Night Owl Mom

June 2009 Fathers Day BBQ-Whoops Flag Day, Ben' Bball and Humanitarian Award and Last Day of School

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:14:52 -0800

Well I can't seem to blog about whats going on now until I get caught up. I love getting all the pictures with our digital camera but haven't been so good about getting them into albums. They all seem to be stuck in the computer filed under my pictures but are spread out over several computers. I wish I had taken the memory card thats in the camera and took it to the photo store and got some prints but now they get erased so we can get more pics. So this is a fun way to keep them organized and so we can remember. I just got to get them blogged or get at least a few of the best pictures saved. I don't think the kids look at my blog yet but they might someday and hopefully will enjoy that I tried to keep the memories for them.

This group of pics below is of Ben's first time playing basketball on a team. He played at the YMCA, he had a great coach, coach Reed. He said his top 3 rules were to Have Fun, Have FUN, and HAVE FUN ! Ben had fun, even though at first he wasn't sure about playing. Ben was one of the tallest boys. I don't remember all of the boys names but I do remember Miles, he was really good, and still would pass it to Ben even though he knew Ben might not catch it. Ben just kept getting better and better. Ben is going to play again this Fall starting at the end of November and goes through March and I think he gets to play on Coach Reeds team again with Miles.

You can also see Dave working from home lounging in the front yard. He loves working from home. I think he has lost over 30 pounds since these pics were taken, he will probably not like these but I love them, he looks so happy.

Ben is playing video games with our neighbor friend Chris, friends Treyvon and Miles.

Click on the pics to make them larger.

Well I decided to have a Fathers day bbq the Saturday before Fathers Day. Well come to find out a few hours before the bbq, I discovered that it wasn't Fathers day but Flag Day. Oh the guests all got a kick out of that. Our friends that came to our Flag Day BBQ: Nancy & Mike came and Deborah & Clay, Chris, and Kirstin & Tashina, Treyvon, and Miles and of course me, Dave, Heather, Carina and Ben. Heather made her famous friend rice and Dave made the oh so wonderful bbq cheeseburgers. (Benito went to his friends since it wasn't Fathers Day, on the real Fathers Day he BBQ fajita beef for us-so yummy)

On the last day of school they have an award ceremony in the gym. Ben's 5th grade class voted for him to get the Humanitarian award (it used to be called the CP Johnson award not sure why they changed it?) They vote for 1 boy and 1 girl from every class. We are so proud of you Ben! Mrs. Combs is such a great teacher, she has been so wonderful to Ben. She sent us copies of the forms the kids filled out and why they chose Ben for the award.

I have a few videos below, they are 3 seconds to 26 seconds long. The last one I thought I was taking a picture but was actually video taping Ben so that is the 3 second whoops, but cute. Ben and his class are saying goodbye to their teacher, this one is the 26 sec. one. I have some longer videos that I might put on facebook, I have a 2 minute one of Ben getting the award but vox only allows 30 second videos which is still great to have that option.

Hope you are having a great week :)
DD

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Camp Casey May 2009

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:03:00 -0700

Camp Casey T-Shirt

Summer started while Ben was still in school, and he was going to Camp Casey with his 5th grade class. He is lucky to go because they are canceling Camp Casey next year for the whole school district. I hope they bring it back for the other future 5th graders, it was a highlight of his sisters school years and will be Ben's as well.

His teacher chose him to play his trumpet in the Morning, playing Revelrie, and the Evening playing Taps. Carina went to Camp Casey this time as a Camp Couneslor for a group of 4-5 girls taking them to each of the classes. They got to spend 3 days and 2 nights there during the school week. The teachers go and they teach classes in the bunkers and on the beach. The kids have a blast and get to sleep in the barracks.

Ben giving Shoebox a last hug before heading out for Camp Casey

Ben and Carina

Pictures of kids before they left for Camp Casey. Ben could hardly wait to walk to school that morning. Click on Pi

Camp Casey is on Whidbey Island.

We are happy to get Ben and Carina back home, especially Shoebox

When Ben and Carina came home Shoebox was so excited to see them. He was kept looking out the window while they were gone.

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Oh my its been awhile since I blogged !

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:08:20 -0700

Shoebox helping with the leftover wrapping paper. 3 months old

Wow it has been awhile...so much has been going on. My nephew Brady 16 came up and visited us during his spring break. He fell for a girl online last summer and finally got to meet her in person. They like each other even more now. If you click on the pictures they blow up.

Dave and the girls have all had their birthdays in March and April. Carina turned 19 and Heather hit the big one of 21 ! and I have some great and funny pictures of both birthdays I just need to get them down loaded, I think they may have been down loaded to a different computer. I'll post them here later.

But here are a few of Dave's birthday. We met with Dave Bickett, Connie and Jack, Lili and Brett, Jay and Karen for drinks at a bar in Kent that happened to have Karoke. We got Dave to sing some and Brett and Lil sang a song and I sang one to Dave too. Also the kids had a party for their Dad, Carina made a home made pie and I made tacos.

20 sec video clip of Dave karaoking....

Ben started to play basketball and we are very excited about that. He is a beginner but he is catching on fast. The puppy has been growing like a weed and he is about 5 and 1/2 months old now. I think he is the size of our old female North Fawn when she was full grown and Shoebox isn't even a 1/2 year old yet. We think he is going to get really big. Here are a few of Shoebox growing from 10 wks old to 3 months old:

My friend Robin is getting married this Saturday, I'm so happy for her. I love weddings ! Oh and Dave and Carina went on a hike last weekend to Mt. Zion near Sequim and Dave sprang his ankle pretty bad. So we have been having him soak his ankle. Nancy talked me into trying Tai Chi for the first time this week. Its not too hard and I think I will like it once I get used to it.

I finally got a picture of Shoebox in a shoe box, but he had grown so much I had to use a big shoe box (a mens size 12).

Shoebox in a mens size 12 shoe box. 3 and 1/2 months old

Shoebox in a shoe box.

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2 Gluten-Free Recipe Sites

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:12:10 -0700

GF Blueberry_muffins

I found a website with lots of Gluten Free recipes called Gluten Free Recipe Exchange and here is their link:
http://www.gluten.net/recipes/index.php
They also have one of the best GF play dough recipes.

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

Also a really great site is
Karina's Kitchen - Recipes from a Gluten Free Goddess : http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

She cooks more like a Gourmet so I think that is why she is called a Gluten Free Goddess.
I've written about her in my GF groups before but doesn't hurt to post again for new members to the I Dream of Toast Group. She has great info on her site about living Gluten Free on a tab at the top of her site and also on the side bar she has a post about cooking without sugar for you GF Diabetics that like to cook without sugar.

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Fat Tuesday...Mardi Gras

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:39:54 -0800

Fat Tuesday

Well its the morning of Fat Tuesday the day before Lent and Ash Wednesday. I'm excited a couple of friends are coming over for dinner and drinks and hopefully a chocolate cake if it turns out. I'm going to make Irish stew like my Grandma used to make, well a little different. She would brown the meat in Crisco, vegetable oil and butter. It tasted sooo good, but I'm going to use Canola oil and a (tsp of butter at the end) darn cholestoral. I wanted to make it special because Dave goes vegetarian for Lent. I don't know what I'm going to do for Lent yet maybe not have any sweets would be a good one for me.

Here are a couple of websites below about Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras:

from Coolquiz.com

What is Fat Tuesday?

Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, the festival New Orleans, Louisiana, is famous for. "Gras" is French for fat and "Mardi" is French for Tuesday.

The annual festivities start on January 6, the Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany, when the three kings are supposed to have visited the Christ Child, and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday. The parties and parades will continue until Lent begins at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday.

Mardi Gras is a legal holiday in New Orleans. It is scheduled to occur 46 days before Easter. Since the actual date Easter occurs on changes yearly, Mardi Gras can happen on any Tuesday between February 3 and March 9.

For two centuries it has been an annual event in New Orleans, except during the two World Wars.

Mardi Gras

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the carnival. For other uses, see Mardi Gras (disambiguation).

Mardi Gras (Also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday)
Costumed musicians, French Quarter, New Orleans
Official name	Mardi Gras (French: "Fat Tuesday")
Also called	Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day, Dollar day
Type	Local, cultural, Catholic
Significance	Celebration prior to fasting season of Lent.

The terms "Mardi Gras" (mär`dē grä) and "Mardi Gras season",^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. From the French term "Mardi Gras" (literally "Fat Tuesday"), the term has come to mean the whole period of activity related to those events, beyond just the single day, often called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] The season can be designated by the year, as in "Mardi Gras 2008".^[6]

The time period varies from city to city, as some traditions consider Mardi Gras as the Carnival period between Epiphany or Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday.^[7] Others treat the final three-day period as being Mardi Gras.^[8] In Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras events begin in November, followed by mystic society balls on Thanksgiving,^[7]^[9] then New Year's Eve, formerly with parades on New Year's Day, followed by parades and balls in January & February, celebrating up to midnight before Ash Wednesday.^[7]

Other cities most famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations include Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Many other places have important Mardi Gras celebrations as well.

Carnival is an important celebration in most of Europe, except in Ireland and the United Kingdom where the festival is called "shrovetide" ending on Shrove Tuesday, and pancakes are the tradition, and also in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

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Ben makes dinner...

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:00:50 -0800

Ben made dinner for us a couple of Saturdays ago. I made a new schedule to try out and get everyone helping a little more and its fun to have the kids in the kitchen.

Dinner Ben made for us.

Ben made Chili with cheese and onions, and his favorite salad. He was inspired by the Caesar salad they make at his school. He likes to chop it up small and mix the dressing and parmesan together and then add it to the greens and then toss it. He was so proud to make us dinner. It tasted delicious!

Ben tossing the Caesar Salad he made Jan. 2009

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I took my friend to Pizza Works ...

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:01:23 -0800

http://www.pizzawrks.com/

Last Saturday I brought my friend Lori with me to Pizza Works http://www.pizzawrks.com/ in Kirkland Washington. They make Gluten Free Pizza if you ask them. The crust reminds me of biscuit type of crust but its so nice to be able to eat pizza. I had their mini Hawaiian supreme with artichokes and sunflower seeds along with the traditional pineapple and canadian bacon. Lori had a vegitarian mushroom and olives. They both were great and they have desserts from the Sunny Valley Bakery http://www.sunnyvalleywheatfree.com/. I had a magic bar and Lori had the mini pumpkin pie. I thought Pizza Works was the only Gluten Free pizza place I knew of until I was eating lunch with her. She told me another GF friendly pizza parlor is Garlic Jims too. If you live in the Puget Sound area of Washington come and check them both out.

Also if you have a local pizza place in your state that you love maybe talk them into doing what Pizza Works does.

http://consumer.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/consumer.home.html

They buy the GF crusts online and then they set a up a area just for the GF pizza and bake it in a separate area of the oven or separte oven. They also have GF desserts and pasta available too.

Please post a comment or post here to the group what you favorite places are in your neighborhoods across the country here in the US and in other parts of the world.

talk to ya later,

DD

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I blog gluten-free button takes you to over 290+ GF sites....

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:23:52 -0800

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/02/gluten-free-bloggers.html

While I was searching on Craigs List I came across someone saying she had a gluten free blog here in Washington so I went and checked out Alia's new blog: http://www.glutenfreeocd.blogspot.com/

She had this I blog gluten free box on her site so I clicked on it and it takes you to Karina's Kitchen (http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/) and she had a brilliant idea of having people leave their gluten free blog links in her comments of the I blog gluten free post. There are over 293 links to gluten free websites there!!!!

So if you are looking for some gluten free sites for different ideas and to see how others are dealing with GF check it out and post here the ones that you love. (Click on the link in the box)

Hope you are having a Happy Healthy GF New Year !!!

DD

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Carina's New Puppy !

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:54:25 -0800

Carina's New Puppy - Smilebox Postcard-scrapbook

I made a smilebox scrapbook-postcard for her. If you click on the pictures in smilebox it will blow up bigger into the larger screen.

It has almost been 2 years since Carina's last dog, North Fawn, passed away in Spring of 2007. Carina is ready for a new puppy, finally. We went to Puyallup last week through the rain and flooding so Carina could choose her new puppy. She has been looking for awhile and wanted to save up and plan to have everything ready. So she decided to pick a Brindle color pup this time and a male, actually she got the pick of the litter and he is the biggest pup! North Fawn was the runt of the litter and a female, she was the sweetest dog and very lovey, but was very sick from the beginning. I didn't check the breeder out and it was too late by the time we had her vet checked a week later, we couldn't return her mostly because the kids fell in love with her. She had a terrible heart murmur. This time Carina was very picky and asked a lot of questions and found great breeders, Brandy and Kevin. The Boxer parents are from different states and are very healthy. What tipped the scale was when she saw the you tube video of the pups Brandy sent her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OmgMyjHHEU

Born 12-09-09 Carina's new pup, 4 weeks old, pick of litter I think he is the one on the left.

The puppy just loved Carina and kept going to her to pick him up. We got to meet the Dad, he was huge, probably double the size of what North Fawn was, and the mom Zoey is larger than North Fawn too. She is going to pick him up in February around the 13th. She has picked a cute name for him, Shoebox. I made a smilebox scrapbook-postcard for her. If you click on the pictures in smilebox it will blow up bigger into the larger screen.

Mama Zoey feeding her pups. 30 sec video

Above is a 30 sec. video of 3 yr. old Zoey feeding 2 of the 6 pups, this is her first litter.

North-3-30-2007 Good Bye. H.D.

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! The Biggest Loser Message Board is Ripping Hot over the 1st show of Season 7 ! I have a Theory....

nobody@vox.com(DD) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 01:10:24 -0800

! The Biggest Loser Message Board is Ripping Hot over the 1st show of Season 7 !!! Over 42,000 Comments ! I have a theory of why the twist.....

http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?showtopic=812176

Sunday, January 11th, 2009, 3:35 am

Wow the BL message board comments (over 45,000+ ) are mostly ranting about the Season 7 opener on Monday January 6th, 2008. The surprise twist at the weigh in was that 9 players had to leave. One from each team that didn't make it above the yellow line. What a shocker and the reason everyone is upset, even looked like the trainers were upset too, was that they were the biggest and most unhealthiest players they had on. The trainers eyes were popping when they saw them working out by themselves the first time.

I had actually sent in an audition tape with my friend Anna and we didn't make the show but I was sorta thinking OMGosh I'm kinda happy I didn't make this season it looked pretty hard and then not to be able to stay after the first week, would've been devastating. Anna was at her work that night and couldn't watch the show but I was texting her the blow by blow of the show.

I realize the idea is that 4 of the players will be able to come back if their team mate is still there after 30 days and its supposed to motivate us at home to see its possible to do on our own.

Some of the players didn't seem that upset to be leaving. Watch this web exclusive video (1 min.) of players confessions of how hard the work outs were, one said she was getting a cramp in her armpits!

Week 1 players confessions - Season 7

But what I'm thinking and wondering whats really going on is that maybe a lot them were wanting to quit or leave and instead the producers came up with this idea and asked them to wait till the weigh in and then they could decide but then the producer gave them an out with the twist ... Because it doesn't make sense to have a couples season with 9 people without a partner on week 2. What do you think?

So if you are wondering there are two couples teams that didn't have to send a player home. The one who won the weekly Challenge which if I remember correctly that was the black team and the other team was the last 2 guys to weigh in, the brown team.

Looking forward to the next show, hope all of you who are upset come back and keep watching, there are things going on behind the scenes we don't see. Like did they really send them home or is there another trainer, training them all in the next city over...maybe they didn't go home.

Have a Great Week,

Nite Owl Mama

ps. For Bonus scenes click on this link http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser/video/categories/bonus-scenes/915937/

If you missed the show check out:

http://www.hulu.com/videos/search?query=The Biggest Loser New episodes are posted seven days after their initial TV broadcast. They're available on Hulu for nine days once posted. They also have some web exclusive clips too.

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