Let's talk about sex

Well, I wasn't sure if I'd attempt to tackle such a thing on my blog. My brother-in-law has had a series of lds-eros posts on his blog about how Mormonism and sexual thought/experience/discussion/doctrine intersect (or fail to in some instances); on a recent post I began to leave a comment, but it turned out to be an epistle, so I deleted it and decided I'd just write a post here and link it. So here we go. If you're squeamish about such subjects, please don't feel obligated to continue reading.

First off, a little background. I never once have felt like the LDS church teaches sex as dirty, bad, or wrong, but that it is something precious and sacred to be reserved for marriage and marriage only. So, I am glad I never had the "sex is bad" notion floating in my brain. However, beyond that it was all a mystery.

By Jr. High I knew it was sperm from men and eggs from women that created babies, but I couldn't figure out how the sperm got into the woman. All I knew about penises was that they were kind of floppy and that boys peed with them, so I didn't understand how it physically worked. I didn't know about erections or ejaculation. Even in High School I was a little hazy on the subject. Clear up through college I felt ignorant and embarrassed at my ignorance about sex. I found, however, that many of my LDS friends were in the same boat.

Some of my best learning experiences came from TAing for Child Development in college. We didn't discuss sex in that class, per se, but I did have to explain menstruation to many men over the course of 4 years, and I realized that other people were just as clueless as I about some things. I also learned to talk openly and unashamedly of "taboo topics". I'm very much an advocate for talking about sex openly because I felt so...in the dark. I resolved that once I knew something from my own experience, I would answer any questions ever asked me in a straightforward manner without shame, hush hush, or embarrassment. I'd give as much information as I could give without delving into too personal or sacred information.

So, on Th.'s blog, an anonymous commenter (Male, RM, BYUer, single) voiced a lot of legitimate concerns about sex, personal cleanliness, etc. His comment ended up being the meat of the most recent lds-eros post on Theric's blog. It was to some of his concerns that I was responding in my epistle of a response. His comments I am addressing are in italics.

I'm not an "expert". I was a virgin when I was married. I've only been married 6 years. However, I do feel like I have a satisfying and healthy love life. This is just my take on the subject. Feel free to ask questions, disagree, etc., but please do your best to do so without venom. I'm directing this to an LDS audience as well as those who believe in chastity before and after marriage.

"...what good is sex if i'm the only one enjoying it. "

It is a common and sad generalization that all women hate sex. It almost seems expected of women. I think some virgin women fear sex just because they've heard others complain about how it's all about the man. I just want to publicly state that not all women hate sex or only participate because it is their "duty" or merely to reproduce. While I know women who kind of dread sex, I also know plenty o' Mormon (and otherwise) women who enjoy it. It is a gift from God to help unite (literally and figuratively) a couple. It was instituted for both people, not just one. Does it sometimes take work, love, understanding, forgiveness, compassion, and time to enjoy? OF COURSE!

Is sex always as comfortable, as satisfying, or as enjoyable for both partners? No. Shared experiences rarely are. Sometimes I enjoy it more; sometimes he enjoys it more. But even if it's occasionally uncomfortable physically (for what ever reason), it can bring closeness and completeness to our relationship.

"if i can't pleasure my own woman i could just stay single and masturbate and feel like trash and go to hell."

Don't place your worth on the amount of pleasure she has during sex. Good heavens, each time we have intercourse is such a different experience with different feelings. Sometimes I don't feel like gettin' it on, but do anyway because I want to do what it takes to help him feel appreciated, loved and pleasured. I'm totally ok with that. He doesn't always feel like giving me back rubs or snuggling with me, but does it when I need that from him.

Masturbation will never leave a person feeling satisfied, content or happy. Pleasured, sure, but I don't know if anyone could convince me it was satisfying or that it makes them feel "whole" or "complete". It takes two people to achieve that feeling of wholeness. There will be ups and downs and happy moments and sad moments, but in the end if you both try to help make the other person happy, you'll end up achieving unity and love.

"give me your thoughts. speak to us singles. what is it we ought to know."
For singles not engaged nor close to engaged:
I'd just suggest being very direct and asking someone (or multiple someones since everyone has a different perspective and outlook on it) unruffled by such topics the specific questions that concern or mystify you. It's good to not feel ignorant. There are lots of people who have questions and are too embarrassed to ask. It's not just you. And just know, there are things you honestly can't know without experiencing, so you'll just have to be patient for some answers. Also, I strongly suggest not pushing the purity line (i.e. how close can you get to sex without actually having sex). I was somewhat of a temptress and was darn lucky I had a strong man who held boundaries.

For people engaged (even some marrieds need to do this):
Before you get married, talk with each other openly and honestly about your idea of what sex will/should be like. Talk about what makes you feel uncomfortable to imagine, scared or unsure. Talk about what you imagine is ok/not bedroom behavior (are you ok with oral sex? etc.) and foreplay. (I didn't really understand foreplay, so I was really glad we talked about it before we were married. I'd never really considered that touching and rubbing genitals could be kosher. I guess because I always thought that was "petting" and thus wrong. I was glad to get that notion out of my head.) Talk about your expectations for "the first time" so there is nothing majorly shocking. Talk about your feelings on lingerie. A sexual relationship is so personal that each couple has to know what their partner is thinking, worrying about, etc. Everyone has their own opinions and worries connected to sex.

Once you're married:
My advice here is this: do what is pleasurable for her and not what you think should be pleasurable (and hopefully she will do the same). That means to ask sincerely, listen, love, reassure, compliment, and then do what she finds pleasurable, even if it's something other than sex. Trust me, the way a woman is treated outside of intercourse can have a big influence on how she feels during intercourse.

While I can't speak for all women, I would have to say that sex is a lot more of an emotional experience for me than my husband, and when I feel appreciated and wanted, I enjoy sex a whole lot more. I think a lot of people's displeasure during sex stems from feeling inadequate, unloved, uncomfortable with their own bodies, etc. Be sensitive and loving and help your spouse overcome personal issues and it will eventually spill into that area of your relationship.

Specific things I want to address:

1. The first time a woman has sex it can be bloody. Very bloody. In the book The Act of Marriage it addressed this, but they said that there was like 2 Tbsp of blood or something. I didn't find that to be an accurate or adequate warning. Have a towel or two underneath so you don't stain the sheets or bed. It's not like that for everyone, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
2. Have a wash cloth or Kleenex close so you can easily wipe your hands after using lubricant.
3. Sex can be fairly awkward for two virgins who don't know what they're doing. It can take a little while to get used to each other's movements, bodies, etc., so don't feel like you're failing. Just take it as a chance to experiment and experience.
4. You can read books about sex/intimacy together if you feel you need some direction. There are some LDS books, but there are other books as well. My sister gave us an explicit book called The Magic of Sex that talked about (and had pictures of) different positions. It was helpful to have some reference in the beginning. I wouldn't, however, recommend reading a book like that (especially illustrated) until after you're married because of the possible porn and arousal factor. Read those books together as a learning tool.

Eeewwww...people really do that??

We were at the park yesterday when a young mom and her 3 kids (all under the age of 4 by the looks of it) walked up and started to play. They didn't have any strollers or baby carriers (though the littlest was, I'm guessing, younger than Dean), so I figure they must live pretty close. Not more than five minutes after arriving, I hear the sound of boy pee hitting the ground. The mom had taken oldest (approx. age 4) underneath the "climbing rock wall" that was connected to the slide area and had him go pee under there. SICK. I mean, I understand that there are no bathrooms there, and that she had 2 other kids, but is this normal/acceptable behavior? Would you have done the same? (If yes, I seriously want to know and you can leave an anonymous reply.) I guess I could be over reacting, but it just seemed so...gross. It's very plausible that kids walk and play under there.

On a similar note, it seems like I've been finding lots of dog poo and broken glass bottles recently on our walks. I am very, very anti dog poo. I mean, how would people like it if I let my baby poop on the ground without cleaning it up? Some dog poo is grosser and more plentiful than Dean's poo. And littering is just plain wrong to begin with, but when it's a dangerous item like glass I just want to spank someone's bottom and give them a stern talking to. Even if (especially if) they're adults.

Zombified

This past week I have felt exhausted (and continuously nauseous all day) beyond anything I've felt before, including late night studying/paper writing/college etc.. My body just crashes about 7:30 or 8 (even if I've taken a nap during Dean's nap, but especially if I don't) and I can't get anything productive done. I have so much fabric and a number of projects just waiting to be started. I often just go in and out of consciousness on the couch while I wait for "bedtime" to roll around. And why is it that I'm writing this at 10:53 pm when I should be in bed? Because I have this silly problem that I have a really hard time falling asleep in bed, no matter how tired, if Matt home and not in bed with me.

I need more sleep...

But to end on a positive note, the weather this afternoon and evening was fabulous. I love the 70's.

Our first duet

Dean has always loved listening and dancing to music, but he's never shown interest in singing with me until this week. For some reason he really took to the "eieio" in Old MacDonald. It's not always discernible to untrained ears, but I can tell what he's "singing". Sometimes he'll insert his eieio into other songs as well now. Also, he's discovered head phones and think they're great. He'll (with my help) plug my headphones into my computer speakers, put them up to his ears, lay down on the floor, and shake his head and/or body to the music. He also loves clapping rhythms (not necessarily on rhythm) with me during piano lessons.

I tried to catch Old Mac today on video, but it's so hard to get a good video when he's so enthralled with the player.

Finding Happiness Today

Our Relief Society lesson was on President Monson's talk Finding Joy in the Journey from this past General Conference. Matt took Dean so I actually got to listen, and it was quite nice.

Tips for enjoying the present:

• Change is constant. Accept it and adapt to it.
• Don't live in the past or future. Learn from the past, look to the future, but live today in the moment. Do what you can now to create pleasant memories for the future.
• "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."
• Focus on our abundance rather than what we're lacking. Don't let handicaps (emotional, physical) keep you from living. Don't postpone your joy.
• When we cultivate an attitude of gratitude, we are better able to appreciate our blessings, learn from our trials, and live a rich and happy life.
• Let Christ into our lives and our homes.

Some days with Dean can be really challenging. You know, the "he just got out on the wrong side of the crib" kind of days. The days where the whining commences the moment he wakes up and doesn't seem to end until the minute he goes down for bed. I don't do well with constant whining. I allow it to get to me and I can get pretty snappy. Especially during piano lessons. I know it doesn't help the situation, but I haven't figured out how to break the cycle and let it roll off of me. I know it is something I need to change.

So, continuing this theme I came home and read Elder Wirthlin's talk Come what May and Love it.

More tips for finding happiness:

• Learn to laugh and mean it. (Don't just "smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness.") Laughing makes life a whole lot more enjoyable for you than swearing, mumbling, taking offence, yelling, etc. Notice, he said learn to laugh. It may not be our intuitive response to unpleasant or annoying circumstances, but we choose how we perceive life. We can choose to laugh and mean it. We are not victims of circumstance.
  
• Realise that "the dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us. At one time or another, everyone must experience sorrow. No one is exempt." That will help us from getting the "why me??" blues.
  
• Recognize the Lord's compensation plan. "While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude."
• Trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, even if your afflictions don't disappear in the time you would like. "Trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him."
  

Hop along

Well, I definitely had high hopes for Dean's quick foot recovery. I thought he'd be walking normally by last Sunday or Monday, but it turns out he wouldn't walk AT ALL on his own until this past Wednesday, a week after his accident. I guess he knew what his body needed to recover and he wouldn't allow me to push him too fast. Each day since he's walked a little more confidently. Today he was walking quite a bit, but he still has a noticeable limp and occasionally falls because he favors his right too much. Life is so much nicer (though he can get in a lot more mischief) when he is mobile! He's happier. I'm happier. And my arm doesn't feel like it's going to fall off.

I must mention that even after all of this he still begs to go on "waaahks" (i.e. walk to the park) all the time. We end up at the park usually once or twice a day if it's good enough weather (I prefer not going when it's colder than the 50's!). I ran some errands today during his nap and got home about an hour after he woke up. When I walked in, he was sitting in his stroller in the computer room! He had been begging Matt to take him on a walk, but Matt didn't want to go out (it was pretty chilly), so he strolled him around the house awhile and then just let him hang out in the stroller. haha.

Belly Beautiful: 16 weeks

I don't have pictures of 16 weeks last pregnancy, so I'll show the pics. from 20 weeks last time so you can appreciate how much bigger I am this time around! Holy Smokes! What does 40 weeks have in store for me???

It once was lost but now is found

I don't know what happened exactly, but to my delight our correct furniture showed up today! It seemed so gigantic after having an empty living room, but I got used to it and it's nice. I'm not exactly sure what we're going to do with our other stuff. It all just seems small now. We need a bigger bookcase (can't fit our books and it looks too small) and coffee table to make it look proportionate, but they'll have to wait a little bit. No hurry I guess. I don't know what to do about our drapes either. I'll make or buy a few accent pillows as well.

Picture tag

I've put off doing this tag because it just doesn't work out right going to my 4th photo file and 4th picture like "you're supposed to". That file is for my blog banners and a lot of them are not in the right format. So, I decided to do the 3rd folder and 3rd picture.

Dean 2 weeks old

My he's changed.

Happy Furniture Day...or not

I was super excited when the Freed's truck pulled up this morning. We had our carpets cleaned yesterday so everything was nice and clean and ready for some furniture.

As they started bringing it in the house I noticed under the plastic that it looked rather like red. The deliver guy said something like, "Yeah, a new red couch is gonna look great in here!" and I responded, "Ummmm....we ordered green."

They stopped dead in their tracks. The delivery guy looked at the invoice and it didn't specify an actual color name (it said, "London", like that is a proper name for a color!) so he had to call the store. They headed out to their next delivery and said they'd give us a call when they knew more.

So, when they called they said something like, "We have someone locating your correct merchandise. Can we deliver it tomorrow?" I sure hope our correct merchandise is waiting somewhere all ready to be delivered, because I really don't want to go another 6 weeks without living room furniture! (Especially since we already got rid of our old stuff!)

Some days just flop, and that's ok

Yesterday was quite the difficult day. I carried Dean pretty much the entire day because he couldn't even crawl much. I was exhausted. An exploratory toddler who weighs 23 lbs. is quite different to lug around than an 8 lb newborn. I had a horrible headache by the end of the day. I was feeling sick and by 5:30 both Dean and I were bawling. Matt helped get dinner together (thank heavens my menu item was something he's better at anyway!) while I got Dean ready for bed.

I had grand plans for my valentine's day treats (we don't do gifts, so the food is pretty important to me) and I needed to start by making my traditional cheesecake last night. I tried to rush it so I could be done by my bedtime, so I didn't let my cream cheese come to room temp. before mixing Big mistake. It made my batter lumpy, I ended up over beating it to compensate, and it didn't cook quite right because of it. I didn't try the cheesecake until today. It tastes ok and will actually work for it's part in the V-day treats (it's going in the ice cream), but it is (in the brutally honest words of Matt after trying) "by far the worst cheesecake [I've] ever made." The consistency is kind of gritty rather than silky smooth like it should be. It is my 6th or 7th year making cheesecake, so it was really disappointing to have it turn out sub par. By bedtime I was beyond exhausted, but what do you know, I couldn't fall asleep. That was the second night in a row I had to move to the couch around 1 am to get to sleep.

I was so happy that today was a new day! Dean was in a much better mood and he was able to crawl from the get go. He actually woke up happy after his nap. I think that's the first time since we switched to 1 nap. He was in such a funny mood and we pretty much just laughed at each other for being silly about 40 min.! By the late afternoon I coaxed him into trying to walk while holding my hands, and he was able to walk a little with just a slight limp. I'm thinking he should be walking normally by Sunday or Monday. I also felt better despite not having as much sleep as I would have liked, so that was good. Not only that, we got the long awaited call that our furniture was in and ready to be delivered. Hooray! I posted our living room furniture on Craigslist's free stuff section and sent and email to my ward and had 5 responses within the first half hour. A battered women's shelter picked it up tonight, so we don't have much in the way of seating until next Tuesday. (I hope I don't have insamnia between now and then!) Either tomorrow or Monday I will clean our carpets and then sometime on Tuesday we will have a new look.

It's so exciting. Today was a good day. Hopefully that means the strawberry custard ice cream I'm making tonight will turn out better than my cheesecake last night! (Here's to hoping, right?)

Funnies

Yesterday Matt said, "Wow! Your belly looks huge in that shirt. You're going to be gigantic this time!" I did not take offense one bit. My belly, at 15 weeks, is (or at least seems) as big as it was at 20 weeks last time. However, the rest of my body is smaller than last time. I'm still just under my starting weight with Dean. In addition to our 2 trips to doctors for Dean today I went to my monthly check up. Up to 133. So, 2 lbs this past month. Not bad considering my belly seems to have tripled in size. (I'll post a picture next week to keep it on my "every 4 weeks" schedule.)

Dean sometimes calls for Matt by name. If we are in another room and he wants his dad, he will yell "Matt! Matt! Matt!" I guess I do call for Matt a lot by name when we are in other rooms.

Dean has an impeccable sense of direction. When we leave our house in the car, he is quite unhappy when we turn right rather than left. The park is left, you see. I think he could find his way to the park a 1/2 mile away all by himself! That wouldn't ever happen, though, because he won't set foot out our door without someone else. He doesn't like playing without an audience. He doesn't always need us to actually play with him, but he does need someone to pay attention to him. (And folding laundry or reading a book do not count as paying attention to him!)

Yesterday after Dean's nap he was crying inconsolably for about 10 min. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I thought he was just not feeling well because of a new tooth that poked through. Maybe that was part of it. However, after about 10 min. he walked over to the stroller and started patting it and waving. I said, "Do you want to get in the stroller?" and he broke out into a huge grin. It was raining on and off all day yesterday, so he was lucky enough that it just stopped. I asked, "Do you want to go to the park?" and he started laughing and nodding his head. I put him in the stroller while I got my shoes on, but I decided it would be best to drive because of the possible rain. We had about 10 min. of swing time before the rain hit hard again.

We'll see if he loves the park as much as he did before he hurt his foot. When he went to bed tonight he still couldn't put much pressure on it. He was able to stand holding onto something for a little bit. He would stand on his right leg and hover his left just off the ground. He kept trying to walk, but cried every time he set pressure on. I still feel so bad. I hope it's much better tomorrow morning after having all night to rest it.

3 hours and $40 later...

...we know that I did not, in fact, break Dean's foot going down the slide this morning! Since it rained last night I had him in his rubber soled shoes rather than his slipper like shoes. As we went down the slide together (it's kind of tall for him by himself, and there are no short slides there), his shoe caught on the slide and kind of torqued. I didn't think it was that bad, but he was crying uncontrollably. We made our way home; I called Matt and he said to get him to the Dr. since he couldn't put any pressure on it. I didn't see much swelling and he could move his toes, so I didn't think it was broken, but I figured better safe than sorry. So to our Pediatrician's we went. We saw a nurse practitioner we haven't seen before and Dean did not like her touching him one bit. The lolipop wouldn't even console him.

She didn't think it was broken since she could touch it without him writhing in pain and pulling it away, but since he couldn't put any pressure on it and cried every time he tried to stand up or move with it, we decided to go ahead and get an x-ray. So off we went to the hospital. I felt super sad when I couldn't be in the room with him while he was getting his x-ray (since I'm pregnant). I hate listening to him cry any time, but it's so much worse when I can't do anything for him! He was falling asleep on the way home so I just popped him in his bed without giving him any medicine. Hope he can sleep ok. Poor kid.

Gift set: check

I've really been trying to finish one project before I start another project. I learned over Christmas that I really need to be interested/invested in the project to begin with, and I need to pick projects that take less than a month. My latest finished project is a baby gift set for my sister who's due in the beginning of March. The wrap blanket, tag blanket, and 2 burp rags. (I'll them in the mail tomorrow J.)

It seemed like a good idea

Yesterday when I was cleaning up the kitchen I found an old hamburger bun on top of the fridge. Rather than go to our dinky little park near us, I thought it would be a fun change to go to Town Lake Park and feed the ducks.

In theory, Dean likes ducks. He knows what they're called and what they say. He likes the "5 little ducks book" we own.

In real life, not so much. Nor does he like any bird within hearing range apparently.

There aren't many mature trees in our neighborhood, so there aren't a lot of birds close by. Town Lake is surrounded by big trees filled with noisy birds. Dean was worried from the moment we got out of the car. He clung to me as we tried to feed the ducks. They weren't even at our feet; they were in the water a little removed from us. Scared him silly. I couldn't even get through half of one side of the bun before an all out melt down.

Guess I'll stick with the good ol' swings and slides near us for awhile yet. At least I can walk to our park. That's a plus.

The worst thing about our park, however, is the group of 20 or so Jr. High kids that swarm the swings and play area when their school lets out. They're the first school to let out so they're almost always there when we go. Yeah, the last time we were there a couple of kids set off 2 bombs of some sort with shrapnel. I'm guessing a dry ice bomb, but I'm not sure since I only heard it. The two kids initiating it got their hands all cut up (didn't stop them though, since they did it again about 30 min. later). One of the ring leaders was an old piano student of mine. I'm pretty sure I saw a fleeting moment of panic when he noticed me there. The stoicism quickly returned, however. He declined the water I offered for him to wash off his bleeding hands.
------------------------------------

On a very unrelated topic, Dean now asks for "guacguac" in his "mik". That would be chocolate Isagenix. hahaha. Love it.

Roll your arms

Apparently I can't laugh and sing on key at the same time, so sorry about that. We were getting Dean undressed/dressed for bed when he very obviously wanted to sing this song instead. It was the first time he figured out how to really roll his arms on his own. It was just cracking us up!

Nausea in the morning, nausea at night

My official statement on how I'm feeling this pregnancy:

"I have nausea in the mornings, nausea at night, and I have a throw up session every other day (or night). I'm still pretty exhausted in the morning. If I actually get a lot done in the morning, I almost always have to take a nap when Dean naps. Pregnancy is harder than I thought. I get heart burn occasionally and drinking water makes me feel nauseous, so I haven't been drinking as much as I should."

When I was pregnant with Dean, I had a total of 1-2 weeks of very minor nausea. I only threw up once (and that was after eating orange roughy. I think I'd throw up after eating orange roughy even when I wasn't pregnant. That's some fishy fish.) I didn't actually feel pregnant until about 2 weeks before he was born. Compare that to today: I threw up this morning, and here I am feeling nauseous again at night. Blech.

I had hoped that I was going to be the perfect pregnancy person like my sister Julie who has been pregnant 4 times now with little to no sickness. Guess it just depends on the pregnancy.

Evaluation of Resolution

One of my resolutions was to do 1 month of menu planning and evaluate at the end of the month. My goal with this was to lessen stress at meal times, cut down the number of late meals by prepping earlier, and to go to the grocery store only once or twice a week (hopefully resulting in spending less money).

I originally thought I'd do a menu for the whole month in one sit down, but I quickly found that was not going to work for me. So, I ended up making a fairly comprehensive list of items we eat pretty regularly, or at least enjoy eating. The list really helped me in planning meals for the week. Most of the time I planned on Monday during Dean's nap and went shopping after he woke up.

My master list: (Sorry it's messed up, I had to transfer it over to paint to turn the table into a picture. Click on it to get a readable view.)



I was able to keep my shopping to 1-2 trips per week which is fairly amazing for me. It also did help lessen stress over meals, especially when I didn't particularly feel like thinking about food. We ate out a little less. By the weekends I normally am burned out thinking about food so we end up getting at least one meal out, usually just taco bell or something. I don't know if it really saved me money, but it probably did. The first two weeks I felt like I spent a lot (but it's kinda hard to tell when you have diapers and other non-food junk mixed in), so the third week I did a "make only what you have" menu. I think I spent about $10 that week on milk and produce I didn't have. I'd make a menu for the week and shop for that specific menu. I did end up trading around meals within the week, but I did pretty well at sticking to the items on the menu. When I changed the menu in real life, I changed it on the print out so I could see what seemed to work from day to day for us, and so I could have an accurate picture or what we really do eat.

January's Menu:

Lots of new recipes up

I've put of a lot of new recipes on my cooking blog. I have been horrible about posting regularly, so I thought I'd just put up some of my favorite and most used recipes.

My friend LeAnne at Everyday Celebrations had a super amazing suggestion for reducing kitchen clutter. The quote from her site is, "Basically, put the recipes you consistently use on a sheet of cardstock and attach it to the side of your fridge. (Only include the ingredients and basic instructions, since you make them often you should remember the process.)" Genius! I am one of those people who often has post its with recipes floating around. I always have to look up recipes again and try and figure out where I got them from. This has really helped with that problem. She has a sample of how it's done on that link above. I've made up a double sided sheet. One side has breakfast recipes and the other has breads and dinner recipes. I really need to laminate it though. Most of these recipes are on my breakfast side.

Today's additions on my blog include:

• Biscuits
• Peanut Butter Granola
• Puffy Oven Pancakes
• Basic Granola
• Buttermilk Pancakes
• Chicken Taco Soup
• Easy Beans and Rice
• Easy Black Bean salsa