All because two people fell in love

Need help with your food storage...?

2009-11-16T20:18:00.000-08:00

Food Storage Made Easy

When we lived in California, we were told over and over to prepare ourselves, get our food storage in order. It took some time, but I began to work at it monthly, using a list and sticking to one or two items (for each family member). It wasn't really all that hard, just time consuming and it could be costly at times. I'll admit, I was never really taught how to 'store' food, or what to start storing first. Sure, we had many lessons, over and over about wheat, how to cook it, how to store it...but I really never considered having it because it seemed like such a hassle. Besides, we had our spoiled conveniences like Costco and Sam's club, why did I need to store wheat? Our food storage was food we ate, and while not big is size, it would have sufficed for about 4 months or so. Honestly, I really didn't know what I was doing...and so I wasted a lot of time storing items that were not totally essential. Kind of sad. We never thought about wheat grinders, canning supplies, dehydrators...until we moved to Nebraska! The week before our move, when the moving company came to do our walk through, they took note of the large amount of canned food items we had and quickly told me that they COULD NOT move those items. What?? Are you serious? With our freezer chock full of food, and several floor to ceiling cabinets in our garage full, I was forced to either purge or give away. The Missionaries in our Ward scored big time, as did one of my dear sweet neighbors. The girls and I went through each and every can of food to determine if the shelf life was expired or if it was worthy to be given away. If you must know a small tidbit of information...the whole 6+ months Dan was out of work, we relied on that freezer and food from my so called 'food storage'. What a blessing it was, and trust me, we ate good! You would have never known. Sure, we bought groceries, but it was the food I so carefully stored (just in case).

After moving to Nebraska I soon discovered that food storage is a main staple of life here. From gardening, to knowing people who know people who are willing to share thier bounty. Last year it started with a truck that pulled into town loaded with Colorado peaches, to this year where I have been able to can 30+ cases of food. Not only that, I've learned from some of the best people how to use your wheat, like bread making, how to store it, how to grind it...and thanks to some really awesome food storage blogs, I've learned some pretty nifty tricks as well. You see, if you know me, you know that I'm a visual person, hands on, that is how I learn. Recently, we were given 50+ lbs of dry beans (white & kidney)..did you know that you can replace oil in your baking goods with pureed beans? Seriously, it's the best, and you don't even know it's beans! I'll share a bit about that in a later post.

I'm so grateful for the progress in which we're going. Food storage is so very important, something I will not take for granted any more. I'm so grateful for those who have taught me, and been there when I'm not sure what I'm doing...they've guided me along the way. I'm grateful for moving to Nebraska, and for the many things in which I 've learned...canning is A LOT of work, but so worth it when you can stand there and gaze at all the jars filled with bright colors of your favorite foods! And what's even better...when you can't keep your kids out of it because they say it's the best they've ever tasted! That's pay off in itself..I mean, we are supposed to eat what we store right?

One of the blogs I follow is FOOD STORAGE MADE EASY...Talk about information overload, but in a super good way! Most of us are confused about food storage, or just really don't know where to start. These great gals take you through food storage in baby steps, guiding you along the way. They've created easy to follow lists, and tools to help you get started. You could spend hours on their site, reading and learning. If you are eager to get started, or help you back on track with your food storage, this is the place to go.

One of the most important items you'll need in your food storage (or your kitchen) is a wheat grinder. Dan and I just bought our first wheat..you betcha, I want to keep moving forward with my winter goal, which is to MASTER the art of making bread! Dan's always been the bread master, but I'm getting better! Anyways, we've been discussing the need to quickly get ourselves a wheat grinder. Then just today I got an email about a WONDER MILL giveaway from now until November 25th. Yes!! It's worth a shot, right?! This is an awesome wheat grinder, and I would be so honored to be the lucky recipient...What about you? Would you like to own one of these??

Along with the giveaway, you can also get a $30 rebate until November 25th!
That is on both, the electric grain mill or the hand grain mill...of course, we all love the convenience of electric power, but we also need to remember that at some point we could lose that electric power and would need something to get us through.

Good luck to all that enter, and a great big THANKS to Jodi & Julie, the girls who make this possible!

Disney-Pixars....UP

2009-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

We finally had a night together as a family (yeah, one night) so Dan and I were scouring the 'Red Box' movie trailers to see if there was anything worthy of a quality family movie night. I LOVE kid movies don't get me wrong, but sometimes it's nice to get a good chick flick or action (adult) movie (as in FAMILY ADULT). Yeah, so Dan clicked on Up and I quickly decided that was the movie we were going to watch. What an awesome choice it was! If you haven't seen this movie yet, you need to go and rent it...it's a super cute movie-one that will be bought for our house. I won't give too much away..but I've added a clip from the trailer for you to see. And at the end of this post, I've added a coupon that I just found to save $10.00 when you buy the movie-so worth buying!! Enjoy.

Here's your chance to own this yourself, or give as a gift for Christmas... Go here: Disney-Pixar Up $10.00 off movie coupon

Project Life....It's HERE!

2009-11-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

It feels like Christmas...Do you know how excited I was this morning when I found this in my email box..?? I jumped up and did a HAPPY DANCE!! Shame on me, I ordered several...and in hopes that this is continuous, meaning you can order at anytime. What an awesome gift for your best girlfriend, sister, MOTHER, daugther, cousin, child's teacher at school, you decide. How great it will be to finally put 2009 in an album, even though it may not be a picture a day, it could be pictures by the month...it's just that awesome that you can adapt it anyway you'd like! There are so many goodies in this kit, you've just got to go check it out for yourself! You'll be surprised just how much you'll get. Life gets busy, this is a way to simplify your life, and still have something that your children will cherish...your children could even put this album together, how great is that? Those are the things that mean the most, our children and I want my children to be a large part of our new year with this album..to have them journal, or add photos that mean something to them. That is a treasure!

Don't hesitate, don't waste any time..hurry over to BECKY HIGGINS and order yours today!
P.s. Just for you, Becky Higgins has free digital Christmas cards..isn't she the best!!

Christmas gift idea PLUS news on Project 365

2009-11-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for fun & creative new gift ideas...especially since I'm over the Activity Day girls at church. Found these today on one of my favorite blogs- BECKY HIGGINS. If you click on the link, she gives full details and instructions on how to make these darling drink coasters. I can see many possibilities with these..family photos, words, FABRIC and so much more! Let your creativity do the work.

And this..oh my heck! A few summers ago some super cute girls in our Stake did a 'Summer Ideas' class, and low and behold came the famous Duitsman 'Oreo' cake. Got it from the class and tweaked it a bit. Although I've masted the cake, it always comes out uneven and that involves cutting and making a big crumb mess. Yuck. I'm all about smooth and easy, non-messy baking (and cooking). Today, while drooling over Williams Sonoma and all the new goodies, I found this little beauty! I'm in LOVE. Seriously. Call me crazy, but how much fun will this be? It's possible to make that famous 'oreo' cake in perfect form. Gotta add this to my Christmas wish list.

Last but not least..Much time has passed since I've even thought about Project 365. How sad huh. I kind of lost intrest once the kits were advertised for sale, and thousands of us crazy scrapbook people got excited about it, then on sale day all kinds of problems in the sales department. We were traveling to Utah that day and I spent endless hours on hold (from my cell phone)...out of desperation, I called my Mom from one of the girls cell phones to see if she'd log on-line and order for me. But to no avail, she also encountered problems with the site. Talk about BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. That fire, that passion for this project would move on. I was determined to start without all the pretty papers, cards and album (kit). As the weeks went by, I found that excitement diminishing away. I mean, where were all the goods that I drooled over, waited for and talked to everyone about? Then the kits started shipping and the internet was filled with "I GOT MY KITS TODAY", I'll admit, I was a bit green with envy! Oh it gets so much better...Some people (you know who you are) were then selling these kits on EBay for ridiculous prices, I mean crazy! I wanted one badly, but not enough to pay $300 for one that retailed for I believe $40. Needless to say, my project died a slow death. I think I made it through 12 weeks of photos that I kept on a separate private blog...it was easiest to post a picture a day, then journal. They are neatly awaiting a pretty little kit, and for me to scrapbook them!

Today, as I did my regular blog roll...I found a post on Becky Higgins-if you don't follow her blog, you might want to take a peek. She has left CK=Creating Keepsakes to venture out on her own. I am so excited!! She is one talented gal. Anyways, as I scrolled down today, she announced a new kit that is in production at this very moment! More details to follow, but this is so close and dear to her heart and I just know that she really wants to reach out to those who basically missed out, and keep this project ongoing. It's SIMPLE, it's fresh, it's so very EXCITING! This is a sneak peak of what's coming...Oh my, I can barely contain myself! Looking forward to starting 2010 with PROJECT LIFE.

Go see it for yourselves. Pass on the good word. Do you feel inspired? Where will your photos be in 2010..?

BECKY HIGGINS Make sure to click on her 'blog'

Snow Days

2009-11-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

Photography by: Lyndsie

We've completely missed Fall this year...and winter has arrived! It was snowing before all the leaves had fallen from the trees. We had 2 full SNOW DAYS (yay!)...and then a Fall break day. It was really nice to be able to stay home, enjoy the snowy cold days, eat soup, and watch lots of movies. Although the snow is pretty much melted now, and the temps have returned to the 60's, it won't be long until the bitter cold returns. We are in store for a pretty wet & cold winter!

Candy Corn Cupcakes....Yum!

2009-10-30T00:31:00.001-07:00

Photo Credit: Our Best Bites

Yum yum! Jessica and I are some what of cupcake addicts lately-always looking for fun new recipes to try out. One of my very favorite food blogs posted this recipe a few days ago...thought it was so cute! Wishing that we were going to a party just so I could make some! Enjoy.
P.S. don't forget to click on the frosting link-it's a pretty yummy recipe.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

1 18.25-oz. white cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tsp. almond extract

Yellow and orange Wilton food gel (about a heaping 1/2 tsp. of each)

A double batch of Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 24-cup muffin tins with white paper liners (although you may not make it to 24 cupcakes). Combine all ingredients except for food coloring in a large bowl and beat on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat on medium for 2 additional minutes.

Divide batter equally into two bowls; you should have about 2 1/4-2 1/2 c. of batter in each bowl. Mix about 1/2 heaping tsp. of yellow coloring into one bowl of batter and 1/2 heaping tsp. of orange coloring into the other bowl.

Divide the yellow batter evenly among the muffin tins. I used a standard cookie scoop, which measures about 1 Tbsp. I only had enough to make 20 cupcakes with the cups filled about halfway. Holding the edges of each pan firmly, bang the pan a few times on the counter to level out the batter. Repeat the process with the orange batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan and then allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.

My sweet Birthday girl

2009-10-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

21 years ago, 33 hours of labor, she barely entered the world with a cord wrapped around her neck 3 times. I thought she was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen (ok, I'm a bit partial).

Hard to imagine that this beautiful little baby girl is 21 today! The years have truly flown by. What a joy this girl has been in our lives, and continues to be. From the very first day she entered the world, we knew she had a sweet strong spirit. With those beautiful big blue eyes, one look and she melted our hearts. I'm so very grateful to have been entrusted with this sweet girl! What a blessing she is to our family.

6 months

2nd Birthday

4 years

13 years

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY MY SWEET GIRL!!
We love you so much.

xoxoxoxo
Mama

Am I a Jack, or a Cat....?

2009-10-13T18:00:00.001-07:00

This is so cute! I've seen many variations of the whole 'Boo' your neighbor, but this has got to be my favorite! Start a new tradition in your neighborhood, or with your friends. We've altogether skipped Fall here in Nebraska. But what a fun family night activity! Hop on over to Skip to my Lou and check it out, pattern included. Enjoy!

How to start the “BOO” in your neighborhood

All wrapped up in a cute southern accent

2009-10-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

One of the most beautiful people I've ever met. This is Kelli.

Friendship came so easily, mostly because we are so much alike, yet so different. Our friendship sparked off of her son's Baptism when she made the most incredible turkey sandwiches with homemade bread. I can hear her say right now "Nah, it was nothing", in her cute Kentucky accent. Kelli and her husband were living on one of the Church's ranches when we met, and because of them, we quickly learned so much about the whole cattle process from calving, weaning, AI (artificial insemination) and back to more calving. It really is such a fun process, especially hands on!

Kelli has been an inspiration and a breath of fresh air. She has taught me so much over the last year! One of my most favorites is bread making. Of course I won't show that picture again, but lets just say my first batch of bread grew a boy part. Yep, that sums it up. I gave that special loaf to Kelli and she adorned it for as long as she possibly could. We laughed about that silly bread for months! Besides bread, she taught me how to be more frugal and she didn't even know it. If someone gave her something, she knew exactly what to do with it and she wouldn't consider throwing it away. I LOVE that about her! She grew a vegetable garden this summer, but sadly we had a lot of hail and it didn't take off so well (no ones did) so when friends and neighbors started giving her things out of their gardens she kindly shared with me. I am so lucky! With her help and guidance I was able to put up (can) A LOT of food this year, peaches, pears, pickles, tomatoes, salsa, pear sauce, stewed tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, grape jelly and wild plum jelly. No, she didn't give me all of that, but she knew people who knew people. One afternoon, we went to do our VT and on our way back we stopped by one of her neighbors and she climbed up on a ladder just to pick more grapes for ME. This girl never slows down, and I often wonder if she ever sleeps, but that's besides the point..there is always something wonderful cooking in her kitchen and guaranteed fresh home made bread in the oven!

One of the best qualities in friendship is knowing your friend so well, that you just KNOW when they need something to lift their spirits, cheer up their day or just to make them smile...Kelli was just that! If I needed a good laugh, she would just call me..if I needed chocolate, she would just happen to leave my favorite candy bar on the seat of my car, or in my church bag. On my birthday, she surprised me by making my entire birthday dinner & dessert and drove it all the way into town, just for me! When I say into town, I mean just that..my Mother in law can vouch-Kelli lives over an hour away, down a single dirt road, over the hills and out in the middle of nowhere. Often, she would just drop by to bring me eggs, or books, or something new to try. Lucky for me, dropping by meant that she was in town running errands and she thought about me.

They say that some friendships are for a season, this friendship is forever! I LOVE this family so so much. They are so fun to be around, especially with 4 of the most adorable boys! "If only the boys were older" the girls say. They love them nonetheless. And to be honest, I think these darling little boys have crushes on my girls, they can't get enough of them...

Recently Kelli and her family moved back to Kentucky. As in less than a week! My heart aches. But the tears I shed are for joy, and for peace, knowing they are where they are supposed to be. It was hard. Felt like last year all over again, only I was staying and she was leaving. It was terribly hard to say goodbye-so we didn't. Quick hugs as though she were returning to the Ranch, and they were gone. Even though I won't be able to make that hour trip to the Ranch, Kelli is a phone call away, and a quick email...hopefully before too long she will get her computer up and we'll be able to video chat! Nebraska does feel like a different place now, even still, I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet such an amazing friend and have the experiences we had. It's all part of the adventure.

Yummiest Rolls ever!

2009-10-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

*Picture courtesy of Best Bites*
The kids and I made these Sunday morning for General Conference breakfast...Oh my! Not sure I'll ever make cinnamon rolls with yeast again. We made both Orange & Cinnamon. The orange ones weren't a big hit with all the kids, but I sure liked them! When you are craving a cinnamon RIGHT NOW, this would be the recipe to use. And if you even start to wonder about the ingredients, don't worry your pretty little head, you will be pleasantly surprised at how wonderful these truly are! You'll never buy Pilsbury again.

Here is the direct link to the recipe:
Our Best Bites

FREE Class

2009-06-14T22:15:00.001-07:00

If you are like me, you love to learn new techniques. With that being said, check out this offer from Jessica Sprague

Lake McConaughy

2009-06-14T21:03:00.001-07:00

We set out to take at 50 mile drive....but, it ended up being double that plus! Another one of the day trips Dan planned for us. It was fun, but heck, it was a long drive. Poor Krystina, it was her first official day out of school and she ended up spending the day in the car! The first few hours she was happy, but after the day drug on and on she became an unhappy camper, that is, until I let her drive my car :)

Lake McConaughy, this unique lake, in the middle of nowhere, with beautiful white sandy beaches. This lake is huge! It's like no other lake I've been to...not too many trees, kind of desert like, with water that had waves you could boogie board on. And the sand...

Something else we're not accustomed to...driving on and parking on the beach! Pretty cool stuff. This will make for great camping this summer!

The sand...amazing white sand. Not like beach sand, it doesn't stick and cling to everything you own. It was sandy and grainy. It was like a desert oasis in Nebraska. It reminded me of something right out of the Sahara desert, the way it was wavy.

Sandy cliffs...If you were a sand sculpture, this would be the best place to be artistic!

Tucker got to come along (he comes everywhere now)...he LOVED the sand. I had never seen him in sand and it was quite comical. He just ran in circles, digging and throwing sand EVERYWHERE. Krystina and I had to get out of his way...it was like he was digging to China or someting...lol. Silly doggie. His whole face was covered in sand!

Tucker isn't a huge fan of water (I think it has to do with the pool at Grandma's house and the kids trying to take him swimming when he was a puppy)..but he sure enjoyed the beach.

Ok...quick funny story. Us girls were so ready to leave after hours of fun ...Krystina wanted to drive the car, and Dan wanted to go scope out some teenage boys who got their car stuck in the sand...so, he took Tucker and off he went. I drove around with Krystina for a short time, then all the sudden I see Tucker run off, and Dan was waaaaay behind him. I got worried for a minute because Tucker is not good off his leash, but we're working on it (it's a Terrier thing)...then I see Tucker disapear. All I could think at that split moment was 'oh well, there goes the dog'....Then a few minutes later Dan walks up with this very wet doggy. So here's what happened...Tucker saw a bird and decided to chase it...he ran over this sandy edge amongst the trees and landed straight in the water!!! Dan said by the time he got to the inlet, Tucker spotted him and swam back to shore. Dan couldn't stop laughing...it's so much like a Terrier to not even care about what's going on around them, all they care about is what they want. Just FYI, he didn't catch the bird, but he got all that sand off :)

Enjoying the beginning of summer

2009-06-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

We found this great new place to hang out this summer, granted the weather gets a bit warmer! This is a dam about 30 minutes from town. We've been taking the kids on adventures for the past 3 weeks on Dan's days off...they are getting a bit tired of the road trips so we chose to stay close to home.

You can camp, fish, boat & swim here. The kids are really excited about this new find, and so close to home. We've been told, this is 'the' place where all the kids hang out during the summer. Can't wait to get on a float and go lounging in the water!! Super fun.

The brave ones. Dan chased a snake, Krystina followed. They never did find it. It was an amazing beautiful first day of summer here. The sky is so blue, the clouds so white...and the scenery just gets better as the summer days go by.

As we walked along the shore line watching Kyle swim we found this little guy. Just this little froggy with the fullest stomach I've ever seen! A small reminder of what we left behind...and at that moment, the memory gates opened and flooded our minds. I'm always so grateful for gentle reminders, for all isn't lost.

As we approach our 1 year mark, the memories get better and those feelings of loss have slowly been forgotten. Life is good. Life is simple. We are enjoying Nebraska and everything it has to offer at this time. Lots and lots of catching up to do!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...!

2009-03-17T09:10:00.001-07:00

Keeping with tradition...
Decor is up, preparing our dinner early.
I did make a slight change this year...no beanies for the kids-there just isn't anywhere local to buy them and I didn't order online (sorry kidlets)...AND, instead of candy, they woke up to silly stripped socks for the girls, a fun green-t for the boy and green sprinkled donuts.

Missing Dan today-he's in Texas for the week.

Wishing you all a very Happy St. Patrick's Day !

One door closes, another opens <3

2009-03-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

All I can say is....YEAH!

Picking herself up and moving forward. Good for you Melissa.
For whatever reason, I can't blog the video clip...but it was really fun to see her so happy and dancing. She's so right, that great guy will come in his own time.

A very powerful message

2009-03-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

This is the most uplifting message. I must have watched it 10 times before posting. The message is so clear and defined. It made me cry. How blessed we are to be so loved by a loving Heavenly Father, who has given us abilities and talents too often beyond our knowledge. How easily we say "I'm not good enough" or "I can't do that"...this is so not the case. We are all creative in our own way, we each see the world differently. Creation is our opportunity in this life...Start small, creativity does not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano.

Create. Don't let the voice of critics paralyze you.

YOU WILL MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

All I see is GREEN.

2009-03-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

A few years back, while visiting my Dad, he let me try some of his *famous* pickled asparagus. He sent me home with his recipe, which is TOP SECRET. Every year since, I've waited for a super great sale on asparagus, which never happened. Then we move to crazy Nebraska (ok, not crazy, but I'm still no so crazy about it). And guess what went on super sale this week at Safeway (Vons for my Cali friends)....ASPARAGUS @.98lb. I nabbed up a case, and put a few on raincheck because I simply don't have the space to store it! This morning I finished gathering up all the needed supplies, including jars that I had to ORDER just for this occasion because believe it or not, it's not canning season and no one has them. My local small grocery store put in an order for me (benefits of small town living I suppose)....

Now, yes, they are much longer than needs be. After the first few jars, I cut the rest a bit shorter. Asparagus has got to be one of the most beautiful vegetables ever! I could have just sat there staring at the jars...Mmmm.

Once they were filled with all its goodness I turned them upside down until I could process them in a water bath. I was kind of dreading that part, due to the fact that I only own one large pot now, and I didn't ask my Landlord buddy if I could borrow his pressure cooker. Then low and behold, guess who shows up at my door! His sweet wife brought it in to town on her way to work...I love our Landlord, he truly is the best. And he was eye balling my asparagus, more like green, with envy! I'm guessing he'll need his pressure cooker back tomorrow for some of his own canning.

Another sight that caught my eye...the jars filled with *secret stuff* lined up on my kitchen counter. I just thought it looked colorful.

The final product. One case of asparagus=24 Quart jars of pickled asparagus.

This canning stuff is pretty fun! Now, can't wait till summer comes around as we look for other canning opportunities.

Project 365: Day 18

2009-01-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

Tucker, Tucker. Boy, what are you doing sitting on the arm of the sofa??
I LOVE how you totally got caught, and immediately put your head down because you know your going to get scolded. I mean, it's great and all that you think your king of the mountain, but why are you forming new quirky little habits at 3 1/2 years old (in doggie world that is 21 something)...are you feeling this new found adult free agency or what? You really aren't in trouble, because I think its really cute that you enjoy sitting up there playing guard dog and all...and I know you really LOVE looking out the window to see if any cute little bunnies run across the lot and it isn't easy being a dog in an apartment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

back to regular blogging....

I just love this face. The long eyelashes, the out of control facial hair, even the run-a-way curly on the side! Tucker is such a good doggie. If given the chance, he'd bring me home a little bunny for dinner...well, it would still be alive because his true mission is to play with as many furry creatures as he can!

Yes, and notice that day 18 (Sunday) is a GREAT representation of our life...Christmas tree STILL up and I have no plans at the moment to put it away.

2009-02-22T13:48:00.001-08:00

I almost forgot how to log into my blog...lol
It's been quite some time so....in honor of my absence and recent Birthday, thought I'd leave you drooling!

14 layer cake.
All I can say is WOW.
YUM.

Recipe & directions can be found on Bakerella

For Christine

2009-01-16T19:31:00.001-08:00

Last year Jessica called and said "Mom, do you know snowflakes really are shaped like snowflakes". We laughed about that for awhile. You know, I've seen a lot of snow in my days, but I never really thought about it. You could say I had somewhat of a 'blonde' moment. Sorry, no pun intended :)

Wish I had a macro lens, then you would have really seen these up close! We had some super dry snow fall, about 8-10 inches actually. I bundled up with the camera and got a glimpse of the real snow flakes. Pretty cool huh?

Christine, this is the view from our balcony-this was just as the snow was starting to fall. It snowed all day, and all night! By morning, we had snow everywhere. Luckily it was so dry that you could just brush it off the car instead of having to scrape scrape scrape and hope you could see through your windshield.

This was two days ago. It got down to about 5 degrees during the night, and about 22 during the day. On those types of days, I don't go out much unless its to take the kids or pick them up from school. And if you notice, the view from our balcony isn't all that impressive..unless you want to see the liquor store directly across the street :) So, two days ago it was 5-20 something with heavy snow...and today, BRIGHT AND SUNNY, and 56 degrees! All the snow was melting and it was a beautiful day. I have been so focused on getting 'everyday life shots' that I've been neglecting our surroundings. Thank you for that reminder!

Beautiful, winter-y, cold, windy afternoons

2009-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

When Dan got home from work he was anxious to go up to the lake and get rid of about 4 full loaves of heels we'd been saving. Why don't people enjoy eating the heels of bread..??? Add that to a couple loaves we took on our trip for sandwiches that we never ate, but got put into the ice chest with apples & oranges so they smelled kinda uckie. Ducks don't care about that kinda stuff, unlike us picky humans.

It seemed like a nice winter-y afternoon, not too cold. Once we got to the lake it was FREEZING! The wind was blowing so hard that it almost blew my cap off. Kyle and I headed down to the lake to feed the ducks while Dan walked Tucker. Every time I tried to throw a handful for broken bread pieces, the wind would blow it in a different direction! You gotta love the wind. Boy was it cold!

Before leaving I noticed the sunset, and how beautiful the small taint of red was as it was setting...LOVE winter-y, cold days.

Birthday boy!

2009-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Would like to wish my sweet hubby a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Project 365

2009-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, I borrowed the photo. It's not actually my kit. You see, like thousands of other disappointed people I too was unable to get this kit. Totally stinks! We were on the road traveling and so I called my Mom to see if she could order it for me, just shortly after it went on sale...it already said 'SOLD OUT'. So, smartie me got on my cell, while traveling through mountains and valleys in Wyoming, and sat on HOLD for about 2 hours! Come to find out, those so called phone lines were un-manned. Bugger. Talk about disappointment. I'd say out of all the kits I've gotten this was by far the one I wanted most! Ok, not the album but the actual kit (I'm not a fan of the album). Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

I think the concept is great! It's not new by any means, people have been scrapping project 365 for a few years in thier own way. What is Project 365 you ask? It is a new style of scrapbooking that is SIMPLIFIED. Instead of scrapbooking each and every big event of the year, you are taking one photo a day and journaling about it. The idea is to get down to the real lives we lead, the everyday things we do: cooking, cleaning, errands, school, work. LIFE. It's that simple. I read somewhere that including your kids on the project is great too. Assign them a day a week to take some photos and let them journal about it. It can really be a family project! I think that I'm going to add having Dan take his camera to work once or twice a month to capture what it is he does.

Even with great disappointment, my project moves forward. Not too sure yet as to the 'how' of all the materials since we live so far from any scrapbook store. So I will need to research that a bit further. Until then, I created a new blog specifically for our project 365. It will be used as my place to house my daily photos and journal until I figure out my strategy. Sorry, its not going to be public as there will be more personal info on it. But every so often I'll share an update on the project.

Last night, Dan asked me if I had taken my photo for the day...LOVE how even he is grasping this new concept!

My most favorite sights...

2009-01-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

We have always started reading to our children from a very early age (6 months). My passion for reading books to my children usually lasts until they don't want me to read in their bed to them anymore. Yet still, there are a few times when I'll hear those magical words of "Mom, will you read to me". I LOVE IT. It's such a special time to just relax an enjoy your child one on one. I've spent numerous hours with this boy reading, probably until he was in 5th grade. Then some where in between then and a few months ago he lost his desire to read. Not really sure why, maybe Nintendo?? So, we've put away the Nintendo, the game systems and all other distractions for the time being for learning opportunities.

I know how I am about books, if I don't pick them out, and I'm not interested in them, I WON'T read them. The same is true about children/teens. I think almost more so for teens, especially if there isn't an interest. Most of Kyle's favorite books consist of picture books, like National Geographic, Science, Earth, Animals, Rocks and so on. Often we will find him in his room just looking through pages of pictures and sharing with us what he's learned. I LOVE that too. The boy can get lost in a book store or Library just sifting through pages of learning.

Which brings me to this day. While in Barnes & Nobles...Kyle found a book, a READING BOOK. Not too surprised by his choice {Star Wars}, but whatever, if he wants to read then I will buy them all!

What a lovely sight, this particular night as I walked down the hall to see what this guy was doing. A pleasant surprise! As much as I wanted to climb up on his bed to snuggle while he read, I just soaked up the moment and then snuck in a kiss. Twelve year old boys only want you in their bed when, A. they are scared, B. you are tucking them in and giving them butterfly kisses on their cheeks. At least that is MY twelve year old boy!

College Road Trip

2009-01-10T15:20:00.001-08:00

We had a great time returning to Idaho! Jessica has now started her Sophomore year in college, and Krystina will shortly follow (hopefully). The family had been planning this trip for some time, especially since Krystina will be graduating in May. It was our hope, to show her how wonderful College really is (especially ALL the handsome boys)! She got super excited about College.

Our trip started on New Year's day...we traveled across the most boring state in the US! We hit some pretty harsh winds which slowed us down a bit. By evening we landed in Salt Lake City and had a quick dinner before heading to some wonderful friends who put us up for the night. Just as we pulled up Jessica's Radiator burst. Of all the luck. I mean, what a blessing that it didn't happen earlier in the trip-we would have been in trouble! Lucky enough, our friends own a dealership and got us going the next morning. THANKS AGAIN SHELLY & MIKE!!

We spent the day in Temple Square. Funniest moment was when we were parking our cars and ran into a family from our ward back home! They were there dropping off their son to the LDS Business College and recognized Kyle, then the van and knew it could ONLY be us. The kids really enjoyed the History Museum...we spent almost 3 hours there! They added another floor and it's dedicated to the building of the Tabernacle, and to each and every Prophet. Each Prophet had a display with memorabilia, President Hinckley's was full of all kinds of great things, including pictures of all the Temples that were built during his time.

On Saturday we moved Jessica into her new apartment! The girls and I had so much fun laughing..it was so nice being able to soak that all up for one last time. We took the other kids on a tour of campus and saw all the new stuff they've added this last year. Ran into a young man that used to be a Missionary in our old ward..at Walmart of all places! Checked out the new book store (where Dan made a new friend). Left the girls that night with Jessica and they had a girls night. Watching the three of them is like having triplets...I LOVE that they love each other so much and truly enjoy each others company. Dan and dropped Kyle off at our room and snuck out for a really nice dinner (much deserved may I add).

As for the rest of our trip...It was a bittersweet good-bye. We are so happy that Jessica is back in a place that she loves. She is thrilled for this new year, and for what is to come. Back with young adults her own age, a little bit more civilization, and the presence that surrounds the area. I'd live there in a heart beat!

We love you Jess, and we are so grateful for your desire to go to school and get an education. You are an amazing young woman with so much to offer. Even though missing you is hard, I couldn't be any happier where you are!