Thoughts From Michigan

Pasta Meals Made With Hamburger

2009-10-14T15:11:00.006-04:00

We have 2 meals that this family loves, and we eat it often.

The first meal is Meatballs in a Sour Cream Sauce served over pasta. I did start adding a sharp Romano cheese to the sauce and it makes it so good. I make a whole box of pasta and a whole pound of meatballs and freeze half.

Sour Cream Sauce

4 T Butter
4 T whole wheat pastry flour
1 c milk
1 c water
2 bullion cubes, or 1-2 T chicken broth powder
1/2 c sour cream

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add milk, water and broth powder and bring to a boil, stir until thick. Remove from heat, add sour cream and Ramona cheese. Add meatballs and place over low heat until everything is warm and thick. I also add some dried or fresh parsley to give it more color. KL does not care for meat, but she does eat these 'Spaghetti Balls' and always asks for seconds.

The second meal we eat almost every Monday is Hodgson Mills Macaroni & Cheese. I was able to find a great price for it on Amazon, and I will have it shipped to my house every 2 months. We always add 1/2 pound of hamburger to it to make it go farther, and also the taste.
I have always been a fan of Creole Seasoning and got my husband hooked after we got married. We find it hard to eat mac and cheese without the creole.

Farm Food

2009-10-14T15:02:00.004-04:00

I love Wednesdays. It is the day we drive out in the country to purchase milk and eggs. I always stay pretty stocked up on meat that is antibiotic free/hormone free/stress free/humanely killed. I love getting it all home to place in my freezer and think of meals to make with it. We are very picky about the meat that we eat, and I am so grateful that I found a farm where I actually can meet these animals and see them grow throughout the spring and summer before they end up on my table. KL has not put it together that we eat these animals. She will one day, but I would not be surprised if she grew up to become a vegetarian. She does not care for meat, and loves all animals dearly.

First Time To The Movies

2009-10-14T14:41:00.004-04:00

We took KL to the movies for the first time! We took her to see the double feature of Toy Story in 3D. She was so excited she could hardly contain it! She made sure she brought her Buzz and Woody toys with her. She was so adorable sitting in the theater with her very own popcorn, pop and candy. We could not make it to the 2nd feature because she started falling asleep, but she very much enjoyed the first one.

Random Thoughts/Random Shots

2009-10-01T09:02:00.003-04:00

The other day I made toast, bacon and eggs for lunch. I cracked an egg and a double yolker came out. Those are always fun since you hardly ever see them. 2 more eggs after that were also double yolkers! It was fun and Ty had never seen one before. So I snapped a shot of them.

I have a large 'Get Ready For Winter' to-do list. First thing on the list was to go through all the tubs of clothes for my girls. I was able to clothe KL for this winter just from the clothes in the tubs. Thanks to all my sister-in-laws in Indiana! The only thing I needed to purchase for KL was snowsuit, snow boots, and tennis shoes.
So I hauled all the tubs upstairs and went through them and I separated them by summer & winter. It was actually a very long job and one that I had been putting off for a awhile, but it is now done and I just need to get them back downstairs.

And this next shot we just call 'Milk Drunk'.

My Favorite Time Of Year

2009-09-28T10:18:00.005-04:00

As a child I remember the weather turning colder and that was a sign for my family to start preparing for winter. My dad taking the pickup truck out in the woods to find firewood. Bringing it home and then my dad getting out his chainsaw and cutting the wood and all of us kids piling the firewood on pallets. My mom getting everything from her garden that was still there, canning and swapping out summer clothes for winter clothes, and weather proofing the windows. Getting outside toys put away for another winter. I loved getting ready for winter as a child and that has carried through to adulthood/mommyhood.
For the last week I have been going through my girl's closets and swapping out summer for winter clothes and reorganizing bedrooms. Getting the hats and mittens out and ready for colder weather. Purchasing new furnace filters, window weather treatments and new weather strips for the doors, making sure I have plenty of feety jammies for the girls, we all have a good pair of slippers, and I purchased a nice warm blue robe for my husband.
Another thing I do to get ready for the cold weather is hitting all the second hand stores and purchasing new movies, toys and books and putting them away for when it is too cold to go out and KL is feeling restless. I have also purchased lots of craft stuff from the Dollar Store and put it away. She loves doing crafts and it really keeps her busy. I purchased construction paper, new crayons, scissors, stickers, glue and stamps.
I will be going to the second hand stores after Halloween and purchasing any leftover costumes to put away in her dress up tub. I will be getting more wands, crowns, jewelry, boas, and fake makeup from the Dollar Store for her dress up days.

This is KL's room. She does not have a dresser, but she has a fabulous Closet Maid and we really put it to good use. I would recommend one of these to everyone. I love it!

This is VJ's dresser and closet. I have many more clothes, I just ran out of hangers, and the rest are still in Neb and I will get them in November.

Getting extra blankets out for my girls!

KL has been enjoying picking berries off of our bushes. She knows she can't eat them, but she puts them in piles on the sidewalk for the birds and the squirrels.

A sound I hear constantly now is the squirrels on the deck, the tree next to the deck and the swing set chewing open walnuts and leaving the remnants behind. I hear it all day long and I love it. It is just another sign that winter will soon be upon us.

1st Time Bowling

2009-09-17T17:05:00.004-04:00

Today we took KL bowling. We found out that the local bowling alley has Bumper Bowling on Thursdays. For $5.00 she gets a full game, shoes, fries and a drink. Any extra games are $2.50. What a fun way to spend Thursday morning.

Daddy showing her how to bowl.

She did it all by herself!

Mommy and KL wearing our matching shirts. This is the second time this week we wore matching shirts.

She called this 'The Ball Bringer Back Thingy'. Too cute!

I am very picky on what VJ eats, and she is on an eating schedule. But she was reaching for our fries, and I couldn't resist!

Check out those cheeks! They are almost as big as her thighs!

We had such a great time that we are going to plan on doing this every Thursday before daddy goes to work.

Playdate & A Superb Lunch

2009-09-16T13:03:00.007-04:00

Today the girls and I got up early because we found a mommy/kids playgroup at one of the schools near by. They meet every Wednesday from 9:30-10:30am. They use the gym and have toys of every kind, and the stage is used for crafts, and they put out tables for snacks. KL had a wonderful time, and we will plan on going back.

I needed to think of an easy lunch for today, so I chose to make a creamy chicken pasta meal with lots of veggies and corn bread on the side.
I had some cooked chicken in the fridge, so I added chopped chicken, carrots, zucchini and onion to the pot. Then I cooked some pasta and added pasta and chicken broth, then I added about a cup of homemade Cream of Soup. It was very tasty!

Cornbread Recipe:

1 stick butter
1 1/2 c buttermilk, yogurt or sour milk
2 eggs
1 c flour
1 t. salt
1 c cornmeal
1 t. baking soda

Put butter in cast iron skillet and place in oven. Turn oven to 400 degrees allowing butter to melt. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs and sugar. Mix well. Pour in melted butter, leaving about a tablespoon in pan. Roll around remaining butter to 'grease' the pan.
Add cornmeal, flour, salt and baking soda to wet ingredients. Mix well, pour into skillet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. You can top with butter, honey or maple syrup.

Recipe for Cream of Soup:

2 cups dry milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup chicken broth powder
2 T. dry onion flakes
salt, pepper and parsley.

Mix and keep in sealed jar in your pantry.

To use:
1/3 cup cream of soup mix to 1 cup hot water. You can either cook this in a pan on the stove, or put in microwave for 45 minutes. Watch carefully, you don't want it to scorch.

Great Food/Great Finds

2009-09-15T09:08:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we drove to another town to pick up our co-op order. I ordered 3 lbs of American cheese, a whole box of my family's favorite suckers, and 5lbs of green lentils. Yes, 5lbs. So, I found some great green lentil recipes, and the one I posted looks absolutly delicious! So we will be having it sometime this week.

Ingredients

1 pound French green lentils (recommended: du Puy)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock, recipe follows, or canned broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

After getting back from co-op, we met Grandma Nicholls at our house and we drove to the Salvation Army in Battle Creek. I love the Salvation Army! Great finds, great prices. So we were on the hunt for a Halloween costume for KL, and some fall decor. One persons trash is another persons treasures! I found a great pumpkin candy dish, and a candle holder. They had a great selection of costumes, so I started going through them and KL changed her mind 100 times. Finally, the last costume I held out she fell in love with. I am not sure if I am going to make her into a princess with wand and crown, or if I will put some black tights, black shoes, bumble bee headband and make her the Bumble Bee Princess. Any suggestions?

Nebraska Bound

2009-09-13T15:50:00.003-04:00

We are finally making it public knowledge.......... based on when Ty finds a job, we will be moving back to Nebraska. We feel that this is a good move for our family. We have a lot of reasons for going back. We are ready to close the Michigan chapter and open a new one in Nebraska.

A Productive Saturday

2009-09-12T13:27:00.009-04:00

I knew I was going to have a super busy day today. Saturdays are usually a very busy day for me because I use them to do some catch up work while my husband is home to take care of the girls. So I started out with a nice brunch for the family. Zucchini muffins, hard boiled eggs, fresh cows milk and apple cider.

After eating, I had my list: Make hand soap, dish soap and laundry soap, make butter, do laundry and clean the house.

I bought Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap at the health food market yesterday. And I planned on just refilling my old bottles

Hand Soap:
2 T Castile Soap-10 T water

Dish Soap:
1 cup Castlle Soap to 1/4 cup water, a few drops of essential oils

Then it was on to laundry soap. This one is pretty easy as well, just a hot job.
You will need a large pan, spoon or wisk, 1/3 c shaved soap (I purchase mine online, and I order goats milk soap) 1/2 c washing soda, 1/2 c borax, and a large bucket. I got mine from a bakery.

Put shaved soap and 6 c water. Cook until the soap melts. Add washing soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.

Add 4 c hot water into bucket (I keep a pot of hot water on the stove until I am ready to use it),
Add soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups water. Let soap sit 24 hours before use. And use 1/2 c per load.

I have been making my own soap for about a year now, and I love it. It cleans well, and smells fresh.
I still run my freshly washed clothes through a vinegar rinse cycle to get all extra residue out, but I do like knowing what I am washing my families clothes in.

Next on my list was butter. I am still learning this. I never seem to get as much butter as my milk lady does, but I got about 1/2 lb today. I will have to say that I hate using store bought when I do not have enough homemade. There is a huge difference in taste.

And I am happy to say that I did get 3 loads of laundry done and I have a very clean house.

And that was my Saturday!

Soaking Beans & Rice

2009-09-10T15:47:00.006-04:00

In the book Nourishing Traditions (by Sally Fallon), it talks about the benefits of soaking beans. In this book she talks about something called ‘phytic acid’. Phytic acid is naturally found in all grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Phytic acid blocks the absorption of minerals in your body. To neutralize phytic acid (it will also make them easier to digest) you need to soak your grains and beans. Soaking grains and beans also increases their nutritional benefit. If you would like to read more about this (and other nutritional information) then I highly recommend Sally Fallon’s book Nourishing Traditions.

I menu plan all my meals. It makes it easier for me at the market. I know exactly what I need and for what day. Not only does it keep me organized, it is much cheaper when going to the market. I am not filling my cart full of items that are really not needed. I write my meals down for 2 weeks and put the list on the fridge. If I see that I am going to need beans for my next meal, I make sure they are in a pan full of water to be soaked throughout the night. When I wake up in the morning, I drain the water, fill the pan back up with water, add 2 teaspoons of salt, and start cooking. Usually it takes about 2 1/2-3 hours to cook. When I soak my whole grain brown rice in water, I add 1 Tablespoon of whole, plain yogurt. The next morning, I do not drain the water. I just add 1 teaspoon of salt, turn my burner on and cook it 40-50 minutes. The yogurt makes the rice fluffy and soft and I think it makes the rice taste better. I am not a huge rice fan, but I really like the taste of it when it has been soaked with the yogurt.

Lunch

2009-09-10T13:15:00.004-04:00

I have been enjoying cooking beans for my family lately. It is healthier and cheaper than buying meat. I have a friend who is a Vegan, and I got this fantastic recipe from her.
Today we had Chickpea Cutlets and mashed potatoes mixed with fresh cows cream and homemade butter.

1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated with a Microplane grater
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
Olive oil for pan frying

INSTRUCTIONS

In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas together with the oil until no chickpeas are left. Add the remaining ingredients and knead together for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, divide the cutlet dough into 4 equal pieces. To form cutlets, knead each piece in your hand for a few moments and then flatten and stretch each one into a roughly 6 by 4 inch rectangular cutlet shape. The easiest way to do this is to form a rectangle shape in your hands and then place the cutlets on a clean surface to flatten and stretch them.
Add a moderately thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Place the cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for 6 to 7 minutes. Add more oil, if needed, when you flip the cutlets. They’re ready when lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Fall Is Here!

2009-09-10T08:06:00.006-04:00

Just a few random shots of our little girls. We love being parents, and even though we will be thrilled if our next one is a boy, we both have to agree that little girls are just so much fun and we are enjoying all the stages our girlies go through.

The other day I walked out on my deck and counted 6 deer eating and frolicking through our backyard.

We snapped a few 'fallish' pictures on our way to get milk yesterday. The leaves are changing so fast! This is my favorite time of year! I have my house decorated for fall. Getting the girl's Halloween costumes ready. Apple picking, fresh zucchini, pumpkins.... I love it all!

Along with everything else I love about fall, my favorite is the baking. And since KL loves baking and cooking so much, this is great for her. I am teaching her all that I know. We have been enjoying zucchini bread, fresh whole wheat bread, cornbread. We even tried our hands out at making hamburger buns. And we have been trying different kinds of chili.

This is our Black Bean Chicken Chili. I soaked my beans the night before, then cooked them for 3 hours. Using the bean broth and some fresh chicken stock, I added chicken, corn and onions to the beans. This was a fabulous chili that we will be doing again. Put that with some fresh out of the oven cornbread and homemade butter..... DELICIOUS! This was a nice surprise for my husband who had worked all day on a Saturday. We thought he deserved to come home to this meal, and he was very pleased.

Swine Flu

2009-09-09T16:04:00.001-04:00

The swine flu...there is amazing hype that has been created over this virus. The concern has been that we are going to have a repeat even of what happened in 1918, when the influenza hit, and killed 20-40 million people [1] Let us look at some differences between now and 1918:

There was not proper wound care/hygiene at that time

Medical care was limited as were diagnostic techniques

Clean water and proper sanitation was not established for at least another decade, and it took even longer for it to become available to everyone

Here is another point to consider.

There was a swine flu outbreak in 1976, which led president Ford to push forward with a vaccination campaign. Vaccination against swine flu at that time only proceeded for 10 weeks before it was halted because of the overwhelming number of adverse events. More people were killed by the vaccine then the swine flu. Hundreds developed Guillian Barre. It is possible to retrieve the archived news reports about the swine flu of 1976, or thank you to YouTube, you can view what was being shown on television at that time. View here: [2] Here is an article to review: [3]

So we have seen that history can repeat itself...what about the current swine flu?

Well let's start with the symptoms:

According to the CDC, symptoms include coughing, sneezing, runny nose/eyes, fever, chills, vomiting, and lethargy - the same symptoms as the seasonal flu. Many people believe that the flu must have all of these components, but in truth, the flu can produce just the respiratory symptoms. Some people will be exposed and then develop immunity to it without symptoms (that goes for all communicable diseases), because you need a pathogen (the virus) a vector (secretions - like snot), and then a susceptible host (you - not eating well, not sleeping, working too much, etc. wears down the body. Ever wonder why you get sick at that time?).

It is impossible to say with certainty how many people have gotten the H1N1 flu, because not everyone goes to hospital. The CDC does have some charts and various information that offers a visual representation of the data at: [4]and[5].

According to the US Census, in July 2008, the US population was 304,059,724. (this number only includes data from the US, 50 states...not the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands)

Hospitalization rate: 9079 (this include data from Includes the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)

Death Rate: 593

So that means that out of a population of over 300 million, the total hospitalization rate is less than 2.9 x 10-5, and the death rate is less than 1.9 x 10-6, and remember the illness data includes the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, while the census data does not.

What about a vaccine against H1N1?

There is a lot of controversy surrounding this vaccine. Let us begin with the makers of the vaccine. The first in line was Baxter pharmaceuticals. Why is that so controversial? Because in 2006, then sent several batches of flu vaccines to other countries for use which were tainted with the avian flu, which has been said to have a 60% fatality rate. Luckily, these other countries tested the vaccine on ferrets...when the ferrets died they examined the vaccine and found that it was tainted. So what happened to Baxter? Nothing. "Sorry we released a vaccine to another country tainted with a virus that has been rated as a bioterrorism agent...can we make the new swine flu vaccine?" Ok...maybe some of you are not into sarcasm, but hopefully you get the point. Here is a press release about the story: [6]. You can google the subject for more about it.

Here is a list of the other pharmaceutical companies making the vaccine: [7]

What is in the vaccine?

This is probably the biggest concern. Ingredients for the yearly flu shot include:

•· Egg proteins: including avian contaminant viruses

•· Gelatin: can cause allergic reactions and anaphylaxis are usually associated with sensitivity to egg or gelatin

•· Polysorbate 80 (Tween80^TM): can cause severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Also associated with infertility in female mice.

•· Formaldehyde: known carcinogen

•· Triton X100: a strong detergent

•· Sucrose: table sugar

•· Resin: known to cause allergic reactions

•· Gentamycin: an antibiotic

•· Thimerosal: mercury is still in multidose flu shot vials

- Some other possible ingredients for the H1N1 vaccine, depending on the manufacturer, include:
- PER.C6 cells (human retina cells) -contain MF59, a potentially debilitating adjuvant.
- MF-59 is an oil-based adjuvant primarily composed of squalene. Information retrieved from [8] (Tenpenny, 2007-2008).

All rats injected with squalene (oil) adjuvants developed a disease that left them crippled, dragging their paralyzed hindquarters across their cages. Injected squalene can cause severe arthritis (3 on scale of 4) and severe immune responses, such as autoimmune arthritis and lupus. [9] and [10].

The study published in the American Journal of Pathology concluded that the study with squalene raised the questions about the role of adjuvants in chronic inflammatory diseases.

"A novel feature of the two H1N1 vaccines being developed by companies Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline is the addition of squalene-containing adjuvants to boost immunogenicity and dramatically reduce the number of viral antigen needed. This translates to much faster production of desired vaccine quantities" (Nass, 2009). According to Dr. Meryl Nass, and authority on the anthrax vaccine, there are 3 vaccines in existence that use squalene, and none have been approved for use in the U.S. [12]

•§ "Whole live PER.C6 cells: Derived from aborted fetal retinal cells. These cells have the potential to replicate endlessly, classifying them as cancer cells. The causes of injecting them into humans is unknown" (Ledwith, BJ, et al., 2006).

In the event that there are adverse reactions to the new vaccine, what will happen?

According to bill S.1873, the pharmaceutical companies cannot be sued in the event of a pandemic situation and the creation of a vaccine. This was passed in 2005 after 911 to give the pharmaceutical companies an incentive to create vaccines. The claim has been that there is little/no money in making flu vaccines; that you can get one for 25 dollars at Walgreens. We all know that nothing is free. Our tax dollars pay for the creation of those vaccines. Read the bill here: [13]

I also wanted to bring to your attention again, the graph from the CDC, titled "Outpatient Illness Surveillance" at: [5]. Look at how there is already a huge decrease in the cases of H1N1 flu, just in time for the vaccine to come out. This certainly is not because of the vaccine, because that has not been available yet.

So what can you do to protect yourself?

Studies have shown that optimal levels of Vitamin D3 are best a fighting the flu. Dr. Mayer Eisenstein's recommendations based on the latest studies can be found here: [14] Basically, optimal vitamin D levels, rest, fluids, probiotics, and chicken noodle soup.

Canada has been looking at Vitamin D as a means of treating/preventing flu. Read more here: [15]

Do with this information what you will. It is so important that we all are informed about the inside story on this subject. Keep reading and researching and not giving in to the hype in the media or at the doctor's office. Let us not repeat what happened in 1976.

References:

1. The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 (2005). Stanford University. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from (http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/).

2. 1976 Swine Flu Propoganda. YouTube. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=swine+flu+in+1976&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=jrmmSvDcGISDnQettYmyBw&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=15#

3. Swine Flu of 1976 - More harm than good? (2009, April 29). Health and Survival. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://healthandsurvival.com/2009/04/26/swine-flu-vaccine-of-1976-more-harm-than-good/.

4. 2009 H1N1 Flu Situation Update (2009, September 4). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/updates/us/#iligraph.

5. FluView: Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report Prepared by the Influenza Division (August 29, 2009). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

6. Editorial: Baxter's H5N1 as Global Flu Pandemic Thread (2009, February 27). LifeGen.de: Living Facts for Life Sciences. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://www.lifegen.de/newsip/shownews.php4?getnews=2009-02-26-5323&pc=s01

7. FACTBOX: Who is making the swine flu vaccine? (2009, September 3). Reuters. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-SwineFlu/idUSTRE5822NQ20090903.

8. Tenpenny, S. (2007-2008). The Truth About the Flu Shot. Dr. Tenpenny.com. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://drtenpenny.com/the_truth_about_the_flu_Shot.aspx.

9. Kenney, RT. Edleman, R. "Survey of human-use adjuvants." Expert Review of Vaccines. 2 (2003) p171.

10. Matsumoto, Gary. Vaccine A: The Covert Government Experiment That's Killing Our Soldiers and Why GI's Are Only the First Victims of this Vaccine. New York: Basic Books. p54.

11. Ledwith, BJ, et al. (2006). Tumorigenicity assessments of Per.C6 cells and of an Ad5-vectored HIV-1 vaccine produced on this continuous cell line. Dev Biol (Basel). 2006;123:251-63; discussion 265-6.

12. Nass, M. (2009). H1N1 vaccines with novel adjuvants being developed for potential mass use. Anthrax vaccine - Posts by Dr. Meryl Nass. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://anthraxvaccine.blogspot.com/2009/07/h1n1-vaccines-with-novel-adjuvants.html

13. Bill S. 1873: A bill to prepare and strengthen the biodefenses of the United States against deliberate, accidental, and natural outbreaks of illness, and for other purposes (2005, November) The Library of Congress. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01873:@@@L&summ2=m&

14. Eisenstein, M. (n.d). General Health. Homefirst Health Services. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://www.homefirst.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=185&Itemid=106.

15. Heller, L. (2009, August 10). Canada examines vitamin D for swine flu protection. NUTRA. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Canada-examines-vitamin-D-for-swine-flu-protection/.

Vivien Jane

2009-08-05T14:07:00.003-04:00

VJ is rolling so much. She rolls onto her stomach, and about 1/4 of the time she rolls back, the other 3/4 of the time she gets mad and screams because she wants back on her back and can't get there. We finally said no more thin burp rags to help put her to sleep since she is rolling so much.
We put her down for her morning nap today and went back in to check on her and she had rolled onto her stomach and fallen asleep with her beloved paci. We love the picture of her going head to head with her light up turtle. What a sweet girl

If you are interested in the turtle, you can go to http://cloudb.com
We have the turtle and the ladybug, although the ladybug does not light up as well as the turtle does.

First Tooth

2009-08-04T10:25:00.003-04:00

Vivien Jane's first tooth came through today. This is a happy/sad time for me. She has been a little cranky lately and I was ready for this tooth to come through, but now that it has it keeps reminding me that my once tiny little baby is getting so big. She rolls over now, she holds her head up so well, and now she has a little tooth. We are going to try feeding her solids again. She has wanted nothing to do with eating solids, but she is drinking 8oz at a time. The bottle does not hold much more, so we are thinking that it is time for solids. She was so tiny when she was born and now she is a chunker of 17lbs.

On Our Way To Get Milk

2009-08-03T21:56:00.004-04:00

Just a few shots of the countryside as we go to get milk. The farm is about 20 minutes away, and the drive is so peaceful and beautiful.

Leonard

2009-08-03T21:26:00.002-04:00

This is Leonard. He is a spider that comes here every night and builds a web right outside our patio window. We get to watch him build his web and it is amazing how he does it. He is not a huge spider and I can imagine that his brain is minuscule. But it is amazing that even with such a tiny brain, he knows what he is suppose to do.
So every night he comes and builds a web, and every morning when I get up he has packed up and left for the day.
He really is fun to watch.

The Farmer's Market

2009-07-30T11:55:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I took the girls to the Farmer's Market. We purchased some yummy veggies to have for lunch today. We purchased corn, red potatoes and a fabulous looking onion.

KL helped us get the corn ready.

We are having hamburgers and corn for lunch today, so we will be using our onion that we purchased, and also picked some lettuce from our own garden. Mmmmm, lunch will be scrumptious.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T14:34:00.003-04:00

Vivien Jane

2009-07-28T16:17:00.005-04:00

Vivien Jane loves her blanket. She loves her blanket so much that she has now been dubbed
'Blanket' by her Uncle Jason Nicholls. She has one all the time, and unlike any other child I have ever known... it has to cover her face while she goes to sleep. She is one crazy baby. We use the thinnest of thin burp rags to go over her paci, and the tiniest baby wash cloth for her eyes. We wait for her to fall asleep and then we remove them, but in order to get her to go down for bed, we need her blanket.

I also wanted to share some pics of her in her cloth diapers. It is very hard to get her to hold still long enough to get them pinned. But I am learning, and before long I am going to be a pro!

4th Of July/Nicole's Birthday Party

2009-07-28T13:25:00.014-04:00

We had the 4th of July party down in Indiana this year. It was a 4th/birthday party. We love the drive down and snapped some shots to share. All the Amish pictures are for my mother. Enjoy mom!

We were going to go swimming before eating, so I had to find a swimsuit for Miss VJ. She looks so adorable in her new swimsuit!

We drive past this house on the way down to Indiana that has a 'Haircuts' sign in their front yard and it always makes us laugh. This time we finally remembered to get a picture of it.

Here we are driving through Amish country.

VJ started to get a bit cranky. She was getting tired of being in her carseat so I crawled in the back for the last part of the drive and kept the girls company.

KL loves to go swimming! She had her life jacket on had a blast!

Ethan was born in December 2008, so he is a few months older than VJ. We love putting them together to measure them in size, and Ethan loves touching his little cousin. They are so cute!

KL loves roasting marshmallows over the fire she helped Uncle Curt gather wood for.

VJ loves her Uncle Jason (Nicholls)

Vivien Is So Tired

2009-07-28T12:21:00.003-04:00

VJ was so tired and it was so hard for her to keep her head up and smile.
We thought you might enjoy this.

Updates On Our Girls

2009-07-28T10:22:00.009-04:00

I have not been on here for awhile as I have been reminded by my husband and wonderful sister in law. Life has been a bit busy here. VJ is growing like a weed, and she has just learned to roll over. She hates being on her tummy, so as soon as she rolls over she tries to get back on her back and then starts to fuss. She has also started playing with some of her toys. She rolls to her side, sees her toys and reaches for them. I can't wait for my parents to see her next month. She is getting so big! Today we will weigh her. My guess is about 15-16lbs. Those rolls on her legs have to weigh at least 5 lbs each! She has turned into quite the chunk! And we have started her cloth diapers this week. It is a big job to keep changing cloth diapers, but I am so excited about the health benefits and the cost. We had received 'sposie diapers for our baby shower and we just ran out, and my mother stocked me up with tons of cloth, so here we go! And hopefully potty training for VJ will be much easier.

VJ loves sleeping in the bean bag.

The other day I was going through the camera to see what pictures we had taken and ran across a few that I know I didn't take. Then we found out who the culprit was!

The other day Tyler was at the computer watching something so he put his headphones on. Every time he wears his headphone, KL grabs her ear muffs which she calls her headphones and wears them the whole time Ty is wearing his. Finally grabbed a picture of her with her 'headphones'. And of course, Francie Baby is right next to her. He doesn't have headphones, but sometimes she shares.

We have shared pictures with you of Daisy our deer that lives in the back. Well, she had a baby! We named her Sophia and she is so sweet! One day when Ty was mowing, he turned around and Daisy and Sophia were behind him walking through the yard. Here are some pictures of the proud mama and her baby.

We spent the 4th of July with Grandma and Papa. Our family 4th party was postponed until July 12. So we grilled out with Ty's parents and did some sparklers and then were suppose to drive back into town to watch the fireworks show. This was the first year KL was willing to hold the sparklers.

I thought I would post of few shots of VJ during one of her baths and show off some of her chunkiness! She loves her baths.

The other day I was folding laundry in the dining room, and KL and VJ were hanging out in the living room. KL was coloring next to VJ. Then I heard, "VIVIEN! NO! That is not how you are suppose to color! Mommy said not to color on yourself!". I got there too late.

Talking To God

2009-06-13T20:45:00.002-04:00

There is an auction going on at the fairgrounds down the street from us.
Kitty Lou and I were walking down the sidewalk to go her friends house. The auction guy started to speak, and Kitty Lou stopped and looked at me and said, "I think that's God talking to us! He talks to us you know!". Made me laugh and I didn't really want to bust her bubble and tell her it was a guy at the auction.
Later I looked outside and she was talking to someone and I asked who she was talking to and said 'God'. How precious. And I'm sure He got quite a chuckle out of that one.

Being A Mom

2009-06-12T23:22:00.003-04:00

It is 11:22pm. We got home from visiting with Grandma and Papa Nicholls. I was tired and the last thing I wanted to do was mommy/wife stuff. I just wanted to go to bed. But both girls needed baths, formula needed to be made, laundry needed to be folded and I wanted to make sure Ty had something to eat when he gets home.

Everything gets done and I am turning off lights, checked on VJ, picked up a few things and putting them back in their place.

I walk into my bedroom and see Kitty Lou's Polly Pockets on my bed and a book. She chose to play with her toys in our room on our bed. Not her room, or the living room. But her mommy and daddy's room.

I then realized that I am so thankful that I get the privilege of being a mom. One day my children will be all grown up and it's the little things like the toys on my bed that I want to remember. I do not want to see my job as a chore. Ty and I were given these children on a loan from God to take care of them to the best of our abilities, and to raise them the way we are told to raise them. To love Him and praise Him and always know that He loves us and will take care of us.

I am in love with my girls.

And one more thing that made my heart sing:

Kitty Lou loves to sing. She makes up any song and just sings about things she see's or where we are going. Today we were sitting at a stop light and I heard her singing. Nothing new, but I love to stop and listen to what she is singing about this time. This time I heard her sing "I love my mom.....she is so nice and beautiful......she knows all about the birds....." I have never heard her sing about me. I thought it was so sweet and it brought tears to my eyes.

She also always thinks about daddy. If we go anywhere, she grabs an extra something special for daddy. Daddy is always being thought about and getting treats. Sometimes I complain because mommy never gets thought about. But I know she doesn't mean anything by it. And it's really not that big of deal. I was the one that taught her that we need to do special things for daddy because he works so hard for us to eat, live here, go shopping, buy toys, etc....
But today she was doing crafts with her friend. I was not sure what kind of craft, I thought they were just going to paint or color. But she brought me home this special craft and told me that she made it special just for me. And this I will always treasure.

Friday

2009-06-12T14:53:00.008-04:00

Today Kitty Lou and I got ready to go hit some Garage Sales. Kitty Lou ran and got her purse and of course, some money. Today will be the first day this year on going to garage sales. There are not too many things that I need, and we are holding our own garage sale next week. But we thought it would be fun to go drive around Marshall and see what treasures we could find.

Also, Kitty Lou has a new friend. She lives 2 doors down and is a year older than Kitty Lou. We watched her run down to her friends house and knock on the door to see if she could play. Then they both got on their bikes and rode and sang and laughed. She has a new best friend and has a look of pure joy on her face. The rest of the afternoon they ran from her house to our house and back again. I had the hardest time getting her to come eat lunch. We got half her lunch down her before she shouted good bye and was out the door again. Our little girl is growing up.
I took a shot of the bikes. The girls park them so nicely when they go inside to play.

Speaking of lunch, today we had tacos made with homemade refried beans and they were super tasty. Also, I picked fresh lettuce from my deck garden! This was my first pick of the year. We also have spinach, green onions, and radishes. We did have cucumbers, but we have a family of raccoons that like to hang out on our deck at night and they decided to tear up my cucumbers. I am not very happy with them.

Later, I stepped outside on our deck and saw a deer hanging out by our shed. I'm pretty sure it is the same one from yesterday because I saw it walking past our house on the sidewalk last night too. At least this deer uses common courtesy and uses the sidewalk!

Now you have gotten to see shots of the deer and the raccoons, all that I need to get now are the muskrats and the groundhogs. The groundhogs are not my favorite since they are destroying our yard. I have even tried to get some shots of the fish that swim in the river in our backyard.
But I did get some shots of the river for you. We love our river and at night when it is quiet out all you can hear at the bats and the sound of the water.
The river and the yards are most beautiful in the summer.

Vivien Jane Lucretia ~ 3 1/2 months old

2009-06-11T21:27:00.005-04:00

Healthy Market Day

2009-06-11T14:54:00.010-04:00

Today was a trip the the health food store, or as Kitty Lou calls it 'The Healthy Market'. One thing we can't ever forget is our market bags and KL has her very own so she can do a bit of shopping for things that catch her eye. Her favorite treat to buy is Panda Licorice.

We got the girls ready to go and Kitty Lou and Vivien Jane both had on a pair of their new sunglasses.
Kitty Lou and I went shopping yesterday for a 'big girl' day out. She is such a great helper to me that we love to just have mommy/daughter days for a big thank you. Yesterday was extra special though since Tyler and I both took her out to eat before he had to leave for work. Her favorite food: Chinese. After he left for work, KL and I hit a few stores together and she got a new shirt that says 'Big Sister 4-Ever' and we got both girls a pair of sunglasses. I just could not resist taking some pictures and posting them for you to see.

Tyler decided to take some different roads to the market. It is about 30 minutes away so off we went driving through the countryside and looking at all the beautiful land surrounding our drive. Along the way we passed a lake that looked like it might have some great bass fishing in it. I thought of my dad when I took this picture.

When we got home we saw a deer meandering through our neighborhood eating our neighbors plants. So we got some great pictures. I'm so glad that we take our camera everywhere we go since we never know when we will get a great picture.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T18:18:00.003-04:00

Riverwalk Photos

2009-06-09T20:41:00.005-04:00

We took a long walk on the Riverwalk tonight and decided to take some pictures and share them with you!

This picture was the reflection of trees off the river.

The Riverwalk

2009-06-09T15:19:00.012-04:00

At least once a day we try to take advantage of the Riverwalk that is by our house. It is a very long boardwalk built right by the river, or you could take the sidewalk that runs next to the riverwalk. There is also a train tack that runs by it and sometimes we are lucky enough to be right there when the train goes by. If KL waves, the conductor toots his horn for her. She loves it! VJ is still getting used to the horn, so sometimes it really takes her by surprise and her little face scrunches up before she starts crying. It is so hard not to laugh at her adorable face.

Kitty Lou took her bike on the Riverwalk for the first time today and had a blast! It is a beautiful scenic trail with lots of flowers.

Kitty Lou got off her bike every now and then to pick flowers and pine cones. She is our nature child and loves to collect anything! So needless to say, we have a whole basket of baby pine cones at our house

I love to see my girls getting fresh air and enjoying the world outside. Kitty Lou is very much into learning about Jesus, so everything we pass she will ask if Jesus made it. And then she will look up to the clouds and tell me she can't see Him, but He can see her. It is very sweet and we love hearing her talk about Jesus, and answering all the questions she has about Him.

The Nicholls Girls

2009-06-08T18:57:00.019-04:00

Well, I have decided to start a blog for friends and family that live afar. It seems that phone calls and quick emails don't really keep you up to date on our family.
This particular blog is just to catch you up on our girls.......

Kitty Lou just turned 4 on June 6th. This was a hard birthday for me. I cried harder on this one than any other. She is so excited to grow up though. We had 2 birthday parties for her this year. May 25 she shared her birthday with her daddy, and cousins Brock and Hannah. The whole family made it, and we hosted it at the church. Tyler grilled, everyone brought a side, and we enjoyed a full day of family fun. Her birthday theme this year was Strawberry Shortcake. So Tyler made her birthday cake and put a big strawberry on it. I think Ty will be taking over doing the birthday cakes for his girls since he really enjoyed it.

The 2nd party was on her birthday with Ty and I and VJ, and Grandma and Papa Nicholls. We bought a small cake and opened some gifts. She enjoyed this party as well.
I can't believe she is 4 yrs old now. She is potty trained, and has very few accidents throughout the night. She also just learned to ride her big girl bike, so she spends as much time as possible in front of our house riding. She is an animal lover and Monday is milk day so she gets to spend quite a bit of time playing with the goats and kittens and baby chicks.
She enjoys baking, and shopping and is so very much in love with her little sister. I knew she would be a helper to me, but not to the extent that she is. She loves hugging and kissing and holding Vivien. VJ just loves to smile at her sister and tries to laugh. We can tell that those 2 are going to be the best of friends.
We take many walks on the Riverwalk, and I let KL play in the river. She loves water. We also have a pool on our deck, but I think she much prefers the river. Silly girl!

Now on to our youngest...... Miss Vivien Jane. She is now 3 months old. And she is so very happy. She smiles all the time, tries to laugh, and drools more than I thought a baby could. Bibs are on at all times! She loves her bouncy seat, her family and her food. And when she wants food, she wants it now. After trying for 6 weeks to get her to breastfeed with the help of a doula, lactation consultant and our doctor, we decided to put her on homemade formula. Thanks to my mom for all of her help. She is now on a healthy goats milk formula and she is getting all of her chunky rolls. I am excited to see how healthy this child turns out to be. She is also sleeping through the nights now which is a blessing. She co-slept with us for many weeks, and then we realized that she loves her carseat. So that is where she sleeps and she is happy as a lark!
Vivien is a beautiful little baby and she also looks very much like her daddy. We are pretty sure that she is going to be a blue eyed beauty. And now we will have one blue eyed and one brown eyed girl.

I think that is all with family up-dates.
I will try to write some every day and let everyone know happenings, or just funny things worthy of writing down.

It's Tyler!

2009-06-07T01:37:00.001-04:00

Just setting up this blog for my beautiful wife.