Jake's Recipe for Salad Dressing

I don't need a recipe.

No offense to those who do like recipes. I have enjoyed many a meal that was prepared using precise measurements of this and that. But recipes are just so restrictive. When I go to work in the kitchen, I like to let the ingredients volunteer their services. Somethymes it seems that they know what I'm cooking and they call out to me. It's kind of like Obama's vision for volunteerism in America...

Anyway, my assignment for this year's feast was simple. I was to make a green salad and prepare a relish tray. Simple and easy... a little too easy. With some encouragement from Jenny I decided to complicate things a little by making a copycat of the Olive Garden salad dressing that we all love so much. She showed me a recipe online and I got the basic idea. A little oil, some lemon juice, some vinegar, diced garlic, a touch of parsley, a sprinkling of romano cheese, some pectin! Mix it all up in our handy dressing bottle and voile! It was ready to taste.

hawcht-patewy!! Something was wrong with this recipe. Not only did this dressing taste nothing like the OG, but it tasted nothing like anything good that I have ever had! Even Chef Boyardee would take offense at this Italian creation.

With my ghastly result in hand I paused in the kitchen to listen for which condiment or spice would call to me and volunteer their essence to salvage the dressing.

The first to pipe in was the ever-trusty sugar, everything is better with a touch of granulated goodness.

Slurp. hmm still too acidy.

If sugar doesn't work, what else could I use to tone down the acid?

At this point I remembered my chemistry, if something is acidic, why not just add a base to tone it down? Brilliant! I knew I went to college for a reason. I paused again, anxiously listening for an alkaline volunteer to make their services known. From the deepest, darkest corner of the pantry I heard a whisper, "come, try me". It was my long-lost friend Arm and Hammer, the perfect base to neutralize any excess acid.

Deja vu?? As I poured the first tablespoon of baking soda my mind flashed back to the days of my youth. It seemed I had done this before. Memories of baking soda, vinegar and closed containers flooded my memory as my dressing flooded out from the bottle. Quickly I tried to limit the spillage by replacing the lid to the jar. This action angered the baking soda and CO2 hissed its way through the lid. I gave up and just opened the lid as ghastly dressing sprayed all over my sweater, the wall, the freshly washed dishes, the counter and of course the floor!

Fortunately nobody was physically hurt, that's the most important thing. As for my trust of condiments and spices... well, let's just say I'll be a little more careful next time the Arm and Hammer calls out to me. That jokester.

Happy Ending

Monday I had a terrible day. I don't know if I remember all the details of why it was so terrible but I know it involved Madison not napping all day and discovering that the stroller was not in the trunk when I arrived at my doctors appointment (I had asked Jake to put in in before he left for class. It was in his trunk). Luckily some of the nurses helped me out and held Madison during the parts of the ob appointment that holding Madison would have been awkward. (Every appointment involves peeing in a cup and I wasn't about to let Madison run around on the bathroom floor, yucky). I initially was frustrated with Jake for forgetting the stroller however he completely redeemed himself at the end of the day. I wasn't feeling like eating much of what we had for dinner and I had been craving Olive Garden Salad and bread sticks. Jake without hesitation decided to do a late night Olive Garden to go run. I didn't even ask him to do it:) What a sweetie! Thanks Jake for putting up with my pregnancy mood swings and helping my bad day to have a happy ending.

T.P. Mischief

A few weeks ago Jake and I went down to Columbus, Ohio for a residency interview. They put us up in a really nice hotel. We didn't get the most restful nights sleep however because Madison was a little excited about being in a new place. Her lack of sleep resulted in a clingy moody baby the next morning until she found... the toilet paper roll. Back at home Madison always wanted to play with the toilet paper roll however I never let her go crazy with it for fear of the mess. Jake had left early that morning for his interview and I was desperate to have a few minutes to get dressed and put on some makeup. I was happy to have anything entertain her for a few moments. 1Here is a video of her moment of fun.

I'm debating?

Hello everyone! I know I just did a post about going private but now I am wondering if I should or not? Maybe you all can give me some feedback on what you think of private blogs. Here are the thoughts in my head. Some people say private blogs are a pain to view. However, the blogs of my friends that are private are not a pain to click on. Once I log in my computer recognizes my log in and there are not any extra steps when I click on their blog. So... maybe that isn't a problem. Also, I know it's fun to find old friends blogs. I have come into contact with a bunch of old friends through blogs and don't want to block old acquaintances from finding me... When you go private is there a way that people can put in their info. and you can give them access to your blog? I think I have seen links where you can do this I am just not sure how it works? I have a few other questions but that's good for now. Let me know what you think or if you have answers to some of my thoughts? Still leave your email in the below post, who knows what I will decide. Thanks for your input!

Time to Go Private

Tonight, after reading my sister's post I have decided that it is a good idea to change our blog to a private blog. She watched a news special where they talked about some of the dangers people have run into. Here is the link on the ksl website http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4699330 I know the cases of crazy people doing weird things are rare, but I don't want to risk it. We live in a crazy world! Peace of mind is better than worrying about all the weirdos out there. So...if you would please leave your email address in the comment section we will be happy to add you on our list.

Happy Halloween!

For our Halloween party at the church we decided to go with a western theme. Madison was our little moo cow! We had a fun Halloween! During the afternoon on the 31st Madison had her first experience with trick-or-treating. We took her to the shops in downtown Perrysburg where the kids can have lots of trick-or-treating during the warmer daylight hours. Jake trained her well to pick out the Reeses (one of Jake's favorites) since all Madison would be eating were the animal crackers. I am sure next year Jake won't be able to eat all of Madison's candy:)

Early Poll Results

So it looks like many of you got wise to our poll. Here we are trying to be all sneaky and subtle in making our announcement and you sniffed it out. I gotta say though that it is a big relief to see that so many of you think that April is the best time to have a second child. After all, that is the well thought out and actively planned decision we made... hmm... kinda, sorta :)

A few weeks ago we sent out a card to our families telling what Madison would be going as for Halloween. We then included this picture of her as a cow -->

I am excited as can be about having another lil' one. People ask if I want a boy or a girl... I tell them that I do. Jenny has been feeling much better with this pregnancy, although she did just lose her lunch, dinner and evening snack all at once. Days like this are rarer this time around. Madison couldn't be happier with the thought of being a big sister, just look at her embracing that pumpkin!

April 16, 2009 is the due date. It really is ideal timing. I will be officially done with my medical schooling by the second week of April and graduation will be in June. So that will give us six weeks or so to have me at home helping and packing up the house before we move somewhere to start residency

Washing Windows

Madison loves to be involved in everything we are doing. In these pictures she was fascinated by Jake washing the windows. She made sure to clean the inside of the window for us by making some great blowfish faces.

More Art Fun!

Last weekend I created another fun work of art for our living room. Once again I got the idea from a picture I found... but the next picture I am painting is going to be a Jenny original. I already have the idea sketched down on paper. Let's hope it turns out! These paintings have been great warm ups to get back into the swing of things.

She makes me laugh!

Madison is growing up so fast and learning so many new tricks. The other day when I was holding Madison Jake had just come home and she saw me give him a kiss. Immediately after I looked at Madison's face and she had the biggest pucker on her lips that I have ever seen her do. She decided that she needed a kiss too. She often makes these funny kissy faces and uses all the effort she can to suck her cheeks in oh so tightly. It is so funny. I am also amazed at the things she picks up. I was in the kitchen getting breakfast and I heard a meow sound in the other room. She had opened up her animal book and was making the same noises I make when we read it together. Madison has also started saying num nums when she wants food. Sometimes I will sit down and eat my cereal first while she plays in the living room. However, the other morning she saw me eating and crawled across the room as fast as she could chanting yum yums. Now whenever she sees me eating something she usually does the same thing. What a cutie!

Back Into Painting

This weekend I decided to pull out my paint brushes and create art again! Oh how I missed painting! It was so much fun to create and I am determined to continue to paint more. This is a picture that I did for our living room. It isn't a Jenny original, I got the idea from a picture I saw on the internet but it's a start. The size is 14x24 inches. What fun! Thanks Jake for keeping Madison entertained so I could finish it. She always wants to do what I am doing:)

My Very First Tag!

That's right, I've been tagged. This is the first time I have been tagged, how fun. Thanks Julie! Here is the tag:

The Rules:• Link the person(s) who tagged you.• Mention the rules on your blog.• Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.• Tag some fellow bloggers by linking them.• Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged!

1. I apparently leave drawers and cupboards slightly open. I didn't realize this until Jake and I got married and he had to go around closing everything for me:) I now try to remember to close them, especially after he got a few bumps from my open cupboards. I guess I don't like the sound they make when they close so I leave them open.

2. I love to collect frames. I don't usually buy new frames because they can be so expensive. I usually buy old art/pictures from garage sales or second hand stores and I knock out the picture and keep the frame. You can find some amazing frames at these places. I have quite the little collection now and I plan on painting some great paintings to put in them. I just need to make time. I have put a hold on this frame collecting because I need to actually do something with them besides let them pile up:)

3. I must have a glass of water by my bed before I go to sleep at night. I usually drink a lot of water right before I go to bed and I need to have a cup beside me just in case I get thirsty in the middle of the night. And yes, this quirk does result in extra trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

4. I must wear my retainer every night. I even take it with me on camping trips. My retainer has traveled to Egypt, Peru, Jamaica, Mexico and many other places you wouldn't think someone would pack their retainer to. I just worry my teeth will go crooked.

5. I know this is gross, but I love to clean out my ears. I don't like the thought of having wax in them so I used to clean them out with a q-tip once or twice a day, despite the warnings from a roommate, who majored in audiology, that it could damage my ears. Her advice finally sunk in when I lost some of my hearing for around two or three weeks. I finally went in to a doctor who reversed the damage. I guess it is better to use a washcloth. Word is q-tips destroy the ears natural ability to remove wax.

6. I don't like the sound of loud T.V. or commercials. I usually mute the commercials and I don't like the T.V. or movies very loud. Whenever I am watching something that is at all suspenseful or scary I love to turn the volume down really really low to take the edge of the scariness.

I am going to tag my sister Becky and cousins Staci and Esther

Flashback to Teaching Junior High!

So today I did a crazy thing... It made me feel like I was in my junior high teaching mode again. Don't get me wrong, I was a really nice teacher, probably too nice sometimes, however you do have to put on your I am serious face quite often. The picture to the left is the only picture I have with my students where my face looks "tough" (and by the way, it was Halloween not the everyday teacher attire:). Anyhow, back to my story. So, the last few weeks there has been this car who will park near our house and play the loudest most awful rap music, to the point where I can hear a lot of four letter words crystal clear. The house vibrates and sometimes it goes on for a long time. I think this guy is waiting for someone he picks up in the apartments across the way. Today I had heard enough of his loud music. Madison was sleeping and I was worried it would wake her up. In a moments notice, without hesitation I ran downstairs and outside to this guys car. Luckily his window was cracked open so I could politely ask him to turn his music down. I explained that I could hear it throughout my whole house and that I didn't want my daughter to wake up. I felt angry but I put on a very pleasant face and said thank you after he apologized and turned down the music. He didn't realize it was so loud. Hopefully my gesture will prevent him from further hearing loss and Madison from learning new shocking words. Looking back at the whole thing it wasn't the smartest thing to do. I really had no idea who was in this car and definitely could have compromised my safety. Maybe it's the mother in me wanting to clean up the neighborhood??? I guess I did some crazy things as a junior high teacher as well. One day when I found out my student had a gun in class I asked him to come up to my desk and proceeded to drill him on the contents of his pocket. What in the world was I thinking? Lets hope I can try to make the world a better place without doing anything too crazy.

10 Months Old

Madison turned 10 months on Sept 21. I am a little behind I know:) She is crawling all over the place and pulls herself up to furniture. She loves to dance, give kisses and to cuddle. She has added hey, hi, down, and kitty to her baby vocab. It is so fun to listen to her cute babbling and try to understand what she is saying. She has lots of cute conversations with her stuffed animals. She especially loves to talk to them in the morning when she wakes up or at nap time when she is supposed to be sleeping:) Often in the morning she will yell hi and make happy screams until we come in to get her. The other day Jake and I went to the Wixey bakery for breakfast and she said hi to everyone that came in. They were so happy to have a Wixey greeter! What a cutie. She has also started to let me know what she does and does not want. When it's time for a diaper change or I am not understanding what she wants she does an amazing back arch throwing her head back in protest. It must be hard not being able to communicate. We are trying to teach her some signs, hopefully that helps. Mostly however Madison is a really happy baby! We are having so much fun with her.