Taking a Walk

For some time now you have been mastering the art of standing on your two feet under your own power. From the beginning you would hoist yourself up using the side bars on your crib and then hold on to them for support as you stood or slightly jumped in place. After a while of this you discovered that you could get yourself standing, then holding onto the side bar with one hand, you could lean over and pick up some toy that caught your attention and thereby be standing in your crib holding the bar in one hand and a toy in the other. Shortly thereafter you began letting go completely, as if to say "Look mom, no hands!" While doing this you would make motions which were likened to those of a surf boarder keeping his balance while riding on his board. Your ability to make subtle controlled falls in order to get yourself back down also quickly developed.

At this point you now walk around the parameter of your crib using the side rail for support as you make your trip around confines of the crib. This is quite amazing to all of us as you seem to be well on your way to walking anywhere under your own power. For this reason your mother and I have begun to work with you by holding your hands and getting you to take a few steps here or a few steps there. We got you a pair of shoes, which you really enjoy wearing because while they are on you, your full attention turns directed at pulling at the velcro strap and then putting it back down. I suppose the sound is something of an attention getter, and this process keeps you occupied for some large moments in time.

Your also beginning to get a little bit of air underneath your feet as you make you gentle little jumps at the side rail of your crib while watching whatever happens to be on the television. We are trying to locate a new place for us to live because our current arrangement is in very tight quarters, not allowing you ample room to move about on the floor. Our goal is to in the next few months move into a larger place with a thick plush carpeting that you will be able to crawl around or run around on without much fear of your hurting yourself when you have your occasional tumble. These tumbles are to be expected as a young one begins to fully learn the use of his legs and feet and works to fine tune the balance that is required to make this motion possible.

I am going to leave this post at this. And now we are going to have a little bit of father and son story time because I really just feel like reading to you. Perhaps "Green Eggs and Ham" will be a good selection for tonight. After that it will soon be time for you to turn in for the night.

How are we doing?

Every so often a person finds that it is best to make a bit of reflection and look at the course of things in how they exist. In this state of reflection it is good to ask questions and find where you are weak and where you are strong.

As part of this revelation I am here going to include a screen shot of an official domain appraisal by Go Daddy as of January of 2013. This blog is currently 9 months old and the domain http://jacob.hietts.info is now just over 6 months in age at this moment in time.

I am posting this record as a benchmark for future years and generations that the same appraisal may be once again updated and a measure will be made as to how successful this blog is and has been as a total functioning unit. Page views and domain values are all approximate evaluations of the level of success in which a web site, blog, or online community may gauge their activity.

Now that this benchmark has been posted I would mark a suggestion alongside it that a similar image of an updated value of the future be place alongside this image showing a 2013 and current year comparison post. I feel such statistics would be quite interesting for an individual such as myself to see in say thirty or more years from today.

As for your current development I can tell you that you will soon be making an appearance at the dentist office as your two bottom front teeth are quite well developed little chicklett teethers. You have just had your nightly a bath but a few hours ago and you are gently sleeping with the background noise from animated cartoon creations of the early 2000's. Ah Boy! This world you have to see. And this world you have to grow and explore in.

If you have not already, visit inbox dollars to receive your promotional credit. This company pays out at $30.00 which makes a great opportunity for you to generate a little extra income.

Apparently A parent says so

This is the first post I have made for the New Year. Officially on the record your mother and I acquired a Ford Explorer today as a result of kindness from a member of your extended family. Again I affirm to you the importance of keeping people close to you as you progress through life. The way in which we present ourselves as people, the way in which we treat other individuals, and the effort you put into the ties that bind those people around you all have great effect on how positive results you will see.

On this day, you were introduced to Wade, your mother's step-father. Although, you yourself slept through the event entirely. I urge you to in the future be more social when your relatives are around you, although considering your age of only 9 months I suppose we can let you have a pass on this one. Wade is an interesting man and currently works as a crane operator for the construction of iron structures. As you age and develop I am sure you will get to know him much more.

You are now nestled down in your crib, sporting your dinosaur footie pajamas, happily asleep allowing your mother and I just a bit of time to enjoy a few television shows on NetFlix. These moments of quality time for the two of us draws shorter with the passing of time it seems, however love is a glue of our relationship that binds us together. We have you our boy, and very proud of you we continually are.

As of your 9 month checkup with the doctor you weigh now in excess of 20 Lbs. and you currently stand at a height of 2 feet 4 inches. You are really growing up quickly my little man. The doctor is impressed with your ability to maintain yourself at the higher end of the development scale as you make your progression through physical, emotional, and spiritual maturation. Containing some level of irony, he expressed this in the visit using the expression, "He is a little Doogie Howser M.D."
The irony being found in that this is a reference to a television show that was of significance during the time in which your parents were yet developing. It starred an actor named Neil Patrick Harris and as result with how each episode ended it ultimately encouraged me in my passion of recording things in a journaling method. This would also lead to the eventuality of current of my keeping of such a web log as this.

New Year's Eve

This day marks the closing of a year, and the official beginning of a new year. All accounts of the previous year are coming to a close which means any business you would conduct for the year must be finished in these next hours, and any tax deductions you wish to take must be completed in the next hours as well. The next year is but a mere speculation at this moment, all future business is at this point simply futures. For many individuals this is a great time of reflection of the events of the past year or years of their life. It is a time that adjustments can be made to their hopes and ambitions of the coming year, and the methodology in which they hope to achieve each of these great things.
The coming hours bring a close to the year of many firsts for you, however being ushered in is a year also filled with firsts for you and a few seconds. Your first Christmas, Thanksgiving, teeth, words, and many other firsts have been the highlights of the closing year for you. The great and wonderful things that are yet to arrive for you in this coming year is a small sparkle of light in the distance which can best be described as a prediction of a coming age. Your first birthday cake, first steps under your own power, and your first spoken sentence are among these amazing feats which one may assume will occur for you in this coming year.
I look forward to your future with great ambition of many fantastic events for you. It comes with understanding that I have created a planned course of action of the many things which I can do to make your future as promising as what it is in my power to assure. Even after all I have done to ensure that you are well fed, housed, clothed, and cared for in every way the rest will remain up to you. It is essential that you always maintain for yourself a great level of self respect and a positive attitude. With these you will be able to fully manipulate the outcome of how your future unfolds itself.
There is really no concrete and certain method that can be applied in order to ensure the desired outcome in anything which we do. Outside forces are constantly at work which may either help, hinder, or be indifferent to the projects we undertake. The best advise that can be given on the subject is that you greet every obstacle and stumbling block with the great power that is to be had in positive thinking. When things do work out slightly alternate to what was anticipated how you react will be a great reflection of your character and yourself as a person. There will be many individuals who help you to get to where you are going as well and it will always be essential that you treat them with much love, respect and dignity. As it is said, "Great men stand on the shoulders of giants." There will be hard times, and I am in no way promising you all rainbows and cupcakes in everything that you attempt to do. In fact much to the opposite of this I promise you hard times, unexpected obstacles, and disappointing let downs from the very people you thought you could trust the most to never let you down in any way. You are only human and all of those people around you suffer from this same shortcoming. Remember this, expect the unexpected, and no matter what treat each person and event with respect, an open mind, and a positive attitude.
I beg you my son to always see the best in people, always see the learning experience that accompanies the disappointments, and cherish every day the Lord gives you to be involved in the daily dealings of this world. Do your best every day to make someone else smile. Do your best every day to make yourself smile. I desire for you to have many years of reflections of great happenings at the close of the year. I hope for you to have great hope for many coming years to come.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Philippians chapter 4



In closing I leave you with this recipe you may want to try out for your New Year's Eve party or celebrations:

Lamb Meatball Sliders

Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 ounces fresh goat cheese (1/4 cup)
1/2 pound merguez (spicy lamb sausage) or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
Kosher salt
For the Sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
For the Sliders:
1/2 pound fresh goat cheese (1 cup)
2 1/2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
24 slider rolls
Pickled sliced cucumbers, for serving
Directions
Make the meatballs: Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in the coriander, fennel seeds and rosemary; toast 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Meanwhile, roll the goat cheese into 1/2-inch balls (the size of marbles); set aside.

Add the sausage, ground lamb, breadcrumbs, eggs and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the bowl with the spice mixture and mix with your hands until just combined. Roll into 24 small ovals (about 2 tablespoons meat each). Make an indentation in each with your thumb, then insert a goat cheese ball and form the meat around it. Roll between your hands to make a smooth ball. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar; cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the oregano.

Add the meatballs to the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Assemble the sliders: Beat the goat cheese, mascarpone and milk in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in the oregano, rosemary, thyme, dill, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Spread the goat cheese mixture on each roll; fill with the pickled cucumbers, meatballs and more sauce.

Super Man and Super Son

We are the men of Steel, copper, brass, aluminum, and all other shiny metallic objects.

Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house, were remnants of the holiday explosion that occurred. Toys and Clothes were strewn all about and a mountain of cardboard boxes awaiting trash day to be taken out. The little boy was asleep, exhausted from the past days events, and daddy was uploading the videos for the rest of the family to enjoy for generations to come.




created by David Hiett

From our family to yours we hope that each of you had a Christmas holiday filled with good food, family fun, cheer and laughter!

Wise Old Mechanic

In a remote town along a lonely stretch of road miles deep into the desert of Nevada, there was a single service station tended to by a friendly older gentleman who happened to be an exceedingly great automotive mechanic. This man, always making a habit of making friendly conversation with each person that stopped in by asking what they did for a living and so on, had on occasion been known to really help individuals out when they mentioned that they were out of work or having a hard time keeping enough hours. By "really helping them out," I mean he would often do their repairs free of charge only charging them the price of the parts required.

One day there was an individual that stopped in at his quiet little shop complaining that his engine light had been on for several miles. He also explained that this was the only service station he had seen since it first lit up. The old man began to examine under the hood when he asked the customer, "So what do you do for a living?"
The man explained that he was a doctor.

Upon hearing this, the old mechanic closed the hood, looked at the man and explained, "Well, your check engine light is on and you will need to schedule an appointment with a specialist. Now this visit will only cost you $850 although the interest rates will be rather steep. On a side note, I can almost promise you the car will die before you make it to the next town with a garage."

At this the doctor was extremely surprised at the sudden change in demeanor from the old man and this rather ridiculous charge for simply stating back what he already knew. So he looked at the old man and in a serious tone he asked, "why on earth should I pay you so much money for you to just tell me what I already know and furthermore why are you sending me away from here without fixing my car for me?"

Then the old mechanic explained the whole situation. You see some years back, the old man had driven his wife many miles from this remote location to a hospital. The doctors took a look at her and then told the old couple that she needed to go see a specialist that she would need to schedule an appointment for one. These doctors were unable to offer any sort of a diagnosis other than the fact that she was pretty sick. Well the old man made the appointment however, his wife passed away before the appointment date came. Later a bill came in the mail from the one hospital visit for $850 and the man nearly lost his small garage over the outrageous interest that was charged.

Realizing there was no hope in the man having a change of heart the doctor drove off in search of another garage. His car indeed did break down before he reached one. The old man's wife had an infection that a few shots of antibiotic could have cured and the doctor only needed a couple quarts of oil added to his engine. Although this story is not technically true, it is a true representation of the blight that our current health care system is under. Blue collar Americans will never stoop to their level but this is what it would look like if they did!