Editing is not my strong suit. Apparently, my new! laptop is more technology than I know how to use. But, my movie night themed You Tube video is finally up! In it, I give a few appetizer ideas and mention a few products.* I've linked to the recipes below.




After you watch the video, don't forget to rate it using the five star system. I got the two salmon recipes from Taste of Home's website. The mashed potato pizza is a replica of an appetizer I had when I was out with Deb.

I looked online for a recipe to make sure I was on the right track and the site I found had a good one. Nick from Macheesmo used homemade dough, but I went with Trader Joe's. After making the pizza, I wish I had rolled the dough out a lot thinner. The bread is supposed to be secondary to the mashed potatoes and a little crispy. Mine wasn't quite like that.

Taste of Home recipes
-Salmon Tarts
-Salmon Stuffed New Potatoes

Macheesmo.com
-Mashed Potato Pizza

Thanks again to McCormick and Schmicks for the salmon and to Fleishman-Hillard!

*FTC disclaimer: The only items given to me for this video were the salmon, a video camera, a gift card for expenses, red carpet and director's clapboard. The rest I purchased or borrowed. The websites I've linked to didn't ask me to do so, nor do they know I did (until now).

Happy 7th Birthday, Little Man!

I've tried to put together a post several times and nothing sounds right. I've heard that, when you have story to tell and don't know where to start, it's always helpful to go back to the beginning. These are excerpts from my journal during my pregnancy.


January 28, 2002
Last week and this week I've been having Imaginary Pregnancy Symptoms: tired, faint cramps, cravings and really sore boobs. I'm either late or pregnant. I took a HPT and saw a faint line. I'm not sure what to make of it.

March 1, 2002
The waiting was killing me so I broke down and took a HPT right when I got home. The faint line isn't so faint anymore! I can't believe it, I'm pregnant! I called Phil. I was going to wait until Tuesday [after the doctor appointment] but I had to share. On our first try, we made a baby!

March 6, 2002
I got the blood test results and I was right! I couldn't keep the secret, I called Mom. Needless to say she was shocked. She was out with friends from church over the weekend and they were talking to her about their grandkids. When they asked if I was thinking about kids she said, "I'll be 75 before I'm a grandmother!" We showed her.

April 4, 2002
I went to St. Louis with Mom. I had my first OB visit the day after I got back. I got to see the baby. Talk about amazing! To see that little blob and the only moving part is the heart. I wish Phil could have been there.

May 12, 2002
Today is Mother's Day. I haven't yet thought of what that means to me. I'm so ready to be a mom. Part of me feels it's the direction I've been heading.I have no idea what career path I should take. Maybe 'Mom' is it. Phil called to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. I can't wait for him to come home. We'll finally be able to act like expecting parents. Next year at this time we'll have a 7 month old boy/girl.

June 22, 2002
Phil is finally home! I got to pick him up on Saturday the 1st. It was the best day I've had since I found out about the baby. It was so good to see him again. He was surprised by how much I was showing. Now for the really exciting news: It's a boy! We went for an ultrasound on the 17th. It was so good to have Phil home for that. He's only seen the baby in the ultrasound photos I sent to [Hawaii]. I'm glad the baby was moving around so much. The lab tech had the perfect side view on the monitor. She asked if we wanted to know the sex, but I spotted the evidence before she said anything. It was a little surprising since I'd been "feeling" girl for a long time. But of course, I'm happy. We've started working on our lists of names.

August 6, 2002
Wow, I can't believe I'm this old. I never pictured being where I am in my life at this age. I figured I'd have kids by 23! Shows what I know. But, here I am, wife and soon to be mother.

October 2, 2002
Countdown has begun. I'm at home on semi bedrest. Doctors orders. I feel like more should be happening internally. I haven't had any Braxton Hicks (at least I don't think so). My mucus plug is still there. The baby is less active but so am I. It's hard to get into a comfortable sleep position and my heartburn is out of control. When the baby does stretch out it's either against my cervix or rib cage. Talk about painful! I've been catching up on all my baby book reading. I still have to read the manual on the breast pump. It looks pretty scary!

November 1, 2002
Well, tonight's the night. I went to my non stress test appointment this morning. When it was my turn for the sonogram, I told the nurse, "please tell me something that means this baby will be coming out!!!" I got my wish. My amniotic fluid dropped from a 9.5 on Monday to a 3 today. The lowest it should be is a 5. The nurses called the doctor's office to get their advice. I'm going to the hospital at midnight for my induction. It's close to 7pm and I should be sleeping. I tried but I can't stop thinking about what's to come. After months of waiting and wondering he's finally going to be here. Until the doctor tells me he's fine and I hear him cry, I won't be able to breathe. After tonight, my life will never be the same. We will leave this house a couple and come back a family.

Happy Birthday Tyler. We love you so much, and have since the day we found out you were coming. Without a doubt, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. You carry my heart in your pocket every day. Watching you grow and mature has been so wonderful. You're an amazing little man. I can't wait to see what changes come in your seventh year. You blow me away, every single day.

Tastemaker 2010 Challenge Update- The Stage Has Been Set

I spent all day yesterday prepping for the video shoot. It's taken me longer than I intended to get this first project done. I had a few ideas, but none of them seemed really good. Then Busy Dad threw down the gauntlet and I knew I had to do something I felt really confident about.

Mary, from The Mama Mary Show tagged me in a meme awhile back. She wanted to know where I thought my life would be now if I had chosen another path. If I were to play the "Woulda, Coulda, Shouda" game, what would I be doing instead? I told her I'd be in business as an event planner. The fact that the idea for my first Tastemaker challenge didn't come to me right away, based on my "Woulda, Coulda" career choice has me wondering if I am overestimating my abilities just a little.

For my first Tastemaker 2010 project, I've planned a theme party. In the final video I'll walk you through it giving tips and ideas on everything from invitations, to decor and food suggestions. I'll link the recipes I used in the accompanying post and maybe offer the invitations I created as a template others can use (if I can figure out how!)

After my video goes live on You Tube I'm going to need a favor. After you watch the video please take a second to rank it using the star system underneath the video. Five stars would make me really happy! You will need a You Tube account (you're good if you already have a Gmail or other Google account) and if you don't already have one thank you in advance for signing up! This has been really fun to put together. My anal tendencies may have pushed me to go a little over the top, but who wants a below the top party? My Whrrl story below gives you a little sneak peak.

Thanks for your patience. I'm almost there!

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Breast Cancer Awareness: Video PSA - Touch

Raising Respectful Sons

My son will turn 7 in a few days. He's still a bit of a Mama's Boy, and that's just fine with me. He will hug and kiss me for no reason. Tell me he loves me and that I'm beautiful. He has pulled out my chair at home and in restaurants. He's held doors open and said, "ladies first." Sometimes he'll open the car door for me and close it when I get in. He's growing up to be quite the little gentleman.

When I found out we were having a boy, I told Phil how important it was to me to teach him to be respectful to women. More than just being a gentleman, I want him to understand the concept of not being dismissive toward women, not objectifying them or demeaning them. As Tyler grows up I want him to know what a healthy male/female relationship looks like. It's our job as his parents to teach him those qualities and to lead by example.

Last weekend, a 15-year old girl was gang raped in Richmond California. Allegedly, as many as 20 people watched it happen. So far, five arrests have been made. In this day and age of pocket video cameras and phones with video cameras, I think it's only a matter of time before a tape surfaces. I'm disgusted and so sad for the young woman and her family. And I'm angry with those boys' parents because they failed so miserably at teaching their sons the same lessons I'm teaching mine.

Breast Cancer 3 Day Training Tip: Pedicure Do's and Dont's

My feet have never looked as bad as they do now. I'm embarrassed to wear open toe shoes, but here in the land of almost year-round flip flops it's too warm for boots during the day. I really want to go in for a pedicure but I'm holding off until after the walk.

Here are a few quick pedicure tips:

DON'T: Get a full blown pedicure before the walk. If you have to have cute looking feet, tell the pedicurist not to use any files or pumice stones and to focus only on your toes (see below).

DON'T: Pop any blisters you may get before the walk unless they are really, really bad. Let nature do it's thing. Cover them with moleskin until they pop on their own.

DO: Moisturize! I've been using Aquaphor on my feet at night and it's helping to keep the rough spots from cracking.

DO: Stay on top of your cuticles and the length and shape of your toenails. MANY people lose toenails during the walk. A lot can be attributed to ill fitting shoes, but taking care of any hang nails etc. before the walk can't hurt too.

Any other tips for taking care of your feet that I might have missed?

Prepare To Have Your Heart Melted

I don't usually put things on the front of my fridge. One of the reasons I got a stainless was to keep it clean looking and uncluttered. "Oh, sorry kiddo. We can't put magnets here, they might leave a scratch."

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We shouldn't lie to our kids. Pfft.

Anyway, when Tyler was a toddler, we had those alphabet magnets on the fridge and they drove me crazy. But, when Tyler handed me this last night, how could I say no?

"I love my Mom. She is perFect! She is very prety too. She is doing the breas canser walk. Whit my grandma to. She is nice."
(typos and misspellings left in for cuteness)

What's on your fridge today?