Repaired Teeth

Dr. Katrina Hays from Dentistry for Children was able to work on Amber's teeth the next day. She was in the chair from 8:15 through 11:30 a.m. The teeth had sat in a small bowl of milk in the refrigerator through the night. We took them in with us and they were able to put her broken portions back where they belong. She had two pin-point pulp points, one in each tooth. The one Dr. Hays is most concerned about is the left tooth (on the right in the photos). It will take time to tell if the teeth will survive and if she will have to have one or two root canals and caps. Her gum is still quite tender (as of 3/30/11). She returns to see Dr. Hays again 4/5/11.

You can see where her upper lip bled.

Amber's broken teeth :(

It is now nearly 45 minutes since it happened (it's 5:15 our time) and still no call from a dentist!!!

6:24 p.m. ~
Dr. Becker has still not called us. We did hear from a Dr. Hays. He is in Seattle for something and unable to see her until tomorrow morning.

Amber was in lyrical class and they were learning a step and was doing two chanes and an attitude turn, two chasses, and a kick. She slipped on the floor and fell on her face. The floor is lynoleum and about a year ago had been waxed, by some idiot. One of the teachers fell last year and broke her arm. Amber's the only student who has ever been damaged, I think.

Needless to say, she's very unhappy. Who wouldn't be?

Evyn's 14th Birthday

Evyn only had a couple of requests for his birthday, the rest we had to figure out on our own. Sadly, his Betta, pet fish, of four years, passed away on March 16. Wurple was purchased for a pet care requirement for Webelos when he was in Cub Scouts. It was very difficult for him to lose his fish. We had a proper burial and he is in a small Altoids tin next to Huckleberry (Evyn's gerbil) and Cedar (Ian's gerbil) under the lilac bushes out front.

After discovering Ethan has purchased him a new Betta (a Crowntail Betta), Amber presented him with glass marbles for the bottom of his tank. Something he had been interested in getting for Wurple. Then he opened the card from Grandma Val and Grandpa John ... a check and a magazine subscription renewal. He REALLY enjoys Kids National Geographic and reads it cover to cover each time he gets one.
As we weren't really going to celebrate until Saturday, I felt he had to have something to open on the day of his birthday. I found a pair of flannel house pants with shamrocks on them. (Incidentally, he still hasn't worn them yet. Hmmm .... )
I also got him a book on Betta care and some drops to add to the water in the fish's tank.
I also snuck a gift with me to band practice. When we were at Epcot (in Florida in January) I found some drum sticks when we went to England. I bought them with the intention of giving them to him for his birthday. He has enjoyed playing with them. The design on them is the Celtic Welsh dragon.
Not it is Saturday ... and we are giving him the rest of his gifties. Ian made him chocolate chip pancakes and I gave him a variety of game cards to the game he enjoys the most, Magic.
He had also, off-handedly, mentioned he needed new slippers. I was unable to find anything I liked and since we were doing a felted clog knit-along at the yarn shop, I felt they would be the perfect slipper. So, here they are, prior to being felted. I have ordered suede soles, too, to be sewn on after felting.
This is the Dungeons and Dragons cake Daryn, Amber and I made for him. None of the photos came out very well. The camera focused either close, or far, but didn't take an overall focus :( We rolled out vanilla fondant and had intentions of making a playing grid with licorice laces, but they didn't work very well. So, when we pulled them up, we still had the cut-in marks we had made. I said the players' grid was a snow scene (that works!). I was also have to find several players over the previous weeks and we gave him the players and the dragon, too. The dragon is guarding its horde of gold (chocolate coins).
However, we didn't want to put the candles on the D&D cake, so we took the leftover pieces we didn't use on the cake, frosted them, and put on 14 candles and told him this was all that was left of our endeavor. I don't think he was really fooled!
Here is his D&D cake. I think the grin says it all.
Do I get all the figures, too? Yup!

Wurple's Burial :(

Nothing is sadder than losing your pet, even if it's a fish. However, it is sadder when it's the day before your birthday.

Evyn got Wurple for a Webelos (Cub Scouts) project 4 plus years ago. Wurple certainly lived longer than expected and past the life expectancy of a Betta.

Evyn waited until Daryn got home and then we had a little service out front. He grimly grabbed the shovel and began making the hole himself, weeping the entire time.
Wurple rests in an Altoids tin. Evyn did not want a cardboard box, as he knew, in time, it would disintegrate. He also wanted a tin, as that is what Huckleberry and Cedar were buried in a year or so ago.
With tears running down his face he was unable to speak and he asked his Dad if he would please say a few words. I think Daryn was caught completely off guard and instead of being thoroughly serious, was a bit tongue in cheek. Leave it to Daryn. Ethan was openly weeping and Amber was crying freely and Ian was being as stoic as he could be. I just snapped photos on Evyn's request. The photos were horrible, as I couldn't see much to focus the camera correctly. Tears and rain did nothing to help the situation.
This is Wurple's marker.
He rests next to the boys' gerbils, Huckleberry and Cedar, in the front garden next to the lilac bushes.

And the Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down

As some may remember, we had rat problems under the house in the past. Daryn finally put a screen cap over the ends of pipes to keep them from getting in. Well, if you don't have rats, you must have water, right?

Seems one never catches a break!

A rock lodged itself in the pipe, blocking the drainage. Not sure what made Daryn go looking under the house tonight, but he did. What did he find? Our belongings bobbing along like Pooh, Piglet and the rest of the Hundred Acre Wood pals! The thing is ... it's the kids' school books from past years. The items we need to have on record! Ruined. Plastic containers filled with water! The reason I had them in containers was to keep them dry! How in the world did they get water inside??? That's what I want to know!!!

We will have to get those boxes up to the house, into the garage, and see if I can dry/salvage anything.

In the meantime, it pours.

"And the rain rain rain came down down down ... "


For those in need of the full lyrics:

The rain rain rain came down down down
In rushing, rising riv'lets,
'Til the river crept out of it's bed
And crept right into Piglet's!
Poor Piglet, he was frightened,
With quite a rightful fright.
And so, in desperation
A message he did write.
He placed it in a bottle
And it floated out of sight.

And the rain rain rain came down down down
So Piglet started bailing.
He was unaware, atop his chair,
While bailing he was sailing!

And the rain rain rain came down down down
And the flood rose up up upper.
Pooh, too, was caught and so he thought,
"I must rescue my supper!"
Ten honey pots he rescued,
Enough to see him through,
But as he sopped up his supper,
The river sopped up Pooh!
And the water twirled and tossed him
In a honey pot canoe!
The rain rain rain came down down down...

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/the_rain_rain_rain_came_down_down_down_winnie_the_pooh_and_the_blustery_day_lyrics_disney.html
All about Disney: http://www.musictory.com/music/Disney

AHG - Cooking Badge - Making a Pie

Amber is finishing up her AHG cooking badge tonight. Her last cooking requirement was to make a pie, with a homemade crust. She made Great-Grandma Joie's recipe and did it perfectly! Sadly, I neglected to get photos of her with dough mushed between her fingers and flour up her arms, but she went through the process twice to make a bottom and top crust. I demonstrated how to roll out the crust by doing the bottom, and she did the top.

She chose a 4-fruit pie recipe from one of our Gooseberry Patch cookbooks and decided against putting in the apple, and we didn't have rhubarb, so we added extra blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The contents of the pie were all mixed together and then she plopped on the top as if she'd done it before. There were a few rips, as the rolling job wasn't completely circular, but it still worked! She was excited to get to the crimping phase.

Crimping all the way around, trying very hard not to put her thumbs into the top of the crust.

Oops, little bit of a hole. Ian caught her just as she said, "Drat!"

Adding the ventilation holes ... and her own decorative touch!

Now the pie is completely baked and sitting out cooling. Doesn't it look delicious? We shall have pie when the boys return from their scout meeting tonight :)

Ready to be served ... with a smile!

Tsunami warnings in Pacific

Most of my family is in bed at this hour. It's 11:38 p.m. Japan was hit about 2 hours ago with an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunamis have hit their shores and Russia, Hawaii, and Guam are on alert.

Daryn's in Guam. He has a friend who has a house a mile inland and thousands of feet above sea level. He's headed there now. I did manage to call him. I'm terrified. I'm scared. I'm beside myself worrying for his safety. I don't know if or how I'll get any sleep tonight. My thoughts are solely on him right now and his safety and the safety of the men who went with him to do this training mission for AT.

The kids have no idea there have been earthquakes in Japan the past few days. Of course, they have no idea about this one tonight (well, our night). I am praying so hard we hear from Daryn again by the time they get up and hear they are safe. The local news has stopped covering it for now and say they will have complete coverage tomorrow morning.

In the mean time, I'm shaking.

If Daryn can get on his 6 a.m. flight, which is 16 hours from now, then he'll be headed toward Hawaii. Hawaii is also under tsunami warnings for 13-30 foot waves as well. If he is able to take off, will he be able to land? Will he be able to catch his connecting flight?

Lord, please bring him home safe and sound!!!!

* * * * *
3-11-11 (3-12-11 Daryn date)

It's 7:53 a.m. local time. I last heard from Daryn about 2:23 a.m. local time. He was finishing his packing and going to bed. He'd checked on his flight info and his plane had left just prior to the earthquake and was due to be on schedule in Guam.

News stations are saying nothing about Guam. Daryn's messages last night said there was no news on local Guamanian tv stations. He was getting his news from CNN. He also wrote there were some waves that came up the beach, but the tsunami expected did not come. Of course, mother nature has no watch. At this point in time, I have no idea how things are in Guam or if planes are still scheduled to fly. Hawaii has been covered a lot more on the news.

Our local news has tsunami advisories and warnings up and down the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts. It is advised everyone stay away from the areas around the Puget Sound as well. This is mostly because of currents, not necessarily waves.

At this point in time, I have not decided what to tell or not tell the kids. Ian noticed I wasn't quite right this morning and asked if I was okay and I said no. Ethan asked if I was thinking about Daddy, and I said yes.

I sit and wait for a text message, or an e-mail or a phone call.

* * *
3-11-11 (3-12-11 Daryn date)
11:45 a.m.
After waiting on pins and needles I finally heard from Daryn about 15 minutes ago. He'll be boarding his plane to Hawaii (at that time, in 40 minutes). I am so relieved. We should have him home by this time tomorrow if he makes all his connections and there are no flight delays.

* * *
3-11-11 (3-12-11 Daryn date)
1:44 p.m.

Daryn's still sitting on the tarmac on Guam. Apparently they are waiting for 16 more passengers. This is about a 2 hour delay. Not sure how this will effect his connecting flights in Hawaii and California.

American Heritage Girls

Amber and I have embarked on a new adventure together - American Heritage Girls (from here on out known as AHG).

Since her box arrived, complete with uniform items and book, Amber has had her mind set on one particular merit badge, dance. It has not been a difficult one to achieve, but it has also not been a "gimme" badge! Although she's dance most of her life, she did have to do some additional research for this badge. She has completed all but one element, which is choreographing two dance pieces to two different types of music. She has been working steadily on one already and needs to find a different type of music for the other. The biggest hurdle was the research: pick two countries and learn about a style of dance from that country and the costumes and traditions associated with that dance style. She chose the dances first, and then looked up their origins. The first dance style she chose was Salsa which came from Cuba. The second dance style was ballet, which came from Italy. Ballet has a rich and broad history. Her initial thought was that it came from Russia! We learned quite a bit on that one together, as I thought France!

Today we are working on her Cooking Badge. A couple of the requirements are for her to make a casserole for dinner and a salad. So, she is making those for dinner this evening. She also has requirements to make cookies and a pie! The boys are awaiting her dessert choices. Perhaps we'll get some sort of dessert made while they are at their scout meetings tonight and we'll have a treat when they get home and we all settle down to watch Chuck together.

The casserole recipe Amber chose was Pot O' Gold Pork Chops from our Gooseberry Patch Best-Ever Casseroles cookbook.

4 pork chops (we had 6)
1 T. oil
2 T. onion, chopped
2 T. butter
1 t. salt
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 c. sour cream
2 15.25 oz. cans corn, drained (we didn't have any, so we used frozen corn)
1/2 pound bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled (we used 5 thick slices)
2 T. green pepper, chopped

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet; brown chops on both sides. Remove from skillet; set aside. Saute onion in butter until translucent; blend in salt and flour. Stir in sour cream until smooth; add corn, bacon, and pepper. Spoon into a greased 13"x9" baking pan; top with pork chops. Bake at 350*F for 45 minutes. Serves 4.

Browned pork chops (we cooked the bacon first, and used that grease instead of oil to brown the chops).

Chopping the bacon; thick slices don't crumble easily.

Stirring in the sour cream until smooth.

Adding the frozen corn.

Next in the pan is the bacon.

The corn mixture is in the pan and the chops go on top.

We already started dishing it up when we remembered we needed to get another photo. It smelled so wonderful and everyone was ready to eat.

This is Amber's plate (photo by Amber).

** It's 9:43 p.m. and she is one tired little girl. After dinner she began making gingersnaps! We took the boys to scouts, stopped to get gas for the car and then brown sugar for her cookies, and we baked until 7:50, when we headed back out to go get the boys. She completed her cookies after we got home ... only to find our program wasn't on this evening :(

The cookie recipe Amber decided on was Gingersnaps from our Betty Crocker Cookbook.

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

Mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (We didn't do this ... we forgot!) Heat oven to 375*F. Grease cookie sheet lightly. Shape dough by rounded teaspoons into balls. Dip tops into granulated sugar. (We rolled them around completely ... oops, didn't read very well!) Place balls, sugared sides up, about 3 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or just until set; cool. About 4 dozen cookies; 80 calories per cookie.

Rolling dough in sugar.

Making gingersnap balls.

Another into the sugar bowl.

Getting the first batch ready for the oven.

Her pork chop casserole was amazingly delicious. She wanted to save the leftovers for Daryn, but as he won't be home until the weekend, it is probably not a good idea. It'll probably be dinner for one of the boys some time this week (dance schedule).