:: I've Got the Fever... Spring Cleaning Fever! ::

As you probably already know, my favorite time of year is fall.  But a very close second is spring time.  Crisp, cool mornings and warm (but not hot) afternoons.  Sunshine and showers. A sense of renewal and awakening.  Yep, I've definitely got Spring Fever.

And for me, one of the symptoms of Spring Fever is a desperate need to clean the house and "air things out," so to speak.  But there was one thing, one big thing, getting in my way this spring... 

We have too much clutter. Too. Much. Clutter. And clutter is a clever creature. It has a way of sneaking up on you and before you know it, you can't open a closet door without risking an avalanche of crap burying you alive.  Not to mention dresser drawers and kitchen cabinets. Clutter. It's everywhere.  And quite frankly, it's time clutter took a hike.

So, we decided to have a yard sale this weekend.  I figured that was the best way to conquer the clutter... get it out of our house and turn it into money at the same time.  So, we have started our quest for yard sale inventory.  Our first stop... Benjamin's bedroom and closet.  Our child has an absurd amount of toys and clothes.  Most of which he never plays with anymore and has outgrown.  Last night we finished clearing out his room.  We have three huge boxes of toys and clothes to sell this weekend.  And his room looks amazing.  I am definitely motivated to keep going.  Today... it's the guest room and hall closet.  

We have a strategy to conquer our clutter.  We have two boxes, one small box marked "Keep" and one large box marked "Sell." (I suggest U-Haul boxes... they are affordable and sturdy and come in any size you can imagine.)  We also have a large black trash bag.  We pick up each item, and we have about five seconds to declare the item "Sell," "Keep" or "Trash."  That's it.  If it takes too long to decide, then it goes into the "Sell" box.  No exceptions.  And we have a rule... once the item goes in the "Sell" box and gets put in the garage, it does NOT come back into the house.  If anything is left over after the yard sale, it gets boxed up and finds a new home at Goodwill.  

So, once we get the house scoured for all our yard sale goodies, we will price everything and have ourselves a big 'ole sale and hopefully raise some good money.  

Then, and this is the best part.... next week, the cleaning begins. That's right. A ceiling to floor cleaning that our house desperately needs.  I can't wait.  I'll keep you posted on our progress...

:: Hair's To A Great Cause ::

my apologies for the silly pun...

So, I was going to tell you all about this back in November of last year. But then I thought about it and I was afraid it might come across a little braggadocios.  Like "hey, look at me and the awesome thing I did! Aren't I great?!"

But I was cleaning off my dresser the other day and came across the thank-you card I got, and I decided that I would share this with you. It's a great cause and I don't know how many people actually know about it.

As you know, my Mother-in-Law lost her brave battle with cancer last June.  I remember when she first started chemo and began losing her hair.  She had a really incredible attitude about it. She said she looked forward to wearing wigs again like she did in the 60's.   I tried to imagine how I would cope with losing all of my hair.  I have an unnatural attachment to my hair.  The thought of losing my hair made me panic.

When my son was born in November 2004, I went and got my hair cut into a bob just above my shoulders.  Then I let it grow.  Aside from a few trims throughout the years, I never cut it.  It grew.  And grew.  And grew. Until I had a head of hair all one length that reached my lower back.  It was very Marsha Brady.

So, in November 2008 I decided that I was going to donate my hair in memory of my Mother-in-Law.  I was able to donate about 14 inches of hair.  And I have to say, I was really proud of myself, not just for donating my hair, but for being able to do it.  Like I said, I have an unnatural attachment to my hair.  So, having it cut off was a big deal for me. But after I did it, all I could think was why didn't I do this sooner?! I love my new haircut. No more Brady Bunch hair for me, thank you.

Locks of Love turns donations of human hair into wigs for children. Most children who receive wigs from Locks of Love suffer from an autoimmune disease called alopecia areata, which has no known cause and unfortunately no known cure.  Other recipients are cancer survivors, victims of trauma such as burns and rare dermatological conditions that result in permanent hair loss. 

I am so glad I was able to help.  And I am thankful to my Mother-in-Law for the inspiration to do so.  

For more information about Locks of Love, visit their website at www.locksoflove.org.  

:: And The Dog Came Back... The Very Next Day ::

A Cautionary Tale

We love animals.  We have two dogs, two cats, four fish and about three dozen sea monkeys. We would actually have more pets, but we are realistic and for the most part practical people, so we realize we have enough critters for now.  

Since we love animals, and since my husband is a big softy for anything cute and furry, we have, on occasion, helped a few stray animals find their way back home.  So, last weekend, when Benjamin ran into the house and yelled "Mama, come see the cute gray puppy Dada found," I wasn't surprised. That was, until I opened the garage door and saw the biggest wolf-shepherd-dog-hybrid creature looking me right in the eyes. This dog was ginormous.  But he was actually very sweet, so I had no problem with Jason putting him the backyard while we waited to see if someone came looking for the lost dog.  After playing with the dog in the backyard, Jason discovered that he can sit, stay, heel and shake. So, someone must be missing this incredible dog, right?

No one came looking for the dog.  So, we drove around the neighborhood to look for lost dog signs and to see if any of the kids playing outside had met someone looking for a lost dog. Nothing.  So, we left the big dog in the backyard for the night.  

The next morning, which was Sunday, we decided to put up some signs announcing that we had found a "German Shepherd Mix?" and listed our cell number.  We got one call... it was a girl calling to see if we had found a Boxer. Sunday night came, and still no news about the big gray dog's owners.

Then, around 10:00 p.m., we get a knock on our front door - it's our pajama-clad neighbors telling us that the stray we were harboring had just chewed a hole in our fence and was running around the front of their house.  I. was. not. happy.  The dog had chewed a huge hole in our gate.  Not cool.

Jason puts the dog back in the yard, and we put up the plastic kiddie gate and our concrete bird bath in front of the hole, thinking this would somehow deter the dog from chewing himself free again.  We came inside and decided it was time to call animal control.  

Guess what?  Animal control doesn't work on the weekends. Fine. We'll call first thing Monday morning.  We go to check on the dog, and we find that he has started ANOTHER HOLE in our back fence - the fence we share with our neighbors. 

That was enough for me.  I opened the gate and the big gray dog ran out.  After all, he was not OUR responsibility.  Right?  He ran off into the dark of night.  I just knew that he would safely find his way back home.  Well, that's what I told myself, to feel better about kicking him out of the yard.

Then at 2:00 a.m. we wake up to a weird noise outside our bedroom window. We go see what's up.... IT'S THE BIG GRAY DOG AGAIN! This time, he chewed his way BACK into our yard. This is NOT our dog! I was way beyond livid, to say the least.

We call back the police non-emergency number to let our friendly, but otherwise useless, dispatcher know that the dog we called about earlier is now destroying our property - and we needed someone to come out and pick him up.  NOW. He says that unless the dog is vicious, there's nothing he can do. Um, hello?!?  He is chewing up our property!!! That's when we let him know that we have a four year old and his safety is our priority and if this otherwise friendly dog will tear down a fence to get somewhere, how can we be sure he wouldn't turn aggressive towards our son or other pets?  He says fine, he'll send someone out.

So, as we are waiting for the animal control truck to show up, you can imagine our surprise when a police car pulls up to our house.  The friendly useless dispatcher sent out law enforcement to shut us up.  The officer (who is equipped with pepper spray, a Taser, a billy club and a GUN) quickly pushes his way into our house once Jason opens the door.  Look, if he's worried about a big dog and he's got that much ammo at his disposal, there's no doubt we should be a little worried, too.  Seriously.

Jason walks him through the house to the backyard.  He sees the dog and walks around our property looking at the damage.  He tells Jason that there is nothing he can do until 8:00 Monday morning.  Jason proceeds to tell him that he has a wife waiting inside (that would be me) and if he has to go back in the house and tell me the dog has to stay until morning, there will be all sorts of hell to pay - for every one involved.

That's when the policeman starts to play with the big gray dog.  And the dog shows him how he can sit, and stay and shake... apparently dog-loving men just can't resist a good dog that can shake paw. The officer tells Jason that he, his wife and their six kids have been looking for a good dog.  And he can't feel a chip in the dog's neck, so it might be that he doesn't have one, and to save the dog a trip to the animal shelter, he will take him.  So, he loads the dog into the back of the police car and takes off to put the dog in his yard where he can stay until he gets off of his shift.  Whew.   That was awesome. What a relief!

So, Monday morning I wake up and get our dogs fed and open the back door to let them out and that's when I see HIM.  In our backyard, sleeping under our son's play fort.  His paws are covered with dirt.  He came back.  Like really bad heartburn or a recurring nightmare.  The damn dog came back!!!

So, Jason calls and leaves a message for the officer at the station, and I do a little detective work and find the policeman's home number.  We call him and that's when we found out that the big gray dog had chewed a hole through his brand new fence and got out before he even got off of his shift.  He didn't want the dog.  But, okay, so in the dog's defense, the policeman saw where he had chewed through our fence, so it's not like it should have been any big surprise. The policeman said he would call animal control as soon as he hung up with us.

About two hours later, animal control shows up.  And being his usual charming self, the big gray dog walks right up to the animal control officers and they put a leash around him and he jumps right up into the back of the truck.  "Oh wow, he's a great dog" the one officer said. Yeah, right, lady.

They run a scan on his back and he did indeed have a chip.  They knew his owner's address and contact information and after a few minutes, they pulled away from our house.  So, I hope that the big gray dog made it back home and his owners were happy to see him again.

But, I still have this fear that one day, I am going to open up the back door, and he'll be there... waiting for me...

:: Introducing My Random Internet Goodies ::

I love the internet.  I mean, I really love the internet.  I confess that I spend far too much time online everyday - it really is an addiction for me.  But who wouldn't be hooked?  All the information, all the resources... all the photography and ideas - c'mon, right?  

So, to make myself feel better about my internet habit, I decided that I would share all the fabulous things I have found online - those little nuggets of internet goodness that fuel my addiction and keep me glued to my mac all day long.  So here it is, the first installment of Mel's Random Internet Goodies...

Random Internet Goody #1

I adore blogs... all kinds of blogs.  From crafting and parenting to photography and cooking - I have no less than one hundred blogs I check out on a regular basis.  I think blogs are fantastic - these amazing online diaries of real people involved in real life who take the time and energy to document their experiences.  I kept noticing the same button on many of the blogs I was following, so I decided to click on it to find out what it was all about.  That's when I discovered Delightful Blogs. The premise of the site is simple.... "Cutting through the blog smog... Explore our edited directory of 3200 blogs that are personal, passionate and stylish."  

The site breaks down blogs into several categories ranging from "Activism" to "Work + Career."  Once I found this site - I was addicted.  Totally.  I am so impressed with the amount of creativity and personality that people pour into their blogs.  It is inspiring, to say the least.  

To become a member of the site, you fill out a brief questionnaire about your blog and answer some basic questions about yourself. Your blog must be more than 3 months old and have regular posts and updates. There is a one-time fee of $13 to be included in the site (if you want a "featured" ad for your blog, then the fee is $35). Your blog is then reviewed and if it meets the requirements, a link to your page is added on the site.  Easy, right?

So, if you haven't checked out Delightful Blogs yet, you should.  I bet you'll love it.  :)

:: Benjamin Sings the Classics ::

I have been trying to convince Ben to let me record him singing, but every time I would grab the camera to capture him belting out some tunes, he would stop singing and run away.  But last night, as he was sitting on our bed serenading us, I pulled out the camera and to my surprise, he actually let me record him.  I was so happy!

So now, for your listening pleasure, may I present Master Benjamin, singing two of his all time favorite compositions....

:: Goals Vs. Resolutions and Some Crazy Good Bread ::

We here at the Scarpace house have decided to get healthy.  I guess you could say it's our New Year's Resolution, but since I don't really buy into the whole "resolutions" hoopla, I think I will just refer to it as our goal for 2009.  I am trying not to focus too much on losing weight - I am pretty sure that will be a wonderful side effect of our new healthy eating habits.  Hope springs eternal, right?

Since all of the day time television shows are focusing on losing weight and getting in shape, I have heard a ton of information lately about healthy foods... or at least what we think are healthy foods.  I was under the impression that the bread in the grocery store labeled "100% Whole Wheat" was actually really healthy and super good for you.  But I found out, thanks to Rachael Ray, that most of those supposedly "whole wheat" breads contain high-fructose corn syrup, which can actually reek havoc on your blood sugar levels - not to mention totally destroy your entire attempt at eating healthy.  Plus, there's a whole list of ingredients in "healthy" bread that you can't even pronounce.  

So, I took to the internet and did some research on baking whole wheat bread and found a recipe.  I put  my laptop on the kitchen island and proceeded to embark on an 18-hour journey that resulted in two flat, but very tasty, loaves of bread.  See, I am not a baker.  But I can follow directions, so I thought baking bread would be "no big deal, right?" Wrong.  It's a process... a process that requires accurate measuring and patience as things take time to "rise."  I think I counted about ten times both Jason and Ben asked "is the bread ready yet?"  

"NO!"  I barked... "It has to DOUBLE in size before I move it to the bread pans where it has to RISE and top the pan by an inch!"  Like I said, baking bread requires patience, and those of you who know me, know I have very little patience to work with.

Even though it took me the better part of an entire day, I did manage to get the bread baked. And it was good.  Actually, it was very good.  I think we were all surprised.  Needless to say we had a lot of poached eggs on toast for breakfast and panini's for lunch, but they were good.  I was really proud of myself.

So this morning I woke up, started my bread again, and I must say that everything went much smoother.  I made a fraction of the mess I did last week, and everything is rising just perfectly. And I am enjoying some time on the computer and a glass of Diet Dr. Pepper while I wait for the bread to do its thing and grow.  Look at me!  Look at me with my new found patience!   Yep, 2009 is gearing up to be one great year!

Here is the recipe.  I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com (it was posted by Nita Crabb and called "Simple Whole Wheat Bread.")  She used about 5 cups of white bread flour in her recipe.  I followed her recipe exactly the first time I made it, but decided that I would use all whole wheat flour instead and incorporate the flax seeds, sunflower seeds and oats.

• Mel's Super Healthy, Patience-Promoting 100% Whole Wheat Bread
• Ingredients
• 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup honey
• 8 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 3 tablespoons oats
• 3 tablespoons flax seed 

     Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups whole wheat flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Stir in sunflower seeds, oats and flax seeds. Once combined, move the dough to your stand mixer, or flour a workspace on your counter to knead the dough.  Work in more of the whole wheat flour and knead the dough until it is not real sticky - just pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl or counter.  It should still feel sticky to touch.  This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of flour (I generally use about 3 cups during this process).  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.  Or, you can form the dough into a loaf shape on a baking sheet.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter when done to prevent crust from getting hard. I actually use much less butter - after all, the goal is "healthy" bread.  Cool completely and then wrap in plastic wrap then foil.  The bread gets better as it sets.  Plus, it also gets easier to slice.

Just a side note on this recipe.  I wanted to make my bread just a little more healthy, so I incorporated some soy flour into the mixture.  As a general rule, you should work in soy flour so that it only comprises about 15% of your flour mixture.  So, you could actually place two tablespoons into the bottom of your measuring cup before you measure the whole wheat flour. 

As for the sunflower seeds, flax seeds and oats... if you are lucky enough to live near an HEB, you can get them in small quantities (and much cheaper) in the bulk foods area.  I am not sure about other grocery stores, but I bet if they have a bulk foods section, you will be able to find them.

Happy Healthy Baking!!

:: Happy New Year ::

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season.  

We had an incredible time during the holidays.  We spent time with family and close friends - it was such an amazing way to end the year.

We started our December by visiting some friends in San Angelo.  Okay, I NEVER thought I would be saying this... but I really do miss San Angelo.  I spent the better part of my teen years devising a plan to escape that place, but now as an adult, wife and mother - I have seriously considered what it would be like to move back there someday. We have such good friends there and we feel such a connection to the community.  Who knows, maybe someday we'll go back.  Anything is possible.

In San Angelo, Jason had the chance to visit the Old Chicken Farm Art Center, where he lived and worked as an Artist and Art Instructor.  It was nice being able to visit with old friends.  The Chicken Farm is an amazing place, and if you ever have the chance to visit it, you should. Creative people are always entertaining to me, and a bunch of them living and working together is a unique experience.

While we were in San Angelo, we also went to Christmas at Old Fort Concho. Jason and I went every year when we lived there, and hadn't been back in over five years.  The next day we had lunch with some good friends we hadn't seen in years.  You know you have picked great friends when you can go so long without seeing them, and instantly pick up where you left off when you meet up again.  I really miss our friends in San Angelo.  And we are definitely going to visit there more often.  Definitely.  We finished our last night in San Angelo by visiting the house on Hill Street, where Jason asked me to marry him on December 6, 1999.  It's a tiny house with a vacant lot next to it, and every year they put up this amazing Christmas display that you can walk around and explore.  It was one of the first places I took Jason when he moved to San Angelo, and it will always hold a special place in our hearts.

We are at the stage now where we spend Christmas day here at home. Since Ben is all about Santa now, it's important for us be here on such a special day for our son.  Ben and Santa have developed quite a relationship - but that's another blog. We got a call on Christmas Eve morning and found out that my parents were coming for Christmas day. So we had a house full of people (with us, my parents, and my aunt) and I made Christmas dinner.  I know, right? But seriously, I did.  And it wasn't bad.  I was proud of myself.  

The day after Christmas, our good friend, Jeff, came to stay with us for the weekend.  Jeff has been Jason's best friend for, wow, I guess almost 29 years now.  He was also the Best Man in our wedding.  We had a great weekend with him.

The Tuesday before New Year's, we packed up the car and went to see my parents in Dallas.  We had Sushi and champagne for our New Year's Eve dinner and we all stayed up to watch the ball drop.  On New Year's Day, we were invited over to the Haby's home for dinner. (Which, by the way, is Jeff's family, for those of you who didn't know that already).  The Haby's have always been a second family for Jason. We think the world of them.  They are such special people and they are so important to us.  We had such a great time visiting with them.  

The Saturday after New Year's, I decided to kidnap my best friend, Meredith, and take her to lunch and shopping.  She just had a baby, and I thought she could use a nice treat and get away for the day and do girly stuff. Oh, and as far as babies go, her little boy is ADORABLE!  We had a lot of fun that day - except that the line to Sprinkles Cupcakes spilled out the door and was too long for us to wait.  That was kind of sad.  Oh well.  ;)

We had planned on coming home the Monday after New Year's, but Mother Nature decided to drop some ice on the Dallas area, so we had to wait it out another day.  The power even went out at my parents' home.  It was actually kind of exciting.  For about an hour.  Then it got annoying.  Thank goodness it was only out for about two and a half hours.  

So, we are back at home and getting back into our usual grooves.  It's a new year and we are excited about all the new experiences and opportunities we will meet these coming 12 months.  We're ready for a fantastic year.  Hi 2009!!!

I put together a slideshow of our holidays.....

Make a Smilebox slideshow