There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that's a wife who can't cook and will. ~Robert Frost

I have seriously had my doubts the last few weeks. I have baked all my life, but I have burned almost everything in the oven since moving here.

1. Ah! Altitude change, you might say. Wrong--I made those changes (I impressed myself knowing that I had to change ingredients per altitude--learned that by exploding bread in Denver a few years back--never make THAT mistake again).

2. Burners aren't working properly. WRONG. I noticed that the top burner didn't get hot--obviously that is the problem. I called my landlord and asked if he could come and change it. He called me back and said he looked up my oven model and the top only comes on for the broiler. Some baker I am. I had no idea.

3. Dark pans hold in more heat. True. But not the problem. I also adjusted for dark pans.
EVERYTHING IS BURNING!!!

4. You live in Florida--your apartment must be adding to the heat in the oven. Wrong. We blast the AC. Nuf said.

5. Something is wrong with the oven. CORRECT! I actually thought this at the beginning and tried to adjust the temperature a little--but it made no difference. So I ruled it out--an oven can't be THAT far off right. WRONG. We bought a little thermometer for the oven today at Target (no I didn't have a coupon--but I felt this was a necessity. I was going insane.)




Try 100 freaking degrees TOO HOT!
I'm impressed things turned out as well as they did.

Couponing

Our new hobby.
If I was excited--Danny was ecstatic.
The expression he got when he handed two packages of Oreos to the cashier along with a follow-up coupon--and didn't have to pay a dime--was priceless.

Cashier: "guess you don't owe nothin!"
Danny: big grin. I worked the system.
And we all know how much Danny likes to work the system.


We decided to keep a running total of all we save using coupons, sales, or deals (these are on things we would have bought anyway--unless they were free, like the Oreos).
Currently, since we moved here, we have saved $121.38 on all purchases. Which comes to 40.23% of what we actually paid.

Want ideas? Go here www.savingmyfamilymoney.com (or any other site like it). BUT...it does take a little work.

I have been given a gift. I can. I can WELL.

(movie quote anyone?)

There are so many things to blog about since moving--and I just haven't made the time. So here is the first of many that should be.
I tried my hand at canning. No, it didn't go perfect--but the result is rather tasty. One of my favorite treats (just ask my parents) is home canned peaches. The peaches here are from Georgia and are rosy colored, juicy, and PERFECT (hence having the peach on their license plate in Georgia). So, after acquiring some canning materials and peaches from the Saturday Farmer's Market, I made my first attempt.

And aside from some rather large air bubbles that seemed to elude me (I did think I had gotten most of them out) the jars look rather tempting. I only did a really small batch to make sure I didn't mess-up a lot of good peaches. We already opened a jar to test them to make sure they taste good--and yes...they do!

I also scored on Craig's List with mangos last week. A crazy (yes, she was)lady was selling them from her trees for super cheap. Danny and I bought $5 worth and ate four and made mango fruit leather with the other six.
I am trying to have a little fruit-fun here.
Any other fruit ideas? What are your favorite fruit recipes? How do I utilize all the goodness around me?

The Sunshine State...most of the time (it rains daily)

"We made it."
"Barely."
"We are never doing that trip again."
"With a cat at least.
...and possibly not with all our stuff."
"I guess that means we have to be rich enough to have someone else move it when we leave."
"Ok."

This was our conversation about Missouri.

It wasn't all that bad.
We left Hoffman base camp around eleven thirty Sunday and headed to Eric and Brianna's for lunch. On the fifteen minute trip to their apartment, the trailer decided to weave horribly and was jackknifing us into the other lane. We weren't even going that fast.
Lunch, I must say was awesome. It was the best trip-send-off-meal I may have ever gotten. Thanks so much guys.
After lunch, Danny and Eric repacked some things to try to make it a little better.
We also learned that Naughty can scale a chain-link fence in under two seconds. Remember--she doesn't have claws.
It took us over 5 hours to get to Grand Junction (usually takes just under 4) where my parents met us to help drive us over the mountains. We decided to get something to eat "real quick" at Village Inn. Real quick turned into two-ish hours. Something about cooks going on strike. Roger checked the tire pressure and the weaving problem with the trailer was fixed due to uneven tires--gotta love Uhaul.
Made it to Denver a little later than planned--due to unseen circumstances.
Spent a wonderful day with my mom, doing little things before I left, and shopping for fabric for Jackson's bed. Danny (still pretty sick at this point) watch more movies than he is willing to admit. After a nice traditional family pizza dinner with everyone (Kenny, Meggan, mom, Roger, Danny and I) we got up early the next day and took off for--somewhere.

All I remember is that we didn't get there. We blew a Uhaul tire. No, actually we SHREDDED a Uhaul tire. It was at a point in the freeway that we couldn't go anywhere...so we sat without air-conditioning on the side of the road for over two hours until the Uahul tire-fixer people decided we were important enough to rescue. In those two hours we had three other people stop to help--roadside assistance people...but unless we wanted to pay for it...you get the idea. We did get to see our first lightening-bugs--and got to hear lots of other bugs--probably ones bigger than I wanted to believe.

Motel 6 night one: good. Cool, cat only escaped once, clean shower. Success.

Another day of driving. Because nothing insanely unfortunate happened this day (aside from road construction--is there any state that is "ok" with how they look?), it was pretty successful. We ate lots of fast food, I ended up driving a lot so that Danny could read our book--time went a lot quicker when he read to us--much better than just radio.

Motel 6 night two: not-so-good. hot, ants, small browned shower, cat climbing under beds, sketchy neighbors. I was ready to leave.

Last day! This day was good mainly because we had adrenalin enough to get us excited. The only unfortunate thing this day was the toll road. We knew there were toll roads in Florida--but we picked the worst one. $20 for one road. Don't worry family, we will give you BETTER directions than MapQuest when you decide to visit. Good thing I had a little cash.
We drove in beautiful blue sky speckled with white fluffy clouds (THE SIMPSONS) on very flat roads with lots of green to both sides.
Vero Beach ("Veeeeero" Beach) finally came. We live off of the main road--literally you get off of the freeway and drive for half an hour and we are on the right-hand side.
Yes. The building is pink with turquoise accents.
Yes. There are palm trees everywhere.
Yes. We do have air conditioning.
Yes. There is a Walmart just north of us by a few blocks.
and YES! The beach is fabulous and only ten minutes away. (We went swimming for the first time yesterday at 6:00pm. Great time to go.)


We had Family Night on the beach on Monday and saw our first turtle nest. They stake them off so you don't accidentally sit on them. We also saw a sign saying "No Shark Fishing." Apparently this means there are sharks. We didn't see any swimming the other day--so I think we are ok...

Tuesday we saw an ad on Craigs List for a free black leather couch and loveseat in GREAT condition. No picture and only an address. Even though it was like 30 minutes away--we went to check it out. Yes we got a couch and it is in good condition. Danny has now owned three leather couches. This is my first one.

The COOL thing about this trip was that we saw a bunch of crabs walking on the road. It was hilarious--and yes...I made Danny get out of the car and take pictures.


We are doing well. Most of the stuff is unpacked and in working condition. Danny is still job hunting, we has applied at a gazillion places within the last few days--so hopefully soon we will hear back on some. I am trying to adjust to not having a washer and dryer in my apartment again...and hoarding quarters.
That is all for now! We made a video of our place but it is too big to put on the Blog--I will try to email it to everyone--so you can hear Danny's angelic voice.
Love you all!!!

The News

Yes we are still alive. Very much so--in fact.

I have been wanting to post for a few months now, but felt I should wait--due to my past history. So alas I have said nothing about anything.

Today I am eleven and a half weeks pregnant.
We had our first doctors appointment this week and that was the cue I was waiting for. I wanted the "go-ahead" from my doctor that I was ok, normal, and progressing like a normal pregnant woman should.
To be honest it has been a tough few months. After going through two miscarriages together, you can imagine how difficult it might be for us to believe it can really be happening. I have been in and out of the doctor's office since January getting tests and biopsies done, figuring out medications, and fighting with insurances. All in all, the day the positive test came, we were skeptical and mentally decided to have a "go-with-the-flow" attitude. After the positive blood test a week later, it was a little more real. We told a few people, but decided not to shout it out until after the first appointment with the doctor.
I have been sick, tired, and hungry. I haven't been sleeping, all smells are overwhelming, and the bathroom is a constant companion. I have only broken down crying a few times--which I feel is an accomplishment. All of this is expected and is "good." All these things gave me a little comfort that things might be normal--but it was still hard. I felt detached--and I know Danny did too. Having been through the pain of losing a pregnancy mentally turned me off to this one. Daily, I still have my doubts--is that cramp normal? i missed my prenatal pill again. will the right body parts start producing progesterone like the doctor said they would? can I stop taking the medication?
Seeing the doctor on Tuesday was the much needed boost we needed. I don't think I have ever had a more positive doctors appointment. He said I looked good, my weight was good, all my concerns about cramps and such after talking them through seemed normal. Still, it wasn't until we heard the rushing little "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" of the baby's heart beating that it all seemed ok. Seeing Danny's face light up with unbelief and excitement at the first audible beat brought my tears. I cried for joy for the first time in a long time. There really is a healthy baby in there, and it is doing great. It is going to make it here alright.
Just thought all of you should know.

And, yes, when we know the gender--we will let everyone know.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dressing up X3: HALLOWEEN

Ok...here are the pictures.
Danny and I had an awesome Halloween. We spent all day together making our costumes--and we rarely get a day together so it was wonderful!
The sewing machine was being finicky so I had to hand sew towards the end which took up a lot of time. I was supposed to be the Chiquita Banana Girl--but didn't have time to make a fruit hat--so I became a flamenco dancer--which was ok. Danny--obviously--was Edward Scissor Hands and looked AMAZING.


First we spend the dinner hour at the Hoffman's where we had a crazy dinner with bubbling purple brew, finger bread sticks, and awesome stew (A few days ago I decided that stew is one of my favorite foods...so good). After a few hours of scaring trick-or-treaters, talking, and eating, Danny and I drove to Lindon to meet up with my old roomies for a singles dance...I know...we are married...

We had a great time. Danny was a huge hit (no surprise there--just now he had the added costume awesomeness), and had lots of people--mainly girls--coming up begging to take a picture with him. It was quite funny. Made me feel pretty good about our handiwork. My roommates were the village people and looked great.

That is pretty much it...except that our car died on the way home. Apparently it needs a new transmission. Gotta love beaters...