In honor of National Pretzel Day I made my own soft pretzels and it was very easy....and they were good.

Life is crazy as usual at the Calls.
Right now we are;
Looking for jobs - Nelson and Megan. If you have any ideas of ins let them know.
Finishing High School and everything that goes with it - Hayden
Rugby playing - Hayden....viewing the matches - rest of the fam.
Shows - Joseph - Megan for CAA, Charlie Brown - Hayden is Charlie, Megan choreographing.
Yard - Gary, Nelson and Me
Mission stuff - Hayden and Me ......appointments with his schedule are a pain.
My House- oh how I hate deciding what to do with all the stuff we have.
New House - the Jordan Calls have a new home with a big yard and all that goes with home ownership

Life is good!

MCC

Fenway Park is 100 today!

Hayden is crazy happy for the first Boston -Yankees game. Ryan is dressed for the occasion as well.

Love my cute boys!

MCC

The Last Field Trip

Gary and I just completed our last public school field trip to Washington DC with the BHS Choir.
We had a great time. Lots of fun observing and talking with the kids, and most of all hearing the choir sing. I teared up several times. Singing the National Anthem at Lincoln Memorial was just the start....tears at Arlington when they sang Danny Boy, and Homage at the LDS visitors center just to name a few.  Chills at the National Cathedral and Saint Johns....especially when they began singing a lovely arraignment of Jesus Once of Humble Birth.

 at the White House. We actually got to sing with permission of the the Secret Service.

 Red Sox vs.  Nationals baseball game.  To watch Hayden you would have thought it was Christmas.

 Singing at the National Cathedral.

Hayden singing his solo at the concert at the LDS visitors center.

They sang and toured at Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Mt. Vernon, National Anthem at the Washington Wizards Basketball game, National Cathedral, St. Johns Church - for the noon service, LDS Visitors Center - they were the advertised concert group and sang for about an hour, and the White House. We also toured Fords Theatre, and saw the show 1776...excellent. Went to a Baseball game, the Smithsonian museums including the National Archives and the Holocaust Museum. It was a jam packed trip, we saw a ton but there is a ton left to see and do.

I am so glad that all of our kids allowed us to go with them on their choir trips. Everyone of them was wonderful. So glad I got to see my kids in their social element. You learn a lot about your child when you observe them in this type of setting. I am glad to say that they all were well behaved, kind and inclusive.

MCC

A Day With Gamarcie

 Yes, I have a name..... GAMARCIE!
Here he is, Grandma's "Big Boy" .......he told me; "Gamarcie I'm a big boy."

 He's happy to be at Gamarcie's

 He enjoys picking up my garden waste....

A cute, but sad thing he is currently doing is going to my garden gate looking for Snickers......the first time he did it I cried.  Today he ran over shouted puppy!  I then reminded him that Snickers went to heaven.

Looking like his dad 

MCC

Yeah for Mom

I went with Mom to her last chemo treatment. She was grinning ear to ear. We were so happy when the Doctor told us that she didn't need to see her again until June!!!!  She is one of the 20% that is cured and we are so happy that she is one of the few to keep that stat up alive and well.
I went with Mom to her first appointment to Dr. Prysest and heard all the dismal news. I was concerned but never felt like it wasn't incurable. (Hind sight tells me that we all reacted with a positive this is just a step along the road and we will beat it attitude.... her attitude was catching even then). Anyway we are all excited to have Moms cancer gone. I am so glad that we still get to experience up close and personal her positive attitude, her faith and her hopefulness. We should all follow her example it would make this a better world.
Mom asked an interesting question on our way home..."Now that I have been given this extension in my life, what is my responsibility?" What is expected of me?
What a great thought for all of us to think and act upon.  Mom is truly remarkable woman who is faithful and positive. I am sure that Mom will come up with many wonderful ways to serve those around her.
I have learned so much through Moms experience, not only about cancer symtoms but about faith, hope and attitude. They all make a difference.

Gary and I have said numerous times what a crazy year for our parents health wise. All of the experiences have been learning ones for us and have made us rethink our preparation for life's challenges and how we would respond if  I was the one experiencing it. With the two scariest health issues, Bills and Moms cancer we saw it through with two different but equally good outcomes. Mom is still here with us but Bill left this earth. Moms question about her responsibility is one we all need to be anxiously engaged in. What is my responsibility and do something.  Bills experience made me face my religious beliefs head on, do I really believe in what I believe in?

Oh life you are such a learning experience.

MCC

Chatty

Captain Chatty was over last night....he is so much fun!
He talks non stop  and has the funniest high pitched sound. He will repeat almost anything he hears and has a typical boy sense of humor.
Some of his latest funnies.....
 We were saying the  dinner prayer. He fold his arms and in the middle of the pray decides he is thirsty he keeps  his arms folded and reaches for his cup and then takes a drink, all with one his arms folded. Now I know it is possible but who would have thought a 2 year old would figure this out.
At he same meal I asked Nelson to get us some pickles and all Captain would then say was picko, picko...and then proceeded to eat 5 dill pickle slices....and he would have eaten more if I would have let him. He loves tart food.
His food tastes surprise me and textures play a big part in his ability to consume.  He will try almost anything, however this doesn't mean he will keep it in his mouth...like I said texture will get to him before taste.
He downed half a kiwi fruit and like saying kiwi.
He knows that i keep my treats and snacks in a closet with a normal door and will knock on the closet door and ask for a gold fish or cookie.
Captain loves playing with the uncles......football is  a big run around with the little guy running from or after Hayden. Captain with his baby football shrieking over and over hike or touchdown and Hayden with his nerf trying to teach him how to hike or hold the ball.
He loves Hayden and last night when Hayden got home he had to shower and Captain wanted to play.....he would knock on the bathroom door and say Hayen. He tried to get me to open the door and when I wouldn't tried something new.....he saw the light coming through the bottom of the door and got down on the floor, he tried to put his fingers under the door (very reminiscent of my days with young kids trying to find a few minutes peace only to see little fingers fluttering under the door.) then he said "peek a boo I see you." I laughed out loud it was so funny. Hayden said I'm glad he didn't really see me, it might have damaged him for life.
He loves our iphones and ipads and knows how to use them. I opened a sound effects app on my phone knowing he would get a kick out of the sounds. He pushed the buttons and was amused, but reacted as a true little boy when he triggered the burp and fart button. He laughed and laughed and wanted to do it again and again. I said 'excuse me' when he triggered those the sounds so now he wants to play 'scuse me.' I guess we are all wired to giggle at those sounds. As Rachel says " farts is funny."

Love being a grandma...even though he says 'gampa gary' and calls me 'gama' or nothing at all.

MCC

Wednesday Weigh In

On the diet front it is all slow go, but I am enduring and not gaining which is a good thing. Staying the same is a really good thing. I must be looking better since everyone comments. I  hope it is the exercise that is giving me some shape. I now need the secrets of toning up old flabby skin...old is the key word, my skin is not young elastic and resilient as it once was.
Enough on that.....

Laurie sent me an interesting article about cancer, nutrition, health and attitude from John Hopkins.
here it is:
AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY... (INCLUDES GOOD PREVENTATIVE INFO)
:
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

3.. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.  To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

4. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.  Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.  An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply..

CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar, it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer     cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and are harmful.  A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small    amounts.
Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.

Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment.  A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food, including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

5. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

6..Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

7. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy tcancer cells.

8. No plastic containers in micro. No water bottles in freezer. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer.  Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc.., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.


I find it interesting that the core of this is the suggested health code mentioned in the Word of Wisdom. I know that it is my trying to implement these principles that has lead me to losing weight.  who knows maybe I am keeping cancer at bay as well.

MCC

Mad Marchness

March Madness, Mustache March, Munch Madness, Madness to the Max.....apparently march and madness go together.
So I ave been thinking about what to focus on in March and since it is a long month and I will have plenty of time, So my mad thought is Organization, De-cluttering, getting things out of my life that are making me mad.
That means the closets and cupboards emptied, sorted, stuff through out and then put away with a purpose.
While visiting Gary's aunt and uncle in Cali a few weeks a go it was inspiring to look in the closets, cupboards and drawers and see a neat, minimal, organized approach to keeping stuff.
I have too much stuff and most of it is not used or even needed so I need to part with it so as to get things in order and stop the madness.


MCC

I'm Still Here

It's leap day so I have and extra 24 hours to catch up......wouldn't that be grand, to have a day that existed, but you didn't have to do your regular routine and you wouldn't get behind for not working in the present, but an extra 24 hours to get caught up a bit/
I still don't have time but the wind, weather and the days plans have changed from what should have happened so I do have a few hours that have opened up to do what ever. And what usually happens when I find myself with time on my hands, I don't do the catching up, I just do more of the what gets me behind activities....I am so predictable.

February Recap
- I have be much more proactive with getting some much needed household project done every morning. Yes the projects are small like only a cupboard or two, but you can only eat an elephant a bite at a time so I feel like I am progressing.

- I am making re-decorating plans right and left but the cash is slipping through my fingers towards unplanned for projects faster than I can pin it down on the fun things.....but a girl can dream and someday it will happen.  Kitchen, yard and a house face lift.

- Gary and I spent Presidents Day weekend in Carmel, California with Gary's mom Mary, his brother Jeff, his wife Lisa and Gary's aunt and uncle, Phil and Gloria at their home. It was a very nice time. The Horsley's were wonderful host and feed us well.

- My February goal of telling more people that I love them, that they matter to me has been a good goal. Of course I started with a bang and things wound down a bit but I did commit to something and I am ready for another month of focus. Thanks again to Melinda for her inspiration.

I will try to be more active at blogging. It is a great journal if nothing else.

MCC

New Recipes......White Chicken Enchiladas

So far the new recipe thing is going well. We are trying new things and loving it. It is forcing me to be a better meal planner and I actually look forward to making dinner.  Some days the food is definitely a keeper and other times I have learned a new cooking technique or what I would do differently another time if nothing else.
Today I made  White Chicken Enchiladas ...a great beginning.
I have been craving something like the Green Enchiladas I had growing up. Just a similar flavor not necessarily the same recipe.  So I began my search. I wanted to use chicken, corn tortillas and green chilies, the original recipe used corn tortillas but ground beef. Most recipes I found used flour tortillas and tomatillo sauce, which I wasn't opposed to but I like the taste and texture of corn tortilla. The other issue with the old recipe was that is seemed mild and I know my family likes a little more kick in their Mexican food...
I then stumbled on the Pioneer Woman's White Enchilada recipe....it sounded like a possible winner. So with a few modifications for our tastes I made it and boy it was cheesey, creamy,  but still a bit mild. Next time I will add more heat. The Cheese sauce is wonderful and would be great so many other ways.
We will be making this again....with more heat and I might even stew the chicken a little more with some spice.

MCC

White Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

6 Servings

2 Tbs. Canola Oil

12 Whole Corn tortillas

Heat 2 Tbs. oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Fry tortillas on at a time for 10 to 20 seconds, just to soften. Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

1 Tbs. Canola oil

2 ½ Cups cooked, Shredded Chicken

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 large onion diced

3 - 4 oz. cans Green Chilies

1 whole jalapeno seeded and finely diced

1 tsp. paprika

 1 tsp. Ground Cumin

½ cup heavy cream

2 Tbs. Butter

2 Tbs. Flour

1 Cup Sour Cream

2 ½ Cups Monterey Jack Cheese grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh Cilantro, chopped for garnish (optional)

Chicken Filling:

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a skillet over medium heat; Add onions and jalapeno, sauté for 2 minute. Add Chicken and half of the green chilies, ½ tsp. paprika and ½ tsp. ground cumin. Stir together. Add ½ cup chicken broth and stir. Add heavy cram and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and gets hot. Turn off heat.

Cheese Sauce:

In another skillet melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium hear for one minute. Pour in 1 ½ cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cool for another minute or two. Stir in the remaining chilies and reduce heat. Stir in sour cream and 1 ½ cups of the grated cheese. Stir to melt together add ½ tsp paprika and ½ tsp ground cumin and salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, spoon a large spoonful chicken mixture on top of a tortilla, top with cheese and roll up. Place seem side down in a 9x13 casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining 11 tortillas.

Pour cheese sauce over top of the tortillas. More cheese may be added if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minuets.

Sprinkle with cilantro and serve