Lovely Lady Fox

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

2012-02-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to hang "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" in my home for a very long time. Problem is I don't like the look of the official one from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. That sounds like sacrilege but it is the truth. It's a funny size that doesn't quite fit in a standard frame without almost cutting off the top or bottom or sides. Of course, I could have had it custom framed but I don't want to pay the high price for that. I've been meaning to design my own for a while and I finally sat down and did it. Here is what I came up with. I designed it with a 11 x 16 inch frame in mind. I should be able to print it up from some photo place and get a regular old frame. I will wait until I find the perfect frame, on sale, of course, and then I'll post a picture of the final product hanging on my wall.

good things:

1. family
2. fun and free fonts
3. a living prophet

I'm Normal. Average.

2012-01-21T13:02:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to a party. I love a good party. The best part about this party was the fact that I made the M. party invitee list. Thank you M! (I've been hoping for that for quite a while.)

While at this party the subject of blogging came up. I admitted that I am a blogger. I did make sure to emphasize the fact that I go through dry spells once in a while. Sometimes it is months between blog posts. Lately I have been pretty consistent. That's good. But it's all besides the point....

It was also mentioned at this party, that I feel pressure to be clever whenever I post something. It doesn't really come across in my posts because I'm not really a clever person but I still feel the pressure. It's heavy. This conversation, the one that occurred at the great party, led me to start thinking. Why do I blog?

I check the list of "My Favorite Blogs", seen on the right side of my blog, often. I like to read about the adventures of friends and family. I like it when someone on my list posts something new on their blog. It makes my day.

It used to be that once in a while I would get caught up in reading a bunch of random blogs about people I had never met. You can go on forever linking blog to blog to blog to blog reading about the lives of strangers. Whenever this would happen, you could bet I'd be starting to feel depressed and sorry for myself. I was bombarding myself with these snapshots into the lives of people who appeared to be perfect. They were clever, smart, beautiful, talented, funny, had perfect families, always seeming to be on vacation, etc. My life never seemed to be as cool as theirs. I don't like to feel sorry for myself. It's a yucky feeling. Strange thing is, I don't ever feel this way when I read the blogs of people I actually know. I guess it's because I know they are real people.

I put a stop to reading random blogs.

I've decided the reason I do this blogging thing is because I am hoping someone out there in the world who has me on their "My Favorite Blogs" list, looks forward to something new coming from me. If it makes my day when someone I know blogs, then maybe I can make some one's day just by posting on mine. Okay, that might be stretching my influence beyond where it realistically reaches, but it is fun to hope. Truthfully, I want to make people feel good when they read something I've posted. I never want them to feel sorry for themselves or depressed. I don't want my blog to be a place where only the really good stuff goes. I don't want it to be a place where I only rant and rave either. I want it to be the plain and simple truth. A place that is safe to be myself.

So today's post is to prove to everyone that reads this, stranger or no, that I am a real person who isn't always on vacation, whose kids aren't always perfect, who really isn't all that smart, or funny. I'm just average. Normal.

This is proof:

I am the kind of person who has "good" days.

I also have "bad" days.

I have "dirty kitchen" days. (Sometimes those lasts more than just a day.)

My kitchen. This morning.

I have "clean kitchen" days.

I have "huge piles of dirty laundry" days.

I have "fold the clothes when they come right out of the dryer" days.

I have "fend for yourself" days.

I have "Sure! I'll make dinner tonight" days.

I have "I'm ready to go by 6 a.m" days. (Kinda far between these ones.)

I have "I haven't had a shower yet" days.

I have "I'm not answering the phone" days,

I have "I'm happy to do that for you today" days.

I have "my house is a wreck" days.

I have "my house has been vacuumed" days.

I have "what is that smell?" days,

I have "I just weeded the garden" days.

I have "who lives at this house with the jungle in the backyard?" days.

I have "dirty car" days.

I have "clean car" days.

I have "I put on make-up" days.

I have "I'm letting my face breath" days.

I have "I think I killed that plant" days.

I have "I made that myself" days.

I have "I bought that and put it on a platter so it looks like I didn't buy it" days.

I have "yummy" days.

I have "I forgot to set the timer so I burned it" days.

I have "I yelled at my kids" days.

I have "my husband just brought me flowers" days.

You get the point. I win some and I lose some.

good things:

1. truth

2. good days

3. friends who still love me even when I have "I forgot your birthday" days.

It Feels Good to Make Stuff

2012-01-15T16:55:00.000-08:00

This is what I've been making.

It felt good to make stuff.

A simple skirt with a big bow right in front.

I've seen several of these on Pinterest and I think they are so cute and feminine.

The one from my Pinterest account

She looks so cute.

I love these fabric flowers. I think I've made a million of them. I have the stuff to make a million more so if you want some give me a call.

12 Things for 2012

2012-01-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

I'm going to set 12 goals for 2012. Twelve because it's 2012. Sounds like a good idea to me. I figure I'd better get these goals set before the year is over. If I don't, I might not get anywhere.

1. Read out of (or listen to) my scriptures every single day. No exceptions.

***The scriptures are way too accessible to not read. There are the regular printed ones and then the digital ones; on my phone, iPod, and computer. I can read them or I can listen to them. So far, so good.

2. Finish the laundry room.

***All I gotta do is paint the doors and get the door knobs on. Shouldn't be too hard.

3. Practice the piano.

***I want to be a regular practicer. Three times a week for at least 30 minutes. That seems reasonable.

4. Play another piano solo in sacrament meeting.

***It just about killed me to do the last one and I swore I wouldn't do it ever again, but I figure if I'm going to be a piano player I must play.

5. Go to the temple at least once every 3 weeks.

***It isn't reasonable for me to say every week (even though that seems practically perfect) because every week a million things come up, but I'm pretty sure I can work it into my schedule to go approximately 17 times this year.

6. Get stronger.

***I'm a wimp. There is no muscle on my body and I'm sick of it. Here comes INSANITY.

Oh man.... I'm half way through and I can only think of these 6 things. Guess I'll have to re-number them...

2. Read out of (or listen to) my scriptures every single day. No exceptions.

***The scriptures are way too accessible to not read. There are the regular printed ones and then the digital ones; on my phone, iPod, and computer. I can read them or I can listen to them.

4. Finish the laundry room.

***All I gotta do is paint the doors and get the door knobs on. Shouldn't be too hard.

6. Practice the piano.

***I want to be a regular practicer. Three times a week for at least 30 minutes. That seems reasonable.

8. Play another piano solo in sacrament meeting.

***It just about killed me to do the last one and I swore I wouldn't do it ever again, but I figure if I'm going to be a piano player I must play.

10. Go to the temple at least once every 3 weeks.

12. Get stronger.

***I'm a wimp. There is no muscle on my body and I'm sick of it. Here comes INSANITY.

There they are! 12 new goals for myself. Good job me.

good things:

1. a clean start

2. being able to finally admit my weaknesses

3. lds tools

A Trip to the Magical Kingdom

2012-01-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

Bare with me on this one.

I have to post a million pictures. We had such a great time at Disneyland we could hardly contain ourselves. We rode just about every ride in both California Adventure and at Disneyland. (We only skipped things like the carrousel.) We ate a million churros, several dozen Mickey beignets, hot dogs, corn dogs, popcorn, dole whips, ribs, cornbread, strawberry shortcake, mint juleps, cotton candy, turkey legs, and corn on the cob. We saw "World of Color", "Fantasmic", "Aladdin", and the holiday fireworks. Disneyland is really quite amazing. We stood in line a lot, walked a gazillion miles everyday, played hard, ate good, and slept good. We hot tubbed it, rode in a stretch limo, splash mountain-ed it, battled grizzly rapids, went to space, turned into bugs, became cartoons, got dizzy, laughed really hard, spun in circles, got sucked into the twilight zone, went diggin' in an ancient ruin, fast pass-ed, soared over California, ran, walked, and sat. We were busy all day long. (One night I even dreamed I was still riding rides at Disneyland.)

And.... We took a bazillion silly pictures. It helped pass the time while waiting. There is no rhyme or reason to them. We did silly faces, sad faces, happy faces, and self-portraits. Even some that were, "Take a picture of this!" pictures. We are weird and we know it.

Adia got WAY scared by Cruella DeVille.

Disneyland is da' bomb!

good things:

1. tummy tickler rides
2. spending time with family
3. sleeping in comfortable beds after a long day

A Bit of Christmas

2012-01-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to post a big thing about Christmas. Just two pictures.

However, I will say that we had a wonderful day. Going to church on Christmas was a really great way to remember and reflect on the real meaning behind the holiday.

Christmas Time Performing

2011-12-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Recitals, performances, plays, and musical numbers.... I love to see my kids showing off all of their hard work. They have been practicing, practicing, and practicing!

Hamilton's 4th grade class put on "A Christmas Carol". They did such a darling job and the whole thing put a huge smile on my face. Miss Haney (his teacher) is wonderful with the kids and pulled off a great production. I heard there were over 200 people at the final performance.

As soon as it was announced that there would be tryouts in the 4th grade for the parts in this play Hams when to work. He started memorizing lines and working on his little cockney accent. He was really into it. When the cast list was put together he was given the part of Bob Crachet. It was perfect for him. We headed to the thrift store and picked out items of clothing we thought we could convert into a great little costume. He doubted what I picked out but when he saw it come together he was pleased. He was so cute in his fingerless gloves and top hat.

The opening scene

Bob Crachet is cold and wants to put more wood on the fire but Scrooge won't let him.

God bless us, everyone.

Finally Scrooge is being nice.

The joyful singing at the end.

The whole cast and a few of the Kindergarteners.

Bob Crachet

Hams LOVED being on stage in the spotlight.

Here is Hams with his wonderful teacher Miss Haney. (Soon to me Mrs. Antoniono) We love her!

Something I found surprising was how much Adia was involved with this play. She lead the kindergarteners with their song, played the piano for the "Deck The Halls" scene, was in charge of the bell tolling, iPod music playing in between scenes, and she made sure the spotlight people did what they were supposed to. I could see her 'red' personality come right out and shine.

Adia at the piano.

The two older kids have been taking voice lessons for quite a while now. Miss Dana has been a wonderful voice teacher. This year the kids picked out their Christmas songs way back in October and started working hard on getting them just right. Orin's song (the one he picked in October) turned out to be impossible to get a minus track to or even sheet music for. He had to switch at the last minute to a Stevie Wonder song. It was cute, but he didn't have it as perfected as he really wanted. He had to have a cheat sheet for the lyrics but he did a fine job in the end.

Adia was so comfortable with her song and knew it so well that she actually forgot to get nervous before she got on stage. Funny thing is, I think being a little nervous keeps your head in the game. She got up on the stage and proceeded to forget her lyrics. Whoops. I think she sang the 2nd verse over and over. She did a great job just smiling through it. When she was finished and came to sit back down by me she said, "Oh well."

All three kids played a Christmas song at their piano recital too. They did a great job! They are all starting to be real piano players, not just kids who tap out one note at a time. I am really loving it.

The kids have been very happy to show off their piano skills everywhere they go. They have played in Primary, at school, at FHE, and even at a friend's baptism. I think they are all excited to see their own progress. Music is a life long skill!

The other day the kids were all bored, so they said, and so I took over. I made them all play a game with me. I flashed a musical note flashcard in front of them and they had to be lightning fast at writing down the note name. Hams has some serious note naming skills. Orin was pretty good too, but, although Adia could find the note on the piano keyboard very fast, it took her some serious thinking to actually name the note. We all thought it was funny. I also made them clap or count out loud different rhythms. As silly as it seems, it turned into some pretty good family fun. Next time when they are all bored I'm going to make them memorize the circle of 5ths. We sure know how to have a good time around here!

good things:
1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
2. spoonfuls of sugar (work turned fun!)
3. hearing the piano being tinkered with and played

Gingerbread Party

2011-12-16T06:25:00.000-08:00

This year I almost decided to skip the annual gingerbread house party. That didn't fly with the kids or Jake. I am so glad I didn't skip the tradition. It wouldn't be Christmas at our house without it. We had some great company, delicious food, and way too much fun playing with candy.

We started out the evening with a few videos from lds.org. Including one of the brand-new Bible story videos. Jake also showed a video I had never before seen called, The Coat. Check it out here. If that video doesn 't share the Christmas Spirit, I don't know what would. It's adorable and so very sweet.

The last few years, it seems, has brought on a fierce competition. I tried to tell them all it was NOT a competition, but no one listens to me.

There was no better way to spend the evening than with a handful of frosting, a plate full of goodies, and wonderful friends.

good things:

1. old friends (I don't mean age here people.)
2. new friends
3. a home that held us all miraculously

2011 Kara Music Awards

2011-12-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

The winner of the "Kara's Favorite New Christmas Song of 2011" is......

drum roll......

FaLaLa by Jim Brickman featuring Genevieve Bellemare!

loud clapping....

Adorable song. I love the words, the voice, the rhythm, everything. Not my favorite video but it will do.

good things:

1. Christmas caroling
2. new traditions
3. old traditions

True Story

2011-12-03T20:47:00.001-08:00

Here is a true story. It happened just yesterday.

I bought 2 pieces of delicious pie from the local bakery. One was key lime, the other was coconut cream. I got them to go. I arrived at home with both pieces. As I stood in the living room talking to my children and two of their friends, I dropped the key lime piece. The carton opened up and the pie splattered onto the carpet. Guess who came to the rescue.

None of my children. Only their friends. One asked if they could get me a rag to clean it up with. The other started gathering bits of graham cracker crust.

What were my children doing while all of this was happening? Staring at the television of course. (Dang that Disney Channel!) Ugh. I wish my children would have thought of doing those things. I guess I should give Hamilton 1/2 credit. He held Tootsie so she wouldn't get any whipped cream on her nose. Wasn't that thoughtful?

I think I'll go eat some coconut cream pie now.

good things:
1. pie
2. good friends
3. dirty carpet that hides pie stains :)

The Days of Joseph...

2011-11-27T21:03:00.001-08:00

All three kids decided to take the plunge and enter into the drama world. They all tried out to be in the community play "Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". They all made it; the boys into the children's chorus, and Adia into the general cast. It was an intense play to be a part of because there were millions of hours spent at the high school practicing and there were millions and millions of Facebook messages sent out. I got real sick of those real quick! Most days the kids didn't want to go to practice but when they came home they couldn't stop talking about it. They always had a blast.

Of course Fallon is full of really talented people who spent hours directing, choreographing, costuming, set building, prop making, etc. Not only were there a ton of kids on stage, there were tons of people working behind the scenes to make it all come together. And it did come together. I didn't get to see the first 4 performances. More on that later. But I didn't miss the last 4. It was a pleasure to sit out with the audience and be entertained.

All 3 kids said they would enter the drama world again any day. Well, actually, they were pretty exhausted by the end, but they would be happy to do it again after taking a break for a few months.

As for my contribution to the play... The costumers asked me if I would be willing to take on a project. It happened to be a project I ended up loving. As I sewed my heart out, spending about 30 hours, maybe more, I was blessed to see many tender mercies come my way. Who knew you could learn valuable lessons on listening to the Spirit while sewing a costume? I didn't. But now I do. Elder Richard G. Scott has said that we can receive direction from the Spirit while working on mechanical things just as we can while working on spiritual things. So true. (See the conversation with Richard G. Scott on the Mormon Channel.)

My job was to accomplish these 4 steps: (1) go shopping, (2) pick out fabric, (3) design, and (4) sew an Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. One that would fit the star of the show, open up into a perfect circle, handle some serious wear and tear, and allow for long, colorful streamers to attach to it during the finale. A challenge for any seamstress.

This is what I started with.

You want to know about all those tender mercies I mentioned before? They all started with the finding of the fabric. I wandered around 3 different fabric stores for a really long time. I even searched a few thrift stores for fabric looking for things like old shirts, sheets, curtains, anything I could turn into an Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I love Home Fabrics. I was able to find really wonderful "gold" fabric on the clearance pallet. And I was "lead" to what turned out to be just the right accent fabric. At JoAnn Fabrics, I found all the colors of the rainbow satins (actually polyester) on a super, duper great Halloween fabric sale. I was trying to keep the cost down as much as possible. Just finding the right fabric turned out to be a miracle. Another miracle? I was buying fabric without knowing just how much I would need. Miraculously, I bought just the right amount of them all. That was a big tender mercy! I wouldn't have had another chance to run to Reno to pick up more if I had needed it. Step 1 & 2 were done. Phew.

Along with the beautiful fabric I picked out myself, the costumers gave me a gorgeous piece of Egyptian tent fabric. I loved this fabric. I didn't get a picture of it though. Bummer. Doing step 3 allowed for the inspiration to flow. I spent many an hour worrying and praying over the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat's design. I am good at following a pattern. I have lots of experience doing that, but I haven't had much experience designing, making up, or merging patterns. I'm quite new at that. And of course there wasn't an "Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" pattern in the Butterick, Simplicity, or Vogue pattern books. Miraculously it came to me piece by piece. Some in the middle of the night. Some in the shower. Some while sitting at the sewing machine. All of it came just when I needed it. I am grateful for those experiences where the inspiration flowed.

As for the sewing part... First, I had to cut out each part and piece of the coat. I decided I would cut the pieces out as I added them to the coat. The reason I chose to do it this way is because cutting is permanent. You can't glue fabric back together if it gets cut wrong. And remember, I wasn't sure if I would have enough of the fabric even without making mistakes while cutting. I managed to cut things out perfectly the first time. A miracle when you consider all the geometry and math I had to use while trying to figure out how the coat might open up into a full circle. And, while actually sewing I rarely made a mistake. I didn't have to unpick much. Truly another miracle.

My mother taught me that the inside of a garment you sew should look as good as the outside. And, this Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat really did! It was lined in gold, had bias tapes, perfectly matching designs, and French seams. It was sturdy too. I was even inspired as to how to add the loopy things on the inside which would be used to attach those fancy colorful ribbons at the finale. (That had to be changed later, but it was still inspiration.)

It was the afternoon of the day before the dress rehearsal when I received a telephone call from my Grandpa informing me that my Grandma was in the hospital. He didn't know what was wrong with her yet. She was in the ICU. That was all he knew. I wanted to leave Fallon and go help him. I was almost finished with the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I needed to add the last of the bias tapes and then do the hand sewing. (The last seam of the lining had to be stitched down by hand.) I couldn't leave right then and there because I HAD to finish the coat first. I was beside myself. Turns out the timing was a tender mercy too because I ended up needing to pick my mom up from the airport in Reno the next morning.

Here are some pictures of the coat...

The sleeve at the shoulder.

The top front of the bodice.

The back of the coat bodice.

The sleeve cuff.

One of 5 large peplums. There were also 8 small peplums around the waist of the coat.

The whole coat. Front.

The whole coat. Back.

Now for some pictures from the actually play. Most of the pictures have dark heads in the foreground. At the last minute "Big Head Man" sat directly in front of me. I was annoyed.

Hamilton in the opening scene.

A blurry picture of Orin in the opening scene.

The coat makes its entrance.

The coat makes a beautiful circle!

Swirl Joseph!

I just wish the coat would have been velcroed correctly.

Orin watching on from his seat on stage.

Adia in the "Go Go" scene. I'm loving the pink hair!

Adia is the cow girl on the right hand side. She was hard to recognize with that mask.

A beautiful Egyptian.

I love Adia's expression in this photo. Something about it makes me smile. She is right in the middle.

Hamilton in the finale.

Orin was a natural on stage. Here he is in the finale singing his heart out.

The coat with all the rainbow trimmings in the finale. And BIG HEAD MAN!! Sheesh.

I am grateful for experiences like the one I had with this play. My kids tried something new. I learned many lessons. And miracles happened.

good things:

1. inspiration

2. family

3. talents

4. miracles

Tricks and Treats

2011-10-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Halloween around here is fun. The kids love to dress up and I love to make costumes. I love that all the children get to run "amok, amok, amok". (That's from Hocus Pocus.) And I love that it is a holiday that is all about the candy... What other holiday can you say that about? Here are the costumes from this year.

Here is the sneaky candy thief Hamilton.

Adorable!

Harry "Orin" Potter

So serious but so handsome.

The pretty fairy Adia.

Fly fairy, fly!

The creepy Vampiress.

Scary!

The Honorable Judge Jacob.

The whole Adams, I mean, Sommer Family.

Happy Halloween 2011!

good things:

1. chocolate

2. wigs

3. make-up

My Favorite Thing

2011-10-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of favorite things.

But, my most favorite of all those favorites is music. My heart eats, sleeps, and breathes music.

I must get it from my Grandma Pearl. She loved music too.

This time of year I always want to break out the Christmas music and holiday playlist. My "Holiday Playlist" has 1456 songs, 3.5 days, or 7.6 GB. I've got to start on it early. Jake says I need to wait until after Halloween. I can't do it. I can't wait. Besides, music about the Savior.... That's good anytime of the year.

I thought I'd share a song that is absolutely amazing. When I listen to this on my iPod with my Bose headphones it takes me to another place. It feels like heaven. It literally will bring me to tears every time.

Andrea Bocelli and Katherine Jenkins. Two people with the voices of angels and they make it look so effortless. If only...
(Check out the bottom of that dress!)

I Believe

One day I'll hear the laugh of children

In a world where war has been banned.

One day I'll see men of all colours

Sharing words of love and devotion.

Stand up and feel the Holy Spirit

Find the power of your faith.

Open your heart to those who need you

In the name of love and devotion.

Yes, I believe.

I believe in the people of all nations

To join and to care for love.

I believe in a world where light will guide us

And giving our love we'll make heaven on earth.

I believe in the people of all nations

To join and to care for love.

I believe in a world where light will guide us

And giving our love we'll make heaven on earth.

Yes, I believe.

I believe in the people of all nations

To join and to care for love.

I believe in a world where light will guide us

And giving our love we'll make heaven on earth.

We'll make heaven on earth.

I believe.

good things
1. iPods
2. music that fills the soul
3. puffs with lotion

Slide Show

2011-10-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

My Grandma passed away on September 30, 2011. She will be very missed. My dear Adia was asked to sing at her memorial. While she was practicing the night before, I pulled out my iPhone and recorded her. It isn't a perfect recording and she was just practicing, but it turned out way too sweet to not share with all of you. I put the recording to some random pictures. Again, not perfect pictures, but they all make me happy.

Enjoy!

(My Dad is playing the organ.)

You can get the sheet music for this song HERE along with lots of other free music.

good things:

1. grandmas
2. singing
3. cameras

Video test

2011-10-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

I know. Dorky. But I just had to see if I could send the video from my phone to my blog at the push of a button. Dorky is now cool.

good things:

1. the children's bedtime
2. down time
3. popcorn

Blogging test

2011-10-15T14:43:00.001-07:00

I just got a new iPhone and I am trying to see if i can mobile blog.

Sent from my iPhone

Pictures of Adia

2011-10-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

I didn't take my camera with me when I went to California last weekend. Silly me. I should always take my camera. Good thing my mom brought hers.

The evening was so beautiful on Saturday. The weather was perfect. So was the lighting. Adia took one look at the orchard across the street and decided she needed to be in an impromptu photo shoot. Adia grabbed her grandma, because she had a camera, and went running across the street to the neighbors orchard. They crossed a ditch and stepped in some mud, but they had fun. Half way through the photo shoot they yelled over to me, "We need a book and some flowers." I ran around the yard cutting some random flowers and then ran in the house and grabbed an old book. I guess props are important to a photo shoot.

Here are a few of the pictures my mom took. I think the subject matter is pretty cute. Remember, we are not professionals. We are just regular people with a regular camera and a Photobucket account.

good things:

1. orchards

2. flowers

3. grandmas

Trip to CA

2011-10-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

I literally have about one minute to post something so I am warning you all that it won't be super exciting.

In my family, whenever there are more than 2 people gathered, we call it a party. My brother and his family, my mom and my grandparents had gathered and so there was a party. I didn't want to miss it if I could help it. I took Adia (the boys had too much going on) and we headed over the mountain for a quick trip to be with the party.

While in CA, we hit McDonalds for breakfast. Of course. We stopped off at a Goodwill and found all kinds of sweet stuff for Halloween. We talked, rather yelled, a lot. (We only have a + volume control on our family remote.) We "computed". We stayed up late. We ate apple pie. We went to Wheatland to visit a really great pumpkin patch. We raided the garden for pumpkins and cornstalks and dead artichokes and raided the candy bar closet for candybars. We laughed and some of us even cried a little. It was sad to have to leave. Here are just a few pictures of all the happenings.

Papa and Grammy took us to a really big pumpkin patch. There were lots and lots of people and lots and lots of pumpkins everywhere.

We stopped and took a few pictures among the big pumpkins in the patch.

Here is Grandma J. with just 2 of her girlie grandkids.

All these guys have "Trouble" as their middle name.

Me and Grammy.

Grammy and Papa posing for a new profile picture for Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. I think it turned out nice.

Of course we all had to get in on the fun.

This is me, Adia, and Mercedes carrying all the corn stalks from the "orchard" to my car. (Can I still call it the "orchard" even though there are not as many trees as there once was?) I love that I can get free porch decorations whenever I go to CA.

We picked all the pumpkins from Papa's patch.

I decorated the porch when I got home with all the goodies I got.

good things:

1. free stuff

2. parties

3. a family who knows how to have a really great time at a thrift store.

Orin the little Master Chef

2011-10-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

Lately Orin has been wanting to cook and bake stuff. He is finally starting to come out of the "I don't like any of this food" stage. I swear he has been in it since he was 2. Hamilton is still in it and it's such a drag. Anyways, Orin decided one day that he would make ebelskivers. He was so cute to watch. He carefully measured out all the ingredients, whipped the eggs, and folded in the egg whites. It didn't take him too long to figure out the cooking technique: brush with butter, fill, wait, turn with skewers, wait, stab, and lift. He was very intent on doing it all himself and he did a fabulous job.

Ebelskivers are a yummy, little, sphere shaped pancake. You can fill them with all kinds of goodies but Orin just kept them simple. I'm sure it won't be long and he will be dishing out gourmet ones. Here is a recipe for you to try out... if you have the right kind of pan.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 TBSP granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, separated

1 cup whole milk

2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Maple syrup for serving

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and milk. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture, using a wooden spoon stir until well blended. The batter will be lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry, peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.

Brush the wells of the ebelskiver pan with some of the melted butter and place over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add about 3 TBSP batter to each well.

Cook until the bottoms of the pancakes are lightly browned and crisp, 3-5 minutes. Use 2 wooden skewers to turn all the pancakes and cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 3 minutes longer.

Dust warm pancakes with confectioner's sugar and serve right away.

Makes about 21 pancakes.

Orin also decided one day that he wanted to make some ice cream. I had never before made any but he was determined to do it all on his own. He didn't need me. He went straight to work reading the instructions. He made raspberry ice cream. YUM! I didn't get a good picture of the outcome just a bad one with my phone, but I'll share it anyhow. I thought it was cute that he added the cherry on top.

Now I just need to get him to make dinner every night.

good things:

1. stoves

2. freezers

3. cream

New Responsibilities

2011-09-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

I found out about two weeks ago that I was going to be released from my Young Women's calling. (Our Young Women's President got called to the Stake.) I was bummed. I've been hangin' with the Mia Maids for about 2 years and for several years before that I was hangin' with the Beehives. Serving in the Young Women's organization can be tough. It is for sure the busiest and most intense calling I've ever experienced, but also SUPER rewarding. I love, love, love, my young women! Yes, I consider them MINE! They are some beautiful, tough cookies. They are strong and courageous. Definitely worthy of some cute stripling warriors. (They love good, cute boys.) I figured my days of serving in Young Women's were over.

That was not to be.

Instead, I got called to step up and fill the shoes of Sister Jamieson as Young Women president. Whoa! I wasn't expecting that, but, thankfully, it feels right and I'm excited. I am grateful I still get to be with my girls. A few of them have had me when they were Beehives, Mia Maids, and now Laurels. They just haven't been able to shake me.

I love my girls. I am loving the women I get to serve with and I am loving that I get to be in Young Women's. Still.

**Can a Young Women's president get a subscription to People Magazine? I've always wanted one.

Good things:

1. people who lead with love

2. teenage girls who want to do what's right

3. supportive family

Shabby Apple

2011-09-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

I love this website. It is full of amazing dress designs with most, if not all of them, being modest. Modest AND stylish. Adorable. I plan on making a few darling dresses like these someday when I have a minute to learn how to use my dress form properly. (See the last part of the previous post dated, 9/10/11.) If I'm going to spend the money (sewing is NOT cheap), and the time, I want it to fit right. I probably should work on my sit-ups too because most of these types of dresses require a pretty little waistline-- something of which I lack.

Any-hoo... I can always wish.

good things:

1. modest dresses
2. girls being feminine
3. having wishes

Swiss Days, Sassy Hair, and Sewing

2011-09-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

I want to post a million pictures but I'll opt for only ....... 12.

Swiss Days

We had such a great time in Utah over the Labor Day weekend. We arrived in Midway, Utah in the middle of the night. Something like 2:30 a.m. Put up our tent in the chilly and damp dark. Played hard. Shopped hard. Roasted giant mallows. Smelled bad. Looked bad. Walked a lot. And talked, and talked, and talked. When my family gets together, we all like to stick together. Where one person goes, we all go. Fun stuff. Papa and Grammy were definitely missed this year. I think it was the first time they didn't go to Swiss Days in probably 30 years. It wasn't quite the same without them.

Here are a few pictures of the great weekend.

All the million people at Swiss Days enjoying the best craft show EVER! No old lady crafts allowed here! This picture was taken late Saturday evening. Nice size crowd considering most of the stuff was sold and gone by then. Pretty popular place to be on Labor Day Weekend.

Someone called these boys "Muddy Buddies". I thought it was an appropriate name.

The kids spent a lot of time in the creek. Nice and cool water to enjoy during the hot afternoons.

Mercedes enjoyed looking at, but NOT touching, the caterpillars.

Ethan had his first birthday. Beautiful blue eyed baby!

Jacob's Mom and Step Dad came and spent a night. It was wonderful to have them join us. They are great company.

Tootsie enjoyed the hammock. Notice the pillow and blanket. She thinks she is such a people!

Sassy Hair

I went about 2 years coloring my hair red with black. Then I decided it was time for a change. I wanted to go all the way red so I tried that. I wanted it to be the color of Allison Iraheta's hair.

It was almost the right color. Thing is, the red fades way too fast for me. I felt like I needed to go in every 3 weeks and have it re-dyed. Too expensive. So I switched again. To this...

Boring. Brown. Simple. Adia flipped out, "You ruined your hair Mom! It's black!" Like she was going to die or something. It's not black. Just dark brown. Silly girl. Jake really liked it. He said it reminded him of...

...Kristen Stewart? Pshssst. Whatever!

Sewing

I love to sew. This weekend I made two dresses. The first, which I will not post a picture of, turned out darling but I made it WAY too small. So much for using my dress dummy. Evidently I need to learn how to use it right. I will post a picture of the dress when I can actually fit in it. The second one I whipped together in about an hour flat. Top to bottom, including tracing the pattern, laying and cutting it out, and sewing. (I even impressed Jake.) Easy peasy. I got the FREE Maxi Dress pattern from here. I made mine longer than the original pattern. It is super comfy and I want to make about 10 more. All different patterns and colors.

good things:

1. down sleeping bags

2. audio books (for listening to while driving)

3. hobbies

Just a Blurb

2011-08-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here is just a little blurb about a few things...

We have done a ton of weeding in the backyard. This is what happens the moment we are done for the day. White carpets don't stay white very long with dirty shoes around.

Orin loves to grow things. He's good at it! (Next year he is going to be in charge of the garden.) This sunflower is his baby. It has mostly outgrown its pot but next year he has plans for a whole row of them.

I have always thought Nevada has some of the most beautiful sunsets. I made Jacob go on a walk to get a better view of this one. I should have driven out to the desert for an unobstructed view. Still, it was lovely.

Doesn't he look nice with that rosy glow? He doesn't like pink much but I thought it was nice.

Orin is always so easy going. He doesn't mind mowing the lawn. Usually.

Hams is always trying to get out of working. While Orin was mowing the lawn, guess what Hams was up to. Hams was busy riding Orin's bike! (His own is really tiny.) He's always sneaking away to get in a ride. Look how serious he looks. He thinks he's so awesome. By the way, he wants a new bike just his size for Christmas.

Speaking of bikes... Adia sure needs a new one. This thing is super tiny. She has her eyes on a cruiser. Those big seats have me kinda interested too. :)

This picture I just threw in for fun. Sometimes I can't believe how much "Sommer" Adia has in her. Doesn't look like much "Jones" at all. A bit of news: Adia just tried out for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" this week. We are rooting for her to get in!

good things:
1. colorful sunsets
2. healthy kids
3. daddies who love their girls!

Young Women Expressions

2011-08-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at YW's last night. I hope all the girls did too. Some girls are a bit more camera shy than others but I love them all!

Our video is tiny. I don't know how to get it bigger and when you make it full screen it is not good quality. That makes me sad.

(I had to change our slideshow theme to fit the music. Sorry girls. No funny shattering of faces....)

If anyone wants a copy of this, I can put it on a CD or DVD. Just let me know.

First Day of School

2011-08-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

We started school last week and man, oh man, were the kids excited. All three got into the charter school so the prospect of a new school made it even more thrilling. The three kids are SUPER close friends and they loved the idea of being together at the same school again. I'm loving the uniforms!

Hams the 4th grader

Orin the 6th grader

Adia the 8th grader

The gang

good things:

1. kids who like each other

2. kids who like to learn

3. kids who roll out of bed without complaining

Blog Background Help

2011-08-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know, I really like to do some digital scrapbooking. I don't get much time to do it and I'm a new-bie, but I still like it.

Using the same techniques as digital scrapbooking, I have made my own blog background and headers before but I think it is time for an update. This is where I need your help. I've just added a new background but I need to know if it shows up on your end looking right. I've got to figure out the size/pixel thing so it is viewable on all browsers.

Please leave a comment and tell me if it looks right and fills up your whole screen or if it is too small or too big. Also, if you tell me what Internet browser you are using that will help me.

Thanks a million!!

Temples

2011-08-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of some beautiful temples.

The Salt Lake Temple

The Mount Timpanogos Temple

The Oquirrh Mountain Temple

(photo taken by Annette...thanks!)

14 Years

2011-08-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

14 years can fly by.

Don't blink or you might miss it.

One day it's this.

Then this...

and then this.

Les Miserables

2011-07-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of the musical Les Miserables since, well... forever. My love for the music only became stronger after my Aunt Yvonne took me to see it in Dallas, TX when I was about 14. I have never forgotten that experience. It left something etched inside of me. I, of course, couldn't pass it up when it came to Salt Lake City a few years later.

My dad would always indulge my Les Miserables dream by accompanying me almost whenever I wanted to pretend I was Eponine or Fantine. I think I must have driven him, and the rest of my family, nuts when I sang On My Own or I Dreamed a Dream over and over.

I have wanted to check out the Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert on DVD for quite some time now. I was bummed when Netflix didn't have it for instant download. But today I was finally able to convince my family that we just had to see it so we rented it from Redbox. I made everyone sit and watch it. I even said something cheesy like, "You must all watch this and listen with your souls." (I'm not even sure what that means.)

As I sat watching (and listening with my soul) it all came back to me. I really do love the message and meaning this musical carries with it. It was well worth my time. I recommend it to everyone. ***

Also, if you have a 1500 pages worth of time on your hands you really should read the book by Victor Hugo.

Here is the encore performance from that DVD of the Jean Valjean quartet. Beautiful.

***Disclaimer....There are several bad words in this musical. Just thought I would warn you ahead of time.

The Poor Boy

2011-07-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hamilton is a child with a very distinct personality.

He's funny. Always has been. He loves to pull practical jokes on us.

He has swagger. (I didn't teach him that because I don't have any of my own.)

He has a pretty explosive temper. He has really done well with trying to keep it in check. He knows he can't hurt anyone, himself, or anything. (Mostly he is allowed to scream into his pillow.)

He has this smooth way of getting out of work. Somehow he gets everyone else to do his chores. He's sneaky that way.

He wears his heart on his sleeve.

He REALLY wants to be good and obedient.

He is athletic. He thinks he is the awesome-est at soccer.

He is loving and is always giving me complements.

He, evidently, can wing a talk at anytime.

And, he is a very picky eater.

Several months ago, probably six, I took away all cold cereal from my children. (Keep in mind that this is what was keeping Hams alive.) I was tired of Hamilton not eating ANYTHING I would make. I was also tired of the wasted bowls of cereal. I had had enough of it. Slowly we have all adjusted to the change. And thankfully no one has died.

I finally told the children they could eat any of the leftover, 6 month old cereal that was in the pantry. Thing is, anything left is nothing that great. This is what I found the poor boy eating this morning...

What 9 year old will eat All-Bran? At least he is smiling.

Be of Good Cheer

2011-07-03T00:23:00.000-07:00

In preparing for my young women lesson I re-read Pres. Monson's talk from the April 2009 General conference. (You can read that HERE.) What a powerful message he gave. Powerful and heart wrenching. The scriptures teach "... that all these things shall give [us] experience, and shall be for [our] good." (D&C 122:7) It takes faith to put our trust in God. I just pray that when I am called to face challenges and opposition I will have the necessary strength inside me to replace fear with faith.

Ten Things I'm Grateful For

2011-07-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a little bitty list of things I'm grateful for today.

1. Good friends who can love my kids like I do.
2. A dog who thinks she is a people.
3. Young women who listen and love and forgive.
4. A husband that is willing to hang out with a bazillion girls and take care of them too.
5. Fast computers.
6. Hot summer days.
7. The Andy Griffith Show.
8. Audio books.
9. Twitter and the connection it brings my family.
10. My freedom.

A Few Random Happenings

2011-01-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

When you are an average person you have an average life.

I am an average person with an average life.

I REALLY like it that way but it can sometimes lead to boring blog posts. Or at the least, lead to long periods of time where I don't post because there is not much to report to all the world. (I'm trying to avoid that this time.) Even though we are not-too-exciting-average people, we have stayed really busy lately so here is a boring blog post to all the world of a few random household happenings.

Early in December we had our annual gingerbread house making party. I just wish I could invite everyone I know but my house just isn't big enough. Dang it! We had some great fun creating miniature homes of candy. I can't wait to do it again next year.

The Bartons.

My kiddos. They didn't need (or want) my help or Jake's.

The Sorensons.

The Chappells and Holts.

The fabulous Hubbards.

A few of the Koenigs.

The Lords family with their Hagrid Hut.

We had a bit of snow one day and the kids took advantage of it by making a snowman.

We tried to go sledding too but by the time we looked for a good spot, the snow was gone and we pretty much just drove around in the mud. So we gave up.

We went rollerskating with friends. Orin and Hams had never been to the roller rink before. At first it was a bit frustrating to Hams but eventually he learned how to RUN really well on skates. It was adorable.

We had a wonderful and small Christmas... ( I have no pictures.Well, that's a bit of a white lie because I do have some they just aren't on my computer yet and I don't want to take the time to download them right now. Sorry.) The kids said, "This was the best year EVER!" I think that just about sums it up right there.

(I think they have forgotten all the other years before because I'm pretty sure they say that same thing every single year.)

We had a wonderful surprise visit from the Cecil Clan. Of course, I knew they were coming and Jake knew they were coming but the kids did not. When they showed up Adia got all teary eyed and said, "I love you Mom." Of course she said that! She got to spend a couple of days with her

best-friend-in-the-whole-wide-world. She was in heaven!

While the Cecils were here it snowed a bit. They don't get much of that in Las Vegas so they had a good time wandering around the backyard in the white stuff.

Here are the two girls who have dearly loved each other for 7 years. They are beautiful!

Of course Kim and I had to go out and take pictures of the backyard shenanigans.

And.....I didn't know Hams was a tree hugger.....hee hee.

Good thing I posted all this boring stuff for the world to read. Enjoy!!

good things:

1. great friends

2. unselfish children

3. good quality cameras

Santa Hat Pictures

2010-12-24T14:16:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the Christmas pictures I took this morning. I desperately need something updated. (2 of the kids wear contacts now.) Also, this is the first year of all their lives they didn't get a picture with Santa. (sniffle, sniffle) I guess just wearing a Santa hat will have to do.

Tootsie voluntarily joined in. Too bad she wasn't wearing her Christmas sweater.

Hamilton

Orin

Adia

Mom vs. the 5th Grader

2010-12-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

Orin is a reader. He reads all the time. He reads on the way to school. He reads at school. He reads after school. He reads in bed. He loves a good book.

So do I. But, unlike Orin, I read sometimes. (Contrary to what some might believe.) Only sometimes. The thing is, once I start a good book I don't put it down until it is finished.

I have just recently finished one such book.

Roots by Alex Haley. Although this book has been subjected to criticism and scrutiny and it's truth disputed, I found this book to be one I could hardly put down. True story or not doesn't diminish the fact that I enjoyed it.

When I was about 100 pages from finishing this book I was sitting on the couch and I decided to brag a bit to Orin. I said, "I'm almost done with my book. It has 846 pages!"

He replied nonchalantly, "I've read one bigger than that."

"What?" was my swift reply.

"Yeah Mom. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It has 870 pages."

I stared blankly at him not knowing how to respond. "Oh." was all I said. Swallowing MY pride, I let my motherly pride build up inside me. I think he won that contest fair and square.

Queen Constantina, Mother of Prince Christopher

2010-12-16T18:44:00.001-08:00

I think it is high time I posted a few pictures from Cinderella (Roger and Hammerstein's). I had such a wonderful time doing this community college play. At the very last minute I decided to tryout and I was lucky enough to have gotten a speaking part. (Not sure how I pulled that one out of the hat.) I originally wanted to be the fairy godmother or even the step mother, but I ended up with the part of the queen. I was happy with that. When I was in 6th grade, I was also in this play. My line then was "I wish I were demure and sweet." I even had dunce cap. This time I got to wear beautiful costumes and crowns, and sing songs into a mic, all while in a spotlight. It was WAY better than my 6th grade dunce cap part.

Here I am in the opening village scene. (I was hanging out in the back trying not to be noticed.) I weaseled my way into this scene 'cause I was greedy and wanted to have more stage time. I am smack in the middle of this picture with a wide brimmed hat and my mouth open.

Here I am admiring the milliner's cloth. What great acting!

....In the parlor with the scroll.... (think Clue.)

Me, the Prince, and the King (in his long underwear and cape).

Here I am trying to convince the Prince that he will love the ball. I LOVED the beautiful cap/crown I got to wear. It really was lovely.

At the ball, on my throne, with big hair, and the king. (I'll save the "hair" thing for it's own post. I have more pictures of that.)

Dancing with the King. This was tricky for me. We had to practice and practice. We are NOT professional dancers here like a lot of the cast was!

More dancing and smiling.

Dancing with the prince and trying to say lines at the same time. That was REALLY hard!

More throne time, smiling and clapping. I'm supposed to be elated about the Prince finding Cinderella. More great acting. (I should have won an Emmy.)

The wedding/finale.

More at the Finale. (This was the dress rehearsal.)

Taking my bow the night my Utah and California family came to see me. I loved having a fan club in the audience.

Here I am showing off my costume. It really did weigh a ton! By the way, I MADE THIS DRESS!! The costumers were amazing and I was lucky to get to work with them on this one. They taught me a lot and I'm glad I did it. It took me 24 hours of just sewing time and about 12 needles (It was pretty much like sewing carpet.) It also complicated things when I shrunk right out of it. :)

Hanging out with the King backstage. David was wonderful to work with.

Me, the Prince (Spencer), and Cinderella (Jordyn).

Me and the Fairy Godmother (Lissa).

The kids came on opening night and closing night. I think they were ready to have me back after several months of rehearsing. They had to deal with all the fend-for-yourself-dinner-nights, the memorizing of lines and songs, and the pre-occupied-sewing-mom. They were troopers! Jake also was a trooper. He encouraged me to do this play, waited up late for me to come home, dealt with hungry children, did homework duty, sat through the play 4 times, and had to watch me hold hands with another man. ;)

The last couple of nights I was having trouble on and off with my mic. Just to be on the safe side on closing night I needed to do a little mic check during the intermission. The director had me say from behind the closed curtain, "Please take your seats. The winner of the raffle will be announced shortly." My mic was working really good at this point. It was nice and loud and clear.

Then....the director let me say.....,

"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS". It was nice and loud and clear and I loved it.

good things:

1. sewing machines that can sew carpet

2. deodorant

3. A husband who supports his wife's dream of being on stage in a spotlight

Halloween Pictures

2010-12-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

I never did get around to posting some Halloween pictures. So here they are. (The pictures were still on the camera until today.)

As always Hams wanted to be something dead-ish. Good thing he was cool with the Frankenstein costume we already had in the box.

Orin wanted to be the "Ghost from Christmas past". I figured the grim reaper was close enough.

Adia is a bit too old to trick-or-treat so we didn't make a new costume for her this year. Crazy thing is, she ended up going anyways. (We figured since she was all dressed up and because she is so short, she looked young enough to go just one more year.)

Tootsie got a Halloween sweater to wear downtown at the festivities too!

This year I got Jake to dress up because we were invited to a "How to Host a Murder" dinner party. You just HAVE to get into character for one of those. We had a great time. I was a cowgirl who dressed manly and Jake was a loner Indian chief. The picture isn't so good cause it was taken with my phone. Sorry.

I wanted to dress up at the ward Halloween party too so I used what I had in the box and came up with a Corpse Bride. I got the white dress at a yard sale a couple of years ago for $0.25. You can't beat that! I wish I had gotten a picture of the whole costume but I didn't. I thought it was pretty inventive and nifty. In person, I looked way creepy. My family was worried I would scare all the little kids at the party.

I love Halloween. I love it because it is the only holiday that is ALL about the candy. You get to use your imagination and come up with a costume and then beg for free candy from strangers. What's NOT fun about that?

I can't resist any longer so I am copying T's "good things". She said I could.

good things:
1. thrift stores
2. spray paint
3. strangers who give away free candy

The Printer Blues

2010-12-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

The other day I ran into a problem. I went to print something I was working on and forgot to change the printer preferences. Don't ask me why I have to change the printer preferences when I want to print something landscape instead of portrait. I just know I have to. Well, because I didn't change those preferences I really messed things up.

It turns out that today's printers have a mind of their own. My printer decided that because it got a bit confused, it had a paper jam. Funny thing is, it didn't. It never did have a paper jam. Not once. Not ever. And it wouldn't believe me when I told it so. It just kept on being "jammed".

I print stuff everyday. I HAVE to have a working printer. I was irritated for a few days. Then I got depressed. I got the printer blues because I realized that I had to break down and buy a new printer when it seemed to me that I had a perfectly good printer. A perfectly good, confused printer.

Jacob finally got sick of all my complaining and when he was in Reno yesterday he picked up a new printer. A new, younger, non-confused printer. Hopefully I won't do something stupid and cause this one to "jam" too. So for now, I don't have to have the printer blues and I hope it stays that way.

A Confession

2010-12-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did something I'm not proud of. I did it secretly and didn't tell anyone. Until today. I couldn't take it anymore. I had too much guilt so I confessed to Jake while he was home for lunch. It is embarrassing to me but Jake thought it was hilarious.

So, I bet you are wondering what it was that I did. I will tell you..... If you promise to still love me...

I spent $1.00 on a 2 liter bottle of diet caffeine-free Pepsi. (I didn't want to spend $1.50 on the diet caffeine-free Coke. I was too cheap I guess.) AND, I came home and drank the whole thing myself. Yep. You heard right. I drank the entire 2 liters ALL BY MYSELF. In one day.

I'm officially a dork.

That is what I get for giving in after 5 months of being good. I've decided the addiction never goes away.

Who Needs Snow?

2010-12-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

When you don't have a mountain of snow to play on....

you can just use dirt.

Who knew?

And, I think, Hams is going to need a shower tonight.
For sure.

A Happy Phone Call

2010-11-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

I just got a phone call from my little miss Adia. Usually that means she forgot her lunch or something vital that is due RIGHT NOW.

But not today.

Today she called to inform me of the Honor Choir and Nevada Middle School All-State Choir tryout results. (We've been waiting a while for these.)

DRUM ROLL PLEASE.............

Miss Adia made it into both Honor Choir and All-State!! Only 2 sopranos from the whole school get invited and she is just a 7th grader.

She was so happy it made me happy. In fact, it made me so happy for her that I almost cried. I am proud of her. Or I should maybe say, I'm humbly grateful.

Grateful that my little miss Adia could have such a dream come true.

GO ADIA!!

A Bit of Clarification

2010-09-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

First thing to clarify: Price I paid for my Jeep.

Twice in the past 2 weeks I have been approached by strangers who have inquired about my Jeep. They both wanted to know how much I paid for it. Really? Who does that? Well, being brought up the way I have, I told them I don't share such information. One of these strange strangers suggested that I paid "at least $75,000.00". I must have looked like an idiot to him or something. My Jeep is cool, but it is NOT worth $75,000.00. The other suggested that I must be driving around the equivalent of a small house. I don't think so!!! So here it is, if you are wondering, I paid money for my car but no-wheres near what these folks thought. Remember, when you only have a few bucks in your pocket a hundred dollars is a LOT of money.

Second thing to clarify: The true meaning behind the license plate.

Okay people, my license plate is supposed to read LADYFOX. Obviously without the vowels. It is not hard to figure out and just so you all know, it is NOT ladyfix. What would that be anyways?

Sheesh!!

And, it really doesn't mean anything special. It just is.

The Ward Softball game

2010-09-10T20:15:00.001-07:00

My friend Rebekah and I enjoyed watching the ward softball game together. We giggled and cheered. It was awesome!

Halloween in April

2010-04-14T22:09:00.000-07:00

I had a bit of time today (it was NICE!) to sit and work on some PSE 7 stuff. I decided to work with some of Hams creepy Halloween pictures. It seems as if he is always something "dead" for halloween. I just thought I'd share what I came up with. Just for the heck of it.

Same-old

2010-04-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

It's hard to say what we have been up to lately. Everyday is pretty much the same-old, same-old.

But I have captured a few individual moments from our same-old, same-old life in pictures and thought I might share them with you.

Adia throwing a fit because she is "bored". She doesn't usually like any of the ideas I give her. (clean her room, read a book, do jumping jacks, wash the dishes, fold the laundry, weed the flower beds.) I'm sure you've seen this a time or two at your house. (p.s. this is a fake set-up.)

Tootsie lets us know when she needs to go outside to do her business. Here she is waiting patiently until someone lets her back inside.

The boys have gone out shooting.

Orin turned another year older. Holy smokes! Time flies!

We got to go to McDonalds with Papa and Grammy for breakfast. It's tradition when we hang out with them.

Orin received his "Bear" badge at a pack meeting. (I got a pin too.)

Adia always wants to hang out with friends. I guess I can see why. Free pony rides are hard to beat.

I like to hang out with friends too. Here Jake and I are with some of our friends, the Bartons. They always know how to feed us good!!

We have eaten dinner with the missionaries a few times lately. It's always good to have them come over.

I've always said that I think my kids are really monkeys in disguise. Orin has let the cat out of the bag this time. I now have proof.

Orin has grown up to be just like his dad. He HAS to have his white shirt starched and pressed. Now he can do it himself. Anther interesting fact about Orin; He can NOT put his Sunday shoes on without a shoe horn.

Adia has done lots and lots of baking. She is always making us delicious cupcakes. She is a little pro. She loves to watch the food channel so it doesn't surprise me.

The little kids have driven the little tractor.

The big kid has driven the big tractor.

We had time to go and visit Great Grandma J and take her out to lunch. She is looking GREAT!

I took time to admire the incredible blossoms on this flowering cherry tree at Papa and Grammy's. It was amazing to look at! I LOVE spring!

We had a major change in hair styles. From this....

To this....

My life may be same-old, same-old, but I sure do enjoy myself!

Public Office

2010-03-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

It is official.

Jacob has decided to run for the school board here in Fallon. He actually filed a declaration of candidacy this morning. There are four seats open so hopefully he can get voted into one of them. His decision to run for this position has come after lots and lots of thought and prayer. After his blog post about getting "off the sidelines" Jacob decided he needed to follow through and get involved. Besides, aren't we all always saying we need good people in government?

Check out his website HERE or by clicking on the link to the right. You can read a little bit about him there.

Oh yeah, and pass it on!!

Our Engagement

2010-03-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

The six weeks we were engaged seem now, like a big blur. The time flew by! Here is a quick list of some of my blurry memories from that great summer of 1997.

1. Jake proposed to me on a Sunday after a Utah Jazz playoff game.
2. The proposal took place next to a cement ditch. Not by a beautiful stream as once thought. (We went back a few years later and found our memories were blinded by love.)
3. Jake didn't ask my dad for permission to marry me because I told Jake I was the one getting married not my dad. Sorry Dad!
4. My parents weren't surprised by our engagement. They figured it was coming.
5. My family went straight to work on our reception plans. They made more tissue paper roses without my help than I care to admit.
6. We took engagement pictures twice because there was no film in the camera the first time.
7. Our boss printed the announcements for free because, well, that's what he did. I could have done them myself though if I had wanted to.
8. I broke things off with another boy when I delivered him an announcement. He had no clue it was over for real until then. Whoops. Not so nice, but I was always taught to date by the saying, "may the best man win." And win he did!
9. I fought in the fabric store in the lace department with my mom. There were tears and all. I didn't want ANY lace. My mom said that a wedding dress isn't a wedding dress without lace. She won.
10. She paid for the dress. She made the dress. She swam in yards and yards of netting. We didn't know anything about big puffy slips at the time. Probably would have made things a lot easier for her if we had. She did an amazing job.
11. Once, I tried on my dress, got it all buttoned up, and then immediately had to race to unbutton it so I could take it off so I could run to the bathroom and barf. Mom would have given up if I would have thrown up in it. That could have potentially been really messy.
12. My curfew changed to 10:00 p.m. as soon as I was engaged. My parents believed that nothing good would happen after that.
13. I finally got my ring while dinning at Pepperidge Farm in Orem, UT.
14. I cut off my semi-long hair after Jake proposed to me. He wasn't so sure about the change.
15. I changed my hair color twice during our engagement.
16. I would visit Jake while he took his turn working in the snow cone shack his family owned and operated. (Snow cones are super yummy if you pour whipped cream on the top of them.)
17. My dad sprained his ankle in the middle of the night while covering our reception decorations to keep them out of the rain. He was in his underwear. Poor guy.
18. My sister was SUPER mad at me during my engagement. Especially the night before I got married.
19. I never doubted if I was doing the right thing. I think Jake might have had a panic attack once or twice though.

20. My dad would come and track me down EVERY night I wasn't home by curfew. That was pretty much EVERY night. He wanted to make sure I got married the right way, in the right place, by the right authority. Thanks Dad!

2010-03-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

I love digital scrapbooking! I finally figured out how I want to organize all my digi supplies so I can hopefully spend more time playing with Photoshop Elements instead of "surfing" for stuff to use. I have tons and tons to learn, but I figure there is no better way than to just play and fiddle.

Here is a layout I played with using a favorite picture of mine... By the way, my mom made my dress for me and I still think, even after 12 years, that it is SUPER cute.

A Test

2010-01-21T12:40:00.000-08:00

This is a test. I need to check something. So, basically this is for me and Jeanette. I hope it works.

New Favorite Soup

2010-01-20T17:26:00.001-08:00

This is my new favorite soup. It is soooo easy and delicious. You've all got to try it. It is a beautiful soup too. (My picture does not do it justice.)

Hearty Chicken Soup

1 large onion chopped

1 Tbs. oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 C chicken broth

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans diced tomatoes

3 cups frozen corn

2 cans diced green chilis

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups chicken breast, cooked and cubed (sometimes I used canned)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlick; cook 1 minute longer. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Compliments of Orin

2010-01-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

When we got home from church today Orin put his arms around my waist and gave me a big hug. He looked up at me and said, "You smell like cherries. And pomegranites. And watermelon bubblegum."

I don't think there could be anything more sweet than that coming from a 9 year old young man.

It put a big smile on my face.

Affluenza

2010-01-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a video clip for all of us. I showed it to my kids and we had a lengthy discussion about it. I think it made an impact on them. At least for now. And, when they start griping about stuff or chores, I'll remind them.

It, of course, made me think of you, Hed, and all your African family! Thanks Dana for sharing....

Fun Nativity

2010-01-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

My Grandma P. (otherwise known as Grammy) collects nativities. She has a bunch. Over 75 to be precise.

Every year, for the past 3 years, she has loaded them all up, very carefully, and hauled them to town. She sets them all up at the LDS church where they have a special creche viewing event for the public.

Here she is in front of her display from this year. Hams is also in the picture.

She is very proud of her lifelong collection. It is very impressive.

Aproximately 4 years ago she asked me to make her a special nativity. She gave me a picture of one she had seen and wanted me to reproduce it. I never did do it until this year. (It takes me a while.) Here are some pictures of what I made. I did change the nativity a bunch from what was in the original picture though.

Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus in his manger. A donkey is in the background and a green wiseman is on the left.

A shepherd with his staff.

The shepherd, his sheep, and another donkey.

The star above the stable.

The three wisemen.

An up-close shot at the three wisemen.

The whole party.

Another shot of the whole party.

Isn't that cute? Cute maybe, but a bear to put together. Let's just say that I am not a tounge-depresser building engineer. And I burned a few fingertips with the hot glue. I just hope it doesn't fall apart the moment Grammy hauls it to town for the annual creche thingy-ma-bob.

Christmas Lists

2009-12-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost here and I can't wait.

There is something special about this time of year. I love it... at least most of it. I thought I'd make a list about what I love and about what I don't love.

The Nice Things of Christmas

(In no special order.)

Nativities

Christmas carols and music

Gingerbread

Cinnamon pinecones

Christmas lights

Santa Claus

Making matching jammies

Christmas cards from friends

Big fluffy snowflakes

Christmas parties

It's A Wonderful Life

Christmas children's books

Luke 2

My gingerbread house party

Traditions

No. 44- Chorus "Hallelujah!"

Hard shell tacos

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

My kid's Christmas lists

Mistletoe

Goodie plates from neighbors

Wassil

The suspense

Annual Christmas Eve games

My Christmas tree

and

The spirit of Christ

The Not-So-Nice Things of Christmas

(In no special order.)

Wrapping odd shaped gifts

Finding gifts that are good enough for the ones I love

Shopping among the crowds

My homemade gingerbread boys

Unplugging ALL the Christmas lights everynight

Greed

These lists are not all inclusive. Just the things I could think of right now. I'm glad my list of not-so-nice things is smaller than my nice list. Christmas has always been, and hopefully always will be magical for me.

It's the magic of the season that makes this time of year so special. It isn't the presents or the decorations. The music or the treats. The movies or traditions. (Although those are all fun.) It is the feeling in my heart of gratitude to my Savior. He is the center of Christmas and I just pray we can all remember that.

Check out this talk by Jeffrey R. Holland. It says all I feel.

Thanksgiving Story

2009-11-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight Orin brought out a story that he wrote while in 3rd grade (A year ago). He was proud of it then, and he is proud of it still.

Don't worry. He is working on his handwriting.

My Friend

2009-11-11T09:21:00.001-08:00

This past Summer I had the great opportunity to spend some quality time with a few of my dearest friends. My loving husband is SUPER kind and lets me vacation without him. (He has to work to support my traveling needs so he can't go. Bummer.) I take the kids and all their stuff and head off to travel the country. And, he lets me. Wow. He's nice.

Just one of the friends I visited was my adolescent companion, Heather. The first memories I have of her were in the 6th grade, or perhaps it was the 5th grade. Anyhow, we spent many a sleepover, late night, afternoon, etc, together. I love this girl. What an incredible example she has been to me.

Her life is so different than mine. I never did finish college. She did. I got married. She didn't. She went on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I didn't. Her Mom has passed on. My mom is still... (How should I put this?) alive. She is the world's best aunt. I'm not. She has a huge bucket list. I don't even have one. She does marathons and triathlons. I don't even want to. She can text and drive at the same time. I can't, nor would I. She has friends around the world. I only have friends in the United States. Trust me. We are different. But in our hearts, we are the same. (Right Heather?)

In the past few years Heather has spent time in Africa helping and loving the people there. Her experiences are unbelievable. Check out her blog and see for yourself.

http://www.hedrad.blogspot.com/

(I guess I should have asked her permission first but I'll beg for forgiveness later if I need to.)

If I watch the news, or discuss politics, or read "The Beat", I get a bit overwhelmed. I can barely handle all the horrible stuff that happens out in the world. But... I live in a little bubble with my family and I love it. I sometimes feel as though the world might come crashing down around me. And I pray that it doesn't "pop" my bubble. Heather's life reminds me that there is not just the bad and ugly in the world, but also much beauty and good. President Faust said, "Women affect so very much of what happens in the world for good or otherwise." This is true. Heather has shown me that.

President Monson said, "My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith." People like Heather keep the future looking bright! Thanks girly!!

The NO HILL 100

2009-10-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

In Fallon, every year on the first weekend of October, there is a bike race/event called THE NO HILL 100. Jacob and I decided a year ago that we wanted to participate it the 2009 event. It took us a long time to finally get bikes but once we did we have loved every minute we've spent on them! Since it was our first time doing any kind of race-a-ma-jig we thought we would take it easy and do the shortest route. We signed up for a bike ride of 34.2 miles. We got up early, put on our gear, pumped up our tires and we were off. The weather turned out beautiful (at least while we were riding). Some of Jake's family came from Utah to join us. (They've done this sort of thing before.) We were glad they came. It took us about 2.5 hours to make it to the finish line and that included a pit stop. We were pretty proud of ourselves. We can't wait to do it again next year but I think we will try to do the whole 100 miles. We will have to really practice and get used to sitting on our seats for longer periods of time but I really think we can do it.

Stampin' Up! Digital Supplies

2009-09-25T16:59:00.001-07:00

I have been waiting a long time for Stampin' UP! to come out with digital stamping supplies.

They finally have done it!

I got my copy just yesterday and I jumped right in. I don't love the actual program so much (only because I love Photoshop Elements) but I now have access to the digital versions of stamp sets and papers. It is WAY fun! This was my first "test" using the new supplies. It is pretty basic but sometimes the simplest things are the cutest.

It's all digital! Amazing!

PIE

2009-09-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have a memory stored in my brain about a pie. I was in 2nd or 3rd grade so this goes way back.

My mom, a really good cook, made a fresh blackberry pie. I can remember seeing it sitting on the counter cooling. It was a sight to behold sitting there all golden brown with the dark purple juices trying to leak out. I wanted to eat it SUPER bad. Mom told me that we had to wait for it to cool down a bit because it would burn our mouths if we didn't. It was torture. That was when I fell in love with blackberry pie. It was quite the special treat.

Now, many years later, I still LOVE blackberry pie.

I made a trip to Utah this summer to visit family and such and while I was there the blackberries in my parents back yard were rip-rolling ripe! Of course, I had to have a pie. Thing is, my mom wouldn't make it. She said I had to.

Just so you know, I can't make pie crust. I have thrown out more pie crust dough than I care to count. (I usually give up.) It just doesn't ever seem to work for me. I usually can follow a recipe pretty well but rolling out pie crust is a pain in the pa-too-ber. It ends up breaking and tearing and sticking and not sticking, etc. I don't have a super fun time making pies.

My mom, being the patient woman she is, told me she would give me yet another lesson. I whined a bit, but it didn't even faze her. I still had to do it myself.

Step by step she lead me through the process. And you know what? It turned out beautifully! For the first time EVER my pie turned out to look divine. And every bite I took of it was heaven.

Corn Maze

2009-09-17T18:53:00.001-07:00

A few young women we know hit us up for their soccer fund raiser. We couldn't resist a night at the local farm so we became supporters of the Greenwave girls soccer team.

Our tickets include the bounce house, hay ride, cow train, and corn maze. The kids rode the cow train 5 or 6 times before I convinced them to head to the maze.

Soon after we arrived at the farm Jake had to ditch to go to his softball game. I told him he was a pooper. Adia met up with a friend from church so she also ditched.

Orin, Hams and I have been wandering around the corn maze for a while now with no real direction. I have been wishing for the constellation application on my phone. I figure we may be here for a while and we may need it soon. I hope Adia will make it out too. I guess we'll just have o wait and see.

Play Ball!

2009-09-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

The last couple of Summers we have spent lots of time at the ball fields. Not only does Orin play but Jake does too. Many evenings we rushed from one field to the next. In fact, after I came home from my month long trip I had to go straight to Jake's game to see him. I enjoy cheering on my boys. It is true that once in a while I screw up and cheer for the wrong team.... Whoops. But over all I know they love hearing my crazy outbursts from the stands.

Jake's team, Crush, made him pitch this year. He did catch a few balls coming straight back at him so he thought he was hot stuff.

Jake thinks he is pretty cool because he is a left handed hitter. He set a goal this season to be a bit more daring and run to second more often. (Hee hee.)

Here are a few of the guys on Jake's softball team. They are quite the crew. I had to keep reminding Jake that winning is not the most important thing about playing. It's having a good time and being a good sport. (Which he may NOT have been a time or two.)

Orin was such a great ball player. He improved on his skills leaps and bounds this year. He was one of the youngest, smallest boys on his team but he kept up pretty well.

Orin had such a small strike zone that he got walked a lot so it seemed he always got on base. He sure enjoyed himself.

Orin played lots of different positions. Mostly 2nd baseman or outfield. I'm pretty proud of my "Marlin".

Fallon Navy Airshow

2009-09-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

We have been really excited to go to the Navy's airshow. There have been lots of airplanes flying over head. Some have even dropped "bombs". It's pretty cool to feel the shockwaves. The Blue Angels will be flying soon and that's what we really want to see. I just wish there would be a bit more shade out on the tarmac.

this goes WAY back

2009-09-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have been scanning in the negatives of my old pictures (the ones before digital) so I can have electronic copies of them all. I started with the ones from 1997. I loved this one. I think my mom's expression is how all moms should look when their daughters get married. There is something in that smile of hers. I'm curious what it was.

Thanks Mom for all the hard work you've put in in raising your kids. I realize you have sacrificed many, many things for us. You deserve a bazillion rooms (all furnished) in your mansion in heaven.

YW Camp

2009-09-02T11:25:00.001-07:00

I consider it a great privilege that I was invited to attend Young Women's Camp at Buck's Lake, California this Summer. The stake asked me to be the 1st Year leader. And the ward needed me because a few of the other leaders couldn't go. [I'm not sure why babies and surgeries take top priority over camp. ;)] Needless to say it was one of the highlights of my summer. I love the Young Women and hopefully after camp they still love me. I'm a bit crazy, although not as crazy as Michelle at camp. I enjoy letting my hair down while in the forest because it makes me feel like a wild woman. Hee Hee.

The tradition in my ward is stop and eat breakfast on the way. This year we stopped at an IHOP in Reno. We really threw the servers for a loop when we asked for individual checks. It all worked just beautifully though. (There was something like 32 of us.)

At camp there are a million things to do. We are always super busy with barely a minute to sit down and rest. But I love it that way because it keeps us leaders out of trouble.

We had a rock wall to climb.

We got to swim and canoe in freezing water. Good thing it turned out to be a pretty warm week. We were kind of worried for a minute that it would rain on us the whole time.

The zip line was one of my favorites. (I have a lot of those.) I really wanted to see Denise go on it but she was a chicken!

We had lots and lots of things to learn like first aid, how to put out fires, how to identify plants and animal, etc. Lots of campsy stuff.

There was archery.

These great ladies here were my 1st Years. I LOVE them all. They were great little campers and I never heard them complain. (Except maybe while tromping through the forest on our hike which was straight up the mountain.)

I love to hang back and watch the 1st Year girls try to work together to get everyone over the scaling wall. It really is an emotional thrill to see them all pull together and be a team.

Jacob was able to attend camp this year. He was our bishopric representative. I enjoyed having him around camp even if we didn't really hang out together much. And I know some of the girls learned a thing or two about bear calls while he was nearby. Hee Hee.

Of course camp wouldn't be camp without a bit of work. Setting up and taking down camp is always a chore but our ward campers worked together really well and got the job done quickly.

Every year there are a few pranks. Of course they aren't too harmful. This year Amy got hung up. We just had to initiate her. It was her first year ever!

We gathered a lot at the amphitheater for devotionals, flag ceremonies, skits, testimony meeting, and other little things. I'm happy to report that no one fell into the fire this year.

Here are my ward sistas. We looked rockin' in our orange hats and wrist bands and splotchy t-shirts. We were definitely lighting the fire within.

I love camp and look forward to, hopefully, many more years of it. I have a lot of fun, feel the Spirit, enjoy nature, and make new friends every time I go.

Thanks Papa and Grammy, Dallin and Jen, Grandma and Grandpa J, and Jaron and Karina for taking care of the kidos so Jake and I could go. We couldn't have done it without you!

What Am I Turning Into?

2009-08-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

My new favorite thing to do while at the grocery store or beauty parlor is to read through the "trashy" magazines. I learn all kinds of interesting things. Things to do. Things not to do. Things to wear. Things not to wear. Who is cool. Who is not cool. Who is getting married. Who is having a baby at age 50. Who is splitting up. Really valuable stuff!

Today, for the first time EVER, I read a National Enquirer. It was a new experience for me and I quite enjoyed it. All kinds of hooey-balooey. I soaked it all in and loved it. Plus, reading it passed the time so quickly. BAM. Just like that my time under the dryer flew by.

I tell you what; there is some great stuff in those magazines so next time your waiting in line or sitting under a dryer make sure you grab a "trashy" magazine. They are SUPER entertaining.

p.s. I hope you all know me well enough to know that this is meant to be somewhat of a joke. It is true that I read them. Not true that I learn from them. Come on guys. Really.

America's Favorite Monkey (A spin off of So You Think You Can Dance)

2009-08-30T11:21:00.001-07:00

To start off the summer with a bang the kids enjoyed NOT getting up at 6 a.m. I let them stay in their jammies way too long. In fact I never even made Hamilton put ON his jammies the night before. (That's how you get to me a "nice" mom.) Then, to continue my niceness, I let the kids have free reign with the camera. They discovered the "sports/fast action" setting and had a ball capturing themselves in midair. I like to think of my kids as MONKEYS! Judge for yourself. My comments follow each picture.
Great form Adia! Although to score perfectly the ankles should be tucked in close together with the arms tucked in close to your sides.

I like the extension here. Although the right leg should be in line with the left with the ankles close together.

Wow! Look at how nice and straight Orin's back is here. Perfect form. I think he should be voted America's favorite MONKEY!

Going back in time

2009-08-30T10:29:00.001-07:00

Once again I have been a slacker. I took so much time out this summer that it caused me to not blog regularly. So to make up for it I will go back in time and start my summer over. Soon, hopefully today, I will start to post all of my adventures. I figure most people who read this will care less but it is mostly just for me. I am trying to stay perpetually on vacation as long as possible and I figure this is just one way for that to happen. (Reliving the good times!) Too bad real life always catches up to me. Now I'm off to organize the pictures.

Selling

2009-08-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Adia put on a happy face and sold her market goat. A year ago she was terrified of any thing that moved. She really has come a long way. Her 78 lbs goat (Blaze) was sold for $3.50 a pound.

Tidbits

2009-07-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

Okay. Okay. I readily admit that I have always had a messy room. And when I say always, I mean my whole life. (Ask my Mom for proof of my childhood room. She knows all too well.) There have been times when I've come home to find my dresser tipped over because I pulled every drawer out as far as it would go and left them there. Some people think my house never gets messy. I do like a clean kitchen and livingroom but it all ends there. I am sneaky. I am really good at putting things away. I should say "stuffing" not putting. Closets, cupboards, and MY bedroom become the hideway for stuff. All the things that I just don't know what to do with go there. A bedroom can be stuffed with lots and lots of stuff.

Yesterday, being Saturday, I decided to be productive. (Something I haven't been for a while because of my leg soreness and sunburn. It is hard to move when your body is in pain.) I decided that I would clean my room. Jake attempted to do this several weeks back when I was at a Girl's Night Out but he didn't really know what to do with all of the stuff, so he mostly just stacked it all really nice. During those several weeks between then and now all the space he cleared up disappeared. It filled up with stuff. I don't know where it comes from but it came and it stayed. I got to work and slowly but surely the bedroom floor started to appear. I've decided it was a miracle. I even got my dresser cleared off. My clothes are IN the drawers not ON them. Here is proof:

That is bedroom floor there. Amazing really.

This summer I've tried to stress the importance of drinking lots of water to my kids. One child of mine has taken this to heart. He carries a giant waterbottle around and is always drinking little sips from it. Of course this means that he is always going to the bathroom too. The whole thing makes me laugh. Jake says it reminds him of my dad. I said only if there's milk instead of water.

Sepia Pictures

2009-07-15T11:54:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures I had taken of the kids. The company that did them was a traveling show at Sams Club. I love the boys in those hats but don't love Aida holding the parasol. I think it is

distracting. The picture people always suck you in and make you want to buy more pictures than you need.

Goofball

2009-07-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

We have been super busy. There is always something to do or somewhere to be. A month or so ago the kids hitched a ride to Utah with my grandparents and they got to spend lots of time with my family. (Jake and I went to Girls Camp.) Hamilton took his camera along and the kids took some very interesting pictures and videos. I came across this one of Orin and when I saw it, I laughed pretty hard. (There isn't any sound. I'm not sure why.) Anyone who knows Orin knows that he is very relaxed, laid back, and somber. But every so often I get to see the goofball that lives inside him. Enjoy!

A Testimony

2009-06-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

As I have prepared for a lesson that I am teaching today in Young Womens, I have been praying and studying about the covenants that I have made. I came across an incredible quote that really struck my heart.

"When we went forth into the waters of baptism and covenanted with our Father in Heaven to serve Him and keep His commandments, He bound Himself also by covenant to us that He would never desert us, never leave us to ourselves, never forget us, that in the midst of trials and hardships, when everything was arrayed against us, He would be near unto us and would sustain us. That was His covenant, and...we can tie to the promises that He has made." -George Q. Cannon

In light of the struggles that my parents and others have gone through over the years it is a comfort to know that He will never leave us to be on our own. He will be there to help and sustain. Though it is difficult to understand, what we are asked to go through is tailored to us specifically to help us progress the most. All we have to do is have faith. It is hard and often tests us to our limits, but we know that the Lord is bound when we do what he has asked of us. Through my own experiences I have come to know that this is true. At the darkest, hardest, and most challenging times in my life He has been there and carried me and my family. We will be blessed and can receive all that Heavenly Father has for us. And, there is no greater reward than eternal life with our Father in Heaven.

I am grateful for the lives that my parents have led. I am grateful that they have taught me and helped direct my life. They have inspired me over and over to do what is right. Through their testimonies I have built my own. I am just like Nephi; having been born of goodly parents....

Thrills!

2009-05-29T09:55:00.001-07:00

We have been dealing with the stupidest vacuum I've ever seen for not quite 4 years now. It was a cheapy. I think it was less than $65.00 when we bought it. We needed something fast when our first vacuum bit the dust because we were moving. (You can't clean a house so you can get your deposit back without a vacuum.) I have regretted it ever since. The filter, which needed to be replaced every month, cost $12.00. (Keyword: needed!) I was too cheap to replace it that often, of course, so I would remove the dirty filter and bang it on the sidewalk. All the nasty who-knows-what would get all over me. I would sneeze and get filthy. I HATED IT!! The stupid thing could barely suck anything up. I found myself not wanting to vacuum. I would go a week (truthfully....longer) without vacuuming. (Yuck at my house!) I think I grossed Jake out because he finally decided he would vacuum. Funny thing was the filter was all full and the canister needed emptied and it wouldn't suck up a dust mite to save it's life, so Jake got to do the honors. You all know that Jake does NOT like to deal with yucky stuff. (touching raw meat, wiping kid boogers, dumping out rotten milk from bottles, cleaning up puke, washing toilet bowls, etc..) He does 'cause he's a good guy, but he isn't happy about it. Anyways, after he got the pleasure of doing what really should be the daily matainance on the vacuum, he was fed up. Fed up I tell you. He came in and told me how it was going to be. "WE ARE BUYING A NEW VACUUM!" So we did.

YEAH!!! I got an Oreck. I love it. It SUCKS really well. There are no filters for me to change and I don't even have to empty a canister. I just pull out the bag that self-seals and throw it away. Yes. Needless to say, I vacuum now just about everyday. What a thrill!

We are always busy. I live one day at a time. I tell myself everyday, "If I can just get through today, I can deal with tomorrow." Don't get me wrong, I like to be busy and anxiously engaged in all the causes. Problem is I feel like I'm always running and never getting caught up. So.....when a day comes my way and I don't have too many responsibilites and Jake takes the kids to school for me, I rebel. That is today.
I am still in my pjs. And I haven't gotten off the computer. This is what I have been doing.

I don't have a lot of time to sit and fiddle with Photoshop Elements so I get a real thrill when I get the time to finish a page or learn how to do something new with it. I am addicted, again.

Can you see what I did to this photo to make it look like this? (The blurring and the fading.)
Maybe not but I can and I'm getting a great big thrill out of it.

???

2009-05-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know how to change the date of a post? I hate that when you save a post and then publish it later it shows up with the old date. Any clues on how to fix this little issue?

Our Busy Weekend

2009-05-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Our three day weekend started out with a bit of yard work. We weeded and weeded and fixed more sprinklers. Now there are several flower beds that I have a pretty good handle on. I've got some flowers planted and so far so good. I just hope they will stay alive.

We decided that we didn't love the Oregon Grape that was right under our bedroom window blocking access to the faucet. The bush was super pokey and Jake hated it. (I'm hoping that Mom will share some of her irises.)

On Saturday evening, Hams decided to come down with a fever. He was burnin up and cried and complained about not being able to move. He wouldn't eat anything either. (Even a donut!) I was hoping that he would be able to sleep it off, but by Sunday morning he was still feverish and lethargic. I was supposed to teach my Beehive class (Jake had bishopric responsibilities which were more important than my lesson) so I had to call Sister Lords to teach for me. (Thank you Amy!!) Hams eventually perked up by the afternoon and I've decided (with the help of Amy) that he must have had a bit of heat exhaustion or something.

The weather was sooooo nice on Sunday so we decided to invite a few people over for a small gathering. We had a good time visiting with the Weeds, Bartons, and McKnights. Sometimes I wish we could have everyone we know come over but we just don't have the room. Whaa, whaa!

On Monday morning, we got up a the crack of dawn, loaded up the kids and headed for Bucks Lake. Of course we had to stop and get breakfast on the way. We all decided that Papa and Grammy should have been with us because we went to McDonalds and we all got the regular. Hams and his sausage patties. Adia and her cinnamon bites. Orin and his hashbrown. Jake and his egg mcmuffin (and, yes he removed the ham). Me and my #10 meal. We didn't even hesitate when we ordered. We are pros now thanks to Papa and Grammy and we don't even have to look at the menu.

As soon as we got to Bucks Lake, Orin found his giant pinecones. He loved them. We went to Bucks Lake so that we could map out a hike for me. I am in charge of the 1st Year girls at girls camp and we have to do a hike so I wanted to be better prepared. Last year the hike we went on was a dissaster because I didn't have it planned out well enough. Long story shorter, it was beautiful up there and the weather was perfect and the kids did great and we found me a great hike that I can't wait to take "my girls" on.

There were these beautiful trees blooming. I didn't know what they were, but I loved them. By the time I go back in a couple of weeks for girls camp they will be all leafed out and the blooms will be gone. They were so lovely!

After we made it back down the mountain (hill really) Jake made sure to program the hike into his GPS so I can get back to the right spot. The kids had a great time and were super excited to be out in nature exploring.

After our hike, we were starving again so we stoped at Subway for a yummy sandwich.

When were were done eating we headed back to Reno. We loved the last Aces game we went to so we decided to go again. It was a late game (started at 6 p.m.) and went until 9:30 or so. It was a great game. The Aces came from behind to win. We were all on our feet cheering and clapping. And, we didnt have any drunk people around us!! We have even learned the names and numbers of some of the players. We had a great time! Because it was Memorial Day there were even fireworks after the game. Needless to say, we didn't get home until 11:00 p.m. The kids were exhausted. I was exhausted. And Tootsie had missed us terribly. What a super duper weekend!!

My new LOVE

2009-05-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Okay. So here's the thing. I AM IN LOVE WITH REDBOX!! How can you beat watching a movie for $1.00? Or even free with a code you get off the internet? I say impossible. If it's a yuck movie your not really out much. And, if it's a good movie, well then, you've got your money's worth. As of Wednesday us Fallonites are lucky to have at our disposal not only one but two Redbox dispensers in town. The first is located at Wal-Mart, the second at Walgreens. The one at Walgreens is on the outside of the building so you don't even have to get your kids out of the car to go rent a movie. What convienence!!

Our latest Redbox rentals.....

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (5 stars)

Taken

Bride Wars

something James Bond

Australia

Over Her Dead Body

so many that I can't even remember them to list them.......

I recomend to all the handy-dandy little Redbox kiosk. Go rent a movie on me using the code REDBOX. (You might just get a free one!)

hOles

2009-05-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

I don't have to worry about my kids being bored on a beautiful, hot Saturday. They immediately ask to put on swim suits so they can get wet. And being the nice mom that I am, (work with me here!) I let them.

Our backyard consists of mostly dirt and weeds, a bit of scraggly grass, and a few flowers that I have managed to plant. I feel as though I am always out there working and slaving and nothing really ever changes. (By the way, I hate salt grass!!) Thank goodness Jake had a bit of time yesterday to work on sprinklers. I'm hoping that the fixed sprinklers will help the scraggly grass become luxurious grass. Fixing sprinklers reqired Jake to dig little holes all over. He used shovels and rakes and tarps and a pickaxe. Having tools laying all over really entices kids to cart them off and copy exactly what thier dad does with them. DIG. The kids dug and dug. (almost to China.) What did they end up with? They ended up with a hole. A GIANT hole.

It, of course, wouldn't be right to just leave the giant hole empty. It, of course, needed to be filled. With, of course, water. So it was.

My Baby is SEVEN!!

2009-05-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

(This slide show doesn't have any sound. I figured my blog already has enough noise goin' on.)

I can't beleive it has been seven years since Hams was born. It seems like yesterday I was waiting and waiting (just about dying) for him to join our family. Hamilton adds a dynamic to our family that I just could't live without. I laugh more. I yell more. I get frustrated more and I love more. I get more hugs and kisses with Hams around. We also go through "pink" bubble gum more!

There isn't anyone quite like Hams. He is shy. Sometimes. He is playful. Always. Except when he is hungry. He never stops talking. NEVER. He knows how to bat those beautiful eyes and work 'em. (Just like Puss in Boots.) And, man oh man, can he loose his temper. But he has learned how to control it. Mostly. (He has only tried to ring Orin's neck once that I know of.)

Hamilton loves to learn. He loves to learn about golf and wrestling. He loves to learn about music and notes. He loves to learn about anything school related. (e.g. math, reading, spelling, and science.) And he loves to learn about church stuff, especially during our "gospel discussions" on Mondays.

Milton is super-duper loving. He loves to hug and cuddle up. He still will ask if he can sit in my "nest" when we watch a movie. (That started back in '07 when I was sick and couldn't do much but laze around.) Every night he likes to be tucked in and kissed goodnight. Nothing melts a heart more than a "Mommy, I love you." especially when accompanied with his big, beautiful, puppydog eyes.

One thing that makes Hamilton Hamilton, is his picky-eaterness. It is a wonder that the child grows at all. I'm pretty sure that all of his nutrition comes from cold cereal and oreos and once in a while, a hot dog.

Hamilton has style and swagger. He can breakdance and groove with the best of them. His hair, I think, speaks for itself. And, if you've ever seen him with his sweatbands on you'll know what I mean by style.

Hamilton has a laugh that is infectious. (Don't worry... not potentially lethal like swine flu.) He can giggle and laugh enough to make YOUR cheeks hurt from smiling at him. I wish I could bottle that laugh and let it out whenever I want to be cheered up. It really is a great characteristic of his.

How lucky am I to be Hamilton's mom? Very. He is one of my greatest blessings.

The Reno Aces

2009-05-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we headed up to Reno to a baseball game. Jake wanted to have a little "work retreat" and so, bought tickets for our family and his secretary's family. Turns out they couldn't come in the end despite checking and double checking the calendar. So we ended up with 5 extra tickets which we pawned off onto the Lords family. We had a wonderful time cheering on our new local team. The game was great and had lots of action. There were several triple plays, lots of great hits, and a home run. With a final score of 16 to 5. We ate peanuts, cotton candy, sunflower seeds, and hot dogs. I was worried a bit about the weather but it held out for us. It was a little cool but nothing a sweatshirt couldn't handle.

The Wiz Kid

2009-05-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

Lots of things have been happening with Orin lately. It seems that he is always busy with school stuff, baseball stuff, scout stuff, and piano stuff. This is the latest.

Tuesday night was the Pinewood Derby. He worked hard at designing and building his car. He sure was proud of it. He made it all by himself. It started with a design he drew on a peice of paper and developed into a great pinewood derby car. He did have a little parental guidance when it came to cutting and painting it. Jake assisted with the saw, and I showed him how to control a can of spray paint, which is my specialty. Once we got to the church and the car was weighed, pennies were taped on to make it a bit heavier. It was quite the stiff competition racing against the other cars and Orin didn't get first place but he didn't get last place either. Orin had to practice his good sportsmanship because he wanted to win soooo badly (he mentioned before we left that he had butterflies in his stomach) and it was hard when he didn't win a lot of the heats. He definately should be proud of his attitude and his car.

Orin is my reader. He loves to read. In fact, he is often found "sneak reading" at night when he should be sleeping. This week he finished the last book in the Harry Potter series. He started the first one several months ago and said he wanted to finish all of them by the time the new movie comes out. He did it! He took AR test on all of them and passed them all with flying colors so we know he understood the books. Currently he has 190 AR points. (That is tons and tons and tons.) He has a few individual books lined up to read next but when he finishes those, he wants to start on the Narnia books.

Notice there are only 6 books in the stack....Adia, my sweet scatterbrain, has misplaced #2. She is ALWAYS misplacing things. It drives me crazy!

Crazy Things We Do For Entertainment

2009-04-26T14:10:00.001-07:00

While bored one afternoon we experimented with my camera. I discovered that I could take continuous pictures. Jen was a good sport and played along. I'm so glad she married my brother! She makes me laugh.

Crazy Hair Day

2009-04-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today was Crazy Hair Day at school. The kids wanted to participate and it was up to me to figure out how to make their hair crazy. Tootsie is easy. You don't have to do much with her hair. It is always crazy. (So is mine by the way.) I gave Aida antennae. She thought that was fun. Both Hamilton and Orin look like they have been electrocuted.

New Hobby

2009-04-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

I am starting a new hobby. (As if I don't have enough already!!) I am learning how to use Adobe Photoshop Elements to digital scrapbook. I am loving it, but just don't have enough time to do it much. This is my first page. I admit that I have watched a few Windows Media files in order to put this together step by step. So admittedly it is a copy cat. If only there were more hours in a day!

Rules are Rules

2009-04-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Jake and I were cleaning out the garage yesterday and we found this on the door that used to go to the boy's room. Once, when we were having other children over, the kids wrote the rules to help maintain some sense of order. My personal favorite is number 9. I'm not sure why number 10 is crossed out but in case you can't read it it says; "You will need to have a ticket to get in over the age of five."

I am glad we found this so we could preserve a bit of Sommer family history.

Goats and Dogs

2009-04-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Fallon!

If you live in Fallon you've got to attend the Jr. Livestock Show and Auction. But you'd better beware because it makes your kids want to show livestock. Adia has a friend who showed a steer. (T-Bone weighed 1150 lbs!) Imagine a little girl not much bigger than Adia leading a giant beast around an arena. Cutest thing ever. Adia helped her friend wash and comb and clip the beast. Remember that Adia is the child who used to scream at anything moving. Now think of her washing a COW! I was astonished. To get on with it, Adia informed me that she would be showing a goat at the state fair in August. Where she got that idea I'll never know. Lucky us, her friend's family breeds goats. So, because we are the nicest people ever, we are letting Adia buy a goat to show. (We might be in for it.)

Here is Adia's goat. His name is BLAZE. Blaze was born February 13. (The same day that MuShu died.)

Here is Adia with Blaze and Blaze's Mommy.

Here is another view of Blaze.

Hamilton now thinks that he is going to show goats too! He jumped right in the pen with the goats and started catching the babies. He loves them. He wasn't quite brave enough to catch the older goats, but it won't be long an he will be.

In the pen with the goats is a Great Pyrenees. The picture does not do this dog justice. Luke is HUGE! He protects the goats from predators that might be lurking in the nearby desert. Hamilton the Brave loves Luke and isn't scared to pet him. Notice that Tootsie is in my arms in the background. She is dwarfed by this dog. He could eat her in one little nibble.

Speaking of Tootsie....Tootsie's hair has been a bit wild lately. You can't see her face, she picks up every little grass or weed, and she started having a hard time pooping. (You don't want to know what measures I've taken to help her be more comfortable.) She got all her puppy shots and is vaccinated so the groomer will see her now. We took her in on Thursday to get a hair cut. She went in looking like a poofy hair ball and came out looking like Oscar the Grouch. (Except she isn't green.) She isn't a very photogenic dog, but take my word for it, she is super-duper cute in person. You can't help but love this animal!

Lots and Lots

2009-04-14T13:22:00.001-07:00

There has been lots and lots of things going on around here lately. I thought I would do a very general post so I could include several random things.

We had a great Easter and enjoyed our time together as a family. We giggled a lot, ate a lot, and hunted for Easter eggs. The weather was beautiful too. The kids looked so darling dressed up in their church clothes that I just had to take pictures. I just wish we could have gotten a family picture.

Yesterday Jake took the day off and we worked in the yard. We have big plans for the yard which will take lots of time and money, so we decided we just have to start and do one thing at a time. We started by moving some sprinkler heads. We dug several trenches, and we were up to our knees in dirt. Today our muscles are reminding us of the physical labor we did. After we were finished with our sprinkler work, the kids decided they wanted to get wet in the sprinklers. I thought they were crazy because it was only 75 degrees yesterday. Too cold for sprinklers if you ask me, but being the nice mom that I am, I gave them permission. It didn't take long before they were all huddled together with thier towels to keep them warm. Crazy kids.

Yesterday may have been a beautiful spring day but today is a cold wintery day. The wind came up and blew everything around including our garbage and it decided to actually snow. We can't seem to get much of it in the winter so I guess it has to come during Spring. It actually looked like a blizzard for a while. The kids and Tootsie had fun running around the backyard in the snow.

Marlins vs. Mariners

2009-04-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, after accomplishing a million different things, (scrapbooking class, funeral musical number, grocery shopping, chasing down kids, etc.) I headed to the ball park to cheer at Orin's first baseball game of the season. I was a tad bit late but thankfully I only missed a part of the first inning. It wouldn't have looked very good if the team mom (Jake is the team dad) wasn't there. The stands were crowded and I had to climb over people to find a seat but, as luck would have it, I found a spot big enough for both me and Jake. I quickly settled in for the long haul with my caffeine-free diet coke and six-inch subway sandwich. Orin's team, otherwise known as the "Marlins" were all decked out in their teal shirts, striped pants, teal socks, and black hats. They looked great out there on the field. Every year I learn a little more about the rules of baseball and all the little quirky things about it that make it America's pastime. But I will admit that I don't know a lot about it. I just know that you need to hit the ball, run the bases, and make it to home plate. Or, if you are on the other team, you need to catch the ball, throw the ball, and tag the players (Jake is reminding me right now, that you can force the players out too sometimes.) Anyways, I may not make a great coach because I don't know enough about the game and I'm too nice, but I am a great cheerleader. I have tons of team pride and I try and learn who all the boys are. I give encouragement from the stand with lots of enthusiasm. To make a long story short, it was during one of my great cheers, that I unfortunately yelled out (yelled being the keyword) to our team, "GO MARINERS". I think the visiting team stand, which is where we were, got silent. All eyes were on me. Jake quickly leaned over and said, "Kara, we are the Marlins not Mariners." I think every parent in that stand thought I was crazy or drunk (I think some of them checked to see what I was drinking). I immediately apologized and yelled out, "I mean GO MARLINS!" The stand erupted in laughs. And throughout the rest of the game everyone called me "The Mariners Lady". I felt silly especially because I am the team mom. I am pretty sure that my great cheer will take first place in the little league baseball history awards as "Worst Cheer Ever!" Next time I will try to think before I yell out something stupid for the whole world to hear.

Bunco Bash

2009-04-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...I love bunco. There really isn't anything like gathering with the ladies to squeal, laugh, yell, talk, gossip (nicely), tease, and act crazy. I am really good at the "act crazy" stuff. I have been called "Crazy Kara" by small on-lookers. I look forward to our monthly competition as a great way to get my girl time in and make myself sick on candy. I am pretty sure that for every month I play Bunco I add a month on to the end of my life (unless, of course, Tami stabs me with her pencil). I think all the laughing and joking really does prolong life. It seems as though I rarely win any of the prizes (Hanna stole them all this month!) but it isn't about the prizes, it is definately about the ladies. I love to rotate around and jabber with all of them and consider them ALL my friends (including the subs and ghosts). I am pretty sure I have them all convinced that I am looney! But then again, they have me convinced that they are the ones who are looney!! Hopefully they all love the company as much as I do and look past the looney-ness. See you ladies next month where I will be, most likely, nuttier than ever. You won't want to miss it.

Backyard Tree In Bloom

2009-04-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

The tree has finally bloomed! I have been waiting as patiently as possible. I think it is absolutely beautiful. Everything else, except for the daffodils, is still mostly brown. Oh, and the aroma....It smells so lovely when you stand under the branches. Nature sure can produce some fantastic perfumes. Slowly our little desert oasis is starting to have some color. A little here and a little there. I just wish it could be a little warmer now. I am really wanting consistant warm Spring days.

2009-04-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

It is about time that I give a little tribute to some amazing people I know and love. My GRANDPA and GRANDMA, otherwise known as Papa and Grammy. They may be "older than dirt", but they are young at heart and the best grandparents! I consider myself pretty lucky to have had the opportunity to know and have a relationship with them.
I have been told that I know how to keep a house clean because Grandpa taught me. Once when I was very young I refused to pick up the toys which I had been playing with. I wouldn't obey Grandpa when he told me to pick them up. So, being the meanie (not) that he is, he put me outside on the porch. It was a cold, dark night and I was only dressed in a little nightgown. I cried and cried until he came to me and said I could come in if I picked up my toys. Of course I readily agreed to the terms but promptly disregarded them as soon as I was in the warm house. Again, he put me outside in the dark and cold. This exchange happened several times until I realized that he was not going to give up. So I picked up my toys.

When I was younger I spent most Summers at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I can remember taking swimming lessons and hating to jump in the water because in the morning the water was cold. But Grandma said we needed to learn to swim so we took the lessons. They had an Atari we loved to play. Donkey-Kong, Pitfall, and Frogger were my favorites. There was a 4-wheeler, tractor and swingset, all the fruit we could eat, and sprinklers to run through. There were endless possibilities. I can remember going to Sacramento to load up at Price Club. Bagel dogs, soda, ice-cream, and gummy worms.

There was, and still is, a candy bar closet. They keep many different kinds of candybars on hand. As a kid I was allowed one per day. Now that I am grown up I am allowed all I want. (I try to keep it to one a day when I am there.) Grandpa used to kept a giant jar of gummy worms in his desk. He would use the little plastic pinchers and serve us worms in our outstretched hands.

I have been to more state and national parks with them than I can count. I have been everywhere from Mexico to Washington to Illinois with them. Some of the best vacations I have ever been on were with them. I have seen nude sun-bathers, squealed down Splash Mountain, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, hiked mountains and caves, swam in freezing waters, collected sand dollars, flown kites, had boy haircuts, eaten as many McDonalds strawberry milkshakes as I could, been a model, collected silver charms, gotten addicted to Desperate Houswives and done a qua-zillion other amazing things all because of them.

When we were poor and couldn't afford anything they filled my freezer, fridge and cupboards with food and toiletries and cleaning supplies. They have also filled my gas tank numberless times. They have been generous and giving. They even took care of my family for a time when I was sick. Something that I will never forget or ever stop being grateful for.

There are thousands of memories I have of Grandpa and Grandma floating around in my head. (Too many to write in this post.) Even now that I am grown I still enjoy spending time with them.

I am so glad that my children have also been able to have unforgetable moments with Papa and Grammy. They are enjoying the candybar closet, the tractors, the fruit, the traveling and vacationing, trips to McDonalds, video games, and all the other fun things about them.

Thanks Papa and Grammy for everything! It has been fun so far and I look forward to the many other things we will do together. You guys are the best!!

Waiting For The Blossoms

2009-03-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

Last year, just after we moved into our new home, one of the trees in our back yard broke out in the most amazing display of blossoms. We fell in love with this tree but have never been able to figure out what kind it is. I figure it must be some crazy hybrid, possibly a flowering pear of some sort. After the blossoms were finished the tree sprouted dark green leaves which provided a beautiful thick shade all Summer long. In the Fall the green leaves turned a dazzling red providing a beautiful back drop outside our windows. Because winter in Fallon can be so drab, we have anxiously awaited the tree to bust out in its "popcorn on the apricot tree" look. Everyday Jacob and I look to see what kind of progress it is making. It currently has little peppercorn buds just waiting to pop out. Soon it will be covered in pure white blossoms from branch to trunk. I can hardly wait!

Mormon Ads

2009-03-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

I saw on my sister-in-law's facebook page a Mormon Ad and I fell in love with it. So I went searching for more of them. I love them all and wanted to share this one with you. In our family we have been known to have moments like this. Jacob is so good about playing with the kids and inventing games for them. I think The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints really hit the nail on the head with these ads. I am thankful that my family can be together forever!

Forgotten Lyrics

2009-03-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last night I participated in a Releif Society Birthday Celebration by playing a roll in "The Parable of the Princesses" by Jenny Phillips. I, of course, was the princess who was obsessed with worldly things and herself. Bummer. (I think I was type cast because of the pink hair.) When my turn came to sing my solo, my mind went blank and I forgot the lyrics. Actually, I think I got the first measure's lyrics right and then drew a blank. For about 3 measures I just made up words. But what I really wanted to do is scream out "DO OVER! DO OVER!" That wouldn't have been appropriate so I just kept going until my brain kicked in and I remembered the words. I know the other ladies, Dana and Melissa, must have been wanting to bust a gut and laugh out loud. Truly it was quite humorous to anyone who would have been familiar with the song. I have racked my memories and I don't think I have ever forgotten the words to anything I have performed. Never! Never! I guess there is a first for everything. I hope that never happens to me again because it was torture.

Orin's Accident

2009-03-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

All the boys Orin's age at school are addicted to baseball right now. They have been making up all kinds of games where they can throw balls and run bases. The other day some of them asked the principal, Mr. Freeman, if they could play with a bat. He gave them permission as long as there were no fights over it. Today at recess they were taking turns batting when Orin, the next in line, got too close to the batter. The batter took a great big swing and WACK!! Orin's head took a hit. Orin said that one minute he was standing in line and then the next he was on the ground. Needless to say, they are no longer allowed to play with the bat. The boys turned it in right then and there. Orin's head immediately started bleeding like crazy. (I guess head wounds bleed a lot.) His poor teacher, Miss Davenport, doesn't do well around blood and had a hard time steadying herself so she could help Orin. The school nurse got the bleeding in control but the head wound needed closed up or stitched. When I arrived Orin was sitting calmly and collectively just waiting for me. I decided that I didn't think I could steri-strip it properly so I took him straight to the doctor's office. Once the doctor got the hair trimed and out of the way she showed me the wound. I was surprised to see that it went all the way to the skull. It was a pretty small wound, just really deep. It only took 1 stitch to close it up. Orin looks to be okay now and doesn't show any signs of a concussion. I think he feels lucky to have gotten out of school early and is milking the whole thing. (I let him play the X-Box.)

Our New Rubicon

2009-03-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

I am happy to note that we are the proud owners of a sorta new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. We have been looking at this Jeep for a week or so while it sat on the lot of our local Fallon Auto Mall. I have been wanting a vehicle like this since Jeep came out with the 4-door. Jake finally caved in and went in to ask how much it was. We know a nice guy (Bruno) who works at the auto mall and knew he could hook us up with a good deal. Bruno told us to take the Jeep for the weekend (just so we could fall in love with it even more). Of course, the tactic worked and both Jake and I wanted it before the sun set on Sunday.

It is basicly a new Jeep with only 10,000 miles on it. Jake and I love that it is jacked up 3 extra inches, has the dark tinted windows, and the upgraded tires and rims. The yellow is a bit flashy and crazy, but I guess it goes good with me. I hope to do a little "diggin" now. The kids love it and think it is fun too. Hamilton has to do quite the fancy moves just to get in it.

The 5th Grade Science Fair

2009-03-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

Once again Adia has surprised us. For the last several months she has been working on her science fair project and report. She kind of got off to a rough start and got a little behind. Once we (her parents) discovered the problem, we were able to help Adia see where she went wrong. She was under a lot of stress, but owned all of it and got to work fixing the problem. Her teacher, Mrs. Corbin, even complimented her about being responsible.

Adia titled her project "Spaterade". She took three houseplants (Golden Pothos) and watered each one with a different liquid. She used water, Gatorade, and Sprite. Adia went through her project step by step documenting, taking notes, and taking pictures. She was diligent about watering her plants and though her hypothesis may have been wrong, she got great results. She worked hard on her report and her project display board. And she got it all done and turned in on time. And we can honestly say, that Adia did it all by herself. The only thing I did to contribute was purchase her plants and get her pictures developed.

On Thursday, March 5th, the school held the science fair awards night, and Adia, to all of our surprise, won 2nd place. When Adia heard her name called she started crying. She was tickled pink with herself. The boys were also super excited for Adia. They cheered and clapped while she was up in front of everyone. Now she gets to go on to the Northern Nevada Division.

Good work Adia!! Your hard work paid off!!

At The Hop

2009-03-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

Adia and Jacob had a super fun daddy-daughter date on Friday. They headed over to the church which was decorated like a 50's diner. They danced, did a hula-hoop contest, and ate hamburgers, french fries, and banana splits. Adia loved every second of it because she got to hang onto her daddy's arm. They looked great all dressed up!

The Big Nine

2009-02-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

Nine years ago Orin joined our family, and boy, are we glad! Orin is an incredible young man. He loves baseball and will be starting soon in the Cal Ripkin league. He gets really good grades and all of his teachers love him. Orin recently earned his Wolf rank in Cub Scouts and now he will be joining the Bear den. Orin has been working on his Articles of Faith and has all of them memorized except for the 13th. (He is working on that one.) He is reading the Harry Potter series and is almost done with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which is the 5th book. His goal is to finish the 6th book before the movie comes out this summer. He doesn't want me to mention that all the girls love him but they do!! Orin is learning to play the piano and he has some natural skills. He loves to practice and he never complains. (At least not yet.) Some of Orin's amazing qualities include being obedient, kind, loving, humble, reverent, helpful, and he is a natural peace maker. He is also super, duper adorable! There are a few unique things about Orin that makes him who he is. He doesn't like stroganoff, he rarely smiles but when he does his whole face lights up, he has a great head of hair, he doesn't like to order his own food at a resturaunt, he is a boy of very few words, he loves his siblings and they are his best friends, and he loves the X-box. I love watching Orin grow up and have enjoyed every moment with him.
I can't wait to see what the next nine years will bring.

Happy birthday Orin!! Your famliy loves you!

Tootsie

2009-02-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

When Mu Shu died he left a big hole in all of our hearts and we knew that we needed to fill it. Luckily we were able to bring home Mu Shu's sister. She is a little brown fur ball with lots and lots of spunk. After a long debate, we named her Tootsie (as in tootsie roll). She is adorable and we are loving her!

Wicked

2009-02-18T14:27:00.001-08:00

I am married to the most wonderful man ever!! Jacob surprised me with 2 tickets to Wicked (the musical) for Christmas. It was the best present ever!! We headed out to San Francisco on Friday morning while my parents stayed at our house to babysit the kiddos. We stayed at the Park 55 right on Market Street. It was a very nice hotel and we got to experience valet parking for the first time. We rode the subway, my first ever, and we walked for miles in beautiful San Francisco. We also ate dinner at the best Italian place ever. It was amazing.

Our Wicked tickets were for a matinee on Valentines Day at the Orpheum Theater. The theater was beautiful and I was lucky enough to have seats on the second row, right in dead center on the balcony. And even better, was that we had 2 kids sitting right in front of us so there was no interference with a giant man or a big hair lady. Of course, there aren't many things better than a Broadway musical and this was no exception. Wicked was brilliant, funny, romantic, and super entertaining. It was all that I wanted it to be and more. Jacob, thank you for the best weekend I've had in a long time!! And, thanks Mom and Dad for taking the time to watch the kids for us!!