What I Love About….Jamie!!

 

Who is Jamie, you ask??!!  Jamie is my all too amazing SIL who’s birthday just happens to be TODAY!!  Why do I love Jamie so much?  Not just because we’re family, but because she is a beyond amazing woman!  Here are some of the many reasons I LOVE JAMIE!!

 

My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE her.

She is so much fun for them and is always coming up with fun activities for them to do.

She takes them out for birthday celebrations.

She offers to babysit ALL the time!

She offers to take them OVERNIGHT!  (And then spoils them rotten!)

She always has someone’s kids at her home because they needed a break or weren’t feeling well.  She always gives of her time.

She calls and offers to come and paint a room or to help you get organized, just because she loves you.

My computer room looks amazing thanks to her.

She’s SO SO SO funny….(and there are old dance videos from her teens to prove it)

She’s spontaneous and not afraid to try anything!

She’ll dress up with me and do silly/awesome dance routines….and then drive to other people’s houses to perform them….(this was this year)

She’ll go out with me on cold December nights in Santa hats and decorate people’s doors with silly poems and lots of scotch tape and laugh till we can’t breathe when we get caught…..

She throws a kickin’ party!! (Check out the Redneck birthday party she threw for her husband! – somehow I always end up dressed up funny when she’s around!)

She’s Beautiful!

She always is complimenting others and making them feel great!

She’s a fabulous listener.

She’s appreciative.

She’s a righteous wife and mother!

She makes REALLY REALLY cute kids.  (Smart, too!)

She’s ALWAYS there when I need her (getting ready for a garage sale, cleaning out my attic, painting my kitchen, organizing my computer room, watching my kids, giving me a hug, making me laugh…..)

She’s so creative!

She makes some of the best desserts EVER!

She loves to order Papa Johns! :)

Today’s her birthday and she spent all week serving others!

Okay, so these are just  a FEW of the millions of reason BUT I just wanted Jamie to know that I love her and wish her a very happy Birthday!! YOU ROCK!

12-20-2009, 12-27-2009 Weeks in Review…..

 

Um, the first week here was a bad week for me….I honestly can’t remember what we did.  I do remember being very grumpy most of the week.  No camera, no phone (the battery REALLY died), and just a “million” other things that just had me out of sorts.

THEN came Friday and things started getting better.  I had been in a bit of a pickle as to how to tell a family member that I couldn’t attend a very important event in their life because another family member was having a very important event at the same time and I had to choose.  LUCKILY….just for me….God sent bad weather.  THUS, one event was rescheduled to the day before and I got to go to BOTH!! YEAH!!

So, FRIDAY, I dropped my kids of with my sweet Sis and headed out to attend a Temple session with Ryan’s family.

In our faith we believe in the use of Temples.  That they are sacred places where we make sacred covenants with God on the kind of person we will be.  There is a point, as an adult, that worthy (living their life right) members can go to the Temple and receive amazing blessings.  For some, this is the single most important day of their lives.  Ryan’s sister made the choice to go and so it was the first time that ALL of Ryan’s family was able to go to the temple together.  Since we believe that families are eternal, it was a very special moment for Ryan’s sister and our family.

Right before we went into the temple I got sudden word that they were possibly canceling schools due to bad weather!  I had just a moment before going to in to call around and find someone to take care of the kids if they were getting out.  After the session we emerged from the Temple to find the ground lightly covered in snow.  I was worried about making it home in time for the kids’ early release but ended up making it just in time.

 

The weather started getting a bit more worrisome as we headed out that evening to a family party.  We drove 40 minutes to my SIL home but knew at about 25 minutes out that we may be spending the night.  By the time Ryan got there just a few minutes after us, there was little visibility and his car had slid several times coming into the neighborhood.  Since we had a long drive home we ate a quick bite and said our farewells as we headed back out into the snow before the roads were too dangerous to drive on.  It was slow going but we made it home safe and sound.  Luckily Corben was able to stay behind with his many cousins and had a very fun evening.

We did have another blessing come out of that night…..

Have you seen Dade lately??  He’s actually grown about 3 inches since this picture was taken in November.  He’s almost 5’ 10”!!  (Actually his dad – who is 5’10” was almost a little shorter than Dade as of the end of this week!)

Anyway, Dade is going through clothes like you wouldn’t believe.  The jeans he’s wearing in this picture are now too short.  I feel like I’m shopping for new pants and shoes every 2 months! (Okay, I am!)  Hearing/seeing my plight, Ryan’s brother went through some of his old clothes and found a stack of shirts, pants, and even coats that fit Dade.  I was thrilled and so was Dade.  YEAH!!

Saturday, Dade and I headed out in the light snow to see my brother, Jason, graduate from College.  I can not even tell you how proud I am of him.  He even graduated with honors!!  Afterwards we splurged on a big family Chic-fil-a lunch to celebrate.  Saturday night was the Schneg family dinner @ Golden Coral.  Afterwards we headed home for one last visit with Ryan’s mom before she headed home.  The girls LOVED her being there so much and sure let her know it.  I headed out with the boys and my brother, for a cold night watching the light show that’s put on near our home.  It’s HUGE (3 very large yards on both sides of the street) and lasts about 45 minutes to an hour.  It’s one of those where the lights are synced to play with the music.  It’s always amazing.

Sunday, my primary kids sang in Sacrament meeting.  They did a great job of singing Away in a Manger.  I was so proud of them!

Monday meant Christmas break for the boys and No school!  I made sure to ruin it right from the start by making them clean all day.  Figured since I wasn’t getting a vacation that we’d just balance things around the house by giving them some of my work and I’d take some of their breaks.  I mean, that’s only fair, right?

Tuesday was CHRISTMAS for me!!  Two very special and loving SIL’s of mine came to my rescue.  I have a room that just never seems to get under control.  Well, after many hours of rearranging, adding storage bins, and hanging pictures, I’m happy to say it looks WONDERFUL!  It was the kindest gift I’ve gotten in a long time.  Ryan was thrilled, too!  Thank you so so so so much!

Wednesday, the kids and I worked hard on getting our homemade gifts done for the family.  It was fun but HARD WORK!!

Thursday, the boys’ dad drove up from out of State to see them.  They had a fun day of shopping and going to the movies while I was going crazy at home trying to get paint to dry faster and glue to stick quicker….

With Ryan’s help I was able to finish all the gifts and we headed out to the annual Schneg family Christmas party.  It was fun to see the different home made gifts.

The boys gave their cousins the books they wrote themselves, Corben built a tool box all by himself and then he wood burned pictures of tools and his cousin’s name into it,

and we made a really cool & interesting mirror for my niece (it’s magnetic, camouflage, has a butterfly etched into the glass, & is covered with all kinds of cool and unique magnets….definitely one of a kind! – it’s upside down in this picture).

 

Friday, of course, was Christmas!  As you can see, my camera had finally been repaired and returned to me…YEAH!  YET, I didn’t get any good pics of Christmas day.  And somehow missed the boys opening their presents.  Dade got a cool digital camera and I had taken some pictures with that but he has yet to learn that you don’t erase pictures mom took because she takes them with a purpose and doesn’t care that you looked funny in them……

Here’s some I caught of the boys before everyone else got up….don’t you love Dade’s 3-D glasses?  He claims they’re the latest fashion at school.  I’m so not in the know….

Anyway, here’s Ella coming through the gate.  She had on her princess dress she got the night before from Gpa Schneg and was walking like she was coming down the fashion runway or something….

I was frustrated because no one would cooperate and let me get a good pic so I finally gave up….not before I got a few of the Princesses opening up their gifts……

    Note Sylvie’s Band-Aids….she played in the tree several times and managed to cut up a few of her fingers.  Anyway, it was a beautiful Christmas morning (despite the rain) and everyone was happy.  The boys’ dad even came up to visit with them again and give them his gifts.  I think it was the first Christmas they’ve spent with him….they were VERY excited.

One of my favorite gifts (besides the new backup hard drive bought & paid for by my sweet boys) was an mp3 player.  I know, I’m a bit behind the times but I can now tell you that my life is a lot more fun with a soundtrack…..

 

Friday night we sat down as a family and read the last 2 chapters in the Book of Moroni thus finishing our year long effort to read the entire Book of Mormon as a family!  I am SO proud of my family!  I can not even describe to you how much reading scripture together as a family every night has made a difference in our family.  I can’t imagine life without the Spirit it brings into our home.  I think we’re starting on the Old Testament next.  I’m really excited!

Saturday I headed out to spend my Kohl’s cash and make a few returns.  The boys headed out mid-day to spend the weekend with their dad and grandparents.

It’s surprisingly quieter without them here….not quiet….just quieter.  Anyway, I have a long to do list ahead of me and I can hear a baby coughing in the background.  Better go attend…..

A Tale of Super Cousins!!

This year, for Christmas, the Schneg family decided to make homemade gifts for each other.  We had a lot of fun coming up with some really creative things you’ll get to see pictures of later.  BUT, the boys made an amazing book for 2 Super cousins!!  Corben and Dade wrote the stories and I helped illustrate the first one, Dade illustrated his own story.  Enjoy!! (Names were changed….just for fun…..)

The Dragon Destroying Adventures

of Dathan & Nylan

By Corben

Once upon a time there were two boys named Nylan and Dathan. They lived in a castle with dwarves and a few fairies.

There was a fairy that would give you a wish if you could catch it. Nylan and Dathan heard about it and searched the castle for the fairy until they found the fairy in a suit of armor.

They decided they would get a magic carpet. When they got their carpet they went to the king and asked for armor so they could stop the dragon that kept scaring everyone. Nylan and Dathan searched high and low until they found the cave.

The dragon must have been 20 feet tall!!

Nylan thought of all the fairy tails where the knight was eaten by a dragon so he used a horn to call for the dwarves and fairies.

The dwarves dented the hard scales with their hammers and the fairies pulled on the dragon’s tongue so he couldn’t use his fire. Finally the dragon surrendered and agreed to never terrorize the people of the village again.

That night there was a feast held in Dathan and Nylan’s honor!

The End

 

 

Updated the photo blog….

For those of you who have asked for an update….

There are new picks on my photo blog.

http://csheritage.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

I love P.E.A.S.!!!!

Okay, for any of you who REALLY know me you’re going to think I’m crazy, but it’s true…..I love P.E.A.S. OR as they are also known….Picky Eating Adult Support!!

Go ahead, laugh if you want to. Yes, there’s a support group for people like me. What do I mean, people like me?? Well, imagine a world where there are only a handful of things you can eat. Not because everything else is poison (though it might as well be), but because you’re allergic to it all….it makes you break out….in tears!!

You see, I am a picky eater. Oh, I know, there’s something you don’t like, too. You think I’m exaggerating….Nope. You name it, I probably won’t eat it. No, I’m not stubborn, I don’t have a phobia, and I’m not just pulling some long drawn out power trip. I hate food. Well, most of it. (Here’s my story:)

It started for me as a baby. Ate baby food just fine. Parents tried to switch me to table food and I stopped eating, they tried to switch me back to baby food & it was too late. I was done eating for the rest of my life. Seriously. They took me to the doctor and let him know I ate 5 things total. He assured them I was getting my vitamins and would grow out of it eventually. As time went on that proved to be untrue. So then came the horrible meal times. Trying at least one bite of everything on the table, holding my nose, gagging, downing a drink. Fun times. Visiting family, friends, or going ANYWHERE for Thanksgiving was a nightmare. Wouldn’t you know, I’m an adult now and I still eat the same. So much for growing out of it. There are some differences now though. I’m not worried about public eating events anymore. I just tell people the truth. Sometimes it leads to a long, weird conversation but I’m used to that, too. When it’s time for dinner out, I eat before I come, assure everyone that they couldn’t cook for me if they tried, and then I sit and enjoy the conversation. Works great for me! I’m not upset that no one made anything for me, really, I’d rather hang out and enjoy the company than worry everyone about my eating habits.

So, what do I eat?? Well, here’s the list:

Foods I’ll Eat (italics are foods I eat most often)

MEATS (all boneless)

Pepperoni, Chicken nuggets, Grilled chicken breast (marinated), Grilled pork (marinated) – sometimes, Grilled steak (marinated) – sometimes (must be well done), Ham (if I have to but not usually by choice), Bacon, Hot dogs (beef), Beef Jerky, Slim Jims

DAIRY

Milk 1%, Chocolate Milk, Hot Chocolate

Cheese: Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, American, Colby

Pudding (vanilla & choc)

VEGETABLES

Raw carrots, Raw baby carrots, Raw celery (w/salt &/or PB) – sometimes, Raw cut broccoli stems – rarely, Onion rings from Burger King, tomato sauces (with no chunks – such as for pizza or fried cheese sticks – NOT on spaghetti)

FRUITS

Grape Jam, Oranges (seedless), Granny Smith Green apples, Bananas – sometimes (can’t be squishy & I hate it as a flavoring), Fig Newtons, Pineapple (canned & cold), Strawberry puree (for flavoring) no seeds

SOUPS

Tomato Soup, Cheddar cheese soup (mixed w/tomato), Chicken noodle soup (with out the chicken), Ramen (Chicken flavor)

GRAINS

Multi-grain bread (Autumn Grain, etc.), Lite bread, Rolls (any kind of plain), Garlic bread, Garlic bread w/cheese, Biscuits, French bread, Pasta (plain w/butter & garlic/onion seasoning), Mac & cheese (Kraft), Pretzels (thin ones), Potato Chips (plain, ranch, sour cream & onion, barbeque, chedder/sour cream), Tortillas, Corn bread, English Muffins, Pumpkin Bread (with NO nuts or other things in it.)

Crackers: Saltines, Oyster, Wheat thins (Ranch), Club, Cheese or plain w/peanut butter

NUTS

Peanut Butter (crunchy or creamy), Cashews (alone), Pecans (alone), Dry roasted peanuts (alone), Macadamia nuts (only in cookies)

BREAKFAST

Cereals (sugar & also chex, plain/honey nut cheerios), Pancakes, Waffles, French toast, Granola bars, Pop tarts (brown sugar/cinnamon), Cinnamon rolls (no raisins or nuts), Muffins (cinnamon), Peanut butter toast, Cheese toast

DRINKS

Juice: Grape, White grape, Cran-grape, Apple (Mott’s), Orange (No pulp) – rarely

Water, Caffeine free diet soda, Lemonade, Hot chocolate, Chocolate milk

BAKED GOODS

Cookies: Chocolate chip, Snicker doodles, Sugar, White choc macadamia nut

Cake (vanilla/chocolate), Brownies, Fudge (chocolate or peanut butter), Peanut brittle, Donuts, Chocolate Éclairs

SNACKS

Fruit roll ups, Fruit snacks (made from fruit juice), Popcorn (salted & buttered), Jell-O (red)

ICE CREAM

Sugar free fudgesicles, Klondike bars

Ice cream: Plain, Choc, Cookies & cream, Reese’s cup, Cookie dough, Orange sherbet

OTHER

Pizza (pepperoni or cheese), Plain rice – rarely, Rice a Roni (chicken), French fries (crispy, thin, & salted), Bacon/cheese sandwich

CONDIMENTS/Spices

Ketchup, A-1, Barbeque sauce, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Season Salt, Butter/Margarine (calorie free stuff is okay), Splenda, Onions (minced, powdered)

CANDY

Chocolate, Gum, Fruit flavored chews/hard candy, Candy bars (no dark choc or coconut), White choc. Chips, Reese's chips, Caramel, Taffy

I know, it’s not much. Don’t worry, I eat a multivitamin every day and am perfectly healthy. Weird, I know.

Every few years I take another round at finding an answer to my bizarre and seemingly rare condition. Even dietitians & nutritionists have stared at me blankly and told me there was nothing they could do.

A few years ago I came upon an article about Super Tasters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster

Seemed that that was probably my diagnosis! YEAH! You see, it’s not that every food I taste just tastes bad. Sometimes it’s just that the taste is SO overwhelming I can’t take it. Biting into a burger is like biting into a lemon. Often foods that should be sweet are very bitter to me. I can’t imagine how you people eat Watermelon! Then, there’s the whole texture thing. I love the taste of potatoes but ask me to put mashed ones into my mouth and you’re going to see a reaction that will make us all queasy!

The next time I went online I found this link:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5259075_survive-restaurants-adult-picky-eater.html

How to survive eating at a restaurant when you’re a picky eater. Now I don’t agree with lying, but this was still pretty funny to me.

Finally, a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon

www.PickyEatingAdults.com!!!

FINALLY!! People just like me!!

(from the site’s home page)

If you are a picky eating adult, you may have felt like you were the only person in the world who was like this. Perhaps you felt like you were the pickiest eater in the world. Well, believe it or not, neither one of those is true. We have accumulated over 1000 members over the past few years since pickyeatingadults.com went live. We have a range of people, from people who only eat one or two things to people who like less than the average person and feel ostracized for it. We also have a large and growing group of concerned parents and loved ones who want to help their picky eater.

Our group is working diligently to pool together research, commonalities, and experiences, and hope to gain the attention of the medical community so this disorder can be researched and perhaps a successful method of treatment can be created. As our members grow, so does the attention our group has gotten. We have had several newspaper articles written about us, a few evening news stories run, and now there is a Food Network show. With a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, we'll have the medical community studying this disorder in no time. And hopefully along the way we'll gain some common respect from our friends, family, and the unfriendly of the public who belittle or tease us because of what we can't eat.

We would love to have you join our growing group of "picky" eaters who are tired of living in shame and fear of the next social event that involves food.

So, I joined the message board group and I now have a loving group of picky friends who understand my life!

My favorite reply to my first post:

“Welcome! You are just in time to share our Thanksgiving with us better known as Black Thursday.”

See, these are just my kind of people!! LOL

12-13-2009 Week in Review

Okay, let’s start with some photos from weeks prior! Here’s some of my Gma from 3 weeks ago (the poem week with no pics).  She’s posing here with my niece, the beautiful, “Bean”.  We love her so!

 

Then we’ll just up to last week at my nephew’s b-day party.  Here is Ella playing with Grandpa…..(I’m pretty sure there’s a pic somewhere of him doing the same with me….must find that one….)

Now finally to THIS week.  Thursday was….DISNEY ON ICE!!  Here are the triplets…or so everyone seemed to think.  Ella is holding her princess doll she got here last year.  Sylvie is dressed in a dress because she insisted that if you’re meeting a princess you should dress like one.

 

When we got there we realized we had 2nd Row Seats!!!!!  Amazing!!

Sylvie was a little frightened by the magical mops and then the Nightmare Before Christmas segment.  She wouldn’t stop watching but held her new Snow White pretty tight.

Just add some Princesses to the mix, though, and she was quite fine for the rest of the show!

   

My sister and I were particularly fond of Rex the Dinosaur and the Troll Doll.  Rex waving his very tiny arms was hilarious as was the dancing troll.

I wish I had sewing skills.  This would be next years Halloween costume!! (With more appropriate dress, of course….)

The girls each got a princess doll.  Yes, I know that Ella’s only has one arm but she’s been loved a little too much.  Ella was fine having her old doll while the other girls got new ones….though I did catch her trying to switch with them a few times. :)

Then, my evil baby sister (who I love dearly) posted horrid pictures of us all on Facebook.  So, to show that I still love her (and don’t really think she’s evil) and that I have very high self esteem I’m going to repost them here…well some of them…the less horrid ones, at least. :)

 

Then, Thursday night, Corben and I headed out for an evening together.  We went to his school’s bookfair and then to the 2nd grade production of Frosty the Snowman.  It was fun to watch.  Corben was the lead in his 2nd grade play when they did the Nutcracker.  Thanks, Corben, for a night out!

Saturday I had a tragic moment.  :(  My poor camera finally REALLY died.  It’s hinted at it a few times and given me some crazy pictures to prove it was tired but not 10 pictures into a beautiful scene ERR showed up on the screen……  It’s officially dead.  Luckily I have it still under warranty.  (Though it’s been in for repair 3 times already.)  I think it’s officially time for the new fancy camera….hint hint Ryan. :)

Then, in the evening Ryan’s mom flew in from CA and spent a few hours with us.  She’ll be in town all week and we’re so excited to spend time with her!

Tonight we’re going to a Book of Mormon testimony meeting.  The kids were given a challenge at the beginning of the year to read the entire Book of Mormon by year’s end.  Well, we’ve done it!! (or at least we will have by years end – we’re REALLY close)  So, to celebrate, we’re having a testimony meeting for the kids to share spiritual experiences they’ve had this year from reading scripture every day!

Also, tonight, Dade will be ordained to the Priesthood office of a Teacher.  He’s been a Deacon for the last two years but now that he’s 14 and been found worthy, he will advance to the next higher level.  This means that he will no longer be in charge of passing the Sacrament each week (though he can fill in if there are not enough Deacons) but he will be in charge of preparing it and getting the Sacrament table prepared (along with other church duties).  I am SO SO SO very proud of him.  He is quite an amazing young man!

Oh, back to Thanksgiving….in case any of you didn’t notice a family resemblance in the previous posted photos from that day…..

 

The End….of this post.