YES. Doing the dishes DOES hurt.

Weak Stomachs BEWARE. Brave souls click HERE.

I'm sorry, but you gotta admit this is pretty funny!

I may be going to H-E-double hockey sticks for always laughing at others' misfortunes, but I can't help it. It's just too funny!

Where does he come up with this stuff?

My son just spent the past 10 minutes grunting and gassing... sounded like the BIG KAHUNA right? Well.... It was Juan's turn to change him, so I made him take him away. I decided to follow to offer any help, just in case (or maybe to rub it in a little). And what do I find? Basically nothing. It wasn't even coming out the sides or up the back. So, I said, "Oh, that's nothing!" and then I go into the other room and leave my boys to their business.

And what do I hear a few seconds later? "I'm sorry mi niño. She's so mean coming in here saying "oh, that's nooothing!" You worked so hard on that poop, you poor thing and then she comes in here and makes fun of it. It's just not fair!"

WHAT?!? haha I guess I need to work on not demeaning my sons efforts to pass a number 2. It is true though - he did work hard on it.

Karma

SO This (pictured above) arrived on my doorstep this week from Amazon.com. I did not order them, nor was I expecting them. We have diapers, but will probably need more SOON. Diapers are expensive. And although we have a job now, we are still playing a little catch-up. So this would have been such a huge blessing! Right?!

WRONG.

They were addressed to someone else. And seeing as we had just moved into this apartment 2 months ago, I knew this was a mistake. My conscious was nagging at me, so I went to the neighbors to ask if they knew the person they were addressed to. They said they didn't. How was I supposed to find out how to contact these people? I contemplated contacting Amazon, but decided to just wait it out to see if someone would come by looking for them, and if not... they are exactly Jack's size, so I could use them.

Well, I didn't have to wait long. Someone came looking for them. I could have lied, but I decided that I cared about my salvation and I gave them back.

I deserve some dang good payback for that one!

Translation

Bon Appetit = French for 'enjoy your meal'

Move over Julie!

I feel like Julie from "Julie & Julia." My Grandma got me this book when I got married. I have been trying a different recipe ever night and I love it!! I love cooking and I love discovering new recipes. I still make my favorites from growing up, but it's fun to add to the menu - Last night's dinner was a hit!

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI! - SOOOOOO easy, so good and so healthy too!

3 - 15 oz cans of pinto or white kidney beans (cannellini) rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chopped red, green or yellow sweet pepper
2 fresh jalepeño chile peppers, seeded and chopped (beware of the volatile oils!)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsps cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
3 1/2 cups chicken broth

mix in a slow cooker and go!! (cook on high for about 4-5 hours, low for 8-9)

The best part about this dish was that I had everything in my kitchen already, and it was almost no work.

My suggestions:

I used one black bean one black eyed pea and one RED kidney bean can each. I didn't have the other types on hand. I thought it was flavorful and added color to the dish. (light beans with white chicken = boring aesthetics. Presentation DOES matter!). Moral of the story: being creative with your bean choice will NOT take away from the dish

I served it on rice - YUMMY!
flavorful topping suggestions: Fresh snipped cilantro (favorite), shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and/or sour cream.

NOTE: toppings may or may not take away from the healthfulness of the dish.

Bon Appetit!

UP

Things are really looking up for us. When we got married, things were going good. We were poor, but definitely making it. Juan and I both had full-time jobs for the summer. THEN I got pregnant, sick and just couldn't work as much as I wanted while I was throwing up all day - my job was a little too demanding for that. We still had not worked out Juan's legal status. We were saving up the large sum of money it required, along with costs of rent, tuition, etc. Juan still had not been accepted into BYU or any school for that matter. He was still attending the English Language Center, so he could still work, but because of his student visa he could only work on campus. Then a huge blessing came - he passed his English test! We could now begin the application process for BYU. We had completed his application for Winter 2010 semester, but because of a mistake that BYU made, we had to push it back to spring. BIG disappointment. He had already finished the English curriculum, so No school = NO work! He wasn't able to work a whole semester, which happened to be the semester I was giving birth... I wasn't working either... We had hurried to get his papers finished before 2009 was over, but let's be honest, it's government stuff. So many hoops and hurtles... He didn't get his work permit to work off-campus. WE WERE POOR. AND I MEAN POOR. About to bring a baby into this world and we couldn't even put food on the table for ourselves. And I was sick all along the way. I made it through the days. I had to. But by the time Jack was due, my body couldn't take it anymore and I got REALLY sick.

And even through all of this, I cannot help but look back on this and not have one regret. YES, I was scared that Juan would be deported or something (a little dramatic, since he was safe under the fact that we were "in the process") but still - you never know. Scared about the money. Scared about finishing school. Having the health and strength to take care of this baby. But Juan and I have grown so much after going through it. I wasn't exactly surprised when I found out I was expecting. I was "prepared" to receive the news that I was pregnant - I was told he was coming. And I had the normal worries, but I was content. Things were being prepared, but then everything seemed to fall apart. WHY? All I could do was believe that things would work themselves out in time. And through the generosity, prayers and faith of others, they have. I am humbled by the endless mercy of God.

Right now -

Juan has his work permit
Juan passed his permanent residency interview
Juan got not only one, but TWO jobs
I got not only one, but TWO scholarships
We qualify for grants - LOTS of free money for school and living expenses
TAX returns!!
Because of all this, I can stay home until school starts again.
And I get to wake up to this in the morning:



I LOVE my life :)

You would think that being a FULL TIME stay at home mom would give me enough time to do some laundry, or at least cook a meal AND do all the dishes And take care of my baby... Right?

I have no idea where the time goes and how I seem to get NOTHING done. At least my baby is happy :)



P.S. That is not my sink, nor is that Jack taking a bath... only a representation of how I feel sometimes.

DHS

Juan, Jack and I went to the office of the Department of Homeland Security today. We had the interview for Juan's permanent residency. Talk about intimidating. I hate government stuff! They make you all worried with all the stuff you have to bring with millions of copies, and if you forget something - you might be denied. denied. denied. After thousands of hard earned dollars are spent to ensure this process goes through, to be denied would be devastating, especially when you are as poor as we are.

So we get there, go through security (like at the airport), and then we wait. and wait. and wait. We finally got called in. The lady was super nice. The couple before us was unprepared - we were over prepared. And she appreciated that. She basically approved our case immediately after verifying all of the information and collecting necessary documents. We waited longer than we were actually in our interview.

Yay for Juan being a permanent resident!

Not so good luck

Today, after dropping Juan off at school (I love this whole full-time mom/wife thing I got going on right now!), I was carrying Jack into our apartment. He had fallen asleep, so I was cradling him face up.... All of the sudden I hear this big SPLAT! and I turn to find a HUGE puddle of bird poop that had very narrowly missed landing on my poor baby's face.

Apparently in some cultures this is good luck: to be pooped on by a bird.... But I think the last thing I need is some nasty disease-filled bird to POOP on my baby's CUTE face and get him sick. Agreed?