Shall We Dance?

Beep!  Beep!  Beep!  What is that screaming in my head?  It is 6 am and the alarm clock is raging, demanding I get up.  Alan reaches over and hits the snooze button.  I hate the snooze button.  "Just turn it off and forget about being a responsible adult today.", I think to myself.   I settle into my pillow again, almost drifting off into sweet sleep.  Beep!  Beep!  Beep!  The fog horn blows again.  I know we need to get up.  Alan hits the snooze button again.  Just five more minutes!  Now my bladder is awake.  How long can I wait?  I have to get up or risk internal combustion.  I stumble back and forth in our dark room.  I just want to get back into my warm, soft bed.  Beep, Beep, Beep.  It goes off again.  I know the alarm clock won't stop until its job is done.  Alan is up now, finally, getting ready for work.  I have already crawled back into bed but can feel the stillness in the air and know what is waiting for us outside.  Alan kisses me goodbye and as the sleep leaves me I remember the weather report from the late news last night.  An arctic cold front has moved into the west and snow is inevitable.
I can hear it now, the scraping of the shovels outside like fingernails on a chalkboard.  The sound is violent and penetrating amid the peaceful quiet of the snowfall.  My conscious won't let me lay there while Alan is outside laboring alone.  As I throw my covers back, I can hear Jacob clanging around in the kitchen getting his breakfast.  He still has to go to school and time is short this morning.  The cold has kept us all in bed longer than usual this morning and now we have to move quickly to get out the door. 
My body feels like lead trying to get into all my layers.  My arms are uncoordinated and heavy as I wrestle to get into my turtle neck shirt and then my sweater.  I didn't lay any jeans out last night with my shirt and know my morning misery will continue with them.  The closet door was closed all night and there aren't any heat vents in there.  I have to go in but it is like jumping into a cold swimming pool.  It should be done quickly to get the shock over with but I don't want to do it.  I summon my courage and dive in, then quickly shrink back from the chill.  "Grab the jeans and get out!", I scream to myself.  I quickly grab them off the hanger and run out.  As I pull the cold jeans on over my warm legs I try not to notice the discomfort of the cold, stiff material rubbing on my legs.  I am definitely awake now and look around for my boots.  My poor preparation from last night is irritating me now and I vow to be better tonight.
"Jacob where are my boots?"  "What mom?", he groans.  He's not awake yet either.  It is a miracle I don't fall down the stairs as I struggle down to the kitchen.  I finally locate my boots in the living room and pull them on.  The final layer goes on, my coat and hat and gloves.  I take a deep breath after my early morning workout, I am ready.  "Hurry up Jacob, we have to shovel before school."  "Okay", he says unenthusiastically.  He knows the work has to be done.  We have learned from sad experience, you can't procrastinate in the winter.  It is unforgiving and the consequences of waiting can be unbearable.  Always keep gas in the car, have food stored up if you get snowed in, and don't wait to shovel.  It will only get deeper and harder to move.  We are a manual labor workforce at our house.  Snow blowers are a luxury not many can afford.  It is certainly on our list of wants but down pretty far.  We have growing children and figure the hard work is good for them so we shovel.
I open the door to the garage and find chilling darkness.  The sun won't be up for several hours so we will work in the dark.  An arctic blast hits my face as I venture beyond the garage and it takes my breath away.  It is hard to get the freezing air to be effective in your lungs so early in the morning.  "Short breaths Carie, start moving and warm up."  My body moves rigidly in the cold, but I will get my blood pumping as soon as I start shoveling.  I am surprised to see the snow is coming down pretty hard.  The wind is blowing slightly and the flakes hit my face like little pins.  It stings for a few moments until my face goes numb.   Alan has his truck on, warming up, while he tries to dig the tires out.  I grab my shovel and am surprised to see Bishop Godfrey shoveling our driveway.  He has already done his and been across the street to help another neighbor.  His generosity warms me and I begin.  The snow hasn't had time to get wet yet so shoveling isn't too bad.  It is like moving giant mounds of styrofoam balls.  There is no talking.  It is too cold.  Just some quick smiles and nods and then to work.  The three of us make short work of the driveway and Alan can finally leave for work.  It will take him a while with this storm so he needs to get going.  A cold kiss goodbye and he is off.  Jacob came out just before Alan left and was helping the boy across the street to shovel his driveway.  He was late for school and couldn't get his tiny little car out. 
My nose is frozen but we have to keep going.  My lungs are cold and there is still more to be done. We have to dig out the road in front of the mailbox and also in front of the garbage cans.  Neither will receive service today if we don't make a way for the vehicles to maneuver close enough to the curb.  There is a foot of snow in the road now and the sun is coming up.  We need to hurry now because the snow is starting to get wet.  We heave and throw the snow out of the road working together quickly.  We are shoveling slush now and we can really feel the weight in our shoulders.  It feels like we are moving boulders and my arms are getting tired.  They would hurt but the cold holds off the pain and allows me to continue.  Just one more row. The shovels scrape along the road as we push to clear the way.   Almost there.  We are done.  Jacob and I lumber back up the driveway to put away the shovels.  Stomping our feet to loosen the packed snow, we hurry into the car to get him to school.  The job is done for now but the snow is still falling.  It will blanket our efforts in a few more hours and mother nature will insist we dance with her again.

Blessings

You wouldn't think that we would still be dealing with the ramifications of the smoke damage we incurred in our previous home from two years ago, but from time to time we are reminded of how much we really lost.  Christmas always brings reminders because our home was decorated for Christmas when the smoke enveloped everything we own.  One of the things that was a loss was our artificial Christmas tree.  We love the real ones but couldn't justify the cost of purchasing a real tree each year when we owned the fake one.  We had it because one Christmas, a long time ago, Alan and I waited too long to purchase our tree.  It was only a few days before Christmas and all of the tree lots were empty.  The only place we could find a tree was at Walmart and it was their last one and it was on clearance.  So, we broke down and bought the fake tree.  Each year we revisited buying a real tree, but in the end the fake one went up because we couldn't justify spending the money.

Without our tree, we purchased a live tree last year.  We thought about replacing the artificial one last year but they don't make them without lights anymore and they have become quite expensive.  With the economy downturn and money being tight, we really didn't think we were going to be able to get a tree this year.  It isn't a horrible thing, but it definitely puts a damper on the festivities.  The kids would have been fine and we would have made due with our tiny tree Jacob made in Preschool.  But, we thought it was important and decided to deal with this problem on our knees.  I am continually amazed and how personally invested our Heavenly Father is in our happiness.  The details of our lives are important to Him and all we need do is ask for the assistance from Him to help us realize our dreams.  Now some would say that we make our plans a reality on our own, but I know that I am led in this life by a higher power and that if I am willing to do my part, He will show me the way.

Like most families, we have prayed for help to have a happy Christmas this year and part of those prayers included how we would get a tree.  We were at the DI yesterday dropping off some donations and decided to go inside and check things out.  After finding Sarah some much needed clothes, we went into the yard area to meet up with Alan and Daniel.  Unfortunately, Jacob is in school still because he is on a different schedule than the other two.  Anyway, while Daniel and Sarah were playing on the air hockey table, Alan and I found a  huge pile of artificial Christmas trees in boxes.  We started poking through them in an uncommitted sort of way until we came across one that was brand new just like our old tree, never used for $10!  The tag said that it was sold, our hopes dashed.  We only had $10 and the other trees were more expensive because they had lights on them already.  We didn't have plans to buy a tree anyway and almost gave up.  Then while looking at another, "more loved" tree, I came across a tag someone had tossed on the pile which had found its way inside the box.  It was the tag from the new tree!  It hadn't been sold, someone had just removed the item available tag and made it look like it had sold.  We were blown away!  What are the chances others had looked at that tree and passed it up too because they thought it was already sold?  There it sat, just waiting for us to do the work and find it.  
Now you may think this a small thing in the grand scheme of life, but to us this year, it was a Christmas Miracle.

The Man Cave and Other Fantastical Adventures!

Thanksgiving was great fun this year!  We were planning on going to Arizona but found we only had funds to make it 1/2 way.  So, we went to Cedar City and crashed at Marlo and Wyatt's house and ate and cooked and ate and cooked the entire weekend.
We were surprised at how quickly we got there.  Even with all of the Holiday traffic we made good time.  Marlo had chili waiting to eat and the cousins were primed and ready for playing.  We didn't get any sleep really the entire weekend but we didn't go so we could sleep.
Wyatt has completed his garage that used to just be a carport.  It is a magnificent garage that was transformed into a most glorious man cave.  Complete with sofa chairs tables and free standing event heaters generously acquired by Marlo from her work, and not just music but a sound system.  There was even carpet on the floor carefully taped down so no one accidentally tripped.  We were all impressed and delighted to be invited to spend time in there. 
After getting to bed around 12:30 or 1 am.  We were wakened by excited and loud children ready to get in some serious play time before the perpetual buffet started that afternoon.  Others started arriving and the turkeys went into the oven to cook, the rest of the food was prepared and by about 2pm we were all ready to ruin ourselves on great food.

Carving the sacrificial bird.  It was delicious!

Tag team water boiling.

This is the headless shirt.  I am not sure which family ghost joined us for dinner, but we got a picture of them. 

Mmmmmmm!

Eating.....

More eating.....

 Still more eating......

And finally, more eating.

Seconds anyone?

Cute eating.  May I mention that Josh brought a cute girl to lunch the next day and she didn't run out of the room screaming when she met all the cousins.

Some of these pictures are of the second Thanksgiving Holiday tradition, the eating of the leftovers.  We had tons and enjoyed them just as much as the first time around.

Cedar City does a wonderful start to the Christmas season festival and we made sure we attended that night.  We showed up just in time to see the fireworks display right in front of us.  They were shooting them off the parking garage across the street.  They were so loud.  It sounded like machine guns firing and the ground vibrated throughout.  It was awesome.

On our way to the tree festival!

After the fireworks we went to the Heritage Center and wandered through their Christmas Santa Land.  They had decorated trees all throughout and were pretty cool.  Upstairs they had a north pole that was full of polar bears and penguins.  We had a great time. 

 

Marlo was the first one in the Heritage Center.  Isn't that a crazy tree?

 

There was a cool nutcracker collection.  The lady at the door said we will have to keep our kids from touching anything in the display areas.  I stifled a laugh because that is nearly impossible.  The kids did pretty good.  

 

The Barbie tree and princess trees were pretty cool.  The pictures don't do them justice.  

 

Boys.  I am speechless.

  

I am not sure why there was a shark display.  But hey, who doesn't love a shark?

 

The hanging pirate was fun too.  ????

  

Royalty is definitely necessary at a Christmas celebration.  They arrived in a limo too!

  

This was my favorite room.  The entire room looked like a winter wonderland.  It was so hot in there.  Oxymoron?

 

Daniel was Cupid in the school play.  Daniel's hair has been shorn since.  Thankfully.  He was looking like Sarah's older sister.

 

Love and pirates.

 

These were the superhero trees.  

 

The little people needed a picture too.

 

This one was hysterical.  The deer was singing and talking to everyone. 

 

Last but no least, the Shrek tree.  What doesn't say holiday like Shrek?

We were able to stop by the cemetery and visit some of our family graves.  It was emotional for me to be back at my grandparents grave site again.  It was a little weird not seeing her this time when we were in town.

Sarah was cute walking around straightening the flowers on the family graves. 

On the drive home Daniel and Sarah decided to have a pillow fight in the back of the van.  It ended better than we hoped.  Sarah's front tooth has been barely hanging in there for weeks now and she refused to pull it out for fear of excruciating pain and gushing blood.  I am pretty sure it had already turned gray because it wasn't really attached to anything.  It was very snaggley and required her to eat in a most creative way since she was afraid to apply any pressure to it at all.  Thankfully, Daniel blasted her in the face with the pillow and knocked that tooth out!  We decided it was worthy of ice cream so we stopped before getting home.  

Whew!!! Clap, Clap, Clap......

First, let me say my Dad is home from the hospital and doing well.  Aside from being pretty tired, he is going to be fine.  We are thankful for the priesthood blessing he received and that it wasn't his time to go.  It is truly a miracle he is still with us. 

I was looking at some of the pictures on my camera and came across a few the kids must have taken in their enthusiasm to record everything they do.  

Sarah made this cute wall hanging in her class at school for Halloween.  The kids created a paper template and then cut out fabric to match their template and we ironed it on.  They all turned out very cute.  It is going in our permanent stash of Halloween decor.  Good job Sarah!

Also, in the good job Sarah department, is this cake.  Sarah and I were watching America's Test Kitchen last weekend and they made this cake.  She asked if we could make one too and so we pulled up the recipe on the internet and went to work.  I must say, the cake part is fantastic.  The frosting didn't turn out to be my favorite, but I prefer a butter cream and this is a thicker consistency.  The flavor is great however and we have eaten anyway.  Thanks for the help Sarah!  And Jacob took the picture!

Daniel and Sarah were in the school Christmas play this year.  Sarah was one of the choir singers and Daniel was Cupid, the reindeer.  Alan thought it was funny he was Cupid and a Valentine!  They both did a great job and had a very fun time performing on stage.  It was a fun thing to do on a snowy day.  When we left the play it was coming down very hard and added to the enjoyment of the Christmas play.  

I cut off his antlers in the picture before this.  They are so cute!  I love my kids.  They are awesome and wonderful and every other adjective I can think of.  I love that they want to get out there and try new things.  Jacob was in his first Jr. High orchestra performance a few weeks ago too.  I was home with Sarah who had strep throat that day but Alan went and said he did a fantastic job.  We didn't get a picture this time but he will have a few more performances this year we can photograph.  He is getting pretty good at it and it is fun to hear him practice.  

Daniel and Sarah just started taking piano lessons again.  Alan is teaching them now and they are both coming along nicely.  They are all working to play Jingle Bells together, Jacob on the cello, Daniel on the drum, and Sarah at the piano.  It will be fun if they can pull it off.

Short Days, Long hours

I got a phone call this morning that my dad was in the hospital for DVT (blood clots in his legs).  I know that people die from this and that he was very lucky to have gotten to the hospital in time.  I must say I feel very helpless up here far away.  I know that he will be fine and that this is just another phase of life-parents aging- that we all have to deal with eventually.  But, I must say this has rocked my world.  My dad doesn't get hospitalized.  He doesn't get hurt and he isn't vulnerable.  Not in my world anyway.  I have never been what could be classified as a traditional "daddy's girl".  But he is my dad and I am his girl and I wish I could be there tell him in person that I love him and that I will be there to help. 
When things like this happen, it brings into sharp focus the freedoms I wish I had in my budget, my schedule, my life generally so that I could simply act.  I have been working diligently over the past few years to rid my life of too much stuff all the way around.  We are on the right track but today I am painfully aware of how far I have to go before I can just get on a plane and be there in person. 
I have spent the day trying to keep myself busy and wanting to talk to someone but I don't know what to say.  These situations are hard because my natural inclination is to do something and there is just nothing to do but wait.  So I have busied myself with laundry and I am cooking an uncarved, leftover pumpkin from Halloween and I have no idea why.  I will have more pumpkin puree than anyone needs but it is keeping me busy.  Many of you may be getting something pumpkin and yummy soon. 

Halloween

Halloween was kind of rushed this year.  There were some trick or treaters out really early and no one was ready for them.  Sarah decided last minute to be a punked out cheerleader so we were scrambling to get her put together.  Jacob was a skater kid and Daniel was the grim reaper again. 
My kids didn't really want to do very much trick or treating this year either.  It was weird.  Jacob ran off with his friends but came back as soon as it got dark.  He had fun but was ready to come inside and just chill out.  It was pretty cold out too.  Sarah just wanted to go around the block and we skipped most of the houses.  She was more interested in handing out candy this year so that is what she did.  And Daniel, he just wanted to make a haunted house in the garage.  His plans were to have it go around the entire house but we scaled it back considerably.  Alan worked tirelessly to make Daniel's haunted dreams come true and in the end they did a pretty good job.  The kids all loved going through it and getting a little scared.  Daniel got to jump out at other kids too.  Alan got to use his black lights and fog machine and everyone was happy.
Daniel asked Sarah to come and help him scare people but she declared she can't because she looks too cute to scare anyone.  All in all, the kids all did what they wanted to and we didn't have to worry about too much candy.  They have eaten all of it so there is no more left.  They even shared their Butterfinger bars with Alan and I! 
The boys had some friends over to watch a Harry Potter movie after all the trick or treating was over so they got to have a little party of sorts.  They hung out in bean bags and gorged on candy.  I can't wait to clean up all the Halloween stuff  and put it away.  It has been fun this year but I am done.  Decorations are a pain.  But that is a topic for another post.

And the Winner Is.....

Thanks to everyone who voted.  I appreciate the help.  Picture number 1 was the overall winner.  I guess now I get to work on ways to get the window out of the background.  Since this post was orginally done, my lovely and awesome sister in law Tammy has taken the window out for me.  Thanks Tammy!  You are the best. 
Sidebar-
It is cold.  Really, really cold.  I think it hit a high of 38 degrees today.  The kids are home and I am supposed to be supervising their homework, but I don't feel like yelling right now so I am letting them do their own thing.  May I say, (I have jumped on my soapbox) kids these days have entirely too much homework.  It is absolutely ridiculous how much time is spent around the kitchen table getting them to finish worksheet after worksheet.  I don't want anymore landfill fodder brought home because my kids achieved some new level of mediocrity at school.  Do they really need a toy because they showed up to school?  I feel so bad for Daniel because he was sick last week.  Why does he need to be so buried under all this work because he was sick?  Ahhhhhh!
I am done.  Thanks again for the help!

The Only Thing Holding Us Back Is Ourselves

We have been in possesion of a water softener since 2004.  We had plans to install it at our last house but obviously we put it off.  So, we moved it with us when we came north.  It has been occupying space in our basement along with the brother we got for it, a new hot water heater, since we moved here.  It is amazing how long these things can sit around without us noticing how much time has passed.  They became such a fixture in the basement, we hardly noticed them anymore.  The only time they would be mentioned was when the hot water ran out in our shower. 
We finally got the soft water unit and the hot water heater installed two days ago.  You never really know how far gone something is in your house, until you replace it with a new one.  I cannot believe how bad our other water heater was!  We have hot water now.  Really hot water.  And a water softener.  I did some laundry yesterday and the clothes actually came clean!  I love it! 
The basement looks palatial now with those giant boxes gone.  They are in the backyard now awaiting decorations for Daniel's much anticipated, haunted house.  I am sure Leanne is happy to have them out of her way too.  It is so sad that we put things off and put them off until we are forced to make it a priority.  Then, after taking care of the problem, we wonder why we waited so long in the first place. 
Alan and I have been trying to be better about this and not put things off.  Especially things like installing new equipment to make the water in our house better.  We learn to live with mediocrity in our lives slowly.  Occasionally our lives go BOING!, and we have to pay attention.  But usually we experience a slow decline and get use to lowering ourselves on the descent one rung at a time.  Life becomes very organic when you start making choices to pay attention to the things that matter and let go of the other stuff that is constantly screaming at us from all of those outside sources. 
I can honestly say that we have been happier as we have tried to limit the wants and deal with the needs in a more responsible way.  It has helped us to overcome our procrastination and become more creative as we use our talents ways we couldn't see otherwise. 
In the past we would have taken any extra money that came our way and use it in some small way for our needs but mostly it would be used to fulfill our wants and in a big way.  It has been so gratifying to see our needs list get checked off as we attempt to be wise about our lives and take care of the things that really matter.  Experiment on this, you might surprise yourself.

Pumpkin Picking

We had a fun Saturday!  We were going to go to the free pumpkin patch, but the line was a mile long in the sun and it was 75 degrees out and we were hot!  I know, all you Arizona people can stop laughing now.  On our way to get some money to go to the other pumpkin patch, we were distracted by Chik-fil-A.  It was yummy too!  We were at the mall eating when I decided since we were so close to Macy's, perhaps I could just take a look.  They happen to have some professional make-up artists there doing Halloween face painting for free.  Well, of course we had to do it.  The kids looked great.  As usual, nothing can go too smoothly or the planets might fall off their rotations.
Alan and the boys were playing video games at Game Stop while Sarah and I were waiting in the line to get a Lady Bug painted on her cute little face.  Sarah has been working on her two loose front teeth for a while now and hasn't wanted any help.  On Saturday her right front tooth was just barely hanging in there.  Grandma Leanne showed up with a giant bag of caramel corn which Sarah jumped right into.  Her first bite pulled that tooth right out of her mouth.  Most kids are happy when their teeth finally come out but she looked a bit horrified.  It may have been all of the blood.  There was more than usual for a loose tooth.  I think she nicked her gums with the popcorn.  Anyway, we were trying to get her mouth to stop bleeding when the boys and Alan showed up, just in time.  Sarah got a glazed look on her face and went all green.  I asked her if she was alright and she was sort of non responsive.  I looked over at Alan and had him pick her up just before she went a little limp.  She didn't completely pass out, but was on her way.  We learned that Sarah has a hard time seeing her own blood yesterday.  That is good to know for the future.

After Sarah's little episode, she was ready to get her face painted.  Daniel had already had his done and Jacob was getting worked on.  He had asked to look like a dinosaur had scratched his face.  Well, he didn't realize that the guy doing his make-up did the make-up for the injured people in the mock disaster drills the government holds from time to time.  He was really good and it looked real!  Jacob saw himself in the mirror and he started turning green and got light headed.  Apparently, he and Sarah suffer from the same affliction.  We had him sit down with his head between his knees until he could get up and go outside for some air.  It took some time for him to get used to the gore on his face.   It looks pretty cool, eh?

After the kids were done almost fainting from their fake injuries-well Sarah's tooth was real-we went to the pumpkin patch.

On the hayride of course!

The mountains look great.

Sarah picked a cute little one.

Daniel picked one as big as him.  Jacob has big muscles now so he helped his little bro.

Alan was nice enough to pick mine up for me.  He has big muscles too!

Farmer John and his little woman.

Disruptions

I love how your going along in life and everything is fine and then bam!, a train wreck.  The thing about a train wreck is you get to survive, but are severely maimed.  So, there is a constant supply of new normal to get used to.
My computer finally croaked.  I went to turn it on and the on button just fell into the computer.  Thankfully we had just gotten a little extra money and were making plans for it but something always breaks when a little extra money comes our way so we weren't terribly surprised.  I took the computer down to the computer store, bought another one and have been working just about everyday for the last week on reloading all of our software programs so we can use the new computer.  I hate doing this.  I am pretty sure all of my files are a complete loss.  My pictures are gone too.  I have them backed up but haven't gotten to that disk yet.  and am pretty sure they aren't all there.  The funnest part so far has been trying to get my checkbook to balance after reloading it.  Yesterday it said we had a negative $2300 balance.  Today I think we are up $4000.  I miss paper and writing and doing things slower and more deliberate.  I think that is why I enjoy cooking so much.  I don't want a 30 minute meal.  They don't taste that great.  I want something that took effort and love to create.  I am pretty sure the checkbook will finally balance out tomorrow.  That will be good.
Jacob was thrilled about getting a new computer.  The funny thing is, my kids have only recently discovered the computer has a few games loaded onto it, specifically Solitaire.  They are addicted and ask all the time now if they can play.  These are the same kids that spent the last year earning money to buy a Wii.  We could have avoided all of the anguish associated with their having to wait so long if I would have shown them Solitaire earlier. However, they learned a great lesson about saving up for something you want.
Jacob asked if he could have what was left over from the computer merge.  I had the computer guys save what they could from the old one and combine it with the new one to make one super computer.  The new one is so fast and great.  I gave Jacob the old computer but I should have saved it for Christmas.  He plays with it everyday.  It is great.  He has computer innerds all over his desk and is constantly coming out of his room to show me another part he has taken out.  I am tempted to go to the DI for Christmas and buy some other computer things and let him take those apart too.
Sarah's two front teeth are ready to come out and she looks all snaggle toothed.  The one tooth is barely hanging on and Daniel can hardly control himself.  He really wants to grab her head and rip it out.  They have both been home sick today.  Daniel really is sick.  He has a cold, but the school made me come and get him and I had to get him tested for the piggy flu.  He's clear thankfully.  Sarah on the other hand, has a sympathy cold and will be going back to school tomorrow.  It is amazing how fast you can get used to your kids being gone during the day.  I got a lot done but I need some separation now.  Alan will rescue me!

It's Autumn Time, It's Autumn Time.....

Sarah and her friend Ashely helped me to make some luminaries out of our #10 cans.  They have been sitting in my kitchen forever and I finally came up with a way to use them.  I posted the entire project on my other website if you are interested in the finished product.  It was pretty fun and gave me something to do with the kids one day.  

 

You actually have to prepare for seasons here so Alan got up on our roof to repair some shingles before the snow comes.  It is pretty scary up there.  We have a heck of pitch to our roof and so I kept watch in case he fell.  You know, so I could watch him fall. I am not sure what watching helped with because if he did fall off the roof, I wouldn't exactly be able to help him other than calling the ambulance.

 
Alan brought home this huge net last year and it has been up on the trees and then taken down a few times.  The boys decided it was time to put it up again only this time they made it look like a giant spider web.  It is strung between two trees in our backyard and has become quite the attraction for other kids in the neighborhood.  We had a whole crew show up last Sunday asking if they could play while we were inside watching conference.  It was cute.  I said no of course.
I figured they will leave it up until it snows.  Is it just me or do my kids look absolutely huge?!

We are all gearing up for the leaves to fall from the trees again.  I'll post pictures when its time.  The leaf raking at our house is epic!

Out of School....Again!

I think my kids spend more time out of school than in it.  They are off again for a 4 day weekend.  Apparently, they were overworked in the two weeks they were back in school.  I can't take it anymore.  My entire schedule has been so messed up this year.  I have been getting some stuff done, but I really need them to go back for longer than 2 weeks for this house to get really cleaned up.  I don't think I have mopped the kitchen floor for a month.  It is starting to get pretty bad.  I have been wiping small areas with a washcloth and it just doesn't do the trick.
I have been having fun creating my new blog.  I can't wait to publish it into a book.  I will finally have one resource to look at with all of those tips and recipes and cleaning hints that I try to remember but always forget until I find the little scrap of paper I wrote it on 6 months ago.
So if you have any good tips for life, let me know and I will add it to the blog/book.  Check out expandingfrosting.blogspot.com and let me know what you think.  The more comments the better!

General Relief Society Conference

I was able to get tickets again this year to attend the annual Women's Broadcast on Temple Square.  The Conference Center is always amazing to visit because it is such an extraordinary building.  This year I went with Leanne, Andrea, and Bekka.  Getting there isn't always easy but we all manage to make it.  It seems to be an exercise in the lessons of the 10 virgins.  I always wonder whether we are among the prepared or not as we are rushing to get where we are supposed to be.
Leanne and I left the house at 3:30 this year in hopes on not rushing.  We didn't have too much trouble with traffic but had to park about 1 mile away from the conference center.  We learned our lesson last year and wore sensible shoes this year but I was still plagued with blisters.  I decided I just need to wear my tennis shoes next year.  It took us about 20 minutes to walk from the car to the Lion House for dinner.  Unfortuately, we still had to rush through dinner to make it over to our seats in time.
Andrea and Bekka were having their own adventure on the freeway trying to get through traffic caused by an accident.  Leanne and I hurried over to the center and ended up giving Andrea and Bekka's tickets to one of the ushers so that we could go in and get seats for all of us.  Our seats were awesome!  We were right down in the front on the right side.  Happily, Andrea and Bekka made it just in time with 3 minutes to spare.  President Monson walked in and the entire room went silent immediately.  I cannot describe the feeling of joy we had being in the presence of the prophet and the first presidency.  They are such kind and wonderful men.  President Monson waved to the choir and all of them waved back in unison.
It was especially exciting for me to go because the choir was comprised of sisters from northern Davis County including sisters from our ward.  They sounded so beautiful.  I felt lifted up to heaven when they sang.  When the congregation sang with them it was like hearing the angels.  It is impossible to describe the heavenly sound that came from almost 20,000 voices.  It was sublime.
I have so much grattitude for my Savior for the leaders we have in the church.  These people love us and love Him.  They have testimonies of the work and want to help people to have joy in their lives.  It is such a blessing to be part of the Relief Sociey organization.  I am so thankful for the gospel in my life and the opportunity I have to be part of such an amazing organization.  So much good comes from it.  I fell renewed in spirit and can't beleive we live close enough to be able to attend these events in person.
As the leaders were leaving, President Monson, President Uchdorf and President Eyring all looked to the audience and waved goodbye and all the sisters waved back.  It was wonderful.

Wiiiiiiiiii

The kids finally did it!  After saving their pennies for an entire year, they were able to purchase their coveted Wii gaming system.  It has been better than Christmas around here and Alan and I didn't even have to do anything.  I forced the kids to search for the best possible price online We found it but they had to wait another week after getting their money together to have it shipped.  Dell was running a sale-yea!- so naturally I had to take advantage of it.  I was sure Jacob was going to come unglued at the lack of instant gratification.  But, it arrived today, as promised on the shipping estimate.  They can't wait to check every little thing out on it and it should take them several weeks to get bored with the games that came with the unit before they insist on spending more of their hard earned cash. 
I warned them about the money pit they were climbing into.  But, they happily dove in and are on their way to owning everything Wii.  They have already earmarked their current lawn mowing earnings for another controller thingy.  I can't remember what it is called.  I am wondering when they will figure out how hard they have to work to earn their money only to give it all away in one lump sum.  Probably not for a while. 
I am so proud of my kids.  What an accomplishment.  I love seeing them so excited about it too.  They did it all themselves. 
I must sign off now.  My head is filling with snot and I am pretty sure my fragile little cells are being destroyed by some nasty speck that has gotten stuck up my nose.  I think my sinuses are going to explode if they get much fuller.  What a wonderful mechanism for our bodies.  Trap the germs in mucus and then force the body to leak it out to eradicate the little creatures.  What an exciting adventure.  I can't smell or taste or hear anything and I sound like a fog horn.  I guess I'll just have to stay in my jammies and play the Wii!

The latest......

Sarah turned 7 last week and we had to get pretty creative at our house for her birthday.  Times are tight for us all and Sarah was terribly worried about her "family party" not being very exciting this year.  We decided many years ago that only one of the kids could have a big friend party at one time.  So they are all on a three year rotation.  It was Sarah's turn for the family party this year and so we started planning.  We decided to have a Willy Wonka party and it ended up being so fun.  There is a chocolate factory in Salt Lake we toured with Andrea and her kids.  After eating chocolates and learning all about chocolate and watching the cool lady dip the chocolates, we came back to the house for the rest of the festivities.   The kids stayed up and watched Willy Wonka at the end of the party.  It was a pretty fun afternoon!

Sarah requested a Strawberry cake with white frosting. This was sooooooo sweet it was hard to eat.  It turned out cute but the rest is going in the garbage.  Wow!  It gives me a headache just thinking about its monumental sweetness.  It was fun to get back to my cake decorating roots. 

Since we were having a Willy Wonka party, there must be candy!  I found all these Wonka candies at the store and with the miracle of computers, made Wonka Bar wrappers!  It was so fun!  I forgot to add the golden ticket though.  Oh well, they all ate them pretty fast anyway.  

Make a wish!  Hannah got a glitter water ball like the one in Sarah's hand a few months ago and Sarah has been asking for one ever since.  Her brothers got her one finally for her.  She carries it everywhere now. 

We were all so sick of candy by the time Sarah blew out her candles, we didn't even eat the cake.  Everyone went outside and ate some apples from the tree.  I don't think we had cake till the day after.  Too much candy!  Sarah had a fun birthday and I can't believe she is 7 now.  I say that every year the kids get older.  I feel like I have such a short amount of time with them until they grow up and do their own things. 

Alan and the boys along with Leanne attended the temple dedication of the Oquirrah Mountain Temple a few weeks ago.  Sarah wasn't old enough to go yet so I stayed home with her.  What a wonderful thing to have another temple in this world.  Kent and Nick live a stone's throw from the temple and went to the dedication personally.  We were fortunate enough to have it broadcast to our stake center.  One of the talks I have heard recently mentioned if we could see into the spirit world and realize how many people are waiting to have their work done for them, we would be at the temple every spare moment we had.  We have had a wonderful temple attending summer and this was a great way to end the season.  It is amazing to live so close to so many temples.  We feel so blessed!