Tasty Tuesday #3 - Tea!

I've never been a big fan of herbal teas.

via
I want these teacups

I don't drink regular tea, or coffee, for personal reasons, but herbal tea has been something I've always wanted to like but never did. In the past few weeks I've helped myself relax before bed with a hot cup of lemon/honey water. It's helped me in the past when I've been sick, or to calm my nerves, or to keep me warm when running in the cold.

Hot chocolate has the same effect, except that chocolate and I don't get along too well, so I shouldn't have too much of it too often. I actually went for about three years in and after high school where I didn't have chocolate at all. (White chocolate doesn't have the same effect though, so I got my fix that way.)

Anyway, about tea... I've found the secret! 

HONEY. Like, a tablespoon of it.

It makes all the difference! Strawberry tea is my favorite so far, it's so tasty.

So I've decided I'm going to have a tea party. Possibly themed, don't know what though, haven't decided... any ideas on that front? Now I just need to find people who would come and drink tea with me!

Would YOU come to my (herbal) tea party?


Do you drink tea, whether regular or herbal? 
How do you take it (what do you put in it, if anything)?


- Darci - The Page Traveler - 


P.S.
My midnight teatimes are often spent with Return of the King... even though I'm only in chapter two, I'm really enjoying it because it moves so much faster than the rest of the book, yet is still so vivid!

"Love, Me" Letter 15

Dear Monkey,

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Your new little sibling is the size of a grape this week! I'm already starting to show a little, and my regular "skinny" clothes are feeling a little snug this week.

In other news, your molars are shoving their way through your gums this week, and you're just starting to get over an off-and-on low fever you've had for a few days. We're doing everything we can to help you be comfortable.

Little things: you didn't take a nap on Sunday, and so, while I was preparing your dinner at 6pm, you fell asleep on the living room floor while watching "Happy Feet."

I love you Monkey.

Love,
Me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear nausea...

Though I am extremely grateful you have not reared your ugly head to the point of expelling the contents of my stomach, I must say your presence at all is highly uncomfortable. This is a problem. Since you have made my body your home, I have been virtually incapable of preparing food for my family, washing the dishes, or eating the foods I generally like to. You have made my tastes so specific and out of the ordinary, that I have no choice but to either eat something I don't want to, or go out of my way to get the thing you're telling me I need.

However, I think I may have found your weakness.

I drank a glass of raspberry leaf tea last night, and was able to prepare and eat a dinner that has sounded disgusting to me for weeks. I loved it. I've heard that this tea can either be very good during pregnancy, or very bad. I'm going to do more research, but if worst comes to worst, I may rely on it again to destroy you.

Sincerely,

Mommy-to-be


P.S.
Does anyone else know anything about Raspberry Leaf Tea? 
What do you/your mom/sister/friends etc do to fight nausea/morning sickness?

Monkeys Everywhere!

My family has a fun, and rather silly, tradition at Christmastime... it's called the Grab Bag.

I lost the site where I got this - sorry!

My dad goes to the dollar store and literally FILLS the dinky little cart with stuff. Not just good stuff though... He says every year that he goes down each aisle knocking items in that he may or may not even know what they are.

He spends somewhere between fifty to a hundred dollars on this trip.

Then he throws it all into a big bag (sometimes double-bagging, so we can't see through) and  on Christmas day (or whenever we can all get together) we take turns from youngest to oldest, reaching into the bag blind and pulling something out.

It's great fun... there are usually the inevitable tube socks, random personal care products, cheap toys that'll be thrown away within a week, candy of all kinds, Vienna Sausages, juice, kitchen utensils, you name it.

This year, Turner (or me... or maybe Monkey) pulled out one of these:

via

At first glance, I thought it was a toy... one of those old things my grandma used to have, where you push a button and it shoots air into a small tank and you try to get the rings on the hooks.......

does anyone else remember those?

Anyway, that's NOT what it is.

We were just going to throw it away, but when Turner heard me say I had no idea what Sea Monkeys were, he said, "Well now we HAVE to do it!"

So we filled the tank with water, purified it, and threw in the little packet of eggs, waited five days, and started feeding them.

At first, I was sure this was like, a "snipe hunting" type trick. Then, three days in, I looked and saw little things swimming around! They were tiny - speck sized - but they were definitely swimming, not just floating.


At that point I had an "It's aliiive!" moment.


Soon we were taking great pride in our sea monkey dollar-store pets, and making sure to feed them every two days as instructed. When they started getting bigger (and we read how big they can actually grow) we decided to relocate them to a bigger home. We got out a mason jar, and poured 'em in, adding a bit more water for them to live in.

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Now, the biggest ones are nearly half an inch long, and growing... they're mating, and laying eggs, and thriving! It's actually really cool! We read that these colonies can live up to three years...

Our goal is to get them to survive until AT LEAST next Christmas, just to say that our dollar-store pets are that awesome.


I have no questions for you today, unless you want to tell me about an unusual pet you've had?
Growing up, we had chickens, dogs, cats, rats, a turtle, fish, and more, I'm sure.

- Darci - The Page Traveler -

P.S.
.........don't tell our landlord... pets aren't allowed ;-)

Thankful Thursday: Monkey

We're so excited for Monkey to be a big brother...

Sunday night, he had a mishap while playing at Great-Grandpa & Grandma's house. He got on an exercise bike, and his left toe got caught in between some bolts and got squished :-(

The toenail was ripped backward and bled quite a bit. It looked like the toe was bruised, maybe even broken. He cried louder than I've ever heard him cry before... it broke our hearts. We wrapped his toe in some paper towel, gave him some Tylenol, and then Daddy and Great Grandpa gave him a priesthood blessing.

We made the drive home just fine, and by the time his bath was done, his countenance had completely changed - he was a calm happy boy. His toe looked completely fine - unbruised and not bleeding. We wrapped it up with some Neosporin just to be safe, but he seemed absolutely perfect again. The Priesthood is such a blessing. Turner and I are convinced that the Lord healed Monkey's little-big-toe, and helped calm him down. We were so afraid when we heard him crying... this is his first really big owie accident, and we weren't certain what to do.

Later that night, after Monkey had gone to sleep, Turner and I were discussing the whole ordeal and Turner said something very insightful. Something I've thought about before, but applied very well to our current situation. He said,

"I hate seeing him hurt. I can't imagine what Heavenly Father had to watch His Son endure...."

Since I've become a parent, this thought has crossed my mind many times; the late nights while Monkey was teething, the times he had a fever that wouldn't break, the times he fell and really hurt or scared himself...

The only thing I can do for him in those times is hold him close and make sure he knows I love him. A little Tylenol, a little essential oil... those sometimes help, but sometimes they don't. When they don't, I'm left with a poor little child who is hurting, and doesn't understand why I can't make it stop.

And oh I wish I could...

I know every parent often feels like this; we wish we could just shield our children from the pain and sorrow in the world, protect them and keep them safe. I'm sure Heavenly Father wishes He could at times. But if that were an option, we wouldn't be able to choose for ourselves - our agency would be taken away, which is exactly what Lucifer had in mind...

Being a parent is a rough game, but I hear it's worth it. It's a matter of learning to love our children enough to let them make their own mistakes and learn from them. Loving them enough, in the end, to let them go. Because if we hold on to them, and try to shelter them from everything, they'll never learn. It reminds me of an exchange from Finding Nemo, between Marlin and Dory:

Marlin: "No, no, I promised I would never let anything happen to him!"

Dory: "Well you can't never let anything happen to him, then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo."

See? If we guard our children too closely, we're no better than Satan himself. We do it in the name of protection, but when taken to the extreme, we're only harming them further than not. I love my two-year-old, and I try to keep him out of danger as much as possible. But maybe things like this mishap are good for both of us. It teaches him to be more careful in new places, and it reminds me how much I love my little boy... how devastated I would be if anything bad ever happened to him, and how, in the future, I will need to let him go, and make his own mistakes... no matter how much I may know better.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity I have to be a mother, especially to such a smart, funny little boy... and more to come.

Parents, aunts, uncles, caregivers... how do you feel when your children are hurting? How protective are you at such a young age, and then as they get older?

I'm learning as I go.


- Darci - The Page Traveler -

Writer Wednesday - WIP

So.......... I haven't been making as many clicky sounds on the keyboard as I'd have liked... at least not where my WIP is concerned.

I've gotten it mostly outlined, and I need to deepen some of the characters... But I feel like that will only happen as I go.

So I've started writing at chapter one.
Here's a bit from it:

Tyce let out a loud grunt of frustration,throwing his hands in the air. He felt like an animal as full of anger as hewas; he rubbed his temples. He could feel one of his headaches coming on. Theywere getting more frequent these days. He aimed a kick at his metal trash canand sent it flying across the room. It landed against the wall and fell to thefloor with a crash, dumping its contents of empty chip bags and soda bottlesover his bed.

Tyce rolled his eyes and began cleaningthe mess, still seething. He shook his head to rid it of the ache but it didn’tgo away. He was starting to sweat. Well, that wasn’t new for a lateOregon summer. He wiped his face on his shirt and finished picking up histrash. Placing the can next to his desk, he massaged his temples again andquickly pulled his hand away.

He'd burned his fingers.

He quickly turned to the only mirror inhis room, a long thin thing hanging on the back of his door. His skin was red –almost glowing.

Whatis going on, he thought.

He tried to touch it again, but flinched - it wastoo painful. He reached for a glass of water on his bedside table and triedpouring it over himself; it only steamed.

Now the heat was becoming unbearable.Tyce didn’t know what to do or what was happening to him. He tried to continuewatching himself, as the redness moved from his temples down his pale face tohis neck and shoulders, but keeping his eyes open made it worse.

Once the heat reached his spine, itbecame too much. Tyce crumpled in a heap onto the hard floor, wrapping his armsaround his head in an effort to guard himself from the pain. It was no use. Tyce felt each agonizing inch ofits progress as it crawled slowly down his spine vertebra by vertebra. He tried multiple times to scream forhelp, but no sound escaped his lips. 

I’mgoing to die; I don’t even know what’s happening, and I’m going to die…

Then the fire reached its peak, atemperature Tyce was sure had never been discovered. It arrived at thebase of his spine and flared outward through his nervous system. Tyce’s backarched, and his head was thrown back, his arms outstretched still lying on thefloor of his bedroom. His mouth was open in a silent scream of pain when suddenly, thefire died.

*******************


Hope you enjoyed it! It feels really rough to me, but I'm still working on pinning down Tyce's voice... also I'm not sure about keeping the name... is it too different?


Your thoughts are appreciated!


-Darci-

Time-Out... Tuesday

TIME-OUT!

Not the kind where you go to the corner, but the kind where I stop everything and tell you something important.

Since the cat's outta the bag (in other words, I'm pregnant) I thought I'd take a minute to put something out there that might be a little controversial. I really hope I can explain myself thoroughly, because it's something I feel strongly about.

After much thought and prayer on the subject, Turner and I have decided to have this baby with a midwife, at home.

Now, before you jump all over me and laugh, or say "That's so dangerous," or "That's crazy," or "WHAT?!?!?" Please know that we are not alone in wanting to do this. I realize it's not the norm, but I promise you, there are a LOT of people having babies in the comfort of their own homes, many of whom we've spoken to, and many of whom YOU know! They could be people you interact with on a daily or weekly basis, and they're perfectly normal and healthy. Trust me, we know what we're getting into.

Below, I'll tell you the entire story of Monkey's birth. But for those of you who'd rather not read it, I'll just say this: I thought I was educated. I thought I knew what I was doing for the most part. After two years of reading and talking to people and gathering information, I realize that I was vastly uneducated about birth. I realize that I, like far too many women, was told things by my doctors, and I believed them outright - they're doctors! They should know everything, right?

Well, now I understand that doctors are given a very specific, rather limited, education on birth and the female body. Most doctors (obstetricians) have probably never witnessed a totally unmedicated labor and birth. Because they are rarely with a woman throughout the duration of her labor, they fail to see the subtle intricacies and great strength that a woman's body naturally has. They set limits on women that are too often made out of fear of a lawsuit rather than the safety of the woman herself.

Now, I realize that there are circumstances in which obstetrical science is a life saver. Doctors and modern medicine are here on earth for a reason - I am not disputing that. If I need it, I'm glad they're there.

However, I've come to understand that pregnancy, labor and birth are natural processes of life - not diseases. I'm going to treat my body as though nothing has changed. The only reason I should set foot in a hospital is if my life or my baby's life is in danger - and I'll have the help of a trained midwife and a doula to know if that's the case.

I know I have choices. And I choose to have my baby in a quiet, comfortable, relaxed familiar atmosphere.

Our home.


- Darci - The Page Traveler -

P.S. one of the most awesome places I've found for reading amazing birth stories is Mama Birth.The author has had home births and is a huge advocate for them, but not only that, she also provides research and information on various topics that people don't often hear about. If you've been told you NEED a c-section, read this. If you've been told that home birth is dangerous, read this. If you've been told your baby won't fit through you, read this.There are many more here if you're interested, plus a TON of amazing birth stories (both hospital and home) listed here.


Monkey's Birth Story


With Monkey's birth, we went with a local ObGyn who came very highly recommended. We were actually very happy with her for the most part. Toward the end of my pregnancy however, I started to feel uncomfortable with her. I felt like she wasn't giving me the support I needed both in answering my questions (I was a first time mom, I had a LOT of questions) and in helping me to be prepared for labor and birth. This was just the beginning.

Now, in retrospect, of course she couldn't dedicate that time to me - she's a doctor! She has a huge practice with tons of women who expect her services. I seriously considered switching providers at this point, but I was too afraid to, so didn't.

When I went into labor at one in the morning on Dec. 13, 2009, I stayed at home for as long as we thought was appropriate. I was able to use our birthing ball, move around, relax, and eat and drink if I felt the need. When my contractions were consistently five minutes apart for about two hours (about 6am) Turner and our Doula and I headed to the hospital. Here's what happened:

I sat in an uncomfortable chair in a cold bright room to sign papers for twenty minutes.

At 7am, I was laid in a cold uncomfortable bed in triage (checked and told I was "a loose 3 cm") and had monitors strapped to me (when I specifically asked them to monitor intermittently) for about THREE HOURS. During this time I started shaking, getting hot and cold flashes, and throwing up.

At 10am, a doctor (who was NOT my doctor) came in looking stressed and haggard, and checked me roughly saying  that I was "a tight 3" and that since I wasn't progressing I would either have to have a c-section or an epidural or go home.

**I am a PRIME example that women can actually dilate backwards when they feel threatened. I totally felt like that doctor did not care one whit about me, and so whatever progress I may have made up to that point (which I still doubt was very much, since I was so uncomfortable) was completely undone by his abrupt and harsh manner.**

We tried to tell the doctor that the reason I wasn't dilating was because I was uncomfortable, and could I please be admitted so I could use their labor tub, or the showers, or even a more comfortable bed?

He refused.

When the doctor left, Turner and I decided (against our plan) to go with an epidural. I had been awake for over 24 hours at that point and between labor and no food or sleep, I was exhausted. They wheeled me into a L/D room, and got the epidural in me. It wasn't long before I could feel nothing below my waist.

I sat, unable to move or eat or drink, in that bed from 10:30ish am, until late that night (long after Monkey was born). Luckily, I was able to get some sleep... not that it helped much. I felt my water break at one point... kind of a "pop" in my belly. By about 6pm I was fully dilated and ready to push. I did push for about an hour. I couldn't feel a thing. It was bizzare to have to be watching a monitor to know what my body was doing, and when I should work with it - which I couldn't do. When Monkey started crowning, they told me to stop. Since I couldn't feel anything, it was easy. Then the doctor arrived (same one... blegh) and I was "allowed" to push Monkey out. I tore from pushing too fast, requiring stitches. I also got hemorrhoids from pushing incorrectly... those suck.

On a happy note, I will always remember how it felt when they put Monkey on my chest for the first time. I remember looking into Turner's eyes, and both of us were crying in awe at the new little life we'd brought into the world together. It was such a spiritually intense moment, and I'm grateful we had it.

I still couldn't move, so Turner watched as they washed, shot, and dressed Monkey. We had him stay the night with us in the room they moved us to next (recovery or something?). Those first few days were great. We were so excited to have him here, nothing else mattered.

After the "high" died down however, I was a wreck. One morning, my body went into shock from exhaustion. My mom came over (since Turner was working) and had to formula feed Monkey because I just couldn't move. I was shaking and sweating and throwing up and could not understand what was happening. Now, after reading more about it, I realize I was suffering from a mild form of postpartum depression. Luckily, I got past it with the help of my mom and husband and some good friends.

Even now, I know that I did what I thought was best for my baby. But I know so much more now than I did then. As educated as I thought I was, I now realize that I was still just as uninformed as the majority of women are who go through hospital-assembly-line-maternity.


My hope with our next birth is that I'll be able to listen to my body and have the freedom to do what it tells me to do. I want to feel the birth of my child happening... not just be a bystander.

Love, Me Letter 14

Dear Baby Dos,

This is NOT Baby Dos,
but this is how he/she looks.

I can't tell you how excited we are to have you coming! You're already making such a difference in our lives, I can't imagine how different life will be when you arrive.

After months of trying to conceive, we now have you to be grateful for. We can't wait to see what you look like, and how much your big brother Monkey will love you.

Though you're probably no bigger than a kidney bean right now, your spirit has already touched our hearts to a great extent. I am so excited to meet you! I've been dying to tell people about you for weeks! After a trip to the Temple on Thursday, we felt good about making the announcement.

Daddy and Monkey and I are so happy. Your grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and cousins are excited too! You're coming to join a very happy, loving family. We're not perfect, but we love each other, and we try to always be kind and patient. I know I keep saying it, but I can't wait to let you meet everyone!

We'll see you around September sometime. Can't wait :-)

Love,

Mom
P.S.
In case it wasn't obvious, I am officially eight weeks pregnant with baby number 2 (nickname Dos) of currently unknown gender (though we have a feeling it's another boy) due around the beginning of September, and we're EXCITED!!!!!

Freaky Friday #3

My apologies for posting so late... hopefully you'll understand why by the end of this post...

So, I've been feeling really weird lately... here are a few things that have me wondering what the heck is going on:


-I had my first migraine headache over Christmas. It was terrible...

-For the last few weeks I've been feeling really tired... especially in the morning...

-I tried eating a Hershey's chocolate the other day and it tasted terrible! I had Turner try it too, and he said it was fine so it must have just been me. All the other chocolate was fine, but I can't eat Hershey's for some reason...

-Just yesterday I opened the trash can to throw something away, and the smell made me SO sick!

-A few days ago I was really wanting soup... luckily I had all the ingredients so I got what I wanted.

-Last week, I needed a sports drink. Making a dangerous trip with Monkey across busy city streets seemed a small price to pay.

-For the past couple of weeks it seems like every time I get a chance to relax I start to feel sick to my stomach. Luckily I've found that eating something small will help me feel better, and I haven't gotten truly sick.

-Yesterday I was totally in the mood for chicken curry - and I made it! It was soooo goooood.

-On Wednesday we redbox'ed Kung Fu Panda 2, and seriously... I cried :'-(

-Last night I mentioned to my mom that I had the AC on and she was like, "What? You have the AC on?" So I said, "Yes! Because I'm sweating!" and she laughed at me.

-Yesterday, I really wanted ice cream - Turner was kind enough to take me to Cold Stone for a little date last night... mmmmm....

-I came home from our date last night to find that my mom had washed all of our dirty dishes... I cried.


All in all, some really weird things are happening to me lately... so my question for you today is:

What's going on?

Can you guess?

<3 Darci

Ice Cream

"It must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays..." - Arthur Dent, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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Today I am grateful for one thing:

Ice cream.

I love it.

That is all.

Happy Thursday!

What are you grateful for today?

- Darci - Page Traveler -


P.S.
And cookies... cookies too.

Writer Wednesday #3

My dear writer friends and literary lovers alike...

I come to you today with good news! I finished (I think) my outline for my current WIP!

{that's "Work In Progress" for those who may not know}

It feels good. It has kind of a happy yet tragic ending, which I think fits. 

My characters will need to be pinned down a little, and given depth, obviously, but overall I'm really excited to get started on the actual writing.

One of my concerns is that I'm nervous about doing fight/chase scenes. I've watched lots of movies that have those kinds of things, but I haven't read many books that do... or at least none that did it well... I've never read lots of comic books, and I was never a big watcher of too many super hero cartoons as a kid; I watched a few, but not near as many as Turner did. 

Overall, I want this story to be more mature than a Saturday morning cartoon. I want it to appeal to guys and girls alike, and I want it to share something special with people...

I'm not sure it has that yet, but I hope I'm getting there. My question to you today is this:

Who is your favorite superhero, and what makes them special to you?

Thanks for traveling :-)

- Darci - The Page Traveler -

Tasty Tuesday #2 - Soup

Sunday was a soup day... but I didn't get any.

I got elk steak instead, which was awesome...

But it wasn't soup.

So since I had the time, I made soup last night.

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites

: : : here's the original recipe : : :

I've made this soup before with all the correct ingredients, but I had to substitute and wing it a little this time because I didn't have everything it calls for.

The original recipe calls for:

4 cloves of Garlic, chopped (mine was pre-minced)
3/4 C chopped carrots
3/4 C chopped onion
3/4 C chopped celery (I didn't have any, and we don't really like it anyway, so I used some green bell pepper)

2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
(NOTE: I HAVE done this with dried beans before - a one-pound bag will produce a little bit more than the two cans, but it's equal enough to do it that way.)

A small can of green chilis (Also didn't have these, so I went with some jalepenos from a jar and chopped em up. I REALLY liked the different flavor it gave the soup this time around!)

2 cans beef broth (I just use 4 cups of water and 4 teaspoons of chicken bullion - because that's what we have)


Then you have all the spices:

1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/3 tsp Dried Oregano
1 Bay Leaf (this was the only ingredient that didn't come in my handy spice rack, but I DO think it's necessary.)






This is the third time I've made this soup, and every time Turner and I are amazed at how much flavor it has (seriously, we have NO leftovers...).

This is actually my first time using canned beans and I have to say it was WAY easier. Using dried beans you have to think a day and a half in advance to sort, rinse, soak, and cook the beans. It tastes about the same either way as long as you get the dried beans to the right tenderness, but the canned beans were on sale at Fry's this week, so I went for it - creature of convenience, remember?

So, step one is make sure you have everything prepped. It's SO much easier when you do. Once you get going on this, it goes pretty fast.

Then throw all the raw veggies in a big pot with a little olive oil, and saute them for five minutes or so...

These are all cell phone pics, because we've lost our camera...


Mmmm... I love sauteing veggies...

Once the onions are starting to brown and everything is smelling good, throw in the beans, chilis (or japs) and broth (water and bullion in my case).

Stir it all up, then add the spices. You might think you're doing too much on the spices, but trust me - the measurements are perfect.

Then you let it simmer for 20/25 min, take out the bay leaf, and you're done! (Unless you want to blend it into a creamy soup - we've done this in the past, but we prefer it chunky. I think you can taste the flavors better that way.)

OH! I almost forgot! Before you serve, mix in the juice from ONE lime. It gives it just the right amount of kick and tastes SO good.

Then just serve and top with your toppings of choice! We love crushing tortilla chips into it, and throwing LOTS of cheese on. I also like and a dollop of sour cream, myself.

It's the perfect rainy day soup. I love it.




Enjoy!

- Darci - The Page Traveler -



P.S. What's your favorite soup?

Love, Me Letter 13

Dear Me,

Relax.

Just because people do little things that annoy you, it doesn't give you a reason to huff and throw a fit. You're a big girl. Be patient with him - he's still learning.

Sleep.

You've been exhausted for a week because Monkey has been waking up at night. It's perfectly okay to take a nap when he does. You need the rest too.

Laugh.

It releases endorphin's and makes you exponentially happier the more you do it. It's a much better option than crying or breaking down.

Love,
Me


P.S.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who needs these kinds of reminders...

Freaky Friday #2

Hey hey! Happy Friday the 13th! Don't walk under any ladders today, okay?

So... something weird that happened to me this week...

A few days ago, I was in the mood for juice - water just didn't cut it for me that day. So I decided to pop Monkey into the stroller and head on over to Circle K.

We've lived here for two years now, and I've never made this trip. It's not far; we walk north across one main street to the park almost weekly. We've just never gone west to Circle K... at least not in a stroller.

The trip to the park is treacherous at the best of times...

So Turner wasn't too keen on me making the trip.

Well, I wanted juice, so we went for it.

I loaded Monkey up with his plug (pacifier) and Red Bear (his lovie...). We got to the corner and crossed the two crosswalks safely, got into the store, and got the drinks we wanted. We even picked up some bananas for Monkey.

On the way back, I thought it'd be fun to turn north and head for the park for a while. But we got close to it and I realized they'd irrigated - bad idea. I turned around and headed home.

As I went, I remember Monkey trying to turn around in the stroller pointing at the park. "Oh, so cute," I thought. But I wasn't going to deal with wet grass.

We crossed the no-light crosswalk and got back on to our street, and then I saw Monkey signing for his drink. I got it out and handed it to him and realized - Red Bear was gone.

Oh no.

No Red Bear equals no nap times... no nap times equals crazy Monkey. Crazy Monkey equals crazy Mommy.

I had to find him. I prayed that no one had picked him up or something, and turned around.

Crossed the no-light crosswalk again, retracing our steps. I knew he'd had Red Bear at the store, so I followed that path. My eyes were raking the ground for a sign of anything red...

Then I saw him.

Right at the poing where I'd turned around before the park.

THAT'S why he'd been pointing behind us! Monkey's so smart, I really should listen to him more often...

So I gave him Red Bear. Happy boy.

Then he signed for his plug.

His plug... where's his plug?

I thought he'd had it at Circle K, but did he have it after? I wasn't sure...

Great...

So we make our way back to the store. Crossing the lighted crosswalk. I'm now searching the ground for a sign of white or blue! I circle the place twice looking for it...

nothing.

Well, on our way back I gave up. We have two other plugs at home, and he doesn't have one in particular that he loves, it was just kind of a let down to have lost one (it was my personal favorite, at least, so I was a little bummed).

So we make our way back, get to the no-light crosswalk, and head over. Halfway across the street, I look up and there's a little white something sitting on the sidewalk.

Almost at the VERY point where Monkey had started signing for his drink.

I don't know how I missed it, but I did!

So, after all that, we have the plug, and we have Red Bear, and even after crossing major streets no less than EIGHT TIMES, we made it home alive.

Thank goodness.


What did YOU do this week?

- Darci - The Page Traveler -

Thankful Thursday: Things

When people talk about gratitude, they tend to focus on the most important things... as is only right, I think.

But today, I want to express gratitude in the less important things. Things that most people would refer to as "material." Because you know what? I am VERY grateful for my material possessions. 

I love my laptop.

I love that I have internet.

I love our home. 

Our furniture.

Income.

Car.

Clothing.

Books.

Piano.

All of these things and more mean a lot to me. I love that they are a part of my life. I hope they always are a part of my life.

What things are you grateful for?

- Darci - The Page Traveler - 

Writer Wednesday

Well, I'm currently working on a project that I've been putting off for a long time. I've done this because I wanted to write as much as possible (to get myself some experience) before tackling this story.

So far, it has a lot of action. It has a lot of very distinct, deep, characters.  It has a lot of history.

The history itself could be a book on it's own...

I'm nervous to start writing, because I really want to do well on this one.

I've been outlining, and I got stuck on a plot point. I mentioned it on Twitter, and one of my awesome Twitter/Writer friends, Ryan Dalton, offered his assistance.

I'm SO glad he did.

This story is like, a comic book in novel form. It's a super hero story. And Ryan is VERY into super heroes.

(Shhh... don't tell anyone, he IS a super hero... Check out his blog at RyanDaltonWrites.com)

Anyway, his thoughts - being a writer AND a super hero - helped a lot. I knew that the point I'd gotten stuck on was a turning point in the story, but I just wasn't sure how to put it into words. He totally did.

Now that I've got that part somewhat voiced in outline form, it's a matter of letting the hero be the hero. You know, save the day, get the girl, live happily ever after... right?

I'm very excited.

So, I've got two questions for you... If you were reading a book about a group of super heroes: 


1. What kind of things would you expect to see? 


2. What kind of things would you like to see be different from other hero stories?

If I had to compare this story to others, I'd say it's a combination of Spiderman, Power Rangers, Bourne Identity... Probably others too, but I can't remember them right now. Turner might be able to add to the list.


Your input and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for traveling!

- Darci - The Page Traveler -

Tasty Tuesday

Pizza.

This is NOT my pizza, but it is a good likeness.
I was lame and forgot to take pics.

Anyone who knows me should have seen this coming.

Of course my first official food post is gonna be on pizza. Duh!

I am a creature of convenience... especially while I don't have a lot of room in my kitchen. I like to use as few dishes as possible, and make as little mess as possible. I'd been searching for a while for a pizza dough that had the following qualities:

1. fast (like, doesn't take two days to rise, so I can make it right when I want it instead of having to think ahead.)

2. easy (not too many ingredients, not multiple bowls)

3. tasty (um, obviously...)

And I think I've found it.

TA-DA!

Great Value Brand Pizza Crust Mix!

I know, I know, I shouldn't be supporting Wal-Mart, they're a giant and they're ruining our communities... I know. I'd rather shop somewhere else, but Wal-Mart is closest and again - most convenient.

Anyway, this little mix is only like, 68 cents or something. Every time I go I get four or five. I'd say one pizza can nearly feed two adults... it depends on how you make them... Let me explain...

You can make it thin crust, where you get a medium-ish sized pizza with your average 8 slices,
OR
you can make a deep dish, (in like a pie or round cake pan) where you'll get four slices of a heartier, more filling pizza.

We prefer Deep Dish.

The mix takes literally six minutes to make. One for mixing, and five to let it sit and rise a bit. Then you spread it out on the pan. (If you're doing thin crust, you have to pre-cook the crust for five minutes.) Then apply toppings and you're off!

Our most recent favorite deep dish toppings are (from the bottom up):

Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Pepperoni (like an entire layer - completely covering everything)
M Cheese
Pepperoni
M Cheese
A little sprinkling of Parmesean Cheese
A bit of pepper.

It makes for one cheesy tasty pizza. And I love it.

Bon Appetit!

- Darci - The Page Traveler -

---------------------------

Q4U - What are your favorite pizza toppings? Do you prefer deep dish, or thin crust, or something else?


*My FAVORITE crust is Pizza Hut's pan crust, but I haven't been able to duplicate it yet... working on it.

Love, Me Letter 12

Dear Monkey,

I love taking you to the park. I'm sorry I've been really tired this last week or so, and we haven't gone as often.

You've been so cute lately. You're definitely perfecting your "No" word, you can still say "Go" when you want to, and we're working on "Yeah" and trying to keep your signing going too (please, eat, plug, drink, all done, etc).

You got lots of fun new toys for your birthday and Christmas, and you're loving all of them!

Your favorite gifts are probably either your cars, your legos, your play place, or possibly the Cars 2 dvd.

You've had some hard nights recently too. Your two-year-molars are coming in. As one breaks the surface, you seem to sleep better for a bit, and then the next one starts to come up, causing you even more pain. We're relying on lavender oil, and occasionally tylenol to help you sleep.

One of my favorite things about you getting bigger is how you can run now. You used to run like... well it was more of a fast walk. Now, you actually run! And it's so cute!

Whenever we're at the park you love to chase the birds around. You'll get close to them and they'll fly away, and then you'll find them again, go toward them, and they'll fly away, causing you to laugh out loud! I love it!

I love you, little Monkey. I'm so glad you came to us when you did. you've brought so much joy and so many blessings to our little family.

You're growing up so fast, and it's exciting to watch. I can't wait to see what kind of big brother you'll make, and how much you'll teach your siblings.

Thank you for being such an awesome kid, Monkey. Daddy and I love you.

Love,
Me (Mom)

Q4U - 
What's your favorite thing about watching children grow up? 
What's your favorite milestone to see them cross?

Random Weekend Post: Christmas Prank

This is amazing.

I am posting and pinning this wherever I can, so that I can find it again next year.

I totally want to do this to my little brother-in-law.

Like I said: amazing.

-Darci - The Page Traveler -

Freaky Friday

I'm just going to ramble for a bit, and hopefully something of meaning will result... though I'm not too hopeful on that count.

I have been ridiculously tired this week. And I still (at the point I'm writing this post) haven't gotten the dishes done from when I mentioned I needed to do them on Tuesday... one can hope that they'll be done by the time this posts...

I have been rather productive however, despite my exhaustion.I'm getting through one of the books I'm reading, and making pretty good progress on the WIP I'm outlining... Meanwhile, Monkey has been your average teething-two-year-old through it all, keeping Turner and me up at night...

Turner has been busy playing through the new video games we got for Christmas (Lego Harry Potter 5-7, and Paper Mario) while I take every moment I get to watch the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu Ray set we got (loooove it...).

If something weird or crazy happened to me this week, I really don't remember it... unless you count Monkey perfecting his use of the word "No."

How was your week?
Any plans for the weekend?

I think I'll probably clean the house again, like really good. I like it to be clean on Sunday and Monday morning - it gives me a better start to the week.

Cheers -

- Darci - The Page Traveler -

Reminders

Today I'm grateful for reminders.

Yesterday I had a few little experiences that reminded me just how much difference it makes to have the spirit of God in my life on a daily basis.

I'm not the best at scripture reading, but I read yesterday. Not much, but a little. And when I did, I felt the Spirit testify of the truth of what I read.

In the afternoon, Monkey and I walked over and played in a park for a while, then continued on to the Mesa Temple. The moment I set foot through the gates, my entire being relaxed. I've been recalling my mission days lately (Temple Square, in Salt Lake City, Utah) and really missing the little displays that taught the gospel so simply. I'm glad I got to look at a couple while at the Mesa Visitor's Center.

Walking to and around the Temple and Visitor's Center, I got in my daily exercise. It feels so good to move around that much. I feel like I have so much more energy when I do.

Then Turner came home from work as I was getting dinner ready, and played with Monkey for a while. I love listening to them play. There's nothing sweeter to me than when a daddy makes a child laugh -- especially when the daddy is my husband, and the child is my son.

All these things reminded me just how amazing and blessed a life I live. I can't tell you how lucky I feel when I really look around me and see the abundance and prosperity that surrounds me.

What are you grateful for today?


- Darci - The Page Traveler -

Changing It Up

Alrighty. I have an idea that may just save me as far as that whole, "posting-every-day" thing is concerned. My main dilemma was the fact that I just haven't had much lately in the way of inspiration for posts. But I had a light bulb moment last night (thanks to the Big Man upstairs) that I think will really make a difference.

Our family, 2010

See, I felt very strongly last night while praying, that I need to focus my energies on a certain story idea I've been tossing around in my head for months. In the moment, I felt like completely ditching the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc, and I was totally okay with it at first. 

The more I think about it, however, the more I feel that limiting my time would be a better exercise in dedication. I know I can do it, because I've done it before. The light bulb idea will really help with this...

From here on out, each day of the week will have a "theme" or a writing prompt, if you will. This is to give me somewhere to start in my thinking. If I have something else I want to talk about, I'll ignore the prompt. But I think it will help me a lot and be fun too :-) So here's the new setup:

"Love Mom/Me" Monday: You're familiar with this. I'll write a letter to Monkey, or someone/something else.

Tasty Tuesday: I will tell you about a favorite meal of mine, or maybe something I attempted recently.

Writer Wednesday: I'll talk about my current WIP, or  some other thoughts about writing, or possibly spotlight one of my awesome writer friends.

Thankful Thursday: I'm borrowing this from my cousin-in-law, Glo. I always do better when I express gratitude, and a weekly regime for it feels like a wonderful idea.

Freaky Friday: I will tell you about something weird/annoying/scary/awesome that has happened to me in the past week... should be fun.

So, what do you think?

I think it will mean slightly shorter blog posts, which I'm okay with if you are... I also think that if y'all know what to expect, you might look forward to it more, or be more able to bring your own thoughts and comments to the table as well (if you don't already). 

Today being Writer Wednesday, I'll simply let you know that I will be throwing myself at my new WIP with a vengeance... after I get the dishes done, of course.

The ever-present-enemy... dishes...

In case you're wondering, I did get everything done yesterday, except the dishes. I seriously was able to finish ALL the laundry, get all the Christmas stuff down, and I even exercised AND played in the sprinklers with Monkey! It was an awesome day.

Q4U: What do you think of my new idea?

Thanks for Traveling :-)

- Darci - The Page Traveler - 

To Do To-Day...

This will probably be the most boring post ever written, but I've got nothing else for you...

Please accept my apologies.

I'm a little burnt out from the holidays.

And since vacation is now officially over, I've got some work ahead of me! Which means there may or may not be a blog post up tomorrow... depending on whether I have the time to finish writing it.

What will I be doing today instead?

1. Take down the Christmas decorations - always a rather sad task... I may talk more about this in a future post, because it really is one of my least favorite things and I wonder why...

2. Dishes - my never-relenting foe...

3. Laundry - fold the two clean loads, and wash and fold three dirty ones.

4. Relax.

5. THEN I'll finish tomorrow's post.

Encouragement would be appreciated. Thanks friends.

How are you winding down after the holidays?

- Darci - The Page Traveler -

Dear 2012

As the new year begins, everyone is talking about goals and resolutions, so I figured, what the heck...

via despair.com

As I mentally review 2011 (which I still have a hard time writing and typing) I feel both pleased and a little disappointed in my progress. Some goals I have kept or accomplished with flying colors. Others, not so much.

The big one was my reading goal - to read 30 books in 2011. I have actually surpassed this at 33 books (if I read this last one fast, I can say 34!). But I know I was very lax on that goal at times, and could have done much better.

The other, which wasn't actually set until March, was to post something on my blog every day M-F for one year. That, I have done since setting that goal. However, I have noticed that the obligation I've set myself in doing that has become a distraction to the things I really feel drawn toward doing.

What I mean by that is, I want to write... I want to work on my stories. If I'm spending time on Blogger and Facebook and Twitter, worrying about this site, I can't focus on those stories or the writing. It's been particularly difficult during the holidays with so many other things to do, but I was thinking before then, that I should back off the blog a little.

How would you guys feel about me posting once a week? Maybe twice? I'll do a family update on Monkey and Turner, and maybe talk about my writing progress, or some random thought I had, or a book I read, or a movie I watched... What do you think?

As far as the new year is concerned, I definitely want to set a reading goal again, probably 40 this time... I know that would stretch me. Though I could pass it up as I did 30, but we'll see.

I also want to set a writing goal. I want to finish, and polish Sight for sure, and start submitting queries on it, as well as possibly finish another novel, not sure which one. Two feels good though. I'll probably keep working on various short stories and such, as well as write here on the blog, to keep from getting too weighed down on one story.

Other than those, I want to become better at a daily personal routine. I had a really good one this summer, and I felt amazing while I was doing it. Since then, I've become lethargic, I have trouble sleeping, and I know I'm not as good of a mom, wife, or writer. My ideal routine consists of exercise, reading scriptures, personal prayer, and writing in my journal. If I do those things in the morning, the rest of that day is always manageable.

Those three things (aside from being a good mother, wife, and housekeeper) are the most important to me at this point in my life. Of course, Turner and I have goals we set together for our family (staying on a budget, living within our means, improving those means, etc.) but here I'm addressing things specifically for myself. I feel good about these three things, and I feel like I can do them.

What are your goals for the new year?


- Darci - The Page Traveler -