I made Kimchi!

You may wonder why I would spend my precious food budget money on making something stinky and unappealing to most people. Well, I for one like kimchi and I wanted to try my hand at making this pickled/fermented vegetable for myself. I mean, I did not want to spend around $5.00 for a PINT jar of the stuff when I could make 2 large napa cabbages worth of it for far less. It is still fermenting in my garage (for obvious olfactory reasons) and should be good to go by tomorrow. I have visions of eating this delicious concoction with fresh steamed rice and making kimchi chigae - my mouth is watering!

Now for some shameless plugs:

I happened upon a great resource for Korean cooking on youtube. The star of the cooking is Maangchi. She has produced numerous cooking spots on her blog that show in detail, the wondrous art of Korean cooking. If you have a hankering for some kimchi, mandu or some of those tasty side dishes, then please visit http://www.maangchi.com.

If you become inspired to create some of these dishes and need a good Korean Market, then I will point you in the direction of First Oriental Market in Orem, UT. It is on State Street just north of Hancock Fabrics, behind the Greek Grill. They have everything you need and more to create all of Maangchi's recipes. Wahoo!

Take a Breather

Proposition 8 passed in California with 52% of the vote. In the days that followed, I am appalled at the "hate" that I read about in the news and on the radio. Yes, this is a heated issue. Yes, there are super strong feeling involved -- BUT -- people should not forget who they are - human beings- not animals, spoiled brats who demonstrate loudly, destructively and embarrassingly. Come on folks! I am not telling you to get over it, but I am telling you to show some respect for other human beings. You may say "Well, they did not show respect to me by taking away my (same sex) marriage." Violence, destruction of property and using profanity only shows how immature and selfish you really are. When Prop 22 was overruled by 4 judges did you see supporters of Prop 22 demonstrating in front of your religious places? Did you hear news reports of bullying and property destruction? No. You saw quiet dignity. I suggest you do the same.

Twilight Movie

I am just going to admit it and be done. I am looking forward to seeing this movie. There.

I actually got change!

Yes, that's right! Today when I filled up the trusty jeep, I was shocked and then elated that I was going to receive change! Every two weeks I have $60.00 to fuel the Palmer family transport and during the peak of the fuel pricing, $60.00 would fill me up to half. HALF!! Granted my tank is about 23 gallons, but still - HALF!!
It wasn't a large amount of money, but a few bills and some silver can now be used to perhaps wash the lovely antiqued look off the jeep. I don't even have deer hunting as an excuse for the layer of dust. However, it is going to rain tomorrow - perhaps this change will just have to wait.

Now I know some of you are wondering what change is because of the beauty of electronic money. We have instigated the "envelope system" at our house. This means that I have an envelope with cash for my gas money, food money, household money (diapers, TP, soap, etc...), date night money, and so on. This means once the money is gone from the envelope, you're done spending. This system has really worked for us. I don't carry plastic anymore (ok, I do have a fresh values card) and I just have to plan out my day - meaning no impulse buying. So there you go. If you want to know more, just ask Toby. He loves sharing the Palmer family budget success story.

Winner! Young Living Pumpkin Carving Contest

So Toby and his team of pumpkin carving experts created this amazing creation entitled "Oh Vomit." I personally like the barfed candles.

Spider bites

Sundance had a large "mosquito" bite on his leg this week. I was somewhat alarmed because this very large "mosquito" bite created a very large welt that was red and hot. He insisted that it itched and hurt. I inspected the bite, hoping not to see a bulls eye pattern or the beginnings of flesh deterioration. However, if the words "spider" bite had escaped my lips, I am not sure if Sundance would ever go back outside. So, I monitored the bite, cleansed it and applied triple antibiotic like nobody's business. Thankfully, this insect bite is starting to clear up and no longer itches and hurts. Tim, our brother-in-law inspected the bite and declared it to probably be a hobo spider bite - noting that a black widow or recluse bite would be well on its way to putrescence. Ewe.
So, my next question was, where did the spider come from and are there more. So, a brilliant idea pops into my head on the way home from grandma's house. I told Sundance that he was bitten by a spider while he was either sleeping or playing. In order for spiders to not sleep with us in our beds, we need to make sure that our beds are made and free of wrinkles where the spiders can hide. Clothes also need to be put back in drawers, away from spiders so we don't end up wearing them. He listened closely and tonight he made sure there were no wrinkles in his bed.
I hope I did not scare him too much and I am looking forward to a more tidy room and made bed. This experience reminded me of something a sweet Taiwanese sister missionary told me when I first arrive to my apartment in Hawaii as a greenie. She told me to make sure that when I made my bed to tuck the sheets in all the way around. She said this way, the 7 inch long centipedes wouldn't crawl into bed with me. I always tucked...still do.

Attempted Adventure

Yesterday, my sister and I were feeling the need to be adventurous moms. We decided it would be so much fun to take all the children up to Deer Creek to play on the beach at the North shore. We loaded up blankets, towels, treats and various sand paraphernalia. Upon arrival we scouted out the best spot amidst the other beach revelers, unloaded our loot and descended upon the beach.
The water looks so nice and clear from the road. I know that each time I drive past Deer Creek I am somewhat envious of those who are frolicking in the cool, clear water. Our beach spot did not resemble this vision of cleanliness. Thankfully, the water level has gone up, however, this creates the problem of severe floaties lapping up on the beach, not to mention hidden water hazards lurking beneath.
The children were ecstatic that we were FINALLY out of the van and they hit the water at full tilt. Michelle and I were panic stricken as we saw how strongly the waves were washing upon the shore and at how quickly little bodies disappeared beneath the not so clear water. Two inches of visibility was about all our little water oasis offered that day. Needless to say, water play lasted for about five minutes and sand play ensued thereafter. We endured gale force winds and flying sand insects for about an hour and were glad to suggest that we go back HOME to play in the BACKYARD in the inflatable pool with crystal clear potable water. The kids were once again ecstatic about this proposition and were cheerful the entire way home. More cheerful perhaps because of the promise of brownies--who knows. Needless to say, we learned some valuable lessons such as more adults are indeed better at water outings and that we can still keep trying to be adventurous moms.