HOW TO FIX YOUR WASHING MACHINE

Last year was a big year for us.  “Us” being Darrin and me.  Excluded in that “us” is Eva and Dominic.  That’s because last year, “us” decided “they” would start doing their own laundry!  YES!!!!!!!!  I loved that idea!  I was fully onboard.  “They”… not so much.  But after threatening to take away football for the lad and pageants for the lass (yes, I said pageants.  That’s for another blog post I haven’t yet brought myself to write!) “they” agreed to add laundry to their list of chores.  That’s a good thing right?  Well, it was for about 13 months.  But then F35 entered our family.  F35 is a warning that started showing up on our Whirlpool Duet washing machine just moments before it would beep 3 times and shut off.  No matter the washing machine was full of sopping wet clothes.  Well,  I’m the type that just assumes it was a momentary laps in function of my washer.  So I rung out the clothes, threw them back in, and hit start.  7 minutes later, F35, beep, beep, beep, and another “momentary lapse of function.”  Damn it!  I called Darrin and he said he had no idea what F35 was so we agreed I would call our appliance guy.  So imagine my surprise when THIS is what I came home to that night after work!!

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“What in the hell are you doing?  Just because you work on ranch trucks does not mean you can work on a washing machine!!” I sputtered out.  “No, I think I know what’s wrong. I found out the F35 code means the water pressure sensor switch it out.  I think I can get to it,” was his reply.

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What I forget about my husband is his confidence he can fix anything and the fact he has a truckload of tools.  Check out this little flashlight! It even has little grabbers at the end in case you find a treasure! I bet if I told him my stomach hurt he would honestly think he could do a colonoscopy on me.

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And low and behold! Check this out!  On his way to fixing the water pressure sensor switch he found a treasure trove  of kid stuff! A few rocks, some coins, candy wrappers, ABC gum, bobby pins… treasures from little kid pockets that were never emptied prior to washing! When this whole mess started my first thought was to start doing the kid’s laundry again.  But not anymore!  I can get used to having an appliance man in the house!

 

…AND I’M BACK

Well hello!  How have you been?  Whoa, I’ve been busy.  Crazy in fact.  But all good things.  Since we last spoke, I’ve launched a new organization that will save lives.  It’s called Each One Tell One.  My partners are Heather Reimer and Chiqeeta Jameson.  Heather is a breast cancer survivor.  Her cancer was missed on a mammogram.  A SonoCine automated whole breast ultrasound she randomly received found a marble sized tumor. Chiqeeta’s story is similar.  Only while on chemo, she got the wrong cocktail, taking away her ability to have children.  And as you all know, my mom died from breast cancer after her mammogram missed four tumors in her left breast.  Her disease had spread to a tumor in her neck and out of the 54 lymph nodes her surgeon took out… 38 tested positive for cancer.  All of these stories have one common denominator.  All these women have dense breast tissue. So under the Each One Tell One umbrella, we created The Dangerous Boobs Tour.  We are traveling the country educating anyone who will listen to us that mammography isn’t enough for women with dense breast tissue.  Here are the stats:

40% of women have dense breast tissue

50% of cancerous tumors are missed on mammography

70% of all breast cancers occur in women with dense breast tissue

85% of women don’t know what type of tissue they have.

Those number are shocking.  Those numbers mean women are dying needlessly.  Those numbers are huge, but the only number that really matters to me is 1.  My mom.  She died from dense breast tissue.  She died because no one ever told her additional screenings can see what mammography misses.  A SonoCine machine was 2 miles from her house.  But technology is useless if you don’t know about it or know how it can help you.  So, in honor of my mom, The Dangerous Boobs Tour is doing what we can to inform women about dense breast tissue.  We’ve already made presentations to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Women’s Task Force.  We just got back from speaking at the National Women’s Survivors Convention in Nashville. And we are looking forward to doing more.  Please go to www.eachonetellone.com Educate yourself about dense breast tissue.  Ask your doctor if you have it.  If you do, ask about additional screenings that might be right for you.

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PALEO GIRL

20140613-093024-34224680.jpgYou know You know what I love about vacations? You get to read a book with morning coffee. You can get your fingernails painted crazy colors with sparkles on top. And you use pool towels as tablecloths. But back to the book. Primal Blueprint Publishing recently sent me a copy of Paleo Girl to review. This vacation actually provided me the time to read it. And I loved it! If you’ve ever read The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson, this book is like it’s younger sister. Mark created Grok. He’s the caveman in his book. Grokette is Leslie Klenke’s cave girl in Paleo Girl. While so many Paleo books I read are just cookbooks, Paleo Girl is a lifestyle book. It talks about exercise, puberty, sleep, playing and also provides a few recipes. It’s written very conversationally; your teenage daughter would even relate. Definitely a good book if you are contemplating starting a Paleo lifestyle but you’re not quite sure how to do that. This is a good and fun manual. It’s also a quick reference guide for things like workouts. Can’t remember the Paleo fitness essentials? Turn to page 58 for a refresher course that’s full of helpful pictures. But what caught my attention was the skin products. I’ve never tried Paleo skin products but I’m going to now. Want to join me? Let’s do it! I’m going to try the Coconut Milk All-Over Wash (page 240). Leslie says to combine 1/2 cup coconut milk, 2/3 cup Castile soap, 1 tsp preferred oil like vitamin E, olive, almond, coconut (I’m going to use olive, just because I already have it) and you can add 5 drops of an essential oil for fragrance. I’m skipping that. She says to shake your bottle of body wash before each use. The second thing I’m going to try is to use coconut oil as a moisturizer. That’s it. Just coconut oil. I’ll use this at night since I have to have a moisturizer with sunscreen in it for daytime. Soooo let’s all get our stuff this week and start using it on Sunday the 22nd. I’ll remind you on Facebook so be sure you are following me at www.facebook.com/ktvnwendydamonte  And don’t forget to pick up your copy of Paleo Girl by Leslie Klenke.  Go to this website for some pretty cool deals!! http://www.marksdailyapple.com/paleo-girl-book/#axzz34rAatzf0

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WHAT ALL MOMS REALLY WANT FOR MOTHER’S DAY

When my mom was alive, here’s how our Mother’s Day always went.  After a lovely home cooked brunch, we would go see a movie, grab a glass of wine afterwards, and meet our family at dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.  No presents.  No flowers.  Just time.  Time spent with one of my favorite people on the planet.  Munching on popcorn and hot tamales in the theatre.  Giving our best Siskel and Ebert review of the movie over a glass of Rombauer chardonnay.  Happily eating out because we didn’t have to cook… or clean!  It was always a day I looked forward to.  Not for the “thing” I might get.  But because of the intangible gift of time. When you lose THAT gift, you truly realize how precious it is.  So now that I’m a mom, time is all I want with my kids.  I wake them up early sometimes, just because I missed them overnight.  I sometimes deny their request for sleepovers simply  because I want them staying with me. I look forward to Darrin being out of town because the kids and I know this means we all sleep together in my big bed like a pile of puppies.  So like all of you moms reading this, I’m sure your request for Mother’s Day is the same as mine;  TIME.  NBA MVP Kevin Durant probably said it best:

MY ZOO JUST GOT BIGGER

I live in a zoo.  I guess ranch is more accurate, but it feels like a zoo.  Like a crazy zoo.  Like I’m the zoo keeper of a family of orangutans.  I can’t get control.  And it gets worse every year.  Allow me to explain.  We have a dog… who sneezed right as I snapped this picture.

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two cats… we inherited from my mom.

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a hamster… that was an 9 year old little girl’s birthday present.

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thousands of cows… which constantly need to be fed.  Literally, they eat before we do.

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Two 4-H pigs named Jerry and Henry.

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and now this.

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5 kittens and a mamma cat… that are incredibly difficult to take pictures of.

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See, my over-achieving daughter decided she wanted to foster kittens from the Nevada Humane Society.  She went to her first introduction get-together and while she was there, I was busily preparing for the 6:30 newscast. I got a call at about 6:22.  Here’s how the conversation went.  “Mom, they have 6 cats I can bring home tonight.”  “What?  I’m reading scripts and putting on mascara and trying to talk to you.  You said they have hats for you?” “No cats.” “Well ok, fine, I’m sure we can find people to hand out these hats to.  Bring them home.  No problem.”  “Um, ok mom, I’m doing it.  I’m bring home the cats.”  “Ya ya, sure, ok sweetie, love you, my mascara is going all over my face because I’m holding the phone with my cheek.  Love you see you tonight.”

DAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!  Not one hat did she bring home!  But instead 6 CATS!  So our zoo now has 5 two week old kittens and their mamma.  We are fostering them until they weigh 2 pounds.  Ok, these babies weigh 12 OUNCES!  We will have them for weeks!  This is a perfect lesson for me to stop multi-tasking.  Next thing I know, Eva will be calling me asking for the “keys” and I’ll say “no problem” thinking she wants “peas” for dinner!

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Bartending for Breast Cancer

Did you hear??  I’m going to be a celebrity bartender.  Ok, that sentence is just down right funny to me.  Because 1) I don’t consider myself a celebrity.  And 2) I don’t know how to bartend.  The last time I was a “bartender” my friend Amy and I snuck behind the bar at our college hang-out called The Wall and gave  beers away to friends.  That was 1993.  But when someone calls and asks me to help in the battle against breast cancer, I have a hard time saying no.  Joe Kelly and David Hughes made that call.  So, on March 22nd, please come out to Pinocchio’s on South Virginia Street in Reno between 5-8pm.  All your tips will be donated to the Moms on the Run organization.  Can’t make it?  You can also donate on the Moms on the Run website (http://www.momsontherun.info/) … but please put WENDY’S TEAM in the comment section otherwise we won’t get credit for your donation.  And we are up against other bartending teams… one of which made $21,000 in one night!!!!  Did I mention we have auction items??  Moms on the Run is a non-profit organization that raises funds to assist northern Nevada women with everyday living expenses while in treatment for breast and gynecological cancers. THANK YOU!!!!!!

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SUPER FUNNY VIDEO

I’m going to take you into my bedroom last night.  Hey!  Watch your dirty mind!  Ok, last night I got home from a friend’s awesome birthday party and crashed into bed around 10:45.  That’s late for me.  And really late for a Wednesday night.  Anyway, I’m falling down that blissful black hole toward REM when suddenly my husband says, “Hey, you have to watch this.”  “No, I’m sleeping.  My arm just twitched which means I actually am asleep.  So I’m sleep talking right now.”  “No, seriously, Wendy.  You have to watch this.”  Here’s something you may not know about my husband.  When he gets something in his head, there’s no stopping him.  After 13 years of marriage, I now know this.  So I begrudgingly rolled over and stared into his way-too-bright iPad.  I started watching an old episode of Family Feud.  By the time the video was over, I was laughing so hard I was crying.  My pillow was soaked with laughing tears.  This is so funny I had to share it with you.  Of course, I couldn’t get back to sleep until after 1am so I suggest watching this with your morning coffee.  It will be a great way to start your day!  Enjoy!

 

HOLIDAY DEPRESSION

Pretend I’m laying on a couch and you are sitting beside me with a pencil and notepad in your hands.  Yes, this is therapy.  And I’m going to spill my guts all over you.  I’m doing this because you probably suffer with the same thing I do.  I know this because I’ve had lots of conversations lately with people all complaining about the same thing as me.  Holiday depression. Ok, depression might be too strong a word.  Rut might be a better choice for you.  But whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone.  I’m in the trenches with you.

I feel fat.  Yes, Wendy Damonte feels fat.  But what’s worse, I feel unmotivated to change it.  I’m eating like crap.  I’m drinking more than I typically do.  And all of these factors feed off each other making each individual problem worse.  And at the end of the day, there’s me;  a mopey, fat, unhappy slug who can’t change things.

Now… here’s what I think happens.  The holidays hit… and in my house, that means October 8th.  That’s my daughter’s birthday.  Somehow, she parlays that one day into a two-week ordeal. Always fun, always with lots of friends, parties and typically, with my family, lots of wine.  So now, it’s mid October and Halloween shows up.  Again, lots of pizza because we’re out late getting costumes, adding to costumes, tweaking costumes, etc.  Well hello November!  Now this is where I should suck it up and be as healthy as possible for at least the first two weeks of the month.  But the bad, unhealthy, fast food rut has already grabbed hold of me.  A nightly glass or two of wine is killing my morning motivation to work out.  And Thanksgiving is just 24 days away, so why try??  And then December hits and any chance of getting back to a normal, healthy routine flies out the window like Santa up a chimney.  At this point, I’m way too busy to even fit in a 30 minute workout.  My daily diet consists of grazing on the food table at work (yes, we have a food table at work that overflows with cookies, fudge, cake, See’s Candy… pretty much you name it… during December) and then eating whatever I can quickly throw together for dinner… think frozen lasagna!  And now, it’s the new year and I can’t move!

If I were to put all this into a cycle for you it would look like this:

We get busy… we eat like crap because we’re too busy to cook… we drink more because there are more parties… we start to feel fat… we wake up slightly hung over and that zaps all motivation to work out… we become depressed (get in a rut)… and once you’re depressed (in a rut)… this cycle repeats over and over again.  And eventually, we get sick… which is what I did on January 6th… the very day I was determined to stop the cycle.

20140109-163835.jpgSo you know what I did??  I went on a walk anyway!  I was hacking and coughing and wheezing the entire hour I was in the hills.  But you know what?  I wasn’t going to allow  myself to make an excuse.  Any excuse.  Even one coming from my phlegm laden lungs.  I had to start somewhere.  So instead of a run, I walked.   Instead of going for 2 hours, I went for one.  And you know what happened?  My body felt worse, but my soul felt much better!  I finally had an endorphin or two flowing through my body.  And you know what happened next?  I had a salad for lunch… and it tasted great!  By the time I got off work that night, I was exhausted because I was still fighting a virus, but I didn’t feel like a bowl of  pasta and a fishbowl of wine.  I ate lightly and went to bed.  And guess what?  The next day I woke up headache free.  I had motivation to fit in another quick workout (which I did on my windtrainer bike inside my house).  I’m laughing more.  My mood is lighter.  My depression is easing… in fact, it’s disappearing.  And it’s only been four days!  I’m now back on track.  So what’s your excuse?  Early morning meeting?  Go for a 10 minute walk if that’s all you can fit in.  You’re sick?  Reread the start of this paragraph… I don’t want to hear it!  You’ve got young kids at home? Figure out quick at-home workouts you can do.   (One of my favorite websites is www.marksdailyapple  Search that website for quick workouts!)  You’re too fat and out of shape to start?  You’re never too fat or unhealthy to try to make a chance.  Drink one less soda a day.  Eat donuts only once a month instead of weekly.  You have a leg injury?  Swim.  See, you can throw any excuse my way and I’ll come up with a healthy option.  Start today.  It doesn’t have to  be huge.  It has to be one step.

 

4-H AUCTION

What did you do this weekend?  I went to a swine auction in Fallon, NV.  I literally could end this post right there.  That sentence alone is enough to give you a good enough laugh for the day.  But you just know my San Francisco self has something more to say.  And it starts with the nose.   This was my first view of a swine auction.  Call it a hog or pig auction if you want.  It’s all the same to me.

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What you don’t get from the picture above… is the smell.  Oh my lord!  It’s like walking into a wall of cobwebs.  It literally makes you recoil at first contact.  I live on a ranch.  Cow and horse manure are common place in my world.  Pig shit is another story!  It’s like no other smell I’ve ever smelled.  It literally assaults your nose.  It stopped my feet in their tracks.  It made my brain wonder if I could really enter this room.  Fortunately, like other smells, it passed… but not 100 percent.  You know how Thanksgiving dinner smells so good when you walk in the door, but after 30 minutes you can’t really smell it anymore?  Well pig shit stays with you.  It never completely dissipates…. but at least it did enough to get me in the door.

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The day was quickly made better with these little guys.

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Some were just 16 pounds… others were about 70.

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Several 4-H clubs from northern Nevada attended this auction.  The kids buy their pigs in a real auction type of sale.

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Then the dads had the fun of putting the purchased pigs into the trailer.  Oh this video makes me laugh.  Keep an eye on the pigs right hind leg… priceless!

Once loaded up, the pigs were taken home and will be raised by the kids until the Nevada Junior Livestock Show in May.

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Last year, our kids raised lambs.  We made the jump to pigs this year because… well, I have no idea why.  But for the time being, our family has now grown by 8 feet… 8 little pig feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TENNIS ANYONE?

20131127-165620.jpgI bought a tennis skirt this weekend. That’s weird because I don’t play tennis. Yes, I’m a member of a tennis club but that’s just so my kids can swim on the swim team… not play tennis. It’s like when you go to a Mexican restaurant and the bartender throws in an extra shot of tequila into your margarita. You’re glad it’s there. But it’s not the reason you went to that restaurant. That’s tennis to my family.

So there I was at Kohl’s in the 80% off section… which I’m a sucker for… checking out the clothes that are all crammed together so tightly it’s tough to tell what’s in there. I grabbed what I thought was a running skirt. When it finally came free from it’s 80%-off-rack prison, I realized it was a tennis skirt. It was just a simple black skirt with two knee-length black tights attached to it. Perfect for cool weather tennis… if you played tennis… which I don’t. But then I started to rationalize it. Maybe someone will ask me to play tennis. And if they did, I’d be able to play because I’d have a new snazzy tennis skirt. To be totally honest, I’ve been at this club for more than a year and no one has ever asked me to play tennis. So the chance of that happening is like a bartender giving you TWO extra shots of tequila. But the skirt was only $7.80. How could I not buy it?? Yes, it’s worth two lattes which I would actually use. But still, it’s always better to be prepared for any invitation you might get, even if the invitation is as likely as getting drunk for free at a Mexican restaurant, unless the Mexican restaurant happens to be IN Mexico in which case it’s pretty likely. AAAAHHHHH, are you starting to see how my brain works?? I have these types of conversations all the time! And this one is over spending seven dollars and eighty cents! Imagine the back and forth in my head over buying a new car!! Which I haven’t done in more than 13 years and now you know why! My brain is still arguing the pros and cons with itself over that one! But last weekend, I finally threw caution to the wind and bought the damn skirt! And now there it sits. In my closet. Untouched. Which it will likely stay for the next 15 years… because I don’t play tennis.

I hope this brought a smile to your face on this Thanksgiving Day!  I’m thankful for all of you who read my blog, support me in my desire to be a true blogger and for those of you who nudge me when I stop blogging!  All your comments and support keep me going and for that I’m truly Thankful!  Have a beautiful day!