Thurm went home teaching today and got to a members home right as the USA hockey team was tied and in overtime. The dad just looked at his son and said, "alright, turn off the TV."  Wow! What a great example to his kid of priorities.  I would have told the home teachers to come in and watch the last few minutes of the game with us.  And I don't even watch sports.

So Quinn has learned the word "sh*t" from his mama.  I have good reason. I set my laptop down on a burner that Thurm had just finished using. I melted a bit of the case before I realized what I had done. I think that deserved a "sh*t!!!!"  Don't you?  Ok, I've said it a few other times too.  But Quinn thinks I'm saying "sit."  So now when he says it, I say "oh you want to SIT down in the chair?" to reiterate the meaning.  But if you just heard him say "sit" you would probably think he was saying the other word.

This week was pretty productive. I finished painting my kitchen, painted Quinn's room, did some touch up paint in the laundry room, painted my front door (not done with this, I have to wait till it warms up), and repainted a piece of furniture. However, I had to take a day off to puke my guts out and the one more day to clean and disinfect my house.  But I'm hoping this week I have just as much energy to get stuff done.  I really only have like two more months to get things done. After that I'll be a huge whale with no energy and after that I'll have a nursing baby and no energy.  And then it'll be winter again.

The Most Fattening Bean Dip in the World

3 cans refried beans
2- 8oz cream cheese
1 pkg shredded chedder cheese
1 pkg mozzarella cheese
1 16 oz sour cream
1 large jar salsa
Put it in your crock pot till it melts.


Thurm had this at a work party when we first got married and got the recipe.  Its DELICIOUS, but makes a HUGE crock pot full.  We made it once and forgot about it until yesterday. I cut it down into a third of this recipe and we still have most of it left in our fridge. And thats all we ate for dinner.

Recipes

Tom Kha Gai Soup (Chicken and Coconut Soup)

2 inch piece fresh galangal (substitute ginger)
2 cups coconut milk (1 can)
1 cup chicken stock
3 chicken breast fillets, cut into thin strips
1-2 tsp finely chopped red chillies
1 TBS fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1. Peel and mince ginger. Combine coconut milk, ginger, and stock in medium pan. Bring to boil and simmer over slow heat for 10 minutes.
2. Add chicken strips and chillies to pan, simmer for 8 minutes.
3. Stir in fish sauce and brown sugar. Just before serving stir in cilantro.



Stir-Fried Chicken with Lemon grass, ginger and chili

2 TBS oil
2 brown onions, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 inch fresh ginger finely grated
3 stems lemon grass (white part only) very finely sliced
2-3 tsps chopped green chillies
1 lb chicken breast thinly sliced
1 TBS fish sauce
2 tsps sugar
cilantro to garish.

1. Heat oil in wok, add onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass and chillies. Stir for 3-5 minutes over medium heat until mixture is lightly golden.  Don't burn or it will be bitter.
2. Increase heat, add chicken slices.  Sprinkle sugar over chicken and cook 5 minutes tossing regularly until just cooked.
3. Add fish sauce, cook for another 2 minutes. Service with steamed rice.

This week in pictures...

Before-Very Ugly pink & black $7 DI purchase. The whole top was checker board, I started painting it before I remembered to take a picture. 

After- I haven't decided yet what to do with it-- Maybe a TV on top and VCR/DVD player in the cubby hole, movies in the drawer.

My sweet little boy. I only have 1 or 2 sleeping pictures and I thought this was so cute with his hands behind his head.  I have an ultrasound picture of him doing this same pose.

Cutest hat ever that I made and then lost the pattern for. I want to make one for me and the new baby too.

Eggplant Parmesan So good and so easy! 

Slice 1 eggplant into 1/4 inch slices.

Dip slices in beaten egg, then bread in crumbs. 

Lay on olive oil covered cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-15  minutes.

Flip eggplant slices over, cover with mozzerella cheese and bake for another 10-15 minutes.  Serve over spaghetti noodles and sauce.  

** I think the trick for making it restaurant quality is using good spaghetti sauce***

Thurm's delicous Gyro and oven fries. I don't know how he made it or I'd put the recipe. He made it all from scratch, even the pita's.  MMmm.  I know the white sauce is plain yogurt, little bit of lemon juice, chopped tomatoes and cucumbers. So fresh!

My sister-in-law and I made these cute blocks last week.  

My favorite pregnancy snacks. 

Quinn's favorite seat in the house. Still.  

I don't know if you can see, but he is stuck inside a chair with the legs stuck in his sleeves. How did he do this? 

 

My big boy. 

Good job Thurm!  Tip to all the guys:

As cliche and commercial as Valentines Day is, we still want a flower or card.

Thurm took the day off to go to the ultrasound with me today.  After we found out our little girl was a little boy, we celebrated at Tony Caputo's.  This is Italian Heaven!!! If you have never been there, YOU MUST EAT THERE!!! Its downtown SLC by Pioneer park on 300 South.  I used to eat there alot when I worked at First National Bank because one of the loan officers I worked with always wanted it.  It was either the pregnancy talking or I had just forgotten how delicious their food is, but it was amazing!  Thurm got the "Caputo" sandwich, which has different Italian deli meats on a roll doused in balsamic vinegar. The balsamic is SOOO delicious! I got the salad trio--you pick your three favorite salads. I got a pesto pasta, caprese, and sun dried tomato and feta pasta.  HEAVEN!!! We both agreed that the Italian genre of food is the best of the best.
I know we are foodies and might delight in our food more than the average person, but this is some seriously good food.

Look at that cute little putem!  The doctor looked at the baby and then at Thurm and said "I think he looks like you." Is he serious? Is he just THAT good at his job?

So since I've been thinking mostly of girl names, does anyone have boy name suggestions?  We can rule out Kale & Moses from last time. I think the general consensus was not good.

It's a BOY! It's a BOY!!! It's BOY!!!!

That little "babystrology gadget" baby, to the right, is creepy. But I like having a countdown so I can keep track better.  Sorry for the creepy baby on my blog.

Three more days till I find out the sex!! YAY!

This is how I found Quinn today during nap time.  It was pretty quiet, but then I heard a bump so I went in to make sure he was in bed and I found him in his room with the lights on draped in clothing. The pink swim cap is Thurm's brothers that he bought while in Taiwan. How it ended up at our house is beyond me and why haven't I taken it to the DI?  

Quinn got a HUGE goose egg in the exact same spot he cut open a few weeks ago. Poor kid!

This was an AMAZING meal from Chef Thurm.   The Thai coconut soup was DELICIOUS! The chicken dish from Vietnam had lemongrass, cilantro, ginger....yum yum! 

This was an Indian dish that was pretty simple, just hamburger, potatoes, vegis, but the spices made it so different and GOOD!  It had cilantro, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, onion.  

And the BEST part of all this food is that I haven't had to cook any of it!!! YAY for a hot husband that cooks! 

Safeguarding our Homes Against Pornography

**Warning for young eyes--this is a very sensitive subject****

This morning I went to a stake women's activity. They did three hours of mini-classes that were focused on how to deal with the trials we women are facing in this world.  I took a class on post-partum depression, budgeting, finding joy in motherhood, and safeguarding against pornography.  They were all really great classes and I left uplifted and renewed to do better job at making my home a sanctuary. The subject that just makes me sick with worry is pornography. I feel like I can probably handle most problems that might come our way, but pornography is just so prevalent and invasive that it is hardly avoidable.  I actually don't know one person that hasn't somehow been affected by it.  

The stake president/bishop that gave the talk had alot of statistics and facts that blew my mind.  He said that when he gives interviews to young men receiving the priesthood that there wasn't ONE that hadn't been exposed to pornography. And that a majority of them had an addiction to it.  He pointed out that these are the "cream of the crop." These are good boys trying to live good lives, but that it’s so invasive and impossible to avoid that many boys fall into satin's trap.  He said that 1/3 of porn site viewers are women! The largest group of viewers are teens 12-17 years old and there are over 12 million them.  Most kid's first exposure is at the age of EIGHT. This makes my heart ache.  He said that if you wait for puberty to talk to your kids about it, it’s too late; they've probably already been exposed.  

I had a conversation with a sister-in-law one time and she told me she talked to her boys at age 10 about it and I just remember feeling so sad and sick that they had to have their innocence taken away at such an early age. But I'm trying to get used to the fact that if I don't premtive strike that the world will take their innocence away but they might not have the tools to deal with it.  

He told us about the chemicals and our brain function during sexual experiences and even though the information doesn't safeguard anyone, it was interesting and made me understand better why porn is so addictive.  

Our brains release four chemicals (this is very simplified and second hand, so take it for what its worth): dopamine, norepinephrine, oxytocin, and serotonin.  Dopamine is compared to cocaine and it creates a dependency, which in a marriage is a good thing.  Norepinephrine helps us remember details vividly and causes us to recall. Oxytocin is the bonding chemical, one that mothers have after birth to bond with their babies.  And serotonin is like a “natural Prozac.”  It’s a feeling of calmness, stress-free, euphoria. These are great things in a healthy marriage, but think about how all those would apply to images on your computer screen. You can see how addictive viewing porn could become.

So how do we safeguard? First we need to “cleanse our inner vessel.” We can’t expect our spouse or our children to do it if we can’t be clean. I thought about how many movies, TV show, books I read that have sex in them.  And I admit that it’s tempting for me to watch and read that stuff.  But it made me think twice about that rated R movie when I put it in the context of expectations for my family. 

Next we need to make sure we have the spirit with us.  He is our guide, he can warn us, won’t fail to see when we might, he will help us see the path our.  (D&C 45:57)

Third, we need to communicate as a family and with our spouse.  He suggested that we have a daily conversation with our spouse, with complete honesty.  And we need to have open, honest conversations with our children regularly.  Our relationships with our spouse will teach our children more than just talk. 

Fourth, if there is a problem already in the home, remove the temptation (TV, computer, cell phones, etc.) In our home we already don’t have TV or texting, but the computer is the biggest gateway. One feature on our Mac that I HATE is “private browsing.”  It doesn’t record any history or cookies when its on. I need to figure out how to disable it permenatly.  Not because I don’t trust my husband, but so its not a temptation for me either.  It makes it too easy. 

What if its already a problem and you need a way out?

-Involve a priesthood key holder-complete confession is absolutely necessary.

-Involve a counsler-LDS Family services provides them.

-Make certain you complete the ‘treatment” and expect relapses.

-Create a 24/7 support person.

-Remove the addictive influences and completely change your habits. 

-Think “long term.”  Sin is a “I want it, and I want it now” selfish attitude. 

He wrapped up his talk by reminding us that the Savior has felt these temptations. He had too in the garden so the atonement could work.  He knows how it feels (Alma 7:12.)

I completely believe that this is an addiction that you can’t do by yourself. It’s been said to the MOST addictive drug in the world.  I think people can try and they will fail and fail again if they try to do it on their own. If they are serious, they have to involve the Lord and get outside help.  

I think its naive to think "it won't be a problem in my family", because statistics show thats not the case. I think we can be amazing parents, have family home evening every Monday, go to church every Sunday, read the scriptures & pray daily with our kids and it can still take over our children's lives. And I've seen it happen in a really amazing family close to me just like the one I described above. Its so destructive and if it goes on too long, it can completely take over someone's life.  
I was talking to a woman whose husband occasionally looks at porn and only does it when he knows its "safe." Like when no one else is around, not on a work computer, etc.  She said they are very open about it and is assured its not an addiction. But where's the line of addiction and how quickly could it become that? Its completely wrong and there is no justifying it.  It makes me so scared for what could happen in that family. It breaks down the spirit. It breaks down the marital relationship. It breaks down sensitivity of what is right and wrong.  It opens the door for so many other sins, adultery, homosexuality, child abuse, etc. And how can you safeguard your children if you yourself are involved in it.  

My only ray of hope in all of this is that every generation is stronger and more well equipped to handle what is out for them.  I guess Thurm & I have made it through the temptations of youth. Not that we are home free by any stretch, but maybe we have that "long term" view more in sight than we did when we were young. I don't think I will ever be able to let down my guard. There are times when I'm very sensitive to bad movies and books. But there are other times when it hardly phases me and I'm so desensitized.  And I know in those times I don't have the spirit with me. And how will I be able to help my family like that? 

Thurm has been a serious "foodie" lately.  Yesterday we went to our favorite Asian store in SLC and he bought all sorts of crazy ingredients to make us more yummy food.  Thurm went to Seoul, Korea on vacation once and really liked the food, so he made us some dishes the other night. The first picture is of Kimchi, a Korean staple. Its cold, spicy, pickled cabbage.  It actually wasn't bad, but I was expecting it to be hot, so it threw me.  The second picture is a Korean beef dish (can't remember the name) over coconut rice.  The coconut rice was awesome. 

In other news... I had a doctor appointment yesterday and was told that I get to have my ultrasound in 2 1/2 weeks! YAY! I'm so sure that its a girl---let's hope I'm right.  

I have been feeling uninspired, unmotivated, uneverything and so Quinn and I took an hour drive around the Tooele area looking for something beautiful to photograph.  We looked hard for SOMETHING on this ugly, foggy, dead of winter, drab day. After we got home I realized I had my ray of sunshine with me the whole time.

Wheat Blender Pancakes/Waffles

These are my mother-in-law's pancakes and they are so awesome and fairly healthy. You use wheat right out of your food storage bucket. The trick is to make sure you blend the wheat really good or it ends up a little gritty.  I got a sweet KitchenAid blender from my brother for Christmas so it had no problems blending it. The batter was actually steaming after 4-5 minutes.  It says in the instruction manual I can make soup in the blender without even cooking it afterward.

Wheat Blender Pancakes

1 c. milk
1 c. wheat
Blend on high for 4-5 minutes.

Mix in rest of ingredients:
2 eggs
2 TBS sugar
1/4 c. oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder

Then just cook on griddle or waffle maker.

I found Quinn putting his fisher-price toy to bed and kissing her night-night. Something about how tiny the toy was in that huge bed made me laugh.

Quinn has started reading books on his own. I love it.

We made orange chicken and tempura for dinner tonight. For some reason it was DELICIOUS! It was one of those meals that during all we talked about was how good the food was. It was like that scene from "What About Bob" where he is eating the corn on the cob.  MMMmmm. MMMMM!!!!

New Words

Quinn has added a ton of new words to his vocabulary. Four in just the last two days: happy, poppy (popcorn), house, & bee.  He's 18 months right now and the doctor said he was really advanced with his verbal skills, so thats good. Now if I could just get him to eat.

This pregnancy has gone by really quick, mostly because I haven't been thinking about it as much as I did the first.  I have been eating total crap this time though. I have had more corndogs in the last 3 months than my whole life combined. Now that the nausea has passed, maybe I can make myself start eating a little more healthy.

Saltair

Driving home from SLC I had to pull off at the Saltair exit to retrieve a binky so I snapped a quick picture. I love this building. I have only been inside once for a concert when I was 20.  It used to be a resort-vacation type place. My mom told me they would drive up from Provo for the day to go swimming in the lake.  Too bad its glory day is over and that no one is helping it stay alive. Its such a cool building. 

UPDATE:
Our fish, Kwon, just died.  He must have known I was blogging about him.  I'm sort of glad, because now we can get a fish and give him a better name than Kwon.

Lazy Days

Thurm has had a four day weekend. We visited his sister in Payson and went to a BYU basketball game with them and ate alot of food.  Yesterday we worked on our roof putting up beams. Today we had grand plans to do something fun in SLC, but ended up lazing around and then eating an all-you-can-eat buffet at Pizza Hut.  Now we might take a family nap : )

Funny Story:  We left our fish over Christmas break for two weeks and were sure we would come home to a dead fish.  We walked in the house and Thrum said "OMG, he's still alive." Cracked me up.

WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!!  Due date is July 15th!