Monday, February 27, 2012
The Cat by Ben Kimble
While I was away on my business trip last week, Ben decided to make a book for me. The following is the book written by my son. It's a true story. (For more info on our kitty, Tuna, click this link.)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
What's The Difference Between Me And An OWS Protester?
On my run through the Arizona Biltmore neighborhood yesterday I couldn't help but notice the gigantic houses lining the street.
An Occupy Wall Street protester would look at these houses with their perfectly manicured lush green lawns (in the Arizona dessert!!), the opulent copper gutters and sculptures, the beautiful architecture and sizable lots and think "These people should be paying more in taxes to be fair to people who don't have such amenities!"
I look at these houses and think, "How blessed are we to live in a country where people can work hard, create jobs for other people, succeed in business and be rewarded for their efforts? And how can I earn such success for my family?"
I'm so tired of hearing the class warfare buzzwords of "Fair Share" when:
- Over 49% of the country pays zero dollars in taxes,
- The 10% of households with the highest incomes pay over 70% of all federal income taxes,
- There are current examples of how raising taxes reduces overall tax revenue,
- If we taxed 100% of the earnings of all the "rich" (people making over $250,000 per year), it would only raise $900B annually, when our government adds $1.6T in debt each year, so taxing the rich does not solve our deficit problem.
I don't think this whole tax the rich propaganda actually has anything to do with reducing our deficit - it has everything to do with dividing the people in our country in an election year.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Things That Remind Me I'm A Grown-Up
I went to college at Arizona State University in Tempe. The weather there was awesome (because I always got to return home to California in the summers) and we'd be enjoying 70 degree days in February while others were battling winter snow. My friend Aaron and I loved to go to different resorts around Phoenix, pretend to be hotel guests, and spend our Saturdays lounging by the resort pools. It was in the price range for our college budgets - free! Our favorite spot was the Arizona Biltmore. We used to joke that we should order drinks and sign someone's room number to the tab, but we never did. We'd just drink the free water, use the free towels and swim in the free pool. And we never got caught.
I was pretty excited this week when I got to return to the Arizona Biltmore for a conference. Sure enough, the weather is a beautiful 70 degrees, the pool is still awesome, and this time I can afford to buy my own drinks. Although being one of the few women in construction, I don't often have to buy my own drinks. The men in this industry are always chivalrous, even if some (not most) are still slightly chauvinistic.
Unfortunately, my busy conference schedule prohibits me from lounging by the pool. But it makes me smile to think that only twelve years ago I dreamed of the day I could actually be a guest at a place like the Arizona Biltmore, and today . . . well, here I am.
I just wish my husband and kids were here with me.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Let's Talk Healthcare Controversy, Shall We?
I've been watching a lot of Facebook posts lately about the congressional hearings on the new health care mandate versus religious freedom protected by the Constitution. For Democrats, this issue is about "women's access to reproductive healthcare" and for Conservatives this issue is about religious freedom.
From my perspective, I feel like Democrats are making this another polarizing issue to demonize Republicans. It makes a good sound byte to say that Republicans want to take birth control options away from women, or that conservatives want women to die on the floor of the hospital. This is simply not true, and I hope people are smart enough to really dig in and research the issues without believing this hype.
Here are my thoughts on the current health care debate. Obviously it's way too long for a Facebook post, which is why I love to blog!
1. Our government was founded on the principle of separation of Church and State. It guarantees religious freedom. That means the government has no right to tell our churches how to perform their business. This is tricky, as we've seen from the controversies of Sharia law (Islam's law which some say treats women as inferior or allows cruelty in deciding disputes). Other controversy stems from anti-discrimination laws that protect things like religion, yet religious institutions are allowed to discriminate for that very reason (i.e. not hiring a person of another denomination). While I recognize that this is a difficult thing to sort out, I think all of our decisions as a country need to focus on the fact that government is not supposed to dictate what religious organizations do for matters that specifically go against their religious beliefs. . . . such as birth control.
2. Somehow, in this current fight, "a woman's access to reproductive healthcare" has come to mean "a woman's access to free reproductive healthcare". Right now, even without the changes to health care, all women have access to birth control. Isn't that why we completely subsidize Planned Parenthood - so that women of all income levels can quickly, easily and cheaply purchase birth control? All women also have the right to go into any grocery store and purchase birth control. And of course, all women are free to not have sex. But the issue has now become women's right to have these things provided for free. The Catholic Church's unwillingness to provide birth control under an insurance plan it pays for does not mean that women can't get the birth control they desire.
3. Women can choose to not work for a religious institution. My sister recently applied for a job at a Catholic School. The job was hers except she had to promise to not live with her fiance, since they were not married. The school felt that living with a man she wasn't married to went against their religious principles. So my sister turned down the job. If women want to have birth control provided under their employer's insurance plan, then they have the freedom to not apply for jobs within a religious organization, or to take the job and know they will have to pay for birth control on their own.
4. This is a perfect example of how a country wide mandate isn't always the best fix for the problem, since there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Yes, health care in our country is broken. It's broken because of the ridiculous cost of health care and prescription drugs, it's broken because hospitals have to charge paying customers enough to cover the non-paying customers, it's broken because of frivolous lawsuits and medical malpractice, it's broken because insurance companies can't sell across state lines (causing monopolies in individual states), it's broken because people can be turned down for pre-existing conditions, and it's broken because it is way too expensive for individuals to shop for and purchase their own plans outside of an employer. Yet none of these issues are fixed by the new health care mandate.
All the mandate does is force employers to purchase insurance for all employees even if the system is completely broken. And it forces individuals to purchase insurance even if it is ridiculously expensive and they don't want it. Instead, if we actually fixed the problems, health insurance would be much easier for employers to provide or for individuals to purchase. And those that don't want it? Well they shouldn't have to buy it - but they also shouldn't receive free health care. After all, an uninsured driver doesn't suddenly get free auto body work when they get in an accident!
When you force "something" on all the people in our country, you quickly start to realize that the "something" doesn't work for everyone. I think this birth control issue is only the first of several issues that will come to light in the next several years.
5. I also find it interesting how many waivers have been given out by the Obama administration. These waivers allow companies to not comply with the health care mandate. The result? Well, Main Street companies in our country have this health care mandate shoved down our throats, while anyone who is friends with the Obama administration gets a pass. A large majority of firms given waivers are unions and Wall Street firms. I'm sure that will help Obama's campaign funds for his 2012 election. But it sure doesn't help the rest of us. If this health care mandate is so great, why are so many companies being given waivers?
In short, the entire Obamacare mandate sucks, because it doesn't fix the problem with healthcare in our country. I vigorously support healthcare reform (especially since the health insurance our company buys has increased substantially in cost EVERY SINGLE YEAR) - but only where it actually reforms something, and doesn't just make a bad product mandatory.
If you've made it this far in my post, you deserve something funny. So here's a sign that was posted in the shooting range the other day.
From my perspective, I feel like Democrats are making this another polarizing issue to demonize Republicans. It makes a good sound byte to say that Republicans want to take birth control options away from women, or that conservatives want women to die on the floor of the hospital. This is simply not true, and I hope people are smart enough to really dig in and research the issues without believing this hype.
Here are my thoughts on the current health care debate. Obviously it's way too long for a Facebook post, which is why I love to blog!
1. Our government was founded on the principle of separation of Church and State. It guarantees religious freedom. That means the government has no right to tell our churches how to perform their business. This is tricky, as we've seen from the controversies of Sharia law (Islam's law which some say treats women as inferior or allows cruelty in deciding disputes). Other controversy stems from anti-discrimination laws that protect things like religion, yet religious institutions are allowed to discriminate for that very reason (i.e. not hiring a person of another denomination). While I recognize that this is a difficult thing to sort out, I think all of our decisions as a country need to focus on the fact that government is not supposed to dictate what religious organizations do for matters that specifically go against their religious beliefs. . . . such as birth control.
2. Somehow, in this current fight, "a woman's access to reproductive healthcare" has come to mean "a woman's access to free reproductive healthcare". Right now, even without the changes to health care, all women have access to birth control. Isn't that why we completely subsidize Planned Parenthood - so that women of all income levels can quickly, easily and cheaply purchase birth control? All women also have the right to go into any grocery store and purchase birth control. And of course, all women are free to not have sex. But the issue has now become women's right to have these things provided for free. The Catholic Church's unwillingness to provide birth control under an insurance plan it pays for does not mean that women can't get the birth control they desire.
3. Women can choose to not work for a religious institution. My sister recently applied for a job at a Catholic School. The job was hers except she had to promise to not live with her fiance, since they were not married. The school felt that living with a man she wasn't married to went against their religious principles. So my sister turned down the job. If women want to have birth control provided under their employer's insurance plan, then they have the freedom to not apply for jobs within a religious organization, or to take the job and know they will have to pay for birth control on their own.
4. This is a perfect example of how a country wide mandate isn't always the best fix for the problem, since there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Yes, health care in our country is broken. It's broken because of the ridiculous cost of health care and prescription drugs, it's broken because hospitals have to charge paying customers enough to cover the non-paying customers, it's broken because of frivolous lawsuits and medical malpractice, it's broken because insurance companies can't sell across state lines (causing monopolies in individual states), it's broken because people can be turned down for pre-existing conditions, and it's broken because it is way too expensive for individuals to shop for and purchase their own plans outside of an employer. Yet none of these issues are fixed by the new health care mandate.
All the mandate does is force employers to purchase insurance for all employees even if the system is completely broken. And it forces individuals to purchase insurance even if it is ridiculously expensive and they don't want it. Instead, if we actually fixed the problems, health insurance would be much easier for employers to provide or for individuals to purchase. And those that don't want it? Well they shouldn't have to buy it - but they also shouldn't receive free health care. After all, an uninsured driver doesn't suddenly get free auto body work when they get in an accident!
When you force "something" on all the people in our country, you quickly start to realize that the "something" doesn't work for everyone. I think this birth control issue is only the first of several issues that will come to light in the next several years.
5. I also find it interesting how many waivers have been given out by the Obama administration. These waivers allow companies to not comply with the health care mandate. The result? Well, Main Street companies in our country have this health care mandate shoved down our throats, while anyone who is friends with the Obama administration gets a pass. A large majority of firms given waivers are unions and Wall Street firms. I'm sure that will help Obama's campaign funds for his 2012 election. But it sure doesn't help the rest of us. If this health care mandate is so great, why are so many companies being given waivers?
In short, the entire Obamacare mandate sucks, because it doesn't fix the problem with healthcare in our country. I vigorously support healthcare reform (especially since the health insurance our company buys has increased substantially in cost EVERY SINGLE YEAR) - but only where it actually reforms something, and doesn't just make a bad product mandatory.
If you've made it this far in my post, you deserve something funny. So here's a sign that was posted in the shooting range the other day.
A Ridiculously Delicious and Easy Snack
This is a recipe I found from the Feingold Recipe Boards and my kids absolutely love it. I've started making it for parties and have found that adults become addicted to it just as quickly. It's one of those recipes that you're almost embarrassed to share because it's so easy and unsophisticated.
The recipe is called Puppy Chow. Why? I have no clue. I've thought about giving it a different name, like Chocolate Party Mix, or Choco Chow, but nothing has caught on. So it will remain Puppy Chow in our home.
Also, I use the Ghiradelli White Chocolate Chips (which are really vanilla chips) because Ben's chocolate sensitivity would prohibit him from eating multiple servings of Puppy Chow. It is equally good with white chocolate or regular chocolate.
Try it and I guarantee your family will be hooked, too.
Puppy Chow
Ingredients
9 cups Crispex Cereal
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
Directions
In a small saucepan over very low heat combine chocolate, peanut butter and butter until completely melted and mixed through. (If your heat is too high the chocolate will get thick instead of melting, so make sure your heat is very low or use a double boiler.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
In a large bowl pour mixture over the cereal. Gently stir taking care to coat all the cereal without breaking or mashing it. Once all the cereal is coated pour the powdered sugar over the top and mix, until all is coated with sugar. Serve!
Store any extra in an airtight container after it has cooled completely.
The recipe is called Puppy Chow. Why? I have no clue. I've thought about giving it a different name, like Chocolate Party Mix, or Choco Chow, but nothing has caught on. So it will remain Puppy Chow in our home.
Also, I use the Ghiradelli White Chocolate Chips (which are really vanilla chips) because Ben's chocolate sensitivity would prohibit him from eating multiple servings of Puppy Chow. It is equally good with white chocolate or regular chocolate.
Try it and I guarantee your family will be hooked, too.
Puppy ChowIngredients
9 cups Crispex Cereal
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
Directions
In a small saucepan over very low heat combine chocolate, peanut butter and butter until completely melted and mixed through. (If your heat is too high the chocolate will get thick instead of melting, so make sure your heat is very low or use a double boiler.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
In a large bowl pour mixture over the cereal. Gently stir taking care to coat all the cereal without breaking or mashing it. Once all the cereal is coated pour the powdered sugar over the top and mix, until all is coated with sugar. Serve!
Store any extra in an airtight container after it has cooled completely.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Baking Gadgets
I was making Valentine sugar cookies on Monday and I decided to take pictures so I could share with you my newest favorite cooking gadget. It's my Roll'Pat mat. I love it! For those of you that roll out any kind of dough, this is a MUST! It's one of the few things about the French that I admire. Well, that and French fries.
The Roll'Pat requires little to no flour on the surface. The mat sticks to the counter so you don't have to deal with a cutting board moving around. The dough rolls out perfectly and scrapes off smoothly and easily.
I got my Roll'Pat from my husband for Christmas. He bought it at Williams-Sonoma for the ridiculous price of $50. But you can find them on Amazon.com for much cheaper, and I'm assuming it's basically the same product.
You also need a pastry scraper. Yes you can get by with the flat side of a spatula, but it really doesn't work as well and you can't cut in butter or shortening with a spatula. So get one of these.
Finally, if like me, you have an oven that doesn't close properly, and loses lots of heat so that it doesn't stay to temperature, you need to invest in two "kid chairs". They work wonderfully for keeping your oven closed.
The Roll'Pat requires little to no flour on the surface. The mat sticks to the counter so you don't have to deal with a cutting board moving around. The dough rolls out perfectly and scrapes off smoothly and easily.
I got my Roll'Pat from my husband for Christmas. He bought it at Williams-Sonoma for the ridiculous price of $50. But you can find them on Amazon.com for much cheaper, and I'm assuming it's basically the same product.
You also need a pastry scraper. Yes you can get by with the flat side of a spatula, but it really doesn't work as well and you can't cut in butter or shortening with a spatula. So get one of these.
Finally, if like me, you have an oven that doesn't close properly, and loses lots of heat so that it doesn't stay to temperature, you need to invest in two "kid chairs". They work wonderfully for keeping your oven closed.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A Gift From Lia
On Sunday, I took Lia with me to run some errands. One of our stops was Kohl's where we were looking for a cookie jar (which we didn't find). On our way through the clothing section, Lia got distracted by a display of costume jewelry. About a minute later she walked up to me with her hands behind her back.
Lia: "Mom, I found your Valentine's present. But you can't see it, it's a surprise."
Me: "Okay, well how will I pay for it?"
Lia: "You can just not look when I give it to the lady."
We walked around the store for about ten minutes, and the whole time Lia tried to keep the present hidden behind her back or inside her sweatshirt. Of course, she's only five, so it dropped at least four times and I was able to see the gift she had chosen for me without her realizing I had seen it.
At the register I explained to the clerk that my daughter wanted to buy me a gift but didn't want me to see it, so could she please ring it up and put it in a separate bag while I turned my head? Lia walked out of the store holding that bag tightly, and kept it on her lap while we drove home. All the way home she talked excitedly about the gift.
Lia: "Mom, you are going to love this present, it is SO special!"
Lia: "Mom, you are going to want to wear this EVERY DAY!"
Lia: "Mom, what if Dad gets you a present? I hope it's not the same thing that I got you."
Lia: "Mom, this necklace is so pretty, you will LOVE IT!"
Me: "OHHHH, so you got me a necklace?"
At this point I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the mortified look on my daughter's face.
Lia: "Oh Mom, I am SO SORRY, I didn't mean to tell you it was a necklace!"
Me: "It's okay baby girl, I don't know what it looks like, so it will still be a surprise."
That night she hid the bag in her room, and the minute she woke up on Valentine's Day she had me open my present. I can say it is not something I would have picked, but I wore that necklace proudly on Valentine's day and actually got quite a few compliments.
Now I just have to explain to Lia why I can't wear that necklace everyday - because it is JUST SO SPECIAL!
Lia: "Mom, I found your Valentine's present. But you can't see it, it's a surprise."
Me: "Okay, well how will I pay for it?"
Lia: "You can just not look when I give it to the lady."
We walked around the store for about ten minutes, and the whole time Lia tried to keep the present hidden behind her back or inside her sweatshirt. Of course, she's only five, so it dropped at least four times and I was able to see the gift she had chosen for me without her realizing I had seen it.
At the register I explained to the clerk that my daughter wanted to buy me a gift but didn't want me to see it, so could she please ring it up and put it in a separate bag while I turned my head? Lia walked out of the store holding that bag tightly, and kept it on her lap while we drove home. All the way home she talked excitedly about the gift.
Lia: "Mom, you are going to love this present, it is SO special!"
Lia: "Mom, you are going to want to wear this EVERY DAY!"
Lia: "Mom, what if Dad gets you a present? I hope it's not the same thing that I got you."
Lia: "Mom, this necklace is so pretty, you will LOVE IT!"
Me: "OHHHH, so you got me a necklace?"
At this point I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the mortified look on my daughter's face.
Lia: "Oh Mom, I am SO SORRY, I didn't mean to tell you it was a necklace!"
Me: "It's okay baby girl, I don't know what it looks like, so it will still be a surprise."
That night she hid the bag in her room, and the minute she woke up on Valentine's Day she had me open my present. I can say it is not something I would have picked, but I wore that necklace proudly on Valentine's day and actually got quite a few compliments.
Now I just have to explain to Lia why I can't wear that necklace everyday - because it is JUST SO SPECIAL!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Valentine's Day, Kimble Style
Valentine's Day is not a huge deal in our house, although we do use the occasion to add a little extra "I love you" into our day. I left a card and some chocolate candy in Darrin's truck for him to find on his way to work this morning. Darrin left a card, some new earphones and a cup of coffee for me to find in the kitchen. Lia had chosen a special gift to give me today. Taking after my mom, the queen of gift giving, I had made little Valentine gift bags for the kids with toys, Wii games, movies and lots of approved candy.
Last year, Valentine's Day was a nightmare with Ben eating unapproved candy. This year, I wasn't even worried. What a difference a year makes!
On top of all this, Darrin surprised me with three VERY long stem roses - that didn't fit in any vase I had around here. I told Darrin I needed one of those "yards" that you get when you order a margarita in Vegas. I also snuck out of work early to meet Darrin at the Wrangler for a beer. Not very romantic, but considering it was our only time alone before heading home to our kids, dinner, homework and baths, it was a welcome spot for a rendezvous.
Valentine's Day may not be my favorite holiday, and we certainly don't need this day to tell each other how much we're in love, but I admit I enjoy the day all the same. Here are the scenes that captured our day:
Last year, Valentine's Day was a nightmare with Ben eating unapproved candy. This year, I wasn't even worried. What a difference a year makes!
On top of all this, Darrin surprised me with three VERY long stem roses - that didn't fit in any vase I had around here. I told Darrin I needed one of those "yards" that you get when you order a margarita in Vegas. I also snuck out of work early to meet Darrin at the Wrangler for a beer. Not very romantic, but considering it was our only time alone before heading home to our kids, dinner, homework and baths, it was a welcome spot for a rendezvous.
Valentine's Day may not be my favorite holiday, and we certainly don't need this day to tell each other how much we're in love, but I admit I enjoy the day all the same. Here are the scenes that captured our day:
 |
| (Ben made this face to be funny.) |
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Miss Independent
Lia's in a phase where she wants to do everything herself. She wants to wash her own hair in the bathtub. She wants to pick her own clothes each morning. She wants to get her own cup and fill it with water. And she wants to brush her own hair.
I end up doing quality control every now and then to make sure her hair gets thoroughly cleaned and the tangles are completely combed. But I choose my battles wisely so I let some things go - like leggings that don't match her skirt, or shoes that are better suited for another season.
And when she wants to put her own clips in her hair? Well, it's not how I would do it, but it works. I just hope the other moms at school understand and save any judgement on Lia's new look.
Maybe they'll just assume it was Darrin's day to get the kids ready for school.
I end up doing quality control every now and then to make sure her hair gets thoroughly cleaned and the tangles are completely combed. But I choose my battles wisely so I let some things go - like leggings that don't match her skirt, or shoes that are better suited for another season.
And when she wants to put her own clips in her hair? Well, it's not how I would do it, but it works. I just hope the other moms at school understand and save any judgement on Lia's new look.
Maybe they'll just assume it was Darrin's day to get the kids ready for school.
