Friday, November 26, 2010

The feeling of accomplishment is...

so SWEET! I have been trying to get little projects and organization ideas put into motion in several trouble spots around here lately and I got one of them done today! Hoo-rah!

Our front entry was getting overrun with backpacks, boots, snow gear, shoes, etc.--not to mention the pile of 72-hr kits stashed away in the front closet. GRRRR! So, after a lot of thought and a few detours, today it came together. I'll have to post some pics later, when my camera battery is recharged.

Until then, I put up a second board halfway down the back wall of the closet. I bought some hooks for each backpack kit and mounted them on the boards. Now they aren't taking up floor space in the closet and I still have room to hang coats. Plus, since the closet is deep enough, I picked up a 7-hook rack at the dollar store and mounted it on the inside of the closet door to hang all the snow pants. I have enough room to spare for the basket of Sunday shoes AND my vacuum! I love it when things turn out the way you hope.

Even better, for my sanity, I went through all the 72-hr stuff and made a checklist for each backpack. I printed them off and will get them laminated. Now every 6 months, I won't have to start over from scratch when it's time to check off everyone's stuff. WHEW!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010









Yeah, well summer came and went and well...I didn't. So here I am with a minute to waste online. These are some memories from the past few weeks. Sam started junior Wrestling at the high school and this was his first meet. Then we all followed Adam on one of this surveying jobs. The kids had a blast roaming all over the hills while he did his work. Stephen and I satyed in the car and h d a great time watching them all. Sharra and Sam pose for crazy hair day as part of Red Ribbon Week--very personal this year for them with experiences with Uncle Toad. Stephen turned one and Sam lost his first tooth.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

How great to be eight!




My thoughts are still so jumbled about having an eight year old..here's some pictures while I try to sort them all out. Notice the ht. marks next to Sharra's head. She's really grown this past year!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Hooray for Spring Break!


I couldn't find Ne-ne a few days ago and as I searched the house this was what I found! There was a movie blasting and Sharra's CD player going yet she was still able to sleep.
Ginny and Aviendha were playing Halloween and these were their costumes. They would come around the house to different doors with a shopping basket and do the "trick-or-treat" call. But if their pretend homeowners didn't have any candy, they were told to "look again" as both girls pointed their weapons at the door. Hmmm...little worried about this approach.
This is my very favorite picture of Stephen so far!!! This is how he smiles and I absolutely love it. The part of his smile that doesn't show up in still pictures is the whole body wriggle. his arms reach out, his legs just start a-kickin' and he arches his back in excitement. It's pure joy in action and it just melts my heart every time.
The flash on my camera is pretty wimpy so this is not a very good picture. We got to have an Easter egg hunt with the cousins on my side of the family the Friday before Easter. They loved it! And despite all our complications getting down to my parent's house, we were glad we came.
More cousin time the next day as we got to be part of little Trevor's blessing. We made the kids sit still for a few minutes for a picture before changing into play clothes. This was the best shot of about 10 that I took. It's hard to be patient and sit still when there's a full-size trampoline, a playhouse with a slide, and a giant cardboard box to play with downstairs. Not to mention cousins we don't get to see very often! Whew....
Merry Christmas!!! uh...it's April...I mean, Happy Spring Break!

Finally, we got to go to Baby Animal Days over Spring Break. One of our very favorite traditions. As usual the day we picked threatened rain and was freezing!! The worst part though was that when we were getting packed up to go in the morning, the sun was out, the air was warm, and there wasn't a cloud in sight! A half hour later, as we were pulling into the Heritage Center parking lot, dark clouds were moving in and a frigid breeze was blowing; I should know better and come prepared for the worst--this is Cache Valley after all. I was glad I threw a pile of jackets for everyone into the back seat at the last minute as a "just in case"! Gloves, stocking caps, and parkas would have been a better choice. Oh, well.. the cold kept the crowds away and we were able to get through the pony rides, the train ride, and the baby bear exhibit in less than an hour! The kids got to see ducklings, chicks, baby bunnies, piglets, foals, and calves. They participated in the candy cannon launch, tried homemade molasses cookies and got to watch kettle corn be prepared. They got to play all kinds of rhythm instruments from the Arts Alliance and were treated to cotton candy or a rock candy sucker. What a fun day!!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Tubby, little cubby all stuffed with fluff...

or something like that--check out those legs!

Our two little chubbies

Not the best shot, but it shows how big our little man is getting to be. This pic is almost a month old so it doesn't quite do his chunkiness justice. Stephen is now 5 and 1/2 months and over 15 lbs. He hates rice cereal alone, but mixed with peach-banana smoothie... well, I'd find that hard to resist too! He's almost got sitting up mastered and he's starting to learn to put himself to sleep at nap time.

Getting Prepared...

...for whatever. I just have felt a compelling need to get my food storage organized and completed lately. I have felt a whole new respect for the phrase "anxiously engaged in a good cause", for that's the best way you can describe my feelings lately. So, we've been working on getting it set up for a while, but it's such an overwhelming task, esp. for 7 people! -whew- So, then our Stake had a women's conference a while back and I was so excited to go. They were going to have a special food storage class that was supposed to help out with it, make food storage simple, yada yada yada. Well, I ended up missing it due to outside forces, but.. thanks to the world wide web, I found the class info at YouTube. If you're interested and I haven't already told you about it, google Wendy Dewitt. She's amazing! There's a nine part mini series on YouTube that will tell all. In a nutshell you chose seven breakfasts and seven dinners that your family WILL eat, multiply each ingredient by 52 and you'll know right down to the tsp. of salt how much food storage you'll need to have for a year's supply.
Well that was a while back and all this time, in between real life, I've been trying to pull my recipes together. Drum roll, please...da da da--today I finished them (ok, as close to finishing as I've ever been--I've got two or three little things to check on or tweak and then done; so...good enough). And here's what we're going to get 6 months of storage for. I like a little more variety in my meals than just fourteen different choices so we're going to work toward this 6 months and then get new recipes for the next 6 months. It will make a bit more work, but then we're not stuck having things that aren't our favorites over and over and over again.

Breakfasts

Monday:
biscuits with honey or jam
hashbrowns with ketchup
fruit drink

Tuesday:
oatmeal w/ milk, fruit, brown sugar
hot chocolate

Wednesday:
pancakes w/ jam, syrup, or powdered sugar and peaches
hot chocolate

Thursday:
cream of wheat w/ milk and brown sugar
fruit drink

Friday:
muffins w/ jam
bottled fruit
hot chocolate

Saturday:
breakfast casserole w/ ham, sausage, or spinach--ketchup and crystal sauce on top
fruit drink

Sunday:
breakfast cake
bottled fruit
hot chocolate

Dinners (week #1)
Monday 1:
sloppy joes w/ homemade buns
bottled peaches
oatmeal cookies

Tuesday 1:
pork chops w/ green beans
applesauce
rolls

Wednesday 1:
chicken w/red sauce over pasta, topped w/ parmesean
peas
choc. cinnamon cake

Thursday 1:
beef stroganoff over pasta
green beans

Friday 1:
ham and potato shreds casserole
corn
choc chip cookies

Saturday 1:
lemon pepper chicken spaghetti toss
bottled cherries
banana bread (?) OR cinnamon raisin bread

Sunday 1:
bean soup
garlic bread
snickerdoodles

Dinners (week #2)
Monday 2:
meat w/ sweet and sour sauce over rice
pineapple cookies

Tuesday 2:
chicken pot pie
jello w/ mandarin oranges
pumpkin bread

Wednesday 2:
pork and beans w/ rice
pumpkin pie
OR
tasty beans and rice
pumpkin choc chip cookies

Thursday 2:
chili
cornbread
pears

Friday 2:
split pea with chicken soup
biscuits w/ honey
dutch apple pie

Saturday 2:
pork chops with apples
beets
mashed potatoes and gravy

Sunday 2:
greek casserole
corn
sweet rolls

Daily extras:
1:grandpa's wheat bread w/ honey or miracle whip, hot chocolate
2:oatmeal bread w/ jam, fruit drink
3:cornbread w/ honey, smoothies
4:spinach-cheese biscuits, fruit drink mix
5:rice-a-roni, pudding
6:whole wheat pretzels, popcorn, bottled fruit
7:mac and cheese, wheat thins

Once a month treat:
1:tootsie rolls
2:holiday/b'day cake
3:smore's melts
4:no-bake cookies?
5:banana cream pie?
6:caramel popcorn

This last group was my own idea. Over the course of a year or however long you've got to be on your food storage rotation, birthdays, parties, holidays are going to come up. Something out of the ordinary makes it that much more special and helps to make it a true celebration!

Yes, all of these are things that can be stored with a wet pack canner, vacuum sealer, pressure cooker, or original packaging for at least 1 year--I hate rotation, plus I barely have time for it so the less often the better. All the details can be found at Wendy's blogspot:
everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com

Thursday, April 1, 2010

oh, those precious moments!

Before I forget this one I have to blog it. I'm running around like crazy trying to get my kitchen cleaned and laundry done and Ginny brings me her copy of the Book of Mormon. She hands it to me and asks me to read it to Ne-Ne. So I open it up and read the first scripture that I see. It's about if we keep the commandments of God, He'll bless us. I didn't even get to finish the whole scripture before she rips the book from my hands, looks at the page I was on, and says, "He will?! (pause and then big grin on her face) awwww....that's nice. I like Him!" I couldn't help but laugh as I told her it is nice and He likes you too!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Not very flattering

Due to doppleganger week on Facebook, I decided to try this and see who I look like. Meg Ryan was my closest match, which didn't surprise me. I tried several different photos and the one I posted had the closest matches. The funniest matches were the Dalli Lama, Mark Owen, Mikyai (or something like that), and Owen Wilson! Ha ha ha ha!!! And I must be getting old because I also had matches with Angela Landsbury and Leslie Caron. :)

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Grrrrrr!

cooling down is hard to do some days!!!!!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Happy Birthday, Ginny!

To my "bigger and bigger" four-year-old:

I LOVE YOU!!!!

from, Mommy

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Honesty and the letter L


This entry goes along with the funny things kids say. You know how most kids who don't want to be in bed will come up with excuses why they need to be up a little longer? "I'm not tired." "I'm thirsty/hungry." "I want different pj's on." We all know the stall tactics. Well, Ginny's started to pull this routine once again, but rather than use an excuse, she just calls out, "I don't want to be in bed!" while she's lying there over and over until you acknowledge it. Hey, at least she's honest. :)

The other thing I've found funny with her this week is how hard she's trying to say things right. She's been having trouble saying R's like most kids her age, and I guess she's tired of being corrected by older sibs about it. So, instead of the "er" sound, the closest she gets is the L sound. She sounds like a Chinaman learning to speak English with a southern accent. So, insert and "ell" where there should be and "er" and we've got some pretty crazy sentences coming out. "One, two, flee--let's go!" "I blushed my teef!" "I can't leach it." "I'm like a bleedo (burrito)!"

The even funnier thing is that Aviendha's imitating her speech pattterns and changing some of her already correctly pronounced words to the way that Ginny's saying it. Let's hope that Ginny gets the hang of it before Ne-ne has the words down incorrectly! :)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The best b'day gift (if not the best pic)!!!


Cleaning is not my favorite thing, but I do love the fact that I can use it as pondering time for more interesting and important things. Today while washing the bathroom mirror in the kids' bathroom, I remebered the wonderful gift Sharra gave me for my birthday. As usual the Ward Christmas party was scheduled the night of my b'day, so that was our big event for the evening. When Sharra got home from school she rushed into the bathroom like she really had to go. Ii was busy with baby and other kids and getting things ready to depart for the party that evening. A while later she came out with a big smile on her face and said, "Mom, you have to come see the bathroom." I didn't catch on and expected to find a big mess from her siblings in there. Great--just one more thing to have to do before we leave. Nope! Sharra had cleaned the sink, countertops, mirror and wiped up the toilet and bathtub. Then she even emptied the trash can!!! What a sweetheart and what a thoughtful birthday present!!!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

It was a busy, but happy holiday season!

Family parties, opening presents, playing with cousins=good times and memorable holidays!!


Stephen and Kimber share a spot at the head of the table at Chuck-A-Rama.

Stephen's two months old today (Dec 20th)!!!!
The crew--a good pic after about ten crazy ones
Happy Birthday to ME!! (Dec 14th Ne-ne turned two!)
All the kids on Aviendha's 2nd b'day! And, then, Hyrum Holidays up at Hardware Ranch with Grandma and Papa where we got to ride out and see the elk then have hot cocoa, cookies and meet Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Incorrect words are so cute!

At least they are out of the mouths of babes. So, as I was feeding Stephen this morning I was listening to the conversation going at the kitchen table in the next room, and I had this thought--that one of the things I LOVE about little kids is their vocabulary and how much I miss it as they grow. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. Special words used by your child that only your family understands or the incorrect pronunciations that pop out and become standard?

The one that triggered this thought for me this morning was Ginny's use of the word baboons. Not unusual if you're referring to the ape, but that's how she says "balloons". No amount of correcting on our parts has been able to permanently change it. So it got me thinking of others. Sam says "stormtrookers" and used to say "darth mamer". Ginny and Aviendha both call Stephen, "baby teeben". Sharra's lost a lot of hers as she's gotten older and a better reader. But all of the kids still call a sword a "swarg". Aviendha still has trouble with quite a few things move is "moob", stop is "dop", and Ginny is "Din or Dinny".

Cousins get the short end of the stick around here I'm afraid as they are or have been referred to as: No-No (Noah), Tahree (Carly), Madly (Maddee), and Asswin (Ashlyn).

Aviendha's got a lot of cute little phrases, that surprisingly are pronounced correctly. That's prob. due to having so many models jabbering away all the time around here. One that she picked up from Ginny early on was "I want you"--hard to resist. ;) Then there's "not your job!" which she's heard out of my mouth often enough. Adam's favorite "I go to bed?" And the most recent, when someone is bugging her she "threatens" them with "one...two..fee". The problem then is that she doesn't know what to do next to make them do things her way so she starts over just louder and louder until the target gets upset at the annoyance of it all. Then it just becomes a yelling match. (deep breath and I tell myself that someday I'll actually miss this!)