Sprouting Seeds

Something else that was pushed back by our extended trip to Utah was the starting of our seeds for our "garden".

On Monday for FHE we went and picked out seeds and then planted them is a seed starter thing. Apparently we didn't mess things up because the seeds are already sprouting up (especially the cucumbers). We also planted chives, basil, zucchini, yellow squash, and hot peppers.

The plan is to transfer the seedlings into our "self-contained garden" boxes that Josh was kind enough to build for me off of a copycat pattern I found online. The big draw for me to the "self-contained" boxes were that there is a water reservoir in the bottom that you just have to keep filled, you don't water the plants directly (which I think is part of the problem with by black thumb--either over or under watering). I'll post pictures once we get them transferred. If you want more information on the boxes you can go here. A brochure from the boxes that are sold commercially is here.

Anyway, we haven't had much luck keeping plants alive and I'm hoping this will work for me. I'll keep you posted.

Hurahh!

I have reached 1000 visiters!

Thanks to all those who read this and give me motivation to write more!

The Great Divorce

I read this one before our trip to Utah last month and realized that I hadn't commented on it yet. My ward did this for its book group (again, one that I missed because of our extended trip) and I really wish I could have been there for the discussion.

I greatly enjoy C.S. Lewis. I find him to be very insightful when it comes to religion and life. I always read his books pencil in hand because he always says something that stands out to me and deserves some underlining.

The Great Divorce is a fantasy look at Heaven and Hell. A quote from the preface says "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even Earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell." This book exemplifies types of Hell that could prevent us from accepting (or moreover being accepted into) Heaven.

He first gives you a look at Hell where it is a run down, never-ending town always at dusk, overall a dismal place. You then board a bus that takes you up and out on an excursion to Heaven. The book if from the perspective of one passenger as he experiences Heaven being fresh from Hell and as he watches his fellow passengers and their struggle with how they find Heaven. There is much to be learned by the struggles of the passengers and why they have no desire to stay in Heaven and leave Hell behind them.

After reading this book it makes reflect on myself and what little pieces of "Hell" I might be hanging on to. This book was a quick read (especially for a C.S. Lewis book based on religion) and well worth the reading.

To Draw Closer to God

I read this book not nessesarily by recomendation from my dad, but more by example. I know it is one that he likes to read from often, and that intrigued me. I was not disappointed.

This is one of those books that makes you want to be better. And not only do you want to be better, but Elder(now President) Eyring gives you how you can be better and promises that will come from action. If you were to look at my copy of this book you would immediatly notice that it is underlined in many many places. President Eyring bears such strong testimony and teaches with the spirit that you can feel it as you read. The book helps teach you how to apply the scriptures in your daily life and in doing so "draw closer to God."

I would strongly recommend this book. I plan on reading and pondering the chapters again and applying the teachings even more in my life. There is so much that this book has to give.

Random Thoughts at Home

My train of thought last night while I was putting clean sheets on my bed ended up far from the task I was doing. It started: if I worked at a hotel I would have a very efficient way of making this bed. I would know which corner would be the best to put the fitted sheet on first and would know which should follow. I would have mastered the ability to billow a sheet in the air and let it fall flat on the bed instead of just ending up bunched in a pile again and again. I would have done it so many times that I would be able to get lost in the rhythm of the task. But then I thought, I have a college education and should be able to do things that require more mental thought and training than just making beds all day. I could be searching archives for hard to find ancestors, building large pedigrees, and spending hours looking at old handwriting waiting for the name I'm looking for to jump off the page. I could be bringing people of the past to life by pulling them out of the records they left behind, building eternal families.


But in reality I am doing neither, I am not loosing myself in the rhythm of manual labor and I am not lost in some library searching for long lost and long dead individuals. I am a stay at home mom and that is a job all of its own.

(**these rambles are mostly about the homemaking part of being a stay at home mom. Do not mistake this to mean that I do not love that I am able to stay home with my boys. I believe it is the best place that any mother could be and the most important job is raising my kids. BUT...)

Everyday there are menial tasks that have to be done: making beds, doing laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, wiping noses, laundry, cooking, changing diapers etc. I am not doing the same thing all day and that is a blessing but maybe (just maybe) a curse. I haven't been able to get lost in the rhythm of these tasks, become an efficient machine. They are things that I do because they have to get done (and usually I put them off until the HAVE to be done), not because I feel that I am able to do a good job at them. They do not challenge my mind. Some days my brain just feels like jello up there, not being used for anything so not much use for anything (blogging has proved a good outlet for me). There is so much uninteresting stuff I have to remember (ie. the best price for cereal and milk, how long the leftovers have been sitting in the fridge, when was the last time Elijah used the potty, where did I leave this or that, where did Josh put this, etc.) There isn't much room left to pondering anything, let alone anything profound or creative.

Anyway, this thought process made me think of the author of the blog Meck Mom. She is just one example, a mother like I am. She runs a house and does many of the same things that every other stay at home mom does BUT she is different than I am. She has used her talents and creativity to come up with solutions to help make her tasks more efficient. I admire her for it and I hope to emulate it.

So, last night it started simply by making my bed before I went and messed it up again by sleeping in it and I ended up determined to figure out a way to use my creativity (or at least copy someone elses ingenious) and make my home life more functional, efficient, and organized. I have things I need to do that aren't terribly exciting but that doesn't mean that they can't challenge my mind or creativity. Somehow I feel this will be a long process, even lifelong. I guess truly it isn't just the doing but the mentality behind it.

oh my, that was a long ramble (one that wasn't written in one sitting, to be sure). For those of you who find yourself running a home, what do you do to challenge yourself amid the hoe hum of daily tasks? Do you have any brilliant ideas you have come up with?

Pudding on the Rice

When we were in Provo, my mom made sure to take us to a little place called Pudding on the Rice. It is a food place (I'm not sure I would call it a restaurant, what else can you call it?) that serves only rice pudding. But this is not your average grandmother's rice pudding, this is pudding on the rice.

When you first walk in the design of the place takes your breath away. It is very modern, like it was pulled out of the future modern, we're talking tables hanging from the ceiling. Their case is just full of different flavors of cold rice pudding: chocolate, peanut butter, coconut, lemon, pistachio, raspberry... and many more. But that is not what they are called; they all have fancy names (I wish I could remember them and their link on their website isn't working) and you can even get toppings on top. I went in not thinking myself to be a rice pudding fan (Josh on the other hand grew up with his grandma making it), that I would just taste Josh's and I came out surprised and satisfied. This place is hip and unlike any other "food place" out there. If you ever find yourself in Provo, make sure to make a stop and try the out of this world cool pudding.

Bound on Earth

My friend has been raving about this book and we did it for our book group last month (which I missed amid all our travels and sickness) so I picked up this book when I was in Utah and read it quickly. Apparently more quickly than I should have because I didn't quite catch the hype.

I did enjoy the book. Angela Hallstrom is a very descriptive writer and I enjoyed her use of words to create images and characters, but the format of the book felt very disconnected to me. Each chapter is a glimpse at the Palmer family at one point in time (the book covers decades). The chapters are often from the perspective of different members of the family and the chapters are not directly connected to each other. You do come to care for the characters in the book. They feel real, with real strengths and real weaknesses. Indeed I think the main focus of the book is that these people are real, they live in our world, and they are struggling for their family, something most of us can relate to.

***Read the comment by Laura, she says it so much better than I do.

Red light Green light

My family has created a take off of the game red light green light which includes pillows. The rules are simple, you have to balance a pillow on your head (they use couch throw pillows) and then play like normal trying to get to the person who is saying "red light and green light" with a pillow on their head. If your pillow falls off you have to start over and if the person who is it looses their pillow the closest person to them is now it. It is quite a hilarius game to watch. Often there are people balancing funny or even knocking someones pillow off. It makes for good silly fun for the whole family.

Roughing it with the boys

Kendall Sue wasn't sure what to think of being included in a rough housing bit with Josh and the boys. She was just wide eyed with wonder. Oh the difference between girls and boys.

Book of a Thousand Days

I have enjoyed all of Shannon Hale's books and this one is one of her best. It is a quick, light read but I enjoyed it greatly. It is written in journal format (hence the title) and is the story of a lady's maid, Dashti, who swears to serve her lady even though it means being locked up in a tower for seven years. Dahsti is a strong female character who is resourseful and loyal. It is completely through her efforts that she and her lady survive and ultimatly the entire realm.

Sam's ready to go

We were in Utah long enough, and said good-bye often enough, that Sammy really got the hang of getting ready and going places. He was always ready to go, anytime-anywhere. The video is me catching Sam taking matters into his own hands. He pulled Grammie's shirt out of the laundry room and grabbed Bekah's backpack and determined that he was ready to go bye-bye.

bucket load of books

I came home from Utah with a bunch of new books to read. Some of them I bought (DI is a great place for old church books) and others my mother passed on to me as must reads. Here is a list of all I lugged home and thus are added to my list of books to read.

From DI and Deseret Book (LDS nonfiction):
To Draw Closer to God by Henry B. Eyring (reading this one right now, enjoying it greatly)
Covenant Hearts by Bruce C. Hafen
Discourses of Brigham Young compiled by Widtsoe
Conference Classics by Thomas S. Monson
Raising up a Family to the Lord by Gene R. Cook
Teach Ye Diligently by Boyd K. Packer
Stand Ye in Holy Places by Harold B. Lee
Salvation in Christ, Comparative Christian Views edited by Roger R Keller and Robert L Millet
Unto the Least of These by Jack R. Christianson

Other books I bought:
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Bound on Earth by Angela Hallstrom

Books my mother let me borrow:
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (also currently reading this one)
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Girl in Blue by Ann Rinaldi
Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley

Analogy of the Cookie

Today Josh and I got to sit together in church for the first time in the last month! We have either been out of town in separate places or have had sick kids and haven't been able to go together. Granted the kids were with us too (which makes for a busy sacrament meeting) but it was nice to be back in the family going to church together groove again. I've missed it.

Someone in church today gave an analogy about a cookie as part of their talk on the blessings of prophets. She had us, and all the kids, imagine our most favorite cookie, be it an oreo, or chocolate chip cookie, or grandma's sugar cookies, and then imagine that we were allowed to take only one little bite of that great big imaginary cookie. Would you feel satisfied with just one little bite? Of course not! I probably wouldn't even be satisfied with just one cookie let alone just one little bite! She then likened this to other churches who have good, true teachings of Christ, that are sweet to the taste, but many times are not satisfying and leave you with questions wanting answers. This is in contrast to the restored gospel found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormons) which gives you the opprotunity to eat the entire cookie, to have the answers to satisfy your questions and desires. We have a latterday prophet and modern day revelation that guides the church today. We know what we need to do in order to be happy in this life and gain happiness eternally in the next. For this I am very grateful!

Strong Grandbabies

Since we extended our trip (a third time) we were finally able to get some cute pictures of all the Strong grandbabies together. I must say it is a group of pretty cute kids.

Kendell, Elijah, Owen, and Sammy

Garage Sale-ing Tips: Buyer

Tipnut has posted tips for buying at garage sales...the whole game plan. I'm getting geared up for the season! Chris, Rosalie, and I hit a consignment sale today to help feed the urge.

Growing a Donation

I have decided to continue to grow out my hair and then chop it this summer and donate it. I've always heard about organizations that take the donated hair and make wigs for those who are in need because of cancer or other illnesses. I've never really had the guts to go really short with my hair (something I felt would be required in order to donate enough hair for their requirements). I did a little research recently though and found out that the minimum requirements aren't as stringent as I thought they were.

There are two organizations that I have found:


These organizations are different in their length requirements and in their focus for recipients.

Beautiful lengths requires a minimum of 8 inches and the wigs are made for women suffering from hair loss due to cancer. More information on their requirements and suggestions can be found here.

Locks of Love requires a minimum of 10 inches (preferably 12") and the wigs are made for children suffering from various illnesses that cause hair loss. More information on their requirements and suggestions can be found here.

So far, I am not committed to one or the other. Honestly, I think it will come down to how long my hair is by this summer. I am excited for the opprotunity to share my hair (something which I am proud of) and also a good excuss to get up the guts and try a shorter hair cut. Who knows, maybe I will really like short hair! I'll be sure to post before and after pictures.

Anyone else interested in joining the band wagon? I'm trying to convince my sister and I think I've got Christina on board too. Let me know if you decide to too!

yay!!! (and not so yay)

Last night we got to go to my sister's university band concert at BYU. I guess technically they boys weren't allowed to go in, but they were kind enough to lift the band on children as long as they were quiet.

The boys did really well and were getting into the music, especially Sammy. He was dancing and reading the program. Then when the song ended, and the conductor is still at attention, and everything is silent... Sammy let out a big "Yay!" and enthusiastically started clapping his hands. I was totally caught off guard by his outburst, but man was it cute! Later we asked my sister if she had heard him and indeed she had all the way on stage (even the conductor noticed and laughed). So here's for cute little boys that don't hold back when they are moved by good music.

The concert was really enjoyable. Josh and I haven't been able to go to one in awhile. I love seeing music performed live. I not only love hearing the powerful sounds but seeing the expressions of the musicians and their movements in sync with each other. I also love watching the conductor (I miss being under the command of a conductor) and how he can pull the music out of the musicians with his precise little movements.

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Unfortunatly we are still in Utah. We got delayed by weather, diahrea, and now weather again. I haven't often come across 100% precipitation, but today it's all over the board, especially in Vail, with below freezing temperatures. We decided with a baby with diahrea and a sore sore bum, and bad weather conditions with our little prism, it wasn't the best idea to travel today. The sad thing is tomorrow isn't looking much better. It is not often that I say this, but I am ready to just get back to Colorado and back to our normal lives.

Cute boys

These pictures were taken on the front porch of my in-laws while we were saying goodbye to Josh's brother Dallin who will be leaving on his mission to Roseville, California next month and we will not be seeing him again for another two years (Sam with be Elijah's age, CRAZY). we will miss Dallin terribly! He is such a goofy, fun guy that always makes me laugh. He will make an amazing missionary!

Can I say I have the cutest boys! they make me so happy!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

While here in Utah, I picked up a book that my mother-in-law had lying around called The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. This 2008 Caldecott Medal winning book is rather unique in its format. A description from it's website says:

"This 526-page book is told in both words and pictures. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things. Each picture (there are nearly three hundred pages of pictures!) takes up an entire double page spread, and the story moves forward because you turn the pages to see the next moment unfold in front of you."

I rather enjoyed the format. It makes for a very quick and interesting read. The story is about a boy who works with clocks and resorts to becoming a theif to build a mechanical man with a mysterious past. The book also delves a little bit into early French film history. The pictures don't supplement the written word but replace it when they are used. Truly utilizing the thought that "a picture is worth a thousand words." I would recommend this book mostly because of the interesting writing format though I did enjoy reading it (in the couple hours it took for me to do so).

general conference

General conference, especially in the spring, is my favorite time of year. I love being able to hear the words of the prophets and general authorities. I always leave with a greater desire to be better. Being in Utah we have the great blessing of being able to watch in the comfort of our own homes (a great blessing when you have small children).

Yesterday we had the opprotunity to sustain our new prophet, Thomas S. Monson, in solemen assembly. It was moving to watch all of the different groups of people stand and sustain our leaders. As I watched President Monson, I could imagine what this ment to see all the people sustain him. It was a powerful moment to raise my own hand to the square. I am so grateful that we have a living prophet on the earth today that guides the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that if I follow his teachings I will be doing what the Lord has commanded. I'm grateful for conference which gives me the opprotunity to hear the words of the prophets and learn how I can be better.

spring flowers

there may still be inches of snow on the ground at grammies house, but there are spring flowers blooming inside.

Elijah has been painting up a storm and painted this beautiful picture of flowers that grammie and I are fighting over. alas, i think i'm going to loose so I was sure to snap some pictures.

Trip extended...

We are all finally beginning to feel better (no more throwing up in the middle of the night) and we decided to extend our trip through Monday. Instead of coming out in May to see Dallin off on his mission we thought we would stay and go with him when he goes through the temple. Overall it means we get to spend more time with family and less time driving! what a deal!

Tuesday my mother worked it so we could go on a fieldtrip with the girls to a farm in Springville. Elijah and Sam were very excited to see the animals. We ended up spending most of our time hanging around them and ditching our tour group.

Yesterday Josh and I got away and got to go to the Museum of Art at BYU and see the Minerva Tiechert exhibit. It was really nice to get away just the two of us and to be on BYU campus together was a walk down memory lane. I really enjoyed the exhibit. My favorite pictures were the First Vision and Jesus teaching Mary and Martha. I had never seen the Mary and Martha one before. I would love to get my hands on a print. Afterwards we explored some of the other art they have on display including the Carl Block Jesus at the Pool of Bathesda. That painting is so impressive and moving. There was also a painting of three bows representing the water, spirit, and blood mentioned in Moses 6:59-60. It was neat to have a visual to go with that scripture.

After grabbing a bite to eat at the museum cafe (very yummy, I would recommend the curry chicken salad and their wild rice soup-- mmm) we went to the Bean Life Science Museum and met Grammie and Papa with the boys and Rachel. Elijah was SO into the animals and acutally was relieved that they weren't alive. Sam would go up to the animals and growl at them. I'm going to have to figure out if CU has a similar museum and take the boys to it. They seemed to eat it up!

Of course we couldn't end the BYU day without a trim to the creamery for their yummy icecream. Elijah ate an entire cone (minus the cone) of raspberry sherbet and Sam was nibbling at all of ours. We were surprised when we walked to the creamery from the museum that DT is gone! All of it.. there was only one skeleton of a building left and a bunch of rubble. Wow! That is where Josh lived his freshman year and it is gone! it was a bit of a shock! I was feeling a little old and out of place on campus. Life has gone on while we have been gone and things are continuing to change... it's just a little weird.

Pirate Party

Saturday we had a Pirate Party at my parents house. It was silly, great fun! Elijah and Sam we just so excited! First we all got dressed up as pirates with sashes, swords, earings, eye patches, and head scarves. Even the dog got a scarf. They we were of to play pirate games. We played "Pirate, Pirate, Shark" based off of duck duck goose, we played find the Crocodile (which was a metrenome tick tocking like the croc in Peter Pan. We had sword fights which even Sam got in the action. We also had a treasure hunt complete with maps and clues. The whole time we were all running around saying "Arrgh!!" like pirates. Sam and Elijah truly were the cutest pirates. After we found the buried treasure we ate our pirate ship cake which Elijah made with Grammie, complete with green sails (it being his favorite color). Overall, it was a rather simple party but great fun! Thank you Grammie for putting it together!

made it... but sick (again)

We finally made it to Utah, though I'm not sure they want us. They boys have been throwing up and we all have the boo. Bleh. (I'm not sure we will be able to set foot in the Wendy's in Eagle again.)

Here's really hopeing we all feel better soon. At least before we have to get back in the car for the eight hour drive home.

plans pushed back... again

We are still trying to make it out to Utah this month. Our first attempt didn't happen becuase Sam got sick. This weekend is our nephew's baby blessing and we would love to get our hands on that new baby! We were planning on leaving today, but Josh has the wonderful opprotunity to be serving on a jury. (great timing, I know) They did jury selection and started the trial yesterday and it has continued through today. Josh was pretty sure they would be done today and I was hopeful that they would be done early enough that we could still leave today. Alas the time is slowly slipping by and I still haven't heard from Josh. I'm afraid we will just have to leave tomorrow. Here's keeping our fingers crossed! We haven't had the best of luck with travel this month.


Side Note:
We have now counted TEN baby fish! I just don't know where they are coming from! Is she still popping them out? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all the fish. They simply can't stay here, there are just too many, and Mat(now matilda) and Daniel will have to be split up so as to prevent any more babies. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Does the pet store take fish back, take babies, or trade females for males??

Garage Sale-ing!

The weather is getting warmer, the sun is rising earlier, and spring is in the air. You all know what that means... the spring cleaning bug is bitting. And what does that lead to? GARAGE SALES!!! I am gearing up for another season of garage sale-ing. (Christina and I even came across and early one when I was in Oklahoma) I've started my garage sale fund and I'm saving up my quarters and dimes.

Today I came across a garage sale guide on the blog tipnut.com. Granted I'm not exactly in the positon to be running a garage sale myself, but it is very interesting to read about the other side of the coin. For those of you who might be thinking about doing your own sale, the guide might proove helpful. Here's to happy garage sale-ing! I'll be sure to post any fantastic finds (last year I found a darling white sideboard/buffet!) May the force be with you!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a great Easter holiday! We had a fun weekend (despite Sam being sick with a fever again Friday and some of Saturday).
Yesterday we made our arabic/middle eastern dinner. Everything went really well and all the food turned out great! I'm rather proud that Josh and I pulled it off! We had friends over to help eat all the yummy food. One brought a delicious cucumber salad and another brought homemade baklava. Both wonderful additions to our meal. I'm thinking we have the making of a new tradition! The recipes are now posted on Everyday Recipes, complete with pictures. They may seem intimidating, but they really aren't that bad and very much worth it!



Update: I'm pretty sure we have at least six baby fish. Sometimes when I count I come up with seven or eight. They are very hard to count! We aren't sure what to do with our new traditions, when they grow up it will make for a full tank. But it is very exciting to have babies!

I'm a godmother....

...to 5-6 new baby fish!!

Josh discovered our new additions last night when he was cleaning out the fish tank (it was in dire need of a cleaning). We have no clue how long we have even had them. They are very good at hiding so I'm not sure exactly how many we actually have. They are about 3/4 of an inch long and black like their mother. We knew we had mollies and that they gave live birth. we didn't know that our two different breeds of mollies would actually mate. What a great Easter surprise!

Elmo underwear

We opened a new package of underwear the other day. Elijah picked out the pair he wanted to wear and quickly put them on. A little while later he came to me and said he wanted to wear a different pair too. I was busy at the time and told him he couldn't wear two at once, you wouldn't be able to see the ones underneath, and left it at that. A few minutes later I walked back into the room and saw that Elijah had solved the problem (and created another--it's not easy to walk with four pairs of underwear down your legs.)

Easter Ideas

I'm trying to figure out how we are going to celebrate Easter this year and thought I would share the ideas I have decided on and give other's an opprotunity to share what they are doing.

Growing up, my family always celebrated the secular side of Easter, i.e. the Easter Bunny, on the Saturday before Easter so as to keep Sunday centered around the real reason for Easter, Jesus Christ and His resurection. Josh and I have decided to carry on this tradition in our family.

Saturday the Easter bunny will bring the boys' small easter baskets and we will have an easter egg hunt with friends and decorate hard-boiled eggs as a family.

This year on Sunday we are planning a special dinner with Arabic food and dishes from the middle east that Christ might have eaten (we are still planning on doing the traditional ham dinner, but on another day. I really can't pass that up!) I am planning on making some arabic dishes that my great aunt has passed on to us including stuffed grape leaves, sfeeha (meat pies), spinach pies, hummus and pita bread etc. (I'm posting the recipes on Everyday Recipes in the next few days).

While everyone is at the table we will go over the Easter Story. I have the scriptures separated into different easter eggs with objects that go with the scripture in them. You can make your own eggs with instructions on Sugardoodle.net

Probably for lunch or while all the dinner preparations are going on I'm planning on making "Resurrection Rolls" with Elijah. The recipe and symbolizm are also on Sugardoodle (in fact sugardoodle has a large section full of different easter ideas, religious and not.)

In all I'm trying to make this weekend special but still very simple. What are your plans? What family traditions do you do in your family? I'd love to know!

One Word Quiz

I've gotten a couple of these via email and thought I would just post mine here. If you do your own-- leave me a comment or email me! Enjoy!

1. Where is your cell phone? dead
2. Your significant other? Josh
3. Your hair? curly
4. Worst bad habit? procrastination
5. Favorite food? chocolate
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? forgot
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? grandkids
10.The room you're in? living
11. Your ex? none
12. Your fear? failure
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Utah
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? organized
16. Muffins? yummy
17. One of your wish list items? van
18. Where you grew up? Orem
19. The last thing you did? blog
20. What are you wearing? blue
21. Your TV? tiny
22. Your pets? fish
23. Your computer? laptop
24. Your life? mazo
25. Your mood? frazled
26. Missing someone? mother
27. Your car? totaled
28. Something you're not wearing? makeup
29. Favorite Store? Target
30. Your summer? warm
31. Love someone? indeed
32. When is the last time you laughed? today
33. Last time you cried? Tuesday
34. Who will re-post this? anyone?

Movies

I've been able to watch a few movies this past week. Happily there have been a lot of good ones coming out on DVD lately.

Dan in Real Life: A very amusing movie with laugh out loud parts. It has a central theme on family and the importance of relationships with family. I could see Josh's family being like that in a few years. overall, a fun, feel good movie that was rather clean. Another one I would recommend.


No Reservations: a very cute, clean, happy/sad movie. The story is interesting, with some character development and some heart wrenching parts. The cooking atmosphere is also very interesting. I love to see how things really happen and it is cool to see some of what goes into getting food on a table at a restaurant. I would recommend this movie to anyone.


August Rush: A fair movie but the story is a bit far fetched and not true to life. The music is pretty fun and I like they way they emphasize that there is music everywhere, all you have to do is listen. It's a good option to rent if you are looking for something entertaining and clean, but not something I would rush out to see and will probably not watch again.




Enchanted: A very cute Disney movie that mixes the traditional animated princess happily-ever-after story with real life. Amusing for all ages with some fun music that is bound to get stuck in your head. Highly recommended.

phew! we made it home!

we safely made it home Tuesday. There were a few moments that I was sure we just weren't going to make it but prayers were answered and we are all home again. our day consisted of Elijah throwing up, pouring rain, a flat tire, a dead battery, switching cars, rushing to the airport-grateful that my flight was 2 hours late, standing in two lines before I actually knew I was going to be able to get on the plane, and flying with two tired boys. phew!

Our trip to Oklahoma to visit the Reeds was a whirlwind roller coaster, full of twists and turns, ups and downs, with some throwing up along the ride. (i think i'm ready for a vacation after my vacation) unfortunately my blogging fell by the wayside and now you get a massive jumble.

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go to the ward in Ponca City with Christina and all four boys. I'm sure we were quite a spectacle sitting in sacrament meeting of the small ward wrestling the boys to be reverent and quiet. It was a relief when we survived. I am so grateful for Josh! I haven't had the opportunity to visit many wards but it was reaffirmed to me that the Church really is the same everywhere. It is just amazing that where ever you are you can find a ward to attend, feel welcomed, hear the same gospel teachings, and feel the spirit.

The topic of religion was one that came up and was on my mind a lot during the trip. Ponca City is dotted everywhere by many different Churches. The town has a population of around 30,000 and you can't drive down any major street without passing at three or four different churches. I have a hard time just figuring out what denomination they all belong to and how they all fit together. It is just boggling to me.

Presley has decided that he wants his family to attend the First Baptist Church in Ponca City (so named because it was the first Baptist church in town, there is a Second Baptist Church in town too). Christina has been stuck in the middle and thrown back into the Baptist religion. It has been an eye opening and frustrating experience for her. (I'm convinced she needs to write a book)

The beginning of last week was rather rough. Poor Caleb got really sick with an ear infection and eventually ended up in the hospital for a night because he wasn't keeping fluids down. While all that was going on, I was lucky enough to get the 24 hour flu, complete with nausea and fever. Poor Presley was left with three boys and a store to juggle. I am very grateful no one else got sick and Caleb was able to come home sooner than predicted but the whole scenario left Christina and I wiped out.

The rest of the week Christina and I kept busy keeping the boys alive, doing family history, touring Ponca city, visiting Enid and Christina's old stomping grounds, watching some good movies (more on that to come later), and talking religion. I was also able to attend the Baptist church.

It turned out to be a whirlwind trip made crazy with four boys, three and under. By the end Christina and I were ready to run away and leave our kids with the highest bidder. I am grateful that we were able to go. It was sooo good to be able to see Christina and see where she is living and what she is up to. I miss that girl so much! We are scheming to get both of us in Utah this summer, hopefully kid free!

Boys Boys Boys and Boys

Yesterday we all made pancakes together. Three boys were in on the action.

It is pretty wild around here with four boys running amuck. Yesterday Christina and I had few moments peace when all of the boys crashed in the car. We took advantage of it by taking a nap ourselves. It was a memorably moment... very picture worthy.

we made it!

we made it to Oklahoma in one (sane) piece. We had some delays in the Denver airport, we eventually ended up with a new plane and were a few hours late. I was sooo grateful that Josh went through security with us or I would have been dead meat! The flight itself went pretty smoothly. We got a warm welcome from Caed- a big yealling, running hug. I was amazed at how small the Oklahoma City airport is.
After we got our luggage we were off to Chuck E. Cheese! Elijah and Sam have neve been there so we were off to another adventure. Elijah just didn't know what to think let alone what to do first. He and Caed ran wild and had great time. Sam was big eyed with wonder.

After chuck E. Cheese we were off to Caed's house. The boys crashed in the car on the way home. Talk about a long day.

Ooook--lahoma!!!

the boys and I are off on an adventure tomorrow (isn't everyday an adventure with two little boys? well, this will be extra ordinary). we are flying, just the three of us, to Oklahoma! I am very excited though a little nervous about the whole traveling while out numbered bit.

here's hopin' in goes smoothly!

I'm definitely planning on posting during the week and a half we will be there. I'm sure with four boys three and under there is bound to be some good material for blogging. Christina also swears that the sunsets are a lot better in Oklahoma than ours with mountains. I'm hoping to catch a picture to prove it, we'll see.

Easter Sugar Cookies

I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. Sammy was having a grand ol' time eating the frosting and ended up looking like a smurf. What was his mother thinking?

*my sugar cookie recipe can be found on everyday recipes*

Poems: Consecration and Bread From Heaven

My friend Laura has posted her Deseret Recognition award winning poems Consecration and Bread From Heaven on her blog. These poems are very thoughtful and I found that they resonated strongly with me.

Oh my....

Elijah and I decided to color a big sturdy box that Josh brought home last night from costco. We determined it was going to be a car with green fire etc. I helped Elijah get started and then got distracted by laundry and email, then Josh called me. While I was on the phone Elijah comes to me and says "look what I did, mommy?" I looked and what I saw took my breath away.

My three year old son had gotten creative with the markers all over himself (thankfully they are washable) . Of course he is just in his underwear and jammie shirt, so his entire legs are now covered in rainbow colors, his hands, and his cheeks are covered as well. He is rather proud of himself and has decided that sammy should get in on the show so he can ride in the car too. ohhhh my! of course, me being the blogging mommy now, i had to whip out the camera and catch the moment. Boy did I get a good laugh after the initial shock.

rainbow chocolate cake

a creation by Elijah (with a little help from daddy)

I woke up from a nap yesterday to find this beautiful creation. The boys had been busy (well Sam is still sick and was crashed out on the couch). It was Elijah's idea to make a rainbow cake. He loved mixing the frosting colors (he has a lot of practice from making pancakes) and then frosting the cake with a little help from daddy. Of course frosting ended up everywhere including inside Elijah's mouth and on his face as well as on the carpet. Hey, if you're going to be creative there is bound to be a mess!

Check It Out: Pandora Radio

My sister cued me into this website. It's an online radio site without commercials! It gets even better... They are part of the Music Genome Project. Essentially they take the songs and artists you know you like and find songs with a similar musical identity. You have control over what songs you hear! You can give the song a thumbs up that will help them find more songs you like or a thumbs down and they will take the song off of your station and calculate that into future songs you hear. You can also block explicit content. When you create an account you save your specific station, you can create more than one station, you can listen whenever you are online, and even share it with friends. Pretty cool! I wish I had known about this while I was working! oh well.

Check it out!

ward fast

this year our bishop has decided to focus on missionary work. he has asked the ward to fast together today that we might have missionary experiences.

it is a year ago this month that I was experiencing my own amazing missionary experiences with my dear friend Christina. the joy of missionary work is hard for me to express. the spirit of that work is so powerful. not only does it carry the power to convert others but your own heart is more strongly converted to what you are sharing.

so today, I am fasting that I might again have the spirit of missionary work in my life more fully. that I might be prepared to open up when the opprotunity does arise, and that I will recognize those opprotunities because I know they will come.