My Wife: I was jealous and I wanted to do this too

What's your wife's name? Jaimee

How long have you been married? Seems like 30 years

How long did you date? 15 months

Who said I love you first? I did

Who asked who out first? I did

Who kissed who first? She did and she kept coming back for more

How old is she? 22

Who eats the sweets? That would be her, but I eat them when she's not looking (Don't tell her)

Who sings the best? Me (no other comments will be given at this time about her singing)

Who's smartest? She is (Don't let her know that I said that because it would go to her head)

Who cooks dinner and does laundry? I cooked dinner the other day.  (Mac n Cheese is more complicated than I thought)

Who mows the lawn? I do (I enjoy the excuse to leave the house for a little me time)

Who pays the bills? I do

Who drives? Let me put it this way, The dents in the back of the van from three different mailboxes were not made while I was driving

Who wears the pants? I have to agree with Jaimee and say Ryan

Our favorite couple thing to do? Fly in first class without the kids, even though we may not say a single word to each other

Her favorite pastimes? Travel, organizing, and bargaining

What I love most about her? She cares about other people.  She enjoys finding opportunities to help those around her.  

TAG: My Hubby

What's your husband's name? Kelly Ryan

How long have you been married? six years and a little

How long did you date? One year, three months, twelve days, 7 hours and 52 seconds........A LONG FREAKIN' TIME!
Who said I love you first? He did. I almost did, but was able to hold back until after he told me.
Who asked who out first? Kelly asked me. I was wary, and my best friend said she wouldn't date him if he asked her. I said yes anyway. 
Who kissed who first? I kissed him, I was looking for a scam!
How old is he? 31
Who eats the sweets? It is all me. Kelly is a nut and bread person. 
Who sings best? Kelly by far, and all the time, and really loud.
Who's smarter? Me, duh. (but really it's him, he did better on my nursing practice tests than I did) 
Who cooks dinner and does laundry? I cook all but 3 things, he does laundry if I fall behind. 
Who mows the lawn? He does, but that is because he gets to go on the riding lawnmower and he is like a little boy when it comes to those things. 
Who pays the bills? Kelly and he does really well. 
Who drives? He does. He yells at me when I drive him around. Just wait until he is old and incapacitated, then he'll be thankful for my driving skills, no matter how flawed they are.  
Who wears the pants? Ryan.  
Our favorite couple thing to do. Travel and watch TV. 
His favorite pastimes. Travel, Playing B-ball, Watching TV (ours gets horrible reception, so when he finds a good one, he is gone)
What I love most about him. He rarely gets mad at me, he puts up with my crazy ideas,  he is a happy man, he is able to talk to anyone, he is an awesome daddy, he no longer gags when he sees his child's poop, he sees heavenly messages in signs at Wendy's, he laughs, he is a tease, he is willing to change, my parents like him more than me, he is the best husband for me and I would be lost without him. 

Thanks for the Tag Laura. I tag anyone and everyone who reads my blog, I read yours and want to know this stuff.

Christmas!

I know that I should be putting off Christmas decorating until after thanksgiving, and I am sure that some of you will poo-poo this, but I put up decorations tonight. I did not put them all where they go. I still have some rearranging to do. I also left the Thanksgiving decor up as well. I can do both if I feel like it, it's my house.

We came home, got the kids ready for bed, popped in White Christmas (ahhh, Bing Crosby, be still my heart) and started pulling things from boxes. Ryan had the most fun with her lamb that baa-s "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" and the snowman that sings "Jingle Bells" She had them singing to each other. Those two decorations might get hidden before this season, nay, this week, is over.

Jac was in charge of setting up the Christmas village. The houses are a little bit on top of one another, but she did a good job. The rearranging fairy might visit sometime this week and give the neighborhood a tune up, we just have to wait and see how lazy said fairy is.

Kelly and I made sure that Ryan did not break anything.

The tree is not up yet and will probably not be up for a couple of weeks, but I just couldn't wait for everything else. Once I brought it up the girls were on board and threatened tears and tantrums if we did not get something out tonight.

After the pumpkin pies and the decorations, my house smells like my grandma's house smelled when she made rice pudding. I just feel all warm and cuddly tonight. What a great way to start off the season! Happy Holidays!

My First Pumpkin Pie

We had an extra pumpkin left over from Halloween, so I decided to make a pie. I googled around and found a neat little website- http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/pumpkinpie.php

It even has a link to make a pie crust out of whole wheat flour. This was a website after my own heart! I think the pies turned out really well, I have a ton of leftover batter and no more pie pans, so I will probably make make a whole bunch of pumpkin waffles and freeze them. I just hope the kids like pumpkin.

I also saved the seeds. I am going to plant them, I think I have a thousand (after the five pumpkins we gutted this year), so we oughtta get at least one pumpkin for next year. Here's hoping!

Kelly and I just had some and it is not too bad. I could eat a few pieces, and I think I'm gonna have to since I have so much. Please, if anyone would like some, come and get it, I will be showing up at your houses if I don't hear from someone soon.

.

Dekalb Farmer's Market

My friend Laura told me about this farmer's market that had a huge variety of everything. We have been wanting to go, but with kids it did not seem super fun. Plus, she is preggo, and mornings (my good times) are not her good times. Then there was the conflicting nap schedules and all the other stuff that stay at home moms do all day. I digress.

I had decided that I would have to go with Kelly and the girls on a Saturday. Kelly was a great sport and willing to come, but he had several other things he would rather do. We were over at Stan and Laura's last night and the guys were discussing Saturday's football schedule. I told Kelly that he couldn't watch football because we were going to the market. Kelly or Stan suggested that the husbands keep the kids, and Laura and I go. Wahoo! What a great idea.

So off we went. This place is a huge warehouse filled with different ethnic cooking supplies, spices that are waaaaaay cheap, a huge variety of fruits and veggies (4 types of eggplant), yummy breads, stinky fish that you can pick out while they are swimming in their tanks, a variety of meats and cheeses and a great bakery. I had fun just wandering around, it felt like I was on vacation again. We love to go to markets when we are on vacation and this completely fit the bill. I bought plenty of fun things and then we were off to the Spaghetti Factory. The ride there was kinda interesting, but you can ask Laura about that. I had forgotten how much I love the salad dressing and the Mizithra cheese at the Spaghetti Factory. I was in heaven!

It was a great day. The one problem I have is this........
What the crap am I supposed to do with all of this stuff? Namely, the sugarcane, the anice, the bulgur, the oat groats, the flax seed and the coconut oil that you can cook with. Anyone got any ideas?

Fried Green Beans

In an effort to be a creative cook, I tried to copy T.G.I. Friday's fried green beans and wasabi ranch dressing. I think I did a great job. I called several people to tell them, but no one cared because they had never had them before. My sister and sister-in-law are the only ones who I have ever had these with. They do not read this blog and so may never know that I was successful. Oh well. They were great. Jac liked them, but would only eat one (I think she was lying, but at least she was nice) Ryan ate about 10 and Kelly and I ate enough to gain a pound or two. I don't think I will make them again any time soon, since they were time consuming, but maybe for a party or something.

Bonfire!

Kelly and I decided last minute to have a bonfire last week. We called a few people to come and join us. Not Delores though, she is freaky!(hee hee)

Our friends Steven and Gavin came. Ryan was elated, she loves them both, but Steven the most I think. Kelly and Steven worked hard to get the fire going. The only problem, they maintain, is that it had rained the night before and the wood was wet. Luckily a neighbor came over who is a girl scout leader and was able to get the fire going, lickety-split. Not really, Kelly and Steven did all the work, I just think her presence helped though.

Jannica was able to have two friends over, so they spent most of the evening on the trampoline. Jannica finally came over and roasted a hot dog and then was gone again.

Ryan and Gavin had an awesome time eating tons of marshmallows and throwing sticks into the "fireworks." I love having camp fires, and I am so glad that we can do it in our own backyard. Tyrone rocks, and so does our house!

The night ended with tears and promises that we would do it again soon. Kelly took one of Jannica's friends home on the golf cart, so the girls were happy that they got to go for a night-time ride with Dad.

This first picture is Kelly and Steven exerting their masculinity and proving that they are men!

This is Kelly "helping." He puts a fire out so well, the only problem was that we were trying to build one. Oops.

Ryan is showing me that she has just swallowed 2 marshmallows and needs more.

Kelly trying to keep Jac from letting another hot dog fall into the fire. We only had a few, ya just can't mess around when it comes to hot dogs!

We like to park the golf cart by the fire so that we have a place to sit, entertainment for the kids, and a way to carry everything in one trip to and from the house. I really like golf carts.

Random late night thoughts

It used to be the coffee commercials around the holidays that got me every time, you know, the brother makes it home in time for Christmas morning and the little sister wakes up to find him there and then they all wake everyone up with the smell of coffee. I am almost crying while typing about this, I am glad that Kelly is not in the room.
Now that I live in the south, it is the Publix commercials! I am not pregnant, I don't think I am hormonal, I don't know what the deal is! They get me every time. It was bad around Valentine's day too. Kelly is just as bad so I don't feel too stupid, but still just a little.
I found myself tonight almost bawling my eyes out over a commercial about families and being thankful for each other. Whoever writes for these guys should have a job with the church! We would have investigators out the wa-zoo!
Does anyone else sit and cry during these commercials?
Lastly, I just heard the upstairs toilet flush, I know it is not Jannica because she never flushes. Ryan has a diaper on and should be in bed, it is almost 11 pm, my guess is that she has thought of a new reason to sneak out of bed.
Now I hear fake crying, "come and find me so I don't have to go to bed, waa, waa" crying. It quickly becomes real tears, so Kelly heads upstairs to try to calm things down. When Kelly asks what is wrong, the response is "there was no toilet paper!" Now she is still crying, Kelly is trying to deal with it, but I have a strong suspicion that she will be falling asleep to a movie tonight. Kelly is now trying to sing to her and she is getting even more upset. I don't know why I am giving this play by play, I guess just to show all of the many strange events that happen in a 25 minute time frame at the Kartchner house.

Kelly's Thoughts on the Istanbul Trip

Istanbul is an amazing city.  The Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia are amazing buildings and are seen together in this first picture.  But Jaimee talked about them already.  First of all, the people from Istanbul are some of the nicest people I've ever met in the world.  When we were in the Spice Bazaar, we sat down eating our Kabobs.  An older gentlman at the table that did not speak English offered us some of his Turkish Delight.  We had a fun little conversation with him.  More gestures than words.  The was another guy nearby that helped out.  It was just fun.  This second picture is of the Spice Bazaar where still many of the locals do the shopping for spices and nuts and stuff.  Pretty cool atmosphere.  It also has a sweet smell from all of the spices.  

We took a little trip by ferry to the 

Asian side if Istanbul and we went to a real street Bazaar where they

 were selling fish and goat heads.  It was so different to be walking down a little street and seeing the fish on the sides in the shops.  It reminded me of that moment in Aladin when the guy yelled out "Fish" and put the fish right in Jasmine's face.  Also the skinned goat heads were 

pretty cool.  Now if any of you have been in a third world country, you know that a big problem is stray dogs everywhere.

  Well Istanbul is not part of a third world country and does not have a stray dog problem.  Istanbul has a small stray cat problem.  Cute little cats running around.  I find it much more desirable than dogs running around.  Apparently the prophet Muhammad had cats and now cats are widely respected.

5 times a day, each mosque has an Imam that calls people to pray over the loadspeakers.  It sounds like a musical recitation of a poem.  Not quite a song, but almost.  It can be heard throughout the city and last about 10 minutes.  It alerts everyone that it is time to get ready for prayer.  It is a fascinating cultural experience.  Many people go to the nearest mosque to take part in the prayers at the mosque.  We had a chance to witness the ceremony inside one of the mosques during the prayer service.  It last about 20-30 minutes.  Men and women are separate.  The Imam recites somthing while the people who pray do different signs of worship.

There is a wide variety of clothing that the women wear in Istanbul.  There are people that wear the exact same clothes that you would expect to see in any American city.  Maybe not quite as trashy as some cities, but basically the same.  The you also have other women that wear head scarves whenever they are in public.  In fact to enter the Mosque, Jaimee was required to cover her head with a scarf.  Then there were some women that complety covered the faces except for their eyes.  It is a very interesting contrast in dress. 

Halloween

Updated with pics 



I am way late and I have no pictures. Halloween was way awesome. Jannica was a dead cheerleader. Ryan was going to be one as well, but then peed in her costume. Next came a Barney costume, but after trick or treating at some local businesses she had candy slobber all down the front of her costume. She finally ended up being a duck "Quack, quack, I a duck. I live in the water, a big lake." Every time she puts that costume on she says that line. 

Jannica and Kelly rode on our golf cart with Jannica's friend Mackenzie and two hormonal teenagers. I had no patience for that. They would drive ahead and scope out which houses were giving out candy. 

That made trick or treating very efficient, plus Stan drove the golf cart all the way u

p the peopl

e's driveways so the little kids did not have to walk (or be carried) very far. I love golf cart trick o

r treating. Jac and Mackenzie had a ton of fun and so did 

Kelly.

 I was happy 

to be the second wife on the Johnson's golf cart. I sat in the back with Ryan and Jake and kept hitting my head on the roof. You would think I would learn, no such luck. Ryan was not happy to have me with her at all. I think that

 when we went to Turkey, she realized that she doesn't need me all the time. (boo hoo) After about an hour Ryan was content to sit in the golf cart with Stan and eat her candy while Laura and I took her kids to the door. 

We all came back to our house afterwards and had hot cocoa. I really love Halloween, but man, I am glad that it 

is over with. Does this mean I am getting old,

 or just cynical?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Istanbul

Kelly and I went on a little vacation last week. Kelly's mom came to stay with the girls (hallelujah!) and we went. We left Sunday afternoon right after the primary program. I love the primary program. I always cry, I just can't help it. Those kids just glow when they are singing. Back to our vacation. We flew all night in business elite which means tons of room, fancy schmancy food and Kelly's favorite, ice cream sundays at 35,000 feet. There are also on demand movies which are awesome. The only reason that we like to travel without the kids is that we can ride in business elite, you can't do that with kids younger than 8. Jannica can come with us, but she has that whole school thing. It is a nice little date where we can watch different movies, get a free meal and then roll over and go to sleep. I think I talked to Kelly 5 times in the whole 10 hour flight each way. Aren't we soooooo romantic? Ahh, the hazards of an overly practical husband. I love it though. It is refreshing.   

A few highlights:

The Hagia Sofia is this cool church that was built in 500 AD. It started out

 as a Christian church, but then when the Muslims took over, it became a mosque. This building is huge and it only took

 5 years to build. Almost all of the pictures of Christ were removed, except for a few. It is now a museum and the old frescoes are being uncovered. It was kinda weird being in a Muslim country and seeing all of these pictures of Christ. 

The Blue Mosque is a beautiful huge mosque. It

 has 6 turrets (most mosques only have        

     one or two), that the religious leaders would climb and then call people to prayer. Now they have speakers. It is cool to hear some guy calling everyone to prayer in his sin

g-songy voice. Not so nice at 1 am, but hey I won't complain. 

We went to the Bazaar where people are trying to rip you off

 any chance they get. I got to use my haggling skills, I think I did pretty well, but the guy probably thinks we are stupid Americans. 

The Spice Market  was a beautiful array of colors and sounds. I wanted to buy all of the spices, but I would not known how to use them. Oh, well.

This is a picture of an asian toilet. That's right, squat, point, and shoot. Not real fun, but when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. 

This next pic is of the inside of one of the mosques. They were all so beautiful and well taken care of. These people seem like they are very dedicated to the sanctity of their religion. 

This is all that I am going to write for tonight, maybe I can get Kelly to fill you in on the rest.  This was one of the best trips that we have been on. I love that I get to travel. I would have never dreamed that this is what I would be doing with my life. Man, I married well!

Pumpkin Run

Jannica's school has a running club, so I encouraged her to join so that we could run together. I thought it might be kinda fun. I have to say that I really enjoy running with Jannica. On Saturday, October 25 a local school had a pumpkin run. Race morning was very early, dark and cold, Jannica was all for not going. We were early, and went to get our T shirts and then went back to the car to wait for the race to start. Jannica wanted to leave because she already had her t shirt. I was able to talk her into staying, seeing as though I had the keys. When the sun started to rise we went and got all lined up for the race. Jannica may have been one of the oldest kids in the race, but that meant there were more people for her to beat. I told her that we would try to finish in 15 minutes. We started the race at a nice slow pace and then kept it up the whole time. Jannica did great until about half way through when she wanted to walk and then started to cry. I just kept talking her through it, telling her how great she was doing and that we were almost there and that crying took more air that just breathing. She got angry as we got closer and that was the key. She saw the clock and saw that we could beat 15 minutes so she broke out in a sprint and finished great. Our time was 14:49. I was so proud of her that I almost cried. She was very glad to be done and was ready to go home. We are now training for a 5K in December. Our friend Laura is running it and Jac loves her, so that is our motivation at this point. Jac just wants to beat Laura. I just want to finish in one piece.