Comfort Food

Last night Katie got to try a good ol' Cheyney family recipe for the first time: Chicken Poppyseed Casserole. This stuff will make any one of us Cheyney/Groves go running for the kitchen. Its not gourmet, but it is so good. We always requested it for our birthday dinners. Now, Jeff loves it, James loves it (he ate no fewer than 4 servings!), and Katie loves it! She kept lunging for my plate when she had eaten what she had in front of her. That being said, I thought I'd post the recipe here today, in case any one wants to try it.

Chicken Poppyseed Casserole

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up (or use a whole chicken...I think whole chicken has more flavor)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (muy gourmet, no?)
1 cup or so of sour cream
55 Ritz crackers, crushed (of if you are too lazy to count, like me, just use two sleeves)
1 stick of butter, melted
2 T. poppy seeds

In a large bowl, mix together soup and sour cream. Stir in chicken. In a seperate bowl, mix melted butter, cracker crumbs and poppy seeds. In a greased 9 by 13 pan, layer crackers and chicken, starting and ending in crackers. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or till bubbly. Voila! You have just made the stuff of legend.

Something to show...

Unlike sweeping the floor only to see it covered in crumbs again an hour later, sewing is something that allows you to see a tangible accomplishment. That, and I can be just a little bit creative. Lately I have been sewing a fair amount, and it is nice therapy. My friend Candi the saint managed to finagle her mother-in-law into giving me her mother's collection of sewing stuff. This was no ordinary collection of sewing stuff, though. Grandmom had bags and bags of sewing notions, including a TON of vintage buttons, which are some of my favorite things. I have already done a few projects using my new stash. Here are a few fuzzy pictures of what I have accomplished:

I love this dress. I was going to give it away, but changed my mind. I found a cute little yellow square button for the back closure.
This dress I made for Katie's birthday, although it is too big for her yet.

This bag was an experiment. I used fabric from my old couch pillows just to see how the pattern came out. I used really cool navy blue vintage buttons for the closure.

I made a bunch of bibs and a few fleece hats for my not-so-little-anymore brother-in-law's spawn, who should be arriving any day now.

Who says you need to be a smoker?

A few nights ago, Jeff and I were reminiscing about the old days and I remembered this story. In Kindergarten, we had the opportunity to make things out of clay. The teacher then had them fired and viola! We had ourselves some fancy-schmancy fingerprint-laden, only-a-mother-could-love pottery. It was up to us what to make. A vase, maybe, or a paperclip holder, or a cup. Or, if you were me, an ashtray. Some of the other kids were making them and I thought it was a great idea. My parents would love an ashtray! So, I painstakingly handcrafted a wobbly excuse for an ashtray. I painted it in delicate shades of red, yellow, and gray. We all relinquished our mini-masterpieces to be taken off to the kiln. When my piece came back, I was so impressed. The dull paint had become glossy in the kiln. The clay had hardened into something permanent. I just knew my parents would love it. I took it home and proudly presented them with their very own ashtray. Never had it occured to me that ashtrays were for smokers, which my parents were not. Despite the fact that their five year old just presented them with an ashtray, my parents acted like they loved it. I think it ended up being a paperclip holder afterall. I am sure they had a good laugh about that one after I went to bed.

21 Days

I can't seem to think about anything to blog about, except that we are down to 21 days, 11 hours and some odd minutes!!! I am so excited for Katie to get her cast off, if you can't tell. I promise to not to blog about it daily for the next three weeks. You all might up and leave. All three of you. Things are actually normal around here. I shouldn't say that. I'll jinx myself. But other than Jeff being chained to his Calculus 2 book 24/7, we are good. James has been practicing his bike riding skills and language skills. Tonight I guess he really wanted to get my attention, so he said "Megan!!! Get me some ketchup!" Katie has worn through the first holes in the top layer of her cast by dragging herself around so much. She can really move in that cast and doesn't want to sit still. She and James were playing around at the dinner table tonight, shaking their heads 'no' back and forth, speaking jibberish to each other. It was very sweet. Like earlier when James sang 'Trust and Obey' to Katie. Anyway, enough rambling. I know I am not making much sense. Peace out, home-slices.

23 Days

Not that I am excited or anything....but only 23 days left in the cast!!!!!!! That is 3 weeks and 2 days. Three weeks from Friday. We're on the homeward trail, as Grandma would say! I can't wait be able to hold a squishy little baby instead of a big clunky cast, and see Katie's chubby little baby legs. I guess they may or may not be chubby after being held captive in a cast for 3 months. I am looking forward for Katie to be able to take a bath, get around easier, learn to walk in her brace, etc! James is looking forward to it too. There are a list of things that he always tells me she'll learn to do when she 'dits her tast off.' He wants her to be able to take a bath and learn to walk and climb the stairs. I can't wait!

Off topic, but this morning James was playing his version of peek-a-boo, which is called 'Where is me?' He hides and yells 'Mama, where is me??? Where is me??'

Picture Day

Watching the squirrel, prior to the skunk incident

Trying on Katie's cowboy hat

Playing around in the yard

A new discovery: Katie fits in James' chair!!

Katie loves crawling in the grass

Looking for some tasty blades of grass

Playing in the water on one of the last warm days of summer

Not exactly sure what he is doing here, but it cracked me up!

Take a Ride on the Toilet Train

James has said a couple of hilarious things lately. Last night, he was looking quite earnestly under the bathroom sink. He was digging through the stuff down there. I asked him what he was looking for. He was looking for a Potty Train.

A few nights ago, Jeff asked James who his mommy was, expecting him to point at me. James said 'Megan.' I decided to see if it worked the other way and asked him who his daddy was. 'Hun,' he replied. We both laughed! James clearly thought it was funny, and he obviously knew what he was saying, because we asked him again what daddy's name was, and he said Jeff.

Follicle Follies: A Jeff Story

One of my beloved's life goals is to no longer have to cut his hair. As we all know, running the clippers over 12 square inches of hair one time per week is very time consuming. Jeff wants to get to the point where he is entirely bald, and the sooner the better. Recently, Jeff has developed a hair-brained theory. He believes that the follicles on the uppermost region of his noggin are feeble and 'on their way out.' Now, no one is really arguing that. But, here is where the bizarre theory comes in. Jeff thinks that in their weakened state, there must be a way that these particular follicles can be done it. Jeff informed me that he was going to shave the top section of his head in order to squeeze the last dying breath from his hair. He said that since his hair was already on its way out, it would not have the strength or desire to grow back. Ha! I ever-so-sweetly informed him that I have been shaving my legs for the past 15 years or so, and so far the hair has not given up. Surprise! I still have to shave my legs! Jeff said that his hair was different. It was so thin, so debilitated, that it would not be able to grow back. Guess what, folks? He tried it. Do you think it worked? Of course not. The hair grew back! Now, he must move on to other methods. Last night, he mentioned rubbing his hair off. He said if he could just find a way to rub his hair off, that he wouldn't have to shave. Because rubbing your hair off is way more easy and comfortable than using the clippers. Oh, Jeffrey, I love you, even if you do have a strange idea every now and then!

**If any of you have any legitimate suggestions, Jeff would love to here them! He's looking to go bald by age 30, one way or another.**

Yeahh!!! I love CHOP nurses!

Katie had her CT scan today, with NO SEDATION!! By the time she got taken back for the scan she was crying. She was tired and hungry. She was not allowed any solids after 7 am and no nursing/drinking anything after 10 am, and her test was not till 2 pm. The nurses all wanted to see her get the scan without sedation, and waited for me to nurse Katie. The sedation nurse explained that if she didn't fall asleep, we would have to wait for three more hours before they could sedate her. But, even he wanted to avoid it. They all voted for nursing and it worked! She fell asleep and they got the scan, drug free!!! Can you tell I am excited? The sedation nurse told me after it was all done that he was done for the day. He told me that they had eight kids lined up to sedate today and didn't have to sedate a single one! He told me that's what you call patience. I'll say! I really appreciated that they were so patient, especially since he offered to wait for another three hours to sedate her if need be. He has three little ones at home, one Katie's age, and I am sure he wanted to get home too. I am just so relieved that this scan is over and it went smoothly. When she gets her cast off, she will not have to have sedation or anesthesia, and although I think that the saw will scare her, I am glad that she won't have to be drugged up!

CAT Scan Today

Katie has a CAT scan today. She was supposed to go Tuesday but was sick. I am praying that she will go to sleep for the test so they don't have to sedate her. They would have to do an IV and everything, which I really don't want if we can help it.

P.S. For Yesterday's Post

I won't mention any names, because I wouldn't want to blow Trish's cover, but I am not the only one who wore oddly colored jeans and other Franchwear. One of my readers-who-shall-remain-nameless, outted themselves in the comments yesterday. I'm not the only one.

Skunks Apparently Like Peanut Butter

Who knew? James and I collected a few pine cones yesterday and made little 'treats' for the squirrels. Yeah, I know, its totally out of character for me, and no, I didn't bait a trap with the treats. No, for the sake of my son's education, I thought I would let him feed one of the lowliest in the animal kingdom: the tree rat. We coated the pine cones in peanut butter and rolled them in sunflower seeds. It wasn't 5 minutes before a squirrel found the treats and had a nibble. James watched him from just inside the window, which was quite exciting! The squirrel apparently didn't have a family to feed, because he left a majority of the goods behind. It didn't really get that exciting in the wild green yonder that is our backyard until sometime between 3:00 am and 5. Katie was up a countless number of times last night. At one point, I wandered in my sleep deprived stupor to look out the kitchen window. Low and behold, there was a skunk, directly outside the window, munching on the pine cones. Apparently, skunks have a sweet spot for peanut butter smeared pine cones. This morning, there was nothing left. It even appears that he dismantled one pine cone piece by piece to remove every trace of deliciousness. Now we have spotted, in the wild and untamed reaches of our suburban yard, a groundhog, a opposum, various rabbits, assorted tree rats, and a SKUNK! Next up, a moose! Now wouldn't that be the berries?

On a semi-related sidenote, what is the world coming to? I used the handy Google Image finder to look up a picture of a skunk of James. And what did I find? Well, for every picture of a skunk, there was a picture of skunk. If you get my drift. Skunk weed. Mary Jane. You can actually order seeds for skunk weed from various overseas seed vendors. One place even described the flavor and the type of high it gives you. Wow. Now that's the internet at work for you.

Franch Fashion

Hello, trusty blog readers. The following Franch tale will make you snicker and laugh and guffaw at us. (Rachel!) I would like to remind you that at that time and place, it was considered 'in.' Even if it currently appears that we were two ridiculous yokels let loose from the funny Franch.

So....

...On to Franch Fashion. Although the styles have changed considerably, and cowboy pants have even become perhaps a tad looser, maybe, I am going to be reviewing Franch style circa 1999. The following are trends that Jeff and I fell victim to during that era:

1) Wrangler Jeans: Not the kind you buy at Wally's World, but the kind you buy at the feed supply store. Nothing like picking up a tub of Udder Butter and a pair of jeans. I do have to say that these jeans are impossible to destroy, comfy (if they are not too tight), and the best feature of all: they come in Jeff's size. Back in the day, Jeff used to be a bean pole. He wore jeans in size 30x40. Wrangler was the only brand that carried his size.

2) For the lady of the Franch, there were Rockies Jeans. Yikes. To think I used to wear them. And to think I paid $50 a pair for them. Back to the fit thing, they were and are the only jeans ever to fit me in the waist. So maybe they make your rear look like a horse's rear, but they fit me in the waist. I can't believe I am admitting this, but I owned a pair of striped ones and a pair with rivets all the way up the legs. I actually still have those for posterity. Strangley, they still fit, although I will not be resurecting them any time soon. Incidentally, you can buy these at the feed store as well.


3) The belt buckle. Actually, Jeff never had a fancy belt buckle. We always thought it was stupid to see all these vaqueros walking around with a belt buckle the size of a hub cap, or goat-ropers who bought some rodeo cowboy's buckle from a pawn shop. It just so happened that at the time I worked for a place called the Cowboy and the Lady. We sold Native American and Western jewelry. After cleaning 5, 286 fingerprints off the glass of the Mont@na Silver case, I decided that I really liked this belt buckle. The only problem was, I was a poor college student. Apparently I had spent all my money on jeans. Long story short, my boss gave it to me. I never really wore it too much, but I still think its pretty.

4) Boots! Boots are very important if you are doing any sort of work, and I wore something very similiar to the picture below to the farm all the time. Mine have taken quite a beating and to this day are in nice shape. They always protected my feet and were comfy to boot. Ha! Get it? Anyway, I saved up my money to get a nice pair of boots. Strangly, Jeff still has his farm work boots too, and they are still holding on. He also has a pair of these but they look like clown feet on him, so he never wears them. I just wish that back in the day when I had nothing more to spend my money on then 39 cent bean burritos and $50 jeans, that I would have bought myself a nice pair of cowboy boots that would go with anything. But I wasn't thinking about that. Had to go and get myself something practical.



I hope you have enjoyed this little retrospective. Go ahead and laugh all you want. Someday your kids will look back at you and laugh at what you used to wear. Or else they will wish you saved your clothes for them. Why is it that the 80's just won't die? I saw a girl today at the mall with high heeled saddle shoes and black leggings. Why, I ask you? Pardon the rabbit trail, and go out and git yourself some boots!

Blah. Blah. Blah. Part 286

I am brain dead, again. I planned on writing a rip-roaring Franch tale for y'all. But I couldn't even get passed the topic, so instead I am going to write another dull and boring post. Katie hasn't been sleeping that great lately. That means, of course, that I haven't been sleeping good lately. Blech. And then there is the napping. Has someone slipped my kids a caffeine pill or something? They are not down with the naps the last two days, and honestly I feel like curling up and having a good cry. Seriously, you don't want to get into a project if they are not going to go to sleep, but by the time they do and you get started, they wake up again. Argh! Ok, enough venting. Katie has her CAT scan tomorrow, probably. She is stuffed up and has a bit of a cough, so I don't know if they'll want her or not. And the date has been set for cast removal! Barring some unforseen event, the cast will be coming off on October 17th! Party, anyone? James keeps saying 'when tay-dee dits her tast off, she tan walk. She tan wear pants. She tan tate a bath. Uh, huh, Mommy?' Uh, huh, indeed. And I can't wait!

James: He's got you covered

Lately, there is not a move I can make without James asking, 'What are you doooooing, Mama?' Or 'What are you cleanin' up for?' or 'Where are we going?' He is picking up on all those little cues and he wants to be in the know. Today, I left to go to Target. He was supposed to be taking a nap, but hadn't fallen asleep yet. As I was putting Katie in the car, I heard a little voice from the window yelling 'Where are you going, Mama?' I turned around to see a little James face peeking out the window, giggling. I guess I had better start watching my back. Pretty soon the little bugger will figure out where I hide the Christmas presents.

My Other Baby

Day Two of the Great Birthday Fest

Today is Katie's first birthday! This time I can't really say she's not one yet, because she made her way into this world at 6:30 in the morning. Katie didn't waste much time when she decided to come. She woke me up at a little after 4:15, and in just over two hours she was here! I will never forget when I held each of my babies for the first time. When I held Katie one of the first things I did was pull her hat off to see what her hair looked like. It was wavy and nearly white! It has actually gotten darker since then. I remember hearing the neonatologist announced that her lungs were alright. Such sweet relief. I can't believe its been a year since then. So much has happened and she has grown so much! I can't wait till Katie is able to run after James and keep up with him.

Happy Birthday, Katie! We love you!

My Baby

I am in denial. James' birthday is today, but gosh darn it, he won't be three till 1:13 pm today! I just cannot get my head around the fact that he is three years old. He has grown so much, is talking up a storm, and figuring out all sorts of things. Yesterday, I caught him having a several minute conversation with a squirrel outside the window. Obviously, the conversation was one-sided. It went something like this:

• "Hey, Stwirrel! Tome over here and chase me!"
• "Hey, Stwirrel! Dit bat over here! Tome chase me!"
• "Hey, Stwirrel, do you know birds? In da trees?"
• "Hey, Stwirrel, tan you dance?"
• "Hey, Stwirrel, dit bat here! Where are you going?"

I can't believe the little baby I brought home from the hospital just yesterday is having conversations with squirrels. Maybe I should get that checked into. :) The first thing out of his mouth this morning, at 6:30 am, was 'Mama, make my birthday.' And now, before I start rambling on and on about how much I love him and regale you with all my favorite James stories, I will leave with a few pictures of the big cheese himself:

Happy Birthday, James! We love you so much!

Misc. Pics

James' Birthday Cake

I made Rachel homemade marshmallows for her birthday. I will spare you the picture of her cake. Let's just say if was unique, and not one of my best.

Chappy and James

James eying up his cake

Katie's Birthday Cake

Katie standing up in her old cast

James all dressed up. He's even sporting a goatee made of food of some sort.

James reading to Katie

Fashion is his middle name.

Mmmmm...squash. The question is: Did she actually eat any of it?

Katie's Cast Change: Update

Katie's cast change went way better than expected!! Everything went so smoothly. We arrived at 6:00 am, got checked in and waited to be called. It wasn't long before we got called back and they started to prep Katie. She did good for the first ten minutes and then started to get fussy. She was hungry and tired, but she couldn't eat till her surgery was over. The nurses were really nice and kind, and made sure that she was comfortable. They gave her the 'giggle juice,' and the nurse actually carried her back to surgery in her arms, instead of on the gurney/bed. The cast change went really quickly, her x-rays look good, and I was able to go back to her by 9 am or so. She was sleeping and took a bit to wake up. She did throw up a few times from the anesthesia but after they were sure she was done, they took her IV out and let us go home! At 10:30 am!! I was so pleasantly surprised that we were out of there that early. I was expecting an all day thing. We went and picked up James, who did great at Trish's house. (Thanks!!) Although Katie was not her chipper little self, she did a lot better this time around. I wonder if she didn't have as much anesthesia this time. She was actually pulling herself around and pretty happy yesterday. She only woke up twice, which is more general cast related I think, then from getting the new cast. So, all in all, I am very grateful for how the day went. Thank you all for your prayers.

Oh, and I almost forgot! The doctor said it is OK for Katie to pull herself up to stand! I am so happy I can let her do this now!!! I'll try to post pictures soon of her new purple cast.

At CHOP

Its 8:00 and I am in the waiting room, waiting for Katie to have her cast changed. Soon I'll be able to go back to her and hopefully we'll be home before long. Even though she is only getting her cast changed, it was hard to leave her. I just about started bawling, but a really sweet nurse actually carried her back instead of taking her on the bed, so that was nice.

Katie's Cast Change

On Monday, Katie will be getting her cast changed. We have to be there at 6 am. I am relieved and nervous at the same time. Her cast seems to be getting tight in places, and it is getting really dirty both inside and out. I am glad she will be getting a fresh new cast. I am also relieved that this will mean we are half way to getting out of the SPICA and into the brace. On the other hand, I am nervous because she'll be 'put under,' and it will be a new cast to adjust to. I guess any time that one of my babies has to go through something like this, I will worry. I am hoping since they are getting her in early, we'll be able to leave in the early afternoon. This time, we won't have to deal with the car seat issue. At least that's the hope. If they bring it up, I'll let them know that they can walk down to my car and check it out if they want, but there is no way I am hauling the ginormous car seat up four floors!

I'm turning into a serious slacker...

I can't come up with anything exciting to blog about. The events of last weekend apparently wore my out. I wonder why. So here I have pirated a few pictures from my sister to post for your viewing enjoyment.

Katie enjoying a workout with Uncle Phil

What might possibly be one of the sweetest pictures EVER of my sweet baby James. Thanks, Phil! This one's going on my wall somewhere!

A picture of Katie, BC. Get it? Before Cast. Ha, ha.

Me and my favorite sister

Katie and Uncle Phil enjoying a laugh. Katie has Phil completely wrapped around her finger. Can you tell?

I love this picture because Dad is simulating his grumpy old man face.

Oh, how I love this picture! I think I am going to get it blown up and hang it with a similar picture of James and I.

Our Wild and Crazy Weekend

As if having two run-ins with park rangers late at night wasn't enough, we managed to fill our entire four day weekend with lots of activities. Friday, Jeff took the day off to take James fishing. Saturday, we drove up to Piscataway to see Rach and Phil. Isn't that the funniest name for a town?! Piss-cat-away! Anyway, we spent pretty much our entire day up there. More on that in a minute. Then, on Sunday, we went to church and spend the entire afternoon cleaning out our garage. It looks marvelous, as Grandma would say. Sunday night was the night my hubby almost went to jail. He, he, he. Monday, Jeff had a promise to keep with James. He told James he was going to take him fishing. After the previous night's ordeal, compounded by the fact that he caught no fish, Jeff didn't really want to go. I told him to take James to Sears and see the tractors, but he insisted that James wouldn't take the bait. So, here is what they did instead:

• Drove up River Road to try to find a fishing spot.
  
• Found said fishing spot. Was overcrowded and buzzing with boats.
• Left said fishing spot in search of new one. Found new one. See above.
• Talked to random fisherman who told them to go to Duck Island.
• Headed to Duck Island. Road was closed. Went around on a wild goose chase.
• Found Duck Island. Same thing: people and boats everywhere.
• Headed home. Took wrong road. Wild goose chase.
• Decided to go to the college to fish. Found the place swarming with freshman. No parking spots to be seen.
• Decided to go to another lake. James saw the park on the way. He asked to go to the park.
• James, after two minutes at park, says he wants to go home.
• James, after two minutes in car, says he wants to go to the park.
  
• Jeff talks him into going to Sears instead. They look at the tractors.
  
• James still wants to go back to the park. Jeff offers to take him to the park closer to home. Finally talks James into that instead.
• James got to the park and wouldn't play on the equipment. Too many kids.
• They walked to the creek and looked for fish. Zilch.
• Jeff drove them over to another park of the creek to look. Still nothing.
• Came home and walked to our side of the creek and looked for fish. Saw a big fat NOTHING!

Can you believe they did all that?! I would have given up long before that! Jeff was a sport, I tell ya! And now, as if this post isn't long and boring enough, you have to hear about our crazy experience at Harold's Deli on Saturday. I should have known it would be interesting when we walked in and saw this:

These cakes aren't fake. They aren't just 'for display only.' No, if you order a piece of cake, you get enough to feed an army. A slice of cake over a foot high. I would sure hope so, at $12.95 a slice! We sat down and browsed the menu. Rachel has raved about this place, especially its pickle bar. The sign out front says "World's Best Pastrami. World's Best Short Ribs. World's Best Pies and Pastries. World's Best...." Is there anything they make that isn't the World's Best, or are they just a little big for their britches? Anyway, the menu. When you order a sandwich, it comes with enough meat to feed a small African nation for at least a week. I have never seen such a thing. There is seriously enough meat to make ten sandwiches on one sandwich. We ended up collectively ordering the Short Ribs Meal, and it fed all 5 of us. We also got a Cannish. Knish? I don't really know how to spell it, but it was really good. And the pickle bar was great! Who knew there were so many varieties of pickles to be had?

I could have just eaten pickles and bread. After stuffing our faces with muchos food-os, we headed for the door. That's when things got wierd. Let me tell you, there is a reason they say that only the strong survive in NJ! We were assaulted by a little old Jewish lady with a lot of red lipstick. At first, I thought she was just going to say hi to the kids and say 'How cute' and then leave. You know, the standard thing to do. But no, she didn't stop at that. First, she asked if they were twins. Uh, no. Then she started to play with Katie. I always get a little wierd when strangers start touching my kids. I told myself, she's just a little old lady who likes to see babies. She grabbed Katie's hand and started, very quietly, to say some sort of rhyme. Then she started getting a bit louder. I started understanding some of what she was saying. She would do something with Katie's hand, then make 'chopping' motions all the way up Katie's arm, saying 'Chop, chop, chop, chop,' then 'pull the baby's hair.' She would pretend to pull Katie's hair. And then she would start all over. She kept at it and it was kind of awkward. It's not exactly like you can just yank your baby's hand out of some old ladies and just take off. Well, I guess you could but it seems a bit extreme. When she finally released her grip on Katie, she headed for James. Then, she kept talking. And talking. As if that were not wierd enough, in the meantime her entire entourage/family/whatever, was engaged in a very bitter argument which involved half of the dinner party turning their backs on the other. At some point, we heard 'You have no right to bring that up,' or something like that. It was very bizarre, and we finally made a break for the door. Its much safer if you just stay inside Rachel and Phil's apartment. On the way home, this is what happened:



As the mysterious anonymous comment aptly said, 'Never a dull moment if your household.' Well said, mysterious anonymous commenter, well said.