when is your child officially sick?

if your child has a runny nose, are they sick?
what about perpetual visible boogers?
what if they cough occasionally but not persistently?
open and oozing sores?
closed and dry sores?
what if they have these symptoms but are acting like they are fine?
at what point does your child stay home?
do you ever say anything to other people about their child possibly being too sick to be around other children?
when are YOU officially sick?

everything is up to date in kansas city

if i had a buck for every time someone asked me what it is like to live in kansas, i would have about, oh, $55. but seriously. there is a popular misnomer that kansas city is in kansas. while there is a KCK. KCMO where it is at and is the one everyone talks about. most people think that missouri is farmlands and hicks. i am going to prove that we are chock full of celebs. plus, lots of farmlands and hicks. so, in no particular order:
FAMOUS KANSAS CITIANS AND MISSOURIANS AND A COUPLE OF KANSANS:

george brett- not from kc, but it is his home now. we loyal royals fans think he is pretty close to heaven and wish he would come out of retirement and help revive our miserable team. once i called him georgie porgie and my brother steve said that was the most disrespectful thing i could do. i was 5.

brad pitt- from springfield, missouri. i used this picture because most of his recent shots are of him with some fat girl with lots of tatoos and big ol' lips. i didn't need her ruining my post.

matt tegenkamp- olympic athlete who graduated from the high school just down the road from my house. i taught him all he knows about running.

jesse james- famous outlaw. died in a shootout. famous last words were something along the lines of, "i love missouri forever!" or something like that. or i just made that up.

jean harlow- the term blond bombshell was coined because of her. died at age 26 from kidney failure.

harry s truman- from independence, missouri. the s in his name stands for S and that's it.

ginger rogers- amazing amazing amazing- from independence, missouri

chuck norris- or as we call him, carlos ray norris. he lived in prairie village, kansas for a short time. nice guns.

michael vick- famous quarterback now living in some resort community in leavenworth, kansas.

willie aames- resides in olathe, kansas(KC suburb) with wife and kids. why do you recognize him? from his roles in 8 is enough, charles in charge and VH1's celebrity fat club.

david cook- start screaming now. he's SOOOOOO cute. that's for you, caroline.

ernest hemingway-famous author and outdoorsman. wrote for the kansas city star way back in the day. he later committed suicide. most likely because he left kansas city. it's a hard place to get over.

others of note:

sheryl crow- barf on my face. most missourians wish she would stop acting like her opinions are more important than her music.

josephine baker- dancer, singer, civil rights activist born in saint louis.

nelly- well-known rapper from saint louis. likes to wear a new pair of sneakers everyday. not the best financial plan.

satchel paige- famous baseball pitcher. played for the kansas city monarchs and athletics. pitched professionally until he was in his 60s.

walt disney-born in marceline, missouri and later lived in KC. famous for drawing pictures of mice and ducks.

beijing 2008

who else is completely and totally excited???

i love the summer olympics. i find myself watching some of the most random sports and getting totally absorbed in to it. but my all time fave is women's gymnastics. growing up all us kids would get together and pretend to do flips and acrobats off of tables and chairs in our basement. i know my mom loved it!

i even had this stylish haircut:

the mary lou retton wedge. i remember the day i got that haircut will incredible clarity. i was in the first grade and my mother was tired of yelling at me to brush my hair. she said that if i didn't take better care if my hair, she was going to cut it all off. she made good on her threat. i was not pleased. no matter how much i liked watching gymnastics on tv, i did not like the wedge haircut.

what's your favorite event to watch during the olympics???

summer recipe challenge

in summer i hate having to get the oven revved up for cooking dinner. i usually make homemade chocolate chip cookies at least every other week, and in the summer that doesn't even happen. dinner tonight was a mini fiasco because i was trying to decide what in the world to make that wouldn't heat up the whole house. then presto fresh avocado, grilled chicken on the george foreman, tortillas and cheese and instant fresh dinner. with a little extra planning i could have bought fresh or frozen veggies. if i had really planned ahead our side dish would have included cilantro corn salsa instead of just jalapeno refried beans.
so here's where the challenge comes in, on your blog, make a quick post with your favorite quick-and-easy-no-oven summer recipe. and this includes you people that read and NEVER comment. i know who you are...maybe.
here's mine
easy quesadillas
4 flour tortillas
3 grilled chicken breasts
1 ripe avocado
mexican or sharp cheese
onions and peppers as you like 'em
a big ol' dollop of sour cream

directions-
pre-heat tortillas in skillet so they are soft and roll-able. while tortillas are warming in skillet, chop up and mush up avocado with fork. shred grilled chicken into bits. heat veggies in another skillet. mix sour cream and cheese together so they are a spreadable paste. there should be more cheese than sour cream. spread cheese/cream mixture on tortillas on one half only. add chicken and veggies to same side. fold over and cook on skillet until golden brown. gently flip quesadilla. when done cut into thirds. gobble up as fast as you can.

cilantro corn salsa-
you'll need,
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can corn, rinsed(or defrosted frozen)
chopped clilantro
1 can chopped tomato(or fresh)
1 can Ro-tel

mix all in big bowl. each with corn chips. yum. if you are feeling daring, melt one brick of cream cheese in with corn and mix thoroughly.

i am expecting recipes from sarah, kory welch and nat for sure. don't let me down.

new lingo, be the first to share it. you will sound cool.

since i have been up typing up our skit for girls camp, i thought heck, its 2:30am, let's just do a blog post while we're at it! i never have time to post during the day anymore, lets just stay up all night. who needs sleep?
i decided that i am going to do an experiment. i want to start a new jargon. i get so annoyed when people say, type or write LOL. it just bugs. so, to be extra annoying i have created the new phrase of BOL. bust out laughing. try it. if you put it on your blog you will be entered in a contest to win a cool prize. once i get some sleep i will think of something cool. once you include BOL on a blog post, just come back here and tell me. i hope you win. just do it. you will be the envy of all your friends. and teenagers will think you are sooper hip. and that's our goal, right?

fergie ferg

i was running on the treadmill this morning and i nearly fell off when i saw what was happening on the today show.



seriously, bumping and grinding and all sorts of sexual innuendo at 9am. did you check out the front row of viewers? moms and their kids. how many of them do you think were expecting this type of perfomance? despicable. sure, fergie loves the crack whore image. couldn't she have toned it down a tad? you know, for national television viewing?

i don't think you're ready for this jelly

about 2 months ago i stopped nursing. about 1 month ago i was called to be on the ward girl's camp commitee. what's the connection? let me break it down:

1. nursing gives me huge, fantastic boobs. i love them. being a smallish cupped girl, but biggest in my family,(i'll take victories wherever i can) pregnancy and nursing are a dream come true on the breast size front. wearing a fitted t-shirt and not looking like a 11 year old girl is amazing.

2. after all the lactation fun is over, my boobs shrivel into two lopsided sweet potatoes. they are not pretty and i can't afford a boob job...yet.

3. as a member of the girls camp commitee i am required to attend part of girls camp. this will include swimming. i live for a great afternoon at the pool. water is a good thing.

4. our stake camp director has made a rule where ONLY one piece swimsuits are allowed. no tankinis. she doesn't want to see any stomachs whatsoever. even if it is just when you pull the suit up to show everyone your sexyhottt(read saggy, accordian-like) post-baby stomach. yikes. that puts me in a bind. i love tankinis. that's all i own. i think they are a modest girls best friend. they are cute and trendy and the options are endless. now there are more and more one piece swimsuits available in hotter styles, but most of the ones in my price range look like this:


5. due to the aforementioned sweet potato dilemma, i need to find a suit with some better "molding" or "shaping" upstairs, ya dig? something to lift and squish the (now fraternal) twins to their former glory.
6. in all my research, this is one of the few suits that i have found that meets my needs.

*marisa miller's perfect body not included in purchase price
the victoria's secret miracle bra wireless push-up suit. though i don't know how that much cleavage will be more acceptable than a little bit of stomach showing. good thing i don't have that much cleavage. problem solved.

disappointment

i purchased some cookie dough from the neighbor kids about 6 weeks ago. i thought that was an exceptionally long time to wait for incredibly expensive, prepackaged cookie dough. normally, i go to great lengths to avoid buying things that the local urchins are peddling, but in this case i softened. i need to be a good neighbor and i thought $12.00 would buy some pretty fantastic cookie dough. seriously, for 12 bucks it should have been laced with crack! when the cookie dough finally arrived i ripped open the plastic and grabbed a spoon(it had been a while since we had had sweets in our house. like a whole 24 hours). to my dismay i discovered that we had not been sold cookie dough, but i big cow patty in a tub. completely unappetizing. i ate some anyway hoping that perhaps gross looking was the new delicious, you know, sort of european. no. not at all. it was only tolerable when it was baked in cookies. next time i'll save my discretionary cash on something that i know will taste great. in the future i will just pretend i'm not home when the neighbor kids are out selling their wares to raise money for our schools that are actually supported by my property taxes. what, taxes not enough? they want my blood too? i digress. the sweetest taste will be hiding on the floor of my kitchen next time they come around.

cousin jess

what is the deal with jessica simpson? while i can't stand most of her "music"(term used loosely), looks, personality or dating decisions, i love her shoes! i already have one pair of jessica simpson shoes that i adore and when i went shoe shopping last week, every pair that appealed to me were emblazoned with the name jessica simpson! the best decision she ever made was listening to whomever picked her shoe design team. (you can't tell me she is actually designing these shoes herself. while she has made a bundle acting dumb, i believe that she is actually very smart. but not smart enough to design shoes.)
these are my two faves:

i know, the are very reminiscent of stripper shoes. but something about them is so appealing. i love a good wedge, on my feet that is. very glamorous summertimey. i can't wait to wear them to the zoo...after i convince thomas i need them.

three of my favorite shoe details,
a- cork
b- wedge
c- black patent
i can't go wrong!

mormon women everywhere

i found this link on one of the blogs i read. i think this is fantastic.

http://thegabblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/just-for-record.html

also, for all you lovely sisters out there, know that i am thrilled to be in membership with you. i love knowing that there are other sisters out there online, in my neighborhood, in my town, in my region, in my time zone, from all over the world and from my past and in my future that are striving for righteousness. knowing this strengthens me and buoys me up in difficult times.

"homemade" fajitas

i love to cook, but i hate what happens to my house and my life when i try to take on a big cooking project. everything seems to get impossibly messy and disorganized and at least two people are screaming before the project is completed. sometimes the 2 screamers are my kids and sometimes it is just me screaming loud enough for two people. i digress.
fajitas have become one of my favorite dishes to prepare, not only are they mostly healthy, they taste fantastic. they do seem to require a lot of planning and thinking. and that can be a luxury around here. while the fam was living in fun-gomery, i discovered this little fajita helper. it's like hamburger helper, but it actually tastes good and isn't completely chocked full of sodium. just some sodium. and you have to have some sodium or you will have an electrolyte imbalance. at least that is my excuse to pour salt all over my food. this product is called john soules foods chicken breast for fajitas. it comes in a big plastic bag in your meat section of wal-mart. some wal-marts don't carry it. they are crazy. our currect wal-mart doesn't carry the beef version, only the chicken version. they are both fantastic. and chicken is lower fat. so you can eat more. i always buy the uncooked version, but they do have a pre-cooked version that only requires you to reheat and serve. i am sure it is good too.

dinner is in the bag(HA)!
the finished product:
i used to buy fresh peppers, but they have gotten so darn expensive i have started buying the frozen pre-chopped version. it still tastes good. my secret is to cook the peppers in their own skillet. once they are mostly cooked through, i strain them in a collander. do not rinse with water while they are in the collander. then i put them back in their skillet for a few more minutes. this reduces excess water in the peppers and keeps them crisp. no one wants a mushy fajita. finally, add the peppers to the fajita meat skillet. delicious!
thomas likes to add avocados. he scrapes the innards out of the skin and spreads the innards on his tortilla. place meat and peppers mixture inside, wrap and enjoy! delicious!

should i know this person?

once in a while i get a weird friend request on facebook. people i don't know but they think they know me. i have a pretty "mormony" maiden name, so i think people get confused. but this one takes the cake. i have no idea who this person is. should i? do any of you that knew me in college remember me having associations with this person? his profile says he is from blackfoot, idaho but he is in the salt lake city network. and these are some of the greasy, narcissistic pictures on his page:

i don't know whether to laugh or to take a bath or to take down my facebook page. what do you think?

craft-tastic

my new calling in the ward is to be on the enrichment comittee. my partner and i are in charge of the monthly craft night. here's my secret: i don't like most crafts. mostly because they are unappealing to me. i would love to make something that interested me, but most of the time they are things i wouldn't display in my house. i have boxes full of unfinished projects that will never see the light of day because they just don't appeal to me. (stuffed pumpkins, painted snowmen, toilet paper holders) i don't think i am the only one that feels this way. last month was birthday card making. the attendance was poor; it was mostly members of the presidency and two other sisters and a laurel. we were supposed to make six cards but i barely made it through two.

i need some ideas for crafts that will appeal to a wider relief society audience. please please please do not suggest word tiles. i think word tiles are a great idea. i have a fantastic one in my house. but we have done them. and then we did them some more. and i don't want to beat a dead horse.

i would like suggestions for people that were not born craft-tastically able. we need simple, inexpensive, projects. ones that will allow for friendships to be formed and conversations to flow. isn't that what these meetings are all about?

that other famous person from blue springs

david cook is from blue springs, mo. my hometown. i few people have asked if i know him. well, i attended blue springs south high school. so did david cook. i was in the forensics program. so was david cook. i sang in the choir. so did david cook(much better than me obviously). i graduated in 1998. he graduated in 2000. with all these close connections, i don't have any recollection of him. a few very fuzzy memories, maybe? i think that if you asked him if he knew that other famous person from blue springs, heidi beck, i am sure that he was give a say of course!

high school reunion blues

my 10 year high school reunion is coming up on may 31. i did not attend my 5 year reunion. i have mixed emotions about this subject. about a year ago i was sort of excited. the thought of getting together with people i used to hang out with was appealing. about a month ago i made the realization that the thought is a bit appalling. i have had very minimal contact the my non-church high school friends. i have reconnected with a few on facebook and i have felt very content with that extent of friendship renewal. chit chatting with (probably drunk) strangers holds limited appeal for me.
pros for attending the reunion-
1. it is at royals stadium. there should be a fireworks display.
2. the weather should be pleasant.
3. i will probably get a new outfit.
4. i will get to see how people turned out. do we have any criminals in the bunch?
5.?

cons-
1. the person that i used to be 10 years ago is the same person that i am now. i really don't think that i have changed much. i think the biggest change is that i am very publicly proud of who i am now whereas before i felt secretly proud of who i was. insecurities put such a damper on the whole high school experience for me. everyone experienced the sheep mentality of high school. don't deny it. i often did my own thing, but still feared public ridicule and scorn from my classmates. ridicule and scorn don't bother me much now. i am confident in who i am. i just don't want to waste my time dealing with the people that revert back to their high school social roles as soon as they are around their former classmates.

what are all y'alls thoughts? are you going to your reunion? would you go if the opportunity presented itself? have you already been? what were your experiences?

now what?

now that governor romney has ended his presidential campaign, what do i do? i am a registered republican and i am proud of that fact. the republican party resounds strongly with my core beliefs. while both john mccain and mike huckabee are registered republicans, i do not trust either of them as far as i can spit. i have read in many other blogs and columns that some republican are considering a vote for barack obama or hilary clinton. i CANNOT do that. it is against who i am. why would i give my vote to 2 people who are immensely liberal to avoid voting for the most liberal of republicans? i think all three will sink the country. at least while bill clinton was president back in the 90s, we had the luxury of a republican controlled congress. bill was so concerned about being popular that he was easily swayed by congress.
so my question is this, fellow republicans, now what? shall we all write in on our ballots thomas sowell or condoleeza rice? we must vote for it is our right and privilege, but who for?

this cartoon sums up a lot of my feelings toward the barack obama campaign. do his constituents know that he was voted by his fellow congressmen the number 1 most liberal member of congress? perhaps that is the appeal for some of his supporters, but i have heard too many say, "barack rocks!", "he has a great personality!", and what a "moving and charismatic speaker". true, his commercials are very passionate and he has an incredibly engaging voice. but, we're electing a president here folks, not hiring a motivational speaker at a teamworking retreat. in the same poll, hilary wasn't far behind with a #16 ranking. are we doomed?

romney 08

what's in a name?

congrats to nicole richie. not only does she have great hair, but she gave her new baby a great name.

while i don't know the origin for the name harlow for nicole richie, for me it is a shout out to screen legend jean harlow, a fellow kansas citian. however, i would spell it harlowe, with an e on the end, as a nod to l.m. montgomery's anne of green gables series.
i have compiled a short list of baby names i love that thomas would never agree to. presenting in no particular order,
a short list of fantastic but unusable baby names for girls:
1. harlowe
2. monroe
3. tatiana
4. gwendolyn
5. illianna
6. iris
7. alabama(just kidding)




and for boys:
1. cruz
2. griffin
3. alastair
4. roman
5. carmichael


finally, i used to think it was so dorky when moms and daughters matched, but wearing fur trim with scarlett is irrisistable to me!

it is unfortunate that my lazy eye had to come out in full force for this picture. paging paris hilton!

resolutionizing my life(updated)

surprisingly, i did pretty well keeping my resolutions for last year. a few even became habits. that is our ultimate goal, right? i am hoping to do even better this year. i will retry a few of last years and start a few new ones for this year.
behold, the list of resolutions and goals for 2008:
1. run in at least three 5k races
2. complete 3 sewing projects
3. paint my sewing nook
4. complain less, judge less, love more, forgive more
5. write in my journal weekly
6. get a haircut every 2 months( i think my total for last year was 2)
7. attend the temple 6 times
8. experiment with a new recipe twice a month
9. go to bed earlier(10pm) so that i can get up earlier
10. stick to my grocery budget
11. complete visiting teaching every month
12. master the potty with reagan(that one could be very embarassing if it doesn't happen this year)
13. reduce the amount of clutter around the house. get rid of what it not needed. organize what is left over
and three additional ones:
14. create and abide by monthly to read book list
15. one missionary experience a month
16. 300 crunches every other day-no exceptions!

caution! hints being dropped!

dear santa, i have heard from a source close to me that i am very difficult to shop for. this holiday season, i would like to remedy that. here are a few hints:

zappos

francesca's collections

francesca's collections

francesca's again

still francesca's

francesca's

skirt sports

skirt sports
skirt sports

merry maids

i hope this helps you out. love, heidi