These monkeys of mine!

Posted on by Sherri

Dinner table discussion…no it’s not a joke.

Gary: How do you kill a chicken?

Me: You can cut their heads off. That’s what grandpa used to do.

Chip: See this funnel? You can put the chickens in here and then cut them off.

Gary and Carter: When I grow up I am going cut heads off of chickens.

Ryan: Yeah, we can cut the heads off.

Ben: I’m gonna cut the rest of the parts, wings, legs and all the rest.

Gary: Can you shoot chickens?

Me: You could but their heads are small and you don’t want to blow away the body.

It’s the Alaskan in me with memories of my dad killing turkeys. I hated those things. They sh*t everywhere! Marlas Prevo you know! Meanwhile I am trying to contain my laughter. These guys crack me up. As an afterthought they asked what part of the chicken we ate for dinner. I told them it was all “chicken chests”. Only at the McVey house.

Our “New” Sofa…

Posted on by Sherri
So our new sofa.  Long post.  I have been, off and on, searching for a sofa to replace our 13 year old totally trashed family room sofa that has seen it’s day.  I found a great deal for $100 brown leather sofa.  I picked that one up and then we still needed another to replace the 13 yr. old loveseat that went with the trashed sofa.  Today I just happened to see a Craigslist post for another leather sofa for $100.  I texted and called a woman about it and decided to head over and see/take it.  Well the experience was one that made quite the impression on me.  Some of you know we have a big Dodge diesel truck.  I have to pull myself in.
Not believing that a leather sofa was $100 that looked like this, I jumped in and headed on down to apartments behind the Peppermill here in Reno.  Some are nice and some are not.  This happened to be at the Sherwood Forest Apartments that was less than nice.  This neighborhood was not one that I felt like I would be uber safe in.  I didn’t feel scared to the point I wouldn’t go, but it caused hesitation.  Once I arrived I met the husband of the woman I spoke to.  I backed my big ass truck up to the STAIRS of their 2nd floor apartment.  I have pepper spray in my pocket and hands on my keys.  Being from AK I never really think about this, but my hubs puts the fear of god in me.  So I meet the wife who I had spoken to today.  I peek in the apartment and see the sofa.  It really spoke volumes to me.  Spoke to me about my past in AK and living without running water and taking showers at my elementary school and then doing a little better with an unfinished house and how my life has changed since that time.
I peeked into this apartment today that was very small and sparse.  A little family of 3 with a 2 yr. old boy.  I see that the sofa I am buying is the only adult furniture in the “room”.  No matter what the condition would have been I would have bought it.  This little family needed the money.  I wondered what the story was.  Me, the wife and the husband struggled to get this sofa that turned out to be a VERY heavy sofa bed (bonus for us).  We did it and scratched the sofa even more.  Meanwhile Chip McVey was at home wrangling 3 of the 4 monkeys since I decided I, and only I,  could go get this sofa.
I called him when I arrived and kept my phone on while all of this was happening.  About 1/2 hour later we managed to get it in the truck.  Another man came about and helped us maneuver around to get 2 pieces into the short bed truck.  The 2nd man had been scouring the parking lot for change to get something to eat.  The little family thanked me again and again for buying their sofa.  I left them nothing in their tiny living room.
I had no more change for the helper so I dug through my purse and gave the good guy who helped about 2 dollars in quarters.  He was so appreciative.  As I drove away and viewed more of the neighborhood I just felt so much emotion.  I wondered how the people I saw in the parking lot got to the apartment building.  What was the story of the family that sold me the sofa?  What are the stories of the other sights and sounds I experienced this afternoon?  For me it was a lesson in gratitude.
There are days when I struggle with busy and stress and more.  My FB friends have heard it.  I struggle with my weight and am off and on depressed about that.  I was thinking to myself today that I am grateful that me being fat is my biggest complaint.  There are many dynamics in my family and ugly habits and things that come with it.  I love my family but some things are not pretty.  Despite that, I am grateful.  Seriously grateful.  Taking this trip down to buy a sofa has turned out to be so much more.  Please know that this isn’t foreign to me.  When I get wrapped up in flights, business trips, preparing food and all of the other things in my life, I forget.  I forget that it could be different.
I always try to give back but wish I could do more whether it be financially or practically.  Then the thought is whether or no people want help and whether or not they had control or were out of control of their circumstances.  I told Chip that I couldn’t articulate exactly how I felt about the experience.  The best thing I can come up with is that it 1) took me back and 2) made me stop and think.  really think.  I wish the best for this family and still wonder how they were in the not-so-nice neighborhood with a small child.

Christmas 2012…

Posted on by Sherri

Merry Christmas everyone!  Hope everyone in FB land has had a beautiful holiday.  The day was busy and wonderful.  The whole family shared wonderful fun moments today.  Feeling very fortunate and grateful.  Sang Happy Birthday to daughter Kate and had some really yummy red velvet cake.  Love these memories that were made today.  Carter never ceases to amaze me.  Somehow Carter and I were talking about his stocking and who filled it.  He said “you filled it mama”.  I about fell over.  He’s 2 1/2.  Seriously.  I promptly told him that Santa did it.   Makes me giggle.

Happy Holidays 2012

Posted on by Sherri

2012 has been quite a year in the McVey household.  I can’t believe how fast the last 12 months have gone by.  Our theme this year has been:  “change” and “always something”.  This year has definitely tested, stretched and forced us to use every ounce of patience to keep moving.

We welcomed 2012 and hit the ground running.  Not too long into the New Year, a trip to Tahoe (Mt. Rose) warranted.  I found a Groupon.  We were able to get the 3 boys on skis without breaking the bank.   So good to have Nina with us for the trip.  Very cool to see their individual personalities come out when trying something new. It also helped to have a great instructor teach them to do pizza and french fries on the bunny hill.  Brandi kept Carter for us so we were able to get in a bit of skiing ourselves.  Nina and Chip blazed while I took another lesson.  Hopefully we’ll be able to do it again in 2013.

Chip’s sister Bunny and her husband Bill visited us during the Spring Break which was fun!  The girls were here as well.  We had a great time and ate an Awful Awful as well as climbed the ComRow wall!  I was working, which made it crazy.  I also turned 40 in March.  Not too bad.  No breakdown or anything.  In fact it was great to spend the evening with our friend Kenna and then see Blake Shelton in concert.  What a treat!

The year continued to fly and before we knew it Spring was upon us and we learned that we were going to lose Brandi as our caregiver.  It was really difficult for everyone, but she needed to take care of herself and we understood.  After two years with us it was a HUGE change.  With only a few weeks to figure out what we were going to do Chip and I visited preschools and settled on a local place near our home.  Nina, our daughters, Chip’s sister, and her husband also toured the daycare and reinforced our decision.  The Monday after Easter we started outside the home care.  It.was.awful (to begin with).  Carter was miserable.  The boys were uneasy and sad as we tried to help them be OK in this new environment.  Luckily the older 3 boys had a great teacher that helped make the process easier. I was an emotional wreck, especially since we were dealing with quite a situation with 4 kids.  Chip stayed strong and we worked as a team to get through the change as best we could.  Amidst all of that the boys brought home every.single.germ.  It was awful, gross and there were way too many repeats.  We endured countless trips to the doctor’s office, urgent care and after hours pediatric care.  Chip and I thought we were going to lose our minds.  Poor Nina caught every bug.

 Let’s not forget our full time jobs. Both of us are thankful that we work from home.  We were running like crazy, stressed to the max and trying to keep everything sort of under control.  In the meantime Carter was still miserable and we opted to take him out of the preschool that the boys were in.  This was not an easy decision but after the first week it was painfully clear that it wasn’t for him.  We moved him to the Goddard School.  He had a bit of a tough time initially and then even harder time since there was a biter in his class who chose to take bites out of Carter on a regular basis.  That was rough!  Protective mama came unhinged a few times with the school staff.  Fast forward to December and Carter is doing amazing!  He has moved up two classes, talks up a storm and so wants to be 5 years old. No more vampire after him either!

I had the opportunity to go over to CA with our Nina to see her do a triathlon in April.  Another bonus was that my cousin Chris  was also doing it.  Amazing to watch.  After the race we celebrated Nina by visiting some CA wineries.  Had a fabulous lunch and as our final stop visited my favorite winery Rombauer.  Had a wonderful tasting and of course departed with some bottles of wine.  So fun!

Summer moved right in.  Kicked it off with lots of BBQing and adventures.  The girls were home for their summer visit and I was able to kayak with them on Lake Tahoe.  A fabulous girl only adventure.  We also packed up the fam and took a trip out to Pyramid Lake for the first time with the Anaviscas.  The boys had a blast in the shallow water!  We will for sure be visiting next summer.

Chip gardened like crazy over the summer and we had a ton of fresh veggies from the back yard along with our CSA basket from our co-op.  The tomatoes were amazing!  We had so much and could not let any go to waste.   I put my canning hat on and added a pressure cooker to the mix.  We put up apples, green beans, marinara, meat sauce, potatoes, caponata, my homemade salsa and carrots.  We put a ton of spinach in the freezer.  There was also quite a bit of squash in our basket this fall.  I had to find some new recipes.  Roasted butternut squash soup, baked spaghetti squash and roasted root veggies on at the top of the list.  At the end of the growing season I was just about over the edge with the putting food up.  We certainly are enjoying it now that it’s December.

Once we got over the hump of the preschools we registered the boys up for kindergarten.  Full day kinder.  It was VERY exciting but again another change that would be a big one.  After registration and kinder fair the 3 boys started school on July 31.  It was so exciting to get new backpacks, lunch boxes and school supplies.  On the first day everything went great!  However, since the full day kinder is out of our school zone, we are required to drive them every day.  We were also sorta fired from daycare in November because they can make more money on other kids.  Who knew?  So now we drop Carter, take the boys to school, go back home.  Takes about an hour.  Then we pick up boys at 3p and then get Carter a little later.  It is exhausting.  We’ve also added homework, folders, lunch menus and getting where we need to be on time.  It has stretched us thin but we have found a ways to move through it.  The boys are experiencing all of the firsts…Halloween party, celebrating their 5th birthday at school and having a school invited kid party, Thanksgiving projects and learning with others.  The holidays have brought us first homemade Christmas cards and gifts.  It makes me smile to think back on all of the years we enjoyed that with the girls and now again with the boys.  Despite the craziness we would not change a thing.  Well maybe a couple of things like having to unexpectedly replace kitchen appliances or having to pay for full time kinder.

In October Chip turned 40 and was surprised by his sister coming out from MD.  It was a great week!  She helped organize our playroom, gave recommendations for laundry and hampers.  That in itself was so helpful.  We’ve also had some outside recommendations for organization and simplifying our busy life.  Nina also came in to help and just went crazy helping us get on track.  So amazing to have the help and suggestions.  Planning menus and making one weekly soup is a requirement.  We also have taco Tuesdays and pizza Fridays.  Every bit helps.  I’ve learned giving less options equates to less chaos.  We’re getting there.  Chip and I celebrated his birthday by doing a night out to see Eric Church in concert.  FANTASTIC!

The kids are great.  Kaitlyn will turn 17 on Christmas.  Where did the last 17 years go?  She’s doing so well and attending a charter high school for nursing.  She drives herself to school to get there at 6 a.m.  We are so proud of her.  She is also doing a lot with her church.  Kaitlyn has truly blossomed!  Gillian is 13 is also busy with church.  She’s doing an excellent job in orchestra and is now in the LV Youth Symphony.  They will join us on Christmas Eve.  We love a festive, busy and full house during the holidays as chaotic as it may be.  In fact it was strange that we were alone for Thanksgiving.  We’re making up for it now in a very good way.

The boys are so excited for the holidays.  All of them the boys have sat on Santa’s lap and said what they wanted him to bring.  They are right at the age of wonder, excitement and belief in all of the magic of Christmas.  As they trim the tree and open the advent calendar doors Chip and I both think about our own childhood Christmas memories.  One of my favorite traditions is to do a family pic every holiday season.  I am adamant about doing it.  Preschool brought new friends with a set of little blonde twins and their mama who is a wildly talented photographer.  April is also a now a personal friend.  Love her!  There are SO many good ones to see and look at.  Hard to choose what to print.
The house is abuzz and the cookie baking is in full force. All 4 boys decorated the tree and are full on into frosting sugar cookies and tasting everything along the way.  Celia is cookie maker extraordinaire and has created a ton of sweet treats, which she said she’ll absolutely keep doing it when the girls arrive. We’re so happy to have our Alaska family with us again this year.  Even Nina!  Extra special to have all 3.  We’re also super excited that Jamie is visiting for Christmas as well.  He’s the cool dude who plays video games with the boys and hangs with the big sisters.  Yummy gifts from Baltimore have been arriving as well.  Thank you Grammy McVey!

So, as we get ready to welcome 2013 we want to wish you and yours a beautiful holiday. We’d also love to hear from you.  Chip and I are both on Facebook and post regularly.  We also can be reached by email at household@metaforge.net or by phone at 775-737-3032.  Here’s to a prosperous, fabulous and fruitful 2013

And We Give Thanks…

Posted on by Sherri
Just so happy today, I could burst! What a fantastic afternoon. So I had my lunch at Eldo today that was so fun and I was able to pick the family pictures for my Christmas cards. It was hard to not go nuts with all of the amazing shots that April Geyer Durnil took of our family. Cannot.wait.to.get.them!
After that I was dreading the DMV to turn in hubby’s license plates. It took all of 3 minutes. Seriously it took longer to park than to turn ’em in. Made my day!
So i’m heading home pondering why the replacement microwave/wall oven unit is incredibly expensive and right before Christmas, but after the space fridge purchase. On a whim I walk into Sargents Maytag Store on Rock to check out what they had since they had “sale” and “closeouts” all over the window. I thought maybe I’d find something lower cost that would fit in this stupid space in my kitchen. The one I want is a Kitchenaid. I’ve picked this one for a variety of reasons. It is also over 3k. Definitely not in the budget at the holiday season (or ever really). So I walk in, just to check it out, explain what I’m looking for and they tell me they can probably order it and it’s still over 3k. So I start looking around the store since they have new, discontinued, and scratch and dent stuff. Still hoping that somthing will jump out at me. Nestled in the back is the EXACT Kitchenaid that will fit in my space and the one I want. It is scratch and dent marked down from $3,549 to $2,299. I about faint. Seriously. I also have a 27″ oven and the most common is 30″. This one IS the 27″. Sherri starts to freak out. Scares the nice guy behind the counter. I told him I’d take it. Right now. So, long story short, I think karma was on my side today. AND nice guy (Chris) behind the counter is extending his day to come and install my new oven tomorrow afternoon. Even better that I could not find one scratch or dent. Happy, happy girl, got a great deal and am supporting a locally owned company. Happy Friday to the McVey’s!

Cabbage Rolls

Posted on by Sherri

Cabbage Rolls:

Recipe for Cabbage Rolls…very different but oh my gosh yummy if you like all of the ingredients. You need to like sauerkraut to truly enjoy this version.   Thank you Randy and Sue for the amazing recipe.

1 lb. or so. Give or take of ground beef.
1 to 2 cups cooked rice
Various seasonings and additions as you like.
1 head of cabbage or so.
3 cloves of garlic, sliced/diced
1/2 medium onion.
2 cups of fresh spinach
1 bottle/package of sauerkraut

While cooking beef, boil water to par boil the cabbage. Brown ground beef with garlic and onion added. I added lots of seasonings like tarragon, Mrs. Dash, season salt, lemon pepper and anything else you like. Season very well, almost to the point of over seasoning. Add cooked rice. I added spinach to the cooking process of the beef. I had a bunch of spinach so I threw it in.

Once par boiled cabbage is done, make rolls with meat mixture into the leaves. Spray a 13X9 cake pan with non stick spray. Spread a portion of the sauerkrat, covering in the bottom, but reserving the remainder and the juice of the sauerkraut. Place the rolls on top of the cabbage. Put as many rolls as you can in the pan. Once full, put the remainder of the sauerkraut and the juice over the top. Bake (covered with foil) at 375 for about 1 hour. Enjoy! I did mine as a casserole, layered like lasagne, because I had leftover sliced cabbage. Either way it was AMAZING!

Happy Holidays 2011

Posted on by Sherri

Welcome to a glimpse into the last year at the McVeys.  This year our letter is still Happy Holidays but more on the end of Happy New Year since I’m finally finishing it on 12/31/11.  Of course long winded like Sherri tends to be.  Time flew and while we’re getting our cards out, it’s certainly later than planned.  Par for the course the year has been a busy one. There was a ton of stuff that we experienced in 2011.  Reflecting on that, the things that come to mind are all of the new experiences that the kids had.  Sweet things that lit them up with wonder.  It makes us smile to know that we have and continue to make the effort to give them these experiences. We thought we’d share a few and hopefully they’ll bring a smile for you too.

The boys met Santa for the first time, roasted marshmallows, cut with scissors, had haircuts in at a “haircut store”, made a birthday cake, painted pottery, acquired a first Nerf gun, took a first RV trip, went to Grandma’s twice in the same year, had frozen yogurt and chose their own toppings at “the yogurt store”, saw a parade on the 4th of July, Carter learned to walk and talk, experienced their first pig roast, visited a fire station, ate in a sit down restaurant, got a new, real swing set, picked corn, rode a mechanical bull and petted the animals at the pumpkin patch, visited Apple Hill, ate a caramel apple, discovered Angry Birds (they are still obsessed) and Zombies, became iPod Touch experts, decided “Despicable Me” is their favorite movie, visited the Discovery Children’s Museum, fired their first firearm, had an Advent calendar, hot chocolate in Christmas mugs, drank a Root Beer float and finally… moved to “big boy bunk beds”.

A huge part of creating these experiences were all of the people that visited and help us.  Our Florida family helped us get the year rolling ringing in the New Year with us.  It was great having them here to kick it off.  Right away in January Chip and I both had to travel for work.  For the first time ever it was at the same time.  Sherri’s mom came and helped for the week which was great!  Colvins jumped in from there and took on the kidlets for a couple of weeks in January as well.  Fast forward to May.  We headed to Winnemucca in the Colvin RV to see family.  Sherri’s grandparents made the trip from Montana.  The weather wasn’t awesome but it was good to see them.  The months just seemed to fly by.  Before we knew it we were in the middle of summer.  Kaitlyn and Gillian were with us for five weeks which is always really fun.  One of the highlights was Kaitlyn getting her driver’s permit.  It’s hard to fathom that she’s 16 now!  Chip and Sherri celebrated anniversary #8 in Tahoe.  Our first overnight for just the two of us in 3 yrs.  As a treat to ourselves we took a sunset yacht cruise.  It was fantastic!  We also took the Colvin RV out again to Fernley, a very small town about 30 minutes outside of Reno.  After an overnight at the RV park we headed downtown to take in the 4th of July parade.  The kids were troopers considering there was no shade and 90 degrees outside. Again fast forward and September and October were upon us.  Sherri’s friend Bonnie visited Reno for the first time since we moved which was awesome.  Gary, Ben and Ryan turned 4 in Septmeber as well.  We celebrated in style with the Girls and then after.  It’s hard to believe it’s been 4 years.  As well, Fred, Celia and ‘Nina (Colvin) arrived back in Nevada just in time for fall. We packed everyone up and went to Apple Hill.  We had been hearing about it since our move to Reno in 2008 and finally thought it was do-able and would be blast for the kids.  We visited several places up there and had a ball trying cider, some local wine and beer, toured a few of the orchards as well as buying apples, pears, caramel apples and pies.  It was a fabulous trip but requires more than 1 day.  If you have a chance to visit you should!

Halloween was so fun too! Sherri made the boys costumes this year.  It was purely due to the budget and what costumes cost.  She had creative input from her mom, Celia and ‘Nina.  In Nov. Colvins left us and headed to exotic places so we packed up and headed to Winnemucca for Thanksgiving.  All of us had a good time, especially the boys sleeping all four of them on the air mattress watching

Winnemucca with Sherri’s family.  Grandma and John bought the 3 boys and Gillian a .22 rifle. Both of us were almost mortified that at 4 they would be handling a gun.  Each boy and Gillian went, individually, with John and Chip and shot the guns.  More training is required.  We’ll be working on that.

Christmas crept up on us far more quickly than we thought.  We did a lot last minute but managed to get the most beautiful tree we’ve ever had.  Fred and Celia joined us for the holidays as well.  Per the tradition, Celia baked up a ton of treats and cookies.  All the kids jumped in to decorate and taste test all of the delightful yummies.  Kaitlyn and Gillian went back to Las Vegas on Christmas Eve so we celebrated a little early with them.  Everyone enjoyed the gifts.  Christmas morning was a blast in the McVey house.  The boys came down the stairs and were full of excitement, wonder and surprise.  Santa was kind enough to leave new bunk beds made for three.  Very cool.  Fred and Chip spent almost a whole day putting them together.  Now it’s just the nightly battle of who gets to sleep on top.  We don’t have a system yet.

On to the kid updates…Kaitlyn and Gillian still primarily reside in Vegas so that continues to be a challenge for all of us in Reno.  Kaitlyn is doing well in school and is a sophomore this year.  She’s into softball and really involved in church.  Her dad just bought her a car so she’s very excited about that.  Gillian is in middle school and plays the Viola in orchestra.  Gilli is one of the few 6th graders in the advanced orchestra.  She just had her winter concert and I was lucky enough to be in Vegas and could attend.  Those are the moments that are bittersweet.  Glad I could attend but sad that it has to be in Vegas and not Reno.  Every time the big sisters come for a visit the boys are so excited.  They’re also sad when they leave.  Not easy.

Gary, Ben and Ryan are just crazy growing!  They take everything in, want to touch it all and often ask why, what and how come about anything and everything.  TV is big them too.  These days it’s all about Super Why on PBS along with Calliou and Wubzy.  At least there’s variety.  They are so good with technology too.  It’s all about Angry Birds and Zombies.  We put both games on our old laptops as well.  It didn’t take long from a touch screen to maneuvering a mouse and keyboard.  It’s hard to believe that in less than a year they will go to kindergarten.  Over this last year as their personalities are becoming more and more evident.  All three are total extroverts.  Gary is as stubborn as they come.  The red hair fits!  He is the one who always asks why.  More often than not they are great questions.  Ben is still the quieter boy but is smart and funny.  Just recently we learned that he needs glasses.   He looks so cute but best of all we’ve improved his 20/200 vision in one eye.  We felt like bad parents!  I’m sure everything is much clearer for him.   Ryan is our keeper of the rules Chip says he inherited Sherri’s type A.  He gets so excited when he talks that he almost can’t get the sentence out.  It’s so funny.  Ryan is the most sensitive and a little sneaky.  He’s very close with Carter bug.  They are special buddies.

Pulling up the rear is little Carter Bug.  Never has it been more evident that he has left being a baby in the dust and wants to be 4 years old like his big brothers.  At 18 months he’s talking away and on the run to keep up with Gary, Ben and Ryan.  He has the sweetest little laugh.  He’s definitely a ray of sunshine as we hear him giggle and discover how to talk.  He tries to say everything.  I especially like his “peas” when he says please.  His favorite thing lately is Calliou and cars.  We’re a little sad that the baby has moved on to toddler/preschooler.  Carter is also big on books.  He often demands that whoever is around read to him.  It’s a great start!  Between 12 and 18 months it’s almost as if he has awakened.  In the last couple of weeks he’s figured out how to put too words together.  Now when he gets up in the morning he says “Hi Daddy”!  He’s curious and an independent soul.   Last week he had his 18 mos. checkup and he’s officially the size of a two year old!

That’s about it for 2011.  Overall pretty stressful but when we step back it’s OK.  We’re grateful that we have a happy, healthy family and wish the same for our friends and family.  We’re excited to welcome 2012, optimistic for continued good health and prosperity.  Be sure to keep in touch either via email at smcvey707@gmail.com or chip@metaforge.net .  We also have new cell numbers which are:  Sherri:  775-737-3032 and Chip:  775-772-3024.  Of course those of you that are Facebook friends with either of us know that we will continue to post pics and updates often.  Until next year, all the best to you and yours.  Take care and be well.