Valley of Sunshine

Goals for 2012

2012-01-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

I rarely publicize my goals. And truth be told, I've had a very difficult time making goals in the last few years. And I know you're probably very tired of my using the two-pregnancies-in-three-years excuses, so I'm not going to use that as an excuse for not making goals.

The truth is that I've been in a rut. And it could have been the above, not mentioned reason, also sleeplessness, or anything else.

But I've found that the things that I want to change are actually the things or behaviors that have kept me in a rut. No more; this is MY YEAR!

First, I'm breaking up with Debt. He's a horrible friend. He lies all the time and totally backstabs me when I'm turned around. He's actually like one of those horrible boyfriends who says all the right things to manipulate me and then WHAM! I'm on my face because he's knocked me around. I'm done with Debt. He's bad.

Declan-November 2011

We are on the cash envelop system. I believe it is the best way to move forward financially. I am trying to cut down my grocery budget by 30%. And once the bad guy, Debt, is gone, we're moving to the 3-6 months of expenses stage. I'm really excited about my financial goals. (And yes, Erik is way on board with me!)

Secondly, it's time I lose some weight. The baby is nearing one-year old and it's time. I will do this by eating better and somehow will find time to exercise. Since I've been eating healthier I've noticed significantly fewer mood swings. Dang it! I guess my diet does affect my moods and hormones!

Thirdly, I'm looking for work. I stumbled upon this site, RealWaysToEarnMoneyOnline.com and I'm very enthusiastic about finding some sort of online writing work.

Fourthly, I think knitting is cool and I've been trying to teach myself to do it for a couple of years. Well, I think this is the year for it!

Fifthly, I need to get my sewing machine fixed. I realize this may not seem like a goal worth listing, but since I will have to save cash for it, it is.

I'm believing that with posting my goals the Lord will give me strength and perseverance. And that if I do fail to meet all of my goals then it will be all for His Glory anyways! :)

Meatloaf So Good You'll Want to Smack the Person Next to You

2012-01-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

You think I'm exaggerating? But I'm not. (I also just spelled exaggerating correctly, first try!)

I found this little gem on Pioneer Woman's site and I'm not lying, it's AMAZING.

The meatloaf is so good that you will literally lick the bowl or plate. Not that I would ever do that, but you might. I mean, after all, licking our feeding dishes is the only thing that separates us from dogs. Okay, that's an exaggeration.

The secret? Bacon.

(Did you just hear Angels sing? I did.)

Bacon wrapped seasoned meat with ketchup/brown sugar/mustard glaze. This would be my Death Row meal.

Here's P-dub's picture.

Meatloaf...mmmmmmmmmm...

Black and White Chocolate Mousse

2012-01-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

I have just made the most amazing dessert ever. Well, maybe not ever, but it is divine. Give it a shot.

I call it Black and White Mousse. It's such a clever name because I use both semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Get it? I know I astound you with my cleverness.

So, anyways, ready for the best part? It's made in the crock-pot. YES!

Here's the recipe.

Adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

2 cups of heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
3 Tbls sugar
1/3 cup strong coffee, cooled
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:
Pour ingredients into your crock pot, stir so you mix up the yolks. Then stir in the chocolate chips. Cook on low for two hours, or high for one hour. You are looking for bubbles and the chocolate to start melting.

Very carefully, pour your contents into your blender and blend for a few minutes until it looks fluffier and it "grows".

Then pour into a container and chill until firm. This usually takes at least two to three hours.

I would serve it with berries (especially raspberries) and pirouette cookies.

Oh thank you, Katie Roose for eating this with me so that I don't have any right now!!!!

It's Not Over; Romney Doesn't Have It Yet

2012-01-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

This post is for those of you who feel like Romney has already wrapped up the nomination.

He hasn't.

A candidate in the GOP needs 1,144 delegates to seal the Presidential nomination. Romney has seven. And since Huntsman just dropped out, his two will probably go to Romney. Making Romney's total 9 at this point.

Let's be real. Romney won Iowa and New Hampshire. Not exactly population dense areas, right?

What was important about winning Iowa and then New Hampshire is that Romney is the perceived nominee and money loves a winner. The winners are more likely to get more donations. And then there's the East coast thing. Who is really surprised that Romney won NH? He's from MA! It's like two centimeters on the map away!

Personally, I'd be watching out for the people coming in second and third. The western states are looking for people to support other than Romney.

I just want to you know that despite what you've been seeing/hearing on the T.V. or NPR, Romney does not have this in the bag. Sure he's enjoyed the least amount of probing from the press, and sure he's raised the most money. And yes, he's being heralded as the heir! But do not listen to them! It's in the establishment's best interest to have Romney in power because he's not really a fiscal conservative and his social issues are paper thin conservatively. The establishment thinks that a conservative candidate would lose to Obama, but they can't know that certainly. Remember, they want to discourage you. That way you either don't vote or you don't go against Romney. This is a tactic of Romney's campaign!

Be encouraged to examine the candidates so that when you go to vote in your primary you're not voting "Not Romney". This is the perfect opportunity to pick a better candidate.

This is a good article to further the discussion about delegates for the GOP.

Books I Plan to Read in 2012

2012-01-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by this MoneySavingMom's post about the 24 books she plans to read this year that I have undertaken to do that myself.

I made the decision after I woefully discovered that I hadn't finished more than one book from my book club and then I realized that I had been missing out on a BUNCH of great reading by wasting time with shows like The Sopranos, and Seinfeld. Okay, those shows are not a waste of time. I'm kidding about that, but really, I spent 2011 watching a lot of evening television while I was either not sleeping because of a new born or just exhausted from a day of watching kids.

But I'm back on the reading horse! I have selected 12 (mostly) non-fiction books to read alongside the books from my book club.

January:
Power Thoughts by Joyce Meyer

February:
Living Your Strengths

March:
Knowing Scripture by RC Sproul

April:
Stop Acting Rich by Thomas J. Stanley

May:
The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee

June:
A Family of Value by John Rosemond

July:
Life After Death by Dinesh D'Souza

August:
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

September:
Being George Washington by Glenn Beck

October:
The Great Divorce by CS Lewis

November:
Jacob I Loved by Ron Durham

December:
Something More by Catherine Marshall

I'm really looking forward to this year of reading. I will try and post reviews as I finish them.

Book List for 2012

2011-12-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Hello! Remember me? I know, it's been so long. Well, here I am. I've been thinking about books. I read this post from the Money Saving Mom today about her reading schedule and it kind of inspired me. Not that it takes much, anyone with a plan is encouraging for me. I lack direction, can you tell?

2011 was kind of rough on me. I had our fourth baby and my reading has suffered! At book club a couple of months ago I realized that I had read maybe one of the assigned books! ONE! How pathetic!!! I did do other reading, like I read all of The Hunger Games, and a bunch of homeschooling books, but of all the fantastic books my club chose I'm pretty sure I only read one of them! Well, not so with 2012! I'm reading all of them, by golly!

And then I thought to myself that I'm also going to shoot for one non-fiction book a month along with my book club book. All of this in addition to the reading the girls and I will be doing for school.

I'm on a break right now from school. It was much needed but it occurred to me today after reading the above linked post that I should schedule out our school reading like I do my own reading. So, I'm going to follow the reading list for Ambleside Online and actually schedule out the chapters. Oh, I'm so ambitious. I'm sure I'll settle somewhere in mediocrity... Skeptical, aren't I?

I'm afraid that reading is the most important thing in our lives right now. Keeping Reagan progressing in reading, teaching Mati to read and then my own development through reading. I spend way too much time on my iPhone (Damn you, Words with Friends!). I'm definitely going to work on that.

Right now I'm reading this book from Charlotte Mason's Educational Series Volume 5: Formation of Character. It's 800 pages long. It is interesting but I kind of need it to move along or I need to be a better reader cause I am fading fast with this one.

I'm also reading the January book of the month The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Fiction will always win over non-fiction, I'm afraid.

So, I'm already covering my personal goal, one non-fiction along with my book of the month from book club.

There is also this really cool contest on this site I just discovered, Reading with Tequila. What a fun idea! To read as many books as possible and score medals! I love prizes, even if they are only bragging rights. I'm considering joining it but it could be too much. What do you think?

Weekly Menu: 10/23-10/29

2011-10-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

Since we just got home from a cruise, I desperately need to set a menu down so that with all the other stuff to catch up on, at least I'll be ready for the meals! So, this is my menu plan for the week. If you look carefully, it's just like MoneySavingMom's... :)

Word of the Day: Flesh Out

2011-10-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

I was looking for something to post about and I decided to go to my old stand-by: The Word of the Day. The site has a list of 10 commonly mistaken words used. Words like prosecute and persecute and compliment and complement. Well, the number one was Flesh Out and Flush Out.

I just had to post on this one! Flesh out is to provide layers of a plan. The Merriam-Webster geniuses suggest thinking of it like a skeleton. You add meat to a skeleton to make a more complete picture. This is what flesh out means, putting flesh on something.

For instance, let's flesh out this idea of raising taxes on the millionaires for so-called job creation. So, the government raises the taxes on the millionaires by 5%. The millionaires then cut back on spending, saving, and their own businesses. Yep, that sounds like a brilliant idea.

Have you heard about the lunatics in the Occupy Wall St. movement? A group of unions have gotten together to protest capitalism at the business center of the world and around the country at other business districts. The movement is comprised up of mostly unions like the AFL-CIO, SEIU, United Auto Workers, and also some political organizations like Working Families Party and other socialists. They believe that capitalism is a great evil and that America really needs to be helping each other. I guess the companies that EMPLOY those union employees don't really need the jobs, huh? So, why then have a union? Why not just quit the jobs and let the rest of America take care of you since you sure that's the American way? No? Oh, you mean you want to FORCE people to take care of you? Yeah, that sounds American.

Ahem.

Well, apparently, the weather has turned cold. And the occupiers are there on the streets without sleeping bags. They have a dilemia: Should they buy their sleeping bags? The movement is Anti-Capitalism, mind you. To go into a store and buy a sleeping bag would be hypocritical. The item is here in the minutes from their Monday meeting:

The first point: Comfort budget….
Jeff: I work with comfort. We have some major concerned about people sleeping here. Mainly we need sleeping bags. Sleeping bags cost money and no one is donating sleeping bags. With that in mind we have a proposal to use some of the donated money to buy sleeping bags. We would like to request about 2000 dollars from the fund for sleeping bags. We think if we buy 100 $20 sleeping bags, that would be enough for the time being.

Let me get this straight, the Occupy Wall St. movement is not experiencing an outpouring of generosity. The mission is "that the American way is to help one another succeed." But that's not what they're experiencing, is it?

I don't know how these people are so dumb. Really.

I'm thinking they should have fleshed out their plan.

In Which I Try to Expand our Palates

2011-09-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this just sound like a terrific ambition? I am trying to do two things with my weekly menus. 1. I'm trying to incorporate a meatless meal into every week. And 2. I'm trying to expose the family to new tastes and seasonings.

I went to my new favorite Chef, Lucinda Scala Quinn, for inspiration. She wrote this cookbook, Mad Hungry, that I received for Christmas last year. It's a great cookbook. I love her tips for making meals go further. She would know. She has three sons and she and her husband have raised them in New York City, no less. That cookbook has taught me new recipes as well as techniques for cooking the perfect rice (she's right) and also how to cook a whole chicken effortlessly (by far the most economical cut of chicken).

Anyways, back to meatless meals. I saw on the first page of her website Monday morning this recipe: Pumpkin Vegetable Curry Stew with Cornmeal Fritters.

I thought, "Hey, we don't hate pumpkin or curry. I'll give this one a shot." I put the ingredients on the shopping list and plowed ahead.

I liked it. Mati liked it. That was about it. During our pre-dinner prayer, Erik thanked God for my trying to open us up to new things, because if he was in charge "we'd be having hot dogs every night." Love him.

Erik is not crazy about stews without beef and it was too spicy for Reagan. Next time (if there is a next time) I may decrease the amount of curry. Thank goodness I didn't add any of the chilis! I was going to take a picture of how much stew was left in Erik's bowl, but I think one photo was about all I could manage.

So, it was good. I love that I instantly was able to blow my nose. Is that gross? I love clearing my sinuses with the aid of food. I mean, it's delicious and it serves a purpose. Yes!

I served the stew and the fritters separately, but then I ate the stew with the fritters, putting a little stew on the fritter and then taking a bite. That toned down the stew and also lent some flavor to the fritters.

Overall, I'm really glad I made this. It was way outside of our comfort zone. And to reward Erik's sense of adventure, I'm making his favorite meal tomorrow: Hamburgers with french fries.

I made the following substitutions.

1.) I substituted butternut squash for pumpkin. The pumpkins haven't quite arrived.

2.) I added no chilis. I had thought I would add some cayenne pepper rather than the Scotch Bonnet pepper. But I changed my mind with hand poised over the pot. I'm glad I did. However, I read that the Scotch Bonnet has a fruity taste, which may have added flavor in addition to heat. Might be worth a shot if you have no fear of heat. You can read about Scotch Bonnet peppers here.

3.) The Fritters: I halved the amount of onions. I wish I hadn't. The fried onions would have broken up the cornmeal better.

4.) I did use Coconut Milk. First time I've used this. I think you can substitute water if you don't want to make a special purchase.

5.) I used regular Idaho potatoes rather than try to find a green banana or an Irish potato. So, for the stew there were two potatoes.

I may try and make this once a year, just to keep things interesting around here. It can be so boring...

My New Favorite Salad

2011-09-28T12:28:00.001-07:00

I do love salad, but I find myself getting into a funk with them. I've got to switch them up every so often, you know?

Anyways, last night's dinner was a home run! I made this Asian BBQ Chicken (one of my favorites and a new staple) and threw it together with a salad and white rice.

Let me go into the salad a little deeper, cause this was the part that I LOVED.

The dressing is from Betty Crocker. I know! Sometimes the best is the original, right?

Here's the recipe:

Sweet-Sour Dressing

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used Canola.)

2 tbls sugar

2 tbls cider vinager (could use white, I used Apple Cider. I may try Rice Vinager next time.)

1 tbls parsley (I used dried.)

1/2 tsp salt

Dash of pepper

Dash of red pepper sauce

Combine and refrigerate.

The salad was red leaf lettuce, red bell peppers, shaved carrots, green onion and almonds. I had a package of Chicken Ramen, so I melted some butter in a pan and then sprinkled the Chicken seasoning packet over that. Then I broke the noodles and sauted them quickly in the butter.

What I did on my own plate we combine the chicken, the salad and the rice. It was delicious! All the textures with that dressing, truly good eats. And I couldn't wait to have the leftovers today. Everything was great again! My new favorite salad!

In Awe

2011-09-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

I must share this with you. My friend, Chandra, hiked the Grand Canyon, rim to rim, in one day. Read and see her pictures here.

Amazing. I'm inspired to at least think about doing this someday.

Submission & Women Running for President

2011-09-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

A week ago some ladies I know were appalled at Michele Bachamann saying that she submitted to her husband when he advised her to go to law school. Then they spouted off the "no woman should submit to her husband" rhetoric followed by "I don't think we can elect someone who will be taking orders from her husband." I was offended. Please understand, I do not bring this up to rant against them personally.

I was offended by of their ignorance of the Scriptures.

I know that submission has been used very wrongly in the world by men who do not love their wives as Christ loves the Church. This is very sad because it has distorted the principle of love, selfless, generous love. This is the kind of love involved in submission.

I am not afraid of submission. I was blessed with a great home life and married a very non-controlling man, so I have my background going for me in this area. However, I do have pride, and I am controlling. So while I may not be daily challenged in this area, I do struggle with submitting to Erik in certain situations.

For example, I'm a bit of an over-committed type. I like to try and fit as much as possible into one time frame. When we leave on vacation, I like to run last minute errands, like the post office and the library and perhaps the store for supplies we'll need on our trip and maybe try and squeeze in a play date. This stresses Erik out to no end. I'm an optimist when it comes to time, what can I say? Well, after 10 years of marriage I still think there's nothing wrong with this cram-session and Erik hates it. So, in submission I've learned to say no to get-togethers on the departure day, and run my errands earlier in the week. Of course I'm still working on it.

I know this example is insignificant when compared with the potential Presidential decision to bomb Iran. However, I think the heart is the same.

Submission is all about trust. Can we trust God to do what He wants when our flesh screams out to do it our way? Can we trust that God is doing something in every situation? When we choose His way (what submission is!) we honor Him. Can we do that in all situations?

I, for one, applaud Bachmann's decision to trust her husband with her future. She came out better for it.

Furthermore, I don't see Mr. Bachmann as the interfering type. So when it comes to national security matters I don't think he'll be pulling the strings, exercising his own agenda. If they are in a Godly marriage then he will be praying for his wife, advising her on matters of the home, helping her in whatever capacity she needs. Because you see, the same Bible verse that says a woman should submit to her husband also says "Husbands love your wives as Christ loves the Church."

Okay, I don't have much time to go back over this and edit. Kids are screaming and I've ignored them long enough today! Let me know what you think. Do you think I'm scripturally off base?

The BEST Taquitos EVER!

2011-09-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

Do you love Taquitos? I do. They're perfect. A little tortilla filled with meat. They are great for dipping, great for kids. Crunchy. Yummy. Delicious.

But I've never made them before. I typically buy them from Costco or at restaurants. However, a friend of mine (Erin L.) suggested this recipe from Our Best Bites.

Oh.My.Gosh.

Even the wonderful and palate-discerning Erik liked them, despite the presence of the hated-cilantro. This was a big deal. Cilantro is like a big no-no in the Wilhelmsen house. In fact I never cook with it because he dislikes it so much. Reagan yesterday, while I was chopping it said, "What is that disgusting smell?" So, yeah, the kids are not used to that beautiful aroma. Yet.

Anyways, back to the dinner. Delicious. Too spicy for the kids, though. Next time I'll tone down the chili powder and instead of pepper jack cheese I'll just use cheddar or, for an even better taste, Monterrey jack. Last night I used half-and-half pepper jack and cheddar and it was too spicy for the kids. Also I decreased the cilantro by more than half; I just wanted the hint without overpowering Erik's taste buds.

Erik and I practically inhaled them they were that good. And Erik even took the leftovers for lunch, which is huge because he NEVER takes leftovers.

Don't miss the final step, though. Sprinkle kosher salt on the tops after spraying with cooking spray. It gave the taquitos that I've-got-to-have-just-one-more taste. I love that taste.

So, here's the recipe. I can't recommend it enough. Our Best Bites just might be my new go-to for weeknight meals! And no, I didn't take pictures. I don't do that.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Book Review: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

2011-08-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

I read "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua recently. And I can't wait to talk about it!

Ever want to know why Asian kids are so disciplined? How do the Asian parents inspire their kids to be such high achievers?

If you're looking for a how-to manual, this may be it. If you're looking for an interesting and enjoyable memoir on parenting through the younger years, this is definitely it. If you're looking for a cushy, "I LOVE MY KIDS!" kind of book, STAY AWAY.

I really admire most of the Asian parenting techniques. I think American parents, Westerners, are on the whole too easy going about challenging their children. I know that is a generality. I know there are exceptions. However, isn't it kind of true? Doesn't society as a whole say, "Oh, that's too hard. Don't worry about trying to achieve that."?

Chua states that American parents just don't love their kids enough to push them to a higher level of academics or performance. At least that is what the Asians think.

I don't want to agree with that. However, I can't help but think about what the Bible says about parenting and discipline. After all, it comes down to discipline, doesn't it? Asian parents are harsher disciplinarians than Western parents. Asian kids are afraid of disappointing their parents because there are harsh consequences if they do.

A few scriptures about discipline for us to contemplate: Psalm 94:12 "Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law." And Provers 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

I liked this book because Chua's techniques, while admittedly harsh, seemed to make sense to me. Her biggest disappointment in her life was the disappointment of her father in her for some mediocre grade she once got. She was trying to impart the same values into her daughters. It kind of worked.

Her first daughter, true to first-born fashion, didn't really rebel against her mother. Sure they got into fights, but the first daughter was mostly submissive. And she turned out very accomplished. I think she went onto Yale, is a concert pianist, etc.

However, the second daughter was rebellious, in an Asian way. For instance, she would practice her violin, but she would purposefully play it badly.

I do not like a lot of how Chua treated her daughters: she yelled at her daughters, called them names, etc. All things I abhor. She made them practice their instruments on family vacations. She forced them into the student orchestras. When the girls were infants, she hired a Chinese nanny and made them speak Mandarin at home. She sacrificed time as a family for the pursuit of excellence in these areas by traveling to New York City for practice sessions with masters, every weekend. She and her husband had a lot of fights because they disagreed a lot about how she was raising the children.

But she also saw her children with incredible potential. And she wasn't going to let up until they believed it about themselves. And she also wasn't going to give into their fleeting and childish wants. I mean, what child actually knows how hard to work at something to be good? If we left it to children to be a good reader, only one in ten would actually motivate themselves. Instead, we have to practice with our children daily. We have to be there to help with the words. We have to make them sit down and read for 10-15 minutes, at least, every day. We have to limit their distractions so they choose a book rather than the television.

I think this is what Chua was doing for her girls with practicing the violin and piano. As an adult we have the benefit of perspective that children do not have. We know how beneficial it is to be good at something, whether that be as basic as reading or as advanced as violin. We know, either from our own experience of excellence or failure, whether we could have put more effort into something.

The current parenting philosophy says children need to be happy to have a good childhood. I couldn't disagree more. I think happiness is entirely a matter of chance (as Charlotte says about marriage in "Pride & Prejudice") and decision on the part of the individual. As a mother, I consider it my higher calling that the children learn to see past their own situations to the bigger picture of being in God's will. The means of getting there include practice, discipline and most importantly, grace when we fail.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Chua has missed out on the best gift she could have given her children. Yes she demonstrated hard work and sacrifice, but it's futile without a purpose or calling from God. And since of course they would fail, there was disappointment without the comfort of grace. As followers of Jesus we can pursue excellence in life for His glory and know that when we fail, we fall into His loving, caring arms. That's what I hope my kids learn from me.

Mrs. Chua did learn a lot from her experience with her second daughter. After becoming quite accomplished at the violin, she wanted to give it up. It was after a death in the family that Chua relented and allowed her daughter absolute freedom to choose an activity. She chose tennis. She was terrible. At first. And then she wanted to get better. And since she knew what it took to get good at something (time, practice, repetition, drive, discipline) she got good. She even won tournaments.

I love this! I think it was so important that her daughter know what hard work looks like. So that when given the freedom to choose an area, she would pursue excellence. She would know HOW to pursue excellence.

Mrs. Chua was humbled by her daughters, and I get the feeling that she is a tad bit remorseful about how she treated them in the early years.

But I don't think she regrets it entirely.

Menu 8/28-9/3

2011-08-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I just published my weekly menu!?!? In case you need help motivating yourself to menu plan. Here's mine.

Semantics

2011-08-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

When the media says "Revenue Increases" you should hear "Tax Increases".

Budget Deficits: 2008 vs. 2011

2011-08-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

In 2008 the country was running a deficit of a shade under $500 Billion.

That was too high. Bush allowed Congress to pass through a lot of subsidies and entitlements, which when combined with TARP, a monetary bailout for a car company, and the collapse of the housing market due to poor Congressional oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, grew the federal budget deficit from $167 Billion all the way up to about $480 Billion.

Not good. I spoke out against all of those things at the time in posts like this one, and this one, I'm sure there's more but I don't have time to reread my blog. (Man, I should be tagging stuff!) This kind of spending, on the Right or the Left, amounts to horrible domestic policy.

As you may know, the Congress just agreed to raise the debt limit to, get ready, $14.5 TRILLION. That is three TIMES the WORST budget deficit we had under Bush.

So, you tell me. Who is being irresponsible here? I know Bush's domestic policy had it's faults. But certainly nothing compares to this kind of waste and mismanagement under the helm of Obama.

Inflation, Anyone?

2011-07-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

This week's topic is about the current inflation rate in the United States and how the reported inflation rate does not give an accurate picture of what is going on in households.

Inflation is the overall general upward price movement of goods and services in an economy (often caused by a increase in the supply of money), usually as measured by the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index. Over time, as the cost of goods and services increase, the value of a dollar is going to fall because a person won't be able to purchase as much with that dollar as he/she previously could. While the annual rate of inflation has fluctuated greatly over the last half century, ranging from nearly zero inflation to 23% inflation, the Fed actively tries to maintain a specific rate of inflation, which is usually 2-3% but can vary depending on circumstances. The opposite of deflation.

Our current rate of inflation is 3.56%. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is what the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics uses to calculate the inflation rate. The CPI rates everything from fuel, to food, to medical expenses.

I have linked the BLS's CPI report for the month of June 2011. Interestingly, they release a CPI monthly. I find this interesting because I don't think it's an especially useful tool monthly. It's more useful as a yearly indicator of what has occurred in an economy.

However, let's look at the CPI for energy and food. Let's look at food. The BLS reports that although the index for food dropped a tad from May to June, overall, "The index for food at home has risen 4.7 percent over the last 12 months, with all the major groups increasing 3.2 percent or more." Oh, we're feeling that one, aren't we? It sounds so non-threatening in a report like that doesn't it? But let that sink in.

Food has gone up in price by nearly 5% in 12 months. We are paying about 5% MORE this June for the same things we bought last June.

On to energy. The energy index fell in June 4.4% from May, the largest drop since December of 2008. But keep in mind that gasoline prices have fallen partly because the Strategic Oil Reserves are being used to keep our prices artificially low. (I say artificially because it's not a true indicator of a reduction in prices because we have a temporary alternative supply. The Strategic Oil Reserves can't supply forever.)

Here's the money quote:

Despite the recent declines, the gasoline index has increased 35.6 percent over the past 12 months. The index for household energy also decreased in June, falling 1.2 percent after rising 0.5 percent in May. The index for natural gas rose 0.4 percent, but the electricity index declined 1.6 percent and the index for fuel oil fell 2.2 percent. The household energy index has risen 2.8 percent over the last 12 months, with the fuel oil index up 37.3 percent and the electricity index up 1.5 percent but the index for natural gas down 0.8 percent.

So, there it is. In ONE YEAR we are paying 37.3% MORE for gasoline.

This makes me so mad I could spit. And here we are sitting upon some of the richest oil sources in the entire world and President Obama remains unmoved! He hasn't lifted the moratorium on drilling for oil. And we are drying up financially because of it.

Anyways, this post was about inflation. We have a relatively low inflation rate across all goods and services, but where it counts, in food and fuel, we are being killed.

15 more months...15 more months...15 more months...

Why the Debt Ceiling Doesn't Concern Me

2011-07-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Have you been hearing the talks about the debt ceiling? About how bad it's going to be if the government actually defaults on their debt come August 2?

Well, that's been the latest topic/argument coming from Washington. We are scheduled to exceed the debt limit that Congress has already raised twice this year, on August 1. Basically, under Obama's leadership and the Democratic Congress that brought us two "bailouts", Obama-care, and the takeover of two auto-makers (GM & Chrysler), we will exceed the limit of 14.3 trillion dollars. What will happen,theoretically, is that the US would not be able to borrow any more money to make the payments on the existing entitlements. (Entitlements are Medicare, Social Security, food stamps, etc.)

A lot of this argument is hyped up to scare Americans. "Oh no! Social Security payments won't go out if they don't raise the debt ceiling!" This is not accurate. The federal government takes in taxes monthly to pay for the Medicare and Social Security. The government will take in enough money to make the minimum payments on the debt.

The real issue is that without raising the debt-ceiling our credit rating will go down, making it more of a risk to loan to the US.

Well, hello. It is a risk to lend to the US. We are spending the money of my children's children's children. We are in debt to like four generations, people. Should we be considered a safe loan? Shouldn't it be more difficult to borrow money for the US?

I love to think about this in terms of a family budget. Let's say Erik has a job and makes $50,000. And our expenses are running about $43,000 a year. So we're saving $7,000 a year. And then, oops, we're having another baby. Our expenses are about to jump to $52,000 a year. But Erik's only bringing in $50,000. What to do? We have two options: 1) Borrow and pay our expenses on credit or 2) reduce the expenditures to within $50,000.

We will quickly go through our savings. And then we'll need to make the hard decisions. So, we decide to use credit. I mean, who wants to say no to themselves? And you know, Erik will probably get a raise this year. So, we can start paying it back.

But then the interest payments start catching up with us. Oh no! Now our expenses have gone up to $58,000 a year. And then, bummer, we can't really pay the interest, so we take out another loan to pay that one. And then another... Now our expenses are out of control. Not to mention that at this point I've enrolled the girls in ballet, tap & jazz, Erik and I both have new cars every two years, and I'm constantly shopping. Those are needs, right?

The bank eventually cuts us off. We are no longer allowed to take any more credit. We are such a credit risk that our credit score has tanked, thereby alerting any other would-be creditors that we probably can't be trusted with credit.

What should we do? Start trimming the expenses. The credit has to be paid. It's all stuff we've already bought. The only way out of that one is bankruptcy (i.e. Greece-this is what's going on over there! Our future if we don't change!). The only real solution is to cut down on all the "entitlements", like cable, dance classes, sell the cars and buy cheaper ones, decide if we really need a home phone and cell phones, etc. It's the responsible way.

I think it's high-time that the government start acting like everyone else in this country. Stop spending. My goodness. JUST.STOP.

And yes, it hurts to cut yourself off from things that you love. But you have to start and keep in mind that financial health goes MILES towards mental peace.

Although the scenario above is hypothetical, I'm not the perfect picture of financial health. But I can recognize an addiction when I see one and the Federal Government is addicted to spending.

The reason the debt ceiling breach doesn't bother me is because it bothers me more that Congress is actually thinking about raising it again. For the third time. This year.

What should bother us is that we apparently need this money to keep paying Social Security and Medicare. We are giving out money that we don't even have. How irresponsible is that?

Smart Girl Talks Corporate Taxes

2011-07-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

I was at Bunco last week when my friend the Queen called me smart. This occurred because one of our friends was surprised that I didn't like Barrack Obama.

After the Queen's compliment, I basically biffed the rest of the conversation. I was horribly inarticulate about why Barrack Obama is a terrible President. And I was even less convincing about my single most passionate issue: the beauty of free-markets! I hung my head in shame. I only have a few moments like those to attempt to convince someone of the truth.

But do I? Don't I have a blog? Why, if free market economic principles are so interesting and important, don't I talk about them more often?

I think I should commemorate this tongue-tied occurrence with a weekly post about capitalism, free-markets and how it relates to current events. I'm going to call it, "Capitalizing on Tuesday" or "Capitalism Tuesday", or "Free-Market Tuesday". Do you have a suggestion? I'm terrible with names.

So, today's topic is about how awesome it would be if Arizona slashed it's Corporate Tax Rate. Currently, we have one of larger corporate tax rates. According to the Tax Foundation, Arizona's corporate tax rate is 6.9% on all moneys earned. Whether you earn $1 or $1,000,000, you have to pay the state 6.9%.

I'm bringing this up because couple of weeks ago, California enacted the California Internet Sales Tax. All online purchases, irregardless of if the vendor has a brick-and-mortar store, is now subject to sales tax in the state of California. This is a hit for online merchants based in California. The article ended with an interview, "One affiliate, Ken Rockwell of San Diego, the owner of a 12-year-old photography website, said he planned to move out of state.

"Will it be Las Vegas or Scottsdale or Ensenada?" he said. "It's a question of where, not if."

Dear State of Arizona, I have a few suggestions.

1. Start recruiting businesses from California. They want to move! Arizona is the perfect place for businesses to start over. We have very few natural disasters and shipping interruptions. We are very accessible internationally. Yes, it's a tad hot for a few months. So what? Instead of paying higher taxes, you can afford to take vacations!

2. Slash the corporate tax rate to below 5% . This will entice the businesses. They will bring their existing customers, their employees, and hopefully, they will start hiring new people once their business grows.

3. Watch businesses grow! Arizona's unemployment rate is, preliminary, at 9.1%. (Expect that to be adjusted upwards. That rate has been adjusted upwards for the past 2 years.) The real unemployment is probably at 9.5%. Well, the easy fix for this is bring in more businesses for our people to work in. More jobs available means more people working and lower unemployment.

Anyways, if you know your state reps, I would pass along this information. Encourage them to try and find a way to lower the corporate tax rate. Capitalize on California's idiocy.

What I'm Thinking About Right Now

2011-07-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

I was sitting down on a Friday night, not to curl up with my honey because he's out on a 36-hour Nazi Zombie marathon with his guy friends as a birthday present from me to him, but instead I decided to blog about Casey Anthony and my thoughts on her acquittal.

Except, that's not what I'm doing. I'm watching 17 Again with the adorable Zac Effron, and checking my Netflix queue. And that's a weird word: Queue. Say it with me: Queue. And I totally spelled it correctly the first time. Yes! I've still got mad spelling-grammar skillz! So, the movie is cute. But so is Zac. And if you tell my kids I will call you a liar.

So, Casey Anthony is not cute. And she is a liar. However, bald-face lying does not a murderer make. But it sure does make one wonder why she would lie if she had nothing to do with Caylee's death.

I think why I'm so upset about the thing is because my soul cries out for justice. I want to see someone punished in my lifetime for something so tragic. I believe we all have a need for justice. The only way to reconcile this heinous action and the coinciding acquittal of Casey is that I know that nothing is secret from God. There is nowhere that His light does not shine. Things done in the cover of darkness are not hid from him. I also take comfort that God will exact His revenge.

So, I've made peace with the death of Caylee Anthony.

Of course, there's a legal aspect to this that I want to discuss. I am becoming concerned that cases built on circumstantial evidence do not convict. I mean, the woman lied to police over and over. And then what's with the whole Dad issue? Daddy issues are not a license to kill! I'm not a lawyer, so I have no idea how a defendant can use Daddy-issues for a defense. I just know that most women have Daddy issues, and yet still are accountable for their actions. Right?

Well, I'm back to Zac and 17 Again.

Toodle-oooo

Ch-Ch-Changes

2011-06-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

I think this song may be appropriate right now. Lots of changes going on at the Wilhelmsen household.

I have decided to home school the girls. I have been convicted about several things. For one, I'm not making seeking the Lord a priority in our daily lives, and I'm not doing a very good job in teaching the girls the importance of such a priority.

Secondly, I am frustrated that I do not know how to motivate Reagan. I feel, essentially, that I barely know her. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we are apart for 8 hours a day, and the remaining hours of her day I want her to play, do chores, and generally get to be a kid. I have long felt that school robs the kids of their free time; now I feel empowered to do something about that.

And thirdly, I have discovered that I am jealous for my kids' time and attention. I'm wondering if this is how God feels about us. The Bible talks about God being a jealous God; I think I'm beginning to understand. In some ways, jealousy can be a good thing. Not jealousy in the sense that I feel bitter or angry at some perceived injustice, but jealous for the short time together while they are home. Jealous because I realize that I will not get to see their faces when they discover something, and jealous that their closest connections are with people I may not want in their everyday lives, instead of with their family and the people that I think are good influences on them.

I am convinced that home school is our solution.

I am unsure about how it will work in our household! I will probably be stressed out, frazzled, and then hopefully, so glad we did it. Erik and I are in agreement, which has been huge. He's been a bit hesitant whenever I've brought it up in the past; but now he sees a lot of potential and he's willing to go for it. I love that about him!

I am busy trying to figure out what curricula to use and how much our budget should be. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself and the kids for August (when we'll start).

I'm Alive...Barely

2011-05-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

A few of you have expressed some desire for updates and pictures. And a few of you want to know what I think about what's going on in the world.

So, I'm going to try and do both in one post because who knows when I'll sit down to do it again, right?

Declan is 12 weeks old. He's sleeping 9 hours straight at night which is BEAUTIFUL.

Jack is 19 months and I have put him back on milk under the advise of my doctor. She was concerned about his lack of growth; he's off the charts on the low side. I mentioned that it's quite difficult to feed him since he's allergic to everything. She asked, "What's the reaction to milk?" I told her he gets constipated. She said, "I'd rather treat the constipation and you give him milk." Seems so simple and yet, it was such a relief! No more keeping butter out of things, no more skipping cheese. She told me to give him two Pediasures a day to start with. Then when Erik and I were talking about it, we decided we would just put him on milk and Pediasure. Wouldn't you know it, but his appetite has increased ten-fold. It was like the poor kid wasn't getting enough calories so his body just adjusted down. I feel terrible writing this, but I honestly was doing what the specialist had told us to do. We are very pleased with how Jack is doing. And so far, no constipation! It's wonderful!

Mati and Reagan are doing great considering the huge changes going on in their lives. Two babies in two years has certainly thrown all us, not the least the girls. We are working through lack of focus, highly emotional outbursts, and general disobedience. I know those are all things we would be working through anyways, but they seem a bit more pronounced. And Reagan's teacher mentioned the emotional outbursts, so those are happening all over... :) Over all, they LOVE their little brothers and I'm so blessed by how much love the girls have.

Furthermore, I know it's taken a while, but I'm so happy that God gave me the boys so close together. I'm so glad that He knows me better than I do. Now if I can just get better at the response to people who say, "Wow, you have your hands full!" Something about that comment makes me feel a little guilty, a little irresponsible. I know we didn't purposefully try for Declan, but God brought him around according to His timing. How great that I didn't have to make that decision! How wonderful to be in a place of total trust in Him!

On to other news:
1. Osama Bin Laden is dead! Wow. We are told not to rejoice in the downfall of our enemies, so I'm going with that. There is no joy in the eternal damnation of a soul. But God will have justice, and that's what I can take delight in. God is Just. And it's humbling to be shown that God will exact His revenge on His enemies in His time.

2. Not raising the debt ceiling of the federal government will not mean disaster for the U.S. And we should not raise the ceiling anyways. How about we don't spend money we don't have? I know that's a difficult concept because of what it means for social programs, but we have got to be willing to make serious changes to the status quo.

3. I am getting so excited about the election next year. Does it seem like Obama's been in office forever? This has been the longest two years of my life! And it's only gotten harder. Here's to $4 a gallon gasoline and grocery prices going up, up, up. And why is NO ONE riding Obama like the MSM did with Bush before the 2008 election? I'll tell you why, the liberals rejoice with these kind of fuel prices. It means less travel, less freedom, more debt cause everything else is more expensive. Debt is a form of slavery, you know.

4. Back to the upcoming election: I'm paying special attention to Herman Cain (successful business man), Tim Pawlenty, and my dark horse because I don't think he's running, Bobby Jindal. Bobby Jindal just released his birth certificate so that makes me think he may be considering a run. He's my favorite and I hope he runs.

Are you excited too?

Please Welcome Declan James!

2011-02-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

Declan James was born on 2/15 at 8:04 am. He was 8 pounds 6.9 ounces, and 21.5 inches long. I have no idea how a baby that size fit inside me, and I'm so grateful that I got to deliver via c-sections!

Anyways, the birth was smooth and I was home two days later. I'm so grateful to be a fast healer; God surely knows what I need and that is to bounce back as quick as possible.

Dex is now three weeks old so these pictures are already out of date. He's growing very well, already passed his birth weight. I am breastfeeding, but I do not know for how long. I'm longing to get back into shape and lose a lot of weight. And since that doesn't happen for me until after I'm done breastfeeding, well, I'm anxious to get there.

Thank you so much for your prayers. God hears his children.

Word of the Day: Disideratum

2011-02-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

The word of the day is desideratum which means something desired or considered necessary.

I have several desiderata (oh yeah! It's a two-for-one post! Desiderata is the plural of desideratum.) right now. First, I can't wait to be able to wear my wedding ring. I have missed it. I haven't been able to wear it comfortably since summer.

I am desiring having my body to myself. I realize that is a completely selfish and self-centered desideratum, but I just can't get over it. The weight gain I hate. The feeling of Declan moving inside is cool, but as this is my fourth, I'm kind of over it. And he kicks at my gall bladder which REALLY hurts. Also, I am a horrible snorer while pregnant, so I'm sure that the oh-so-accommodating Erik is desiring this baby out of me.

Another desideratum I have is to get moving on this adventure of being a mom of four. I'm nervous and the only remedy for that is to just get moving! Well, really the only remedy is to pray for God to take away my anxiety and preoccupation. But I'm also praying that he will move this week along...

My c-section is scheduled for 2/15. Would you please pray for me and the baby? Your prayers are another desideratum!

Book Review: Prince Caspian Part II

2011-02-01T13:22:00.001-08:00

The second part of “Prince Caspian” that I loved was when Aslan first appears, but only Lucy, the youngest can see him. After telling her brothers and sister that Aslan wants them to follow a different path than the one they were on, Lucy decides to listen to the "wisdom" of her older siblings and go along with her older brothers and sister and go in the opposite direction than the one Aslan has pointed out to her.

Well, this path leads them wrong. The group followed a path that looked more direct but got progressively harder and then finally lead them practically into the camp of the enemy. It was when the arrows started firing on them that they realized that they need to go all the way back. They sheepishly apologized to Lucy and turned back the way they came. The path Aslan pointed out did not appear to go in the right direction, in fact the path seemed to go away from where the group knew the battle would be. But as they followed the Aslan path, they had easy going of it. And once they were on the right path, one by one, each member of the group began to, at first hear, and then see, Aslan.

While the group slept that night, Lucy was awakened by a voice, "The voice she loved best." So she went to it. When she met up with Aslan, they had this exchange. I'm quoting it at length.

"Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan," sobbed Lucy. "At last."...
"Welcome, child," he said.
"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."
For a time she was so happy that she did not want to speak. But Aslan spoke.
"Lucy," he said, "we must not lie here for long. You have work in hand, and much time has been lost today."
"Yes, wasn't it a shame?" said Lucy. "I saw you all right. They wouldn't believe me. They're all so-"
From somewhere deep inside Aslan's body there came the faintest suggestion of a growl.
"I'm sorry," said Lucy, who understood some of his moods. "I didn't mean to start slamming the others. But it wasn't my fault anyways, was it?"
The Lion looked straight into her eyes.
"Oh Aslan," said Lucy. "You don't mean it was? How could I-I couldn't have left the others and come up to you alone, how could I? Don't look at me like that...oh well, I suppose I could. Yes, and it wouldn't have been alone, I know, not if I was with you. But what would have been the good?"
Aslan said nothing.
"You mean," said Lucy rather faintly, "that it would have turned out all right-somehow? But how? Please Aslan! Am I not to know?"
"To know what would have happened, child?" said Aslan. "No. Nobody is ever told that."

He goes on to tell her to go back to the others, wake them up, and tell them what Aslan has told her. And if they won't believe her, she is to go alone with Aslan.

This exchange is chock-full! But among them is the reminder that it's in our best interest to follow Jesus, no matter who believes us or agrees with us. And yes, things will probably work out just fine, but if we follow Christ first, we could have a better time of things!

In any case, it was a good book and I highly recommend it. Now on to "Voyage of the Dawn Treader."

Book Review: The Horse & His Boy and Prince Caspian Part I

2011-01-19T12:34:00.000-08:00

I have been reading my way through the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis a little bit at a time. I've had a little bit more time over the winter break to read; I think I've read about three books in three weeks. Two of the books I read were "The Horse and His Boy" and "Prince Caspian", books 3 and 4 respectively.

"The Horse" was good. The main characters are two talking horses who are longing to go back to Narnia, the land of the talking animals, and where they are truly home, and two youngsters, Shasta (a boy) and Aravis (a girl) from their original land of Calormen, which is south of Narnia. The humans are running away from Calormen; Shasta to escape from the cruelty of his father and Aravis from her impending marriage to a much older man. They join up and escape to the land of Narnia. Their journey takes them across a dessert and up through mountains into Narnia, while escaping marching armies and chasing lions.

My favorite part of the book was where Aslan reveals himself as a traveling companion to Shasta. Aslan has actually been the lion that has chased them throughout the story. It seems that without a chasing lion, maybe the characters would not have moved so quickly into the safety of the promised land or perhaps they would have given up and turned around and tried to make do in the "comfort" of what they knew in Calormen.

That doesn't sound identifiable at all, does it? :)

But my favorite line is what Aslan says to Shasta when Shasta asks Aslan why he wounded Aravis, "But what for?"

"Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own."

This line has really made me think about what is my business, and what is not. I'm naturally curious, alright nosy, about what God is doing in the lives of those around me. Sometimes I would like to know why God is allowing someone to go through something. Or why it seems that some people can't seem to learn a lesson and be released. But the truth is that it's NONE of my business and Christ reveals to the individual what that person needs to learn. Not to me. Never to me, unless that person comes to me directly.

The next book was "Prince Caspian" which you probably know from the recent movie. I enjoyed reading the book and thought that the film did a good job with the content.

"Prince Caspian" opens with the four Pevensies being taken back into Narnia from their current world of London. We find out later that they were summoned by Prince Caspian through Susan's horn because the Narnians needed help to win the war against a Telmarine king who had taken over Narnia as his own. (If you have neither seen the movie or read the book, I know you're confused. But I really don't want to go into the whole story. Read the books. They are very short.)

Anyways, what I loved about this book was again the encounter with Aslan and how with the coming of Aslan, nature is put right again. You see, all Creation is supposed to live in harmony with each other. In Isaiah 11 we can get a glimpse of what the world will be like when Christ returns. Starting in verse 6,

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

That’s how I picture Narnia with Aslan present. In “Prince Caspian”, Aslan has been away for a while and some beasts have turned back to their primitive ways; they have stopped talking and have turned vicious. Furthermore, the trees aren’t talking as they once were. It was when Aslan reappeared that the trees and beasts awakened to what they were really supposed to be, living in harmony with all of God’s creation.

Won’t that be beautiful? To live in such harmony with all of creation that not even snakes or scorpions will scare us!

Alice in Wonderland

2011-01-14T13:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I watched "Alice in Wonderland" with my daughter Matilyn. Initially I really wanted to see it, but then I heard a few bad reviews and it was moved to the back of the list.

Forgive me, but I actually liked it. I do not consider myself to be an Alice purist which may be why I could stand to watch it. I think that for a remake, it was interestingly done.

Now, I love the original Disney "Alice". It was wonderful hand-drawn animation, beautiful original score, and followed the book pretty well.

The new "Alice", in my opinion, should not be compared with the original. I think the newest "Alice" movie should be seen more as a continuation of the story by Carrol. Now, I have not read "Through the Looking Glass" and the movie did deal more with the Jabberwocky so I may be speaking out of turn. However, I found that this more grown-up Alice was kind of charming and endearing while she dealt with questions of identity and calling. I really liked how the absurdity and irony of the "Real" people juxtaposed with Alice's seeming-weirdness. I liked how she escapes one absurd world into another, but this other world has more purpose, it seems.

Artistically I found it amazing, yet typical Tim Burton. Isn't it something that the talents and vision of Burton have become somewhat routine? He's pretty amazing, and yet, predictable. Anyways, I thought the costumes and makeup were great.

So, on the whole, I think this film was okay. I did have concerns with seeing it with my almost-five year old, but she was okay. And she did lose interest by the time the Jabberwocky showed up.

I probably could have lived my entire life without seeing this film, but I was glad that I did all the same. What did you think of it? If you haven't seen it, why have you avoided it?

The Weekend We Could Have Been Shot

2011-01-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we were in Tucson celebrating the love that has endured and grown in 10 short years between Erik and me.

We stayed at a nice Hilton off of Oracle and Ina. A great location, really. It's newer Tucson and my sister-in-law is from there so we're pretty familiar with that area. We got to Tucson on Friday and had a wonderful dinner at Wildflower, which is a Fox Restaurant Concept (the creator of Culinary Dropout, Blanco, Sauce, etc is a UofA graduate, and Wildflower was his first restaurant concept.) Anyways, we loved our meal at Wildflower. I had the fish special, which was Lane Snapper and it was DIVINE. On a side note, I usually get the fish special at good restaurants. For one, I don't make fish all that often and when I do it's pretty typical (sauteed in garlic or fried...) Getting the fish special allows me to try something that I would never think of doing with fish. Secondly, when I'm at a good restaurant, usually the chefs are great with fish. I have never regretted getting the fish, fyi.

Anyways, dinner was fabulous. Erik had the NY Strip and then to finish off we had Creme Brulee with coffee. Yum-yum.

The next day we woke up late and decided to go see the 11 o'clock showing of "The King's Speech". It was about 9:30 when we decided this and of course I need to eat, so we drove to the Einstein's on Ina and Oracle. We're talking, loving that we can talk without our children around, and I see a couple of cop cars whiz by, and then about 4 ambulances start passing. Erik points to the opposite corner of where we're headed and says, "Kevin said that 'Beyond Bread' restaurant is really good for breakfast." And I suggest that we check it out the next morning before we head up to Phoenix. And the as we're pulling into the parking lot of Einstein's, three helicopters are landing in the parking lot across the street.

We figured it was either a bomb threat, a bank hold-up, or a shooting.

Anyways, we get our bagels and coffee, eat, wonder what is going on outside, and then we leave. I mean, Colin Firth was waiting. Hello. By the time we left the entire intersection was blocked off and we went around the block to head to the theater.

The movie was great. I highly recommend it.

As we were leaving the theater, Erik checks Facebook on his phone only to discover what had happened. I was sick. How could you hear about this and not be sick? What kind of sicko does this?

So, happy anniversary to us. We could have been shot. And we may never go to Tucson again... Okay, most of that is facetious. Obviously we'll go to Tucson again. I hope you will continue to pray for the family's of the victims and the continued recovery of the ones still in the hospital.

Book Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2011-01-05T13:18:00.000-08:00

This month's book club selection is "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". I picked it. I really wanted something to escape with because I have a bit of a reality problem in that it seems like I have a lot of reality going on right now. So, it seemed perfect to escape to Sweden for a nice mystery.

There is a lot of talk going around about this book. The author Stieg Larsson died very suddenly in 2004 and his books were published posthumously. He was, apparently, the second best selling author in the world in 2008 behind Khaled Hosseini.

Initially I didn't really want to read this series; they seemed like a hyped up series, you know, like the Twilight series. And I just don't like to read a lot of things that are mainstream. I'm a snob. You can say it. I'm not offended. But this book intrigued me because several people that I like have read it and they really liked it. I decided to give it a shot.

I bought it on my Nook. And it was so great to read it that way, but that is an aside.

I tore through that book in one week, maybe less. It was great. I have heard that it may take a while to get into because there is some backstory. The main characters don't even meet until half-way through the story.

The story follows two people, one a magazine publisher and writer who is convicted of libel, and the other is a woman who has serious emotional issues and is a brilliant private investigator. He is hired to write a family chronicle for a wealthy old man, solve a mystery of a missing/murdered woman. She is hired by him to help solve the mystery.

Now, I want to warn you: this book contains some very violent situations that won't soon leave my mind.

However, the book is really good. Although the beginning does tend to get weighed down by a bunch of names and characters, once you get into the meat of the story, the introduction of a bunch of random Swedes doesn't really matter and can be forgotten. Probably this means that the author should have edited it down. I couldn't identify with the characters, they were involved in things that I couldn't even imagine doing, and they were in a country that I can not even picture. All things that made it the perfect escape book!

There was one political point in the book that I found absolutely fascinating. The girl in the story was a ward of the state. At an early age she was declared mentally unstable, but functioned enough in society that she was able to have a guardian. This guardian was responsible for the girl's finances, and had weekly meetings to determine how life was going. I just found the whole thing interesting. Socialist yes, but interesting nevertheless.

I can't wait to read the next book in the Millennium series, "The Girl Who Played with Fire". If you can stomach it, I recommend this book!

Hello 2011!

2011-01-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

2011 is a BIG YEAR for us here in the Wilhelmsen camp.

First and foremost, the wonderful Erik and I will celebrate 10 years married on Thursday! We are going away for the weekend to the beautiful city of Tucson where we will sleep, go to at least two movies, and eat out. No Kids allowed! So glorious. The only thing that would be better is if I wasn't a million months pregnant for the second time in two years... I really want to see the new Harry Potter film and The King's Speech.

Secondly, I'm all set to have our fourth and final (Lord willing) child and also to tie up my tubes. The only resolution I'm making this year is that I'm resolved to not having any more children. Bud-dum-bum! (Or however you spell that onomatopoeia.) Honestly, if it weren't for the probability that I need the hormones, I would love to just take out the whole shebang...

Third, I have a new love and his name is Nook. I know, I know. How could it be? He's the complete antithesis to the debonair Erik... He's short. He's fits in the palm of my hand. But what he lacks in the physical he totally redeems himself in portability, convenience and sleekness. But to be more accurate, I should say that Nook has come between me and books, not me and Erik. E-books rule. I never thought I would say it, but I'm not sure I'm going to miss physical books. For one, the Nook doesn't have bookmarks that my crumb-crunchers can take out and lose my place. And for those of you who love the smell of books, which admittedly I do, the smell of my leather carrying case for the Nook makes up for that. I'm looking forward to reading a lot in 2011.

And that's about it. Reading and raising children...my goals for 2011!

Stop and Thank a Smoker

2010-12-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

So, since it's the holidays, and it's best time of year to stop and reflect on life, and the gift of Jesus Christ, I thought it was time to bring up one group of people who should be thanked.

Smokers.

Have you ever stopped to consider how many programs are funded by their voluntary purchase of a product? I don't think this is an exhaustive list, just a list of recent programs that don't have much to do with tobacco use. We here in Arizona have a lot of our own. For every pack of cigarettes, the consumer pays $2.00 to the State.

1. 1% goes to Smoke Free Arizona. A public information campaign. Don't Smoke. Yet, it's funded by smokers. So if everyone followed the advice of the Smoke Free movement, how would they be funded? Do you think they really want people to stop smoking? I doubt it...

3. 40% Early Childhood Education fund which funds any number of early childhood education programs, whatever that means.

4. 30% to the Tobacco Products Tax Fund, in my opinion, is the most nefarious of the overall tax. Here's what it does.

Forty-two cents of each $1.00 in the fund is deposited in the Proposition 204 Protection Account which helps fund health insurance coverage for more uninsured residents ; five cents of each $1.00 is deposited in the Health Research Fund to be used for research into tobacco-related diseases; 27 cents of each $1.00 is deposited in the Medically Needy Account, which is used to provide health insurance for low-income residents; 20 cents of each $1.00 is deposited in the Emergency Health Services Account where it is to be used for reimbursement of uncompensated care, primary care services and trauma center readiness costs as appropriated by the legislature; four cents of each $1.00 is deposited in a health care adjustment account; and two cents of each $1.00 goes to the Health Education Account for tobacco prevention programs. This increase in the cigarette tax was passed by voters in 2002.

So, this portion funds everything. From the uninsured to the trauma centers to the Health Education Account! Bureaucracy! Don't you love it? Everyone's got an interest in this pot.

4. 20% goes to Tobacco Tax and Health Care fund which partially funds the Health Education Account, and also funds the Medically Needy Account.

The remaining 9% of the cigarette tax is distributed as follows: 19.44 percent to state school aid, until June 30, 2015 - 11.11 percent to the corrections fund and the remainder to the general fund.

If you have children, thank a smoker. If your child goes to school, thank a smoker. If your child attends some sort of government funded school, or before/after care programs, thank a smoker. If you or your child has ever gone to urgent care of the hospital, thank a smoker. If you or someone you love is on Medicare, thank a smoker.

There is also a federal tax ($1 per pack) on cigarettes which goes to fund SCHIP, or the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which gives medical coverage to any child and illegal immigrant. Thank a smoker for partially funding this.

All in all, I think we owe smokers a huge debt of gratitude for basically keeping us all knowledgeable about the dangers of their behavior and helping to keep us healthy. Instead we make them out to be the villains of this country; the great Satans of society.

I, for one, stand up and say thank you to smokers everywhere in this great country.

So This is Love...

2010-11-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

So, this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of... my new washer and dryer... I swear this song has been in my head since they were installed yesterday... So, this is love!

The Peoria & Deer Valley S.D. Overrides

2010-11-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

I cannot put this post off any longer. We need to discuss a.) economics, b.) budgets, and c.) voting.

This should come as no surprise, but the state of Arizona is in some pretty serious financial trouble. There is not enough revenue for the services we provide. We are in the red. There is no more money.

And yet here's the school districts needing more money! The Peoria and Deer Valley districts recently voted to pass the overrides, which means that they can spend 10% more than what the State has deemed necessary for the operation of their budgets.

The overrides allow the districts to collect 10 percent more than the state provides to their budgets, a sum that covers teacher salaries and other operating costs. Failure would have meant the districts would have lost a third of override funding next school year, $5.5 million in Deer Valley and $6 million in Peoria.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/2010/11/15/20101115glendale-deer-valley-peoria-school-district-budget-overrides-pass.html#ixzz15TxP8wWM

I have a couple of issues, specifically, with this. One, failure would mean that the districts had to stick to the original cap of expenditures, not LOSSES as the article says. And 10% more spending means $5.5 million in Deer Valley and $6 million in Peoria, MORE! Their budgets are already $50.5 million a year and $60 million a year, respectively. And the voters said they should spend more! And guess who's paying for that? All of us. I have no idea where they are going to get the money...but maybe I do.

When your revenue goes down, your expenses should follow suit. This is what's called budgeting. But the school districts don't want to follow a budget. They want to be able to increase their expenditures without regard to what is actually happening in the world around them. I ask you, why should school districts be any different than any other company or individual? Why do they get to spend whatever they want for "needs" when just a little bit of money-sense would help?

Every company, entity, household or person is looking at their diminished income and determining what areas can be trimmed. I think the same standard should be expected of our school districts.

"But what about cuts to sports? But what about cuts to the arts? What about teacher's salaries?"

Believe me, I am a HUGE fan of sports and I love all things artistic and don't want these programs to go away. But why must tax-payers pick up the tab for these things? In most cases parents can afford to pay-to-play (hello extra-curricular activities, i.e. CCV Stars...) and also there is the possibility that students could possibly 1) raise the moneys as a team and 2) ask locals for scholarships.

This is the heart of my frustration. When we agree to raise taxes to pay for things like sports, arts, early education we are letting the government become our charitable institution of choice. People no longer look to non-profit organizations for filling these voids, we now expect the government to do this.

I think voters, especially Christian voters, are missing the boat on this one. When the government begins to take the place of charity, people are less inclined to be charitable with anything, especially since we think, "Well, I already pay my taxes." Taxes are not charity, and there would be more charitable giving if fewer taxes were required.

I read about a middle school who needed to cut athletic programs, and decided to go with a pay-to-play format, which was administered through Young America, for only $50. Why is that so bad? Wouldn't some parents be willing to pick up the tab for another kid if that kid couldn't afford it?

The proponents of the overrides used fear of the future and they played up the cuts to athletics and arts. They didn't even bother to explore other avenues of keeping these programs.

I am comforted by the fact that the overrides passed with VERY slim margins (253 D.V., and 824 Peoria) which I hope means that more and more people are waking up to the subtle encroachments of our government.

Recent Recipes

2010-11-16T03:25:00.000-08:00

I have tried a couple of good recipes lately that I feel compelled to share. I love cooking Asian and I love making soup, so these two recipes are right up my alley!

I made Chicken Satay Stir-Fry with Orange Jasmine Rice last week. It does have peanut butter in the sauce so I scooped out some of the chicken stir-fry mixture before coating with the peanut butter sauce for Jack, my cute little allergen...

This was great! I was thrilled with how it turned out. I pretty much love all of Rachel Ray's recipes, but this was great. It was an easy recipe and best of all didn't call for Hoisin Sauce, which can be kind of pricey. It wasn't very spicy which I appreciated because I'm not sure the girls would go for it, and besides I have Chili Sauce that can easily spice things up. I think this is one of my new go-to's. I found that you could probably mix in a bag of stir-fry veggies in lieu of cutting the fresh veggies, but I happened to have all the veggies on hand so I chopped and cooked.

Then on Sunday I made Minestrone Soup from the Food Network Page. They had a list of 50 easy soups, and they did not exaggerate. None of the soups on this list seem intimidating to me. I may just make all of them! For Sunday meal, though, I made the Minestrone Soup because we had all ingredients on hand and also it seemed healthy.

If you make this soup I would add half more liquid to the cooking. It didn't have enough soupy-ness to it, in my opinion. I think this could easily be crock-potted, which I may try in a pinch, but really, it came together so fast that I'm not sure a crock-pot would be necessary.

However, I'm not sure I'll be making this soup again since the link to the 50 easy weeknight soups recipes is not working on the foodtv.com site! Ugh!

Well, anyways, the soup was good. I sauteed carrot, onion, celery, garlic and cabbage in olive oil, then added 4 cups of chicken broth, a rind from Parmesan cheese, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of garbanzo beans (the recipe called for cannelini beans, but I didn't have those on hand), salt & pepper, brought it to a boil, and then simmered for 20 minutes. I added some Orzo pasta and cooked for another 8 minutes until the pasta was done. Before serving I removed the rind.

I probably added too mush pasta, which I realize now that I type this out. But next time I will add about 6 cups of water/chicken broth. The girls liked it, especially the garbanzo beans, and Jack liked it too. I was happy to discover that he didn't have a reaction to the Parmesan rind.

I would love to encourage you to pick up Parmesan cheese the next time you're at Costco. Freshly grating my cheese has made a WORLD of difference taste wise, and as for cost it seems to be less expensive to buy and grate your own. And then you have this delicious cooking spice!

All in all, a great simple soup with not a lot of allergens. It's terrific as leftovers, too! I love soup!

Egg Free Oatmeal Cookies

2010-11-09T13:28:00.001-08:00

Last week I made egg-free Oatmeal Cookies with the hope of being able to share them with the littlest buddy, Jack. I made the Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies from the back of the Quaker Oats Box, substituting two tablespoons of Flax Seed Meal with 6 tablespoons of water, for the two eggs the recipe called for.

Anyways, the cookies turned out pretty darn good. And also, I ate more than my fair share of cookie dough since it didn't have raw eggs in it I figured it was totally safe!

I was worried that the cookies, upon baking, wouldn't hold together, though. And to some extent I was right. When I pulled the cookies out at 8 minutes, my usual time for cookies, they were still pretty doughy, so I put them back in the oven.

However, I may have just been paranoid.

All in all, the cookies were a lot denser, however they did taste good. They kids have been eating them, so that's good.

But I realized that I didn't sub out the butter, so they're a no-go for Jack! I can't believe I blanked on that! So, really, I need to be finding vegan recipes for Oatmeal Cookies. I'm back to the drawing board...

Water Into Wine?

2010-11-04T13:21:00.001-07:00

Finding this egg substitute is kind of like turning water into wine, except I'm not Jesus and I like wine more than I like eggs.

However, this substitute is pretty darn close to the Miracle at the Wedding. If you are ever in a pinch for eggs, and have flax seeds around, then I recommend my new favorite cooking and baking go-to. Per one egg, take one tablespoon of flax seeds, grind them up, and then mix three tablespoons of water to make a paste. This will give you the emulsifying agent that eggs bring to baked goods.

I have used this in pancakes and a quick pumpkin bread recipe. I was thrilled with the way my pancakes turned out. I adapted this quasi-vegan recipe from Katie's Buttermilk Pancake recipe.

2 tablespoons flax seed, ground, mixed with 6 tablespoons water.
2.5 cups soy milk (Or any non-dairy milk that you prefer to cook with.)
4 T. canola oil
2.5 cups flour (I used a mixture of whole wheat & a.p.)
2 T. sugar
3 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt

Mix the dry ingredients, then slowly add in the wet ingredients. Don't overbeat or the pancakes will turn out tough - some lumps are fine. Cook on a hot griddle until bubbles form on top, then flip.

The pancakes came out beautifully. They were puffy, tasty, and everyone loved them! This is my favorite pancake recipe by far especially since Jack can eat them and they make great portable snacks.

A few things I've noticed about using flax seeds. One is that you really do need to grind pretty thoroughly. I made the mistake of not grinding long enough and had a few rouge seeds hanging about at the end of the batter. But the consistency of the batter was unaffected so it turned out okay. I just don't like to waste...

Another thing is that I think it's probably better, meaning more nutritious, to freshly grind your seeds as needed. But I'm not a nutritional analyst, so if you don't have a grinder and are buying the meal, then it's probably fine. I'm just suggesting that the fresher the grind the more nutritious the seed.

Thirdly, when using flax seed meal rather than eggs in baked goods, you may notice that you don't need to cook the goodie as long. I have been using my nose, and then testing with a toothpick. If it comes out dry then the goodie is done! With the pancakes I waited until the edges were nice and firm, because I didn't see too many bubbles. I think that may be a property of using the flax seed meal.

Lastly, I think it's beneficial to try and mix in whole-wheat flour for your baked goods when using flax seed as an egg substitute because whole-wheat flour hides the look of the flax seed meal scattered throughout your baked good. (The amazing Erik always notices color and specks...) Also, using flax seed meal gives a nutty flavor, slight in my opinion, but that flavor won't come through if you use whole wheat flour.

Today I may attempt oatmeal raisin cookies with flax seed meal. I'll let you know!

My Digestive Nightmare

2010-10-28T10:19:00.001-07:00

Many of my friends have asked how Jack is doing, and I've started to lovingly refer to him as my Little Digestive Nightmare. In May he was diagnosed with allergies to Milk, Eggs and Peanuts and was forced to put him on Alimentum Formula. I kept him on that liquid gold, and I do mean gold, as in it was costing us $250 a month to feed just Jack, until September. At that point I decided to put him on soy formula and then soy milk. He didn't show any negative effects to the formula switch, so I thought we were good.

Of course I did have my concerns about putting Jack on so much soy, but I weighed my options. Keep him on Alimentum and go broke or take my chances with premature puberty and elevated levels of estrogen because of soy. I went with soy and decided to trust God with puberty.

I also like to wait to see if the Dr. brings things up. Whenever I hear something I default to, "I'm probably being paranoid so I should wait and see what other evidence comes up." And I really trust my pediatrician so I waited till Jack's one year appointment to see if she brought up the whole estrogen thing, and SHE DID! So I immediately took him off soy milk and switched him to rice milk, er, rice drink.

But that wasn't the only thing we may have discovered at his appointment. He only gained 13 ounces in three months. So, now we're looking at whether or not he's allergic to soy. I go back in a few weeks to see if he's gained much weight. If not I'll have to do another allergy test and then probably eliminate all soy from his life.

In the meantime, I'm supposed to give Jack anything he wants to eat, except of course anything with dairy, eggs or peanuts! Quite the dilemma. I have been making lots of meats and I've also been adjusting many of my recipes to egg-free and dairy-free. Peanuts aren't too prevalent in our menu, so that hasn't been too difficult to eliminate.

The best find came this week when I was told that flax seed can be an egg substitute by dear Katie. It has helped tremendously. Muffins and pancakes this week! Yeah! And the biggest blessing in all of this is that Mati and Reagan haven't noticed anything different! I'm thrilled!

And so the nightmare may not be so bad..."Here comes the sun, little darling..."

And The Props Keep Coming! 300's

2010-10-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Prop 301

Prop 301 would move public money from the Land Conservation Fund to the state general fund. There is about $20 million in the Land Conservation Fund. This money was both publicly funded and privately donated specifically for the conservation of state trust land and for implementation of conservations management.

I do not think that now is the right time to be concerned with the conservation of land. Land and environmental issues are a luxury; issues for times of plenty. We are not in those times. It is time to trim the fat and get serious about cutting budgets. And while this prop does not deal with cutting the state budget, it at least moves in the direction of using what we have rather than saving this for conservation purposes, which benefits very few. The environmentalists have a strong hold on this state and I think we should be honest about what’s important right now; environmental issues are not.

Also, I find it suspect that the Arizona Educations Association is against this proposition. What dog does the NEA have in this fight? I can only think of one reason the NEA would want this to fail is that they love taxes and fear that any cut to a budget would come from the education budget. Not that this a long-shot; bureaucrats love to threaten cuts to education so that the people will cry out uniformly, “NO!” and say yes to taxes. Nevertheless, if the NEA is against it, I’m for it.

I’m going to vote Yes on this proposition. The Arizona Tax Research Associations, the state’s only taxpayer organization, supports this prop because it would guard against higher income taxes since the money from the Fund would be accessible for the general fund. I’m for anything that moves in the direction of fewer taxes.

Prop 302

This proposition would terminate the Early Childhood Education Board, which oversees the spending of money collected by an $.80 tax on tobacco products. The money that is currently in the fund would be redirected to the general fund and specifically appropriated for health and human services for children.

As unpopular as this is, I’m voting Yes.

I think there is far too much spending on early childhood education. Although this proposition does not repeal the $.80 tax on tobacco product (which I would love!), it does repeal and terminate the AZ Early Childhood Development and Health Board. I’m always for less government and fewer bureaucrats.

There are several pages of “against” letters on this one. And as far as I can tell they are all people who have a financial interest in keeping the Early Childhood Education and Health Board going. I just can’t help but be dismayed by how much dependence the state government has created with this, and other, programs. It’s sad.

And I’m still voting yes.

With that, I’ve worked through the state level propositions. You’re on your own for judges! I really hope this has helped a few of you.

Let's Talk About Pot: Prop 203

2010-10-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Prop 203 is the Legalization of Medical Marijuana proposition to the Arizona constitution.

I have been weighing this for at least the last 10 years, and most recently for the last 24 hours.

Do I believe that it is wrong to smoke pot? Yes. It is an illegal substance.

But I am of two minds about that. I'm not convinced that marijuana is any more dangerous than alcohol, of which I am a willing consumer during non-gestating periods of my life. My concerns with marijuana are that it is a gateway drug, and that it has not been proven to be any more effective at actual pain relief than the multitude of FDA approved pain killers. And pain management is the question at hand.

Pain is a tricky, completely individual feeling. I just don't think it's right to legalize a substance on so subjective a feeling like pain.

I have a couple moral points about the legalization of marijuana. For one, I hate that the government would collect tax revenue off of someone's vices. I find it abhorrent that the government, on the one hand tells a consumer to stop smoking and on the other raises the taxes on cigarettes so as to keep the revenue flowing for social projects. The government has a vested interest, then, in keeping the addiction going. This is the same for gambling, in my opinion. The government loves to tax people's vices, even if those vices are self-damaging.

The other point is that it does, as CAP said, send a very "dangerous message to our children that illegal drugs are not only acceptable, but beneficial." This is perhaps the most damaging by-product of legalizing "medical" marijuana.

I will be voting No on this proposition. Marijuana has not been proven to be a more effective pain manager than any of the other medications. And I believe that this proposition is simply an attempt to mainstream the use of pot so as to normalize the behavior.

Let’s Talk About Props Baby! The 100's

2010-10-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

Absentee ballots have arrived and the political nirvana is about to come to a climax! I just love voting. It’s the essence of America: getting to choose for oneself our elected officials and it’s also the opportunity for the voters to choose laws directly.

Arizona has one of the most liberal, as in liberty, means of making laws. We have propositions and referendums. A proposition is a law that is passed by means of a general election. Referendums are the recalling or changing of laws through a general election. Both bypass state legislatures and are started and funded directly by the people, or interest groups. It is a true democratic effort. And I love it.

However, the tricky part of propositions is that the wording can be confusing. A lot of the groups who write these props do their best to construe the language so that the voter will not quite understand which way they are voting.

I thought it would be beneficial for me, as well as for you, my loyal reader, to go through the props and tell you how I interpret them and how I will vote.

Prop 106

The Healthcare Prop-This proposition allows Arizonans the right to opt out of Universal Healthcare, a.k.a. ObamaCare. It protects a person’s right to choose for themselves what their healthcare coverage will be, and furthermore, allows a person to choose not to be covered by insurance and pay privately for medical services, without threat of penalty or fine. It also allows the companies of Arizona to opt out of Universal Healthcare without penalty or fine.

I am for this proposition and will be voting yes. ObamaCare is unconstitutional because it coerces an INDIVIDUAL to belong to and pay into a health care system. You cannot, according to the U.S. Constitution force someone to buy something. This proposition puts into law the ability for the citizens of Arizona to opt out of ObamaCare. This is very similar to what Missouri did in August by passing a referendum against ObamaCare, saying that ObamaCare shall have no effect on Missourians.

Prop 107

Prohibiting Affirmative Action in the State of Arizona-This proposition suspends affirmative action in the State of Arizona. It would ban affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to or discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. It does not prohibit persons who have met the discrimination threshold to pursue legal recourse.

I am voting Yes on this proposition, surprise, surprise. I think affirmative action is a disaster for this country. To discriminate against a perfectly qualified person just because that person does not look or believe a certain way is utterly despicable and to have it state sponsored is outrageous.

Also, the fact that the Arizona chapter of the National Organization for Women and Phil Gordon are against this is reason enough for me to vote for it!

Prop 109

Wildlife and Hunting Conservation-This proposition makes wildlife in the state in trust for the citizens; says citizens have a legal right to hunt and hunting is the preferred method of wildlife management; and prohibits the legislature from enacting any rules that unreasonably restrict hunting, fishing or harvesting wildlife. This prop does not affect any laws relating to trespass or property rights.

I am voting Yes for this proposition. I do agree that hunting is a natural and scientifically-proven preferred method for wildlife management. This prop will prevent the legislature from passing laws that restrict hunting unnecessarily. This is important when you consider the dismal situation in the San Joaquin-Sacramento delta area, where the California judges have cut water off from this important farming community in favor of a tiny fish-the smelt, virtually destroying an entire industry, and where they now enjoy a 20% unemployment and cannot grow the crops that a lot of the country rely on.

Prop 110

Ability for the state to sell or lease public trust land-This proposition allows the state to lease or sell the public trust land for use, as long as it is in the public interest.

I have no problem with this prop and will be voting Yes. This is especially important to the military installations and the protection of the land it utilizes.

Prop 111

Amend the Arizona Constitution to rename the Secretary of State to Lieutenant Governor.

I have no problem with this one and will vote Yes. This is for all those people who don’t understand that the Secretary of State is the successor to the Governor, mostly out-of-staters and people who don’t remember their Arizona Constitution.

Prop 112

Provide for a six month period before a general election to put Propositions or Referendums on the ballot, instead of the current four month period.

I am voting Yes on this prop. The Center For Arizona Policy is for this, and that’s good enough for me. They say that four months is too short a time period to verify signatures and to make any necessary legal challenges, and to properly craft ballot language. I’ll go with that.

Prop 113

Protecting the Secret Ballot-This prop guarantees the right to a secret ballot during all elections, and most importantly, during union elections. This is the infamous “card check”. Card Check is the opportunity for unions to coerce their members into voting a certain way since the ballot will not be secret. There is lots of talk of this at the national level, which is why this is on the ballot.

I will be voting Yes on this prop. I believe that a person should be allowed a secret ballot and it should be protected by the law.

Ramblings

2010-10-07T16:24:00.001-07:00

I don't have anything really burning to discuss, but I am trying to nurture this blog so I thought I better post.

1. I have finally figured out the secret to chopping basil. I figured it out last week while chopping endlessly (imagine Julie Child with the onions in "Julie/Julia"). A website I found while researching storage ideas for basil recommended using the salad spinner for washing the herb. I did use that and that was great for drying it. Anyways, that's the key to chopping herbs-they have to be dry! I'm never patient enough for the herbs to be dry but that's the trick that works for me. So, after the salad spinner I laid them out on a cooling rack and let them dry. And then I went to work chopping. Also, I found that using a non-serrated edge knife worked best for chopping. The serrated edge keeps the herb in the grooves. Therefore I used a sharp straight edge knife.

2. My granny just got a facebook page! She's like 80-ish! So cool.

3. I have given up "Glee". Again. I gave it up last year because it conflicted with "Lost". This year I wanted to give it another shot. But Tuesday's episode in conjunction with what I read in Isaiah this week finally convinced me that I am not better with "Glee" in my life. And the fact that I did not watch the show in front of my children was just not enough for me to continue watching it myself. It's probably a good rule to have for my life; if I can't watch it with my kids I probably shouldn't watch it at all.

4. We are studying the Book of Isaiah this year in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). Despite it being written seriously forever ago, it is still so relevant to us today. Which is why when I read Isaiah 5:20, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." I could not continue to call "Glee" good or harmless. And it's really hard because I love the music, I love chorus music and I love dancing! But it was wrapped in a moral relativist package that I just can't support anymore with my time.

5. Today I got so excited about having another baby. And what a huge relief that was! It has been so up and down for me, but having another baby and especially another son for my Jack Jack to play with, well, it's an honor. The Lord has seen fit to bless us, and I'm no longer complaining, I'm excited!

6. Of course the pregnancy is made easier with not knowing my weight. When I go to the Dr., I turn around so that I don't see the numbers. Because I am not a number, darn it! Also, I know what numbers do to my mental state. I see this action as a protection of my weak side. Part of me wonders if perhaps I'm in denial with not wanting to deal with the reality of my weight, but since I have to support this baby with my nutrition I kind of don't want to know what it's doing on the scale. There will be a time to deal with it, and that time is in March, after the baby and when I can have a nice glass of wine to help soften the blow.

Bountiful Basil

2010-09-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

I worked up the motivation to work in the yard the other day. Not for very long, mind you. About 45 minutes in I was tired and needed to rest. Nevertheless I was able to work outside before I passed out from the blazing heat and hunger.

I worked on picking weeds and pulling up the dead stuff from my garden. I grew sunflowers this summer so I had to pull up the stalks. And then I moved over to my garden where I proceeded to pull everything up. I am tired of growing jalepeno peppers; we never use them. The yellow bell peppers needed to be redone, although I've been told that peppers are better the older the plant, I still wanted to redo them. And lastly, I pulled up all the basil. But I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. Basil is an amazing grower, and I love that it grows with basically no help from me. So, with a little hesitation, I pulled it all up.

But I really didn't want to throw it away. So the task quickly became what in the world to do with all that basil! I did give some of it away, but I wanted to keep some so as to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

First, obviously, I made pesto. I make mine with walnuts because pine nuts, at $16 a pound, are no where near the budget. So, I made a big tub of pesto to keep in the fridge, and topped it with olive oil. Apparently, this is the trick to keep the pesto from discoloring! I found that when I was looking for ways to preserve basil.

Secondly, I chopped a bunch of basil, and then put them in ice cube trays and covered with water to freeze. I'll be using these cubes for soups and sauces. As I was chopping endlessly I realized that this is not my first time using a frozen herb. I have bought and used the frozen garlic cubes from Trader Joe's! When I go to use the basil I will set it over a slotted spoon over a bowl and allow the water to drain away, if necessary. If I'm putting the basil in a tomato sauce the melted ice won't matter a bit!

Thirdly I made a "paste" with basil and oil and filled one more ice cube tray. This was a suggestion on one of the sites I found. Not really sure how I'll use it except in soups or sauces!

Once frozen I put them in ziploc bags and stored them in the freezer. I hope to have fresh-ish basil for the rest of the year. And I'll probably replant the basil next Spring. It is a good herb, I just won't plant as many next time!

Malicious McCain

2010-09-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

Since you asked for it, here is the rant about John McCain.

Primary season is long over, but I'm still fuming about the stuff McCain pulled against J.D. Hayworth. First off, please don't misunderstand. I am no Hayworth apologist. He was voted out of his Rep seat a few years ago, and he had some problems actually running a good campaign and getting his name out there this time. He was unsuccessful in his primary bid. Fairs fair.

McCain did a better job talking about Hayworth than Hayworth talked about himself. Which brings me to my problem with John McCain.

The mud (I'm trying!) McCain slung at Hayworth was atrocious, from the mail ads with a goofy looking Hayworth on them to the horrendous radio ads depicting Hayworth as the next Anti-Christ. The ads about Hayworth were down-right sleezy.

Not that McCain didn't have a right to run these kind of ads. (This from the man who co-authored McCain-Feingold which essentially limited free-political speech! HA! This man drives me up the ever-loving wall!) But I believe that he does have the right to run ads which further his interests and which he believes will further the interests of his constituents. It's called the First Amendment, and if he wants to use his money to run his political campaign, then so be it.

My problem with John McCain is that he threw $20 million at his primary contest when he only spent $84 million on his entire Presidential race. He dragged Hayworth through every mud pile he could find while allowing Barak Obama to walk away unopposed about such issues as the atrocious partial-birth abortion that Obama won't vote against, or national security, or taxes and spending. Even more damning were Obama's associations with known terrorists (Bill Ayers), anti-American Pastors (Jeremiah Wright the Pastor at the church where he WORSHIPPED for 20 years! Wright baptized his kids! Don't tell me Wright wasn't an influence on Obama!) McCain didn't bring any of that up during the Presidential election. Nope. McCain was "above the fray". Oh please. Politics are dirty.

McCain knows this, which is why he leveled both barrels at Hayworth and fired relentlessly. Too bad he didn't have the gumption to do that to Obama.

Now we have the reality that McCain will probably win his re-election campaign and will go back to the Senate with a Republican majority. My biggest problem with McCain is that he has not proven himself to be responsible with majority rule. Instead he panders to the Libs and "crosses Party lines". Fabulous. We've re-elected a wimp.

Qiunoa Blog!

2010-09-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last week I stumbled upon a blog devoted to Quinoa called cookingquinoa.net! I was looking for a good quinoa recipe to serve alongside grilled salmon and found this. It's Red Pepper and Onion Quinoa. It was so delicious! The author also has a recipe for a quinoa and goat cheese risotto that I'm DYING to try.

The nice thing about quinoa is that it's totally healthy, as in complete healthiness, and it's a great option for my family with their various food intolerances. Also, it cooks a lot faster than brown rice, so it's a win-win for my crew.

Jack has been eating up this quinoa recipe. I love that it has onions and peppers in it so it gives him that added veggie boost.

When I made this recipe I substituted fire roasted red peppers for the red peppers called for because I didn't have any fresh red peppers. I thought the fire roasted red peppers were fantastic. Of course I get the jar of red peppers from Trader Joe's. That is a great deal, if you're wondering. A jar of roasted red peppers for like $2.50.

Let me know if you give it a try!

A Cloud Over the Valley

2010-09-27T13:22:00.001-07:00

I almost deleted my blog.

I think I could describe my mood as blog-pression. I haven't really wanted to share my thoughts because of several reasons. First, there is the time/energy problem. Being pregnant sucks my dry, and then taking care of my other responsibilities has been exhausting. Secondly, there is a weird self-centered thought of "No one cares what I think.". And then thirdly, there has been a futile thought of "What's the point anyways? It's not going to change anything."

Well, I think it's high time I pick myself up by my bootstraps and get back into it.

One of my main problems has been that I have a lot to say, but the words just don't come, so I don't say anything. A thoughtful, and I may add intelligent, friend suggested that I need to nurture the blog. I thought this was a very practical idea and one I intend to implement. Especially since a different friend, after a rather lengthy rant about John McCain, suggested that my blog would be the perfect outlet for such tirades. (I'm pretty sure I used some choice words in my rant, which maybe I'll have to tone down for the blog...)

So, I think what I'll focus on posting about are cooking, books and politics, since those are my most favorite things.

Total Breakdown

2010-08-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I had the day that I hope never repeats itself. It was Reagan's sixth birthday and also her first day of first grade. Kind of a big day. I don't think I realized the enormity of the day until way after when a friend called to check on me. It started pretty rough and by 8 am, I had had it.

I woke up at 1:45 am, yep, in the morning, and couldn't go back to sleep. That's a pretty typical pregnancy characteristic for me. But usually I can go back to sleep after an hour or two. But yesterday, no such luck. I finally gave up, turned on Veronica Mars and ate a bowl of cereal at about 4 am.

In the midst of being awake for all that time I thought, "You know, maybe I should read my Bible. Do a good quiet time to get this momentous day started." But I was kind of being passive-aggressive with the Lord and was like, "You have the power to make me fall asleep, but you're not, so I'm not going to spend my time with you right now. No offense."

I probably made the wrong choice cause then I had to do the whole morning thing with the family. I made pancakes for Reagan's birthday breakfast, had to pack her lunch (please, no suggestions about making the lunch the evening before!), get her ready and psyched up for her first day of school (she, unlike me, doesn't quite love school yet.)

And then I pulled into the line to turn into the school. Holy Toledo. The line was like a mile long. So, yeah, we were late. I didn't get the first day of school picture. Well, I did get a rushed one, but not at her desk. And then I caught my reflection in one of the windows and oh my goodness. I think it's safe to say that I'm carrying twins...in my rear!

And then I did what any 31 year old mom of three+ would do. I broke down. Cried my eyes out.

So, yeah, I guess I should have done the quiet time.

Slavery & Bondservants

2010-07-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

Slavery has been on my mind lately. I know. How fun to be me.

A couple of weeks ago, CCV had the very great pleasure of having Pastor Trent Renner preach. His sermon was titled "Bondservant vs. Slacktivist". And it made me think for days, and still does.

Slacktivism is a term that was coined in the the mid-90's and means that one is engaged, only on the surface, in causes. For instance, wearing a ribbon to support breast cancer, but not actually donating any money or pounding the pavement for awareness.

Pastor Renner was suggesting that American Christians tend to have a slacktivist mentality. We go through the motions, going to church, putting our kids in Sunday school, but when we leave service we go back to how we want to live, rather than putting Christ first in our lives.

His point was that either we are slacktivists or we are bondservants to Christ. A bondservant is one who serves out of love, reverence, and in total devotion.

In the Bible, the Hebrew word "doulas" is sometimes translated as slave. And as Americans we don't have a whole lot of fondness for the term slave. Doulas is correctly translated as bondservant. But unfortunately, when we read slave we don't want to have any part of it. And rightly so, I would say.

The American slavery period was not one that people regard with much joy. It was a terrible thing; people purchasing others, denying humane treatment, people regarded as property. This was not good. And thank the Lord the U.S. decided it was so horrible they were willing to fight to end it. However, because slavery in America was horrifying we can't fathom wanting to be in servitude to anyone but ourselves.

I think this has presented a bit of a conundrum with our call to be bondservants to Christ. Those of us who desire to follow Christ as Lord have to give over every part of our lives, and live in accordance with the Spirit. The beauty, of course, is that in living in servitude to Christ, we are free to become the person God has designed us. And it's not a life of emptiness. It's a life of purpose. It's a significant life. There is freedom in serving Christ.

Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant. -Galatians 1:10 NLT

More Information Regarding the Laundry Soap

2010-07-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

I received some questions about the Laundry Soap thing.

First off, you can find all of the ingredients for the Laundry soap at Fry's. They carry Borax, Arm & Hammer's Super Washing Soda, and Fels-Naptha.

I do recommend Fels-Naptha over any of the other laundry soaps because I prefer the scent. I just did a Zote bar, and while only a dollar at Wal-Mart, then scent is more industrial than I like. The Fels-Naptha is a bit more fresh. The Fels bar is 1.79 at Fry's. But still a significant savings over buying processed laundry detergent.

If you need a liquid detergent because you have a front-loader, the Duggar's have a recipe for that. I requires liquifying the detergent by cooking. I have a friend who does this and she likes it just fine.

If you have any skin allergies, I would suggest using a Dove Bar or Ivory Bar since they are supposed to be safe on skin. But if your skin reacts to either of those soaps, then you're better off buying the Free & Clear detergents. Or, do some research to find out if there is a non-allergenic soap out there.

Now, on to the Dishwasher detergent. I don't like it. So, I don't really recommend it. It has left a bit of a film on my dishes. At first I was just using the Borax/Super Washing Soda mixture, but I had a film on my dishes. So I thought maybe it was missing some sort of soap (a la Fels-Naptha in the laundry detergent), so I have started adding a smidge of liquid dishwasher detergent in the dispenser. This has helped, slightly. Next I'm going to try reducing the amount of Borax/Super Washing Soda amount in the dispenser (rather than 2 tablespoons, just 1) in addition to 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwasher detergent (Cascade).

I'm not totally giving up on the dishwasher detergent, but I'm tweaking it to see if I can improve on it. I'll keep you posted.

Recipes

2010-07-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

So, among my million things to do, I have to make a Costco run. And I just don't have it in me to do it with my three in tow. Although Costco at lunchtime does suffice as lunch...I still don't have the energy to do it.

But I'm in the desperate situation of needing dishwasher detergent. Oh, the dilemma...

So, I googled dishwasher detergent recipe and look-y what I found. I just tried it and have no doubt that it will now replace Cascade. I already make my own laundry detergent, a la the Duggars, so I had Super Washing Soda and Borax on hand. I'm so glad that I found this! This saves us money, for sure. I very rarely find dishwasher detergent on sale, and we're running our dishwasher just about every night. We were going through LOTS of Cascade.

And in case you're wondering who has time to do all this, I would like to say that both of these recipes take almost no time at all. I probably spend 10 minutes making the laundry soap, every 6 or 7 weeks. That's how long the laundry soap will last. And the dishwasher detergent is no different time-wise than pouring in Cascade.

Also, some of you have expressed a desire to have more Asian recipes in your repertoire. I found one the other week on one of my new favorite blogs. (Thanks, Charissa!) This Sweets girl has some killer recipes. Check her out.

Anyways, I decided I would check her blog for a chicken/broccoli Asian-influenced recipe for dinner one night (needed to use up broccoli). And I'm so glad I checked her blog, 'cause this is one of my new favorites. Check out the Broccoli Mushroom Almond Chicken recipe!

I omitted the mushrooms as they are severely underappreciated by Mr. Wilhelmsen and children. (It is my goal for the rest of the year to change his mind in this area.) And the only problem I had is that I put in too much lemon. I doubled the amount of sauce (per Sweets suggestion), but I think I may have tripled the lemon unknowingly. So, go easy on the lemon if you try this. I used whole almonds that I roughly chopped. I think we all liked it, but it would have gone over much better if I had gone easy on the lemon.

Overall, I have been trying to do some new things, but also trying to refine what we like regularly.

Announcing...

2010-06-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Jack Jack is going to be a big brother! Yep, that's right. The Erik's are expecting another Little Willy.

I can imagine you have a ton of questions. I will attempt to anticipate your questions.

1. Yes, I do know how "this" happens.
2. No, I did not drink the "water" nor will I "stay away from it".
3. Also, while we are excited, no this was not "planned".

This has taken us all by surprise. Originally I was on the four-kids wagon, but there was no real peace. I kept thinking I needed to do it. And then I realized that I was trying to control the size of my family rather than trusting God. I finally got to a place where I trusted God with the size. God was telling me to give up the four-kids thing. We were done having kids.

But, oh, no, I must have misunderstood the Lord. He was asking me to trust him. Not that He wasn't going to bless us with more children.

Four pregnancy tests later, and I'm pretty convinced that I'm pregnant, due mid-to late February.

And yes, we will be done after this. I know it may not be a good idea to make that decision while pregnant, but honestly, I think four is going to do it for us.

Ode to Oreos

2010-06-08T10:58:00.001-07:00

Lately it seems like I can't form coherent and meaningful thoughts. And it's with everyone. I was trying to tell Erik that my exercise videos were not sharing into the Media Center and I couldn't come up with the word for videos. I was like, "you know, the things." over and over. I'm surprised he stayed around to figure out what I was talking about.

All of this has lead to me having a bit of a blogging back-up. And I'm thinking a blogging laxative is what I need. (Funny, huh? I just came up with that myself!)

My friend Kim told me last week not to sweat the whole no-dairy thing and just give Mati Oreos for desserts. That's what one of her friends does, and it works pretty well. So, on Friday at a birthday party I gave Mati some Oreos. She was pretty happy. Now, here's the problem. I'm kind of addicted to Oreos, especially the Double Stuft and Cakesters variety. But oh well! We are eating Oreos in the Wilhelmsen house this week!

Why so many Oreos? Because Erik left for Africa. He's going to be gone for 12 days helping a mission's school get set up with a local network, trying to get internet access to the school, and training some of the missionaries on general networking and troubleshooting tasks. And having listed all of that, I have no idea how he is going to get it all done in only 12 days. But I will pray for him and I know that God will accomplish more through him this week than I can even imagine.

Can you hear the pride in my voice? I'm overwhelmed at Erik's courage to go somewhere so foreign and give so much of himself for the Body of Christ. I'm excited to hear the stories; and I pray he will find something edible and palatable.

So, back to the Oreos. Reagan last night was lamenting about Erik leaving and I was trying to cheer her up by telling her all the fun things we'll get to do. And she still wasn't all the cheered. So I mentioned that we could eat Oreos every night until he comes home. And you know what? She was immediately happy! That is my girl! We can always find the bright side when food is involved. Food is nourishment for the soul. Isn't that a Proverb?

In the meantime, as the girls & I are shoveling Oreos, I'm wondering in the back of my head how it is that Oreo, with a creme filling, doesn't have milk. Troubling, to say the least. But oh well! I don't know how they can make a delicious cookie without dairy, but they have. And I love those cookies. And yes I realize that this is contradiction from my last post, but hey, we've all got to cope in some way.

I heart the Oreo! Bon voyage, Erik. I miss you already.

Cow's Milk

2010-06-06T08:50:00.001-07:00

It has been an interesting few weeks for us here in the Wilhelmsen house. We have had some dietary revelations in regards to Jack & Mati. Jack has been put on a hypoallergenic formula (no dairy) and after a blood test has revealed a slight milk-allergy for Mati, the doctor asked us to put her on a dairy-free diet.

This has lead me to wonder if perhaps we all need to go dairy-free. And this has not been a fun thought, to say the least.

Perhaps Reagan needs to be on a dairy-free diet, although she's not having any physical symptoms. And Erik does already have a lactose aversion, which he controls with acid reducer pills.

Well, this has all lead a larger questions: Is cow's milk all that good for us? I admit that I drink a fair amount of cow's milk products. I use half & half in my coffee daily. I love cheese. I love butter. So, the idea of living a dairy-free lifestyle is incredibly scary to me. But I have also heard that we are the only mammals to drink another mammals milk. Is that wrong? I don't know if I believe that drinking cow's milk is wrong. But maybe we consume too much of it.

I think we'll probably end up somewhere in the middle. I don't think there is a suitable enough substitute for baking & I love me some cheese!

For the past couple of days I've been attempting to keep all dairy from Mati only to be foiled by Erik giving her things that no-doubt have some sort of dairy in them. So, I don't know if dairy-free is going to happen for us. Thankfully Mati isn't deathly allergic to milk so a muffin every now and then probably won't affect her.

I think the solution for us is going to be along the lines of what Chandra says here. More plants, less meat (including dairy), and if I don't think my great-grandmother would recognize the products in it, don't eat it.

DOUGHNUTS!

2010-06-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is National Doughnut Day. I can't tell you how happy this has made me.

I think I'll hit Dunkin Doughnuts (free doughnut with purchase of a drink) tomorrow morning. And then make my way over to Krispy Kreme (one free per customer). Overkill? I think not.

(Take that Sesame Street! I'll eat one for you, Cookie Monster!)

Flair

2010-06-01T10:21:00.001-07:00

So, I was putting off working for my dad this morning and I decided to browse through the Flair on Facebook. Succinct sayings on buttons make me happy.

In any case, I was browsing through buttons and I saw a Cookie Monster button where a spread of fruits and veggies are in front of him and he says, "What is this crap?" And it reminded me of Jack's diapers.

On the Pampers diapers that my son is currently wearing Cookie Monster is on there and he's eating fruit. FRUIT! Apples, Bananas, Grapes, etc. What in the world? Why take away the cookie from Cookie Monster? It's like Sesame Street can't be seen to encourage kids to eat a damn cookie!

I think this whole sugar-phobia has gone too far. Cookie Monster likes cookies. Why take that away?

Happenings

2010-05-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

So, I've been absent. I'm so sorry. We have been busy.

First off, I went to Texas with Reagan so she could be a flower girls in my cousin's wedding. It was great. She was beautiful. And we have a wonderful time together, just the two of us, with a bunch of my family.

Then we got back and I had to take Jack and Mati to the Gastrointerologist. Jack & Mati both suffer from constipation. I know, gross. But it's been kind of a big deal. Anyways, Jack now has to be on the special formula that will cost us our mortgage payment to feed him. And Mati, well, she'll just stay on Miralax. For the rest of her life.

Okay, maybe I'm being a tad dramatic.

In any case, it's been an interesting couple of weeks for us. I'm trying to feed the kids better, perhaps there is an aversion to gluten (something they are being tested for) or the milk protein. I don't know if I hope there is an allergy so there is something I can fix. Or if I'm hoping there isn't an allergy so I don't have to flip our diets inside out.

So, just wanted to tell you that yes, I'm here. And I still have a bunch I want to talk about.

Sickened

2010-05-03T09:37:00.001-07:00

Did DHS pressure teen to get abortion?

I'm appalled that this is something that our tax dollars go to fund.

The money quote: "Abortions are a little-known aspect of DHS's oversight of children in its custody."

Sickened. And the one person who wanted to stand up for this child was fired from her job! She is a child advocate and she was fired because she refused to take the child for a late-term abortion.

Outrageous.

Learning French

2010-04-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Every time I see that Windows 7 commercial with the French girl, Charlene, it makes me want to learn French. Seriously, I've seen that commercial a hundred times and every time it's on I say to Erik, "I want to learn French."

I want that cute lilt at the end of the words. I love how it flows. There's no harsh sounds in French. No hard 'g's. Everything sounds awesome in French.

I even think French cooking is better, mostly because of the way it's all said! :) Think about it: Ratatoille; Pate a choux; Mirepoix; etc. If it's French you can bet it sounds great.

And even in the movies, I love the French accents. I loved "An American in Paris", "Gigi", "Funny Face", and "Charade". Even Kevin Kline in "French Kiss" with his fake French accent I didn't hate! Seriously, love it.

And someday I'm going to Paris. I'm going to see the Eiffel Tower and I'm going to stroll down the Champs-Elysees. Bonjour Paris!

Oh, I'm So Glad They're Going to Regulate...

2010-04-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

the Salt content. That's right. Salt content in foods.

They say salt leads to higher rates of hypertension.

Are you freaking kidding me? No. Here's the scoop:

The Food and Drug Administration is planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans, saying that less sodium in everything from soup to nuts would prevent thousands of deaths from hypertension and heart disease. The initiative, to be launched this year, would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in food products.

The government intends to work with the food industry and health experts to reduce sodium gradually over a period of years to adjust the American palate to a less salty diet, according to FDA sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the initiative had not been formally announced.

Officials have not determined the salt limits. In a complicated undertaking, the FDA would analyze the salt in spaghetti sauces, breads and thousands of other products that make up the $600 billion food and beverage market, sources said. Working with food manufacturers, the government would set limits for salt in these categories, designed to gradually ratchet down sodium consumption. The changes would be calibrated so that consumers barely notice the modification.

I have two points of contention with this:

1.) People who have hypertension and heart disease should already know to watch the salt content. Which is why ALL major food manufacturers offer a low-sodium alternative. The point here is that the government obviously doesn't think we can make diet decisions on our own. We're a bunch of children in their eyes.

2.) Could it possibly, even the teensiest bit possible, that hypertension is exacerbated by THE UNPARALLELED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE? If they actually cared about people they would be helping them by cutting taxes so that companies would hire them bring back some dignity to their lives by making a wage and not taking some government hand-out.

3.) Salt is the main preserver of foods. You eliminate salt from the process and either the food companies will be using a chemical that is truly unhealthy and you also reduce the shelf-life of foods. Which also raises the costs to consumers. (Which is what they want anyways.)

But this is all under the guise to keep people healthier and longer. But I have a secret, and this is a big secret. Are you ready for it?

People die.

I KNOW! Isn't that amazing! It's terrible only if you don't believe that your soul is eternal and that our actions here on Earth have no impact on the afterlife. For those of us who believe in Jesus Christ we know that life here is not all there is.

This is just one more public policy designed to bring people over to Humanism as their religion. And that is why religion and politics are mixed. What people believe about the human condition determines what they believe the role of government should be.

Recent Eatings Here at Home

2010-04-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

Someone a while back asked me to post some of my usual makings for lunch and or dinner. I really enjoy eating, and I love when my family love my cooking.

So, anyways, here's what we Wilhelmsens have been eating lately.

I've started Asian night on Monday nights. One of my favorite foods is Chinese/Thai. But the spices are not always great for the girls. So, I have had to find a kid-friendly, mommy/daddy like, dinner. I have settled on Panda Expresses Orange Sauce. I found it at Costco! And let me just say we LOVE it! I lightly coat chicken pieces in flour and salt and pepper, spray them with Pam, and cook them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. And then I quick toss the chicken into a skillet, cover with about a cup of orange sauce and heat through. YUM-OH! It's like take out with WAY less calories. I serve the chicken with Jasmine Rice (my little secret weapon for authentic Chinese take-out.) And I throw in either Edamame or Broccoli with the chicken. It's delicious!

The other menu item that is a sure thing for our weekly menu plan is some sort of Pizza Night. I make my own pizza dough and use it either for pizza or calazones. For calazones I use cottage cheese rather than ricotta, and throw in any veggie and pepperoni I can find. And I serve it with the BEST pizza sauce as a dip.

I also like to throw in a Mexican night. I love Mexican food, but it has been somewhat challenging to find recipes that don't kill my calorie count. My favorite recipe is a Weight Watchers Taco Salad recipe with Ground Turkey.

Well, there is a bunch more so I'll just post a list of what a few things I've made in the last couple of weeks.

Beef with Broccoli
Chicken & Whole Wheat pasta with a Pesto Sauce
Mexican Pizzas
Lentil & Tomato Soup (Had this for lunch today-WONDERFUL!)

Let me know if you have any questions. I love to talk Food!

Side Tracked...

2010-04-07T14:27:00.001-07:00

Last week I was having dinner with a few friends from my old work place. We try to get together a few times a year and catch up. I really like them. And I'm so glad they want to get together with me.

Well, last week a third person came, who is not usually part of the group, but nevertheless I knew her and was happy to have another person.

Anyways, I have been recently burdened for their salvation. I hope that doesn't sound hoaky. I know them. I know their lives. And of course I know that the Lord Jesus Christ wants them to be with him. So, with that in mind, I have consciously tried to maintain a friendship with these super ladies. Therefore I was hoping to get into some discussions about the eternal state of their souls...

Unfortunately the third person was asking me about my kids, you know. The get-to-know-you better small talk that one engages in when you meet up.

And then she asked my kids names. Well, Reagan is my first child's name. And she said, "Did you name her for the President?" And of course I said yes. And I said, "Well, I'm a conservative. I believe conservatism is the way to move forward." Oh goodness. And she said, "I liked Reagan." And then moves on to her views of all things liberal. Like she's so happy that banks are no longer allowed to loan money to students. And how the government's investment in green technology is awesome. And how all bankers are evil. And how all profit is wrong. Especially all those bankers who caused the housing collapse.

Gag me.

I'm sorry, but I couldn't just let all that drivel go unanswered. At which point my friends turned to each other and started discussing a current employment situation (I should say unemployment situation, thank you, Mr. Obama.) And after I got through saying that profit is not wrong, neither were the individual bankers, and then how the loss of private loans for education will be bad for America, the newcomer said, "You know, you're not going to change my mind."

Ouch.

So, I wasted energy and precious time on someone who was not going to listen to me in the first place. Oh, what a lesson.

I feel convicted that I should have been wary of this. I should not have taken the bait. I should have just smiled, said nothing, and moved on.

The truth of the matter is that I have finally felt a burden for these friends of mine and instead of being focused on that, I went off on a political tangent. No one was saved through politics, at least I don't know anyone.

New Taxes for the State

2010-04-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

So, apparently the legislature did vote down the 1% sales tax the Governor asked for. I'm glad! But of course now there's a special election for the public to vote on it.

The sales tax would help K-12 schools and also health and human services. It would automatically repeal in 2013.

Okay, not to sound cold-hearted or anything, but really people. THERE IS NO MORE MONEY! Services are going to have to be cut. We need to wake up! Public services are all nice when we're in times of plenty. BUT WE'RE NOT! We're in a financial crisis. And these bozos at Prop 100 want us in the State of Arizona to fork over more money. This will harm even further businesses and individuals. Any time there is a tax implemented, less money ends up in the treasury. It's an economic fact. More taxes, less actual revenue to the government. This is how it works: Higher taxes, people won't buy as much. Which in turn means less taxes for the government. Higher taxes, less consumption. Less consumption, less revenue. Less revenue, less income from taxes for the government.

If I can learn this, why can't the government? I'm voting against Prop 100.

I know many teachers, and I really don't want to sound cold-hearted. I am sad that many people have gotten themselves to a place where they are totally dependent on government services to survive. And I'm not naive; I do understand that many times circumstances are not entirely brought on by behavior. But instead of looking to the government, those people should be looking to Christ and the Church. The Church needs to step in the gap and provide help and assistance for people.

Windows Media Center Where Have You Been All My Life?

2010-03-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

As I sit here typing, we are watching "The Office" from two weeks ago. Not such a big deal, really. We've had a DVR for the last five years, and also it's not last week's episode.

However, it is pretty great considering that in the same menu we can listen to Pandora, browse through Netflix, play everything we've recorded from over-the-air HD, and browse through whatever movies are on our external hardrive. That's right-we are networked!

Thus we are eliminating DirecTV from our lives. Yes this means no T.V. in our bedroom, but we've got a fix in mind for that. We'll network our xBox 360 and be able to access everything that way! I LOVE TECHNOLOGY! I LOVE BEING MARRIED TO A TECHNOLOGICAL GENIUS!

It cost us about $230 to get this up and running. We had an extra computer, but it needed a better video card, so we upgraded that. We had to buy an HD antenna. And we needed to get a T.V. tuner. But considering that we've eliminated $80 from our monthly budget, I think the initial cost is worth it.

However, the only downside, and it's a minor one, is that we don't have the Disney Channel or Nick Jr. anymore. But we get PBS in HD and I am recording a few of their better shows (Word World, Sid the Science Kid, & Super Why) for the kids. And they love them. They have only asked for Disney once. We will miss Phineas and Ferb, but we can buy the episodes from iTunes, and then play them on our T.V.! Seriously, I am loving this.

Now to be fair we have two systems running: Boxee, which has a Hulu plug-in and Pandora. It's a great interface for those. Windows Media Center doesn't have a Hulu plug-in, and the Pandora is just average. So with Boxee we get a great interface and while the music is playing it's got a great graphic. Netflix has a plug-in for both WMC and Boxee.

We also subscribed to Netflix for $8 a month. Well worth it in my opinion. We get unlimited streaming and one video a week. The unlimited streaming is invaluable. I watched "Julie and Julia" today and the girls watched a Veggie Tales movie and also "Bolt". Yeah, I know, we watch a lot. But it's new so it's fun. Don't judge me! :)

And if you or someone you know is interested, yes, Tech Monkeys will build and install a Windows Media Center. Let me know if you're interested and we'll talk turkey! :)

Shopping With My Children

2010-03-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Fry's with my kids. Yes, all of them. Which I didn't think that three was that many, but apparently three warrants a "My! You have your hands full!" from just about every senior citizen there.

And today was not the first time. I have experienced the "My!" a bunch of times. I have finally developed my response. I smile and say, "Yes. I wouldn't have it any other way!" And move on.

What I want to say is, "Come on. When you were raising children, three was on the small end of progeny. How many kids did you have at 30? I bet there were times that you had to shop with all them, huh? Have you really forgotten what it's like to lug your children around during the heat of the day to get something for dinner? Do you really need to comment on mine?"

And my kids are at least kind-of behaved. So, there.

My Problems With The Healthcare Takeover

2010-03-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have some major issues and concerns with this so-called Healthcare Legislation. There are too many to articulate in one post, however. So, I'm going to spend the next several posts detailing my thoughts.

My first issue with this legislative act is that it was done behind closed doors with almost no knowledge of exactly what is in the final bill. I have never seen (nor have any knowledge of) such blatant disregard for the people's will. The people overwhelmingly didn't want this. And then to make deals for votes, it's called earmark spending and bribes, which if you'll remember Obama campaigned on stopping.

We don't know everything in this bill. And they rushed it through on a Sunday night so we wouldn't find out! We're still finding crap, and it passed a week ago. (I told you I was having a hard time articulating...). Truly, the American people were swindled last week when our representatives voted on this bill.

Honestly, if the debate process had been allowed to go on, and still the representatives voted on it, I would respect it. Elections have consequences. But Pelosi railroaded this through. And we'll be paying for it from here to eternity.

A tie for my biggest issue with this bill is the lies the Democrat party told to attempt to convince us Americans to get behind this bill. This bill is not revenue neutral. It will put us in irreversible debt. This bill will restrict people's access to medical care. It has to! There is not an unlimited supply of doctors, medicines, hospitals, etc. And once the government forces the doctors to accept even less money (Medicare currently pays 33% of all charges-it's going down to 21%!), doctors won't even want to practice! Who would? They'll have even less say about treatments for far less money.

Furthermore, it is despicable how the Liberals have demonized the insurance companies and doctors. They are no more the enemy than your grocery store. They sell a product, and people pay for it. If government would get out of the way, the market forces would drive down costs naturally, not an imposed ceiling (i.e. rent-control in New York City).

Why should doctors stay in business? Why should they accept Medicare? I predict there will be a mass exodus from the medical field in about 5 years, when most insurance companies will be out of business because of the excessive coverages mandated.

There are just a few things that would drastically remake the health insurance business and protect everyone.
1. Eliminate state mandates for coverage. If you don't want to pay for prostate coverage, you don't have to. Like on car insurance whether you have rental car coverage.
2. Allow companies to compete across state lines.
3. Impose a "Loser Pays" system in all tort cases. (This will drive costs down.)
4. The only mandate the federal government should impose is a protection for pre-existing conditions.

That's how I would have done it. And the only people who are pro-market in this fight are the Republicans.

Silence

2010-03-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

I just wanted you to know that I have a lot to say, but can't find the words to articulate my thoughts. I can barely create a coherent thought let alone talk about it...

Just wanted to let you know.

Fun(?) With Mayo

2010-03-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

This totally happened this weekend to someone I know. Let's call her "Susie". (Not Suze; Susie!)

This weekend "Susie's" husband had a weekend free and they weren't traveling anywhere, so they had a cleaning day. After a good house cleaning, "Susie" thought it would be nice to give herself a little homemade spa treatment. This included a nice bubble bath, a pedicure, and at the last minute, a deep conditioning hair treatment. She called out to wonderful hubby, "Could you bring me a half-cup of mayo?" as she was already in the tub. (Because she's always reading in magazines that you can do all these sort of homemade hair treatments, and also she was inspired by this post...)

Wonderful hubby said, "Okay, but are you sure?"

He was right to be hesitant.

"Susie" washed her hair, then gooped on the mayo. She let it sit in her hair until she was done with her bath, like 20 minutes, and then she rinsed it.

Unfortunately, her hair was kind of tangly, so she of course put in leave-in conditioner to help comb it out. And since she was going on a date night with her wonderful hubby, she put in some of that shine stuff that helps with frizz. And then furthermore, she put in mousse, because "Susie" has very fine hair and needs all the body she can get.

Let's just say that what resulted was better suited for a grease monkey. Or someone who may or may not wash her hair regularly.

And since there was so much product in "Susie's" hair all that was left to do was put it into a pony tail, which she thought would look better on the side of her head. So, yeah, "Susie" went to church with a side pony of greasy hair. For the date she just put it back to a regular pony.

It was like the bad hair day to beat all bad hair days.

I am happy to report, however that "Susie's" hair has recovered and now it looks very nice and not dry.

If you were to try this I would advise putting the mayo in and then washing it with shampoo. Or, just stick with baking soda. That seems to work a lot better.

Obedience vs. Being Good

2010-03-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

This week we read through 1 John. I would summarize it as the Assurance of Salvation book. How can we know we're saved? How can we be sure our salvation is certain? I have just finished listening to Chuck Swindoll's sermon series on the same book, so I was excited to study it through BSF as well.

To begin, the early Christian church was becoming inundated with false teachings which taught that because there is no sin in God, eventually true Christ followers become immune to sin and do not sin any longer. John wrote this book to refute that teaching.

Although we are Christ followers, we are still sinners and desperate for Christ's atonement. And we must never forget it. There is nothing we can do to earn the grace which God has given so freely through His son Jesus. Furthermore, to claim to be without sin is to deny Christ. Without sin, we don't need Jesus. Do you see?

This is so incredibly true today. There is no amount of good works that get us into Heaven. There is no secret way to obtaining salvation. There is no transcendental pathway to God. The only way is through Jesus Christ.

And we can know we are followers of Christ by our obedience to Him. We must love others in word and deed, and we must obey Jesus' teachings. Good works look like obedience, but they are not obedience necessarily. Obedience is soul-deep; good works are shallow.

This is definitely one area where I seem to struggle. I want to obey, and good works come through that. But I get sucked in by pride in what I've accomplished. I think that's where I fall.

How does one do good by obeying God and not stumble with pride in one's actions? It seems to me that I must acknowledge that no good comes from me, it is Christ's work through me. Just as God is the source of all love, he is also the source of all goodness. Nothing in me is good. Only what Christ does through me is good. So, how can I take credit for any of it?

The assurance of my salvation is in the total acknowledgment that without Christ I am dead. It is a paradox. It is only when I admit I am nothing and have nothing good in me is when I am sure that God loves me and has given me his Son for my sin.

What Happened in Vegas...

2010-03-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

Will be posted on my blog!

So, Erik and I went to Las Vegas with his sister and her husband for the weekend. It was awesome. We had such a great time and I'm a little blue today that it's over. But anyways, here's a recap for my own memory and reading enjoyment for you.

We left Friday at 8:30 am. Our first stop (after Starbucks, of course!) was the Hacienda Casino on the other side of the Hoover Dam. (On a side note, that dam is AMAZING! I'm always so amazed at what those people did, how dangerous it must have been. It's an architectural and engineering marvel if you ask me. No, I've never taken the tour. But I have seen Vegas Vacation so I feel like I've been inside...) So, anyways, we stopped at the Hacienda Casino where Erik and Craig (my Brother-in-law) love to play $1 craps. You see, it's like the only place in all of NV that has $1 craps, and they like to play craps. So, we stopped. And they played.

We got back on the road and checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Planet Hollywood Towers. It used to be the Aladdin. I have stayed at the Aladdin, but it was sold to P.H. back in 2006. The hotel is super chic. We had a suite with a huge 100 inch projection screen, a jacuzzi tub, sleeping for 4, full kitchen. Just super swanky and cool.

After checking in we got ready and hit the casino. For the first time I decided I would play black jack. I've always shyed away from it because I don't like to lose money. But this time I thought I would relax about the money and look at it as purely entertainment. And you know what, it was a ton of fun. Of course I'm terrible at adding numbers up, so I was constantly asking the dealer "what is that?". Which is awesome. I felt so smart... And you know, that first night I came out ahead. In fact for the whole weekend my playing came out ahead.

Well, we had a ton of fun that first night. Ate a fantastic sandwich at The Earl of Sandwich. Discovered a new drink, a Tokyo Tea, which is a Long Island Iced Tea, only instead of a shot of Coke it has Midori. (I mean why not add more alcohol to that drink?) I probably had a couple too many of those, but they're free while your gambling so it's really really hard to turn down...

The next morning we hit the buffet for breakfast. But after the Tokyo Teas I was really only interested in coffee...

The biggest thing we did was on Saturday night. We ate at Craftsteak at the MGM Grand. It was by far the best meal I've ever had. I am going to go into great detail because I want to remember it. I wish, oh I wish, I could eat there all the time. The price was hefty, but seriously worth it in my opinion. How often do you get to go to Vegas? And eat at a serious restaurant?

We decided to go with the Chef's Dinner, which was a three course sampling of most things on the menu. (The menu changes daily, FYI, according to what they have and what's in season.) We had a frisee salad with a warm blue-cheese and bacon dressing. It was divine. Little melty bits of blue cheese with thick-chunks of bacon over frisee. And we had a watercress salad with little cucumbers and a lemon vinagrette and we had a Cesar salad with fresh anchovies. It was probably the first time I've had a fresh anchovy, and it was awesome. I loved it.

For the second course, we had four (FOUR) different steaks. A huge T-bone, a huge rib-eye, a dry aged steak, and the tenderest flank steak I've ever dreamed of. We had so much left over it was just a shame. I hated to see it leave our table. I kind of wanted to take it all with me to eat between black jack hands...

For the third course we were served five or six (I can't even remember!) desserts. My favorite was a monkey bread pastry with pecans and caramel drizzled served with a banana ice cream. YUMMMMM! And then there was the four different sorbets; Apple Cider, Orange Basil, Blueberry, and Grapefruit. My mouth is watering just remembering it. We also had a bittersweet chocolate lava cake, a lemon verbena cheesecake, and an apple thing, with shaved apple slices over a flaky pastry. Who even knows what it was called? It was flippin awesome.

I had a glass of a Parallel Cabernet Sauvignon which paired with the steak beautifully. I did not get to meet Tom Colicchio, but we did have three waiters and we felt incredibly blessed to be there and enjoy such an experience. Even the bathroom was amazing! :)

From there we went over to New York New York and happened to get in at a black jack table right when it opened. We had the BEST dealer ever. His name was Robert and he helped us have an amazing time. I'm telling you, with a great dealer you hardly even notice how much you win or lose. You feel good the whole time. He was a treat and I'm so glad we had the good fortune to play with him. I'm not kidding, we sat there for 6 and a half hours laughing and playing and I didn't even notice that we ended up with five more dollars than we went in with. Craig and Ash made out significantly better. But most importantly we had a grand time.

So, we came home yesterday and I went to bed at 7:30 and slept until 5:30. It was great!

Now it's off to my Bible study homework. God's timing is so great; we're reading 1 John. The first chapters about sinning and being in the light... Sheesh, Lord Jesus. We're good, right?

So, is it Team USA? Or Team Polo?

2010-02-18T18:33:00.000-08:00

So, I like the Olympics. I don't watch every event, but I like watching what I do see.

Also, I have just a tiny bit of patriotism inside of me. (Just a little...) So I love to see the USA CLEAN UP at international competition. It shows our superiority. I like superiority.

Anyways, I was watching the opening ceremonies last week and in comes the USA Olympic team and they are wearing some rockin' Ralph Lauren duds. (Big fan of R.L. You know, he's the American designer if you ask me.) Except for one major problem.

There's a HUGE polo logo on the front of the Jacket, with USA on the back. Like first and foremost, Ralph Lauren, and then as an afterthought, USA.

So, I'm just wondering. Which is more important? The marketing of your clothes line? Or the promotion of the USA?

(This is not the actual jacket worn in the Opening Ceremonies. But a good example.)

2010-02-16T19:12:00.001-08:00

Pity party, table for one...

Birthday Post (Word of the Day: Demoralized)

2010-02-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

So, today is my birthday. And I am in a serious funk.

1. I gave up breastfeeding last week. Jack's happy. I just don't produce enough milk to make it a long time with nursing. (Please don't give me the it's-in-your-mind argument. I know it. He didn't fight me on it, that's for sure.)

2. I weighed myself, and I'm up three pounds. Why, oh why, did I get on the scale on my birthday? I pretty much hate not being pregnant sometimes. I know, Happy Fat Tuesday, Jessica! How's that for irony?

So, yeah for being 31. I feel like Sally Albright.

Sally: I'm difficult.
Harry: You're challenging.
Sally: I'm too structured, I'm completely closed off.
Harry: But in a good way.
Sally: No, no, no, I drove him away. AND, I'm gonna be forty.
Harry: When?
Sally: Someday.
Harry: In eight years.
Sally: But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end. And it's not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had kids when he was 73.
Harry: Yeah, but he was too old to pick them up.

3. And then Bam! I find out Katie is giving up sugar. I just don't think I can do the whole Lent thing. And to know that there are people out there who truly do it, well, let's just say I hate being face-to-face with my own shortcomings, especially on my birthday. I mean, I love Jesus and all. Don't get me wrong. But for some reason I've yet to participate in Lent. Maybe it's because I grew up Bible-Belt Christian.

And on that note, why in the world have a birthday right before Lent? I feel totally dejected.

I know, I'm a barrel of fun today. Aren't you glad you checked in? :) Today the word is demoralized.

Word of the Day: Nettled

2010-02-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

I am nettled. Definitely. I am incredibly frustrated at what is going on.

First off, unemployment is at 10%. One in 10 people are unemployed. One of which is my father. And FYI, men are the hardest hit with this round of unemployment.

Second, because the deficit (which is another word of the day-means DEBT) is so large, production is so expensive and manufactures have had to cut production, but they're doing it so creatively. Instead of a pound of pasta, you can buy 12 ounces for the same price. Instead of a 12 pack of Diet Coke, you can buy 8-packs for the same price. So, no, our grocery bills have not stayed the same. You now have to buy more to feed your family.

Third, because the most notorious bureaucrat in Washington, Nancy Pelosi, feel so entitled she has racked up over 3 million dollars in personal travel for her family! Non-Congressional trips. Just travel for her kids and grandkids. And she's very wealthy. She is one of the 15th richest members of Congress with a net worth between $33 and $95 million. She could afford to pay the way for her kids to fly commercial. (FYI, I don't have a problem with wealth. But I have a big problem with wasting money, spending money that does not belong to her. It's called theft, people. Taxpayer money is not her slush fund. But she's acting like it is.)

And they have the audacity complain about the economy. You've got to be kidding me. It's your fault, with all this spending, that the government is running in the red.

And to add insult to injury, President Obama has said that he intends to reduce the debt. With all due respect, you do not spend your way out of a debt. All of us know that. When the money is gone, there is no more money. When we spend our money on shoes, there is no more money for groceries. When we buy a car we don't need we don't have the money to pay for our electricity. We make decisions about what's important.

Priorities for the federal goverment should only be military, national security, and roads. That's it. I'm fine paying taxes for those things. But extending unemployemnt benefits indefinitely? No way. That's not going to get anyone employed. It just creates further dependence on the government. And it increases corporate taxes. Which causes employers to cut jobs, hours, or go under. Which leads to more lost jobs. The only way to stop this cycle is to cut all taxes and especially the corporate taxes.

So, yes, I'm incredbily nettled. And nettled is not nearly a strong enough word for it. I'm angry.

We should all be praying that this will not go on. I believe what the Bible says about praying for your government so that all may live in peace. I want that to be my heart. And it is. I'm angry because I know how much suffering these terrible tax-and-spend policies has created and will further. There is no freedom with government rule. Our government was originally designed to be restricted. Instead, it's been empowered by the people. We need to wake up from our apathy and start caring about how much our government spends. We need to pray that the right people are voted into government service.

Mutterings & Musings

2010-01-26T18:26:00.001-08:00

Here's a run-down on some of things that I have either said out loud to myself or thought.

1. I wish I were a compulsive cleaner. I have a feeling that perhaps my dear darling husband wouldn't mind if I was a tad compulsive about clutter, bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting, laundry. But I'm not. I'm perfectly fine with piles on my counter (at least there's only one!), and my desk completely covered with coupons and notes (my desk closes up!). And laundry, once one of my pepeeves, now I am absolutely unfazed by piles of clean clothes folded and not put away all over the house. However, it does bother me, kind of. Just not enough to make me all Sissy Spacek from "Blast from the Past" with rubber gloves and sofa plastic.

2. I am surprised by how thick a Chick-fil-A Peppermint Milkshake is on carpet. My dear second born spilled hers back before Christmas and I am just now trying to clean it. Ugh. I think a visit to Danny's may be in order. Or Cobblestone. Yeah, Cobblestone. They have Dunkin Donuts... :)

3. Dude. The Murad free sample is run out. I'm so bummed. I've wanted to try their line but don't want to splurge on it myself.

4. Curse you, Jillian Michaels. Curse you. (Not really. I hope you get to know Jesus. But your workouts are going to be the death of me. Or maybe the skinny of me...)

5. I think Kate and Sawyer are a much better match then Kate and Jack. It's like Kate and Jack are trying to be something they just are not. In a sad way, Sawyer and Kate are equals and Jack is just a little too good for Kate. It's like Jack is slumming for Kate.

6. I have been watching too much Lost. (Instead of cleaning, or putting away laundry...)

Sorrow & Suffering

2010-01-11T08:31:00.001-08:00

So, I only made it through two weeks of regular posting in December. No where near the goal of posting everyday I was hoping to accomplish. Well, Christmas kind of surprised me. Sleep deprivation.

Anyways, now that Jack is sleeping through the night (Glory Be!) I am getting more sleep. My only problem now is that the wonderful Erik and I are trying to catch up on Lost before the season starts in February. So, we're staying up late watching that!

That is not the point of this post... :)

I am reading Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. It was recommended to me by my sister-in-law's mother, as well as my own. And I would have to say that it is a great read. I have enjoyed the quiet pace of the book, as well as the content. It gives me hope that within me is growing a quiet and gentle spirit. And even in the midst of trials, I can be submissive to the Lord who is my Shepherd and will only lead me through things for His Glory and my growth.

One of the most profound ideas in this book is the companions the Shepherd gives the main character, Much-Afraid.

"Here are the two guides which I promised," said the Shepherd quietly. "From now on until you are over the steep and difficult places, they will be your companions and helpers."

Much-Afraid looked at them fearfully....They were so silent, so strong, and so mysterious. Why did they not speak? Why give her no friendly word of greeting?

"Who are they?" she whispered to the Shepherd. "Will you tell me their names, and why don't they speak to me? Are they dumb?"

"No, they are not dumb," said the Shepherd very quietly, "but they speak a new language..." "But as you travel with them, little by little, you will learn to understand their words."

"They are good teachers; indeed, I have few better. As for their names, I will tell you them in your own language, and later you will learn what they are called in their own tongue. This," said he, motioning toward the first of the silent figures, "is named Sorrow. And the other is her twin sister, Suffering."

Poor Much-Afraid! Her cheeks blanched and she began to tremble from head to foot. She felt so like fainting that she clung to the Shepherd for support.

"I can't go with them," she gasped. "I can't! I can't! O my Lord Shepherd, why do you do this to me? How can I travel in their company? It is more than I can bear. You tell me that the mountain way itself is so steep and difficult that I cannot climb it alone. Then why, oh why, must you make Sorrow and Suffering my companions? Couldn't you have given Joy and Peace to go with me, to strengthen me and encourage me and help me on the difficult way? I never thought you would do this to me!" And she burst into tears.

You can imagine from the above quote that the Shepherd gave Much-Afraid exactly who she needed to make the journey. It could not have been any other way.

So often we fight against God's ways. So often I cry out to God, "Why this way, Lord? It would be easier if..."

I find myself asking God to make our lives easier so I would reach the "high places" (those places close to God) faster. More money, less debt, fewer personal hang-ups, etc. But if God were to just give me Money & Spiritual Health as my companions, what need would I have of the Shepherd? Would I ever cry out to Him to come to my aid? Would I ever receive His loving hand through the tough places if I was self-sufficient? I have to answer resoundingly, "No!" He knows that I need Suffering in life. He knows I need Sorrow. Maybe it's the humbling aspect of Suffering and Sorrow that is necessary in our walk. I wonder, even, if I must embrace Sorrow and Suffering, not just walk with it. I tend to think so.

Elastic Girl

2009-12-16T08:45:00.000-08:00

Reagan has taken to calling me, at times, Elastic Girl. I think it was the pregnancy and that she saw my belly getting increasingly huge. Unfortunately, I haven't bounced back, like the fictional Elastic Girl, who was able to stretch her body and back within seconds. Last night, Reagan said, "You're almost Elastic Girl, Mom. Not yet, though." Oh, the mouths of babes...

And just to make sure the point was hammered home, I put on a jumpsuit outfit to take Reagan to school in and the jacket is at least one size too small given my current girth. This is what I felt like this morning...

Oh well. I guess it's time to start exercising.

Monday's Mixings

2009-12-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

I enjoy being in the kitchen. I tend to express myself through my cooking and baking. I love knowing that I have made something good. I have been accused of showing off in the kitchen, but I'm not sure that's such a bad thing. Is it showing off when you can be good at something and enjoy doing it?

Anyways, today was not one of those days.

For dinner I started with left-over turkey, turkey stock, and pie crust. It should have been easy. It should have been delicious. It wasn't.

Anyways, I added cream of mushroom soup, mixed in green beans, green bell peppers, celery, topped with cheese and the pièce de résistance was french fried onions. It was not good. I'm really bummed. The idea was green bean cassarole in a pie crust. I'm of the opinion that everything is DELICIOUS in a pie crust.

It turned out as a soupy slop with a hint of pie crust. What a bummer. The green bell peppers were not cooked well, the celery didn't meld. Basically I was left with green beans swimming in cream of mushroom soup with a side of pie crust.

The meal wasn't a total waste. At least there was cheese and french fried onions. Yum-oh. But now I don't know what to do with the left-overs. Should I try to salvage them? Should I toss them? Keep in mind that I'm fairly frugal with food. I don't like to throw it away. If you have any ideas, please share them.

Man-Made Climate Change is a Hoax

2009-12-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

I have always thought that the idea of man affecting global climate change is ludicrous. There is no way we, by going about our daily business of driving, breathing, existing, can affect the climate in such a way that risks our very survival.

And now I feel totally validated.

Here is an article that explains the current scandal regarding the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the data they've been collecting and what they're distributing. I think the article explains the complex science of observing climate change very well and then goes on to elaborate on the actual hoax. I highly recommend reading it, although it's heady.

Here's the clincher:

After all, the stakes are enormous: perhaps trillions of dollars and unquestionably every American’s personal liberties. Tomorrow, over 20,000 delegates from 193 nations will gather in Copenhagen to craft an agreement which would not only force American power consumption to levels equal to those of about 1910, but would also have us pay reparations for an imaginary “climate debt” we’ve accumulated by building the world’s greatest economy of all time. That debt is based on the amount of CO2 our financial growth has purportedly pumped into the atmosphere, which, according to the conclusions of the IPCC and based largely upon reports from the CRU, has selfishly imperiled the planet by inducing climate change.

Of course, asking Americans to pay reparations based on the claim they’ve done harm to other nations by spoiling the climate is like asking me to pay damages to my neighbor based on his claim that he can’t sell his house because my great-grandmother’s ghost is haunting it.

As many have known and as Climategate has proven, both situations are equally preposterous.

You see, this fraud is not about saving the environment. It's about controlling who succeeds and who does not. Who stays in poverty (the developing world) and who does not (the already wealthy).

This web interview is excellent. It really picks up after minute 4. If you can skip to that part I would.

Sleep Deprivation

2009-12-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

So, today I had a dentist appointment to get a couple of cavities filled. (I never had cavities until I started having children. Those babies take everything I've got, including whatever calcium needed to keep my teeth healthy!) In any case, I found a babysitter for my kids. I arrived at the dentist with 10 minutes to spare.

I should have known something was wrong because the receptionist had a totally blank look on her face when I said, "Hi, I'm Jessica." She said, "Did you have an appointment?" Me, "Yes."

No, I didn't. At least not for today. For TOMORROW!

I rescheduled my appointment for a couple of weeks from today. And my gracious friend let me have a quiet hour to myself, which I spent in the parking lot of Reagan's school reading Voyager. (So Good!)

The kicker is that I did have the appointment in my palm pilot. I just had the days mixed up in my head! Oh man, the sleep deprivation is a killer!

And this is so not the first time this has happened recently. On Saturday I forgot what time a party started and had to call the hostess to find out. We were almost an hour late! And we were going to a wedding a couple of months ago and didn't even bring the invitation with the directions because I could have sworn that I knew where it was. I was wrong. We went to the wrong location. Thankfully we were super early and not late to the ceremony.

I can not wait to sleep more than 5 or 6 hours consistently.

Did Someone Say Self-Control?

2009-12-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

There is something about this season that causes me to think about self-control. The food, the parties, the shopping. I find that I have a difficult time limiting myself, saying no to my fleshly desires. I am tempted this time of year to eat more, drink more, and spend more. I went to an awesome party this Saturday. But the next morning I was asking myself if perhaps I imbibed too much, or so I think the headache was telling me.

All of this brought to mind Galatians 5:13-25.

¹³You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. ¹⁴The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁵If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
Life by the Spirit
¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
¹⁹The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

I read through that list in verse 19 and I cringe. It's not an easy list to compare my life to. And if I'm honest, I have a hard time with most of those things daily! And then the kicker is what a Spirit-filled life does look like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. My days do not often showcase those characteristics, I'm sorry to say.

For myself, I read verses 19-25 and then I like to go back up to verses 13. Christ set us free from the law. We are free to love; not free to indulge sinful desires. I'm no where near good at this. But I wanted to share a honest thought with you. Among my other character deficiencies, it's difficult for me to admit shortcomings. I do this in hope that some may be encouraged.

Cooking Day

2009-12-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

Something about the cooler weather inspires me to cook. And thankfully my KitchenAid is back in business so I decided to bake French Bread. It is one of my favorite breads to make. Who am I kidding? I never made a bread I didn't love. And the idea of fresh baked bread inspired me to make soup. Therefore I found a Butternut Squash Soup recipe on Recipezaar.com.

What came out was amazing! I'm so glad I made this soup. And the hot bread was perfect for it.

The soup came out a bit thicker than I thought it would, but I didn't puree all of the squash. Perhaps it would have been soupy-er if I had. I didn't have heavy cream so I omitted it entirely and I don't think it was missed. I did top with bacon and sour cream. The soup cooked very quickly, within 45 minutes.

Altogether a delicious lunch for a cold day!

Again with Baby Jesus!

2009-12-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

Once again this year I have had to remind my children not to play with Baby Jesus. My husband wanted to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving this year. The tension in my shoulders increased by ten-fold.

You see, to me, Christmas decorations mean endlessly telling my children to stop touching Baby Jesus. And that the Christmas tree ornaments are not toys. And that no, we can not watch stupid Frosty again because we've already watched it 50 million times today.

Erik accused me of being Scrooge on Monday.

Found in Backyard

2009-12-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

We built our home here in Surprise just over 4 years ago. Since that time we have found some random stuff.

We find trash that floats in from other yards. We find nails which scare me since I let my girls run around all the time and frequently they end up outside without shoes.

But yesterday, as I was prepping dinner Reagan came in with a pregnancy stick. Totally without the cap. I kind of freaked out. And no, it wasn't mine. It came from one of our neighbors. And the finding of this particular device now lead to a whole discussion about what it is used for and Mati saying "When I grow up I will use that and a baby will be in my bell." Yikes. Way too early for me to be talking about this. And naturally I told the girls that it was disgusting. And they asked why. And I said because you pee on it. Oh man, what a conversation. And then when we were telling Erik about it at dinner Mati got up and went to try and find it in the garbage. Quite a night at the Wilhelmsens.

Which brings up another thing. The girl next door is troubled. I think she's about 15 or 16 and she hangs out with some questionable characters. And we find plastic chairs by the wall that separates our houses and the screen to what I assume is her bathroom looks like it's been pushed out and replaced. So, either she's sneaking out or someone's sneaking in.

All of this leads me to think that quite possibly the pregnancy test was hers. If so, should I say something to her? Should I mention that I found a pregnancy test in our yard (Which, who would throw it over the side of a wall! Hello? We have small children! Which you know about because you see them and we always say hello. Dude, not cool.) Anyways, Erik seems to think that I should keep my head down. But he's a guy. And from New York. You always keep your nose down over there. But this is my home. And I'm a Christian woman. I kind of want to mention it and ask her if she needs any help or someone to talk to. What do you think?

Christmas Movies

2009-12-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

I have been enjoying a wonderful month of readings from The Queen. She's posted every day for one month. I feel encouraged to do the same this month. And since it's December 1, I thought I might as well go for it.

I can not promise anything awesome. But I do so want to get into the habit of regular blog posting. It's so nice to have a place where I can vent or enlighten.

How do you feel about the animated Christmas movies? My husband is an ENORMOUS fan of the animated 60's Christmas movies. Like Rudolph the "Red Nosed Reindeer". However, now my children are sharing in the obsession. Every day it's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Frosty the Snowman". Do you know how annoying it is to sing "Frosty the Snowman" while trying to fall asleep at night? Cause that's what I have been doing every night for the past week. Now in all fairness, my least favorite of the animated seasonal films is "The Grinch". But Frosty should be melted eternally in my opinion. I am so in favor of global warming with Frosty. (This does not mean that I believe global warming actually exists, because I don't. Anyways, another post for another day.)

I do like most Christmas movies, though. Just not the animated ones. I like Mickey's Christmas Carol. So, there's one.

My favorite Christmas movie, which is not really a Christmas movie is "Meet Me in St. Louis" with Judy Garland. It's so good. I just love it. I love the songs. I love that the climax is on Christmas Eve. I love that Vincent Minnelli directed Judy Garland and because of that they married. (Well, he turned out to be gay, but anyways, it's a neat love story.) And because of that movie my favorite Christmas song is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".

My second favorite Christmas movies are a tie between "White Christmas" and "It's a Wonderful Life". White Christmas because of the Sisters number. I love the part where Bing and that other guy danced and lip synched the Sister's song to provide an escape for the girls.

And "It's a Wonderful Life" always reminds me that life is not hopeless and when we feel small and insignificant God has a wonderful plan for us. We can not know the impact we have on people simply by being alive. I love that movie. Makes me cry just thinking about it.

What are your favorite Christmas movies?

I love me some satire...

2009-11-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

My friend Chandy sent me this link over Facebook. It is quite possibly one of the funniest things I've read. Hopefully this will help distract you from the horrendous things going down on Capital Hill today...

In Memory Of...

2009-11-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen those stickers on cars that say "In memory of..." and list of someone who had died? I honestly do not get those things. What, is the driver driving in memory of their dead loved on? Does the driver contribute gasoline fumes in honor of the person who has passed on? And if so, what kind of token is that? I pollute because I loved this person... I just don't get it.

I know this is probably coming from the insensitive-Jessica. (As opposed to the quiet, keep it to myself Jessica.) But I just wanted to get this off my chest.

To me this is just like those stupid Facebook causes. Are any diseases actually being cured by being a fan of one on Facebook? I don't think so. Just like, are you really driving like a maniac in honor of your dead loved one?

Of course I feel horrible for the people left behind. But advertising it on your car?

Growing like a Beanstalk

2009-11-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

Jack is seriously big. Yesterday at his month appointment he weighed in at 9 lbs 10 oz. He gained over a pound in two weeks. How awesome is that?

He is the first of my womb-fruit that I am not concerned about milk-supply. Apparently I can finally feed a baby of mine sufficiently, praise the Lord! I am milk-endowed. Maybe I can pump it and sell it for money... You know, it's a hard time right now. Of course I need to keep it going for Jack so I probably won't do that.

Anyways, I know it's no big deal to you but this appointment was incredibly affirming for me. I had a very difficult time nursing Reagan and I ran out of milk with Matilyn. So with Jack, maybe we'll make it a full six months or more. That would be a huge financial blessing for us, now that I think about it. I have always figured formula would be a part of our budget, but maybe not this time. God does know what we need when we need it, doesn't he?

Untitled

2009-10-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

My dear wonderful husband gave me one of the best compliments ever. He told me that he could see the positive impact my staying home with the kids has been on them. This was an important thing for me to hear and I'm not sure he knows what that meant to me.

For some time I've been wanting some sort of career in addition to being a mother. It's a financial burden to only have one working parent. He works a lot of hours and has started his own side business. Our families like to vacation and we can barely afford it. We could use new couches, a screen door, would like to eliminate debt, etc. All of which, with one income, are just out of reach.

But when he says that our children are well-adjusted kids and have a secure home life, well, I'm thinking all those wants are really not necessary. I'm still praying about some sort of career. But until God opens that door I'm content knowing that my tedious work here at home is hopefully making an eternal difference.