was funny.

Bonus: the leftover pumpkin pie was consumed on the beach of the Pacific during our picnic lunch Saturday afternoon. That was another first for me: eating pumpkin pie at the ocean. Peculiar picnic indeed.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating LMNOs (in theory)

Yes, we went two and a half solid weeks without following our ABC summer plan. For those of you who know me well, that's proof that I was frazzled and out of sorts.

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, the kiddos were hanging at the farm (my in-laws') on all of the L days, and I do not know whether or not they ate anything that started with L. Our long road trip included two M days, and I can testify that many, many mouthfuls of munchies were eaten (including some M&Ms). That's about it, though. Oh, my mother-in-law did treat the older two to McDonald's the night that we got into Cody late (the youngest and I just skipped dinner and went to bed). As for Ns and Os... I know we had lots of olives on plate tacos earlier this week, but I can't think of anything else. Pathetic.

So, here's what I would have done had life been "normal" since our last K day.

Foods I'd have cooked/served/tried:

L -                                  M -                       N -                       O -
  Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins     Mousse                    Homemade Noodles                  Onion Rings
                                                     (love all of these, but never made at home)    
  Laffy Taffy (always a hit)          Milkshakes in the Vitamix     Neapolitan ice cream   Orange Julius
  Life Cereal (we've never had)     Macadamia nuts                   Nutella                           Orzo
                                                                                  (these are all new to the kids)
  Lunch Meat (tried and true)      Mac & Cheese                        Nectarines                    Olives 

Oh well... I can always add these to our list for next year's big blowout of #3's ABC summer. And we did officially get back into the swing of things with the letter P today. I will post on that this weekend! :)

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Our Big Move to the Pacific Northwest

I'm back! That was quite a couple of weeks... Since I last blogged, the men who loaded the moving truck left behind scratches and dents in walls and door frames, along with the glass top to our patio table, which I did not find until walking through the house with our new buyer right before he closed. After dealing with the claims coordinator (who is sending a check to cover damages to our buyer), I spent a lovely couple of days with my best friend. We shopped, ate out, and she even hosted a going away party for me with many of my other friends. ♥

I then spent a day with my sister's family and my parents (though I didn't get a chance to officially hug my oldest nephew goodbye since he was working), and a couple nights at my in-laws' farm. My husband called to let me know that the truck was scheduled to arrive early Saturday morning, which would give him plenty of time to get things settled a bit before we arrived Tuesday afternoon. On Friday the 18th, we loaded up and hit the road. My in-laws had two of my nephews from CO with them and were meeting my sister-in-law in Ogallala, NE, that evening. Our first day was pretty uneventful, and it was a drive we knew well from all the trips we've made to CO. I had taken a friend's idea (which she found on Pinterest) and filled a Rainbow Loom organizer for each of my children with snacks. They could use the organizer as a lap desk and then have a snack whenever they wanted. That was probably the best thing I planned for this entire trip! The only downfall of the day was a call from my dear husband, letting me know that the moving truck had broken down somewhere in MT. They were ordering the necessary part; it was to arrive Tuesday, delaying the truck until at least Wednesday. Ugh. Not what I wanted to hear. I wanted them to find another truck and get our things to the house by Tuesday, at the latest. My husband is a much kinder person than I am, and he did not get irate with the coordinator. This annoyed me. At the hotel, all the kiddos played in the pool, we ate pizza, and we hit the sack fairly late.

Saturday morning, my father-in-law headed back to IA, my sister-in-law and her four boys headed back to CO, and my mother-in-law (bless her heart) headed west with my hooligans and me. We stopped at Scotts Bluff (we'd planned to stop at Chimney Rock too, but somehow we both missed the signs!) and took in the national monument there. It was breathtaking and the kids really enjoyed that stop. We then drove and drove and drove some more... all the way to Cody, WY. That was a long day of driving and we got to the hotel very late. It was by far the nicest hotel we stayed in on this trip (Best Western Premier Ivy Inn & Suites, in case you ever get to Cody), and sadly, we spent the least amount of time there and didn't even get a chance to swim.

The reason we didn't take time to swim at this beautiful hotel was that we were going to Yellowstone Sunday morning. We wanted to spend as much time there as possible before heading on down the road. What an amazing place! The children were thrilled to see many bison, an elk, a couple deer, and a yellow-bellied marmot. We made the small hike to one of the waterfalls, stopped at a couple of bubbling mud puddles (geyser basins) that reeked of sulfur, and of course, watched Old Faithful erupt. After a tasty late lunch/early dinner at the park and a detour to the gift shop, we took off for Missoula, MT. I must thank a couple of my dear friends for sending along little gifts for the children to open at various points along the way! They were invaluable. This was another long drive and a very late bedtime for my kiddos.

By Monday, there were still no updates on the truck situation, which had me quite steamed. I had not been impressed by the driver's attitude and lack of professionalism at our house the previous Monday, and it peeved me to think that he was enjoying a long weekend of relaxation while waiting for his truck to be repaired. We made our way through the narrow part of ID that morning and into WA by lunchtime. Because my sister had always teased me when we were younger that she was going to send me to Walla Walla, WA, I was thrilled to find it on our route to our new home. And for that reason, I booked what was supposed to be our final hotel stay of our journey in Walla Walla. It was a quaint little town that seemed to thrive on wineries and senior living estates. The hotel pool was outside, which we found odd considering that WA isn't known for balmy temps year round, but it was warm enough by the time we got there for the kids to take a dip before dinner.

Tuesday we took our time and stopped at a winery located in a renovated school building to buy my loving husband a bottle of Syrah from the Walla Walla Valley. I also wanted to take everyone to Multnomah Falls, but once we were about 15 miles away from the area, we could see that it was raining heavily up ahead. So, I decided to forgo the falls and just head to the house. My hubby was on his way home from work to meet us, and my mother-in-law drove the last leg in the pouring rain and curves, twists, and turns. We were all so excited when we pulled into the driveway! We took the tour after all the kids got hugs from their dad, and the house was impressive. Unfortunately, at that point, the truck was not going to arrive until "at least Thursday." After some pressure from me, my husband complained enough to the coordinator that they agreed to pay for two hotel rooms per night until the truck's arrival. They also covered 50% of our meals. So, we moved into the local Best Western (pretty much the only option in town other than a little boutique inn downtown that wouldn't be very child-friendly).

What was supposed to be two nights there turned into four (after the truck started off Wednesday morning, it promptly broke down again)... The kids spent a lot of those days swimming at the (indoor, thankfully) pool and watching the Disney channel, which I normally do not promote. We did spend a little time at the house doing some cleaning. There was also a visit to the Portland Children's Museum and two small road trips with my husband. One morning we drove to Mount St. Helen's to walk through a lava tube cave. Sounds cool, right? Very cool... Actually it was only 42° in the cave. It was also pitch black, so flashlights or lanterns are required. Oh, and it was raining once we got to the mountain, so we were wet (though we had, thankfully, purchased raincoats the day before), cold, and trying to maneuver over wet rocks and puddles in a dark cave. Not so much fun, as it turns out. Especially with a four year old. Our second trip was more successful. We headed back to Multnomah Falls on a beautifully sunny day and took in the sights. As the kids and their nana had ice cream at the base, we took a mini date and hiked up to the top. Holy Hannah, that is a steep incline (and I was severely out of shape after several weeks of no workouts and several days of sitting in a car). Ouch.

We all sadly sad goodbye to Nana Friday night before bed, as her flight was quite early Saturday morning. My husband got back from the airport with just enough time for a brief hotel breakfast before (FINALLY) meeting the truck at the house. It's all been a whirlwind since then. Checking off inventory sheets most of Saturday... unpacking the children's things first and letting them arrange their rooms... sleeping in our gloriously comfortable beds that night... searching for the toaster midst all the kitchen boxes Sunday morning... lots and lots of laundry and unpacking... getting the central vac system piped in and running Monday... discovering a pen in the clothes dryer after a load of pillowcases and beloved stuff animals that had spent many nights in hotels (who puts a pen in their pillowcase? one of my hoarder children)... spending a solid hour scrubbing out the dryer barrel... going grocery shopping to restock the kitchen... getting to know the local shopping area a little... finding that the silly motorized shades in this house only work sporadically (and are only covered under warranty for the original owners)... trying to hang a ceiling fan only to find that there are no outlets mounted in any of the bedroom ceilings... somehow messing up something in the master bedroom ceiling above the light fixture so that now the breaker trips whenever that light switch or the switch in the master closet is flipped... finally getting internet service (yay!)... and my husband blowing his catalytic converter in his car on the way to the bus this morning. When it rains in Portland, it really pours (okay, not really... I'm just sayin').

Thanks for reading my novel. I have not fed my children much of anything alphabet related in the last couple weeks. However, they are begging to get back to our ABC summer foods, so that will be happening... Tomorrow. I will also blog (also hopefully tomorrow) about what I should have fed them for the last several letters. Whew. I'm going to bed now.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Js & Ks

So, it all got even crazier this week! In a matter of two and a half work days, three men (with over 80 years experience among them) packed up all of our belongings. Tonight, I tucked in our children for the last time in this house, which was very bittersweet. It will be eleven nights of sleeping at a combo of grandparents' house, aunt & uncle's house, and hotels before they get to sleep in their own beds again in our new home over 1800 miles away.

As last Friday was the 4th of July, I counted "July 4th parade candy" as our J treat. That's how lazy I've become during this crazy transition period.

We took the weekend off, had a great time with family and friends, and for a J "food" we all enjoy, we had... Wait for it... juice on Monday. That's right. Trop 50 is a fave with all three kiddos, and I didn't have time to find something fancier. We did not try a new food or a recipe that started with J.

On Tuesday we lunched at Jimmy Johns on the way to my boys' last haircuts before the move. Okay, I realize that means we had two J treats and not much else...

I didn't do much with K either since the packers were here and we are down to the bare bones in our fridge and pantry. I did purchase kale chips, because the kids have liked it when I've made homemade kale chips in the past. However, none of us were a fan of these store-bought chips, which (of course), were not cheap. I also grabbed a kiwi for the kids to try, though I'm pretty sure L has had them before. E loved it and B acted as if I were attempting to poison him. He did get one tiny piece in his mouth and washed it down with a big swig of milk.

For my final act of major laziness this week, I convinced a couple friends and their children to join us at KFC for lunch today. Due to my oldest's decision to stop eating chicken last year (when we acquired backyard chickens as his 4-H project) and the fact that KFC no longer offers Chicken Bites (which were still blatantly displayed on their menu), this lunch was an epic fail. L got two slices of pizza at the neighboring Fazoli's (definitely not a K food), and B ate two biscuits. Pathetic. At least E liked her chicken tenders and I devoured a couple of Chicken Littles and a side of green beans (I hadn't eaten anything all morning at that point). And since two fast-food stops aren't quite enough for us, I ran through McDonald's to get B some chicken nuggets on the way home. Mother of the Year, I know.

Tomorrow afternoon, I deliver my children to my in-laws' farm. They'll get to spend the next week playing with lots of cousins that they won't get to see again until next July. I will have absolutely no control over what they eat while they're gone. But, chances are they'll have lemonade and possibly pizza from a local joint called LB's. Maybe next week I'll post what I would have done if we were settled in a home with a fully stocked kitchen. ;) I will be joining them on the farm Wednesday, so I may get a few M items on the menu before we take off for the long trip on Friday.

As for myself, I'll be scrounging around trying to finish off the random items left in our fridge and freezer the next couple days (last night's dinner consisted of cottage cheese and leftover coleslaw... both with almonds mixed in for a little crunchy protein). :)

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Is

This was the week we began to slack off on our food ideas... Things got busy with getting ready for the movers to come pack us up and then we headed to my in-laws' for the 4th.

I did make one new recipe that started with an I. It was also a food that was new to us, and it was a hit! We made Irish Soda Bread; my children would all highly recommend it. They thought it tasted like biscuits. Here's the recipe (courtesy of allrecipes.com), for those of you who might like to try it:

Original recipe makes 1 1 1/2 pound loafChange Servings

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Check for doneness after 30 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

For our I treat, we cheated and got Tropical Sno. I didn't feel like ice cream, which was the obvious choice... so we just got ice with flavored sugar poured over it. Mmmmm, sugar...

I don't think we had anything that started with an I on Thursday at the farm. See? I'm a slacker...

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Hs

I found a funny recipe to try for letter H. My daughter had been asking me how to make her hair grow faster earlier last week. She has had it cut in a cute little bob for the last few months, but recently decided she wants to grow it back out (which is perfect timing since we won't know any stylists right away in WA). Anyway, as I was scanning recipes that started with H, I came across one called "Hair Growing Soup." Strangely enough, it wasn't soup at all. It was some weird Asian concoction of white rice, black sesame seeds, and sugar. Sound gross? Frankly, it was gross. I appeased the children by serving mini Hershey's bars for dessert.

They weren't much happier the next day when I had them sample ham salad. This was a regular sandwich topper in my childhood home, and I hadn't had it in years. It was great! The kids disagreed whole-heartedly, however...

I kept it simple yesterday and just let them have their favorite Honey Crisp apples for snack time.

This will be our final week of attempting new recipes until we are in our new home halfway across the country. Next week, the movers will be here packing everything up. Soon after that, my children will be spending several days with my in-laws. And then we'll be on the road for the long trip to WA. I'll keep posting; we just won't be quite as detailed in our eatings. ;)

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Gs

I've been so proud of B's willingness to try new foods this summer (despite the fact that he hasn't liked the vast majority of them). I must have jinxed it by mentioning my pride in my previous post. I took the kiddos to Dubuque on Monday to visit the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. Many members of my side of the family met us there. I had packed graham crackers to surprise them with a sweet treat on the long drive home, but before that, we all went to lunch at Olive Garden. My plans for later in the week had included my purchasing and making gnocchi, which would be our new G food. When I saw there was a Chicken & Gnocchi soup on the menu, I decided it would be much easier to order that and have the kids each try a bite. E proclaimed that it tasted like mac & cheese, and L wasn't a fan. B... Well, B wanted badly to try it because we'd all been talking dessert, and goodness knows he wanted dessert. He also knew that I wouldn't likely get him dessert if he didn't try one tiny little bite of gnocchi first. And yet, he just couldn't bring himself to open his mouth. I don't know what about that little piece of pasta had him so anxious, but the audience at the table didn't help matters. Numerous times I tried to just give up making him taste it, but then he'd start to cry because he really did want to... It was a vicious cycle that downward spiraled into mild hysterics until at least half of the patrons sharing that dining room with us were watching with distaste. I quickly became that crazy mother trying to force-feed her 4 year old. Even my own mother thought I was being terrible. Three times the gnocchi touched B's tongue, only to land on the table three times. No one at the table got dessert because my other family members couldn't pay their checks and get away from us quickly enough. Epic fail. B was fine the rest of the day, of course. Sigh. 

Happy to have that new food out of the way, we all merrily enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches last night. L & I went a little crazier and made ours with Gouda, one of my all time favorite cheeses. 

Tonight we tried out our new recipe for the letter G: German Style Pot Roast. This was quite possibly the best pot roast I've had. The sauce called for an odd combo of ingredients (including, but not limited to, vinegar, ketchup, and... wait for it... a dozen Gingersnaps!). Mr. B was happy to try his pot roast with a dab of extra ketchup and the promise of an extra Gingersnap. I should have recorded him eating it and sent it to the extended family who witnessed Monday's trauma. L ate a plateful, but didn't want more. E went back for seconds (she's always been our best meat eater). I really loved this recipe. 

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Fs

Last week was pretty traumatic for my youngest, as he participated in his first VBS... and pretty must despised every moment of it. Odd, since he sang along to the music whenever I played it in the car and knew most of the hand motions to the songs. Anyway, by Wednesday morning, one of the volunteers had to literally peel him off of me when I dropped him off. I told him (by way of bribery and out of sheer desperation) that if he could go the rest of the morning without crying, we'd go to Wendy's afterwards for lunch (little did he know that I'd already planned to take them for Frosties). His siblings were excited to learn that because Mr. B handled the rest of the morning okay, they could have lunch there (French fries!), as well as Frosties. :) Late that day, we took L to 4-H camp with the assurance that we'd make sure he didn't miss any special F foods.

I let the kids try Fig Newtons on Thursday. I've never been a huge fan, and Mr. B didn't care for his first taste, but E loved them. After setting aside two for L, we took the package to our friends' house to share during a play date. When B saw how all the other kids were enjoying the Fig Newtons (actually, they were Fig Newmans - the Newman's Own version), he decided they were okay, after all.

The kids snacked on fresh fruit Friday (L even had plenty of that at camp, he said), and we saved the new recipe for Saturday night so L could be there with us. We made Family Friendly Fondue. It was great! Sadly, I was the only one who loved it. We had bread, red peppers, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower to dip in it. E had a decent amount, but said it wasn't her favorite food in the world. L preferred to dip his veggies in ranch dip, and B just ate the bread and carrots. Ho-hum. At least he's trying a few new things this summer!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Es

Since my children have been denied the pleasure of English muffins, we made individual pizzas with them last Friday. I counted this as a new recipe, too, since I had to look up how long and at what temp to bake them. Oddly enough, only my picky little guy liked them! The older two ate them, but didn't really enjoy them.

The kiddos couldn't all agree on a food they all liked that starts with an E. So, on Monday for breakfast #1 & #2 had eggs and #3 had the last English muffin. I had intended to get some edamame to snack on (believe it or not, they will all eat it), but completely forgot.

Our E treat was Edy's ice cream (thanks to my friend Lisa, who brought it over for my birthday last week). I let the kids make s'mores sundaes with it. It was French Vanilla ice cream, marshmallow topping, dark chocolate chips, and Annie's graham bunnies. Everyone loved it. :)

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Ds

Our first D day happened to be my birthday, so we celebrated with yummy donuts from Topped Doughnuts, my favorite local donut shop.

On Wednesday, we tried dumplings (of the PF Chang's frozen variety). I have personally had hand made dumplings in China Town in NYC, but the kiddos have not experienced that. None of them were huge fans. I think they'd appreciate the "real" thing more, but I did not have time to attempt making them from scratch.

I did try a recipe that began with D, but only for myself. It was a Dilly Beef Sandwich, which included horseradish, dried beef, dill pickles, and tomatoes. I knew none of my children would love those flavors together, so I didn't ask them try it. It was an okay combo, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to make one again.

Yesterday, we snacked on dried fruits... banana chips, dried apricots (per my daughter's request - and then she didn't like them), raisins, and craisins. On to Es today!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Cs

Last Thursday was our first C day. We enjoyed cheese and crackers for snack time (these are definite staples in our house, since the youngest prefers to live on cheese, carbs, and sweets). For dinner, we had corn on the cob, which everyone in our family loves. It's still too early in the season for local corn, but what we found (on sale, even!) was very good.

My sister's family and our mom came to visit on Friday, and they brought along plenty of junk that began with C. Along with the sandwiches I made the kids for lunch, they gladly partook in chips, chocolate milk and chocolate chip cookies. My niece babysit while the adults went out to dinner, and my sister (whose name starts with C!) chose Cosi Cucina, without even knowing about our ABC summer plans.

Today I decided that since we made two new recipes during our B days, that I would forgo a new recipe with Cs. I had initially thought it would be fun to try making crepes, but I got too lazy. ;) We did try a food that was new to all of us. I bought some Cacao Nibs (tiny pieces of cacao beans). I explained to the kiddos that chocolate is made from cacao beans, and we all eagerly tried a piece. We now understand why sugar, butter, and other yummy ingredients are necessary in chocolate. Hopefully I can figure out how to use the rest of the nibs. Maybe they'll work in a trail mix?

After 4 hours with a (very sweet) home inspector who arrived unannounced... no thanks to our wonderful real estate agent (and a half-hour with the buyers of our home)... I was a little stressed. Casey's pizza came to the rescue tonight. It is a family favorite. Since there are no Casey's stores in the Portland area, this dinner made three very content children and a happier mom.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our Bs

We began our B days on Monday. It was a pretty simple day of bananas for a snack (one of the few fruits that all three children in our house love) and a summer staple for dinner: BLTs. Of course my picky little Mr. B's "BLT" was more of a cheese sandwich, but I have to pick my battles.

We tried two new recipes on our subsequent B days. One served double duty as our sweet treat and was amazing. So much so that I'm going to share the recipe with you (I sadly do not recall where online I originally found it, so I cannot cite my source - sorry!). They happen to be gluten free (which we do not require in our family) and relatively healthy as far as brownies go. They are delicious!
Dark Chocolate Brownie Bites

Makes: 24 brownies

Ingredients:

3.5 oz. dark chocolate

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/3-1/2 cup raw honey

2 organic, free-range eggs

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

3/4 cup blanched almond flour

1/2 tsp. unrefined sea salt

Extra 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a mini muffin pan with coconut oil.

2. In a double boiler, gently melt the 3.5 ounces of chocolate, coconut oil and raw honey. Remove from heat, allow to cool, then add the eggs, vanilla and almond extract.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour and salt. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate pieces. Fill the mini muffin tin nearly to the top. Bake for 15-25 minutes until golden and set.

4. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan - if you don't wait then they'll fall apart!

Wednesday's recipe attempt was less successful, but that may be because we all decided that the new food we were going to try was rather disgusting. I made Bacon Braised Brussel Sprouts. I've always been curious what a brussel sprout tasted like (after all, I do love bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts...), and I thought that as they'd be braised with bacon, they'd surely taste good. Wrong. Not only do brussel sprouts obviously look different from all other sprouts, but they also taste awful. E was graceful enough to say that they smelled like something she'd had (and liked) at school once, contemplated her first bite with a positive attitude, and then admitted that they were not likeable, after all. I only served each child one sprout (luckily I only made a half-recipe) and merely encouraged them to try it (they all did so). I ate four of them, but only to be a good role model. We all agreed that brussel sprouts would not find a place in our kitchen again. Ick.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Eating our As

I decided to start out the summer with Alphabet Soup for dinner the evening school was dismissed. We haven't ever had this in our home, so the kids were excited. And my pickiest little eater asked for seconds!

Sadly, I do not recall ever eating apricots in my lifetime. I'm sure I have, but I have no memory of it. So even though the Alphabet Soup could count as the food we'd never tried, on Wednesday I challenged us to all try apricots as well. I also had the kiddos try avocado. I eat it all the time, but they've never desired to try it. I'm keeping a list of new foods they've tried and having them rate each one. The apricots rated high with my older two, the oldest was neutral on the avocado, Miss Middle Child didn't care for the avocado, and (big surprise here...) the picky one detested both.

The recipe I chose to make was Apple Butter Pork Loin. We had it with sweet corn, which was a bigger hit than the meat. Admittedly, even I didn't really care for pork with apple butter on it. B did eat his 4 "no, thank you" bites and is still leery of any meat that isn't in the form of chicken nuggets or hot dogs (in his defense, he did branch out to eating steak - with ketchup, of course - last month).

We all love apples in this house (especially Honeycrisp!). Despite them being far out of season and therefore, not the best choice in the produce department, we bought a bag of them to snack on this week. Almonds were also on hand, as they typically are. Both make great snacks to take to the pool!

For the special treat, I let the children vote on whether we should get some animal crackers or head to the mall for Auntie Anne's Pretzels. Of course, there was not a consensus. The younger ones wanted animal crackers, but I still took L to Auntie Anne's. Everyone was happy. :)

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

Our Edible ABC Summer...

...begins tomorrow! Today is the last day of school here, so tomorrow we begin eating our way through the alphabet. 

My children and I have agreed upon a few guidelines for this foodie summer. For every letter, we have to:

* Choose at least one food that we haven't tried before

* Choose a recipe to try 

* Choose one food that we know we enjoy

And for every letter, we can do one of the following:

* Choose a sweet treat

* Choose a restaurant or special restaurant item

Because we're out of school tomorrow and schools around Portland do not start until the day after Labor Day, this is likely the longest summer my children will ever experience during their childhood years. That means we have over three full months of summer break! We'll be skipping weekends and just eating as usual those days. We will spend three days on each letter of the alphabet with the exception of Q, U, and V (which will each get two days) and X, Y, and Z (which will get one day each). 

I'll do my best to post at the end of each letter's edible adventures!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

I Have Not Fallen off the Face of the Earth (yet)

True, I haven't posted since December. That is sad and pathetic. However, I am still alive and kicking.

Things got crazy with our family in the last several months. My husband was laid off (for the second time in a little over 5 years) from a job he loved. He had known for months that it was coming, as the company he worked for was being bought out, so he'd been networking/job searching for quite some time. The lay off was at the beginning of October, and we had really hoped he'd have something else in the Des Moines area by then. No dice. Ross had traveled for interviews near and far. He'd been a finalist for a position in St. Louis that we were excited about, but it did not materialize. Christmas came and went, and there were three great possibilities around here at that point. The first vanished early in February. The second was not a job he was dying to have, as it would require traveling 90% of the time, but it would compensate well. We both knew he wouldn't be able to stand it for more than a couple years, at which point he'd be searching again. The third was stable, and had a great job title, but he feared it would be a bit boring.

We prayed (and asked everyone we knew to pray) for clarity. Even though every closed door hurt, we knew it would eventually lead to one open door that was THE one God wanted us to walk through. During the last year, he had not only interviewed in St. Louis, but also Chicago, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Seattle. Truly, the only one of those places that appealed to me was St. Louis. I could live with Minneapolis because of its proximity to DM, but I don't love it. The others were less than desirable, some downright appalling to my little Midwestern brain. Early in March, while we waited to hear from the last two opportunities in our area (I should mention that his skill set is very specialized in the derivatives/fixed income area of the investments field), my husband traveled to Portland, OR, for an interview. This didn't concern me. I was fairly confident that one of the jobs here would be offered to him.

The next week God closed the door on the job that would require all the traveling. This was honestly a relief, yet we were concerned at this point. We were both born and raised here in Iowa. Both sets of our parents still live in our childhood homes. Two of our four siblings are still living in Iowa with their families. We have been in Ankeny for over 14 years, and in our dream home (designed by me and built by one of the best builders, who also happens to be our neighbor) for 10 years. We LOVE our church here, and we have an awesome group of friends. The last thing on earth we wanted to do was leave.

Before hearing one way or the other on the last job opportunity, my husband was offered the job in Portland. It sounded like a job he would really like at a company that seemed fairly stable. They offered much less than he had hoped, but after some negotiating, they met him not quite half-way. He held off on accepting by asking if they'd let him take me out there over spring break to get a feel for the area. For such a huge move, we wanted to be sure it would be a good fit for our family. All the while, we were both hoping and praying that he'd get the offer in Iowa for the other job. We spent two days in Portland with realtors provided by the company. Lots of stress. Little sleep.

We got back to Iowa Thursday night and before we were even out of bed Friday, the Portland company had already left a message asking for my husband's decision. He stalled and asked for the weekend to think about it. Monday finally brought God's final closed door. The last possibility for us to stay here disappeared. God made it perfectly clear that He wants us in OR.

Here's the odd part. I never felt any major anxiety or qualms about moving to Portland. Even from the time he first went out to interview. When we visited over spring break, I couldn't believe how beautiful it was out there. I could immediately picture our family living there. Don't get me wrong: I continued to pray for the Iowa job. But, God was definitely working on my heart. This Iowa girl has always loved traveling, but has not ever wanted to live anywhere outside of Iowa. Certainly never wanted to live outside the Midwest. And yet, somehow God has changed me so that I know beyond the shadow of a doubt, that we are going to love living in Portland, OR. Weird.

Now our house is on the market and I'm striving to keep it clean with three kids and a husband who has been in OR for almost three weeks. We are staying here through the school year, and into June if the house doesn't sell as quickly as we hope it will.

I am looking forward to finding amazing new ABC activities and places in the Pacific Northwest, and I'll be adding them to my blog. This summer we're still planning to eat our way through the alphabet. Some of that will be on the road, as it's a long drive to OR from here, but I will still do my best to post about our edible adventures. Don't give up on the ABC Summer Mom! :)

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC summers here.*