A Note to Cindy, Among Others

It being January, and having an excessive amount of snow, and a sick child these last five days, and a desire to continue my pajama marathon until the leaves come out and I start my new goal of going out daily by 11:00, and a personality that allows me to have any number of good excuses for my activities, I have been engaged in a week long reading binge. I have read Good Masters, Sweet Ladies by Laura Amy Schlitz (Newberry Award Winner 2008) which was pretty darn good, Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (Newberry Honor 2008) which was also good but upsetting, but good, and also I read Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (Newberry Honor 2008) which I didn't really care for. In addition, I read Persuasion by Jane Austen (my favorite) which makes me feel sad though it has a happy ending, and just barely finished Pride and Prejudice which must also be my favorite and leaves me feeling so happy.
I am going to continue my Jane Austen reading, though life goes by very quickly when I do. I am not kidding that I can sit down to read and look up, thinking ten minutes have gone by, and astonishingly 2 hours have gone by. Not kidding.
The wonderful thing about Jane Austen's novels are that, though I've read them before, and know the ending, I can hardly stand to stop in the middle when all the charaters are misunderstanding each other. In fact, in both stories, in order to take a break, I had to find a paragraph at the end reassuring me that the people I want to end up together, do in fact still end up together. Jane Austen was such a great writer.

But I just remembered that the reason I started this post today, was to tell Cindy that she had better get her blogging underway, because I just found a link from another blog (the link is from Design Mom, which I recommended in my last post) to a blog called Scribbets, and from it I find that it really is possible to blog from Alaska, and not only to blog from Alaska, but that there are many unusual and interesting things going on up there worth writing about, as shown HERE.

Thus, (a nod to Jordan) I am going to be taking drastic measures, and am hereto forthwith starting a new chapter in comment leaving on Cindy's blog, called Things I Like About You and which will be a daily occurrence. So, Cindy, if you want your blog to retain any credibility at all, you will start posting SOON.

And as for you, Jordan, now that I have every word and every detail of your last post committed to memory, you, too, may post something new.
And if anyone wants, they may help me help Cindy by adding their own comments to her blog.

Mom--this means it is a perfect time for you to create a Google account and try again to post some comments. The comment feature really does work, I promise. Dad can show you how. Let us have some comments from Mom and Dad!

Love everyone. Hope you are still in your pajamas!

An edit to my last post, that Mom corrected me and was not, in fact, fed sweetened condensed milk as a baby (I remembered wrong) but was fed the very same thing, evaporated milk mixed with water and Karo syrup.

A last note, that I am so sad about the passing of Gordon B. Hinckley, and am so glad for the wonderful person that he was.

Some Good Advice

My sister Cindy told me about a blog called Oh Happy Day that is written by an acquaintance of hers.
Yesterday, she posted this great story and I think I am going to try it this year. I have been spending too much time in my house in my pajamas this winter. Though it has been sooooo fun...

If you look at Oh Happy Day and have an extra minute, look at the author's sister's blog, Design Mom. It's a good one, second only to my own sister's intriguing blog.

By the way, mom, I wasn't sure if I really believed your story about being fed sweetened condensed milk as a baby, but one of the comments to Jordan Ferney's story talks about her grandmother making formula out of evaporated milk, water and Karo syrup. ?????

The Golden Goose

Last Thursday, we went to another participlay at the Treehouse Museum. Nicholas was chosen to be the main character in the play "The Golden Goose". He did a great job! (Ironically, we had just read The Golden Goose together the night before, on Wednesday.) (He's the kid in the tan jacket and purple hat, the one holding the ax in the top picture and the goose in the bottom video.)

Soldier Hollow

On Saturday, we went tubing up at Soldier Hollow. This is one of our family's favorite winter activities. Emily liked going up more than coming down, though.

Crayon Hearts

On Monday, Nicholas made crayon shavings and then we melted them in wax paper and cut out hearts to hang in our window. We are now all ready for Valentine's Day. (The instructions are HERE.)

Aaaaaahh!

I should be better at THIS geography game!

A Good Local Blog

This BLOG features things of interest in Utah--she hooked me when she posted about Elizabeth's Tea Shop & Bakery. I'd love to go there...(hint, hint, Darren.)

A Good Recipe for Kids

The Family Fun magazine had a recipe for Chicken and Biscuit Pie in this month's issue. I made it Tuesday and the kids asked if I could make it again Wednesday. It was good. (I made it in my 12-inch Calphalon oven-safe pan. Also, I made the biscuits by themselves later in the week, and they were great!)

Miracle Stuff

My friend Holly told me about this Lavender essential oil from Young Living Farms--actually she let me use her last drops one day a couple of years ago when I burned myself pulling something out of my oven. I had burned myself a few months earlier and it left a bad scar--I didn't want another one. I only used it once (because it was gone, and I was pregnant) and the burn healed amazingly and without a scar.
I tried a couple of different lavender oils from local health food stores, without getting the same result (YES, I really do burn myself quite often). So finally, one day on the way to Grandma Skeem's, I stopped at the Young Living Farm in Mona and bought some. This product is amazing. I burned myself last Monday, sticking my hand into the oven, but now when that happens I just stay calm knowing I have this in the house. I love it!!! And will never be without it!!! Unless...one day I can throw away my iron, and hire a personal chef, and pay someone to do my hair (yep, I'm that uncoordinated).

This made me smile today!

One to One Hundred



Numbers 15, 78, 89, 91, and 96 are my favorite.

Darren's Thoughts on the Home Theater

This is a direct quote from Darren, "After visiting 27 stores that sell home theater systems, talking to 16 salesman and 19 installers, and changing my mind 7 times (you know, the cone-shaped sound those in-ceiling speakers would have made would have been such a disappointment and a total rip-off; whoever gave me that advice had a screw loose) I have finally decided on the system I'm going to purchase. There will be 6 speakers in the room, three in front (two on each side of the screen and one beneath), two in the back, and one free-standing one. When you're in the room, the sound will come at you from every direction and envelop you in joy and perfection. Whoever is lucky enough to be invited into this room will never forget their life changing experience."

He also said: "You will probably never see me again once this room is finished. This theater will be the culmination of all my life goals and I plan to eat, sleep, and drink in this room. I have even asked my boss if I can work from home, because I suspect my productivity will increase 500% with all the great people in sports right before me with the touch of a button. You will only be able to visit with me if you are in the room too, and then only reverently and during commercials. We may want to invest in a port-a-potty because the nearest bathroom is 11 steps away, a fact we should have considered more seriously before we purchased this house, but we'll have to make the best out of what we have."

Oh yeah, and he said this too, "While eating lunch for the fifth day this week at Costco, I saw to my delight that they just got in leather chairs for theater rooms; they're so incredible because they recline AUTOMATICALLY with just the touch of a button. I really sense that sitting in one of these chairs will heal my aching back and cure my painful hip, and, wow, now that I contemplate it, if everyone in the world could have and sit in one of these chairs, world peace would be achieved and true brotherhood would be accomplished."

Also, "By the way, the screen's going to be huge."

And finally, "I want that home theater to be done so bad right now."

These comments are true and accurate to the best of my ability, and if anything, a little toned down because I cannot replicate the tone of pure emotion in which they were stated.

This is rubbing off on the kids, because when we went to see the movie the Water Horse recently, Maddie asked me if our screen was going to be that big, or not quite that big.

(Not quite that big is the correct answer.)

The Treehouse Museum

For Christmas, my kids received a membership to the Treehouse Museum from their great-grandma. They are really enjoying it. The Treehouse does "participlays" throughout the week; Friday night Maddie was chosen to be the middle billy goat gruff. She loved it.

Back in Dance

Fun in the Snow

Very Cool Bottlecaps

I don't know about other kids, but mine have an obsession with bottle caps. The ones they usually find are caked with dirt and bent in half, but still they want to keep them. So, to kick off one of my New Year's resolutions--which is to do at least four planned-for-in-advance-not-spur-of-the-moment-stop-watching-T.V. craft activities with the kids each month. (Did that make sense?) Maddie and Nicholas, and even Emily later that evening, after her nap, with Darren's help, made designer bottle caps. It was a lot of fun, even I have to admit now that there is some sort of something that makes you want to pick them up off the counter several times and examine them. And they want to do more. And make some into magnets for the fridge. And put little photos on some. And...
HERE is what we used. (If you haven't tried Klutz books before, they're so great!)

Basketball Season

Our Monday nights are booked for the next couple of months, as we will be watching Nicholas (#5 red) play Jr. Jazz Basketball. Emily was so excited to go to the "Jazz" game, and didn't want to leave.

Pretty Dresses

On Saturday, we went to my nephew Kyler's baptism. It was snowing heavily when we woke up in the morning, but by that afternoon it was beautiful and sunny (and cold). Maddie was very interested in the special event; she is looking forward to being baptized next year.

P.S. Don't the girls look cute in their new dresses? (And Nicholas looks handsome, of course.)

A Good Game

I gave Darren Carcassonne for Christmas--the Board Game of the Year for 2001. We played it twice last night and everyone liked it, other than Darren won both times. I have my strategy worked out now, so I will not be losing again.

Another Freezer Recipe

This Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage is definitely worth making again! Very good.

New Year, New Posts!

Due to Jordan's recent surge in blogging, I have been inspired to write some new posts. Let's start back three weeks or so...
We had an icy snow storm the night of Maddie's last dance class of the semester. We tried to go but couldn't make it, the roads were so bad. We were both disappointed because during the last class, parents get to dance too. So I told her that I would take her to the Gateway the next night and get her a treat (Darren and Nicholas were going to a hockey game).
When we arrived, I asked her if she wanted to get a cookie, and she replied, "Welllllllll, you know that ice cream place next to Rumbi's?"
Yeah, I know it. It's called Haagen-Dazs. No cheap ice cream cone for that girl.

Then we went to the Children's Museum.

Maddie decorated a food donation box.

Every time we visit, before we leave, Emily "saves" the fish by taking them out of the refrigerator in the house and relocating them to the water area. Did I say EVERY TIME?

The Zoo Lights

The next night we went to the Hogle Zoo. On the way we stopped at Trolley Square for dinner--and ran into Santa and Mrs. Claus!

A Christmas Party

Due to forgetfulness, I do not have any pictures of the fun time we had at Uncle Brian's house sledding, eating and opening presents. Hobble Creek Canyon was beautiful! (And we even had an adventure--our van got stuck for a short time in the snowy driveway.)

Christmas Eve--At Our House!

On Christmas Eve we had my mom and dad, Cindy and David, and my Grandma up for dinner, a game of Bingo, and gingerbread house decorating. We wish Cindy and David lived closer so we could see them more often!

David's gingerbread house was the largest!

Christmas Morning!

Their favorite presents were their new bikes, and the Wii--a surprise from Santa.

Christmas Afternoon at Mom and Dad's

Too many gifts to tell about--except to say that we were all spoiled, spoiled, spoiled. A great time! (Oh, and cool p.j.'s, Cindy!)