Family portrait

I know, you are probably tired of seeing this bald eagle and the eaglets, but I have share this photo.  Tonight as we sat down for dinner - we don't typically sit together for meals, or at least not at the dining room table.  With the limited space we have, our schooling has taken over our dining room table (the school area isn't finished in the basement - far from it, no electricity and no carpet on the cold concrete floor are just the major things missing), so anyway we sit where we can find a spot.  Well, tonight Cassie and I sat, sort of, at the table, my plate propped up on the books and Cassie pulled a chair up beside me and we flipped over to see if we could see the little eaglets. 

We were so lucky because the mom eagle was off the nest and we got to see the little ones.  We watched them for a while and listened to her squack before dad showed up.  It was actually very interesting because when he showed up the eaglets - looked like- cowardly settled down.  They put their heads down and were real still.  There was some communication between mom and dad and then mom left and so did we. 

Momma Eagle, Liberty feeding her eaglets!!

We got to watch Liberty feed Freedom and Patriot this morning.  She was so gentle with them.  It was neat to watch how she'd shred the meat and give to one and then to the other.  They were good about taking turns. 

We can't wait till they are a little bigger.

Dog Nap . . .

When I cancelled school today, Cassie decided to go out and hang out with Chloe.  She was tired from getting up early and having a piano and flute lesson via Skype.  So she took a cat, I mean dog nap.  LOL

Just a little tease of warmer weather

Well, it is such a nice day. This morning on our way home from the hospital (I had an echocardiogram), Jay mentioned it was suppose to be a high of 70 degrees today and the kids would probably want to be outside. Then he continued to inform me that by Thurs., it is suppose to only be in the forties. It didn't take me long to decide to cancel school. We haven't had very many nice days around here, and we all have cabin fever so bad. Plus, I still wanted to take some time to rest and try to get some of the things done that I didn't get done over the weekend.

So, when we got home around 9:45 a.m., the kids were scrambling to get their school ottomans out and get school started. Of course, I had to play the mom/teacher, "you mean you haven't started school, yet?!" You see school starts around here at 9:30 a.m. Well, of course they were thinking what to say. Of course Mackenzie said, "We just realized what time it was." How funny. They heard the garage door and probably realized then what time it was. Well, anyway, I told them it was a good thing they hadn't started because school was cancelled for today. They of course started thanking their dad, but he was quick to let them know it was my idea.

We've done a few things around the house - laundry, cleaning and reorganizing the garage, making our lists for what to pack, and mentally packing. But most of all, the kids have spent some quality time outside.

They decided to take Jay's wagon and ride it down the same hill the sledded down . . .



















I took pictures of the girls and then decided it would be best served with video. I thought too that Zack would be the one that would either wipe out or end up in one of the many doggie poop piles . . .



. . . but he did not. Well, it was still fun to watch.

There's a baby eagle!!

Here's a picture of the baby eagle and the mom, Liberty.

A trip to the ER

Well, I just wanted to share with you all a scare we had the other night.  For several days I have been having some pains and discomfort in the left side of my chest, breast area and into my shoulder.  I remember starting to complain about it on Monday evening, more like I'd get a twinge and I'd grab that area.  The pain would be minimal in the morning upon waking up and just gradually become more throughout the day and by night I'd go to bed hoping to sleep it off.  By Wednesday afternoon Cassie was telling me I should go to the doctor, and by Wednesday night so was Jay.  I thought maybe I had pulled a muscle or something over the weekend and just kept ignoring, as best as I could, the pain/discomfort.  I really didn't want to go to the doctor No. 1, IF there is something wrong it might prohibit us from going on our upcoming (much needed) trip and No. 2, I haven't even established care with a primary doctor so I didn't even know who to go to.

Unfortunately, the pain was getting worse and not better as the days were going, but I just didn't want to have to go to the doctor.  But by midnight on Thursday evening the pain was more intense, I was having trouble breathing, I had had a couple of dizzy spells, and my shoulder felt like it was on fire.  I was really scared now.  So, Jay woke Cassie and he took me to the emergency room.

Long story short . . . they hooked me up to an EKG, drew blood, monitored my blood pressure and pulse, took a chest x-ray, and gave me moraphine for the pain, which didn't help so about 30 min. later gave me some other pain med that took the edge off and I was able to start to rest.  Not sure how long I was there, but the good news was they ruled out ALL life threatening issues.  I wasn't having a heart attack and a blood clot had been ruled out.  Okay, but I was still in pain and no clear explanation. The doctor said the only thing left for them to do was a CAT scan to see a better picture of the lungs and heart to see if there was something they missed.  The doctor had mentioned some other possibilities for the pain like pleurisy or another form of inflammation.  I asked if it could be anxiety, but believe me I'm pretty sure it is more than that because of the time frame of the pain.  Well, I did not then nor now want a CAT scan done so we opted to go home and call a primary doctor first thing.

So, yesterday I had an appointment with a primary doctor.  The pain is still there. Sometimes I have difficulty breathing - definitely when I take a deep breath, but nothing like the other night.  She discussed with me all me tests from the ER, which were all good.  My blood pressure yesterday was even good, which it's been elevated off and on over the past nine months (now that I'll give to being stress related!!).  I did explain to her at times, especially when I talk for a while or read school work with the kids, I have to stop and concentrate on breathing because I feel short of breath.  Because of my symptoms still present and the shortness of breath and the fact that I am going out of town for over a month, I go Monday morning for an echocardiogram.

She did tell me that the pain and discomfort could be caused by inflammation of the heart.  I did have a sinus infection a few weeks ago that I self medicated, so she said the infection could have moved and settled there.  So, for now there is no true explanation for the pain, discomfort, and difficulty breathing.  BUT all the bad things - immediate life threatening things - have been ruled out.  For now, I am trying to get rest - the only time it really doesn't bother me is when I am lying down, but I can't lay on my left side - and the doctor told me to take ibuprofen for the next week to help with any inflammation that might be present.

Molly feeding her young

The kids and I are having so much fun watching this wonderful web cam.  It has prompted us to do additional research on the barn owl.  Unfortunately, we do not have barn owls in North Dakota.  We check on her numerous times throughout the day to see what is happening.  We were fortunate enough to see one of them hatch.  The host of the cam gets on periodically and talks.  He takes questions. He is not an expert, but says he has read a lot of books to educate himself.  We have even seen her feed them.  Here is the latest dinner episode.   

It is amazing to watch these little guys eat. There are three owlets and still two eggs to hatch. They have been hatching about two days apart. The first on Sunday, the second on Tuesday, and then the third today. So, there should be another hatch by Saturday and then the last should hatch by Monday. Then Molly will have a full nest with five owlets.

Some of the not so obvious facts that we have learned about the barn owl:

*  Owls mate for life

*  They live an average of three years in the wild and ten to twenty years (depending on the source) in captivity

*  The eggs laid are called a "clutch"

*  They continue to mate during the incubation period but no new eggs will be laid

There are several homeschoolers enjoying the learning opportunities because of this cam.  A couple have even talked about keeping detailed journals while observing.  We are just watching, researching, and learning. 

Another web cam - Bald Eagle's nest in CA

Between Molly & McGee's owl box and watching these eagles here, we are seeing and learning new things every day.  Here mama and daddy trade off.  Did you know they take turns sitting on the eggs? 

My Little Musicians

Molly, Max, Pattison, McGee, & three eggs to hatch

We have had so much fun watching Molly the famous barn owl.  This morning we got to see two of her owlets, not the best picture since it was on the night camera.  Max was born Sunday evening and then the second was born last night.  When I woke up this morning, I flipped over to the web cam and it just happened that Molly, the mama, was gone.  So I snapped this quick picture of the two owlets.  There are still three eggs in the clutch left to hatch.  The kids and I have enjoyed watching and learning some facts about barn owls.  If you want go here to check it out. 

It has Been a Busy Day . . .

Jay had to leave early this morning for a church council retreat - they were gathering to define the mission of Peace Lutheran Church.  I got up, just before his alarm went off, at 6:45 a.m.  I got on the internet and checked my emails and then checked in on the famous owl, Molly (see one of my earlier posts).  I knew I had a busy day a head of me and it would be best to get a early start.  My list looked like this:

*  Make Strawberry Pretzel Salad

*  Make a white cake

*  Make raspberry mousse for filling/torting white cake

*  Make buttercream icing to ice and decorate cake

*  Assemble and decorate cake for church potlluck tomorrow

*  Make grape Jell-O; apparently Jay wants liturgically correct colored giggly stuff coordinated for chruch potlluck

*  Type up four recipes and email them to a friend back in Ohio so they can be included in a cookbook

*  Do laundry

*  Work on school lessons and get the kids' assignment sheets for the week typed up

*  Do whatever else I or the kids can think of that needs to be done, plus all the normal day activities!!

Worse of all, Jay and I didn't go to bed until midnight last night; the kids didn't get in bed till after eleven - Cassie babysat and we just lost track of time.  Jay spent time watching basketball games on TV and on his laptop - he had to cheer OSU on over his laptop.  After putting the kids to bed, I was busy looking for those four recipes that I needed to type up. 

Well, that didn't stop us from getting up and getting an early start.  Now, granted he HAD to, but I knew my list was long and would grow with the day.  So, I got the cake in the oven, got my cup of joe, and then started typing.  I did wake Zack, not on purpose, I was crushing pretzels for the strawberry pretzel salad.  I'd bang with the rolling pin and he'd bang on the wall, I'd bang and then he'd bang.  Finally, he came out and asked me what I was doing.  I told him he could go back to bed, I was done crushing and banging things, but it was eightish so he could stay up, which he did.  Shortly after that Mackenzie was up, which is amazing because she never gets out of bed. 

Mackenzie helped me, bright and early for her, make the Strawberry Pretzel Salad.  The nice thing about the things on my list they had multiple steps, so I could work on one and then the other and go back and forth till I completed them.  Now, the draw back to that is there was no down time in between to rest my achy back. 

I can't wait to have the Strawberry Pretzel Salad tomorrow.  I know I have had this before, not sure where, but I happened across the recipe the other day and I could just taste it, I just remembering it tasting so good.  Now the top layer isn't as smooth as Jell-O normally is because I walked away while it was in the bowl getting to the right consistency to spread over the cream cheese/whipped topping layer, so I had to stir it up and spread it the best I could. 

Decorating a cake takes time too and there are multiple stages.  First, bake the cake and let it cool.  Make the icing and any fillings.  Layer and tort cake, then crumb coat.  Let chill in fridge for at least an hour.  Then ice the cake and let chill in fridge for another hour.  Smooth icing and then decorate.

Mackenzie helped decorate the cake and she did a fine job.

Okay, I hate wasting a good thing, but bottom line - if we keep the leftover buttercream icing we will EAT it.  Hello . . . I do NOT need it, nor does anyone else in this house.  Me for weight issues and the kiddos for sugar bug issues!!  So, I told Mackenzie she could practice her technique on the practice board, but when she was done we THREW all the left over icing OUT!!

After I got all our goodies, for our potluck tomorrow, made it was time to make dinner.  Which I might add, we have an extra cake because last night I made a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing for Jay's retreat today and he forgot it in the car.  Anyway it was time to make dinner -see what I mean about that list just gets longer.  So I whipped together some homemade marinara sauce and threw in some homemade meatballs (pulled from freezer and made with hamburger and ostrich meat) and boiled some angel hair pasta . . . ta-da dinner is served. 

Well, I didn't get all the laundry done and I haven't even started on school lessons, but I am DONE for the day.  I am going to go and lounge for a little while, and then I'm sure I'll start on that school stuff.  But knowing my husband, he will encourage me to stay a while longer and sit with him.  Which I think I might have to do. 

Kenzie's Creativity

Mackenzie loves to take her food and present it before she eats it.  She is so cute.  Can you tell what we watch a  lot of?  We love the Food Network!!!  FYI, this was a new twist on meatloaf.  I have a recipe from Paula Dean for a cheesy meatloaf that is very yummy, and all but one seem to like.  I have a pretty good traditional meatloaf recipe that we enjoy too, but I wanted to try something different.  So, last night I just threw all kinds of mexican flavors into my ground beef to make a southwestern mexican influenced meatloaf.  I was excited when I got, "It's a keeper!"  And they didn't even complain about the black beans in it, granted half the can had been pureed.  The only problem is, I had no recipe so here's hoping I can duplicate it done the road. 

After her dinner creativity, Mackenzie disappeared to her room to make some crafts.  She was so excited when she tried to make this and it turned out to work.  It's amazing what one can do with a pipe cleaner!!  She made one for me and one for her dad.  She is such a cool kid!!

What is it???

At first glance, what do you think this is?

Red paint?

Red playdough?

Red clay?

Tomato Soup?

Okay, I'll tell you . . .

It's red velvet cake batter!!

I have never had red velvet cake.  You see, I was curious to what it tastes like as this is the cake flavor that has been requested for my sister-in-law's baby shower.  I had a friend request it while I was in Ohio, but before I had the chance to make it I moved.  In conversation with my mom, I had mentioned making it from scratch and she said she knew they sold a boxed one at her grocery store. Sure enough she phoned the other day and asked how many to pick up.  Well, I had her pick up several, but now I am thinking I will be making it from scratch (Sorry, Mom for the inconvenience). 

Apparently the boxed version looks like red velvet cake and just tastes like a chocolate cake.  So, last night I made my first red velvet cake from scratch.  Who would have thought something with buttermilk and vinegar in it would taste good.  I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor.  Now, I am a huge fan of sweets, where as my husband is not.  So I think he liked this cake because it was not overpoweringly (is that even a word) sweet.  I was able to enjoy it without icing; however, he and the girls slathered on vanilla icing (from a tub) - I was not going to break out the KitchenAid mixer yet to make the traditional cream cheese icing, that's for another day. 

Matter of fact, I will be making test cakes this weekend so I know whether or not the flavors go good together before I make them for the baby shower.  At my brother's request, on his wife's behalf, I am making the red velvet cake and a white cake.  I don't like just cake.  I like a little surprise inside.  So, I plan to make a red velvet cake with the traditional cream cheese filling & icing and also a white cake with raspberry mousse and buttercream icing.  Luckily, Jay has a retreat tomorrow to share one cake at and I'll share the other on Sunday at a church potluck.  Here's hoping they turn out flavorfully delicious!!

New eyes

Well, we have put our tax return to good use.  We all went for our annual eye exams in December and it turns out four of us need new glasses.  Unfortunately, the way our insurance is it covers the eye exams but not the corrective supplies, i.e. glasses nor contacts.  Like that makes a lot of sense. Yep, there's a problem with your vision, but we are not going to provide you the resources to help you.  Typical insurance!  Glasses are NOT cheap!!  For all four of us to get new glasses would cost between $500 to $600.  Who has that laying around?  Definitely not us. 

Well, Jay & I figure since our prescriptions are such a slight change that we will get glasses for us if we ever come into some not needed money - like that will happen.  We had hoped to get Cassie & Zack their glasses sooner, but with life and everyday expenses that wasn't an option till we got our tax return. 

So, last week I took them to Wal-Mart Vision because they advertise this $38 special that is for the frames and the lenses.  Okay, have you seen these horrific frames.  Yeah, it's a great price and we even thought, hey maybe Jay & I could get ours too.  No way!!  The selection of frames is like 5-7 different ones, and really there may be two different styles and then just different colors - not much of a choice and not very flattering to ones face/appearance.  I think I'd much rather suffer from low grade headaches from mine or just not wear mine unless I leave the house. 

But the kids need to feel good about what they wear . . . HELLO, so they'll want to wear them!!  You see, we went through that in Ohio when the kids were on Medicaid and only had a couple of frames to pick from and Cassie was not comfortable in hers; therefore, she didn't wear them and now her perscription needs to be stronger.  I didn't want to go through that again!!  So, I gave the kids a maximum cost for the frames and then I let them search for the frames they liked.  They both have been anxiously waiting for their new glasses to come in and they were suppose to come in next week.

BUT, we got the call yesterday and they couldn't get there soon enough!!  Jay took them and I guess Zack's comment was, "Yay! I can see again."  So, here they are modeling their new stylish glasses . . .

They think they make them look smarter!!  LOL

Live feed into the life cycle

I got this email today that offered an opportunity to watch a Mama Barn Owl LIVE sit on her nest with five eggs.  The kids and I have checked multiple times today.  She is very pretty and fun to watch. 

Are you wearing green???

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Click here to watch a quick video on the history of St. Patrick's Day.
St. Patrick's Day Video — History.com#history-of-st-patricks-day#history-of-st-patricks-day
Have a wonderful day!!

An unexpected trip to the dentist

Poor Mackenzie has had so many issues with her teeth, and it stems from the beginning. You see, she was antibiotics from the age of three months old till she was a little over 5 years old.  So, basically, for more than eighteen hundred days straight she took a daily dose of antibiotics to treat a medical condition.  Unfortunately, one of the side effects is porous and weak teeth.  Which means cavities regardless of doing the same type of hygiene methods as her siblings.  Over the last few years, the poor thing has had two teeth pulled - one abscessed after a filling cracked and the other apparently was infected.  The latter was pulled a little less than a year ago and they put a spacer in. 

Well, yesterday morning, before the sun was even up she came into our room frightened because she woke up since her tooth fell out.  She didn't even know it was loose.  I was a little panicked too.  She was so anxious she was sick to her stomach.  I got her to settle down and told her I'd call the dentist first thing. 

We were lucky enough to get in this morning.  I wanted to make sure before we leave, for our thirty-three day field trip, that the spacer didn't have to be removed.  By losing this tooth on her lower right side, now there are three vacancies and no tooth to support the spacer.  Well, it turns out the dentist thinks since the tooth she just lost already has an occupant visible that it will be able to support the spacer so we can maintain it.  Since we were there, I inquired about her funky looking tooth on the bottom left side of her mouth, which I hadn't even noticed until the whole losing the tooth incident.  Yeah, it too is okay and just needs her assistance with wiggling to get it out so the other permanent one can come in.  This made Mackenzie very excited because that meant NO dental work for her today. 

So, no major work needed today, which is good because we all know that time is to come - she apparently has a mouth to small to house her future teeth.

Such a pleasant day

Today was such a dreary day when it started.  I kid you not the fog was so thick you couldn't see but a few feet in front of you.  But as the day progressed the fog lifted and by three o'clock it was so sunny.  Our outdoor thermastat said it was fifty degrees.

So the kids, decided to take advantage of the sun and go out.  We still have some pretty deep drifts of snow in our yard.  Some of the drifts are so deep that they come up to Cassie's hip still.  They tried playing volleyball but the ball kept making its way down the hill so they decided to snowboard down the hill. 

As you can see there are areas of the yard that are free of snow.  There is hope that we will see the ground soon.  However, I don't think we will be snow free by the official start of spring, March 20th. 

After the girls snowboarded a while they came in to see if they could go see if the neighbor kids could play.  BUT before they could get out of the yard, by foot, the neighbor kids arrived on their bikes and wanted to know if they wanted to go for a bike ride.  So, we got the bikes down off the garage hooks and they went for a bike ride in their snow pants and snow boots. 

Happy Birthday Cassie!!!

Well, fifteen years ago today, and eleven days late I might add, Cassaundra Taylor Jackson was born.  She weighed in at 7 lbs. 11 oz. and became known as our baby Big Gulp!! 

This is to you, my darling daughter,

We were so excited about our new roles as parents even though we had no idea what to expect.  Those first few days, I mean weeks, okay really months were more work than I think either one of us had ever imagined.  Being first time parents, we didn't know what to do with every little cry, wimper, sigh, or gurgle, but we figured it out.  There were some memorable moments for your father and I, and over the years we have shared those stories with you.  Hopefully we haven't scarred you - LOL!  It is hard to believe that today you are 15, but it is a joyous moment.  I have watched you blossom into a beautiful young woman and I am very proud of you.  You have this wit about you, yet you are very grounded and have a good head on your shoulders.  I don't worry about the choices you will make in these fun-filled teenage years because I know you know in your heart what it is to be wholesome and you will make the right choices.  I hope you have an awesome year as you look forward to the next milestone in your life.  I love you very much.

Love, Mom

Bubba,

        Fifteen years ago, my life changed. I became a father for the first time. I did not know what I was doing and I did not know how I would take care of a new life. There are times even now, fifteen years later that I still don’t know what I am doing, or how I will take care of you, but all I have to do is look into your eyes as I did when you were brand new, and I know that I will figure it out.

      Cassaundra, you have brought joy to an empty life. You have brought life into a mundane existence. Your life enriches all other lives that you touch. I will still continue to make mistakes as your dad, but I will never make a mistake by loving you. Your first fifteen years have gone by quickly, but they have produced quite a young lady: A beautiful young adult with a faith only matched by her personality. You are a blessing to this family, and if I ever do let you date, you will be a blessing to a significant other as well.

      May your next 15 years be as happy and fulfilling as your first fifteen have been. Never lose the desire to try new things and continue to grow in your appetite for knowledge. Happy Birthday to you, but even more so, happy birthday to us. We are the happy ones on this day, because we get to say you are our daughter.

I love you,

Dad

Today we celebrate and reflect on birthdays past . . .

Where has the time gone????

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUBBA!!