Hoop-De-Doo & Falderal

Swim Team 2011

2011-10-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

Emma, Lauren, and Ellie all did swim team again this year. They have all improved a great deal and are becoming quite good swimmers. Emma's best and favorite stroke is back stroke. Lauren is best at freestyle and Ellie is becoming quite the "fly" girl winning several blue ribbons in this event. Butterfly is a stroke that many young swimmers shy away from. It requires a good deal of upper body strength and a mermaid kick. I'm sure the constant gymnastics and swimming with the mermaid flippers that went on this summer gave her a huge advantage in this event. On the last meet she wanted to "swim up" on the butterfly (compete against older kids because the round is a 50 meter instead of 25, adding more of a challenge), but her coach wouldn't let her because the team relies on her win in that event which brings the team score up. I think she was probably one of the best fly swimmers in her age group in the county. We didn't actually do the all-county meet, so I'm not sure, but she beat nearly everyone she swam against at the meets. Way to go, girls!

Summer Fun

2011-10-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

Lauren and Ellie spent most of the summer swimming and flipping. Here is Lauren demonstrating the mermaid fins.
And Ellie demonstrating the skill she worked all summer at: a back walk-over. Since I recorded this she has also mastered doing the back bend from a standing position and then doing the walk-over. She's becoming quite the gymnast with only the neighbor friend as a teacher.

Family Reunion

2011-10-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

Right after school started I got to fly to Utah to have a luau with my family. It was so fun to see everyone. It's never quite enough. I wish I could have brought the kids, but they hate missing school and it just didn't seem worth it for just a couple of days. But it was a nice and relaxing time for me. Thank you JH for putting it all together.

For a better description of the fun read here.

After the Recital

2011-10-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

I love 'em.

Dance Recital

2011-10-08T05:13:00.000-07:00

Ellie's dance recital was right in the middle of summer. She had a tap routine and a ballet routine. It's just cute. She's taking a break from dance this year. More on that later.

A Day At the Museum

2011-08-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

This is one of the coolest places in our city. It's an old (10 story?) warehouse or something that has been changed into a huge children's (and adult's) museum. It's made up of amazing climbing structures that take you from floor to floor, giant slides that take you many stories down, one even goes from the top to the bottom in a winding slide, a circus performed by local kids who learn at the circus school there, and many other super cool things. You could spend a couple days there and probably not see everything.

We went with our new friend, Bella. She is the niece of a co-worker of Richard's. She spent a few days hanging out with us this summer because her aunt thought it would be more fun to play with us than sit at the office while she worked all day. She was right. We had fun with her.

Amazing Race Cake

2011-08-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

Lauren's friend, Ryan, had an Amazing Race birthday party and they asked me to make the cake. This is simple, but that's what they wanted. Thanks for the fun party Ryan!

Lauren is Cute

2011-08-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

We bought these cool wrap around skirts that can be worn 101 ways. This is one variation on Lauren. Love it. These dresses look good on everyone. I'll try to remember to take a picture of all of us wearing one. It's fun. Probably available at a kiosk in your mall.

Shalyn turns 17

2011-08-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

Shalyn moved in just in time to have her birthday with us.
She wanted red velvet cake.

We went out to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse. Yumm! Then home for cake.

She got swim goggles from Richard. This girl can rock some goggles.

Adorable.

Meet Shalyn

2011-08-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

Who is Shalyn? She's that cute girl in the yellow dress. She is our new houseguest for the next year.
Here's the story: She's a senior this year. Her family moved away. She's Maddie's friend. They hatched a plan. She lives with us now.
It's going very well. She's fun to have around. She misses her pets badly. No, we're not getting one just for her.

Harry Potter Opening Night

2011-08-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

Everyone got into the spirit of HP for the midnight showing of the final chapters. Maddie and Shalyn went with friends and Emma and I went with other friends. Can you tell who everyone is?
(Sybill Trelawney, Minerva McGonagall, and Hogwarts student)

A Day At The Park

2011-08-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

Butterfly House 2011

2011-08-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

We made another trip to the Butterfly House. I love the flowers every bit as much as the butterflies. That butterfly landed on me and stayed for several minutes. (Oddly, a few weeks later we went to Six Flags and a butterfly landed on me there and stayed with me a good 10 min. or so.) I guess I attract butterflies.
Lauren and Ellie decided to toughen up this year and "face their fears"---BUTTERFLIES! Lauren did very well. Ellie is still not a fan. I still can't quite figure out what is so terrifying, but the fear is real.

Kiara turns 16

2011-08-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

And who is Kiara? She is Maddie's adorable friend who used to be our neighbor. They've moved away, but those two have been able to find a way to get together a few times since the big move.
This summer, Kiara got to spend a month with us. It was a surprise for Maddie and what a wonderful surprise it was.

Kiara turned 16 while staying with us. She designed the cake and I made it for her. We had a party with some of her friends. Low key, but a fun get-together.

4th of July

2011-07-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Buckle Dessert

Red, White, and Blue Pancakes

Ellie marched in the parade. We all watched.

Tons of fireworks visible from our house-love that.
Emma at EFY.
Rainy day that got super hot.
Grateful for our great country!

Chicago

2011-07-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

While Emma was away at Youth Conference, the rest of us went to Chicago. Maddie decided to miss YC in order to visit her friends and tour Columbia College (her school of choice right now).

We stayed in a beautiful hotel downtown (Palmer House Hilton), ate at our favorite spots (Pizzanos mainly), toured Columbia (cool school, super pricey, yikes), Taste of Chicago, Millenium Park, shopping, etc. We had a great time. I love that city. We also caught a showing of Peter Pan. Waaaaaay better than I thought it would be. I'm so glad we did that. Truly enjoyable for kids and adults. Maddie was able to spend most of the time with her friends. Richard drove out in the morning and brought them back to the city so they could explore Chicago instead of Plainfield.

Chicago 2011

2011-07-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Emma Sings

2011-07-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

I must have heard at least 20 times this past year, "I don't have any talent." "I'm the only one in the family who can't sing." "I'm terrible at singing. Everyone sings better than me." No amount of reassurance could convince her that she was just as capable and talented as anyone else. She's great. It came as no surprise to me when she had a few big wins in the singing dept. recently.
1) She got the Certificate of Special Recognition by her choir teacher, given to only one student per grade.
2) She got the Certificate of Excellence in choir which is a certificate given to only one student per grade and voted by peers as a person who the kids think was the best prepared, behaved, someone who attended all concerts, a good singer, and someone who could be looked up to.
3) She auditioned for and was accepted into the Rising Generation Choir, which is a highly competitive LDS youth choir in the area. There were only 3 female spots available and many girls auditioned. Big Win!

I hope she's getting the message loud and clear that she is, indeed, talented. Yay for Emma!

School Art

2011-07-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

More cute art projects. Check out Ellie's 2nd grade art. There seems to be a theme and I can't help singing, "One of these girls is not like the others. . ." Can you see it? Yup, she's got a thing for blonde hair. I think the rainbow face girl went along with a story and she had to make it look like the girl in the book A Bad Case Of Stripes. Otherwise, she too would have blonde hair, no doubt.
Lauren's gangster turkey deserves mention too. They get this project every year: dress the turkey in disquise so it won't be eaten for Thanksgiving. Lauren thought up gangster turkey. How does she come up with this stuff?

Incognito

2011-07-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

My kids went to school like this toward the end of the school year. Was it wacky hair day, you ask? Was it some kind of dress up day, you ask? NO, no, nothing like that. I just have wacky kids who like to dress up. Love it.

Sugar Crystal Candy

2011-07-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Emma, feeling bored for a project, decided one day to make sugar crystal candy. It was a fun little thing to do. Here's a link if you'd like to try this at home. It's easy. Emma did hers on a pipe cleaner instead of a stick which makes it less fun to eat, but she didn't want to eat it anyway. If you do want to eat yours, make it on a stick. :)

Fine Arts Awards

2011-06-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

This was a cake Maddie's friends made for the event. It's vegan.

Maddie received many awards on this fine evening. Several denoted her progression through the International Thespian Society (ITS). It's kinda like the Oscars for high school.

Maddie with her friends.

Maddie's friend who saved the show by stepping in to fill a part with one day notice. We love him for that, and also just because he's so cute, and nice, and talented.

Maddie and her friend won first place for a dramatic speech competition.

Over The Hill Cake

2011-06-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

I recently made this cake for a friend, who's husband was turning 40. I got the spinner idea from a cake I saw online. It turned out pretty cute. I think it's time I took some real classes so I can figure out how to get the super smooth look. My cakes always have bumps and uneven spots. If you know the answers I welcome your comments.

Happy Birthday Emma!

2011-06-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

Never afraid to show the wacky side of her personality, that is, if you happen to be close friend or family. Publicly she appears completely reserved and shy, but that is not the Emma we know and love. Our albums are filled with the wackiness of this girl.

Lives on a diet of peanut butter and chocolate and remains one of the skinniest girls I know. Oh, how I wish her diet worked for me. She always prefers a chocolatey, gourmet-type dessert for a birthday cake rather than something decorated all fancy or cute. It's all about the taste. This delicious cake was filled with chocolate chips and served with hot fudge. Super yum!

Emma is another year older and it's really starting to show now. She's suddenly looking so much more grown up. The has the only math/science, left brain in the family. She excels at those subjects, but amazingly also seems to be blessed with a love for music and sings like an angel. (More on that later.)

Summer Themed Art

2011-06-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

The art teacher at our elementary school is retiring this year and my kids are so glad. For two years now I've been hearing horror stories about art. Apparently she's "really mean." Okay, so her classroom management skills may be lacking, but my kids have come home with some really cute art projects. Here's hoping that next year they will have good art AND a fun teacher. I always think of my friend Brooke, the best art teacher on the planet, and wish she could be the world's teacher, or at least my kids' teacher.

Ellie's Baptism

2011-05-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

Ellie was baptized last week. She was very excited. Some of that excitement may have been that she got to share the day with her BFF, Izzy. And thank goodness she did. Izzy's mom just happens to be really talented at putting together cute invites and programs and nice finishing touches that I usually don't even think of. Thank you, Izzy's mom. :)
It was very nice because my parents and Ellie's older sister, Ryan were able to come. We thought the other grandparents were going to make it too, but were surprised with a last minute realization that that wouldn't be the case. But, that is another story. Maddie was also absent as she was in a show that night.

Grandma M did make Ellie a nice little baptism dress though. It turned out very cute. Not only that, she made Lauren and Ellie each a new "Easter" dress. Lauren is wearing hers in the picture above. I made Ellie and Izzy's "baptism" dresses. They went to the fabric store together and picked their patterns and fabric. Their fabric is matching, just different colors. I made the cupcakes. The day turned out well. The important thing is that Ellie is now baptized and thrilled to be so. She's so excited to be working on Faith In God goals and trying hard to always choose the right. I'm so proud of her.

Easter

2011-05-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

On a super cold, blustery, wintery April day, our subdivision held its annual Easter Egg Hunt and Activity Day. It's very handy because it's basically held in our back yard. There were pony rides, face painting, jumpy houses, burgers and dogs, and the Easter Egg Hunt. There must have been enough eggs filled for around 60+ kids, but because of the weather only about 8 kids (in my kids' age range) were there and I brought 4 of them (2 friends). They ended up rolling the wagon over to the yard area and using that as the "basket". They filled the wagon with candy filled eggs. Literally hundreds of eggs were in there. Thank goodness they decided to drop most of them off at the neighbor friend's house. We only ended up with about 80 or so.
We tried something different for our eggs this year. I colored small pasta and rice and we decorated blown eggs by gluing the pieces on. As it turns out, this project requires more patience than most of my kids had. The younger two ended up just covering their egg in glue and rolling it around in the pieces. Whatever. It was fun and different from the same ol', same ol'.

Twins

2011-05-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

For some reason during a week in April we had a lot of twinsiness at our house. Richard and Ellie dressed in their Angels gear for the Father/Daughter day a school.

Then, a few days later, I was in my usual caual attire and next thing I know I have a mini-me.

And so, on that same day, Lauren and her friend decided to be twins too. How fun!

Ellie is 8

2011-05-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

Ellie had a great birthday this year. It was an even birthday, so that meant a family party. Her big gift was a new American Girl doll from her older siblings. Wow! Josephina doll is a beauty. Silly Ellie had a few odd requests for her cake. She wanted it to be chocolate and strawberry and it had to say, HI. It also had to use the "8" candle AND the tall skinny candles. So that's what she got. Not the best looking birthday cake, but she LOVED it. Yay!

Talent Show Winners

2011-05-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

Maddie and her friends won first place at the high school talent show! It was sooooo good. They sang "I Know It's Today" from the Shrek musical. Of course, Maddie was the part of young Fiona. It just sounded so great! There were some talented kids there, but this performance was pure entertainment. The cash prize of $150 was split between them. They were some cute and happy girls. Way to go, Maddie!

Flower Basket Cake

2011-05-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

This is the cake I made for our Relief Society Birthday dinner this year. The theme was "Bloom Where You're Planted." I did a basket weave with Royal icing flowers. I did the flowers this way so that I could make them in advance and then just place them when I put the cake together. It turned out well.

Great to Be 8

2011-05-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

I was in charge of our Great To Be 8 (or 8 Is Great) meeting this year and found instructions on Sugardoodle.net for these cute cookies on a stick. They were a big hit!

Wacky Hair Day

2011-05-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

Lauren made quite an impression at her school when she showed up like this for wacky hair day. She was thrilled with it. She found out that it wasn't the best hairdo for playing limbo though. :)

Several people have asked me how it's done. Here's the trick: Gather the hair you want for the spike, grab a wad of egg whites and blend it in (especially at the roots), comb into place again, blend in a bit of hair glue (got 2 B glued brand), work quickly and get your spike perfect, hold while you blow dry on low cool until it is stiff. Repeat with all spikes. It may take some time. Be prepared for that.

St. Patrick's Day

2011-05-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

My kids love to get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day. It was a beautiful day and they were having fun. I love Lauren's shamrock skirt.

Art

2011-05-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

Just a sampling of some of the cute art projects Ellie has done this year.

Smokey Green

2011-04-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

I'm calling it a mid-life crisis. I really don't know what else to attribute it to. Boredom maybe? No, that really can't be it. Curiosity? Perhaps. But really I'm just trying to sqeeze a few things in that I'd better do now before I'm way too old. So. . .even though I really don't have time in my life for such things, on a whim the other day I wanted to try the "smokey eye shadow" look. It looks so cute on young, hip, beautiful women. So, I thought, I'm not getting any younger. If I want to see what it looks like I'd better do it now. So I found a bunch of You Tube tutorials and followed along. It was quite a bit more make-up than I'm used to and I was really tempted to take it all off before I went to the school to pick up Lauren and I was totally self-conscious of it the whole time, but I ended up wearing it the whole day and it was FUN. For a day. Really, in the pictures (which I totally retouched to hide the wrinkles and stuff because THEY DO NOT look good with the young, hip, beautiful style I was going for and I'm super bummed that in real life I had to wear the makeup WITH the wrinkles) you can't tell how thick it is, but there is eyeliner on top and bottom and even inside the lashes and I am wearing black eye shadow with the greens and you can't tell that either. But anyway, it was fun. I think everyone should try it for a day.
Also, I think I had just colored my hair, either that day or the day before, so it's really bright. Yup, I'm looking colorful!

The Tragedy. . .

2011-04-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

called Hamlet.

An amazing woman in our ward has been doing an annual Shakespeare play for a few years now and this time my girls were able to be a part of it. It really was an amazingly well done production. I loved so much about it. I loved that the kids got a great understanding of the show and any of them could tell you the storyline. I loved that they got a feel for the Shakespearean language. I loved that they all felt the committment of being in a production and all did their parts to be prepared. I loved the costumes and the set. I loved the friendships that were formed. We just have so many super talented people around us and I can't give Erin enough praise on this. It was fabulous!

Lauren did a great job as Queen Gertrude. I was a little worried that it would be too much for her. It's a pretty heavy part, but she proved me wrong and did a fantastic job. Ellie was a fabulous Guildenstern. Not without accident however. Right before she was to go on for one of her parts I was backstage helping her get her hat on very quickly and poked her in the eye with one of her hat feathers. It was terrible. She missed that scene and I'm pretty sure the entire audience could hear her crying backstage. But, what memories we created! I'm sure she'll never forget it.

This is a picture of all of the dead in the cast. Sadly, most of the characters in this show die. . .and they all LOVED their death scenes the most. They're all so dramatic.

A special thanks to BlimBam photography for these great shots of the show.

Presenting Hamlet

2011-04-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

More Florida Photos

2011-03-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

I have video of Lauren in the magic show, but I guess I don't know how to get it from my phone to the blog. Maybe someday I'll figure all this stuff out.

Florida in February

2011-03-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

Richard's National Convention was in Florida this year. All that really means to us is that we get to go on a vacation to DisneyWorld. We had 3 days to spend there. We left the plans open so that we could just go with the flow when we got there.
Day 1--Magic Kingdom. Spent the entire day. Rode every ride we wanted to. . .almost. Emma missed out on Splash Mountain. Bummer. Everyone got new sunglasses. We ate yummy food and treats all day. The weather was PERFECT. We saw 2 parades. Loved the electric light parade (again). Cried tears of joy and happiness during the fireworks. We are in love with Tinkerbell flying through the sky. Got totally worn out.

Luckily, we were staying in the Presidential Suite, which is a room the size of the main floor of our house. Two bedrooms, plenty of bed space for everyone, 3 bathrooms, including a bidet which was absolutely enthralling even though noone dared use it, a full kitchen and dining room, 2 separate "living room" areas, and the best part of all. . . all the drinks and snack foods were free. Plus, we got a big basket of goodies when we got there from the hotel event planner. Yeah, we were spoiled. Day 2--Sleep in and spend the rest of the day at the hotel pool. Downtown Disney for dinner at the T-Rex. Animated dinosaurs everywhere and a meteor shower every 20 min.

Day 3--More swimming at the pools (3 large pools, 1 large waterfall that you could sit under, which I did most of this day, 2 large hot tubs, and a beach area), a husband who brings food and treats out whenever he has a minute, just like a cabana boy, peddaling the swan boats for a while, got dressed, went to the boardwalk for dinner, Lauren was picked to be the helper in a magic show, movie in the hotel room.
Day 4--Headed to Downtown Disney. Ellie designed her own t-shirt, Lauren got her face painted, Emma bought jewelry, and Maddie was just happy to be there. Then back to the hotel where a limo was ready to take us back to the airport. We were super spoiled. It's nice to be pampered every now and then. Thanks Richard for a fun trip to Florida.

Honk Jr.

2011-03-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

Emma has just finished her musical, Honk Jr. It is the story of the ugly duckling. It's actually quite cute. Emma played the part of a flight attendent goose. She did a great job. Her song was very cute and well-done. Her moment in the spotlight was shared with her friend Kassidi. They were the lead geese. Her other friend, Anna, was Mother Duck. My little girls really liked this show and have been singing some of the songs almost non-stop. ". . . You can play with your lunch before you eat it. . ."

Clue, The Musical

2011-03-05T05:04:00.000-08:00

Sadly (and lamely), this is the only photo I have of the musical that Maddie just participated in. Yeah, she's not in this photo. I do have some thumbnails that I stole from Facebook of her, but I can't seem to get them on here.
Anyway, the show was cute. Different. Well done. Maddie was in the chorus and did a great job. If you've never seen this musical, or heard of it, the cool thing about it is that it calls for audience participation and it has something like 29 different possible endings, depending on what the audience picks. Also, you are playing the game as the show goes along. They hand out a clue sheet with the program and you can actually be solving the game as the show continues. It's a pretty cool concept for a show. If I find some better pictures I will add them to this post later.

Happy Birthday Lauren

2011-02-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

This sweet girl (yes, I said sweet) is growing into such a kind-hearted, energetic as always, fun tween. She's finally 10. That means she got to have her ears pierced. She was so excited, right up until the very last moment when she suddenly decided she wasn't ready yet. I was able to convince her that she was, indeed, ready and would really regret it if she didn't go through with it. In the end she was glad she did. This is a girl of many eclectic styles and tastes in . . .well, everything. She is certainly destined for something that requires imagination and a free spirit. She has the ambition and energy to make things happen.

She wanted a "peace" cake. She wanted to get her ears pierced. She wanted a cool sled. She wanted to get her American Girl doll's ears pierced and get new stuff for it. She wanted to spend the day at Chuck E. Cheese. I talked her into America's Incredible Pizza. She was very happy with that choice. In fact, she took her best friend and we spent about 6 hours there. Who knew you could eat and play games for that long? She was thrilled and kept saying that it was the "best day of her life." Yay for best days! She also really wanted a motor scooter. She's been wanting this for about a year now. It just doesn't seem to ever happen. Maybe someday. Other than that though she was able to get everything she wanted. Happy Birthday, Beautiful Lauren!

cookie press

2011-02-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

I found a brand new Pampered Chef cookie press at the thrift store the other day and just had to get it. I've been curious about this for many years. It turned out so fun. There are tons of recipes out there for the cookie press. This is just a simple butter spritz that I colored pink for Valentine's Day. Not all of my kids like them (This is meaningless. They don't like anything.), but Richard liked them pretty well. I think they are tasty, but mostly just fun to make.

Spinach Cubes

2011-02-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

So, what do you do with that giant tub of spinach that you bought from Costco and know there's no way you will ever go through the entire thing before it goes bad? I decided to make spinach cubes. This was my own idea that I thought was pretty ingenious. I can't be the ONLY one who's ever thought of it, but this did come from my own brain.

First I cooked it, then blended it, then poured into ice cube trays.

Now they are ready to throw into the blender with my smoothies. They don't blend as quickly as ice. I noticed it takes a bit more blender time to really get them smooth. But it works. Fabulous.

Well, just when I thought I was on to something my friend told me that she just throws spinach into the freezer fresh. I had no idea that would work. So I guess I'll try that next time. Anyway, it was a good idea for a minute. Have any of you ever frozen fresh spinach before? Does this really work? I want to know.

Reading List for 2010

2011-01-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

A list of the books I read in 2010. Not super impressive, but for a slow reader like myself I'm okay with it.
So glad I started the year with a classic. I loved Little Women and also loved that my own little women read it with me.
Favorite fun fiction was Tea House on Mulberry Street. I loved how it all wrapped up in the end. Bite-sized chapters always left me wanting more. Memorable.
Favorite Dramatic Fiction was These Is My Words. Good old romantic western. Made me want to be a pioneer. No, actually, it made we want to be romanced by a certain Capt. Jack. (swoon) I can do without the snakes and indian attacks and stuff. I should mention The Poisonwood Bible also as a good read, notwithstanding the political and religious propoganda.
Favorite non-fiction. Can't decide between In the Presence of My Enemies and Columbine. Both amazingly sad stories that provided a lot of insight as to what would make humans do unthinkable, horrific things to other humans. While Gracia Burnham's book was autobiographical, which left her able to write based on her own memories of conversations and experiences, Dave Cullen had to do a ton of research for his account of the Columbine tragedy. It was very well written and I was impressed with his ability to keep it so objective. Certainly worth the read.
Check out my Goodreads account for starred ratings on all.
Happy New Reading to you!

2010 Reading List

• Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
• Columbine - Dave Cullen
• Illustrated Children's Bible - Grosset and Dunlap
• The Christmas Box - Richard Paul Evans
• Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
• The Color Purple - Alice Walker
• A Girl Named Zippy - Haven Kimmel
• The Thirteenth Tale - Dianne Setterfield
• Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
• These Is My Words - Nancy E. Turner
• The Walk - Richard Paul Evans
• More Than You Know - Beth Gutcheon
• Atonement - Ian McEwan
• The Continuous Atonement - Brad Wilcox
• The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
• Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
• In The Presence of My Enemies - Gracia Burnham
• Better - Atul Gawande
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh - Robert C. O'Brian
• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford
• Girl With A Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
• Cherry Cheesecake Murder - Joanne Fluke
• The Tea House on Mulberry Street - Sharon Owens
• A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle
• Masquerading As Angels - Lance Richardson & Bruce Miller
• The Christmas Sweater - Glenn Beck
• Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Merry Christmas from all of us!

2010-12-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas season has been filled with holiday crafts and baking, plenty of singing and concerts, just enough snow to say we had some, Nutcracker dancing (kinda), shopping and wrapping, great Christmas stories, eating, eating, eating, parties with friends, vacation planning, finals at school, not enough house cleaning, and a greater appreciation for our Savior. We hope you have a very merry Christmas and a fabulous new year! We love you.

Lauren's New Hairdo

2010-12-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

After waiting out years of growth we decided to end the battle with the tender head. I kept thinking that at some point this girl would just relax about getting her hair brushed, but alas, with every 1/4 inch of growth the screams and shrieks were becoming more and more unbearable. I snapped. I took her to get the car washed and she came home looking like this. We're both delighted. She LOVES it. She feels like a new person.

All-District Honors Choir

2010-11-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

Maddie and Emma both auditioned for and were accepted into the all-district honors choirs for their schools. This meant many rehearsals, some at far away schools, for several weeks and culminated in a great day of music last week. The top orchestra, choir, and jazz band musicians in the district came together to give one fabulous performance. I was so proud of both of them. They worked hard to get their music memorized and perfected. I was crying tears of joy and pride for their accomplishments. Loved Every Minute Of It!!!!

Random Act of Culture

2010-11-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

Homeschool

2010-11-23T07:03:00.000-08:00

After spending most of last year jumping through hoops with the school district, only to be informed that my sweet little Lauren does not qualify for any extra help, I have decided to take matters into my own hands and give her the help she needs. They did tell me that she could do "Pioneer Reading," which is a fun name for Title 1reading, where she can get extra help learning how to decode words. But she tested very well in decoding. That isn't her issue, so I'm not sure why they thought that would be the solution.
I am blessed with a child for whom regular school just doesn't seem to sink in. She's a bright girl in many ways and is super resourceful and independent. But she pretty much hates school and does not see the value in trying to succeed with it. So, just to fill some of the educational gaps I'm having her go to school in the mornings, where she does reading and math and then she comes home to do reading and math. Right now she's getting basically no Social Studies or Science, but I think this will be time well spent. She can pick those things up later. We can't just go on thinking that the basic skills will eventually come. They need to come now and I seem to be the only one who is worried about it.
We've been going for about 3 weeks now and so far, so good. She's already come far in many respects. I couldn't be happier about the results. Hopefully she'll be ready to jump right back in by next year.
Whatever spare time I used to have has vanished, but the sacrifice right now will pay off in the long run, I'm sure.
Wish us luck!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-23T05:02:00.000-08:00

Everyone looked adorable for Halloween this year.
Ellie - cowgirl
If I ever find time I will post a picture of me wearing that skirt when I was about that age. I love, love, love that I kept all my dance costumes. My kids have gotten so much use out of them.
Lauren - Wonder Woman (her favorite super hero)
Emma - American Girl Doll, Molly
Maddie - Belle
Maddie "made" her Belle dress for a Personal Progress project. We had to do the bodice twice because the size was weird. We were using a little girl pattern and it fit like a little girl (short and wide). We had to modify it to make it more womanly. We were both pleased with how it turned out. Her friend dressed as Cinderella and they were helpers at the school Safe Halloween, which was soooooo packed with kids. But it was really cute. They acted just like Disneyland princesses and talked and waved to the little kids and when they came upon other "princesses" they acted like they were their best friends and had been looking everywhere for them. I'm sure they got more pictures taken that night than anyone at the school. Kids were lining up to get their pictures taken with them just like at Disneyland.

Cakes

2010-11-23T04:41:00.000-08:00

I auctioned off birthday cakes for the YW auction last spring. These are the cakes I made for the winners. I'm still experimenting with frostings and fondant and designs and stuff. But I really like making cakes. I get to be creative and then don't feel like I'm obligated to keep my creation. It soon disappears. And, if it doesn't turn out so great, oh well, it still tastes pretty good.

This little girl wanted a lemon cake. I would normally do a princess cake pink, or purple, or blue even, but didn't think either of those would be too great with a lemon cake. Also, the princesses were a little too big for the cake and had to be held in with wire. They do look like damsels in distress about to fall off the ledge. I would probably put this in the cake wreck category. I will not be happy, though, if I see it on there next week. Don't even think about it. Please. I couldn't handle the shame.

2010-10-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

Riding at Daniel Boone's Farm

2010-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last Spring our Young Women held an auction to earn money for Girl's Camp. We recently cashed in on 2 of our big purchases. This riding trip was totally worth every penny. (The other one was an Amazing Race throughout the city. It was great---and very exhausting. I no longer think I would "kick-butt" if I was in the real show. More details later.)

A lady in our ward owns the land that originally belonged to Daniel Boone. And on part of that land she has this stable and indoor riding arena. She teaches horsemanship and riding. Since this is an experience that my kids have little to no experience with I made sure we won this auction.

The day finally arrived with great anticipation. (Except for Maddie, who wanted to go to Homecoming with her friends. Silly girl.)

Sis. B. taught us how to take care of the horses, how to lead them, how to saddle them, and then how to ride them. By the end of the night EVERYONE was riding independently and holding their own reigns. Emma was doing great. She looked like a natural on those horses. I think she would like to take regular lessons. We'll have to see about that.

The evening included a bonfire and cookout, but we were running short on time and made plans to do that part on another day.

Homecoming 2010

2010-10-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

These are Maddie's besties.

This is Maddie's very good friend, Sam.

Already with the shoes off and the evening had just begun.

This past weekend was Homecoming for Maddie. She went with a group of friends (not a date) which seems to be the way of it these days. I actually quite like that. Unfortunately, we had a big horse-riding adventure planned for the same evening. This left Maddie out of that and I wasn't there to help her get ready and take pictures and stuff. But, such is life. Everyone is so very busy. She looked adorable and had a great time with her friends.

Maddie's Birthday

2010-09-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

This post is late in coming, but Maddie has turned 16! No, she's not dating. No, she's not driving. And it's all okay. (Just thought I'd get those out of the way right up front because everyone asks.)
She had a fun party here at the house. Lots of friends came. They played games, ate food, listened to music, and sat around the fire pit. She got flowers (because I remember Ronda gave me flowers when I turned 16 and I thought it was so cool), cutie balloons, and a Twilight themed birthday cake. (It's supposed to look like Bella's cake. I fully intended to do a three-layer cake, but once I got started, realized that that was A LOT of cake. I couldn't imagine what we would do with all of it, so I stuck to just two layers. It's not an exact replica, but pretty good for a beginner. I still haven't quite figured out how to get the corners squared with the fondant. I bet I could have done a better job if my cake were styrofoam like the movie cake was. But this post is supposed to be about a birthday, not a cake, so. . .anyway. . .) Yay! Hopefully she will get a license soon and she can start doing some of the driving. She's so busy and that keeps me busy too. Aint she cute?

(I hired this nice lady to be a stand in Mom. She's a lot more photogenic than me. Thanks, Jacque.)

Big Day at the Zoo

2010-08-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

Richard took the kids (little girls plus two neighbors) to the zoo last weekend. He said he wanted to take the kids to the zoo, I didn't really want to go, they only wanted to go if their friends could go, and that's how it happened. On days like this I don't ask questions, I just go with the flow and wait to see if it really happens and this time it did. I really needed/wanted a break and he was willing this time.
They did everything there was to do there. They got the Safari Pass which gave them access to most every ride and show. They stayed for 3 1/2 hours and came home. It was perfect for everyone. AND Lauren caught the frisbee from the seal. What could be better. Thank you Richard.

YW Girl's Camp

2010-08-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

I just found these photos that Emma took at camp this year. Unfortunately Maddie was unable to go, but Emma had a great time. She is really turning out to be the adventurous type. I'm so happy. Maybe we can start doing more outdoor family activities. Their camp was full of fun things to do including swimming, horse-back riding, rock climbing, and more. The weather even cooperated which was nice because the day before they left there was a huge rainstorm which made a muddy day for the leaders who went early to get things set up.

Balloons Overhead

2010-08-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Several of our days during the late summer have gifted us with the unexpected surprise of hot air balloons flying low directly over our house. We must be in the path of a balloon training course or something. I'm not really sure why they're there, but it sure is fun when we see them. It makes me want to get in one. I'm imagining being inside and then just jumping out into "our" pool. Then I'm waving up and calling, "Thanks for the ride."
Wow. That's kinda weird now that I write it down. I must be in need of some excitement in my life.

First Day of School - 2010

2010-08-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

And these are the obligatory "first day of school" photos. Maddie was NOT able to get her cast off in time for the big day. She had to wait until Friday. But she's lovin' the boot. Lauren is just as thrilled as usual.
Here's hoping for a great school year. The big girls are already anxiously talking about the school productions. We're sure to be very busy for the next nine months. Wait, we just got done being busy. Oh yeah, we're always busy.

Humanitarian Dolls

2010-08-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

The dolls are done.
I'm going to have to start this post with a little story. It's an analogy.
When I was teaching, one of the projects we used to do was a "World's Fair" where every child picked a country to do an in-depth report on. Well, I had one student who just loved the movie and music of Evita and was almost obsessed with Argentina because of it. So naturally she chose Argentina as her project. As the days of research, note-taking, fact finding, etc. progressed she became less and less excited until, in the end, one of the parents who came to the final World's Fair report day asked her, "So, Megan, what did you learn about Argentina?" Her reply was a vehement, "I hate Argentina!"
I have to admit that I have had a few days of "hating" these dolls. And here's why.
6 years ago I found myself in a position of being a brand new stay-at-home mom; something I had never been before. Yes, I had 4 young children and ran a daycare from my home, but I felt like I really had a bit of extra time and was feeling that I wanted to continue to contribute to the world and stay productive. So, I got on the church website and looked through the humanitarian projects available. This little doll pattern just caught my eye. They looked so cute and simple. Surely I could whip out a big bunch of these in no time. The date of the print-out is 12/11/2004. Now, I'm sure I didn't start until a few weeks after that, but it started out great. I got all the pieces cut out and the initial sewing done. That was the ONLY machine sewing to be done on these cuties. Let's just say I really underestimated the length of time all the hand sewing would take. And guess what? I HATE hand sewing. So the project got put away for a few, uhh, years.
With renewed energy and after moving them to our new house, I got them out again and worked on them until I was quite sick of them again. And away they went. And we moved again.
And again I dug them out, determined to finish them up. Made some headway. Moved again.
When we moved into this house and I saw the box that held them (and a few other unfinished projects) I was determined. My New Year's resolution this year was to finish all the projects in that box. I have already put together a quilt top (I'll post it when I quilt it) and can say with a huge smile on my face, that I have finished the dolls. Do not check the website. They are no longer on there as a project. But guess what? I'm sending them anyway. I wrapped each one with a cute little silly band (are you all experiencing this craze? My house is overrun with silly bands) and am shipping them away. I figured that each doll took about 1 1/2-2 hours to complete and there are 54 of them. I did most of the work while watching movies. I haven't watched a movie since the completion yet, but it will feel strange not to be sewing during it.
Humanitarian Dolls----check
It might take me a while, but I'm a finisher. Anyone need a size 2 little girl's dress? That's the next project. Started for Lauren. Shameful, I know.

The better to SEE you with

2010-08-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

It's official. I'm old. We were shopping the other day when we came across a good deal on reading glasses and Richard said, "Why don't you try them just to see if they make a difference." Well, I did because of course I wouldn't see a difference. Why in the world would I need reading glasses? I can see just fine. So I stood right where the words were just starting to get blurry, put them on, and viola. . . it made a big difference. I could see quite a bit better. So, there it is. I'm wearing glasses and using the scooter when I shop. I'm old.

Dance

2010-08-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Ellie finally had her dance recital, which they do right in the middle of summer here, which I think is strange. But she loved it and did a great job. Her ballet dance was to Once Upon a December and I have no pictures of it. Dang! Her tap dance was to New York, New York. It was adorable. Yay for Ellie!

Swim Team

2010-08-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

My three youngest participated in the swim team this year. We didn't come away with any blue ribbons, but it was a great experience. Here's why:
*they all became much better swimmers
*it got us up and going routinely during the unscheduled summer
*girls got great tans
*we all met fun, new friends
*we all experienced the thrill of competition during the meets
Emma wanted to quit the first day and was sure she would never return, but after a while we decided it would be worth it to try again. Here we are at the end and if she doesn't win "Most Improved" for the season they didn't get it right. She has gained soooo much from this experience. I thought the whole thing was great. Thinking about year-round swim team.

Foot Trouble

2010-08-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is the story of our feet.
A few months ago (early May I think) I started doing Insanity workouts with a few friends from my ward. We did it 5 days/wk at 5:30 am. It felt great. I loved it, and of course I hated it too. But I was feeling good. Then a few weeks later another group started training for a half marathon which will be in Oct. The training schedule required running 4 days/wk with a long run on Saturdays. I figured if some was good, more would be better, so I started that too. Then, another lady in our ward teaches a really good water aerobics class 2 days/wk and it's actually a pretty good work out (for water aerobics) so I decided to do that too. I was feeling great, but my legs were kinda hurting. Then they were really hurting. And then, the Chicago trip with the heels and all the walking and stuff just did me in and my left foot rebelled. It was not going to do anymore and it was letting me know in no uncertain terms. Swelling, pain, aches, limping. . .arghhh! So, I limped around for about a week and a half and it just wasn't getting any better and I just didn't know what it was, so I relented and went to the doctor. Diagnosis=Severe tendinitis. Treat it like a broken foot. Stay off it for 3 weeks, ice, elevate, etc.
Well, I tried. I stayed off it for about 5 days as much as I could when one day I was upstairs and started hearing moaning from Maddie's room. So I went in there and saw Maddie laying in the middle of her room wailing about her foot. What??????? I was totally confused. How did she hurt her foot? Could it really be that bad? Is this just overly dramatic Maddie again and she really has a cramp or something? She seemed as confused as I was and could not provide any real answers for me, but then I noticed it starting to swell up and went to get her some ice. She was still pretty dazed, but started to tell me how she fainted and then her foot hurt when she woke up.
So, away we go to the doctor to get an x-ray and there it was. . . 2 broken bones in her left foot. (That's her picture up there.) She got a splint and a cast the next day. Well, after running and carrying her around all day, my foot was not being treated very well and it really started flairing up again.
So, we have been off our feet as much as possible. My foot is finally starting to feel okay, but now I'm a little gun-shy and am wondering just what this old body is capable of. I do NOT want to go through that again.
Maddie will hopefully get a boot right before school starts. And poor Emma is feeling like she's carrying the load. Don't worry folks, I think she's going to be okay!

Fun Stuff

2010-08-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

Oh, what do you do in the summertime when you can barely walk?
I sew American Girl clothes and make ice cream. The American Girl dress didn't turn out great even though I followed the pattern perfectly. For the next one I will modify the pattern to cover the width of the body better. But other than that it was a fun way to use some remnant fabric. The price of that dress really beats the $30 they charge at the big store.
Then the ice cream. We made peach and peanut butter chocolate. Yumm! I still have a bunch in my freezer if any locals want any.

Chicago Summer 2010

2010-08-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we all tagged along with Richard on a business trip to Chicago. We had such a great time. I really wanted to make sure we did NEW things. And so we did.
We dropped Maddie off in Plainfield to spend the day with her friends and then headed for Des Plaines. Richard had a meeting there, so the other girls and I spent some time in their beautiful library reading stories and playing in their cool jungle themed reading area. When Richard was done we went for a walk to find some lunch and happened upon "Choo-Choo Burgers". It's an old diner and was totally packed. Richard didn't really want to wait, but I was thinking that anything with a 20 min. wait on a Thursday afternoon must be worth it. So we waited and we're so glad we did. Not only was the food great, for burgers and fries, the food comes to you on a train. The kids LOVED that. We will probably always remember our lunch there. So cool.
Then we went to the movie just to kill some time. Richard and the little girls saw Despicable Me and Emma and I saw Toy Story 3. We all thought the movies were great. I love the fashion show part of Toy Story. Hilarious!
Then kill time, kill time, kill more time, and finally pick up Maddie. We wanted to make sure she had her fill of fun. Then it was off to Chicago. We stayed at a nice hotel in the city with a great view of the river. Woke up early to take a walk in the city and happened upon the filming of the new Transformers movie. They had one of the city streets looking all torn up with crashed cars on fire and stuff. No, we did not see any of the actors, but they were there somewhere. We missed Shia Labeouf by "that much".
Then we headed up to Northwestern University to see a production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". The kids didn't really love it. I just think they aren't familiar enough with the characters to really understand why some of it was funny. However, Lauren really picked up on the entire meaning of "New Philosophy" and has been using that line regularly since then. eg. "Lauren, it's time to get out a book and do some reading." "Why you telling me? That's my new philosophy." Then we were going to go to the beach there in Evanston, IL and they wanted $8/person to go to the beach. We just couldn't see doing that, so away we went with two crying kids.
Then it was back to the hotel room to get ready for the big gala event for the painter group. We took a cab and he let us off at the top of Navy Pier. Well, of course our event was at the very end of Navy Pier. I don't know exactly how far that is, but I'm guessing at least 1/2 mile, walking, on uneven boardwalk, in heels. Well, we made it and stayed a while at that thing, but that is when my already painful legs started really hurting and swelling.
Next day we walked to the beach in Chicago(free of course), to let the girls play. I limped all the way. We walked to an art show. We walked to the American Girl Store on the Magnificent Mile, and my foot was swelling more as time went on. Yikes! More on that later.
We ended with Chicago style pizza at Exchequer. Love it!
Everyone got to do what they wanted. Success!

Homemade Tootsie Rolls

2010-07-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Tootsie Rolls just happen to be Ellie's favorite candy and have been for many years. I think that's weird. As far as candy goes there are many things I would choose over Tootsie Rolls. But anyway, one day while she was eating one she saw on the wrapper that they were made in Chicago and since we were planning a trip out that way she got excited about going to visit the Tootsie Roll factory. So I looked it up and learned that they don't do public tours. Bummer! So we took the virtual tour which got our brains thinking that we could probably make our own. And wouldn't you know it, the recipe was easy to find online.
So, we spent one summer afternoon mixing Tootsie Rolls. They require a lot of mixing and then they're kinda like play-doh, which was lots of fun. Then we got to roll them in wrappers. The kids tired out quickly during that part, leaving me to roll the little things for a while.
Fun and kinda tasty. Took care of another summer afternoon. Yay!

Ellie's Photoshoot

2010-07-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

One day while I was out, Maddie decided to play with her new camera. Using Ellie as her model she took a bunch of pictures and then made a really cool slide show with music. I don't know where that slide show is now, but here are some of the pictures. I just thought they were cute.

4th of July Food

2010-07-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

I was so excited about this jello dessert as I was making it, because I was sure it would be a big hit, despite the fact that it was red, white, and purple instead of blue. :( But, as is turned out my kids picked at it and mostly put it aside. This left more for me and I thought it was great. The white layer is cream cheesy and the purple (blue) layer is mostly blueberry pie filling. It was soooo good. . . to me anyway.

Wicked

2010-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

The big girls and I went on a date last week. We saw Wicked in St. Louis. It was fabulous, of course, but didn't have the same effect on me this time as it did the last. I didn't cry once. The girls were thrilled.

Summer Sugar Cookies

2010-07-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

This was a fun project that took a good chunk of a summer day. We had friends over to help us decorate. Fun and tasty!

Warning

2010-06-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Read all these posts from the bottom up. They will make a lot more sense. Sorry, lots of catch up in one night.

The Cruise-the end

2010-06-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Of course we had to buy treats on the beach from the traveling treat vendor guy.

Our purchase was these chili limon chicharrones. Yummy!

Ellie made friends with Alana the minute we got on the boat and they spent every possible moment together, even proposing a sleep-over on the ship (didn't happen, but cute idea anyway). They just got along like bosom buddies and even performed in the Camp Carnival talent show together with their rendition of "Down By the Bay". Here's the weird part. . .she's from Elk Grove, CA and lived less than a mile from our house, but they were in a different school boundary. It's a small world. . .again!

Finally our trip came to an end and we were actually pretty tired and ready. No more 24 hour food, someone to make your bed everyday, swimming, playing, karaokeing, etc. Reality sets in once more. Goodbye, cruise life, until we meet again.

Found and Lost

2010-06-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Everyone got their hair braided. I didn't really want to go crazy with the braids so they just got a few each.

Richard's souvenir was this hat. He liked it, but lost it in the limo on the way home. :(

Lauren found lots of shells and this perfect sand dollar. It was quite a treasure until she unwisely decided to take it into the hot tub filled with about 20 kids where it got bumped out of her hand and was lost for good. I got in and searached around for about 30 min. to no avail. We live and learn. Another :(

The Cruise-Ensenada

2010-06-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

This was a fun day. We hired a driver to take us to the blowhole (La Bufadora) which was a longer trip than I had at first anticipated, but it was also kinda cool because we were able to see quite a bit of the area on our drive.

Everyone got a little souvenir here. You have to walk through a long flee market to get to the blow hole. My kids were a little disturbed by the agressive salesmen. It's all part of the experience though.

The Cruise-Formal night

2010-06-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

Catalina pics

2010-06-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

The Cruise-Catalina

2010-06-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Catalina was fun. We rented a 6 seater golf cart and drove up into the hills where we could see lots of the island and explore a bit. We drove up to where they do the zip-line. It looked fun, but $$$$$. Totally not worth it for a 13 second ride. Maybe another day. We purchased a few souvenirs and tried some local desserts (because there weren't enough on the boat).

The Limo

2010-06-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

The promise of a limo ride that Richard has been making for years has finally come to pass. We took a limo from our hotel in Ontario to the Long Beach pier. It was about a 45 min. ride. Not only was this a first for the kids, it was also a first for me. I'd never been in a limo before. It turned out to be the same price as a Super Shuttle, so why not. I'd much rather be sipping a cool drink in a comfy limo than bumping around in a beat-up, old van.
We were also able to make a good deal on the ride to the airport later in the week. So, two limo trips in one week. I felt like a celebrity or something--thus, the shades.

Richard and his Girls

2010-06-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Wedding

2010-06-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Brian are married. The wedding was beautiful. Ryan has been planning it for a year and clearly it took that long. She obviously has Richard's knack for organizing events because every detail was thought through and taken care of. I have never seen a more perfectly pulled-off wedding with so many components. It all ran very smoothly. Here are some of the cool things I can remember.
When we got to our hotel room there was a welcome package she had put together with snacks, maps, and instructions for our part of the wedding ie. picture taking time slot, what we needed to do, rehearsal dinner time and location, etc.
At the rehearsal dinner she had gift baskets made for everyone in the wedding party with fun gifts like blankets, picture frames, jewelry, sweat suits for getting ready in the next day, etc. Ellie got a dress for her American Girl-Just Like Me doll that matched her flower girl dress. Amazing and adorable!
A photo booth at the wedding with a table full of plastic frames so you could take your pictures home. (My girls had a heyday with this.)
The guest sign-in book was a hard cover book with "baby-book"-thick pages full of photo shoot pictures of them. They are as beautiful as models, so why not act like them. It was pretty cool.
The reception was a fully catered dinner buffet and the food was fabulous with something for everyone including plenty of fruit and veggie items for the calorie conscious.
Cake was beautiful and delicious. One layer was german chocolate cake and another was strawberry cheesecake. Sorry, no picture.
Everyone knew where to sit thanks to the poster sized seating schedule by the door to the reception hall. Just find your name and go to that table.
She made the table cloths and center pieces which were so beautiful that the owners of the reception hall asked to buy them from her.
And this doesn't even scratch the surface of all the amazing attention to detail that was put into this. Way to go Ryan!

All of Richard's kids were there and looking great. The weather was perfect. Truly a perfect day.

And now for the bad news. I sometimes get edema (swelling from the knees down) when I travel. And this lovely trip was no exception. So here I was trying to stuff my Miss Piggy feet into my fabulous new shoes. I really wasn't thinking swollen feet when I purchased them and I was really struggling. Pregnancy memories. . . Aaaaaahhhhhhgggg! THE PAIN.
Also, I think I was the only one trying to make due with my own hair and lashes. A new haircut and color just doesn't have the same appeal when you're standing next to a sea of women who have a new cut, color, weave, and lash extensions. Inferiority complex strikes again!
And worst of all, I put my chair down on Lauren's toe and smashed it. I thought it was broken. She was in so much pain. Luckily the swelling went down and she was able to walk on it the next day. I felt so bad. Poor thing. It seems like she is always the recipient of accident and injury. But all's well that ends well. So. . .all's well!

The Family

2010-06-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

Our recent trip to So. Cal. started out in the best way possible because we were able to hook up with Ronda, Rebecca, Eric and Heather and all of Ronda's grandkids. They are all completely adorable. It's always fun to hang out with Ronda and fam because they are all laid back, easy-going and fun. (Except when it comes to washing fruit. haha--jk Eric. I know, it's really important and it really does make the fruit taste better. ;) ) We loved the Coca Cola themed lake house. What a great place to spend a day. Let's do it again.

On a completely different subject-- as I look at this picture I realize that I look really tan. Guess what? I am. MmmmHmmm. For the first time in my life I am tan furrr realll. It was my Valentines gift (a bit unconventional, but way low cal. and it's what I really wanted). It's been a journey, but I'm very happy with the results. Thank you Tan Co. and the very helpful people there who have guided my way through this uncharted territory for me.

Medieval Day

2010-05-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Our Middle School does a big Medieval Day celebration every year for the 7th grade. Today was the day. I made Emma's costume a few weeks ago and have been anticipating this fun day possibly as much as (okay, maybe more than) her. I just think she looks so adorable in this costume. There's a little story about the costume. I didn't want to spend a bunch on it, so I borrowed a pattern (thank you, Sara) and soon realized that I didn't have enough of the fabric I thought I'd use for it. So, at last I had a brilliant idea. Why not just use my old wedding dress? I could probably dye it and it would be perfect. So, after discussing it with the girls and finding out that noone wanted to keep it for anything, but finding also that they thought it was improper to cut up a wedding dress (I have no idea why) I chopped it to pieces and used it for the dress. But guess what? The fabric was synthetic and wouldn't take the dye. It just kinda barely tinted it so that it looked kinda greenish, grey. Oh well, it will still do. So there she is wearing a new version of my old wedding dress and looking lovely in it.
Emma participated in the Medieval Chant. She's been going to after-school practices for it for weeks. I really wanted to go, but was getting the feeling from calling the school and from talking with Emma that it just wasn't done. Bummer. I decided to save her the embarassment and forgo it. There is a costume contest and Emma got 2nd place. She lost only to the Plague. Yes, someone dressed up AS the Plague. Wierd, but I guess you just can't deny that kind of creative thinking. She's still #1 to me. And you know what? She really did WANT me to go after all. Sometimes you just can't win.

Mother's Day

2010-05-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

This was a fun Mother's Day. At our school the 3rd grade does a big Mother's Day celebration. So I spent the day with Lauren while she pampered me, served me, played a game with me and then participated in a skit and performed a few great songs. She was so adorable because you could just see in her face how seriously she was trying to do her very best. She made me a couple of cute projects. Apparently a phrase that I use a lot is, "Clean your room" and my favorite show is Oprah. Well, since I haven't watched Oprah in years I think we can safely say that her other observation is a bit off too. Right? I mean, surely I'm saying other things more frequently than "clean your room". Let's just say I am, Okay?
Then Ellie made this cute picture. The written part said that she likes it when I sing because I do it well. Thank you, Ellie, for this observation. It beats the heck out of Lauren's "You looked funny the day you stayed in bed all day." I don't even remember that happening. Seriously, does this child even live with me?

Field Trip Season

2010-05-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with my kids a couple of weeks ago. I was able to chaperone for 3 different field trips. On Thursday I went with Lauren to the children's museum where they have a mystery set up for kids to use all kinds of clues to solve the mystery. We were detectives figuring out secret codes, using process of elimination, fingerprinting, and more. And there was still plenty of free play time. I think we only saw about 1/4 of the place. Lauren was loving it.
On Friday, I went with Emma to the Science Center. First we learned all about Darwin. Then, we got to watch an IMAX movie about Kilimanjaro. It was so great. Then we had to waste a bunch of time waiting to leave. I really wished they would have let us explore the museum for that hour instead of stand around waiting for the bus outside, but guess what? I wasn't in charge. So, oh well.
Then, on Saturday it was Choir Competition day. We traveled to a high school about 35 min. away and I watched the choirs perform for their competition and by 10:00 we were on our way to Six Flags. It was a perfect day. The weather was perfect, the crowd was light and the company was delightful. Emma and her friend Kassidi were cute and funny all day. We rode every good ride in the park. That's why I love amusement parks with Emma. She's the only one in my family that likes to go on thrill rides. One right after the other all day. I am finding though, that I must be getting old because I really can't do anything that spins anymore. I used to love that stuff, but now it just makes me want to vomit. (Sorry, I just had to say it like it is. There's just no sugar-coating puke.)
The icing on the cake is that Emma's choir got a Superior rating on their competition and got a trophy. Yay for them! AND. . .I finally met Wonder Woman. I've been waiting my whole life for that. I got a picture, but nothing makes you feel short and SQUATTY like standing next to a 6 foot amazon woman wearing high-heeled boots and a red and blue body suit. The contrast was just too drastic. Couldn't do it. Sorry folks. But if you ever get your hands on this photo I guarantee you will be able to blackmail me into just about anything. Also, if you are a really tall woman and have been wondering what to do with your career, I've got an idea for you. Six Flags has a black wig that will probably look great on you.
Anyway, while we were gone our ducks came waddling out of their nest and there was drama at home. This is a future post.

Happy Birthday (cont.)

2010-05-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

It seems to happen at our house that birthdays last for several days. First there's party day and then the real birthday. Well, real birthday just happened to fall on our busiest day, so we had to squeeze party stuff in between regular stuff. So, here's what we did:
For lunch I took pizza and rainbow cupcakes to school to share with her friends. It was great and the cupcakes were a hit at the middle school. I was so glad they tasted as good as they looked.
After school we did all of our regular running around and finally at 9:00 that night (after art club, dance, YW at two different locations, and something else that I can't even remember anymore) we were able to do some at-home birthday stuff. Maddie made a fun birthday banner for her, we ate the left-over cupcakes, and opened a few gifts. I gave her the "birthday ball" which is a fun idea I got from a friend in CA. I've used it a few times now. It's basically a bunch of gifts all wrapped up in crepe paper streamers that form a ball. It's fun to unwrap because you just can't believe how many things are tucked inside. Emma's ball was smaller than a football and included a T-shirt, 2 packs of gum, 3 sets of 3 pair earrings, a pack of pens, cash, nail polish, coupons for future dates with Mom, and a couple other things that I can't remember. Everyone watching enjoys this gift as much as the recipient. There's just so much anticipation.
We all love her!!

Another Birthday

2010-05-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Emma's birthday party was very teenagey--appropriate because she is now a teen!
It started at the movie theater because it just happened to be our orthodontist's patient appreciation party that day that we were planning to attend. (Who wouldn't want to see Iron Man 2 for free?) So we just incorporated that into the birthday party and invited all her friends to come as guests. It was great. (I ended up watching How To Train Your Dragon with Ellie.)
Then we headed to the mall for a mall scavenger hunt and pizza. We ate our fill and then sat around while the girls left in teams to find all the stuff. They had fun, I had a relaxing time--win, win for all. Then they returned for "cookie" cake. Emma would rather have cookies than cake any day so that was her special request. I made it myself and she is certain that a "real" one from the store would be better, but I thought it was pretty darn good. The winners of the scavenger hunt won a HUGE prize. They got to pick their party favor bag first. The bags were made by me from fabric I had on hand. I found the pattern online and thought it was so cute. This was the most economical and easy party I have ever done. A great time was had by all=SUCCESS!
P.S.-notice that all the girls are wearing blue eye shadow. It was part of the scavenger hunt. I thought they all looked quite cute.
P.P.S.-Dillards will not let you have a shopping bag. Don't even bother asking for one.
P.P.P.S.-Foot Locker has too many blue shoes to count.
P.P.P.P.S.-the people that work at Sbarro are really nice :)
P.P.P.P.P.S.-I have a gorgeous 13 year old.

Annie

2010-04-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Lauren's big performance has finally come. She surprised me this year by wanting to participate in the extra-curricular 3rd grade choir. Then she surprised me by telling me she wanted to audition for a solo part. And then she surprised me again by getting one of the 6 solo parts in the show. And why does this all surprise me so much? Because every time we have a singing opportunity she insists on not participating. I really thought she just didn't like to sing. But, I guess she does like to sing, but only on her terms.
Of course, she did a fabulous job which didn't surprise me at all.
I just love that girl.

Career Day

2010-04-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

It was career day at school this last week. No doctors, veterinarians, architects, or scientists here. No, we want to grow up to be super models and pop stars. Like, duh. . .
Notice Lauren calling her agent. She's got the biz figured OUT.
Also notice Ellie's up-do. She insisted, even though I was trying to give her a Taylor Swift, long curls look. It turned out cute anyway.

Navy Bean Soup

2010-04-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is my last bean post. But, I couldn't neglect this one. It's a perfect Sunday meal.

On Saturday night soak 1 pkg of navy beans or 2 cups from your food storage white beans.
On Sunday morning drain the water. Add new water (about 6 C.) and boil for about 45 min. while you're getting ready for church. Then pour them into the crock pot with some cut up carrots, celery, cubed ham, onions (or about 1/3 C. from your food storage). Add some salt, pepper, garlic powder, Greek seasoning and a TBS. of salsa for good measure. (Or just use whatever seasonings you like best.) Set on high and when you get home from church this will be ready and wonderful.
I have seriously picky eaters and when we have this everyone eats and asks for more. It makes us all very happy. This makes a pretty big batch, but don't worry, it doesn't take long to eat it all.

Lentil Brownies

2010-04-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

These actually turn out more like Texas Sheet Cake. It's not health food, but if you're gonna eat 'em anyway, might as well be getting the nutrients of the beans in.

1/2 C. butter
1 C. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/4 C. lentils cooked and pureed
1 C. flour
2-3 T. cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. pecans
optional--1 C. mini marshmallows (I add these if I have some that are getting old)

Blend butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs and lentil puree. Mix well.
In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually blend into egg mixture. Lastly, add the pecans and marshmallows.
Pour into a greased 8" or 9" square pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 min.

Frosting

1/4 C. butter
1/8 C. cocoa
1/8 C milk (add 1 T. if needed)
2 C. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine cocoa, butter, and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat with electric mixer until smooth.

Pinto Bean Bread

2010-04-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

This bread turns out so moist with a great texture. Low-fat, high protein bread.

2 C. lukewarm milk (soymilk or powdered milk work great)
2 pkgs. yeast
2 C. pureed beans (pinto, white, black-eyed peas, whatever)
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 T. shortening, melted
5-6 C. flour

Combine the milk, beans, sugar, salt, shortening, and 1 T. of the flour

Stir in the yeast and wait for it to bubble.
If it has not bubbled in 5 min, get new yeast.

Stir in 5-6 C. flour to make a kneadable dough.
Knead 5-10 minutes, until satiny.

Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease dough.
Cover loosely with a clean, damp cloth and let rise till double.

Punch down; let rise again. (You can leave out this step, but the bread will be more dense. I don't recommend it.)

Punch down; shape into 2 loaves.

Place in greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Frito Lay Bean Dip

2010-04-26T08:10:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite thing to do with cannery refried beans. It's great.

15 oz. can of refried beans OR make 1 1/2 - 2 C. refried beans from your food storage
4 jalepeno slices
1 T. jalepeno brine
1/2 tsp. salt (I usually omit this. I don't think it needs it.)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Puree ingredients on high until smooth. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving. . . (if you can wait that long. I never do.)

Black-eyed Pea Cornbread

2010-04-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

1 C. cornmeal
1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 C. vegetable or corn oil (I use way less than this-- usually about 1/4 C. -I've never missed the extra)
1 C. buttermilk (or powdered milk from your food storage)
1 med. onion, chopped (or reconstituted from your food storage. I just throw about 1/3 C. into the mixture and add about 1/2 C. water
2 jalepeno peppers, chopped (If you like it spicier, add one more)
3/4 C. drained corn
1 lb (or so) browned sausage, or leftover taco meat
1/2 lb. grated cheddar cheese (I use less than this. I just throw a handful in.)
1 C. cooked black-eyed peas

Add ingredients in the order listed. Mix a bit as you go. Cook in 9x9" greased pan at 350 for 45 min. or until golden browned on top.

2010-04-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Bean Salsa

2010-04-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

1 15 oz. can black-eyed peas (or about 1 1/2 C. cooked from dry)
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or about 1 1/2 C. cooked from dry)
1 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 C. chopped onion (or reconstituted from your food storage)
1/2 C. chopped green bell pepper
1 4 oz. can diced jalepeno peppers
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained (or freshly diced)
1 C. Italian-style salad dressing (I never use this much. The sample I brought had about 1/2 C.)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt.

Combine all ingredients. Add fresh cilantro if desired.

I use this as much more than just a chip dip. I put it on salads as THE dressing. I put it on scrambled eggs, or serve with cornbread as a side. (Cornbread recipe to follow)

White Chicken Chili

2010-04-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

2- 15 oz. cans Great Northern white beans, drained OR about 3 C. cooked white beans
4 C. chopped, cooked chicken breasts OR 2 cans of chicken including the broth
1- 7 oz can chopped mild green chilies
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 C. grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 12 oz) (I use way less than this.)
2 T. olive oil
1 large onion OR about 1/3 C. dried onion and 1 C. water
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
6 C. chicken stock
sour cream for garnish if you like

Cook and chop chicken. (I usually use canned for convenience.) Heat oil in heavy pot. Add onions and saute about 5 min. Stir in garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne; saute about 5 min. Add beans and stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered. Stir occasionally about 2 hours. Add chicken and 1 C. cheese to chili and stir until cheese is melted and chicken is hot. (I usually just throw the chicken in with the rest. I've never noticed it to be a problem). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top bowls with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips if desired.

P.S. I have never met anyone who didn't love this.

It's BEAN week

2010-04-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

The next few posts are for the benefit of anyone who came to the bean class and wanted the notes. I thought this might be the best way of getting the info to those who wanted it instead of sending emails out to everyone who doesn't. If you are a friend or family member who thinks you are going to learn something interesting about our current lives, sorry. You may be interested in knowing that we're eating more beans than usual this week. But feel free to read about beans if you would like to.

Bean cooking tips:
1. Make sure beans are fully cooked before adding acidic foods like tomatoes, chili sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, or ketsup. This will slow down the cooking process.
2. Salt toughens beans so wait until the very end to add salt.
3. Add a few drops of oil (1/4 tsp or so) to the boiling pot. This will reduce the foaming.
4. Drain the soaking water before you begin the cooking process. This will reduce the "gasiness" of the beans.
5. If you add about 1/8 tsp. baking soda per cup of dry beans while they cook it will reduce cook time by about one-fourth.
6. Boil gently and stir very little. You really don't need to watch them much.
7. Make a big bunch at a time. Freeze some whole to add to recipes later and puree some to add to recipes later. Mark the bag with the amount. I usually freeze 1 cup portions. Then I can thaw as much as I need for the recipe I'm using.
8. Use the pureed beans in place of butter or oil in any baked good. If it calls for 1/2 C. butter, just use 1/2 C. puree.
9. Use in place of or to supplement ground beef in casseroles, tacos, burritos, etc. The beans will absorb the flavors just like the meat would.

If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comment section. I will answer.
Next up are my favorite bean recipes. These are the ones I really do use the most often. But don't feel limited. I don't. I use tons of bean recipes.