Birthday photos

It is true. We keep feeding and watering them and they just don't stop growing! I can't believe how old this kid is!
Here are some photos from her recent birthday

Breakfast - her request of Johnnie's famous (heart stopping) french toast

 

We had dinner, played a game, went out and flew a kite and came back in for cake.

 

We invited two friends and her sister to join us at the pool for an afternoon

 

 

Jack o lanterns and Easter

Here are some recent photos from our lives.
Our daughter enjoying her strawberry smoothie and hard boiled eggs Easter morning.

 

Our super cool, psychadelic Easter eggs

 

This child just keeps losing teeth. She's now got a jack o'lantern smile!

 

Repairman blues

I'm cranky today. Debating whether I should really blog and air it or not. However, this is life. Some days are better than others, and while I COULD sugar coat everything - what would be the point?

Just for the record - if you are an appliance repairman company, it would be a good idea to actually set up appointments beforehand rather than saying, "Monday". Monday came and I had no idea when they were actually coming - I even called at 7:35 am so that I could possibly get an idea, but they couldn't be bothered to pick up the phone and they are spending most of the day out of the area at more important repairs.

Is one supposed to blithely spend their entire day waiting for the repairman to appear? Who has time like that? Ridiculous. Now since I can't be here when it is finally convenient for them, they can't come until Friday.

I'd say waiting two weeks to get my broken stove & oven repaired is not acceptable. That's why I paid for the extended warranty. There was no clause that it would take forever.

Moving on, we celebrated my daughters birthday last week and kind of partied all week! Friday we headed to a cousin's house for a birthday celebration (his). Saturday, we came back home and put up a new trampoline, had a swimming pool birthday party, and then one of our guests invited us all to their house that evening for a bonfire.

Photos will be forthcoming.

He Lives

He Lives

Project finished!

We had the opprotunity to see some of our close friends be sealed together as a family in the Salt Lake Temple last week. I made them a wall hanging with the date to commemorate the occasion.
Here's my finished product.

 

What's for dinner?

Once again, I decided to duplicate my recipe blog's last posting so I could share last night's dinner with everyone. I actually fooled my youngest daughter with the spaghetti. In the end, it was pretty fun!

I used the meatloaf recipe from Feet of Meat for our 'cupcakes' and cooked it in muffin tins. We then frosted our cupcakes with mashed potatoes. We had our cupcakes as our dinner entree.

 

We had spaghetti and meatballs for dessert

 

Our spaghetti was composed of a slice of angel food cake centered on a plate, then covered with small strands of buttercream frosting. The entire concoction was then covered with a sauce made of blended fresh strawberries and a touch of sugar.

Our meatballs were actually 'chocolate no bake cookies' that were rolled into balls before the completely cooled.

Note - I don't recommend the butter cream frosting noodles with angel food cake - I'd try another type of cake next time. Next year I will experiment with whipping cream for the frosting. It will have to be light, yet stiff enough to come out as strands and hold it's shape. Luckily, I have a whole year to work on that!

April Fool's Day Link

Yes, I know - I'm a little lame sometimes, but last year AFTER april fool's day I came across a blog with a really cute idea for April fool's day and I was bummed that I hadn't been a little more creative (someone in my house doesn't think that cold water poured on them in the shower is very creative - or funny for that matter, but that's a different story I guess).

So - here's a link if anyone wants to pull together something cute for their family for April Fool's Day - even though I already posted (yes, as well) on my recipe blog.

Happy April Fool's Day Ya'll!

More Moab

Here are a few last pictures of the Negro Bill's hike.

 

 

 

That's it! Spring Break was nice - we got a little nice weather (once we traveled out to find it), got haircuts, the girls worked on sewing projects, visited with family and friends, and we are now happy to be back home for the next several months. We've been out of town for 3 of the last five weeks for various reasons, but are ready to get back to normal.

Today the kids are back in school and we are going to plant our garden tonight (indoors) for Family Home Evening and start working on some big home projects!

Moab

We spent some time in Moab, Utah and decided to go for a hike. While Arches National Park is one of our all time favorite places (there's just something about those red rocks that we love!) last year our friends recommended the Negro Bill's hike outside of Arches. While last year we hiked it in May and the spring colors were much brighter (the cacti were in bloom), we still enjoyed the warm sunshine, and dousing our feet as we crossed over the river five or six times. For our first hike of the year it was just fantastic to be outside in the sun!

 

 

 

 

Misc. Photos

Last week we decided to take down the broken trampoline.

This is how us shorties get the jobs done!

 

 

Here is our family on top of the conference center last week - note my cool gang signs :)

 

Our kid's favorite thing in SLC is always the fountain outside the conference center. There is a huge fountain on top of the building which cascades in levels down to ground level. Our kids have an undying fascination of this fountain/waterfall. No SLC trip is complete until they've splashed their hands in the water!

 

More SLC photos

Center of the Universe - don't we all think we are? Here's the center of SLC

 

We stopped for lunch in the Nauvoo Cafe and ran into my sister-in-law and nephew who were there on a 'date'. It was great to see them!

 

After the sealing on our way to the car

 

Spring Break in Salt Lake City

This past week for our spring break we traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah. There we met some friends who were going to the Salt Lake Temple to be sealed together as a family. What this means is that family members who accept the Atonement of Jesus Christ and follow His example can be together forever through sacred sealing ordinances performed in God’s holy temples. It was very special to witness this sacred ordinance. Here are a couple of photos from Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

The kids at the temple doors

 

 

Here's a group photo we took the day prior to the sealing as we were there touring the conference center and spending time in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

 

Faith In God

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, our children have an opportunity to participate in several different faith inspiring programs. Our oldest daughter is working on her Faith In God program which consists of choosing several projects over a space of four years and along with righteous living, daily prayer and scripture study, helps her to exercise her faith in Jesus Christ and strengthen her testimony, and serve others.

 

One of her recent projects was to plan, prepare, and serve a nutritious meal to her family.

She made tomato soup from scratch (from canned garden tomatoes) - roux and all, hubbard squash, carrots, and toasted cheese sandwiches. As she started her meal, she decided she wanted to go with an orange theme----it turned out great and we are very proud of her excitement for life and her accomplishments!

Not to be left out of the action, our youngest daughter decided to invent the toasted cheese and carrot sandwich. She gave it rave reviews!

 

Life as we know it

I have to keep reminding myself that things don't stay the same. I'd really like them to, but it isn't reality. Just as I began to say that things are starting to calm down since the past month, I realized that in the next few weeks we'll be on spring break with the kids home (translation - making me crazy) and I realized how abnormal seems to be the 'normal' in our home.

In February we headed out to see family for sundry reasons. While there, my husband's grandparents both experienced health complications. We were glad we had the opportunity then to spend time with them. After we returned home, we were informed that grandma had taken a turn for the worse. As it progressed, we tearfully awaited the news that she had passed from her suffering and pain into the next phase of her existence. I realized how tough it was to make appointments and commitments, knowing that I may not be able to keep them - living in limbo is never fun.

Grandma did pass away. She lived a full 90 years and she was prepared and ready to go. As she said - "I've lived a good life".

How many people can rightly say that just before they leave mortality? Definitely something to think about. Could I say that if I was taken away right now??

While we are saddened in losing grandma's cheery smile, our hearts are full of gratitude for the resurrection and the knowledge that we will once again see grandma. We know that this parting is only temporary and that it is a part of life - moving on. What peace this knowledge brings!

Last week we traveled to grandma's funeral. Due to some road closures, we got to take the extended drive which resulted in 9 long hours rather than the normal 6 or so. We were thrilled that the roads opened back up on our way home.

I was blessed to share some very special and sacred moments with grandma as final preparations were made for her burial. It was interesting to note that while tears were shed, I think they were mainly shed for grandpa who is bereft of his wife of 70 years. I can imagine that life without a companion of 70 years would be so lonely. We were able to spend time with grandpa almost everyday while we were there, and the girls loved playing rock, paper, scissors with him. We also had an opportunity to visit all of my husband's siblings - in their homes which was a treat.

Our kids got lots of cousin play time which they loved.

We stopped and saw my cousin's family on our way home and had dinner with them and the kids got to run around outside (first time this year) without jackets and play after a long car ride. We finally arrived home and collapsed. The next morning one of our kids had a fever and so my day got up on hold.

Fortunately, I had lots of energy yesterday and was able to start the re-organization of getting suitcases unpacked and everything back into place. Sigh.

Life is just beginning to feel like normal again. Bring on the chaos of spring break!!

Ice Instruments

On occasion I play the cello. Today a friend and I had the chance to play stringed instruments made out of ice. Not an every day experience.

It was SO cool! (Really - no pun intended) :)

Here are some pics.

 

 

 

Today

Today:
The sun is shining. Most of the snow has melted. Well, in my front yard at least. We've still got a foot and a half in the back. They say that we'll get a big storm the next couple of days, but I may have to see it to believe it.

I thought life was slowing down a bit. Then I looked at the calendar and noticed how busy we are this entire month, however, I've had a couple of days at home this week without anything major pressing. As such, I've been reading and cleaning and enjoying the peace. Right now, the kids are at school, my husband is at work and all I hear is the quiet hum of my printer. That's it - serenity! Or possibly the calm before the storm???

Yesterday I was working on a big pantry cleaning project. I went to the hardware store and bought some big plastic buckets. Brought them home and washed them out and put my flour, sugar, wheat, beans, and while I'd planned to put either rice or oatmeal in the last one, it temporarily ended up housing all of the half eaten bags of breakfast cereal. I worked at it for about three hours and took a break and finished my book. Then I went back to it. The phone rang and I was asked if I was coming to the meeting.

I completely (COMPLETELY) spaced that I had an HOA meeting. I was a mess and I hadn't even combed out my hair for the day. I'd just thrown it wet, into a pony tail and started working. Boy was I embarrassed showing up 20 minutes late as the super grunge girl!

The girls are doing really well in gymnastics - getting ready to move up another level (the competitive) this spring. Our youngest is consistently landing all of her back handsprings without spotting. Our oldest has just mastered some great things on the bars - but don't ask me what they are called, 'cause I have NO idea. They talk all about the different tricks - I've learned to just listen and nod my head rather than trying to figure out everything they are talking about.

The girls are also working hard to memorize 7-10 piano songs for guild - which is where they are judged on their playing and technique.

My husband is getting ready for another half marathon this spring (not the annual one). He's got me interested in thinking about running either the 5 or 10k race. Hmmmm...I'm intrigued and thinking about it.

Deep breath as I begin my day - I'm happy to be alive!

Russian National Orchestra

We had the chance to see Yuja Wang perform with the Russian National Orchestra. Its was absolutely amazing! The girls couldn't believe how fast her hands moved and she made it look SO effortless! We were thrilled to meet her afterwards and receive her autograph.

Waiting for the music to start:

 

The Russian National Orchestra:

 

 

What's new?

Today seems to be the first chance I've had all week to be home. I just seem to run, run, run. I guess we all do.

Here's a brief synopsis of my exciting life this week: (yes that WAS tongue in cheek)
Monday - drove all day home
Tuesday - Lessons & cleaned out my study (I had music ALL over the floor)
Wednesday - More lessons and spent the entire rest of the day on income taxes, then presented a missionary/cultural night for the YW that evening serving platanos fritos, horchata, black beans, freshly made corn tortillas, pico de gallo, and fresh mangos.
Thursday - Visiting teaching all morning and afternoon
Friday - Trying to get my head back on and figure out where to start digging from.

On top of it all, I've been working through some obstacles with some of my musicians this week. We'll see what this weekend brings.

It's always tough to go out of town for us both before we leave and after. The cleaning, the packing and all of the mental lists of things that need to be done beforehand. Then afterwards, trying to pick back up into the swing of things, getting laundry and everything back into place...maybe I'll have it back together again by next week.

My husband has a new policy which is that he doesn't make any big decisions for at least two weeks after we get back. Long enough to normalize and get back into the swing of things - I rather like that policy.

However, my laundry is calling me and I have just enough time to make a dent before my kiddos head back in from school.

All I can say is I LOVE FRIDAYS and don't like those Mondays quite so much.

Finished quilt

These last three weeks I've been frantically working to finish a quilt for my mother's birthday. I was able to get copies of everyone in the family's handprints and I appliqued them onto a quilt top, then hand sewed them on, and embroidered everyone's names into it. It took a lot time and hard work. My fingers got fairly raw from the stitching.
Hallelujah however - it is finished.

I took it to a quilting shop to have it quilted and when I arrived to pick it up (45 minutes before we were supposed to give it to my mother) I found that it hadn't been bound. Luckily the ladies there had compassion and lent me a machine in their back room where I sat down and finished the quilt.
Here it is!
Front

 

Back

 

Self Portrait

The following is a self portrait that our daughter drew of herself.

 

Here she is in real life with her new glasses that we picked up today - isn't she so cute?? She looks just like a little librarian!!

 

Veiled Compliments

My daughter has a low grade fever today.

Because I'm the primary song leader and my husband is teaching a lesson tomorrow, I figured I'd better give someone a little bit of notice and set up a substitute (the kids are learning a brand new song tomorrow) today rather than tomorrow.

I told my daughter I'd found a substitute. Her response was, "I feel bad for those kids, they are missing out on a really fun song leader." While I KNOW my substitute will do great, I'll take any compliments I can get...at least my kids think I'm fun!

My Interminable Evenings

Yet another interminable night. Our kids went to the local 'learn to ski' program this week instead of going to school. I guess you could call it a mountain perk.

One of the perks is that they went to bed last night at 6:47 pm and were happy about it.

However, my main point (I'm getting there I promise) is that when we tucked our kids into bed tonight (after a full day of skiing topped off with 2 hrs. of gymnastics) at 8:00 they were once again happy to go to bed.

My husband then turned to me and informed me that he was going to bed too (this happens fairly regularly) - very depressing.

I stand on principle that unless one is sick, as an adult, bedtime does not start until at least 10:00. I tried it last week. I kept waking up from 3:00 am on - waiting until I could get up. There's a reason it is dark outside in the morning - it is sleeping time!

Remember back in college when anything before 12:00 am was really early? I'm having a tough time with the early bedtime thing. I spend much of my time at home working on projects, cooking, cleaning, shuttling kids to different activities and often not talking to a real adult ALL day long.

My husband comes home, we have dinner, get kids into bed, and just when I'm ready for some adult conversation, interaction - anything...I find him snuggled up asleep in bed.

Maybe that's why I find a morbid joy in slinking into our room as quiet as I can be to slip into bed. He's a light sleeper. He generally sits up in bed - disoriented and shouting, 'huh? huh? who's that?' Like if I was a robber, I'd say, 'Hi, my name is Jimmy, nice to meet you, I'm here to rob you'. So I don't say anything and it continues for a few more moments.

Why am I blogging about this? Probably because it is 10:19 pm and I'm finally thinking about going to bed and anticipating the morbid bedtime fun awaiting me.

I do have to say that tonight in my spare time I was very productive.
I watched an NCIS episode online (we don't have cable or satellite tv, just what I can check out from the library on DVD).
I checked my email and responded to several clients.
I put together some information for an upcoming performance for my contractors.
I investigated and considered obtaining a paypal business account for my business blog. I'm just not sure about the 2.9% on every transaction bit.
I started a blog and then erased it.
I read all of my friend's blogs which I haven't even seen for several weeks - nothing like catching up. I also caught up on Dwight Schrute's monthly blog. Interesting. I'm glad I found the link though on my sister in law's blog.
I saw a blog that I mostly like, but decided the crafty ideas were WAY over the top and I'd better stick with non-cutesy plain Jane ideas that don't require a paper cutter.

And now....I'm going in to terrorize my husband.