Another Year Has Ended, A New One Has Begun

This was the first year we allowed the kids to stay up to ring in the New Year.  In years' past, we have celebrated with another couple or with other family members, but since we recently returned from a traveling Christmas vacation, we laid low and stayed home.

Kyle grilled steak and we paired it with green beans and fresh, warm bread.  Since it was a special evening, the kids helped me dress the table with a tablecloth, complete with cloth napkins and our finest dishes and glassware.  We even brought out small cordials so the kids might enjoy some sparkling white grape juice, which was received with, "Ooh! it tastes spicy!" and "I don't like the bubbles, Mom!"

After dinner, we busted out Max's new set of dominoes and played Mexican Train.  It was Max's first time and he picked up the gist of the game pretty quickly.  He preferred to help others out forsaking his own line when he had a chance to play something better. There's no competitive spirit built up within him yet. In due time, I'm sure.

We enjoyed dessert of chocolate cake and cheesecake, then proceeded to watch Cate and Kyle shake an arm or something slightly recognizable as dance to Wii's Just Dance 3.  And sure enough, we couldn't have the countdown without turning to Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve Countdown.  Once it hit midnight, the glasses clinked, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber were sighted and the kids were then promptly sent to bed without complaint. For the next day, we were opening our home to guests.

Every January 1, for what I believe has been six years now, we have invited a small group of family and friends to enjoy an Ebelskiver Breakfast and Aquavit to toast in the New Year.  Unlike last year, when we ran out of key ingredients before the kitchen officially closed, we made sure we had enough to feed those who stepped in the door.  This year, we made brunch for twenty-four, including ourselves.  The newest attendees were Kyle's friends Shawn and Kristen with their daughter Ivy, who is a sweet little girl.

The first arrivals were quickly put to work.  Jen and Tim helped lay everything out and Tim was supreme bacon fryer until the first batch of Ebilskiver was ready.  Then everyone else slowly made their way over and over the course of four hours there were three Aquavit toasts to the new year.  We closed the kitchen at two.

The Coleman family stayed the afternoon and we all played the day away.  The grown-ups played Mexican Train, which became increasingly more strategic as the rounds went on.  Max & Colleen put together an impressive pet store in Max's room and the three older kids scored high on Just Dance 3 and dug into the Legos, breaking only for lunch.

Friends, family, food, drink, games, laughter, and taking it easy.  All in all, it was a great close to one year and beginning to another.

My last day of school

This was an awesome year of school. This year I met 2 new friends,#1 Nikko, she has black hair, and she's the one in the blue dress by me (Cate).#2 Nikko's sister, Addison. She's the one behind me & Nikko. Nikko & I live close by each other, so we walk to & from school together & she will be my new BFF. Nikko will be my new BFF because my other BFF (Bella) is going to a new school, but Nikko will stay at Kenny school so that is why Nikko will be my new BFF through the rest of 2011 and 2012.

My mom says I have to write down my three favorite things about the school year:
#1 I really liked my second grade art projects.
#2 I liked the new books in media.
And #3 I really liked Ms.Hunter, my second grade teacher.

Mass in the Park and All Parish Picnic

I recently became a Ministry Leader for Parish Life at The Church of the Visitation in Minneapolis. My first big gig was to chair the planning committee for the Mass in the Park and All Parish picnic, a parish gathering we hope will become an annual event. Because we are in the Midwest, the weather can get questionable in September (the avg high is in the mid-60s), but we chose this particular weekend because our parish played host to two delegates from the Kitui Diocese in Kenya. We felt what better way to introduce our new friends to summer life in America than to enjoy a good old-fashioned picnic.

Fortunately, God blessed us with the perfect day. It was mostly sunny with a slight breeze and the bugs weren't too bad. About 75 people attended the outdoor Mass and another 20 parishioners showed up for the picnic after Mass.

Father O'Brien (r) presenting Father Mitui (l) the stole hand-painted with Visitation Icons, the State bird and State flower

Jolene presenting the Readings

The congregation

Kenyan friends singing "We Come to the Table" in Kiswahili

The picnic dinner was catered in by Picnics Plus and there was an abundance of delicious food--hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, baked beans, potato salad, watermelon, three varieties of cookies and fudge brownies; coffee, lemonade and water.

The abundant food

Four out of five in this photo are enjoying the picnic

We decorated the pavilion with strings of lights, raised halogen lights up in the middle pillar and set the picnic tables with candles and provided mini flashlights to use as needed after the sun set. We also lit the way back up the hill to the vehicles with solar lights and more candles. It was a beautiful sight that I couldn't capture in pictures.For entertainment, there was face painting, temporary tattoos and glow sticks for the kids (and adults alike!) and a sing-along after dinner led by our choir director.
There were so many positive remarks, I am confident the event was a success and that people will be looking forward to next year's event. It should be another good time...

I Feel Very Silly

Yep. I am getting more and more scatter-brained.

This evening, Kyle was pulling together everything for recycling day tomorrow and he cleared out empty diet coke cases from the fridge. After coming back upstairs to get some more, he remarked we were out of pop. And off he goes to his guys' night out.

Fast forward a couple of hours...the kids are finally down for the count in their room. I'm ready to settle in to watch crappy TV (You Think You Can Dance) and fold laundry (four loads from a week-and-a-half ago) with a nice can of cold Caffeine Free Diet Coke. I open the fridge and see the empty shelf and freeze. No more pop. I can't go out because the kids are now asleep. What do I do?

Update my Facebook status: Jennifer Iverson Jensen just reached into the fridge and shrieked--there's no more diet coke. must. not. panic.

Not more than 20 minutes later, there is a knock on the door. Cate Coleman shows up with Diet Coke and Caffeine Free Diet Coke. My savior.

We hang out about 30 minutes and then another knock on the door. This time, it's Cate's husband Patrick stopping by for a visit. He decided to get out on the road with his bike and his ride ended up at my house.

As usual, I put off figuring out what I was going to make for a pot-luck picnic at work. I looked in the cupboard and saw a box of brownies. I reached into the fridge to grab my yogurt for the brownie mix, and....wait a second. What did I spy there? Two cans of Diet Coke on an upper shelf. Ugh! I brought in the Colemans to show them what a scatter-brain I really am. They had their enjoyment in that. Then they turned to the other side of the kitchen and started washing my dinner dishes.

E-gads! It's hard to be gracious and accept the act of kindness, and so I sit here still with a silly half-smile.

They are such good friends.

Wednesday nights are much cooler now.

Cate's Birthday Week

Cate started her birthday week last Saturday with a family party. We enjoyed Cate's favorites--marinated flank steak, roasted potatoes, broccoli and rustic bread. She was surrounded by her grandparents and godmothers (and Michael). It was a lovely evening. Her birthday cake of choice was a frozen custard cake from Culvers. She was a bit overwhelmed by the Happy Birthday song, but managed to blow all her candles out in one shot.

Her favorite gift, by far,was not the bike. It was the Star Wars Legos kit she received from Jeanine. The coolest part is that she puts the kit together, plays with it and starts all over again. Max is allowed watch patiently and not touch, which he does pretty well.

She's not at all interested in Star Wars Legos, right?

She's already fast-forwarding to summer and thinking about falling with her bike

Max very patiently watching and helping slightly

Monday, February 23, Cate was Star of the Day in her classroom and as they recognize birthdays in this manner, it was going to be an extra special day. However, Cate woke up sick and missed her special day at school. When she did get back on Tuesday, she was told she could bring her birthday treat later in the week and so her special day just got postponed a day.

This weekend, we hosted her first friend birthday party. Three girlfriends from her kindergarten class came over for crafts and cupcakes. Cate was torn between heart cake and heart cupcakes, so I made both. The girls all wanted the cake. It's funny that they're both chocolate, with sprinkles, but they still wanted the cake. I think it was the written message that sold them! The girls all had a fabulous time with each other, it was fun to watch the interaction.

The girls working on their flower necklaces

(oops--I deleted the original before making it larger)
Clockwise from the top: Evie, Cate, Isabel, Abbey

All in all, her birthday week was a rousing success. I can't wait until next year!

Hello...have we met?

I have caught wind from some of my blog followers that some of my posts have been causing concern and are downright depressing. And, by now, I think you have discovered that I live a mostly transparent life (there are a few things I choose to keep private). I say what's on my mind in the most passive-aggressive way possible--through writing. I hope that you can appreciate my candid manner and take it for what it is; for I consider you my friends.

Case in point:

I've been recently diagnosed with an interesting disorder called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)--it's a super-sized version of PMS. So if you've read some of my posts and / or encountered me in the past year and walked away thinking, "damn, that woman must be having PMS", you're almost right. I started to take note of a mood cycle, along with other symptoms, that evolved throughout the month every month for about a year. Don't worry, I am not going to go on a gynecological journey with you--that is one line I will not pass. First I thought my issues were dealing with my significant weight loss, work uncertainty, increased involvement at church or my daughter starting school. But it was bigger than that. I finally accepted I needed help when I couldn't even write my first and last name on a work form without practically hyper-ventilating.

So I willed myself to go to the doctor on my birthday of all days. My doctor is a sweet thing...fresh out of her residency and eager to just listen. I laid out my symptoms and she diagnosed me as having PMDD. I have had the distinct pleasure of experiencing most of the symptoms on the list:

• Mood swings
• Depressed mood or feelings of hopelessness
• Marked anger, increased interpersonal conflicts
• Tension and anxiety
• Irritability
• Decreased interest in usual activities
• Difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Change in appetite
• Feeling out of control or overwhelmed
• Sleep problems
• Physical problems, such as bloating

I haven't had issues with marked anger, change in appetite or sleep problems. However, I had so much difficulty concentrating that I thought I was losing my hearing. I did take a audiology appointment and passed with flying colors.

One of the treatments for PMDD is to prescribe an anti-depressant. Wow. She passed me the written prescription and told me to fill it when the cyclical symptoms show up. It suddenly became surreal to me for a moment--I'm depressed. We talked some more and I inquired about seeing a counselor, which she gladly gave me a referral.

When I told my mom of my new diagnosis, I think I made her uncomfortable. Her general response was, "Well, you should continue to exercise. I understand exercise can help you feel better."

When I told my husband and asked him not to tell anyone in his family, he obliged me. I told a couple of close friends because they had noticed something wasn't quite right about me and expressed concern.

I didn't want to tell any more people than necessary at the time because I was embarrassed.

I was embarrassed because my life is quite simple and burden free. I think of my friends who moved cross-country, ended up living with family and can't sell their house in this economy. I think of my aunt who has pancreatic cancer. I think of my friend who hates her job, works crazy hours, isn't happy with where she is at this point in her life. I think of my other friend who went through hell and back trying to conceive a child on her own. I think of family and friends who lost pregnancies, lost jobs or whatever curveball life pitched them.

Those are real problems.

For me to be unable to handle life in general was very difficult to accept.

While I was not pleased with the notion of being on medication, I could only hang on for two weeks before the wave of symptoms came and hit me hard. I had that prescription filled in mid-November.

I did have one therapy appointment. In preparation for the appointment, I had to complete a form noting my mental health history. As I was checking the boxes, Kyle apparently did a double take. He said, "for a second there, I thought you had checked that you have had thought about suicide!" Thankfully, I am not and have not gone that far into a hole.

The mental health therapy appointment didn't go particularly well. I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect, but from my perspective during the appointment, the therapist seem very disinterested in my issues. At the end, she gave me her card while telling me that I seemed to be an intelligent person who is in general control of things and that I didn't need therapy... I interpreted that as: "Get your shit together and buck up." Needless to say, I left a bit disappointed.

I continue to take my medication and I feel much better. For the most part, I feel back to the old me. I chose to be on medication to ensure that I can function normally in my relationships with others--family, friends, co-workers--because they are so valuable to me and my problems were causing issues with most of my relationships and job performance. My intention is to eventually get off medication, but I am okay with the fact that I need it for now. I still have some shit to get together, but at least I'm more rational about things and can function day-to-day.

So there.

Princess Team was SO yesterday!

Me: So Cate. Did you invite Gracie to join the Princess Team today?
Cate: No.
Me: Why not?
Cate: Because I'm not part of the Princess Team anymore. I'm friends with Anthony today.

Oh no.

If I thought being in a clique was going to be an issue, I think I now have bigger fish to fry. She's dumping her best gal pals for a boy already.

Girls' Weekend, Here I Come!

Tomorrow evening, I and my best girlfriends from high-school head out on our seventh annual weekend getaway. This evening it occurred to me that Kyle is being left with a lot to do. Cate has swim lessons Saturday morning, a birthday party Saturday evening. He has to try to find someone to watch the kids Sunday morning so he can go to choir practice and sing at Mass.

I can't wait to get away...downtown Saint Paul, here we come!

Our play-date with Elizabeth, Robert, Colleen

While friends Patrick and Cate Coleman are attending to the final details of packing up their home in Virginia and making their final road trip to Minnesota, their children are hanging out here with Nonna and Da Coleman. We thought we would stop by this evening and get the five kids together for a play-date and provide perhaps a little reprieve for the grandparents.

We got to the elder Colemans' home a little after 7:00. The kids were really happy to see each other. It's been only a few months since they were last together, so no one forgot who anyone was. For our time together, we decided to walk down to the lake to feed a couple of bags' worth of bread Nonna gave us. Elizabeth and I talked all the way to the lake. She was telling me about the book she got at the library this morning. She is about halfway done already. I was so impressed. Robert and Cate ran all the way to the lake together. Max and Colleen stayed more or less with Kyle.

Once at the lake, it didn't take long for all the bread to disappear. All of the kids were giggling and laughing, bright-eyed watching the fish jump out of the water and the ducks fighting for the crumbs.After the last crumbs were done, we walked up to the park. Everyone played really nicely together. Obviously, they didn't want to leave when it was time.

Robert was running down the hill and stumbled slightly. He got up and brushed himself off. No blood, no scuffs, no worries. I gave him a little hug and then he wanted to hold my hand for a little bit. Colleen wanted to be carried, so I got her up on my shoulders. Max got envious and so he went up on Kyle's shoulders. Eventually Robert caught up with Cate and, same as before, ran ahead of us. As you can imagine, they were both disappointed when we denied them a trolley ride.

Once back at Nonna and Da's house, Nonna served ice cream and some interesting "lace" cookies she made. They were really good! We visited for a while--until about 8:40 and then we took off.

I know at one point one of the Coleman kids were sad that we were leaving and said, "don't go!" But Nonna replied, "It's okay. You'll play with them again. This will be forever!"

Amen to that!

The Herkimer Peacocks Season Closer

We didn't lose our final kickball game of the season. We didn't win it either. It was a tie: 1 -1.

We started our season like the Vikings always do and went 3 - 0. But then we got cocky and ended up losing 6 straight and just never recovered. Oh well.

For our final game, win or lose, we decided to go out in a blaze of glory--me, almost literally. The theme for our final game was wig night. I can't take entire credit for the wig I wore. No, props go to my girlfriend Jessica who dug that one up from her archives. I didn't even ask...

The team was quite surprised I showed up in this number. I figured I needed to let the young ones know that I can still have a good time despite being at least five years older than the rest of them.

Credit to Ryan LeTendre (the 1-run homerun king, front and center with the balls) for our graphic team photo.

Thanks for letting the token old lady kick around a few balls for the summer...

Fabulous dinner and guests

We are sitting back and feeling pretty good that our first monthly dinner evening was a success. After Max's birthday party back in April, I decided I'm still not comfortable enough with entertaining so I proposed we invite people over for dinner once a month. We are alternating the choice of who to invite. Last month's evening had to be postponed due to Kyle's hospital visit. This evening, I chose to invite Kristine and Michael Callaghan, friends of ours from church.

My intention of this evening would be an adults only affair, so my parents were kind enough to keep the kids for a sleepover. If it hadn't worked out, we would've survived, but the evening might have swirled a little more around the kids. Since the kids were not here, we were able to relax a little more and focus solely on our guests.

This was our menu...
Starter:
* Caprese salad paired with Bernard & Griffin Columbia Valley Chardonnay

Main Course:
* Pork Chops stuffed with proscuitto, pepperoni, provolone cheese and fresh basil
* Coleman roasted potatoes
* Italian grilled asparagus (brushed with an olive oil, lemon juice and garlic mixture)
* Ciabatta bread
* All paired with Saldini Pilastri Rosso Picano (an Italian red wine)

Dessert:
* Mixed berry sorbet garnished with fresh blueberries and raspberries

Overall, I think the meal pulled together nicely. The timing and pace moving from the starter to main to dessert was good. Everything from the Main Course was cooked on the grill. Each item sounds pretty impressive, but everything required five main ingredients or less (excluding seasonings) and was rich in flavor, yet simply delicious. I can't really comment whether the wine pairings were appropriate or not. Since I am a novice wine drinker, I relied on the wine guy's recommendations at the liquor store to make a selection. They tasted fine to me and the Chardonnay is completely gone.

Thanks for a lovely evening full of great conversation, Michael and Kristine. We look forward to the next time.

In August, we will be entertaining Kyle's parents and Uncle Cliff. They were to be our first guests in June, so it will be really nice to have them finally over.

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Let me know if you would like any of the recipes.