Rob N Heather

2011-03-24T21:03:00.001-06:00

Macaroni & Cheese

2010-12-15T17:59:00.001-07:00

Entire meal on a waffle iron

2010-09-22T11:50:00.001-06:00

Lemon Garlic Dill Tilapia

2010-09-09T20:20:00.001-06:00

Steak Fajitas

2010-09-03T20:51:00.001-06:00

The Results are In.....

2010-09-02T11:20:00.001-06:00

We went to the Dr today to talk about Rob's bloodtest results and the results were not so good....
1- Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
2- Fatty Liver Disease
3- Microalbuminuria (early kidney disease/damage) Only showing up in urine right now his BUN/Crea levels were both low or low normal.
4- High Cholesterol not the 'regular kind' but the LDL & HDL are either high/low
5- High Triglycerides
6- Severely Vitamin D Deficient "Critically Low"
7- Heart Attack Risk Extremely High (C Reactive Protein)
8- High Hemoglobin ALC which means his Glucose has been consistently high over the past 3 months.
9- Chronic Inflammation (Elevated WBC but no other CBC levels were elevated)
10- Insulin Resistant

The Dr does think the Fatty Liver Disease, & Kidney Disease, Cholesterol are reversible with dietary changes (that we've already made), and supplements, and medications. Now mind you Rob had previously been going to a different PCP Dr who didn't give a rat's butt about his health, Dr. Jones (Alpine Clinic) has been wonderful....now all the supplements and stuff he wants Rob on are about $300 a month! Eeek! The good news is our insurance covered 100% a great glucose tester, the test strips, the lancets, so that was nice, and the 2 new prescriptions he was put on are on the Walmart $4.00. The Dr seemed most concerned with the EXTREMELY low Vit D (5 normal is 80-100) which puts him extremely high risk for lots of things like Rickets, Cancer and more. The Low Vitamin D explains several of his issues: poor wound healing, increased muscle, joint, back pain, depression, diabetes, allergies, inflammation, high blood pressure, it also puts him at 3x the risk of Multiple Sclerosis. If you haven't ever been tested for Vit D, I would strongly recommend it, I am deficient as well and feel much better since taking it.

Healthy Grain Free Living

2010-08-29T15:31:00.002-06:00

Rob & I have had to COMPLETELY change our diets....please check out our new 'Grain Free Living' Blog for more information.
Healthy Grain Free Living: The Journey Begins...: "So it has been a tough few days. On Tuesday we cleaned out a good portion of our pantry, and donated the items we won't be eating any more ..."

Happy Pickle

2010-05-01T22:50:00.001-06:00

Dirty Floor

2010-04-25T01:57:00.001-06:00

Left is old vacuum Eureka Optima...Right is same area of carpet with new Bissell Powergroom Pet. Carpets were vacuumed a litte over week ago with old vacuun.

Our new Bread Maker

2010-04-11T13:24:00.002-06:00

Rob got a Breadmaker for our 5 Year Anniversary (April 9th), he had one but it was like 20 years old and the paddle was broken and it needs a new pan, since it was just as cheap to buy a new one as replacement parts, we bought a new one. It is great, and way yummy! Here are some pictures of some Honey Whole Wheat Bread we made in it.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients:
1 1/8 cups warm water at 110°F
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 teaspoon salt (we used 1 tsp and it tasted just fine)
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions:
Add ingredients according to the manufacturer's directions to your bread machine. Use the wheat bread cycle and light color setting.

Kids will be kids....

2010-04-11T10:32:00.003-06:00

Zoey Helping dad with his programming....well actually she opened up about 100 windows :-)

Best Ever Brownies

2010-04-11T07:35:00.002-06:00

These are the BEST brownies I have ever had! I am NOT a brownie lover either. These are the ones we had for family dinner, that even though they were a little overcooked, my family DEVOURED them :-)

Makes: 1

Ingredients:

1	C	pecans
1/2	tsp	baking powder
2/3	C	flour
3/4	C	Cocoa Powder
4	Large	eggs
1/2	tsp	salt
1	tsp	vanilla
1	C	brown sugar
1	C	sugar
1/2	C	butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl mix together the last six ingredients.
Sift in the Flour, Cocoa Powder, & Baking powder.
Mix until blended, do not over mix.
Grease the bottom of a a 9x9 or 9x11 pan not the sides
Add batter and bake for 35-40 minutes @ 350 degrees.

You can add some chocolate chips if you would like.
You can also replace 1/2 the butter with some Chocolate syrup.

A little story....

2010-03-26T09:39:00.000-06:00

There once was a couple that thought that they were going to have a baby, along came aunt flo who sat down beside her and washed the baby away. It has been 5 years, flo needs to take a hike for nine months and leave us alone. I was showing all the signs for early pg except the missed period, thought this time for sure, Rob was even looking at baby cribs online. Nope, foiled once again...one day...hopefully.

New Family Member....

2010-03-24T18:49:00.004-06:00

Nope, sorry not an announcement of that kind...maybe one day we'll get lucky :) Until then...and probably after you'll just have to put up with our four-legged fur kids!
......Meet Georgie....He is a 3 year old Pomeranian that was up for adoption at the clinic, I begged Rob for about a month before he finally relented and let me bring him home for good :) He loves him just as much as I do! He really is a great dog. Anyways here are some pictures.
In the picture with the 3 dogs he's the one in the middle, the little shar pei puppy is "Wrath" for those who remember "Rage" the shar pei who used to board in the VIP Suites, he passed a few years back, and they just recently got Wrath who is a very cute adorable blue sharpei. He's way cute, and full of himself. The other one is Beasley the beagle who would love a home if you know anyone looking for a great, energetic, loving beagle!

Grandma Sims

2010-03-15T02:51:00.002-06:00

Heather's Grandma Sims had a stroke on Monday. She was moved to a nursing home on friday, and has decided it is time to go as she doesn't want to live in the nursing home like that (feeding tube, oxygen, iv's for fluid) she lost her swallowing/gag reflex with her stroke so was/is at risk for aspiration pneumonia, she pulled out her IV's and Feeding Tube and told the staff she doesn't want them back. They say she probably has 24-72 hours maybe more, it's hard to say. They are giving her pain medications. Heather was able to travel to Evanston (thanks Jennifer for the ride) to see her and recieve one last hug from Grandma, but she was extremely tired. I am comforted by the fact that she will be going into the arms of her beloved husband, Ronald who passed on in 1995 (15 years ago). Grandma has been preparing for this day, she has already planned her funeral services (back in 2005) and has everything in order. She is a remarkable woman who lived on her own up until now, she is 92 years old. She still was active with quilting for humanitarian projects etc. I hope that she is able to pass away peacefully in her sleep. I am truly grateful for the knowledge that we have of the hereafter that we will be able to be with our loved ones once more if we remain faithful. This is a picture of Grandma and Heather taken in December at Uncle Larry's Funeral. I never noticed this before but I think I have her chin. I know a lot of people tell me I look like my Aunt Judy.

Grocery Savings

2010-01-20T17:01:00.003-07:00

A friend of Rob's at work pointed us to a WONDERFUL grocery store that I just LOVE! It is in Provo on University Ave, but is SO worth the 15-20 minute drive. They have produce on sale every wednesday and meat on sale every friday. It is a great store, the manager is awesome and super friendly and has even bagged our groceries a couple of times. Anyways today I went an picked up some fruit I got 30# of fruit (Apples, Oranges, Bananas, Tangerines, Tomatos) for $12.00. I LOVE IT! Oranges were 4 lbs for $1.00, Apples were 4# for $1.00 for Cameos or 3# for $1.00 for Red Delicious. Nectarines were 1# for $1.00. You have to get there early to get some of their deals they have. We normally got at 7am (when they open) on Wednesdays and hit their clearance meats, we save a TON that way.

It is Buy Low Market: http://www.buylowmarket-utah.com/ Seriously may be worth the drive if you live in Utah for the savings LOL! The manager said they are trying to find more places to open. We keep telling him to open in the place where Smith's was that closed in American Fork but he said they have some sort of No Compete Clause or something so a grocery store can't open in that location (dumb if you ask me) they are out of business.

I do know there are more locations in California.

Our little Chihuahua

2010-01-17T13:36:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, Zoey our little Chihuahua has mild hydrocephalus which makes her a little bit more difficult to train such as potty training etc. Well when she was a puppy Rob and I clicker trained her, and have worked with her off and on, Sit was never a command that she mastered. Today Rob was working with both Shellie and Zoey on some commands. She gets so excited when she does something right, she does a little 'wiggly' dance. She's such a sweetheart! She is wearing both a sweater and a coat because she's been colder lately, her CDA (Color Dilution Alopecia) seems to be active right now she's got spots along her spine where her blue hair is really really thinning out and not coming back in. Part of me thinks it's because she wears a sweater most of the time to keep her warm and it may be rubbing it off? Don't know what to do to 'stop' it. We did bloodwork on her Friday as she's been eating voraciously, losing weight, peeing/drinking a TON, but otherwise happy and active as ever. Everything was pretty much normal so we pretty much attribute it to the steroids and drugs she is on for her hydrocephalus/copd...which sucks, but we can't cut her back, she's on 1.25mg of Vetalog every other day right now, if we back off she starts showing more symptoms. I was worried she might have had cushings as long-term steroids can cause cushings and she's been on steroids since she was a year and a half old when we discovered the hydrocephalus. Cushings can also cause hair loss along the spine, so I was worried about it, but her bloodwork all checked out. You can see she's not looking as 'red' on her legs anymore with the homecooked/limited diet. Which makes me happy, she's not near as itchy as she was either. Anyways here are some of the tricks that Zoey showed off today:
1: Bow
2: Down
3: Sit
4: Stand (this one was the hardest for her, after a few times of mommy helping her she finally caught on and was 'offering' it herself.

Rob's New Invention

2010-01-17T12:35:00.002-07:00

Last week Rob decided he wanted Roasted marshmallows so he used out toaster to make them. Well last night I was cleaning and pulled out our old toaster and asked Rob if he wanted me to throw it away, his eyes lit up and said hey.....so last night he modified it and made a desktop 'roaster' out of it! It was broken, it's an electronic one and the circuitry that told the toaster the toast was done and to pop up was broken so it would burn the toast (to the point it caught on fire), so we bought us a new one. Anyways, he even made it 'Heather' proof so to speak, bending a 'rack' to protect from the inner heating elements. He is so smart, I married a Genius! It roasts them really well and even roasts hot dogs!

We got a new car today

2009-12-19T18:14:00.002-07:00

As for us...well the past few days have been an adventure, having car issues. Started out with the oil light flickering on, so Rob ended up putting like 4 quarts of oil in it, and the dipstick was sludgey and just plain yucky....k we haven't been the best at changing the oil in it like we are supposed too....EXPENSIVE lesson learned (and getting lots of grief from Rob's brother about it). So the past few days there has been a clicking noise, had the oil changed yesterday and it made it worse...it sounds like a helicopter, or as I describe it a harley davidson. Rob had to baby it home from work yesterday going 35 on the freeway with flashers on, it was so loud when he got home it woke me up from a sound sleep....FYI, I sleep through nuclear bombs, I am such a sound sleeper. So hmmm...how am I going to get to work, who's going to cover if I can't get in...blah blah blah....the original plan last night was to take my car to Rob's brother in the morning and have him take me to work and look at it (he's a mechanic) but we decided we better not drive it but have it towed there eventually. Montess the receptionist at work was gracious enough to cover me at work today. Rob has a car, but it hasn't been driven in months, needs a new radiator, headlight, tune up, struts etc but it's really old like a 91 Taurus, so we figured we would try to get a loan for a new car. There is a place that is literally basically across the freeway from us that advertised 100% approvals on a lease to own basis, so my mom drove 30 minutes to take us there lol. We told them what we could afford and they gave us a few options on what car we could have. It was between a Ford Focus, Honda Accord, or PT Cruiser.....well the 2002 PT Cruiser won (it has less miles than my 2004 Chevy Malibu), but it smelled like antifreeze so they had one of their mechanics look at it, and it needs a new heating core, they knew we were desperate for a car so they offered us a loaner car (chevy cavalier) until they get the pt cruiser fixed hopefully monday or tuesday. Well Rob 'fits' better in my car (Chevy Malibu) as far as head room goes for comfortable driving, and I was wanting a 'mormon' mom van but not a van if that makes sense....a bigger car for lugging my dogs around lol....so Rob is going to take my Malibu (once it gets fixed) and I am going to have the PT Cruiser. Merry Christmas to us lol. It's basically all our christmas money for the down payment/1st month payment but you have to do what you have to do...we say we are going to keep our Christmas tree up till the end of January and have our 'christmas' with Rob's 2nd paycheck in January. We will have small things on Christmas day and I have 3 Secret Santas from 2 chihuahua groups and a golden retriever group so we will have that....oh the trials and tribulations of life....lessons learned.....have oil changed every 3000 miles, start christmas shopping sooner.... A VERY VERY big thank-you to my mom for coming to get us, an spending over an hour waiting for us at the dealer to make sure everything worked out well.

Re: Family Recipes & More Website

2009-10-26T20:21:00.001-06:00

I guess it would help if I posted the link to the Family site wouldn't it? He He...sorry about that

http://family.rnht.net

Briggs & Sims Family Website

2009-10-24T22:35:00.001-06:00

This is for the "Ronald & Gilda Sims & David & LaVerne Briggs Families, so if you are one of our friends...ignore :)

Dear Family;

We have been busily working on a family website for both the Briggs (David & LaVerne) and Sims (Ronald & Gilda). We have finally got it up and running. This website currently has a recipe database that has the "Sims Family Cookbook" that Jennifer Sims put together many years ago (the one you have in a 3 ring binder) that you can search as well as a couple of other recipe databases that have TON of recipes in them. On the recipe site if you select "Ingredient Contains" you can enter multiple ingredients separated by a comma. So if you are in the mood for something with cheddar and broccoli just enter "broccoli,cheddar cheese" in the search field and you will get the recipes containing those ingredients from the cookbook selected. Then there is the Blogs Section this is a current listing of all the blogs that I (Heather Sims Thompson) currently have listed for the families, just select the person who's blog you would like to see. If the name is not listed that means I have no blogs for that family. If you have a blog and would like it to included, please send me the link :)

Forums:
This is a COMPLETELY PRIVATE forum, you have to register with a password to view anything on it, and we will moderate the users, so the content and information stays within the family. To register on the upper right hand side where it says login, then under the username click on register. Then fill in the spots that it asks. This is an interactive place where we can 'chit chat' share ideas, recipes, events, family news, prayer requests and anything else you would like to share. There will be a place for an 'address' book so we will have everyones addresses, birthdays and contact information in one centralized location.
For now when you are in the forums if you click on "User control panel" and then "Profile" you can enter your websites, IM adresses, Birthday, etc.

There is a recipes section on the forum for recipes you would like to add, right now you cannot add them directly but put your recipe in a post on the forums and I will get them entered.

We are going to work on a genealogy page with genealogies of our families as well.

Please let us know of any other ideas you may have to make things better. We would love to have everyone join us on the forums, and would appreciate everyones input on the website.

Thank-you so much

Heather & Robert Thompson

RIP Sweet Viggo

2009-10-02T11:19:00.002-06:00

I am posting this as there are several who read this blog who have worked at Camelot Pet Resort, and probably knew him:
Yesterday my sisters dog, Viggo, a miniature schnauzer passed away suddenly. My dad let the dogs outside before he went to an orientation at school (he teaches vet tech students), and my mom went to let the dogs in about 20 minutes later and all the dogs but Viggo came inside, my sister was talking about taking Viggo to work with her for her trainee to learn how to groom schnauzers so my mom thought that is where he was so didn't think anything of it, so when my dad got home they called my sister and she had not taken him, so they went to go find him, and found him dead outside. He had an autopsy performed today, and his heart basically ruptured, it had a hole in it. He wasn't showing any signs of having any problems, was always a very active sweet boy, he was our Little Doggie Daycare Mascot at work, so I got to seem him 4-5 days a week, as he came to work with my dad, as well as I lived with my sister for the 1st year of Viggo's life. So please keep her in your thoughts. He was only 5 & 1/2 years old.

More of my b-day pictures

2009-09-26T18:19:00.003-06:00

So they went from the little white cage to the black cage that when on the about foot tall wheels/stand is just a few inches taller than I am (5' & 5"). They are loving it. The only thing they are missing right now is a sleeping box, which we are working on making them one. Also a picture of our new electronic keyboard. It's pretty neat!

Pictures of my birthday

2009-09-26T18:13:00.003-06:00

Here are some pictures of my new chinchillas, the white/blue cage is the one they came with. The white one for now is named Snowball, the black on is Dexter, we are thinking of Snowball and Midnight or Salt and Pepper for their names. The pile of stuff on the chair is the 'jackpot' they got from Petsmart thanks to my dear sweet husband. And Gotta love the new 'kitty' TV, our cats are completely enthralled with them.

My birthday

2009-09-25T14:44:00.000-06:00

I have come to realize that I am married to one of the most selfless, giving men in the world, and I am SOOOOOOOOO grateful to my Heavenly Father for that. Rob is amazing and is always putting me first. Anyways a few weeks ago I went to a dog show with my sister Jennifer, and I met her at my parents house and she has chinchillas in her bedroom she was telling me how someone had brought in a couple of Chinchillas to Petco where she works because they couldn't keep them, well they normally do not take in chinchillas so Jen's ears perked up and she offered to take them home, well we got to talking and it came up that if I could convince Rob to let me have them...I could take them home. Well this was around September 11th, so I've been working on Rob and he's been dragging it out and telling me that "He'll MAYBE think about it, blah blah blah, teasing me about them" Well Thursday he was going to call my dad and have my dad bring them home on Friday my birthday and surprise me with them and he decided to just let me bring them home so he set his alarm clock for 5:30pm JUST so he could tell me that I could bring the 'rats' home as that is what he 'affectionately' has been calling them, as they have 'big ears, tail, runs on all 4 paws, makes them rats....'

Well my darling, loving husband spent HOURS Thursday night researching about chinchillas and came up with the conclusion that they were in a cage that was too small, and were on wire on the bottom which can be hard on their feet and they needed different things. So he researched cages, read reviews about them, and had one all picked out, but Petsmart only sells that one online and we figured the shipping would be outrageous so we just found one that was comparable to the one he found. so Friday for my birthday he took me to Petsmart where we got them a much larger cage, a dust bath house, a HUGE exercise ball, a bin feeder, a hay rack, some more hay and different treats, and chew sticks for them we also go them an exercise wheel as they have chewed a big hole in the one that they had. (Rob has decided though that we need to buy them a different new exercise wheel as the one they had chewed on has ball bearings and is sturdier it was slightly noisy as they have worn it out from running on it.). So much for 'free' chinchillas ;) Rob says that he just wants my animals to be happy and healthy as when they are happy 'momma's happy.' I just love him to pieces.

We also went to Costco together and bought an Electronic Keyboard/Piano, this is a Rob's Birthday/My Mother's Day/His Father's Day/Early Christmas present, it's been fun, it's been years since I have really played the piano and it's been a lot of fun to play and it's bringing back lots of memories for both of us. I even pulled out my flute (which is in BIG time need of polishing) and was able to play a little bit with it.

It has honestly been one of the best birthdays I've had.

My new haircut....

2009-09-01T15:59:00.001-06:00

I have been growing my hair out since 2005, and decided since I always have it pulled up and off my neck, it was time to cut it! So I cut off over 12" of hair last Wednesday! Here are some pictures, the first one was taken before, then a few afters, sorry my face is a mess...had just finished shopping and unloading groceries and it was super hot. My hair is naturally curly and shortness REALLY brings out the curls. What do you think? Being it's now almost a week later...my hair has calmed down some and isn't quite so curly.

More Family Dinner May 31st

2009-06-21T22:09:00.002-06:00

Here are some more pictures from the Barbeque we had....Brigg and Brayden had fun climbing in our kitties new 'jungle' boat that we had just gotten a few weeks ago....no harm done...they were so cute climbing in it! Brigg was in heaven with the pringles that Lara had brought...he loved them!

Family Dinner May 31st...

2009-06-21T22:04:00.003-06:00

EEK I just realized that I hadn't posted the pictures from when we had Family Dinner at our house back in May....I downloaded them I just didn't upload them to the blog. It was a lot of fun, everyone was there (except Danny's family of course), Jen even made an appearance after she got off work :)

Chandler's Visit

2009-05-28T15:06:00.002-06:00

I was able to travel to Aunt Joyce's house today to meet Jon's little boy Chandler Jonathan today for the first time. He will be 2 years old on September 2nd. He's a very cute little boy. Is a spitting image of his father. It was a lot of fun to see him, as well as to see him interact with Braden and Brigg (Mike & Nikki's kids). You can see more pictures on my mom and dad's blog (like about 30 pictures :).

Shower Gifts

2009-05-21T22:15:00.008-06:00

Tonight I attended a baby shower for my cousin Kristen Sierra, she is having a baby girl in August. I took/made a gift that was a hit, and a lot of fun to make and take :) I made a baby journal, and photo album, as well as took some baby items that I had from when I was trying to have an online baby store (Love N Kisses Baby) which didn't exactly take off like I had hoped. Sandra had asked me where I got the items and I mistakenly gave her the wrong web address it is www.crybabyzboutique.com When I got home and told Rob about it, he said "You have so much stuff you should put it on ebay or craigslist or something to sell it. So I figured why not offer it here if anyone is interested. If you want anything please email me cprcheetah@comcast.net and I can arrange to bring it to work (in Bountiful), you can pick it up in Lehi or I can ship it to you (you pay shipping). Just let me know!

Here's what I have:
Paci Pockets: Has a strap that attaches with velcro to just about anything, purse, diaper bag, car seat, never have to dig a pacifier out of a diaper bag again :)
$10.00 Each (Retail for $12.95 on Cry Babyz Site)
(I have 1 each of the pink ones and 2 of the blue ones)

Diaper and Wipes Cases:
Fits a diaper and a travel case of wipes
$12.00 (Retails for $14.99 on Cry Babyz Site
I have 2 each of everything but just 1 of the pink one

Mini Diaper Bags: Our mini diaper bags hold 3 diapers a travel size wipe container, a bottle, pacifier and go ahead and throw your keys and cellphone in. The outer part is made from geniune soft oil cloth.
$25.00 Retails for $28.00 sale price on Cry Babyz site

Pacifiers $5.00 Each (Retails for $6.99 on Cry Babyz Site):
I have 3 Blue, 3 pink, and 4 yellow ones

Here come the sleepless nights.....

2009-05-15T23:28:00.001-06:00

First thing this morning I get a call from Petco, wanting to know if we could take a tiny kitten into our adoption program, of course I said yes, I'm a softie and have a special talent of raising baby orphaned kittens. 2 Years ago I had 12 kittens (3 different litters) that were at the local shelter at the same time. It was tough but rewarding, my cat Sissy LaRue is one of the kittens I raised. Anyways the guy brings the kitten in, she's a beautiful probably medium to long hair probably will be a blue tabby althoug a little hard to tell tabby at this point. She's about 2-3 weeks old and was found INSIDE this guys trucks engine. SCARY and lucky she didn't get eaten up in the engine. So for the next week or two I will have to get up every 2-3 hours during the night to feed this little one milk replacer with a bottle. I've named her Mercedes since she was found in a truck.
The first picture is of her snuggling with 'surrogate' mama a stuffed kitten that has a pouch for a heating pouch, and a 'beating' heart that tends to calm baby kittens, the 2nd picture is of the 'mama' then a picture of Mercedes in my hubby's hand, I should say that my hubby's hands are HUGE, and then just the little cutie, she has a NICE set of lungs on her, she's very noi

Today I was SO excited to get home from work and go get the mail, as Shellie's new "Walking Harness' came today. It's called a Gentle Leader and it goes on their face 'mimicking' how where their mother grabs them when they are puppies, the back of the neck and the nose, they are totally awesome and can curb even the strongest pullers not to pull. (Hmmm....maybe I need to suggest one for Buddy the lab that comes to doggie daycare....we literally have to just let him run to the front without a leash on because he WILL dislocate your shoulder from pulling so hard). I have been using one to walk her, and I ordered her a 'deluxe' one that is decorated and padded, it came today. I was SO excited to walk her my 'excuse' that tonight was the season finale of "Numbers/Ghost Whisperer and Flashpoint" did not even PHASE me (besides, hubby has them recorded for me every day). Here is Shellie in her new 'gentle leader' You can read more about it here: Gentle Leader Dog Head Collar Website (btw, we did 45 Minutes walk tonight)

Our Latest Addition to our family....

2009-04-25T22:28:00.002-06:00

Rob's work is doing away with the swing shift, so he had to either go to days or graveyard shift. He really didn't want to go to days so he picked graveyard, well that leaves me home alone 5 nights a week....UH not my favorite thing in the world, I was a little freaked out, so Rob agreed to let me adopt Shellie, a Golden Retriever. For those who really know Rob, this is a HUGE deal as I've been BEGGING for a big dog for 4 years.....While she's not a Great Dane....Shellie is an AMAZING Dog! I already feel safer. I know I have my 'cats' and 'chihuahuas' but what really are they going to do? 2 of my cats would run and hide, DeeJay would show them to the fridge, and Mini Dee would beg for loves and attention. The chihuahuas Sebastian would make a loud fuss but he's all bark and no bite, Zoey might bite their big toe, but that's not really what we need, one kick and they'd both be dead.

Meet Shellie (named after Shellie Elkins---> Golden Retriever who was missing for 4 years then reunited with her family due to being microchipped---my Shellie has the same expressive face).....she is our newest family member. She has something called Osteochondritis Dissecans and will need surgery on her shoulders (once confirmed with better xrays on tuesday). She is 7 months old, and is one of the BEST dogs I have met, so far she knows sit, lay down, heel (needs work), roll over, off, and only chews on doggie or kitty things....no shoes or furniture. She is very mellow especially compared to several 'adolescent' Goldens we have that have been coming for daycare 11 months old, both are boys and are HYPER! (Maybe it's a boy thing). Shellie is such a sweetie. She loves attention and will 'sit' on your feet, she likes to be right where you are, she loves to play with squeaky toys, play tug of war (even if you don't want to, she brings the toy and plops it on my laptop) Here are some pictures of my beautiful girl:
Here she is on her way home for the first time, she's sleeping in my back seat on her bed that the owners sent with her. Then just her happy face, look at how expressive her eyes are

Notice the food on the left, she is trained to sit and wait for food & water until you give the okay, she is up to 5 minutes, you can't leave the room yet but she is getting there.

Just another happy girl shot!

You can see more pictures of Shellie and read more about her on our 'zoo' blog
http://thethompsonzoo.blogspot.com

Frugal Tip of the Week....

2009-04-16T17:03:00.003-06:00

I found a link to make your own Laundry Soap off of my friends page on Facebook:
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm
Or a Video made by someone else: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/821928/make_your_own_laundry_soap/
The ingredients are:
1 Bar of Ivory Soap unless you can find the Fels Naptha Laundry Soap then 1/3 bar
1/2 cup of Borax
& 1/2 cup of Super Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
& Water
***We doubled the Borax and Soda for added cleansing power.

It made 2 gallons and we figured out it cost us $1.12 to make 2 gallons which is 64 loads using 1/2 cup which equates to $.02 per LOAD of laundry. Lately I've been using Gain Expressions for $4.75 for a 24 load bottle which is 20 cents per load. I use one of these per 3 weeks. Its gonna save us so much money, and was super easy to do. I estimate that the 2 gallons is going to last us at least 3-4 months.

And if you are wondering if it actually works, I am on my 3rd load with it, my whites came out so much brighter and cleaner, hubbys handkerchiefs are brighter and cleaner! I'm very impressed. They are less stained as well.

Rob & I's Courtship

2009-04-10T13:31:00.006-06:00

I thought it would be cool to post some more information about Rob & I's courtship. He first emailed me from LDS Singles on December 18th, 2004 (also my mom's b-day). At first I wasn't going to respond as he didn't have a picture, and call me vain or whatever...but I liked to see their pictures. Then something just nagged at me and I responded to his email. He seemed like a nice guy, and we started chatting on AIM almost immediately.

Here are our profiles:
Mine: I am an RM, Active Church Member, Current Temple Recommend Holder, Honest, Up Front, Cute, Sweet & Fun to be with. Looking for the above + a man who honors his priesthood and respects me.

I'm just your average independant girl, looking for "Mr Right" my man tha tI can depend on , and one whom I can spend time & all eternity with. I love animals Dogs, Cats, Horses and they are a big part of my life, I have plans to become a Veterinarian, so I need someone who's not ot be intimated by a girl who will help bring home the bacon so to speak! I love to watch movies, go shopping but not in a crowd, read books, surf the web. I love the outdoors, hiking, camping...I'm game to try just about anything. I have a good sense of humor and love to smile! I've been told I have an hourglass shape, though it may not be perfect...but I'm working on it! I'm a brunette, with blue/hazel eyes which darken/lighten occasionally.

Rob's Profile:
What I want: I want to find someone to cuddle with while watching a movie. I would like to find someone to laugh with, life is too short to not throw your head back and laugh. It would be nice to find someone to share life's experiences with, it's up's and down's. To have someone help you when you stumble, and to be there for when they stumble.
I want to find somone to be friends with, and hopefully for it to one day move into more. I want to find someone that doesn't have a problem with me cooking for them. Someone that will let me pamper them on occassion, rub their feet, back etc. Someone that enjoys public signs of affection. Somone that can give and accept the little kindnesses in life. Someone that can enjoy the simple pleassures life has to offer:.
About Me:
I am a kind, caring, open, easy going individual with simple tastes. No caviar for me, sorry I (salty fish eggs, YUCK!) but I will try almost anything once, sometimes even twice. I enjoy learning about anything and everything, reading, music, bowling, watching movies, camping or basically anything in the mountains, picnics, BBQ's, and in the winter, I like to curl up with a good book. I love to cook (I'm actually quite good at it) and to do anything with my hands, from woodworking to arts and crafts to home repair (not every weekend though, ok?).
I enjoy a good conversation, if you don't communicate with people you will always go through life misunderstanding them.
I'm just as happy going to a museum or to a symphony as I am going to McDonald's or bowling. I am serious when life requires it, but I also know how to kick back and have fun and laugh, did I mention you have to laugh at life, did I mention that you have to laugh at life? I think I did, yup I said it right up there ^ :-)
My friends and family describe me as "Honest", "Fun", "Smart", "A Smart Alleck", "Kind", "Big Hearted", and "Learns Quickly" (from my own mistakes and other peoples.)
So send me an e-mail and say "Hi", you won't regret it. LOL I hope not anyway
-------------
So can you see what grabbed my attention? The perfect man :)

We chatted for 7-8 hours a night on AIM, we were having so much fun getting to 'truly' know each other. I would go into work so twitterpated and happy I thought my face would for permanent smiles. I started falling for him when he sent me the song "Restless" by Alison Kraus, he just thought it was a cool tune :) He never realized how really neat the words are:

Honey, I know you've been alone some, Why don't you 'phone some, 'cause I love you. An' honey, I know I've been away some, I've had to pay some and you have too. But the one thing I know: that when I, I turn out the light, Visions of you, dear, dance in the night. I've been put down, pushed around, apprehended and led downtown. An' I can't help it if I'm out of sight, 'Cause I'm restless tonight. I just can't stand bein' alone. Gonna have to change that some day. There's a restless feelin' in my bones an' I know, That at times, it just won't go away. So if it's all the same, honey, I can't take the blame, baby, I can't play your game, honey, what's true is true. And if, in the end, the temptation wears you thin, honey, I'll, I'll just pretend that I'll leave it up to you. But the one thing I know: that when I, I turn out the light, Visions of you, dear, dance in the night. I've been put down, pushed around, apprehended and led downtown. Can't help it if I'm full of fire. But the one thing I know: that when I, I turn out the light, Visions of you, dear, dance in the night. I've been put down, pushed around, apprehended and led downtown. An' I can't help it if I'm out of sight, 'Cause I'm restless tonight.

He didn't start falling for me until he got really really sick around New Year's Eve, he was chatting with several other girls online at the same time but I was the only one he missed chatting with for those few days. He lived in Kearns at the time and thought that Sunset was in southern utah, so after he got sick, he looked it up to discover it was only 50 Miles away. He decided to ask me out. I'll post more in another entry...this one is getting lengthy.....

Happy Anniversary to us!

2009-04-09T21:09:00.004-06:00

It's our anniversary today! 4 Glorious years. It's my normal day off and Rob was lucky enough to get the day off so we could spend it together. We spent the day snuggled on the couch watching TV, and we had homemade pizza for lunch, are having Steaks w/baked potatoes, salad for dinner. We are going out to eat at Outback Steakhouse on Monday (Thanks Jen--she gave me a gift certificate for making Bandanas for her, and thanks Lara as she gave me some $$ for printing her up some stuff.). We may try to see a movie as well. I have attached some of my favorite pictures from our wedding....not all of my favorites though :)

Another Update on Rob

2009-04-06T19:14:00.001-06:00

just got back from the Internal Medicine/Sleep Dr. Rob's sleep study wasn't so good, he only got about 3 hours of sleep (out of 8+ hours) and didn't ever go into REM sleep. He had 'apnea' disturbances 113.5 times (normal is 5) anything over 30 is SEVERE Obstructive Sleep Apnea, so what does he have? Extreme Severe? SCARY! His oxygen fluctuated from 60%-90% depending on the moment, but it went up and down A LOT! They said that everytime his oxygen would dip his brain would wake up telling him he needed oxygen, hence the lack of sleep.

So the game plan is he is getting a CPAP Machine with an Auto adjust mask on it to adjust the pressure to keep his airway open. In about a month he will go in for another Sleep Study, this time using the CPAP Machine (if they can get him into a deep sleep). I hope this helps him, he's been exhausted lately and wakes up tired, he hasn't been sleeping very well. We are hoping to get the CPAP this week.

I must say I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO grateful for my new Doctor (seriously my prayers have been answered), who is on top of things and immediately sent Rob to specialists. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't....I don't even want to think about it. Next week Cardiologist to find out results of Echocardiogram, then 2 weeks the Pulmonologist to hopefully get his Asthma better under control, he is on steroid, and using Nebulizer everyday

He is being a good sport about all the appointments, he's had a lot. Hopefully by the first part of May we will be done with appointments.

Why I love my husband.....

2009-04-05T21:42:00.001-06:00

I love my husband....he's such the practical joker. He keeps things 'interesting' to say, the least. We have discovered how to make a 'really' easy pizza using Pita breads as the crust, I'm on my protein day so am avoiding carbs, so I just ate the toppings. Anyways the pizza on the right is the one he made for me....it's on a ritz cracker :) He pulled this trick a while back with "Sprite" Floats...see here: http://robnheather.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-husband-and-i-are-equals-in-every.html

He definitely keeps things interesting, funny and happy! His coworkers all think I'm a saint for putting up with him :P

Tabby is feeling better....

2009-03-31T22:02:00.006-06:00

I don't know how many of you have been lucky enough to witness Tabitha's obsession with paperbags but it is a site to behold! We put our medications for animals going home etc in brown or white paper lunch bags. One day Tabby stuck her head in one and was pawing at it etc for HOURS. She does this every now and then, lately hasn't been feeling too hot so she hasn't been doing it. Well today she decided she needed to, was pawing at the paper bag so I got her out one to play with:

And Videos:

And More:

Enjoying the sunshine

2009-03-28T22:35:00.000-06:00

Rob had his sleep study tonight so I wasn't going to get to see him after work so I made some Beef Enchiladas and took them out to his work for his lunch. They turned out REALLY good. We were able to eat them outside on a park bench in front of his work. It was a nice spring sunshiney day.

Here is the Beef Enchiladas I made:

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 lb Ground beef
1 Med onion, chopped (1/2 C)
1/2 c Sour cream
1 c Shred Cheddar cheese (4oz)
2 t Chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp Ground pepper
1/3 c Chopped grn bell pepper
2/3 c Water
1 t Chili powder
1 1/2 tsp Chopped fresh or
1/2 tsp Dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp Ground cumin
(2 whole green chilies, chopped)
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
8 Tortillas (5-6" in diameter)

---

Garnish: shredded cheese, sour cream, &

Chopped onions, if desired

Preparation

1. HEAT oven to 350*.

2. COOK beef in 10-inch skillet over mediumheat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. STIR in onion, sour cream, 1 C cheese, the parsley, and pepper. COVER and REMOVE from heat.

3. HEAT bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, (chilies), garlic, and tomato sauce to boiling in 2-qt saucepan, stirring occasionally; REDUCE heat. SIMMER uncovered 5 minutes. POUR into ungreased pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches.

4. DIP each tortilla into sauce in pie plate to coat both sides. SPOON about 1/4 C beef mixture onto each tortilla; ROLL tortilla around filling. PLACE seam side down in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 11 x 7 x 1 1/2 inches. POUR remaining sauce over enchiladas.

5. BAKE uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbly.

GARNISH with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped onions

Jasmine Eleanore Louise at Rainbow Bridge

2009-03-27T20:04:00.006-06:00

Jasmine Eleanore Louise, was able to cross Rainbow Bridge this morning peacefully with our help. She wasn't responding to treatment, was not able to maintain her temperature (she went into hypothermia), and was extremely bloated this morning. So we made the decision to end her suffering. Her bowels this morning were straight liquid almost looked like pee they were so loose. So Dr Sims put her to sleep, she was ready to go, she went quickly and peacefully. She wasn't even purring today, and she was on Wednesday and yesterday. She hasn't eaten anything since Tuesday. He did a necropsy/autopsy as we were concerned she might have FIP which is highly contageous to other cats, her Autopsy showed, NO heartworm, although did have some heart issues, her bowels were thickened and she had lymphadenopathy in her messenteric lymph nodes. Her bowels were VERY smelly. We took some sections and looked at them under the microscope and she had Lymphocytic, Plasmacytic Enteritis, unresponsive to treatment and with Malabsorption (she wasn't retaining ANY nutrients). There were NO FIP Lesions, dry or wet, so the fluid we pulled off of her could have been from the steroids and/or the infection in her bowels. Normally this type of enteritis will respond to steroids but hers didn't. It was a sad day at Camelot Pet Resort, Jasmine is now with Greaser aka Juicer :), Neville, Chester Cheetah the other clinic kitties we've had. Maybe now she won't have nystagmous in her eyes any more :)

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Meal time made easier

2009-03-26T19:45:00.006-06:00

I am trying something new. Menu Planning. Rob and I always spend a good portion of our time playing the "What do you want for dinner?" game. This is how it goes:

Me: What do you want for dinner?
Rob: Food
Me: What kind of food?
Rob: Good
Me: What kind of good food do you want?
Rob: The kind that you eat
Me: ARGH!

So I've learned that I just need to ask Rob "What kind of good food, the kind that you eat, would you like for dinner?" I just love being married to a perpetual smart butt!

In my 'blog' reading addiction I stumbled across this site Organizing Junkie who does something called Menu Plan Monday:
http://orgjunkie.com/2009/03/menu-plan-monday-march-23rd.html
Basically you put your menu on your blog, link back to her site etc etc etc. So I figured we'd give it a try here's this weeks menu:

Monday: Tacos
Tuesday: Chicken Fajitas (easy and yummy)
Wednesday: Minestrone Pasta (Something new I tried out of a cookbook, this was not a keeper recipe)
Thursday: Taco Beef Bake with Cheddar Biscuit Topping
Friday: Cream of Mushroom Soup added Mushrooms, Chicken over Rice (I'm having it over Cauliflower Rice) Really easy, 1-2 cans Crm Mush Soup, Mushrooms, Shredded Chicken, about 1/2-1 cup of sour cream then either put over rice or mix in with rice.
Saturday: Beef Enchiladas or Low Carb Spaghetti haven't decided yet
Sunday: Homemade Mini Pizzas, Rob has invited one of his friends from work and his wife over for dinner so we are making homemade pizza's using Pita's from Costco as the crusts...amazingly YUMMY!

Can you tell we love Mexican? We have decided what we are going to do is have 5 days of our 'favorites' or trusted and tried recipes, and then 2 days where we try something new, either from cookbooks or online. I'm excited, it has made meal time SO much easier already. Dinner on Rob's work days for him is a Slim Fast Shake/Fruit Smoothie combo as he gets home at 10:00pm and doesn't like to eat a heavy meal that late, so he takes whatever I make for dinner the next day for lunch at work.

Jasmine Clinic Kitty Update :(

2009-03-25T22:47:00.004-06:00

Jasmine is not doing good and is currently hospitalized much to her shagrin...she's NOT happy with the situation and is protesting in any way she can, she rearranges her blanket, dumps her water etc. She's losing more weight, pooping STRAIGHT liquid with hardly any form to it, and is hardly eating. She's lost 1# in 20 days she's down to 7# now. She is skin and bones. She is dehydrated, running a fever and has ascites (fluid in abdomen). We tapped her abdomen and got an exudative type fluid out of her tummy. My dad did say that her heart sounds better and is not as rapid as it was a few weeks ago. Her fecal analysis wasn't really conclusive of anything other than she's not absorbing her nutrients.

Causes of Exudative fluid are:
1. FIP which is Feline Infectious Peritonitis and is unfortunately a fatal disease.
2. Heart disease. When the heart begins to fail, pressure can build up in the chest cavity or the abdominal cavity. When pressure backs up in the abdominal cavity, this is called portal hypertension and it leads to fluid accumulation in the abdomen.
3. Blood from trauma or a bleeding tumor.
4. Cancer in the abdomen causing a fluidy "exudate" - this is known as carcinomatosis
5. Toxoplasmosis or other infection

So for now we have stopped the Vetalog as it suppresses the immune system and can make things like Toxoplasmosis and FIP more apparant. We have switched her antibiotics and have her on Chloramphenicol for the time being. We will continue monitering her vitals, temp etc and see if we see any kind of improvement. We just worry as where she has lost this much weight she is at risk for Fatty Liver Disease.

Here are some pictures taken today:

It's hard to tell but you can see her backbone sticking out. Her coat should be a LOT thicker and more grown in than it is, she was shaved almost 4 months ago.

We will be evaluating her more tomorrow and Friday, we are hoping she responds, if not we may have to put her to sleep so she's not suffering.

Spent day at Dr's w/Rob today

2009-03-23T16:43:00.000-06:00

Rob and I basically went from one doctor straight to the next today.
Cardiologist: He was somewhat helpful, agreed that Rob's heart isn't pumping the fluid back up from his legs like it should, and that it could be due to lots of things:
a- Verapamil (one of 2 bp pills he's on) causes fluid retention
b- Rob's weight (which we already knew was an issue and we are working on)
c- Could have heart damage that is making the heart weak so it's not able to pump it all back up
d- Pulmonary Hypertension (which we will get checked out more at Pulmonologist the end of April).
e- He also explain that when you are sitting down a lot for your job your legs pinch off the vessels (or something) so you are more prone to water retention.
He ordered an Echocardiogram for next Monday, with an appt on the 13th for a followup to discuss the results and go from there. He does want to get Rob off of the Verapamil though as it is known to cause fluid retention and it interferes with us getting pregnant too. So he said he would see what the results of his Echo are and go from there

Internal Medicine/Sleep Disorders Clinic:
Rob definitely went lower during the night on his pulse ox, had one where he spike REALLY low, but his average was 86-93%, so he didn't feel it was the 'panic' level they let on to us on the phone and getting the oxygen right away, but Rob is feeling lots better with the oxygen so that's a good thing, yesterday he said he was able to go down the stairs like a 16 year old. He was very in depth explained a lot about Sleep Apnea, and the causes behind it, again putting the fact that Rob is overweight and that he also has it running in the family (dad and 2 sisters) so they are having him do an overnight sleep study and if they get enough info they will wake him 1/2 way and have him try a CPAP machine on and see if levels improve with it. This is scheduled for this Saturday with a follow up the next monday (6th)

So we did get some answers but have to wait for further testing before we know more. So it looks like poor Rob is going to have a Dr's appt every week on Mondays in April except the 20th....poor guy!

The Buzzard, The Bat, The Bumblebee...

2009-03-22T17:48:00.000-06:00

THE BUZZARD:

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and
is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its
ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is
that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a
run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit,
it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner
for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT:

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable
nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level
place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it
can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully,
until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can
throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like
a flash.

THE BUMBLEBEE:

A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there
until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the
means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find
some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will
seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys
itself.

PEOPLE:

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the
bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and
frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look
up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution
to any problem! Just look up.

Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up!

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.

My brother's family

2009-03-20T23:30:00.003-06:00

I just posted their pictures on my Mom & Dad's blog, go check them out, they are adorable!
http://danjanicesims.blogspot.com/2009/03/dannys-family.html

Sacrifices or Investments?

2009-03-20T22:31:00.004-06:00

"You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make." --Gordon B. Hinckley

What wonderful words of wisdom! It seems like lately there have been a lot of sacrifices here.
As Rob and I have been facing his difficult health challenges, we are very blessed to have a skilled Dr, whom when I think about it, I believe I was 'lead' to him, as I didn't really get a recommendation for him just was checking out the list of 'approved' providers near our house, and The Alpine Clinic was one of the closest to our house and they had a picture of their doctors on the website (always a bonus you know :) . But I honestly believe we were lead there, it just felt right. When I called to make my first appointment they wanted to make sure I knew they were more 'natural' as opposed to conventional medicine. Fine by me, Rob calls me the 'supplement' queen.

Without this doctor, Rob may have died in his sleep. We have been going to another Dr for 4 years, as well as Rob had been seeing him before, I don't think he took Rob serious. We found out today that his oxygen levels drop so low at night he's VERY lucky. Talk about a scary thought. We will find out just how low they are on Monday when we go in for his consult with the Sleep Clinic. We have been working with the home health care place and our Dr. since Wednesday trying to get the Oxygen delivered as they want him on it right away. Well Rob was a little late to work today as they were having a potluck and he was making a hamburger gravy for the baked potatoes, they called while he was making it and the driver was in the area and was just going to stop 'just in case' someone was home as they were so concerned about it. So he will start on oxygen at night tonight. I'm hoping it will help him sleep better, so that he may wake up renewed and refreshed instead of tired all the time. He is still continuing to do well with his weight loss, he said yesterday that he didn't have to 'stretch' out his pants like he normally does after they are washed! YEAH! He also had to put a new notch in his belt to make it smaller! I am so incredibly proud of him!

I pray that we will be able to get him healthier so he may be around for a long time to come...long enough to see his Grandkids go on Missions! First we have to have kids, but I think I know now why we haven't been blessed with them yet, we need to get Rob's health issues under control first. I'm crying as I write this, it's like I'm being told by the spirit what is the 'plan' for our future, and what lays ahead. Goodness, I know that may sound weird but wow, I'm overwhelmed at the moment. He works in mysterious ways!

I've been tagged....

2009-03-19T23:01:00.002-06:00

My friend Kelly 'tagged' me (well I read her blog, so I guess I was tagged...) I was instructed to take the 6th picture in the 6th folder on my computer, post it and tell about it....not so glamourous a picture of me, but the furkids were having fun. We have Zoey the little spotted chihuahuas, Duncan the black poodle (now lives with my brother Danny in Canada), the little white one in the middle is Sebastian a little Toy Poodle puppy we puppy sat for Duncan's breeder, then Jakob the Westie who crossed over to rainbow bridge last year (cancer). Anyways sorry for the 'scary' no makeup/sweats picture of me. We were outside having a barbeque when we still lived with Rob's mom.

I'm gonna follow Kelly's lead....if you are a reader of my blog YOU HAVE BEEN TAGGED now....so post the 6th picture from the 6th folder on your blog and tell about it!

Are you Fireproof?

2009-03-19T01:13:00.005-06:00

I posted this on my Diet Blog: No Time To Weight But I'm not sure all my 'family' blog readers read that one so I wanted to share it here as well because I was SO touched by this movie.

If you have not watched this movie, I STRONGLY encourage you to do so! It is amazing! I cried pretty much through the ENTIRE thing. I was so touched by the spirit of it. I even cried for a good while after wards. My husband is VERY good to me, he is constantly doing the 'little' things such as making sure I am covered up at night, so I don't get cold, running me a bubble bath (if he's home) after a long day at work, taking care of my boo boos & cuts with a cool head. I need to follow his example and love him more with the Love of Christ. This movie made me realize that I do not rely on HIM enough in my life. I tend to take Him for granted. I have decided that I not only need to Fireproof my marriage, and become closer to Him and my husband, but in other aspects of my life as well. I don't rely on him enough, I don't ask for the help and guidance from him in my daily life as I should. I think that I have definitely taken Him for granted in my life, BUT no more. My life is going to be centered around Christ in all aspects of it. I am doing the love dare with my husband Rob, not because our marriage is failing or that, but even with a 'perfect' marriage there is always room for improvement :)

Here are a couple of links with more info about "The Love Dare"
http://www.fireproofmymarriage.com/
http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/lovedare/

Update on Rob

2009-03-18T16:33:00.000-06:00

Well we have been playing phone tag with the Dr for a week, still haven't been able to get through to them, but he did the overnight pulse oximetry test last Monday, and the Dr told the Home Health Service they want a sleep study to determine what type of sleep apnea he has and what he would need to be one, in the meantime they are so concerned about him, they are putting him on Oxygen at night until he is able to do the sleep study, they are working with the oxygen company to get something set up ASAP, but need more info from Dr, so will be calling them 1st thing in the morning (Dr's office closes at noon on Weds/Fri). We have an appointment next Monday with the Cardiologist (for his Blood Pressure), then the Sleep Study place also that day for a consultation and to set up his overnight study. We have an appt with the Pulmonologist in a month. (That was the soonest they could get him in).

As for him right now, he's doing pretty good, his weight is starting to come down, he has to make an extra notch in his belt as his belt is too big for him. He has been eating a lot more fruits/vegetables and is eating a slimfast smoothie at night instead of dinner since he gets home so late. I'm really proud of him. His BP is also doing better as he has a lot less water retention in his legs, and they are 'squishy' now instead of tight, he's been taking the Heart Health Pack from Costco. Anyways just wanted to post a quick update. He tells me he's 'mad' at me for making him go see my 'witch' doctor, but at the same time very grateful we now have a Dr who has half a brain, and is getting him the help he needs.

Do you Tweet?

2009-03-15T01:09:00.001-06:00

I'm fairly new to twitter, but am having fun with it, especially since I just realized I can make updates from my phone...this is gonna be fun! Click on the birdie to follow me (Heather) :)

More button @TwitterIcon.com

Jasmine

2009-03-12T23:29:00.006-06:00

For many of our blog readers you worked at or are familiar with Camelot Pet Resort, Jasmine another one of the office cats has been sick, she is losing weight (you can see her back bone), throwing up all over the place, diarrhea, her hair coat isn't growing back (not just because of Jon's urging...) Jasmine quit cleaning herself so had to be shaved Dec 30th (believe it or not for her 1st shave in 9 years she was better behaved than TIKI who gets shaved every few months). Her hair coat is still very thin and hardly growing. So we did bloodwork thinking she might have kidney disease like Tabitha. The ONLY Thing on her bloodwork that was off was her White Count was extremly high, so we put her on antibiotics about a week ago. We rechecked her and her heart was slightly 'muffled' but not really a murmur, and it's very fast between 300-360 beats per minute. So we xrayed her and she's showing some changes in her heart, has fluid in her heart sack. And much to our 'embarassment' as we ARE a veterinarian we have a couple rule outs:

1- Feline Heartworm Disease (she will be the 2nd cat we have diagnosed so far in 2009).
2- Endocarditis (Inflamation and infection around the heart)
30 Hyperthyroidism

Either one of the heart ones can be fatal. We have diagnosed more cats than dogs with Heartworm Disease, and several have been diagnosed on Autopsy. We are ordering in some Feline Heartworm Tests and will hopefully be testing her to find out for sure. We did put her on Vetalog to try and help her more. You can be sure that all 4 of the clinic kitties will be getting their monthly prevention FAITHFULLY each month from now on! What an eye opener!

Tabitha on the other hand is doing remarkably well with her kidney disease, she's gaining weight, (has gained 1#), is more perky (jumping up the door frames) and starting to get some of her 'attitude' back (smacking your face when you hold her).

The Verdict is in....

2009-03-09T14:47:00.002-06:00

I broke my finger! Just got back from the Dr. He looked at the X-rays an it took him a while to find it, but I have an oblique angled fracture in my pinkie finger that is already starting to heal so probably happened about 2 weeks ago or so. It's lined up right and everything because of the angle, but the inflammation my dad was seeing on the xray is the new osteoblasts that are forming. I also apparently sometime broke my middle finger on that hand too as there is noticeable changes on that finger as well. I'm thinking I injured/broke my pinkie finger when I fell down the stairs a few weeks ago.

I confused the heck out of his assistants trying to give my history...lets see I fell around the first of the year 3 times in one week, gave myself a concussion, so my dad x-rayed to make sure nothing was fractured, then last week I had a bruise but my middle finger hurt to move so we x-rayed again, and noticed the pinkie, then Saturday my cat bit me, but that's already healing and taken care of so we are just here for the pinkie finger bone :) I think they were ready to boot me out the door. Anyways I'm relieved that it wasn't anything more serious. I guess now I can say that I've broken a bone before as I've never had a broken bone.

My ouchie!

2009-03-08T23:26:00.004-06:00

Saturday night I got bit my cat. It was an accident and entirely not her fault. Visit: http://notime2weight.blogspot.com/2009/03/ouchie-ouchie.html for details. Rob has done a wonderous job of doctoring me up so far, we put a part of a tongue depressor under my finger as the bite is right on the knuckle so everytime I was bending my finger it was reopening the cut. OUCH!

That is weird....

2009-03-06T21:56:00.002-07:00

My post about Rob last night got deleted...I'll see if I can't figure out what happened. Thanks for all the 'happy' thoughts we've gotten so far. GREATLY appreciated.

Keep Rob in your thoughts please...

2009-03-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the Doctor. He was very thorough and addressed a lot of Rob's needs. He was VERY concerned about Rob's health and is sending him to 2 specialists and having a Sleep Apnea test done on him next Monday night. This all would be a lot less scary if he had been aware of some of the issues all along...apparantly his health hasn't been 'maintained' like we trusted our previous Dr too.

Here's the jyst of what's going on:

1- Asthma Pulx/Ox levels were at 89-91% which is very Low, they should be at 97%, he said Rob is on the verge of needing oxygen all the time. (This is the FIRST time Rob has had a Pulse/Ox done since he was in 3rd grade...which is NOT normal for people who have chronic asthma).
2- Sleep, he's having a Sleep Apnea test ran on Rob, said he probably may need Oxygen at night, this is scheduled for next Monday night
3- Asthma he is sending Rob to a Pulmonologist to get a better idea of the oxygen saturation levels in his blood and for better controlled Asthma, right now Rob is on Symbicort (steroid), hit's his rescue inhaler at least 4-5 times a day, and sometimes his nebulizer every day.
4- Hypertension/High Blood Pressure, his blood pressure is in normal ranges, however he was very concerned with the amount of edema in his legs, and said there was some Hemo (can't remember the rest) condition that was causing a breakdown and deposits of something in his legs (purplish color) so he is sending him to a Cardiologist for that as well.
5- Weight, of course he was VERY concerned about this and suggested 2 different Weight Loss Programs
1- HGH (I think that's what he said, anyways it's a Human hormone that women get when they are pregnant, anyways he said it can cause rapid weight loss of about 40# a month Drawback $600-$800 a month, we are thinking we might do this in May when Rob's normal hours return.
2- Firstline Therapy, which addresses the health issues of 'weight' problems instead of just the weight issues, so they will help with the risks for Cardiovascular Events (Heart Attacks) which he said Rob was at HIGH HIGH risk for, and it is usually covered by insurance. They said you are 'fully' evaluation by body composition, your level of metabolism, then put on the diet, which is basically shakes, bars and then a healthy dinner. You go meet with a counselor once a week. It's about $200-$300 per month for the shakes/food which isn't covered by insurance but the visits are. http://www.metagenics.com/tlc_programs/firstline_therapy.asp, this is a meal plan I found: http://www.drfeely.com/Documents/Ctrl_Hyperlink/Menu_Plan_Worksheet_uid8292008357392.pdf and more info: http://www.ecopolitan.com/healtheduc...e-therapy-diet they said it is a slower process of about 15-20# a month, maybe more.

Rob is planning on signing up for the Firstline Therapy weight loss program. I am so proud of him. He is probably going to adjust his schedule so he has Mondays off so he can go to the Dr each week, without having to lose sleep. He is also having about 10 different blood tests/panels ran on him, but they couldn't find a vein at the Dr's so he has to go to the Hospital to get that done. He HATES having blood drawn. He hasn't had a good blood panel ran on him for quite some time. It was nice to have a 'real' Doctor treat Rob with respect and concern instead of just skimming over his problems.

Going to the Doctor....

2009-03-04T11:47:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I had a bruise about the size of a quarter between my middle finger and my ring finger on my left hand, the bones were EXTREMELY tender so I had my dad xray it (he's a veterinarian....on of the perks is not having to go see a Dr all the time LOL!) Anyways no broken bones in my hand however the pink finger metacarpal bone is swollen, and sort of 'bumpy' on the edges and not as dense in the middle. We compared it to x-rays he took 2 months ago when I slipped on the ice and sprained my wrist really back, and there are some definite changes. Here are the radiographs it's on the pinkie finger

Notice the pinkie finger (bottom finger) in the x-ray see how it's all bulgy?

These were the ones taken before about 2 months ago, notice the pinkie finger.....it's normal.

Family Recipe Database

2009-02-25T20:59:00.006-07:00

The Family Recipes Database is UP and running! This is for family of Robert & Heather Thompson! We are going to collect bunches (hopefully) of recipes from both sides of our families and then load them into the book. We will probably have a "Briggs Family Cookbook" then a "Sims Family Cookbook take 2" and a "Thompson Family cookbook" so feel free to e-mail your recipes to cprcheetah@comcast.net we are hoping to get lots of input and support with this from both sides of our families! We are working on having a 'submittal' page where you can just type in your recipes.

Here is the link for the page: http://family.rnht.net/recipes/
Just click on one of the names/books on the top of the page to see the recipes, then click on the recipe name for the recipe.

Our Recipes is Rob N Heather's favorites...just a couple so far added.
Meal Master & More Meal Master have TONS and TONS of various Recipes
Sims Family Cookbook is the printed cookbook Jen Sims did for her Laurel Project way back when

7 Minute Icing on Angel Food Cake

2009-02-25T20:40:00.001-07:00

So it's not exactly "Diet" Friendly, but today was my dad's 66th birthday and I wanted to do something special for him. So I called my mom last night and asked what his favorite cake was...it is Angel Food Cake with his Mom's Seven Minute Frosting recipe. So I baked the cake last night at about 11:15 (Yah I was wired last night). Then this morning I attempted to make the frosting, the first attempt didn't really work out as we could only find 1/2 of our double boiler, and our hand mixer was acting up. So I was near tears and hubby gave the go ahead to go pick up a double boiler and a new hand mixer. I was so excited! So I made it and it's more like 20-30 minute frosting not 7 minute frosting :) I had to mix it for 20 minutes before it was forming peaks, so I probably should have gone a few minutes longer to get it even stiffer!

So I work for my dad, my mom had physical therapy and needed a ride home today. My dad didn't have any appointments, so we 'booked' a phony one to keep him at work so we could surprise him. I picked up my mom, gathered all the employees in the exam room, set up the cake etc, and told my dad his appointment was there. Now mind you, he thinks he has a real appointment there so he's asking all sorts of questions, how old is it, how long has it been vomiting, has it had any shots? any diarrhea? Yah I was stuttering and stammering coming up with answers, but it worked. As we went into the exam room all the workers started singing Happy Birthday to him. The look of happiness, and joy on his face was a kodak moment for sure (wish I would have thought to grab my camera), he was SOOOOO happy. I also got one of his favorite icecreams vanilla/orange sherbert combo, his favorite drink Orange Crush too. Overall I think it went well, the only thing I should have done differently was cook/beat it a little longer. My mom was impressed with how it went and said I can be the official "Dad" birthday cake maker from now on HA HA! My Grandpa (RIP)'s birthday was on Feb 23rd, and he preferred German Chocolate Cake w/homemade frosting, then my dad's birthday was 2 days later so they had the Angel Food/7 Min Frosting cake 2 days later :)

Here is the recipe for Phoebe Smith's (Great Grandma) 7 Minute Frosting

From: Gilda Sims

Makes: 1 servings

Ingredients:

2		egg whites
1	cup	sugar
1/2	cup	white syrup
1	tablespoon	lemon juice
1/4	cup	orange juice
1	tablespoon	orange rind

Instructions:

Make sure the cake is very cool before trying to frost. Beat all ingredients constantly in top of double boiler over medium-high heat, except orange rind, until stiff peaks form. Add orange rind and spread over cake.

Here are pictures of the cake I made:

Update on Jonathan

2009-02-20T22:10:00.002-07:00

For an update on Jon's divorce visit Mom & Dad's blog:
http://danjanicesims.blogspot.com/2009/02/update-on-jonathan.html

Sims Family Dinner

2009-02-16T23:31:00.004-07:00

Sunday was our monthly 'family' dinner, it was special as Danny was here from Canada to see the open house of the new Draper Temple. It was just Danny, Tyson, Nate & Alyssa as Makenna had an ear infection so Kristy & Amber stayed home with her. Anyways Brigg (Mike & Nikki's oldest) and Alyssa were having a ball playing with the hula hoop. They were singing Jingle Bells! Too Cute! (Sorry no sound on my camera).

Here are some random pictures of the kids (kids are always cuter than adults anyways).
Brigg playing with a mini etch a sketch

Brigg & Alyssa playing with the hula hoop

Brigg & Alyssa, that's Nate in the background

A very happy Braden

Braden, Showing me his truck and as you can tell he REALLY enjoyed the dinner :)

Tabitha

2009-02-11T19:19:00.005-07:00

For many of our readers, you have worked at or have been to Camelot Pet Resort (Uncle Dan's Veterinary Hospital), anyways if you know "Tabitha" aka Tabby Cat, she's not doing so hot. She has gone from 12# to 7.11# in a very short time period. She loves her water, always has to use her 'paw' to get it. Today we did a Urinalysis and Bloodwork on her, she has 3 different types of crystals in her urine as well as has elevated BUN (75) normal is up to 35 and Crea 4.6 normal is like 2. something. So little Miss Tabby Anne has Chronic Renal Failure (Kidney Failure). Here are a couple of websites with info: http://www.felinecrf.com/ or http://www.felinecrf.org/

Now Tabitha isn't showing any signs other than weigh loss and kind of 'weird' smelling breath. She has been awfully affectionate lately, 'begging/pawing' to be picked up. She also is a 'girl with a mission', she follows Heather around in the mornings and 'helps' clean by tasting everyone's fresh water. For now we are doing research to see what we need to do to lengthen/extend her life, and putting her on Royal Canin's Renal LP diet, (everyone gets to eat it since it's too hard to separate 4 kitties to eat).

Here are some cute pictures of Tabby Cat:
Yep still Cranky looking all the time!

During one of her 'flop' moments in front of fish tank

STUFFED herself into this tiny box, had to really try hard!

Likes to sleep on the desk when Alvin isn't hogging it :)

Yes this is Tabitha ON TOP of the filing cabinet!

Tabby on a Kozy Bag

Family Website Database

2009-02-08T22:09:00.003-07:00

Rob has been busily working on our website, he has developed a database for our Recipes, which includes some of our favorite recipes, as well as "The Sims Family Cookbook, that Jennifer did for her Laurels project for my dad's side of the family 'eons' ago. It's really cool, searchable, and automatically grabs the recipes from our KRecipes cookbook that we put in there. Anyways we thought it would be cool to have a "Family n Friends" Recipe Website where you can post some of your favorite family recipes etc. We would like your help in compiling recipes. So please send any and all recipes to heathernrob@gmail.com Send the ingredients, directions, comments, any pictures etc to us. If you know where the recipe came from please put that on there as well. We will put up a sample here in a bit so you can see how the website is going to work. We have been adding comments to some of our recipes, such as needed more flavor, or added this or that to it and it really made it. Thanks! We are VERY excited about this.

Puppy Love

2009-02-08T01:35:00.004-07:00

Does this look like he can't 'stand' the dog? It TOTALLY does not. Rob is ALWAYS telling me he can't stand the dog...who is as you can see a BIGTIME Daddy's boy! He pees all over me every time I touch him...but NEVER pees on Daddy. You can see the adoration in their faces....the dog is our chihuahua Sebastian who just turned 1 year in January. Rob comes home from work at night and gives Bastian some loves and Bastian just melts in his arms.

DeeJay is now our oldest kitty at 9 years old. Pipsqueak is a little kitten and just 8 months old...you guessed it Pippers LOVES to tease, torment, and make DeeJay squeal. So this is DeeJay's solution to annoying little brothers.....

Pip was pestering her on daddy's footstool so DeeJay got even and put her 13# of body weight on Pipsqueaks 7# LOL, she held him there for a while. Don't tell anyone but when she doesn't think we are watching she lets him lick, and clean her and love her and sometimes even plays with him......typical big sister/little brother relationship don't yah think? LOL!

Mamma Mia

2009-01-06T21:58:00.003-07:00

I went with Lara to see Mamma Mia while it was in the theaters, and I must say I'm an addict! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this show! It is just so awesome! I love the music have the soundtrack in my car and play it when having a bad day or just when I need a pick me up. It is truly one of my all time FAVORITE movies EVER. If you haven't seen it yet, I would STRONGLY recommend it to EVERYONE! It is a musical but it is an AWESOME one! Gotta love ABBA :) I was first introduced to them by Jennifer, then I had a friend in high school who played their music constantly. Lara remembers my dad used to play the "Super Trooper" song when we would travel.

P.S. Rob has to suffer through it for the first time tomorrow, we shall see how he likes it...he's dreading it! He says it's a 'Chick Flick"

2009-01-01T22:37:00.003-07:00

Mikey & Kristen Sierra, BJ Holt, Natalie Nelson

Kristen Sierra, BJ Holt, Natalie Nelson, Jen Holt & Jaden Holt

The confetti all over the place..again why my dad likes to have the party at his house...look at that mess...glad I don't live there anymore and don't have to clean up! ;)

New Years 2009 Part 1

2009-01-01T22:34:00.006-07:00

There is nothing like ringing the new year in with family. Here are some pictures that were taken on New Years Party at my dad's house...he LOVES to have New Years Eve at his house because that way he can make a huge mess with the confetti and won't get in trouble! He's like a little kid in that regard! We played a couple of games, Oodles, and Last Word, we have a fun time playing the games usually it's Men against Women, Lara does wonderful for the women, and Rob and BJ usually kick butt for the men. It was funny, my dad doesn't here well and the one game had a buzzer and he would always say the answer a few seconds after the buzzer, he's good for a chuckle! We love you Dad!

Rob and I, snuggled for the new year! What a happy couple!

Toasting with Martinelli's for the New Year

Another toasting picture:

L-R Uncle Mike, Aunt Joyce, Rob, My mom Janice, and Jon reading his 'factoid book'

Same except add my dad in the right after Jon

L-R Mikey & Kristen Sierra, BJ, Natalie and Jen & little Braden, and then Aunt Joyce in the red, you can see my dad's Projection TV with the Times Square in the background

What a wonderful day....

2008-12-25T22:55:00.004-07:00

Our day began with Rob waking me up at around 7:30ish with a loud "HO HO HO, Merry Christmas", he said he'd been trying to wake me up for 1/2 an hour! LOL! I'm a HEAVY HEAVY sleeper. We went downstairs and noticed that Santa had been there...he'd eaten a bite of the cookie we'd left out for him. ;) We looked at and opened our stockings, I got a couple packs of earrings, we both got jolly ranchers, chocolate covered pretzel balls, thin mints, jelly bellys (sours & tropical), and a bananna. Then started the gift opening. Rob got the worlds 'smallest' remote controlled Helicopter from www.thinkgeek.com (if you have a person who loves gadgets and gizmos and an adult who loves 'kiddy' toys....I'd strongly suggest you visit this site) as well as a Carnivorous Plant Kit (venus fly trap), he'd been wanting both of those for quite some time. He also got a Cybook Book Reader (Digital Book Reader) from Santa, we both got one of those, they are AWESOME and actually look like a 'paperback' book on the screen. He also got an M&M's dispenser fortune teller (aka his new decision maker for work). He got an extra 2 Gig SD Memory Card for his new bookreader. He got some socks, then I got him some of his 'favorite' holiday traditions candies (lifesavers book, a pecan log). We both also got new computer keyboards as ours were both worn out. We also got a nice standing lamp for our Living Room...we are going to get another one as we like this one so well.

Rob got me a "Slanket' which is essentially a blanket with sleeves to keep me warm, yet 'functional'. It's really really cool! I am ALWAYS cold and Rob is ALWAYS making sure I am covered up. He's always so cute and 'tender' about it! He also got me a 'ped egg' as my feet are bad. I got a new electrical blanket, as mine has wires poking out of it and is no longer 'safe'. BUT I use it just about EVERY night, Rob sleeps with the window open essentially ALL YEAR ROUND! I also got some stamps for scrapbooking, a nice microplush robe, some slippers, socks, 2 really nice necklaces, 1 is a crystalish type with a cat in mother of pearl type stuff, the other is Cubic with 2 hearts intertwined as one. I also got a MUCH needed Coat, I only have a heavier type jacket, as I haven't boughten a coat since I got back from my mission in 2003. WOW has it really been that long? My new coat is AWESOME, definitely gonna keep me warm.

After we opened presents we called Rob's brother and sister and his mom. His sister Eva lives in Grantsville and told Rob she told her kids not to come because of the snow, I guess they were getting hit really hard out there. Where we used to live last year in West Jordan got 12" of snow and the power was out and roads were closed! The wind was blowing really bad out here around 20MPH and it was snowing, Rob had a bad feeling so we stayed home from Bountiful, both of us cried, we wanted our FINN & HADDY. Rob loves that! Which is saying a lot as he is NOT a fish person. We were watching Rudolph and fell asleep cuddled on the couch after that. We woke up, Rob played with his toys, we had leftover Chinese for lunch and then just surfed on our puters, and watched a couple more Christmas Shows. We watched The Christmas Card (tearjerker and VERY good show), and Chevy Chases Christmas Vacation. We spent the evening in each others arms just loving each other. Overall we've had the best Christmas yet that we've had together this year. The only thing that could have made it more perfect is if we were able to make it to Bountiful. We are planning on visiting Rob's mom and heading out to Bountiful on Sunday to deliver and get the rest of our presents.

We are truly grateful for this holiday season, and are in remembrance of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. We have an ornament that one of the people Rob home taught made for him that has Jesus picture on it, at the top of our tree. Which helps us to remember the wonderful birth and life of our Savior.

I have pictures I will try to get them posted in the next day or so.

White Christmas

2008-12-25T11:53:00.004-07:00

Well we DEFINITELY are having a WHITE CHRISTMAS. We had a nice morning, opened presents etc, and were going to go out ot Bountiful at 11:00am for Finn & Haddy breakfast (that was Rob's determining factor as to whether or not we were going...not really) but Rob LOVES Finn & Haddy (Smoked Haddock). He is NOT a fish person either. It is snowing so bad here that the roads would be hazardous to get past the point of the mountain here. So sadly we have to postpone our Christmas morning/presents at The Sims house. We both cried about it as we really wanted to go. Finn & Haddy is one of my 'FAVORITE' Christmas traditions. Rob says if the forecast is calling for bad snow in the future we're gonna have to get our own as that's one tradition he wants to continue with our family.

Here are some pictures from our backyard...you can see how much snow there is here: It's still coming down and the wind is blowing it everywhere too. We know why the SR92 had such a disastrous storm/problem here last year the night that it took Rob 5 hours to get home from Orem to West Jordan (it normally took him 1 hr), but here in Lehi on the 'off' roads they don't exactly plow them the best. It's been an adventure trying to get up the hills and stuff. Especially in our complex, they don't 'salt' the roads so it's like trying to drive on an ice skating rink when there is snow out.

Low Carb Pancakes (Pork Rhinds)

2008-12-16T21:08:00.003-07:00

Ewww...gross was the comment my hubby made when I told him I wanted to try them...my curiousity got the best of me and I made them tonight, they aren't half bad...actually I like them better than regular pancakes (I have to be in a 'mood' for pancakes to actually enjoy them). They puff up just like regular pancakes and to me are more 'moist' they have a nice flavor. Here's my picture:

Low-Carb Pancakes (Pork Rinds)

(1 serving) Printable Version

2 eggs
1/4 cup HEAVY Cream
1/2 of a 3-oz bag of unflavored pork rinds
3 packets of Splenda (or other sugar alternative)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg

Crumble pork rinds until they resemble bread crumbs.

In a seperate bowl, beat eggs until frothy then add remaining ingredients and continue to beat until well mixed. Add pork rinds to the egg/cream mixture and set aside for 5 minutes to allow batter to thicken.

Cook on a lightly greased skillet as you would any pancake recipe. Drop batter on surface large spoonfulls. Cook until each side is lightly browned.

Serve with butter and a low-carb store bought syrup. Or for an interesting low-carb topping, mix 1 Tablespoon of sugar-free jam with 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons water and microwave for 45 seconds.

These pork rinds are surprisingly low in fat and have zero carbs. They may sound pretty crazy, but these little pancakes are fantastic! For more low-carb recipes try Mr Breakfast's Low-Carb Breakfast Index.

WHY JESUS IS BETTER THAN SANTA CLAUS

2008-12-12T16:34:00.001-07:00

Santa lives at the North Pole ...
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh ...
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year ...
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies ...
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited ...
JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited.

You have to wait in line to see Santa ...
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap ...
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy
Or girl, what's your name?" ...
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name. He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly ...
JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO ...
JESUS offers Health, Help and Hope.

Santa says "You better not cry" ...
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa's little helpers make toys ...
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but ...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree ...
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in CHRISTmas,
Jesus is still the reason for the season.

Who Started Christmas?

2008-12-10T02:20:00.002-07:00

This morning I heard a story on the radio of a woman who was out Christmas
shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row
of toys and everything else imaginable. And after hours of hearing both her
children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally
made it to the elevator with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of
the year. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming,
taste all the holiday food and treats, getting that perfect gift for every
single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on
our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who
sent us a card.

Finally the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the car.
She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all
the bags of stuff. When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and
stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung
up and shot."

From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't
worry we already crucified him." For the rest of the trip down the elevator
it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Don't forget this year to keep the One who started this whole Christmas
thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. If we all did it,
just think of how different this whole world would be.

-- Author Unknown

Our Tree

2008-12-08T23:23:00.003-07:00

2008-12-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

Sprite Floats

2008-12-03T14:44:00.004-07:00

My husband and I are 'equals' in every way....we are the only ones that can 'get each other' i.e. play practical jokes on each other. He made some "Sprite Floats' and the one on the left is the one that he brought me....the one on the right is his.

He was 'hiding' the 'real' one, yes he did make me a 'normal sized one and 'hid' it from me, till I tickled it out of him.

Baby Birds 5 weeks old

2008-12-03T11:53:00.004-07:00

They are really changing now:
http://setarehpets.net/babiesdec1.html

So far we have:
1- Boo
2- Samantha Opaline not sure on color variety yet
3- Freddie: Jade Double Violet (Green Single Dark Factor, Double Violet Factor)
4- Casper: no sure on color yet

Update on my weight loss...

2008-11-30T21:08:00.003-07:00

Today I hit another milestone! I'm down to 215# Which is a loss of 35# total since July of this year. I am also down 2 sizes from a 22 down to an 18. I am SO psyched. I have hit my 'New Years Resolution' to lose at least 2 sizes! I've still got a long ways to go (about 65 more #) until I am 'happy' with my weight...but I'm making progress. I couldn't have done it without the support of my hubby nor the support of my friends at www.choosing2lose.com which is an AMAZING weight loss support forum with TONS of amazing ladies who are all in the same boat, yet are VERY super supportive. Anyways just wanted to 'toot' my horn!

What I've Learned from Santa

2008-11-29T20:15:00.003-07:00

Encourage people to believe in you.
Always remember who's naughty and who's nice.
Don't pout.
It's more fun to give than it is to receive.
Some days it's ok to feel a little chubby.
Bright red can make anyone look good.
Wear a wide belt and no-one will notice how many pounds you've gained.
If you only show up once a year, everyone will think you're very important.
Whenever you're at a loss for words, say:
"HO, HO, HO!"

Working at moving our blog

2008-11-28T16:53:00.003-07:00

We are working on moving our blogs to our own server so we will be able to have more things on there, more pictures etc.....so I've been using that for the past few days here are some of the entries, So come on over and see our new blog...it's still a work in progress as I will be 'moving' everything over there.

This is our "Animals" Blogs
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php

Baby birds at 3 weeks:
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/title-1
We've got a new 'FID'...new budgie/parakeet
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/we-ve-got-a-new-fid-maybe-1
My Daddy's boy...Sebastian our chihuahua with Dad
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/my-little-daddy-s-boy
Pictures of my Budgies:
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/title-3
Pictures of Baby Lovebirds at 4 Weeks
http://blogs.rnht.net/zoo.php/pictures-of-the-baby-birds-week-4

This is Rob & Heather's New Blog:
http://blogs.rnht.net/robnheather.php
Come read about Thanksgiving!

New Pictures of baby birds!

2008-11-21T15:05:00.004-07:00

The oldest is now 3 weeks old! They are getting so big! "Boo" who is the oldest is starting to get colored feathers. Boo likes to be held which is good. I was worried about how 'tame' they'd be seeing as how they are 'parent' raised. But they seem to be doing good with the daily handling I am doing with them.

Another niece or nephew!

2008-11-21T12:31:00.005-07:00

Danny called us last night, Kristy is expecting their 6th child in April! Since they don't find out what it will be before it's born it will be a surprise! Rob's comment was "Give us one We'll take Nate!" (Specifically he was meaning Nate....Rob just loves his "buddy Nate".)

It's funny because Rob has a 'buddy' at work named "Nate" too :)

We are still trying and although it is painful to deal with we know that when the time is right we will be blessed with a child of our own. It seems like everyone around us is being blessed with children right now. Family & Friends. Congrats everyone!

It is a challenge but I know (both our Patriarchial Blessings) that we will have children in this life, It is hard to be patient and accept things according to the Lord's timeline but I know it will happen.

Addendum: I forgot to mention that Danny surprised me by telling me how bonded his family is to Duncan, the little toy poodle we gave him a couple months ago. He said that he didn't know what they'd do if anything happened to him. Which made me feel really good. He came for a visit at the Clinic when Danny & his family went to Disney Land and he was excited to see me, but Danny said he was excited to see them when they got back which really makes me happy. Danny also said he is 'mellow' Rob and I just chuckled at that, he was in constant motion at our house, but Danny has the advantage of having 5 kids to tire Duncan out...and one more on the way! I don't think we could have asked for a better home for Duncan! While it was hard to give him up, I know he's in a GREAT place and is doing great in his new home!

My Mom & Dad's Blog

2008-11-15T18:43:00.002-07:00

My mom and dad now have a blog if anyone wants to see it:
h ttp://danjanicesims.blogspot.com
Go leave a comment or two :)

Miracles of Modern Medicine

2008-11-12T16:43:00.003-07:00

Meet Meiko aka Pipsqueek. He is an adoption kitten at Camelot. He was born with a bad heart, he had/has Patent Ductus Arteriosis We have had him on Enalapril, a special heart diet, and Rimadyl (Prostaglandin Inhibitor) since Sept 27th. We researched it and someone on one of the groups I am on suggested the Prostaglandin Inhibitor as it is tried in children with PDA before surgery is considered. Pipsqueek was rechecked last Friday and we can't hear a heart murmur or rapid heart rate any longer. (Well we had to 'distract' him with alcohol on a cotton ball so he would quit purring so my dad could listen to his heart) He is doing better! We are going to recheck it again in a week to make sure, but he may not need the surgery after all! Rob is in love with Pipsqueek. He has a cute personality is a little bit nervous, but is a sweetie, and loves attention. He is 6 months old right now and is just the size of a 10 week old kitten.

Update on the Baby Birds

2008-11-12T16:37:00.002-07:00

4 out of the 5 eggs were fertile: They are now 10-14 days old. The one on the right is the oldest the one in the upper middle is the youngest. It appears that we have 1 blue factor bird and 3 green factor birds.

Dad and Mom enjoying their daily greens. They LOVE getting their daily greens. I give them broccoli, kale, red & green leaf lettuce, carrots, and a 'cooked' birdy mixture of nuts/beans. The African Grey only really devours the broccoli and carrots. The Lovebirds and Budgies (Parakeets) like just about everything except the rice in the birdy mixture.

What is a natural Dr?

2008-11-11T21:01:00.001-07:00

In layman's terms, they tend to lean more towards diet/exercise adjustments as well as 'neutraceuticals' instead of 'pharmaceuticals'. Rob calls them a 'witch' Dr. but I don't think they are. His comments on my loving my new Dr is "Of course you love them, you're the supplement queen." Yes I take a LARGE handful of vitamins/supplements each day/night but I know they help me (glucosamine/chondroitin, vit e, flax oil, fish oil, vit c, prenatal vitamins (in case we do get preggers), Magnesium, vit d....yah the list goes on but I know they help me. When I don't take the glucosamine I can feel a difference. I think they also help my energy levels etc. I do a lot of research on the internet, and a lot of the 'supplements' I take for more than one of my list of ailments, such as the PCOS, Arthritis and Depression ones tend to help other ailments besides the main one.

The difference I've noted is instead of saying "You have allergic rhinitis, maybe I should add a steroidal nose spray that's addicting and if you stop it it makes it 10 times worse" They say
"You have allergic rhinitis, I would recommend that you flush your sinuses with a saline solution twice a day" I haven't been told that by ANY of the Dr's I've gone too, not even the ENT I went too. Guess what I'm 10 times better since I've been doing that. Or even telling me about the fact that Prevacid (Gastric Reflux Drug) causes Osteoporosis. I've been on it almost every day for the past 3 years. NOT a good thing!

To explain more about what a 'natural' Dr is, I'm going to 'borrow' what is in my Dr's brochure/website:

Our Approach:
The human body is capable of healing itself if given the proper direction. This is accomplished by supplying missing biochemical intermediates (usually derived from nutrients) and avoiding interfering substances.

The increasing amounts of toxins in our environment (food, water, air) act as interrupters in our bodies and are primary contributors to the heavy burden of chronic disease in our society.

We believe that patentable pharmaceuticals act to block normal physiological pathways in a variety of ways, producing changes in symptoms. Sometimes these effects are needed for acute problems. However, because drugs are foreign to the body and do not support normal physiological pathways, they do not lead to true healing.

We focus on the contributions of 7 factors related to health which may need to be balanced or corrected.

Nutrient sufficiency
We want to make sure the body has the raw materials to heal, and that nothing is missing. This includes adequate protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, oxygen and pure water.
Muscle strength
Loss of muscle mass as we age has the highest correlation to declining health. Exercise is indispensable.
Neurotransmitter balance
The loss of this balance plays a big role in many of the functional problems that interfere with living a happy, energetic and pain-free life.
Hormonal balance
We look at gonadal, thyroid and adrenal hormones to see which may need to be supported, replaced or tempered.
Toxins
We have recommendations on limiting exposure to environmental toxins such as plastics organophosphates and heavy metals. We also recommend protocols to help the body detoxify.
Allergies
Food and environmental allergies and sensitivities often are greatly responsible for common uncomfortable symptoms.
Infections
Bacterial, viral and fungal organisms may be important triggering factors in persistent symptoms.

Update on Heather (Natural Dr Visit)

2008-11-06T00:02:00.002-07:00

I had my follow up visit with the Natural Doctor today. I am still very i impressed with him. I weighed in at 231 there today which was depressing but I know on my scale at home I weighed in at 219.8# this morning.....so that's keeping me happy. I am down 4# according to their scale (which is one of those inaccurate sliding ones). He was happy with that. I know I'm down as I had to make a new notch for my belt this morning and my pants are practically falling off...yet I'm still not 100% ready for the next size down...at least in my levis.

He actually took the time to discuss all my lab results and explain what they meant. He was a little concerned with my Glucose as it was 94 normal is 65-99 however since I was fasting it should have been down around 70. I do have PCOS/Insulin Resistance so that is what is causing the elevated Glucose. He discussed more about my diet and really wants me to cut back on the carbs by quite a bit, increase protein and vegetables. He doesn't want an extreme low carb diet but I need to do 'lower' carbs. Which is gonna be tough for me as I LOVE my pasta. I have done a low carb before and did quite well on it (lost 70#), so we'll see....my problem is the funding for the low carb diet...it's expensive to eat lots of meat and veggies. ARGH So I need to go research low carb I guess....if anyone has any good website feel free to share

We discussed my Vit D deficiency as well. My levels are at 30 normal is 32-100 he likes to see it at 80 so it's got to come up quite a bit. Right now he wants me on 5000 I.U twice daily for 2 months! So I'm taking 5 pills twice a day.....trying to find a higher dose Vit D pill.

My gastric reflux is doing AWESOME! I'm only taking 1 Prevacid a week now and going to try and get off of those this month. I take DGL Licorice Root after meals, and before bedtime and for flareup, but I'm down to just 1-2 flares a week and that is because I love my tomatoes. The local college (BYU) is doing a study on the risks of osteoporosis from taking longterm Acid Reducers. Here is something I found on that: http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/heartburnosteo.html SCARY Stuff...glad I am getting off of it! I've never had a broken bone and don't plan on it! Knock on wood So in one month I've gone from 1 Prevacid and several Ranitidine Tablets as well as tums as needed and puking about 1-2 times a week to not puking at all and only having the DGL Licorice Root. YEAH!

Also discussed Caffeine, and I told him I am cutting back, told him yesterday I did not even have 1 Diet Coke and haven't today so far either. He was excited. He told me that In order to prevent the caffeine withdrawal headaches I needed to make sure to drinkof lots and lots of water. He was saying it simulates the dilation of the vessels/flow that the caffeine causes....I can't remember exactly what he said.

Overall I am VERY happy with this Dr. He knows his stuff and is into full education of the patient something that I've NEVER had before. He shows genuine concern. Also I'm feeling better so that's good too. Now if I can just find something good for my arthritis/joints I'll be in great shape. He said the Vit D will help with that some, rechecking me in 2 months and at that point we will see how I am doing, but may find something to add to help joints.

My next plan is to find a Podiatrist, I have an toe nail that's been bothering me off and on for the past 3 years, but now it's persistant painful and swelling....

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

2008-11-02T23:07:00.005-07:00

I got this recipe from www.choosing2lose.com (a weight loss forum that I am on). It is VERY simple and REALLY yummy and for those watching the points it is only 6pts for each muffin. Which I think is really reasonable. The original recipe called for Devils Food Cake 1 Box and 1 15oz Can of Libby's Pumpkin. Since Rob has asthma we have to really watch the chocolate so we opted to make it with Spice Cake. Heres the recipe:

1 Box Spice Cake (or Devil's Food Cake)
1 Can Libby's Pumpkin 15oz

Mix 2 ingredients together. Then put into Muffin cups/tin. Makes 12 Muffins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 18 minutes. (we had to add about 7 minutes to this time because our oven isn't 100% accurate---just do the toothpick test on them).

These Muffins are literally TO DIE FOR! They are VERY VERY TASTY! To make a special treat we added Cream Cheese Frosting to a couple of them. Which only added 1.5 Pts to the muffin.

We've got babies!

2008-10-31T21:03:00.002-06:00

Well my lovebirds have started hatching! So far we've got 2 babies, one born on the 29th, and one today on halloween. Aren't they the cutest? I LOVE the 2nd picture!

We're gonna be 'grand--feathered--parents'

2008-10-20T21:28:00.005-06:00

We have 5 Birds right now (1 Congo African Grey, 2 Lovebirds and 2 Parakeets), well October 6th, my lovebird Kira whom is 2 years old decided to start laying eggs, so every other day for about 10 days she laid an egg, so we've got 5 eggs. We are hoping they are fertile as both my lovies are both DNA'd sexed 1 Male 1 Female.
Here are the pictures:

This is her nesting box, his and her feathers, and then lots and lots of shredded paper towels, they shred their cage lining EVERY day. Thinking gonna have to get something else for the bottom of their cage! They've got about 4 or 5 large piles around their cage. BUT it's best not to disturb them too much or mommy will get really upset!

Here's the happy couple. Kira (mommy) on the left she is a Sea Green Lovebird, and Kai is on the right he is a Green Violet Peach Face Lovebird. They both came from the same breeder in West Jordan. Kai is fairly recent addition after Kira's '1st Mate' had an unfortunate accident with my cat DeeJay.......Kermit was 6 years old. But Kira and Kermit weren't bonded very well. But Kai and Kira are VERY VERY close! He takes her food into the nesting box so she doesn't have to leave the babies for very long! What a sweetie....wish all men were like that :)

The eggs have to incubate for about 23 days, so beginning on the 29th of October we will begin watching for hatchlings! I'm so excited, I've never really dealt with baby birds before other than the baby sparrows/robins that have been brought into the clinic. So this is a DEFINITE learning experience. Rob has had lots of birds...so this is one 'animal' species where he 'dwarfs' my knowledge :).

I'm Deficient LOL!

2008-10-16T20:35:00.002-06:00

Well I got my blood test results back yesterday...WOW only 1 week! I STILL haven't heard from my other Dr other than that my pap was normal. Anyways I'm Vit D Deficient. Normal ranges are 32.0-100.0 My level was at 30.3. It says Recent Studies consider the lower limit of 32.0 ng/ml to be a threshold for Optimal Health. So I guess I need more sunshine :). He wants me to start taking 5000mg twice daily for 2 months then down to 1x day with rechecking levels in 6 months. It explains some of the bone/muscle weakness/pain I've been experiencing while exercising.

My weight loss journey

2008-10-13T22:05:00.003-06:00

I work as a Vet Tech and I LOVE to wear different designer cute print scrub tops. I always try and get some for the Holidays. Well I have a Halloween one that I loved but it was a size Lg so I couldn't wear it last year well guess what! I can wear it! I have been wearing 2X tops! My butt still needs to shrink but other than that it fits GREAT! Excuse the hair; I only had 4 hours of sleep the night these pics were taken:

Here is a before picture back in July do you think I'm making progress? This picture was with 12# extra in WATER WEIGHT!

I know I can see a difference in my thighs and my waist line. Hmmmm gonna have to have hubby take a pic of my butt LOL, no really, A LOT of my weight is in my butt and thighs. He's told me it's getting smaller though.

For anyone wanting to follow my journey: http://notime2weight.blogspot.com I am doing online Weight Watchers/Slim Fast have lost 28# so far and hope to lose about 70# more.

Fried Green Tomatoes

2008-10-13T21:49:00.004-06:00

Ever since I saw the movie way back when I've wanted to try some and have just never gotten around to it. Well here in Utah we had SNOW this weekend....and this weeks forecast is 71! LOL! You know you live in Utah if you have SNOW and 70's in the same week :). Anyways my mom and dad had a TON of tomatoes and a lot were green so I picked some up and made some Fried Green Tomatoes tonight!
YUMMY! I really enjoyed them! Here's the Recipe I used:

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES from Southern Living

Yield

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Preparation

Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.

Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt

***IMO they could have used a little more flavoring in the breading...not sure what though.

Natural Medicine?

2008-10-08T22:09:00.002-06:00

As many of you who know me know, I have a lot of different health issues (PCOS, Arthritis, Gastric Reflux (GERD), Allergies, SEVERE Dry Skin & more), anyways I was looking for a new Dr here in Lehi, and called one that my insurance was good with, they told me the next opening wasn't until February with the Dr but their Nurse Practitioner (her hubby) could get me in sooner. BUT they were a more Alternative/Natural Medicine Philosphy. So I weighed my decision and decided what the heck, I already take a bazillion supplements so why not give it a try!

Wow! I was SOOOOOOO impressed! They took a THOROUGH history of all the medications/supplements I'm taking right now, then the Nurse Practitioner spent OVER AN HOUR with me going over my issues, the different meds I currently take, and supplements, what to change, what to discontinue and what to add, as well as doing a full blood panel with some vitamin levels as well. He also informed me of the risks of the GERD drug Prevacid I take, it depletes your calcium as well as you become 'addicted' to it because it stops you from forming acid, so therefore if you ever try and go off of it, you produce acid in WAY EXCESS....so we are trying to wean me off of it using Licorice Root (DGHL) on an alternating day schedule. So far the Licorice Root seems to be working GREAT. EVEN with the Prevacid I am BAD Refluxy right now no matter what, and the Licorice Root seems to be helping and can be taken every 15 minutes with no side effects if needed. It just upsets me as my Dr nor Pharmacist has EVER mentioned the problems with the Prevacid.

Then I am adding some 'mood' supplements as soon as we can afford them ($65/month), and added a cheaper one that will help with my Mood issues. We also scheduled an appt in 3 weeks for a followup/discuss results of the bloodwork (my previous Dr I have to call and BEG the results out of them!). He is also going to send me a copy of all results. He thinks that if I lose weight, a lot of my issues will be lessened/dissappear, which is true as a lot of them are aggravated by weight loss, he also commended me on the weight loss so far. I also added a steroid inhaler as if you have to use the rescue one more than once or twice a week you should have that one too. And discontinuing a nose spray that my other Dr put me on as it causes Reverse Congestion. I am doing saline rinses instead now. I feel somewhat better

Although he did tell me that my issues would probably be pretty bad for a while until we got things stabilized going off of some of the drugs/supplements so it's gonna be a rough ride, but I think it will be worth it! SORRY if TMI for people, I know some people have some similar issues so wanted to try and be 'helpful'. Let me know if you have any questions.

We also made Apple Sauce & Apple Jelly

2008-10-07T21:34:00.005-06:00

Rob decided that since we were going to be canning might as well do some apples too. So he picked up 3 different varietes of apples and we peeled them using our nifty apple peeler

We got it from Walmart last December and LOVE it! Picking up some applesauce after it's been cooked. We left some chunks in there, it's pretty good!

Putting in some of the apple jelly. Again we used Splenda/Sugar mix and it was 1/2 of what the recipe called for and was still GREAT!

You can see the chunks in this. The Applesauce is almost the consistency of apple butter but not quite.

And of course Quality Control at it again:

BTW....it was DEFINITELY DeeJay Approved! She went NUTS for it kept pawing at my hand to get more!

It's hard work being the supervisor! DeeJay asleep on our Satellite Receiver....it's warm and one of her FAVORITE spots!

Canning Peaches

2008-10-06T20:58:00.011-06:00

So my mom and dad gave us a BUNCH of Peaches from their peach trees....granted they sat in my dad's truck all day on a semi-warm day so they were REALLY REALLY ripe. I've never really put up anything on my own (remember helping my mom when I was younger). So Rob and I spent Conference Sunday (only day off before they were WAY too far gone to use) canning peaches while we listened to General Conference. Here's some pics/proof :)
We basically had a large apple box and 1/2 of a large laundry detergent bucket full! The Pint Jars were ALL we could find, we went to 4 stores all together and NO ONE had ANY Quart Jars, I guess canning is popular in Utah County! Look at how pretty they are!

Rob was the official peeler etc, they were so ripe we didn't even have to boil them to peel, it just slid right off!

I was the offically "Lid Putter Onner" :) This is what happens when you ask your husband to take a picture :) He's usually the camera PRO! We made the light syrup with 1/2 Sugar and 1/2 Splenda to cut calories!

Starting to heat up. We don't have the canning supplies yet so we had to improvise a little!

Finished Product! We got 18 Pints! We did have to throw some out probably could have gotten at least another 10-12 pints! My mom and dad got 24 pints out of the peaches they kept!

Quality Control: DeeJay was supervising!

Greek Chicken & Pasta

2008-09-28T14:22:00.002-06:00

I made this on Friday night. Got the recipe from: E-Mealz Menus & Meal Planning which is a site that has different options and will give you a weekly menu with a shopping list etc. I love it, I have a REALLY hard time coming up with stuff on my own so this works great for me.

Greek Chicken & Pasta Makes 3 servings
6 Weight Watchers Points Each *Heather is doing WW and is down 25#
Read about her Weight Loss Journey on her blog: http://notime2weight.blogspot.com
3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 c fresh spinach
4oz sliced mushrooms
2 Roma Tomatoes sliced
1/3 c Reduced Fat Feta Cheese
1/2 c Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigerette**
1 1/2 cup cooked Angel Hair Pasta

Cut chicken into tenders. Layer spinach, chicken tenders (I seasoned with Garlic & Onion Powder and Seasoned salt), mushrooms, tomatoes & then feta in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Pour vinaigerette over all ingredients and bake 30 min at 350 uncovered. Divide into 3 portions and serve each portion with 1/2 cup pasta.

**I had no balsamic vinaigerette and didn't feel like making any so I used: Two Sisters Gourmet Garlic Parmasan Vinaigerette and it TRULY made the meal way NUMMY! My hubby is NOT a big fan of vinegar products but he REALLY like this one, said it was a keeper, he suggested instead of the Angel Hair pasta to use toasted italian bread underneath it.

Learning from each other....

2008-09-25T20:36:00.003-06:00

Rob and I have been married for 3 & 1/2 years (April 9, 2005) and I have learned so much from him, as he has learned from me. For example, I just switched the background on our blog and the text stayed the same color and made it hard to read. Since I met Rob I have become more web/internet/html savvy and was able to change the html to change the color of the fonts on our blog. 4 years ago I wouldn't have had a clue how to do that. I am so proud of myself! What a great teacher I've had!

Rob has learned how to love animals from me. He didn't really grow up around animals (for those who know me....you're probably laughing about now as I am an animal NUT, and have ALWAYS had a Zoo so to speak). It took some convincing but Rob is now an animal lover, although I think he prefers cats to dogs. Rob was actually pretty allergic to cats while he was growing up and when we were dating/chatting we weren't sure if I'd be able to own any of my cats. Well MIRACULOUSLY when we got married, he has done REALLY well with our cats, the only time he has issues is if he gets clawed or gets hair in his eyes. Rob also has a 'touch' with animals. He can calm even the most timid/scared of cats. Meiko is a 'foster baby' whom we are socializing at home this week. He has a heart defect, he is only 4 months old and has something called Patent Ductus Arteriosus. Anyways he is very nervous and scared, but look at how Rob's touch just calms...I've been told he has the same touch with screaming/crying children/babies.....he's going to make an AMAZING father!

yo yo loaches

2008-09-21T02:34:00.001-06:00

here are some pictures of my yo-yo loaches. the dark spots on it show up the yo-yo on them. if you look closely there is a y then the spot in the middle. that's how they got their name. sorry for the lack of capital letters for some reason my shift key isn't working.

Life's Struggles

2008-09-19T22:02:00.002-06:00

Ever since I served my Mission for the LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) I have a newfound love for parables. This one is so touching and meaningful. It is so true. Our challenges/struggles shape us and mold us into the person/people we are. Without them we would not know courage, strength, sadness, happiness....etc etc etc...

Life’s Struggles

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It just seemed to be stuck. Then the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily.

But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets.

~~unknown

Our newest 'addition'....fish

2008-09-13T23:08:00.002-06:00

About 6 months or so ago I bought some 'breeder' grass for my fish tank as the babies were getting eaten faster than they were born. Anyways about 2-3 weeks later I had SNAILS EVERYWHERE. I have cloroxed my fish tank twice, replaced EVERYTHING once and even had my tank EMPTY for a week and I still have the little buggers! Anyways I got some "No More Snail" which is essentially a waste of money as it doesn't work worth a dime! So today I picked up a couple of Yo Yo Loaches and YES they do have 'Yo Yo Written on their sides....LOL and another Pleco as my cool pleco didn't survive the move. Within SECONDS of being let out in the tank the Yoyo's IMMEDIATELY got to work sucking out snails! WAHOO! I think I may finally get rid of my nasty snails!

Here's the 'up and up' on Yo-Yo's

"Yoyo" Loach (Botia almorhae)

by Mark in Vancouver — last modified Aug 13, 2007 08:50 AM

Summary

Scientific Name: Botia almorhae (Gray, 1831)

Common name: Yoyo Loach, Almorha Loach, Pakistani Loach, Reticulated loach

Synonyms: Botia lohachata

Distribution: India, Nepal, Bangladesh.

Sexual Dimorphism: Females generally plumper all over than males and can get extremely fat when full of eggs. Males exhibit redness around barbels and mouth.

Maximum size: 6 inches

Similar to: Botia rostrata, Botia histrionica

Care: In nature, the fish live in calmer water pool areas of highland streams. The young are usually found in more lowland waters. The tank should include lots of hiding places amongst rocks and driftwood. Excellent diggers that appreciate a sand substrate to protect the delicate barbels. Lighting should be subdued.

Feeding: Good quality flake, sinking pellets, algae wafers, chopped earthworms, thawed frozen Bloodworm, Mysis Shrimp, chopped cocktail shrimp. Avoid over-feeding as these fish are very greedy. This species is an avid consumer of snails.

Water parameters: pH:6.5-7.5 Hardness: Medium Max dh: <12

Temperature: 76ºF to 82ºF(22-27.7°C)

Breeding: Not bred in aquaria, but mature females regularly fill with spawn.

Notes

Botia almorhae is a generally peaceful, robust loach that is regularly available. They should be kept in a group of their own species. Like Clown Loaches, they have a social structure, and a certain amount of in-fighting will be seen. For this reason, provide numerous hiding places so that less dominant fish may escape the attentions of more boisterous individuals. During times of fighting or sometimes at feeding time, a pair of fish may "gray out." The base colour will darken considerably, changing the contrast between the markings and the regular body colour, so that the fish resembles more the colouration shown in the picture of the highly reticulated adult below.

Body markings can be very variable in this species, and there is a marked difference between juveniles and adults. Adults develop more "in-fill" of the juvenile markings to a point where the whole fish may be reticulated, hence one of its common names.

Within the ornamental fish trade and in most countries in the aquatic community, the fish is now known as the Yoyo Loach. This term was coined because of the noticeable juvenile pattern consisting of alternate 'Y's and 'O's along the fish's sides, and is credited to our long-term Loaches Online member, Ken Childs while he was working at Dolphin International, a fish importers in Los Angeles.

Sick Fur Babies

2008-09-09T22:32:00.001-06:00

We've got a few sick "Furkids" (Dogs/Cats) read about them on our "The Thompson Zoo Blog"
http://thethompsonzoo.blogspot.com