Sad Day

Today we attempted to adopt the most adorable rescue puppy. He was 12 weeks old, and last night we introduced him to Sebastian, there were no problems! It was perfect, but today Sebastian wasn't having it :( We had already named him, bought him food, and he even went to base today to eat lunch with "daddy"

We have amazing friends who are the most giving, incredible dog lovers you'll ever meet. They actually rescued the little guy, and are searching for him a home. We thought we would be his forever home, I'm very sad Sebastian didn't want a friend :( I know our friends will find him the perfect home, they wouldn't have it any other way. I just very much wish he could've been the newest member of the Michel clan.

Hugs and Kisses "Patton", you touched our hearts in two short days. I'll never forget those floppy ears and blue eyes. You were the most loving, sweet, CALM, puppy I've ever met.

Gluten Free and Me

So I've been to the doctor 100's of times, with what seem to be random symptoms of just feeling like a Mack Truck hit me. Every single time I get a different answer. Here is a rundown of what I've been told.

-Depression
-Anxiety
-Migraines
-IBS
-Ulcerative Colitis
-Ulcers
-Acid Reflux
-Athritis
-Colitis

Thats just what I can remember. Well I've been doing my own research and thankfully one of my bestfriends is a nurse practicioner, she offered this idea to me, I could have a gluten allergy. Based upon my research I've considered this as well, it's very hard to diagnosis.

It's been 3 days and I've had NOTHING with gluten in it, I feel amazing! My tummy isn't in knots, I don't feel bloated, I'm not tired, I don't wake up and go to bed with a headache. Again it's only been three days, I can't imagine who wonderful I will feel in a month.

I'm also very lucky to have such a wonderful husband, he's going gluten free as well, just to make my job as the chef a little easier :) I think we'll be a healthier family. Granted I'm not excited about giving up some of my favorite foods and resturants but I'll do whatever to feel this good. Brent also orderd me "gluten-free for dummies" a book to help me on my journey.

I've already learned so much, gluten is in almost everything. Just because it doesn't say "gluten" on the ingredients doesn't mean it's not in there. I've learned so many other things mean gluten. I'll make a list and post them later.

Today Katelyn and I checked out the Commissary on base, there is ONE section in the store with gluten free products. The biggest problem is baking, I'll have to find what works best. Soy flour or one of the many other varrieties for people with celiacs disease. I've read the breads made without gluten are horrible, so I figure I'll use corn tortillas if I need a sammie.

Here is my biggerst concern, what am I going to eat on this cross country drive back to KY ? I've googled fast food resturants that have gluten-free products, and the pickings are slim folks. Did you know salad dressings contain gluten. Looks like I'll have to pack my own and order plain salads from McD's.

Wish me luck !

Strawberry Cheesecake

Today I decided to make "The Perfect Cheesecake"! A recipe I found in "I heard it from a friend"

I must confess, this is the cheesecake I blogged about a few days ago. I'm happy to report this time around it's almost perfect. I also customized the recipe and added fresh strawberries. I used my Vitamix blender (which is amazing, the same kind used at Jamba Juice) to blend 10 perfectly ripe strawberries. The juice was bright red, sweet and perfect! I added this mixture to my cheesecake filling. YUMMY ! After an hour and 15 minutes I took the cheesecake out of the oven, OOPS---FAIL ! I didn't read the entire recipe, step 8 of the 10 steps clearly states "turn the oven off after the hour and 15 minute cooking time and leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool" :( Besides the middle falling a bit, I'm happy to report it's cooked perfectly :)

I'm working on perfection for the next time, third times a charm, lol

Strawberry Mixture going into filling :)

Those Silly Boys

Yesterday best pals; today not so much.

Tonight we are watching our dear friends boys while they attend an Air Force function. Last night Katelyn stayed over at their house, and from the report Veronica gave, they were great. Tonight Louie is at our house and things are a bit rocky, lol

Katelyns burst into tears on more than one occasion, saying "I just want Louie to be my friend" Hearing those words from your precious (perfect, in your eyes) little girl brings the toughest of mommies to their knees.

We all know they are friends; it's an innocent spat between a 4 and 5 year old, but the tears are real, the plea's she explains makes my heart melt. So I had to devise a plan, we've never really dealt with this before, in true mommy superhero fashion I said "Let's go Katelyn, who needs boys anyway. Let's watch a movie and pop some popcorn" Her eyes full of water and a tear running down her cheek, she agreed.

While downstairs I decided she needed a pep talk, honestly I thought the advice I was sharing was for her teenage years, not now! I told her, if you ignore him, and act like you and mommy are having lots of fun then he'll want to come back downstairs. What do you ya know, mommy was right :) Thank goodness! I didn't want to let her down, I was actually worried my plan might not work, lol. Within a few minutes Louie was saying "Katelyn, what are doing?" "I wanna come eat popcorn and watch the movie" I winked at her, whispered in her ear and smiled. I told her "Now you tell him he can't watch the movie and eat your popcorn until he says he's sorry" Like her spunky usual self she said "Now tell me your sorry for being mean" all this with her head a little sideways and a hand on the hip.

Thats my girl ! Mommy mission accomplished, I have a feeling more tears will be shed soon with school starting in August. :(

Post Fallout, mission accomplished

I just happened to catch these, OMG !
(Sebastian's waiting for the crumbs)

Remember when your mom always said things like this "I'm so sorry honey, mommy wishes she could take your pain away, if she could she would" or "It hurts mommy more than you, or as much as you" I always wanted to say "bull$#@!" Today I know thats true.

Girls Day

Today was so much fun, Katelyn and I went to Town Square for a girls day. We met some wonderful people, painted pottery and had lunch. I'm so thankful for great friends and girl time, but a cranky 4 year old always makes things a bit more difficult.

Now I can be honest; I'm exhausted. Katelyn has been sick for a week, she has a double ear infection and her asthma is acting up. Poor girl, her tubes fell out three weeks ago and we're already back to the doctor and on antibiotics. She just hasn't been herself all week, she's very cranky and it's either her way or the highway. I know I'm supposed to be super mom, but when I got her home today, I kinda felt like having a meltdown myself. It's been a week of long nights, early mornings, endless complaints, doctors appointments and battles over medicine. These are the things books about parenting never tell you, your going to have bad days. Some days your going to cry yourself to sleep, your going to feel shame, your going to need a moment to just recharge. Does it make you a bad mom, I hope not. If it does, I'm at the top of the terrible mommy list. Sometimes we just need an hour to find our patience again, at least I do. So when we made it home, Katelyn took a short nap and headed to the neighbors house to play. The hubby and I were going to have a date night, instead we ran to Roberto's for some yummy, and oh so unhealthy grub, watched the Wildcats kick Ohio State's booty and now I'm laying in bed with my laptop. The husband's logging time on the Xbox, which would usually bother me, but he needs it. Mommy had a meltdown and he had to deal with it, I say free Xbox time for that :)

I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful friend as a neighbor, she has been there through so much. In the Air Force "home is where the Air Force sends you" and "friends are family"

Katelyn with Louie, having a midnight snack. They really are best buds; it's cute

Watching cars, after mommy brought over her breathing machine, pj's and toothbrush

"I heard it from a Friend"

Something I learned today; you can not bake a "real" cheesecake without a spring form pan, and Martha Stewart isn't the domestic diva we all think she is, sometimes she's wrong! Why didn't the glass of water keep my cheesecake from cracking, huh Martha ?

"I heard it from a friend" is my new favorite cookbook. Don't rush out to the store, this baby is a one of kind. It was made in 1993 by the ladies of The First Baptist Church in Calvert City, KY. I found this and "Adventures in Microwave Cooking." I guess I'm like those guys on American Pickers but I did my picking in my moms storage shed while helping her pack for a cross country move to KY. I don't exactly know what type of adventures I'll have in microwave cooking, but apparently in the 70's when it was published you needed a guide for using those futuristic machines. Something tells me they didn't have Pizza Rolls and Easy Mac back then, but honestly why else would anyone have a Microwave ? lol

I've found some great Southern classic in "I heard it from a friend" you don't find these in Martha Stewart Living. Let me just tell you, the reason everyone likes a Southern womens cooking is this; we use sugar as an ingrediant in any recipe and if all else fails; we fry it. Sounds terrible I know, but it's just the way we do things down South. When your momma makes pasta sauce with 2-3 tabelspoons of sugar, of course you'll be begging for more. :) I never said we were healthy.......

Herbal Tea and Toothpaste Practically Free

Courtesy of coupons I purchased toothpaste for $.85 and some yummy tea for $.40. I'd say thats a coupon success story.

I'm learning the prices of food, what they usually are and what qualifies as a "sale". If anything I feel like an educated shopper. I'm also happy to report couponing at the commissary (base grocery store) is probably the easiest place to take up this adventure. You'll just be strolling along and find tons of coupons attached to products, and there is a little counter when you enter that has coupon books, or promotional packets with extra coupons. Thus when I come back next time, complete with my baseball binder of coupons, I'll have even more to add. Many of these coupons are military exclusive, JACKPOT :)

You really can save tons of money with coupons when products are already on sale, like my toothpaste for example. Sale price $1.85 and with a $1.00 off coupon I made out like a bandit.

Why The Pink House ?

I decided to name my blog "Roo's Pink House" because my little girl has the most incredible imagination. She creates her own little world from the backseat of our Jetta strapped into a brown and uninspiring carseat. Instead of telling her she doesn't have a pink house in the mountains with a pink car and horses around, I help her add more to the idea. Her innocence, passion and love for all things pink inspire me to let go and have a little fun. Sometimes we are quick to correct children, telling them those things don't exist. Trust me, they'll figure out the harsh reality of life soon enough. I say encourage them, let their minds run wild, it's a time to create the impossible. Who knows we might learn something from them, like how to have a little fun and not sweat the small stuff.

Couponing and Costco

All of our friends say I should be a Costco spokeswomen, there isn't a thing I don't like about the place. Great quality, great prices, cheap glasses and eye exams, yummy food, friendly workers and a return policy that is like none other! I also hate Wal-Mart so Costco is the place to go. :)

This is my problem, I'm trying to convert to the coupon way of life, weekly shopping trips and dollars saved at the check out line but I can't do this if I own a Costco card. The place is like heaven, the products are always on rotation and no matter what season it is, I need something from there. Lucky for me Costco mails me coupons every couple of weeks to let me know why I should come back. However there is no need, when your daughter can read "Costco" at 4 there might be a problem or slight addiction, lol These coupons are not krazycouponlady worthy, 2 bucks off a 20 dollar purchase isn't enough for those ladies. It looks like my conversion to the "krazy" way may be harder than I thought.

How can you pass up family time topped off with $ 1.50 hot dog and drink ? Don't forget the hand dipped ice cream bar with almonds for $1.35 :)

I'm still on the road to couponing...............if I can stay away.

www.costco.com

If your not familar with Costco I suggest you check out the website.

A Coupon Adventure

The previews for the new TLC show "Extreme Couponing" have inspired me to take up the practice. Now when I say extreme I mean serious business. The advice given on thekrazycouponlady.com warrants two full size baseball card binders, which hold 30 pages a piece. If your going to save money ladies, you must tackle couponing with a plan. Apparently you need to spend an hour and a half a day clipping, organizing, and comparing those coupons to the sale circulars. Thank goodness for the website, otherwise my adventure would be over before it started :) On the website the ladies create a list and match coupons with the sale circulars for that given week, and there are many stores to choose from.

I'm starting my 10 day conversion to the Krazy Coupon Lady way today. I'll be giving updates, so follow along. I'm sure it'll get interesting. If I get free toothpaste and boxes of cereal for .75 you better believe I'll convert to the coupon way :)