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.