Over the past few years I have noticed a considerable number of pants becoming too tight for me. The mystery lies in the fact that my overall body weight has not increased significantly. I have racked my brain trying to discover the reason behind this change. Much to my excitement, I believe I have discovered why people get big waistlines...they're too smart. As we each grow older we acquire new knowledge that becomes packed into our little brains. I hypothesize that as our knowledge increases, our brain becomes more dense, causing a shift in our center of gravity. This causes a lack of stability and balance. Further evidence can be seen in the loss of balance for the elderly (they're too smart). Luckily our bodies have a way to lower that center of gravity by reallocating some fat down around our middle region (for some it goes even lower, perhaps because they are extremely intelligent). Some experts argue that doing ab crunches "burns" the fat away, but I argue that the horizontal position spreads the fat back to its origins.
This being said, I imagine school is only exaggerating the effects of "waistline gravity distribution" upon my body. So wives, next time you notice your husband's belly squeezing out of the top of his pants like it's trying to escape, just remember how smart he is.
On a completely separate and unrelated topic, Oregon is in full berry season. We now have a freezer packed full of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries that we picked at local fruit farms (blackberries are almost in season). We have made some really good stuff lately like fresh berry key limeade, raspberry ice cream, and berry chocolate cake (see recent post). This morning I made fresh blueberry sauce for our pancakes. I have been cooking quite a bit of food lately. Let me know if you have a good berry recipe.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Memories
It's always fun to be reminded of memories that we haven't thought about for awhile, or heaven forbid, forgot about. So please, leave a memory, I'm excited to see what you come up with. I might even learn something about my husband that I don't even know.
1. Leave a comment below about a memory that you have about me and you, or you and Blake. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next (if you choose to), re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
1. Leave a comment below about a memory that you have about me and you, or you and Blake. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next (if you choose to), re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Coupons have me buying the most random things
Sorry, I know that a lot of you are probably not interested in my coupon posts, but I had to show off, I was just so proud! I am not nearly as awesome and efficient as other coupon moms, but I'm slowly getting there. So I went to Albertsons today to pick up a few random things I had coupons for, and this is what I got.
Kool-Aid x 3 = .60
Crystal Light =3.99 used coupon that makes it free when you buy 3 Kraft products (Kool Aid) also used .50 off coupon (some stores will let you use coupons on free items, which makes you actually "make" money off the item) = .50 overage
McCormick seasoning - 1.00 used .50 off coupon, doubled=free
Clean Team wipes - 1.29 used 1.00 off coupon =.29
Beech Nut baby food x 6- 3.24 used 1.00 off 6 jars =2.24
Excedrin- 1.99 on sale used 2.00 off coupon =free
I had a Safeway coupon (which Albertsons will accept) that allows coupons to be doubled, but maxes out at 2.00, so I got the 2.00 off my total at the end.
Total before coupons = 12.11
Total after coupons = 1.12 at least that's what I should have paid, but now that I'm adding it up, I think the cashier gave me a extra 1.00 off somwhere.
I actually paid only .12 for everything. Cool huh?
The young kid that was ringing my stuff up looked at the total and seemed shocked. He probably thinks he rang it up wrong because the total was so low. As I was walking away I saw him looking at the coupons again, trying to figure it out. I love it!
Kool-Aid x 3 = .60Crystal Light =3.99 used coupon that makes it free when you buy 3 Kraft products (Kool Aid) also used .50 off coupon (some stores will let you use coupons on free items, which makes you actually "make" money off the item) = .50 overage
McCormick seasoning - 1.00 used .50 off coupon, doubled=free
Clean Team wipes - 1.29 used 1.00 off coupon =.29
Beech Nut baby food x 6- 3.24 used 1.00 off 6 jars =2.24
Excedrin- 1.99 on sale used 2.00 off coupon =free
I had a Safeway coupon (which Albertsons will accept) that allows coupons to be doubled, but maxes out at 2.00, so I got the 2.00 off my total at the end.
Total before coupons = 12.11
Total after coupons = 1.12 at least that's what I should have paid, but now that I'm adding it up, I think the cashier gave me a extra 1.00 off somwhere.
I actually paid only .12 for everything. Cool huh?
The young kid that was ringing my stuff up looked at the total and seemed shocked. He probably thinks he rang it up wrong because the total was so low. As I was walking away I saw him looking at the coupons again, trying to figure it out. I love it!
Friday, July 11, 2008
I love July!
July is one of my favorite months because of all the fun it brings: fireworks, barbecues, corn on the cob, popsicles, parades, boating and so on. Some of those things I haven't been able to do this summer, like boating, but I am still having a great summer. Here are some pictures of our July so far.
Eugene hosted the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials this year and there was so much going on. Blake and I went to the festival at U of O where they were hosting the whole thing and watched some of the events on the jumbo screen. James Parker, a guy in our ward, w as competing in the hammer throw, so we went to go cheer for him du ring the finals. Unfortunately, he didn't make it to Beijing, but he did great anyway and we had fun watching him compete.
James Parker, hammer throw 
Owen and his new friend, the Oregon Duck.
Owen and Mommy waiting for the fireworks to start.
Owen in his 4th of July outfit. (Sorry about Blake's foot in the picture)
This is our Fourth of July celebration cake. Blake helped even though he doesn't enjoy baking as much as cooking.
We are planning a road trip home to Utah later this month, so we are really excited to be able to see our family and friends then. So far, it has been a great July, I'm glad there are still a few weeks left.
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANI!!
Owen and his new friend, the Oregon Duck.
Owen and Mommy waiting for the fireworks to start.
Owen in his 4th of July outfit. (Sorry about Blake's foot in the picture)
This is our Fourth of July celebration cake. Blake helped even though he doesn't enjoy baking as much as cooking.
We are planning a road trip home to Utah later this month, so we are really excited to be able to see our family and friends then. So far, it has been a great July, I'm glad there are still a few weeks left.P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANI!!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Much Needed Update
A few weeks ago we went on a hike with the youth up to Spencer's Butte. The hike was about 6 miles long with most of it hiking up a mountain. For the first few miles my back and legs were getting really tired because I had Owen in a backpack. Then we started going vertical up to the top of the butte. It was really tough for me since I haven't been working out like I should. Kristin took Owen down the butte and we had to end our hike after mile 5 because we ran out of food for Owen. All in all, a really beautiful hike through the Oregon forest. I'd like to thank Landon and Heather for letting me borrow their backpack even though I was wearing a Ute shirt that day.
Thankfully, Owen slept for a lot of the hike.
Here are some pictures of Owen playing in the sand. This was one of two experiences on this trip he managed to get a fist full of dirt in his mouth.
What is more majestic than a man and his dog. (Especially this man!)
And finally, do you ever wonder where all the bits of fish go after the filets have been packaged and frozen? That question has plagued me for years and now I have the answer. It goes into a dump truck. This is a huge pile of fish bits left over from a seafood processing plant. It really stinks because it was hot outside. Now I am plagued with a new question: Where does the truck go?
Thankfully, Owen slept for a lot of the hike.
Over this past weekend we escaped the heat and went camping out on the coast. The following day we went to Newport, OR for SeaFest. Part of the event included a sea rescue demonstration from the US Coast Guard. Since I love helicopters, I had to watch. We stood at the end of the pier while the helicopter dropped people into the water about 40 yards away and pulled them out again. This was the highlight of my week. For those that don't know, I love helicopters almost as much as I love cooking. I almost drove my carpool into the emergency lane watching a Chinook helicopter fly around Eugene the other day.
Kristin will probably be mad when she sees how many pictures I posted of this event. Since Dan missed the event, I wanted them to experience it like I did. To get the full effect try beating on your chest really fast to mimick the sound of the helicopter and talk really loud when you look at the post...then you'll feel you were there.
Kristin will probably be mad when she sees how many pictures I posted of this event. Since Dan missed the event, I wanted them to experience it like I did. To get the full effect try beating on your chest really fast to mimick the sound of the helicopter and talk really loud when you look at the post...then you'll feel you were there.
Here are some pictures of Owen playing in the sand. This was one of two experiences on this trip he managed to get a fist full of dirt in his mouth.
What is more majestic than a man and his dog. (Especially this man!)
And finally, do you ever wonder where all the bits of fish go after the filets have been packaged and frozen? That question has plagued me for years and now I have the answer. It goes into a dump truck. This is a huge pile of fish bits left over from a seafood processing plant. It really stinks because it was hot outside. Now I am plagued with a new question: Where does the truck go?
Saturday, June 14, 2008
7 Months of Fun
Owen is 7 months old this month, time is really starting to go fast. It seems like as soon as he hit 4 months, time has flown by. He rolls all over the place and sits by himself. He hasn't started crawling yet...no complaining here. It'll happen soon enough. He started teething a couple weeks ago, and he has 2 little pearly-whites coming up right now. The dog is his favorite toy, his favorite book is What Color is Your Underwear?, and his favorite game to play is the "I'm gonna get you" game. And he absolutely loves bath time. If he even hears the water running he starts kicking his legs and squealing in delight. Here are some pictures of tonight's bath.
Playing around with the camera
He's also been a part of a developmental study at the University of Oregon since he was 3 months old and he is almost done, 2 more months. They are testing 9 normally developing babies (Owen is in this group of course) and then 9 or so kids with Cerebral Palsy to determine when and how babies learn to sit up by themselves. Basically, he gets all wired up with electrodes and then is strapped onto this bench where they test his sitting muscles by slowly taking away the supports and making his sit on his own. I know, it sounds horrible, but it's not that bad, it's perfectly safe, he's not getting any radiation or scary stuff like that.He actually likes it, because once they get him all strapped in, he gets to watch Baby Einstein...which he loves.
Anyway, we go every other week, and he gets paid a good amount for the time we spend there, so we've enjoyed putting our son to work. He buys his own toys with the money he earns, and occasionally he'll buy Mom and Dad a toy. Last month he bought us Mario Kart for Wii. Such a nice son.
This is Owen at 4 months old
This is Owen at 7 months old
Playing around with the camera
He's also been a part of a developmental study at the University of Oregon since he was 3 months old and he is almost done, 2 more months. They are testing 9 normally developing babies (Owen is in this group of course) and then 9 or so kids with Cerebral Palsy to determine when and how babies learn to sit up by themselves. Basically, he gets all wired up with electrodes and then is strapped onto this bench where they test his sitting muscles by slowly taking away the supports and making his sit on his own. I know, it sounds horrible, but it's not that bad, it's perfectly safe, he's not getting any radiation or scary stuff like that.He actually likes it, because once they get him all strapped in, he gets to watch Baby Einstein...which he loves.
Anyway, we go every other week, and he gets paid a good amount for the time we spend there, so we've enjoyed putting our son to work. He buys his own toys with the money he earns, and occasionally he'll buy Mom and Dad a toy. Last month he bought us Mario Kart for Wii. Such a nice son.
This is Owen at 4 months old
This is Owen at 7 months old
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Coupon Crazy
The past couple of nights I have been staying up late reading blogs like Money Saving Mom and Freebies 4 Mom, trying to figure out how to use coupons to get free or nearly free items at the grocery store. I have never been the kind to use coupons because I thought that even with coupons for the expensive brands, the generic or store brands were still cheaper. That might be true for some things, but wait until you see what I "bought" with coupons yesterday. I got to "buy" stuff that I normally wouldn't buy because it would be too expensive or we just didn't need it that badly.
Everything in this picture was free...actually they paid me $0.25 to take it.
Here's how:
Live Active Cereal $2.84 used $3 coupon here
Purina Puppy Chow $4.12 used $4 coupon here
Kotex 16 ct. $1.00 used $1 coupon here or in All You magazine
John Freida FrizzEase Mousse $0.97 used $1 coupon in All You magazine
Vlasic Dill Relish $1.oo used $1 coupon here
Buddies Soap $0.94 each used 2 $1 coupons here or $2 coupon here (read the fine print)
Glade Air Freshner $0.94 used $1 coupon in All You Magazine
Adidas Deodorant $3.74 used free coupon from All You Magazine
(All links are courtesy of Money Saving Mom, thanks.)
That left me with $.25 cents overage, but I needed to buy a tomato, a head of lettuce and some taco seasoning, so the total I paid for everything was $2.51. I hope you guys are as excited as I am about this. How cool is that? You should all go to Wal-mart and try this today. Oh, by the way, the All You magazine that I mentioned is sold at Wal-mart for $1.97 and it pays for itself every time. I used the May issue for my shopping trip, so you might not be able to get everything I got, but the June issue probably has some other great coupons. By the way, some coupons will let you print them twice if you push the backspace button after the first one has printed.
I am so excited about "buying" stuff with coupons, it makes a run to Wal-mart actually fun instead of frustrating. Let me know how it works out for you and if you have any problems getting the coupons. Good luck.
Everything in this picture was free...actually they paid me $0.25 to take it.
Here's how:Live Active Cereal $2.84 used $3 coupon here
Purina Puppy Chow $4.12 used $4 coupon here
Kotex 16 ct. $1.00 used $1 coupon here or in All You magazine
John Freida FrizzEase Mousse $0.97 used $1 coupon in All You magazine
Vlasic Dill Relish $1.oo used $1 coupon here
Buddies Soap $0.94 each used 2 $1 coupons here or $2 coupon here (read the fine print)
Glade Air Freshner $0.94 used $1 coupon in All You Magazine
Adidas Deodorant $3.74 used free coupon from All You Magazine
(All links are courtesy of Money Saving Mom, thanks.)
That left me with $.25 cents overage, but I needed to buy a tomato, a head of lettuce and some taco seasoning, so the total I paid for everything was $2.51. I hope you guys are as excited as I am about this. How cool is that? You should all go to Wal-mart and try this today. Oh, by the way, the All You magazine that I mentioned is sold at Wal-mart for $1.97 and it pays for itself every time. I used the May issue for my shopping trip, so you might not be able to get everything I got, but the June issue probably has some other great coupons. By the way, some coupons will let you print them twice if you push the backspace button after the first one has printed.
I am so excited about "buying" stuff with coupons, it makes a run to Wal-mart actually fun instead of frustrating. Let me know how it works out for you and if you have any problems getting the coupons. Good luck.
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