At Costco, there were Mrs. May's Naturals Trio bars on sample. These are Vegan and Kosher and contain three nuts, three seeds, and three fruits per bar. Hazen said they were delicious (I never take samples--if I'm hungry I get hungrier and I've also noticed our grocery bill increases...I like food!). I am happy with the ingredients list: cashews, almonds, pistachios, strawberries, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dates, raisins, rice malt, natural flavors (I'm not sure about that...I never know what that means), evaporated cane juice, and sea salt. Other than "natural flavors" I can picture every ingredient in my mind. I like that. Calories are kind of high at 230, with 140 from fat. I assume it's good fat from the nuts and seeds, though, so it's alright.
I've now taken a bite. The texture is different. For some reason I was expecting a granola bar type thing, but seeing as it is gluten, dairy, wheat, and GMO (note to self...look up GMO. What is that??) free, I'm not sure how I expected that. It's basically just a lot of fruits and nuts stuck together--nothing extra. It tastes good, but it's kind of hard. And sweet. It kind of hurts my teeth. I think this is going to take some getting used to. I better learn to love them--they were $15.99 for a box of 20!
(I've continued to eat as I've been typing. I think I like them. It got less hard after the first bite, and the cashews are DELICIOUS (I LOVE cashews). I might be a fan, at least of the strawberry flavor. I still need to try cranberry, blueberry, and tropical. But not today--that would amount to 920 calories and 64 grams of fat! These will definitely be a one a day snack.)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
More fun with the cat
Last night, Hazen started Ian's bubble bath while I finished up a game of Mario Kart on the Wii (haven't played it in ages, but I'm suddenly hooked again!). Ian is very good about staying out of the bathroom while his bath is running and waiting for one of us to be ready to put him in. Last night, though, all of a sudden we heard lots of running and laughing coming down the hall. Then Ian started yelling "Bubbles! Bubbles!". Seconds later, the cat came streaking into the living room soaking wet. Apparently our son thought the kitty needed a bath. The cat was not amused, and looked absolutely pathetic sitting there dripping and shaking. Poor thing!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Driving in Helena
I spent 5 years in Las Vegas. I have spent weekends in Los Angeles and Phoenix. I have seen bad drivers. Or so I thought. I think Helena, Montana drivers might be the worst group of drivers I have experienced.
As an example, on my way to work today (it was snowing, too, by the way) I was cruising along at the speed limit with a safe distance between myself and the driver ahead of me. The van behind me was also keeping his distance, which I appreciated. The truck behind the van, however, decided he was in much too big of a hurry to be traveling at the speed limit and sped past the van and myself--and then CUT into the space I had between the car ahead of me causing me to slam on my brakes. So, to all you Helena drivers--that space between me and the next car? It is not there to piss you off, nor is it there for you to squeeze into. It is there so that I don't have to worry about slamming into the car in front of me if he feels the sudden need to stop! And seriously...we were seconds away from the RED LIGHT. So congratulations...you beat me to the red light by a mere two seconds. Way to go.
Also, I drive a stick shift. If I don't slam on my gas the instant the light turns green, do not honk at me. I am shifting. I will go when I'm good and ready. Waiting an extra 2.5 seconds for me to shift is not going to make you late. And if it will, leave a little earlier tomorrow.
Uncontrolled intersections--YIELD to the person on your RIGHT. The person on the RIGHT has the RIGHT OF WAY. Do not just barrel through with no regard to other people approaching the intersection, and also don't stop and sit there all confused when the person on your LEFT does the same thing.
Yield signs--similar to uncontrolled intersections. If you have a Yield sign, Yield. Please don't make me slam on the brakes in fear for my life because you've decided I deserve the Yield instead.
Tailgating--please don't do that to me. You might think that tailgating me and waving your hands around will make me go faster. You would be wrong. I will probably slow down a little. The same goes for you people that weave through traffic (those red light racers). If I catch you doing it in my rear-view mirrow, I will probably maintain speed with the car next to me. I really don't appreciate being pushed around by people who think their time is more valuable than mine.
As a note--when I play my little slow down and line up games, I don't go below the speed limit. I'm not that big of a jerk. ;)
As an example, on my way to work today (it was snowing, too, by the way) I was cruising along at the speed limit with a safe distance between myself and the driver ahead of me. The van behind me was also keeping his distance, which I appreciated. The truck behind the van, however, decided he was in much too big of a hurry to be traveling at the speed limit and sped past the van and myself--and then CUT into the space I had between the car ahead of me causing me to slam on my brakes. So, to all you Helena drivers--that space between me and the next car? It is not there to piss you off, nor is it there for you to squeeze into. It is there so that I don't have to worry about slamming into the car in front of me if he feels the sudden need to stop! And seriously...we were seconds away from the RED LIGHT. So congratulations...you beat me to the red light by a mere two seconds. Way to go.
Also, I drive a stick shift. If I don't slam on my gas the instant the light turns green, do not honk at me. I am shifting. I will go when I'm good and ready. Waiting an extra 2.5 seconds for me to shift is not going to make you late. And if it will, leave a little earlier tomorrow.
Uncontrolled intersections--YIELD to the person on your RIGHT. The person on the RIGHT has the RIGHT OF WAY. Do not just barrel through with no regard to other people approaching the intersection, and also don't stop and sit there all confused when the person on your LEFT does the same thing.
Yield signs--similar to uncontrolled intersections. If you have a Yield sign, Yield. Please don't make me slam on the brakes in fear for my life because you've decided I deserve the Yield instead.
Tailgating--please don't do that to me. You might think that tailgating me and waving your hands around will make me go faster. You would be wrong. I will probably slow down a little. The same goes for you people that weave through traffic (those red light racers). If I catch you doing it in my rear-view mirrow, I will probably maintain speed with the car next to me. I really don't appreciate being pushed around by people who think their time is more valuable than mine.
As a note--when I play my little slow down and line up games, I don't go below the speed limit. I'm not that big of a jerk. ;)
Friday, November 6, 2009
Fun Story...
(Busy blogging day...this must mean I'm procrastinating more than usual!)
So, we have been invited to Hazen's mom's for Thanksgiving. There are going to be A LOT of people there...including Hazen's Aunt Kathy. Who passed away a couple of years ago. Apparently her son has decided to drive from Arizona to Montana with her urn.
There is never a dull moment in Hazen's family. :-)
So, we have been invited to Hazen's mom's for Thanksgiving. There are going to be A LOT of people there...including Hazen's Aunt Kathy. Who passed away a couple of years ago. Apparently her son has decided to drive from Arizona to Montana with her urn.
There is never a dull moment in Hazen's family. :-)
Hail Plankton
My son is a little bit of a Spongebob nut. He loves it, absolutely loves it. There is an episode where Plankton takes over Bikini Bottom and puts buckets on everyone's heads and makes them his drones. Ian has started taking his bucket that his tubbie cars belong in and putting it on his head. He then walks around the house saying "Hail Plankton. Hail Plankton".
He is very goofy.
He is very goofy.
Thomas the Cat
I guess I should explain what possessed us to get a kitten. We have been talking about getting Ian a cat for a while, but we always change our minds. However, a couple of weeks ago, we started hearing mice. We couldn't find them, we could just hear them. Then they (it?) started getting braver. It would dart across the kitchen and the living room. One even leaped out of Ian's closet at Hazen (very funny). So one day Hazen said to me "That's it! Don't be surprised if you get home and we have a cat!".
We looked at kitties at the Humane Society--both dogs we've owned since being married were adopted. I feel strongly in adopting animals when possible. Unfortunately, none of the adult cats were good with children under 5. Since we have a 3-year-old and I want to run a daycare, it is very important that we have a cat good with children.
So...we checked the paper and found some "free to a good home" kittens. Thomas was chosen (the most frisky in the litter, we were told) and brought home. The hope is that since he's a kitten, he will grow up with some of the abuse of a toddler (poor thing) and will handle it better when he's older. We also plan to get a dog once we get our orders and get moved on base (I'm a glutton for punishment...toddler, kitten, dog, new business, hopeful pregnancy...I love it) so it's also necessary that the kitty be good with dogs. Again, as a kitten, he'll be more adaptable.
He has adjusted very well to life with the Nobles. We've had him for three days now, and he has made himself right at home. I was really worried because he is only 6 weeks old, the ABSOLUTE youngest that a kitten can be taken from its mother. But he has done great. Very little crying (only for a few seconds at bedtime), he's eating well, he's using his litter box. He is doing a fantastic job.
The worst is that Ian is VERY excited about his new kitty. VEEEERY excited. He picks him up and drags him around and tries to boss him around (ever tried to tell a kitten what to do? Doesn't go so well...). But Thomas has been great. They will play together for awhile, chasing each other around. Thomas will humor him and sit in his lap for a bit. When he's had enough, he hides under the coffee table.
He and Hazen have a special bond. They lie together and Thomas sleeps on Hazen's chest during the day. Hazen said to him last night "Damn you. You're making me like cats".
The funny thing is this whole cat thing started because of the mice. Thomas is barely bigger than the mice and really doesn't understand the mousing thing yet. So we ended up getting some humane traps (they don't kill the mice so we can set them free). Unfortunately, the mouse seems to be too smart for this trap...we haven't caught him yet.
We are happy with our newest family member. We're hopeful for many long, healthy years with Thomas the Cat. :)
We looked at kitties at the Humane Society--both dogs we've owned since being married were adopted. I feel strongly in adopting animals when possible. Unfortunately, none of the adult cats were good with children under 5. Since we have a 3-year-old and I want to run a daycare, it is very important that we have a cat good with children.
So...we checked the paper and found some "free to a good home" kittens. Thomas was chosen (the most frisky in the litter, we were told) and brought home. The hope is that since he's a kitten, he will grow up with some of the abuse of a toddler (poor thing) and will handle it better when he's older. We also plan to get a dog once we get our orders and get moved on base (I'm a glutton for punishment...toddler, kitten, dog, new business, hopeful pregnancy...I love it) so it's also necessary that the kitty be good with dogs. Again, as a kitten, he'll be more adaptable.
He has adjusted very well to life with the Nobles. We've had him for three days now, and he has made himself right at home. I was really worried because he is only 6 weeks old, the ABSOLUTE youngest that a kitten can be taken from its mother. But he has done great. Very little crying (only for a few seconds at bedtime), he's eating well, he's using his litter box. He is doing a fantastic job.
The worst is that Ian is VERY excited about his new kitty. VEEEERY excited. He picks him up and drags him around and tries to boss him around (ever tried to tell a kitten what to do? Doesn't go so well...). But Thomas has been great. They will play together for awhile, chasing each other around. Thomas will humor him and sit in his lap for a bit. When he's had enough, he hides under the coffee table.
He and Hazen have a special bond. They lie together and Thomas sleeps on Hazen's chest during the day. Hazen said to him last night "Damn you. You're making me like cats".
The funny thing is this whole cat thing started because of the mice. Thomas is barely bigger than the mice and really doesn't understand the mousing thing yet. So we ended up getting some humane traps (they don't kill the mice so we can set them free). Unfortunately, the mouse seems to be too smart for this trap...we haven't caught him yet.
We are happy with our newest family member. We're hopeful for many long, healthy years with Thomas the Cat. :)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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