Knott's Berry Farm Thanksgiving

This morning we went to Knott's Berry Farm. Heather, Desiree, Katie and I left at 8:00 a.m. and got to Knott's by 9:40 a.m.

When we first got there, Desiree and Heather wanted to go on the new Sierra Sidewinder. While they went on, I stayed in Camp Snoopy with Katie and tried to keep her entertained while they went on. She was going to go a couple of rides, but she didn't meet the heigh requirement. I took her on a little train in Camp Snoopy. It was the slowest train I've ever seen, but Katie seemed to enjoy it.

After the train, I let Katie walk around a bit. You can see that it wasn't very crowded. She had a good time going back and forth between two separate drain grids. For some reason, she thought it was totally cool to walk to one drain grid, put both feet firmly on it, then race over to the second one, and do the same thing. This kept her entertained for about 5 minutes.

Before she realized mommy and Desiree had ditched her.

So then I sat her on a bench, and she had fun playing with my camera bag.

and then cell phone.
When she lost interest in that, she decided to climb the stairs, where the Sierra Sidewinders exit. I kept getting her off the stairs, but she persisted and kept going up them, even though I kept tellling her "no" and taking her back down.

So I took her inside a store, where she found a barrel of stuffed Snoopys. She threw a few on the floor before I picked them up and took her outside. Earlier, I took her to see Snoopy, but she was afraid of him, so we didn't get any pictures. She seemed to be okay with the stuffed ones.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving, she became fascinated with this wooden Indian. She hugged him and petted him for a while until she realized this store also sold Doritos and tried to grab a bag. I had to pull her away.

Traditional Knott's Berry Farm photo. Desiree and Katie.

Heather got stuck taking Katie on all the baby rides. Here she is driving the big rig.

She liked this one. It has a horn that you can honk and all the kids are constantly honking the horns.

She went on the bus too. She wasn't sure if she liked this one. She's in the very back with Heather.

She doesn't look impressed.

She liked these cars a little, but scared when they turned fast around each corner.

A little too helter skelter for her taste.

She loves bears. Here she and Heather are, posing with a trash can. LOL. It is supposed to thank you for putting trash inside the bee hive but it wasn't working.

She got her nerve up to do this daring trick. She walked around this tree island, which was very dangerous and scary. She fell a few times, but she was very proud of herself for making it all the way around and then jumping off, with a little help from grandma.

We took a picture by the giant tree located at the Knott's Berry Farm stage. They had a tree lighting ceremony, but we left at 2:00 so we missed it.

She liked the horsies.

She always enjoys the Merry-Go-Round

Desiree and Heather took her on the log ride. She held on tightly to Heather. She wasn't too sure about this one.

She was biting her nails as she came down. I think she was nervous.

But she's a trooper.

Getting ready to exit the ride.

Santa was there. She was afraid of him, but she took his candy cane and hat. She likes Santa from afar. Up close, he's way too intimidating. She liked the hat. She actually wore it for a while and she loved her candy cane. I had to cut Heather out of this picture. She blinked.

After this, we went to the Snoopy on Ice show, which Katie loved. She clapped and sat there so nicely. She got excited when she saw Charlie Brown and Snoopy come out. She was clapping and clappinng until she finally fell asleep. She was knocked out, even as we carried her to the car. She wouldn't wake up. She slept all the way home. I think she had a good time. I had a great time. It was so relaxing and stress free. We just took our time and enjoyed the day.

Katie's hilarious expression as the show was about to start. LOL

Thanksgiving Day Dishes

**click on pictures to enlarge (as always)**

I found this recipe on a blog that I follow: http://wowsroses.blogspot.com/search/label/Cake She always has the best recipes and easy to follow instructions, not to mention, amazing pictures and adorable kids.

It looked great so I thought I'd give it a try. Mine came out perfect and it's yummy. I made myself a mini loaf to try before I shared it, just to make sure it was tasty.
I used Gala apples, since those and Braeburn are two of my favorites. I cut them in small pieces.

Nothing is more relaxing than baking in the rain.

The top has struedel and is crispy. YUM.
Here is my tiny loaf. I ate half and left the other half for Heather. This picture is blurry, but here are some pieces of apple inside the cake.
I also found a recipe on Familyfun.com, for Potato Gatto and it looked good so I thought I'd try it for Thanksgiving. From food writer Michele Scicolone: My dad didn't cook all the time, but when company was coming, he liked to pitch in. One year he decided to try to duplicate a dish that his mother used to make -- a casserole of potatoes mashed with mozzarella, prosciutto, and salami and baked until the cheese melted and the top was crusty and browned. From the first bite, we loved this dish. We ate it as a side with chicken or a roast, and on its own with a green salad.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup warm milk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg (I did not use the nutmeg)
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 ounces sliced Genoa or other Italian-style salami and/or prosciutto, chopped (I found mine at Trader Joe's).

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with cold water covering them completely. Cover the pan and bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain them and let them cool slightly. While the potatoes are cooking cut up the meat. I used Prosciutto from Trader Joe's.

Slice the mozzarella into dice. Again, I went to Trader Joe's, where they have nice, fresh cheese.

2. Generously butter a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the dish with the bread crumbs, turning it to spread the crumbs evenly.

3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Place the potatoes in a bowl and mash them until smooth. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the butter, the milk, 1 cup of the grated cheese, the egg, the nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.

Fold in the mozzarella and meat.

4. Heat the oven to 400°. Spread the mixture evenly in the dish, dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of grated cheese. (This dish can be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) This is where I stopped. For garnish, I added a bit of Rosemary, just for a little color. I'll take it to my mom's tomorrow and let it bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. The top should get crispy and brown.

5. Bake the dish until the top is browned and the center is hot, 40 to 45 minutes (50 minutes if it was refrigerated). Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 10.

Elliott Yamin, Citadel Mall & Long Live the King

Went to Elliott Yamin at the Citadel Mall tonight. Two things. 1) I will never go to another Citadel Mall Tree Lighting Ceremony. 2) I can't wait for March when Elliott will start touring again. He sounds INCREDIBLE.


The Citadel Mall was very unorganized and the sound system was a disaster. It was as though he were singing without a sound system at all.

Of course, David and Katie had to have their usual icees. It's tradition now. They have great stores at the Citadel and I'd like to go back there to shop some day, but never again for the tree lighting ceremony. They have Gymboree Outlet, OshKosh Outlet, Quicksilver, Vans, PacSun, and EDDIE BAUER (where our stroller originated from)! All Outlets.

The crowd of people here were very rude and disrespectful. They were pushing, talking, shoving. Most of the small kids were there to see Demi from the Disney channel.

Elliott looked and sounded great. I just loved hearing him. He sounds so much better live.
At the end of the night, we almost had to bury Eddie. We couldn't get him to cooperate, no matter how hard we tried. He would not fold down and get into the car. Heather took him on, I took him on, Desiree took him on. He would not submit. I hated to lose him. He has been a constant in our adventures and I would miss him dearly. It was bittersweet to say the least. There he lay. Alone and stranded, when Heather got out and gave him one more talking to. Eddie submitted. He folded down and we got him into the trunk. He just wanted to reassure us that he was still in charge. Thankfully, Eddie is still with us. For that, I owe Heather deeply.

Joining Turquois' 30 Days of secrets

I'll keep this post running, instead of starting a new one each day.

Secret 1, November 3, 2008. I WOULD LOVE Guns N' Roses tickets for their upcoming Chinese Democracy Tour. I saw them in 1987 when they toured with the Rolling Stones. Best concert ever. I still love Axl (not so much his hair) and still consider Appetite For Destruction and Civil War two of my all time favorite CDs.

Secret 2, November 4, 2008. I'll do this tonight, since I'm working at the polls all day tomorrow. It's 8 hours before the polls open and I still do not know who I'm voting for in the Presidential race. I'm torn. McCain was my first choice, pre-Sarah Palin. Obama has me confused with his liberal views on gay marriage, abortion, and spending. I actually wanted Hilary Clinton in office.

Secret 3, November 5, 2008. Today is Jaclyn's birthday, and every November 5 I remember Jack and how mean and cruel he was to Bobby growing up and I resent that whole family. I resent Barbie for stealing Dorothy's money and for calling me names when I got pregnant with Heather, even though her own daughter also got pregnant, a year younger than me. I resent Jack for every mean thing he did to me. I wish bad for them. I know that's wrong, but I do. I hate that I do because I know it's wrong, but I hate the injustice of a child being born and given away, with no fault of their own, and not having love that every child deserves just because their parents were too selfish to take responsibility and to the right thing.

Secret 4, November 6, 2008. I start Christmas shopping in January every year (for the past couple) while the kids are still small enough for fashion trends not to matter. I get shirts for Katie, Hannah & David for $2-$3 and jackets for about $10.

Secret 5, November 7, 2008. I have the worst habit of picking at my cuticles. My fingers look disgusting, especially when I'm in the water and they get soft from the chlorine. I'm trying to let my nails grow now and really trying hard not pick at my cuticles, but it's one of the hardest things. It started when my husband died. I always bit my nails, but the picking the cuticles started then. It's horrible.

Secret 6, November 8, 2008. My life's biggest ambition is to write a novel. I have so much to say and write about, but I fear people actually reading it. I really want to be published though.

November 9, 2008. About 5 years ago Mary and I were jogging down Rancho Vista at night. As I ran across the street, right past Wendy's, where you get on the North 14, I fell into a large hole. Palmdale was redoing the onramp and there were cones up, but it was night and they weren't really visible. I fell so hard on my knee that for a minute, I couldn't walk, but I eventually shook it out and continued to walk home. Now, 5 years later, I still have such tightness behind my knee. I have to take Joint vitamins. There is no pain, just discomfort and tightness, which I'm sure will result in arthritis as I age. I think I should have sued the city, but it's not like me to sue, so now I just have to endure. When I walk for long periods of time, I have to stop and stretch out the back of my legs because it's very discomforting.

November 10, 2008. I very rarely wear make up, but I also very rarely don't wear Covergirl Tinted Moisturizer in medium to dark in a little white plastic bottle. It evens out my skin just enough and moisturizes my skin, but you can't tell I'm wearing make up. I sell Avon at work, but this $5 bottle of Covergirl lasts me close to 6 months and it's really light since it's just a moisturizer. It has a 15 spf as well to protect from the sun.

November 11, 2008. I'm dreading Thanksgiving. Our family can never seem to get together for the holidays so it always ends up being a fiasco, with fighting and stuff. No one sets a table. We eat, sitting on the carpet or outside on the grass. It's very disfunctional, and I really want to start my own tradition with Katie & Heather, but we're just 3 people and it seems odd, and I hate hurting my mom's feelings. My brother doesn't come, and if he does, it's 3 hours late, Becky and Danny don't come, Debbie doesn't come, so it's always just me and Mary, but this year Mary is going camping. Instead of it being a Holy day of giving thanks, it just seems very stressful.

November 12, 2008. I'm actually a little mad at Turquois for blowing out her 30 days of secrets and not contributing. I thought doing this with her would be fun, but she's only posted 2 1/2 times. I say 1/2 because she deleted 3/30.

November 13, 2008. I get mostly all of my news and information from KFI640. They cover all the big stories in so much detail. I rarely watch the news at home, but always seem to be up on whatever is going on. I do log on to CNN in the mornings and afternoons, and AVpress.com to see a little of what is going on, but for the most part, I like KFIs news. I don't like Rush Limbaugh, he drives me insane and I think he's one of the most boring radio personalities ever, and although I don't agree with a lot of what John & Ken or Bill Handel says (their shock value statements), they really cover news stories well.

November 14, 2008. I haven't seen my brother in 2 years. Katie is 16 months old and he just saw her for the 1st time a month ago. I'm really angry at him in my heart, for not coming around more, especially since my mom is getting older. He's the only man in our family and he does nothing to help my mom, like fix things for her, mow her lawn--things a son should be doing for his mom. Her knees are so bad now, and my brother never comes around. His Christmas present from 2 years ago is still sitting wrapped at her house, waiting for him.

November 15, 2008. On most days, I make my bed before leaving for work. When I become depressed or my house gets too dirty though, it's hard for me to get motivated to do things.

November 16, 2008. None of my clothes fit me anymore. I've gained so much weight that I only have one pair of pants that I can squeeze into that don't have elastic on them. I'm really depressed by this. Really.

November 17, 2008. Bike riding is my favorite form of exercise, but I don't have anyone to ride with me. I don't like stationery bikes. Mary won't get on a bike and I get scared to ride alone.

November 18, 2008. Nearly my entire tv line up consists of reality shows. Survivor, American Idol, America's Next Top Model, and Biggest Loser.

November 19, 2008. I am missing two back teeth. One was pulled when I was 16 and refused to have a root canal, and one last year. The one in the back was just a tiny sliver of a tooth. It broke years ago, and finally, caused so much pain that it had to be pulled out.

Gardasil, Responsible for 21 Deaths - Don't Be One More

If you choose to get this vaccination, make sure you are aware of the side effects.

HPV Vaccination

Heather went to the doctor today, and the nurses gave her an HPV Vaccination without even letting her know the risks involved. They pretty much just gave it to her and told her it would prevent cancer.

I was reading up on the vaccination earlier this year and there have been deaths and paralysis associated with it. They want to make this vaccination mandatory for all teenage girls but I think that more tests need to be done before we subject girls to this. I think it's really irresponsible for Kaiser to administer this to my daughter without explaining the complications.

Here's an article I found:

Merck's HPV Vaccine: Paralysis and Deaths
" The FDA adverse event reports on the HPV vaccine read like a catalog of horrors," stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Any state or local government now beset by Merck's lobbying campaigns to mandate this HPV vaccine for young girls ought to take a look at these adverse health reports. It looks as if an unproven vaccine with dangerous side effects is being pushed as a miracle drug." Judicial Watch filed its request on May 9, 2007, and received the adverse event reports from the FDA on May 15, 2007. Judicial Watch has posted the adverse event reports on their Internet site at: http://www.JudicialWatch.org." - Judicial Watch, May 23 statement"Student Natasha D'Souza said she collapsed and was left paralysed for six hours after being injected. "I couldn't move at all. There were girls dropping like flies, basically," she said. Ms D'Souza said she had been vaccinated in the past but her reaction to Gardasil was different. Fellow student Brooke Levy, who was taken to hospital, said she thought she might pass out or vomit after she was vaccinated. But authorities believed their reactions were likely to be related to having an injection not the vaccine itself." - Danialle Cronin, Canberra Times, Australia"Her legs are paralyzed, her arms are affected. She is very weak in her arms," said Tondra Vees a family friend. "She has to use a walker. Even with that, she can't get to the bathroom. She can't stand up at all." Vees said the girl has been determined by her doctor to have Guillain-Barre syndrome, an acute, autoimmune condition that can lead to paralysis. The girl.....received her first booster shot of the cervical cancer prevention vaccine Gardasil on May 2....Vees cites a report on the National Vaccine Information Center Web site, nvic.org, in which NVIC president Barbara Loe Fisher states, "There are twice as many children collapsing and four times as many children experiencing tingling, numbness and loss of sensation after getting a Gardasil vaccination compared to those getting a TDAP (tetanus-diphtheria- acellular pertussis) vaccination. There have been reports of facial paralysis and Guillain-Barre syndrome..." - Jo Rafferty, May 17 Nevada Appeal "Assembly Bill 16 would require pupils to receive shots recommended by the federal government's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices -- a list that happens to include Gardasil -- after approval by the state health officer. Rick Rollens, a longtime Capitol staffer and lobbyist, pleaded with the Assembly Education Committee to hold up AB 16, saying his son "suffers from vaccine-induced regressive autism" and citing increasing evidence that childhood vaccines play a role in autism. He characterized AB 16 as "an outrageous and arrogant attempt" to shift vaccination mandates from the Legislature to a "non-accountable bureaucrat" and a remote federal committee. Nevertheless, the bill sailed through the Assembly's education and health committees...." - Dan Walters, May 17 Sacramento Bee"In an editorial published in today's New England Journal of Medicine, the UCSF doctors suggest that there are still too many questions about both the efficacy and the long-term safety of the vaccine, called Gardasil, to warrant making it mandatory for all girls -- as has been suggested in several states, including California. "At this stage, vaccination can still be considered experimental," said Dr. Karen McCune, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UCSF, who co-authored the editorial. "To be discussing mandatory vaccination when the main clinical trials are still ongoing seems extremely premature. We're feeling like the enthusiasm is driving policy rather than data." - Erin Allday, May 10 San Francisco ChronicleBarbara Loe Fisher Commentary:In June 2006, NVIC issued its first press release providing evidence that Merck's GARDASIL vaccine had not been thoroughly tested for safety and efficacy in young girls. In February, NVIC released two detailed reports analyzing vaccine reaction reports filed with the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), which documented that many girls were suffering atypical collapse with seizure activity and subsequent brain dysfunction, including three cases of facial paralysis and five cases of Guillain Barre syndrome (http://www.nvic.org/Diseases/HPV/HPVHOME.htm). NVIC has led the opposition to HPV vaccine mandates based on product safety concerns that there is inadequate scientific proof the vaccine is safe and effective for 11 year old girls, who are being targeted by the CDC and Merck for mass use.And it just keeps getting worse and worse. Now three deaths have been reported, along with more reports of paralysis in girls who have gotten the poorly tested HPV vaccine. As usual, the vaccine maker and public health officials are in denial mode, using the unscientific "coincidence" argument in an attempt to cover- up HPV vaccine-related death and neuroimmune dysfunction. And, still, politicians in California, New York and other states press forward to get GARDASIL mandated even as politicians in many other states are wisely backing off from adding it to state vaccine mandates for school entry.For those who have watched industry and government cover-up harm caused by DPT, DTaP, MMR, HIB, hepatitis B, chicken pox, pneumococcal, influenza, anthrax and other vaccines during the past quarter century, the HPV vaccine risk cover-up is just another deja vu experience. Same story, different vaccine.When will it end? When will industry and government health officials, along with pediatricians and nurses injecting children with reactive vaccines, like GARDASIL, stop deluding themselves into believing the public is going to blindly trust and buy the "coincidence" argument forever?For more information about GARDASIL and HPV infection, go to www.nvic.org. If you or a loved one has experienced a reaction to GARDASIL vaccine or any other vaccine, you can post your story (and a photo) on the International Memorial for Vaccine Victims at www.vaccinememorial.org.
Labels: HPV

Apollo Park

This afternoon Heather and I took Katie out to Apollo Park to feed the ducks and walk around for a while.

Let it be known that I'm deathly afraid of ducks. It's a silly, I know, but when I was little, my cousin Crystal got bit by a duck and had to go to the hospital and had to get a skin graft from skin taken from her butt. I've been terrified ever since.

Katie on a rock in front of Joshua Trees

Katie loved this ramp best of all. She kept walking up and down it, then I finally put her in her car and let her roll down it fast.

She liked walking up it better This was the highlight of Katie's day. Going up and down, up and down this ramp. She was so proud of herself for making it all the way down the "hill". Afterwards we took her to the playground. Actually, she took US to the playground. She saw it while she was walking and headed that way. She was excited when she saw the kids playing and ran towards the swings. She loved this swing, but the sun was facing her and in her eyes. She kept her head down. She got to go on the big kid slide all by herself! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Katie loved the ducks. She was so cute. She wanted to grab all of them. She was insisting that she be allowed to swim in the water with them. It was freezing so of course we wouldn't let her go near the water. That made her so mad!

She was watching someone else feed them. We fed them too, but they started attacking us and I ran off, due to my fear of ducks. LOL
Her whole goal for the rest of the time was to get IN the water with the ducks

Katie, trying to figure out a way to get into the water. Here, Heather was explaining to Katie why she can't swim in the water

You can see how cold it was, but you can also see a look of determination on her face.

Me & Katie, at the entrance as we were leaving, actually, because she refused to give up on going inside the water. LOL