Review of 2 books

I recently finished two short books. Here's what I thought of them:

How to grow orchards fruits was less than what I had hoped it would be. I can't remember why I chose it over other books about fruit trees--it had something to do with the pictures, and it might have been because it was less expensive than the other books I looked at. While the book wasn't a complete waste, I wonder if I would have been better off getting one of the others. At only 63 pages, I should have recognized that it wouldn't have had the details that I was looking for. Having said that, I will also say that I learned a few things from the book.

First, I had no idea that you could train fruit trees to be "flat". There are 2 types of training that the authors discuss in most detail: espalier and fan. Espalier is training the branches of the tree to all grow to the left or the right of the trunk--not in front or back. This appears to have the effect of making your tree flat. Fan training is just what it sounds like--think of a folding fan. The tree flat, and the branches fan out. They also mention a training method called cordon, which is training your trees to grow at an angle--often 45 degrees from the vertical--without any real branches to speak of. All three of these seem odd to me, but they make sense as a method for reducing the amount of space a tree takes up. Specifically, all of these training methods can be used to grow a fruit tree against a wall or a fence, substantially reducing the space they take from a yard. The author also point out the benefit of growing a tree against a wall: that the wall retains heat from the day and keeps the tree warmer into the night. This helps the tree to grow more.

I also learned that the later an apple ripens, generally, the longer it can be stored. Apples should be stored in a cool environment wrapped in news paper...I guess they like to read. I had never heard of a damson before--it's like a plum, but I guess they are often more sour and better suited for cooking. I was surprised to find that citrus fruits can be grown anywhere because they are productive even at small sizes. The book has pictures of oranges on a tree no more than 1 1/2 feet tall and growing in a pot. The authors point out that citrus fruits actually like the cool weather, they just don't like to freeze, so as long as you bring them indoors before it freezes, they should be fine. Adrianne and I actually had a lime "tree" for a few years while in Oklahoma. We killed it somehow--I think by just putting it outside all day without gradually introducing it back outdoors. We had thought that it did well there because Oklahoma was fairly warm. We'll have to try some other citrus sometime.

Over all, the book was fine, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who wanted to actually grow their own fruit trees.

The second book I finished was, Let it Rot.

I enjoyed this book, though as I look at the cover, I realize I somehow was sold the 2nd edition even though I bought the 3rd edition...I wonder if I should be upset about it. It looks, from the pages I can see on the preview that the book is mostly the same. And, from what I read, it doesn't seem like there would be a whole lot of new information to share on this subject.

I enjoyed this book. It was entertaining and informative. It didn't feel too long or too short. I think the most valuable point he makes in the book is that stuff is going to rot whether you help it along or not. So, don't think that you can mess up composting. You can certainly slow it down or speed it up by your decisions, though. He talks about the bugs that make composting work and what they need to work quickly. He also discusses a number of methods to use. The one I found most interesting that Adrianne has vetoed is worm composting. You can have a box full of worms that you feed your table/cooking scraps. They eat the stuff and then poop out "castings" that are really good for your garden. You need about twice the weight in worms that you will feed them every day--if you generate 1/2 pound of food waste per day, you need 1 pound of worms. I heard about a family that did this for a while until the wife said no more. Her problem? The worms kept escaping.... I shared this with Adrianne. I think that's why she vetoed it. Oh well. I currently have a compost tumbler--a barrel that I put all my stuff in. It is working well, though it's not getting as hot as I'd like it to get. It needs to get up to 130 -140 F for a few hours to kill off all the seeds and the bad germs. Tonight it was 110 F, so I'm hoping that tomorrow in the sunlight it will get to 140 F. We'll see.

I would recommend this book if you are interested in composting. It's a quick read, entertaining, and informative. However, I don't think he says anything that you couldn't just as easily find on the internet. I just like to have books.

Mike

I am trying to find a background that fits our blog.... if anyone can find one, please fix it. Thanks! I need the background to fit the words and the whole screen. That will make it easier to read, but still nice to look at.

Mini Farming

First, I'm not trying to step on Jessica's post about Jason--if you haven't seen it, you should skip my post and go read the one right below first.

Now that you're back...I just finished reading the book Mini Farming, Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre by Brett L. Markham. I've enjoyed the book. It's an introduction to a lot of the things involved in growing your own food. It's pretty light on the details needed to actually do a lot of the stuff he discusses, but I think he's done a sufficient job of helping me know whether or not I'll pursue certain activities, and he's provided a (limited) bibliography at the end of his book for further reading. I've already read one of the books in his bibliography and I own another (it's next on my list after the one I'm reading right now).

For those of you who haven't heard, I've been living my life for the past few years with two fairly opposed views of the future. The first is the one that most of you know--I'll save and invest for retirement so that I will be wealthy by the time I'm done working. Because of that view, I've maximized my Roth IRA contributions every year since I've had a job until this past year when we stopped to save money for the house. The other view is that I don't really believe the country will survive the next twenty years without some major (and likely painful) changes--probably including some sort of restructuring of our economy and government. I've envisioned things ranging from a minor change to catastrophic upheavals possibly including the entire collapse of the government. Something recently brought these two contradictory views of the future into my mind at the same time and I wondered why I was investing so much of my resources into a system that I have little confidence will exist when I need it.

That question worked on me for a while and I decided that I ought to put a portion of that money into something that would actually be valuable to me if the country fell into anarchy. Just to help you think about what that means, imagine that the population ceased conforming to the law (for whatever reason). There would quickly be no food or fuel and money would be worthless and traveling would be dangerous. So, what would be of value at that point?

As I've thought about it, the first and obvious thing is food. I have been feeling for a couple of years now that my family needs to get at least a year's worth of food storage. We've been working on it an we will continue. But, I'm not convinced that everything will be resolved and back to normal within a year. It seemed like the next most important thing to own would be productive land that would enable me to produce my own food. Unfortunately, with my current employment, this is not a realistic option for me. Sure, I could buy some land, but I couldn't improve it and make it productive because I won't be near it for more than 3 years.

Mom and Dad suggested that I ought to buy tools that I'd need in the situation I'm envisioning. I think that's a great idea, and I have begun a list of tools that I will acquire over the next while. However, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that the first thing I need is the skills that would be required to live on our own.

So, with that in mind, I have purchased a number of books (from which I am generating my list of tools), and I will read them and put into practice what I can of what they describe. This book on mini farming was a good introduction. I also have books on composting, trapping, butchering live stock and game, preserving meats, and a couple other generic books on homesteading/traditional skills. I'm currently reading a book on fruit trees to help me out with the one's I showed you previously.

I hope I'm just being crazy and that this will all be a waste of my time (at least I think it's fun and interesting for now), but it certainly seems like something worth doing to prepare. If nothing else, some of these skills will reduce our expenses. The gardening skills will certainly help with the grocery budget.

Once I get done with these books, I'll look into skills and equipment needed for "going off the grid". While I'm preparing to (temporarily) live a life without electricity, I'd like to be able to provide my own and not depend on a power company. Right now my plan is that when we retire from the air force, I will buy some land and have a passive house built on it. A passive house is one that is very well insulated and energy efficient in general. It requires little to no heating or cooling to stay at reasonable temperatures all year round. I'll install some power producing equipment (wind turbine and solar panels), a well, and a septic tank. I'll have a big garden, some fruit and nut trees, and some animals, and I'll hope I've wasted my time and money doing all of this.

Now, as most of you know, I like to get obsessed with things, so it could just be that I'm suddenly obsessed with this idea. What worries me a little is that other people whom I respect have told me they've been feeling the same things for a while. For example, I mentioned this to my former bishop and he said his brother-in-law, a real-estate agent, has been watching for land for them.

Any way, that's what I've been thinking about recently. I'll report on the other books I read and I'll share my list of tools if any of you are interested, once I get it done...or at least further along.

It's okay if you think I'm nuts.

THE TEST

Jason takes his NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurse) (aka his boards) on Thursday morning. It is a computer multiple choice exam. It has a minimum of 75 questions and a maximum of 265. It just shuts off when it has enough information about whether or not you can pass or fail.

Having taken it, it is extremely stressful. I seem to be more stressed than he is though! Which is probably good. We would appreciate any prayers said on his behalf this week.

Thanks! We will let you know how it goes!

Tree Training Pictures for Dad

I've told Dad for the past while that I would take some pictures of my trees. I'm using rope to try to train the branches. In the winter I'll prune the apple trees and then prune the plum and cherry next spring. The goal is to get the apple and cherry trees to look kind of like a christmas tree and the plum to look like a vase. We'll see how they turn out in the end.

This is a stella cherry.

This is a stanely plum.

This is a braeburn.

This one is a golden delicious.

We survived

This week the state of Maryland has experienced an earthquake, a tornado, and a hurricane!

And we survived them all. We were shaken up after the earthquake, literally and figuratively. The tornado happened one night while we were sleeping and we were oblivious to it. And after much fanfare, the hurricane blew by talking only our electricity with it.

Our power was out for about ten hours. Many others, including dad and Laura and boys, were without power for much longer. (In fact, last I talked to dad, he was still powerless.)

But we are all safe, thank heavens!

Family Re(n)union Option

I looked into some housing possibilities here in the springs. This link takes you to Farish, the campgrounds owned by the Academy. It is more expensive than what we were planning on in Washington. Click on the links on the bottom left hand side to see prices and maps of the area. I'll look and see if there are other lodges available...and I'll update this post if I find anything worth reporting on.

Here are the lodging arrangements we propose

Click Here

Jess' Travel Plans

I am flying out to Colorado Thursday morning, arrive there right about noon. I have a rental car. I leave there Monday just before noon.

Mandy and Nathan are flying in Thursday night and out Sunday afternoon. She and I will probably share a hotel room so she can have privacy with Nathan.

I can help with rides if needed and we would be happy to have company in our hotel room if anyone wants to stay with us.

Jason's Final

Jason has his last test for nursing school tomorrow!! Please keep him in your prayers.

Then he spends the next three weeks working one on one with a nurse in the ER for his practicum. He will be done with school August 8, but doesn't graduate officially until August 23. Then he will take his state boards the first week of September. We will ask for more prayers then!!

Mom,

My bathrooms need cleaning again... when are you coming back!?!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Yeah, I know it's a little late now, but we did celebrate Mom's birthday while she was here.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Becca Graduated!

Rebecca graduated on Thursday night from Nathan Hale High School. Time seems to go by so fast, it seems like she just started high school and here she is done. I will post more pictures on our blog if you would like to see more.

HE'S STILL NOT HERE!!! I NEED HIM TO COME!!!

WHO REMEMBERS THIS HOUSE?

The JST

It's been a while since anyone reported on what they've been reading, so I thought I would give it a stab. I just finisehd reading a book that was a collection of presentations/articles on the Joseph Smith Translation (JST). It was interesting most of the time. There were parts that I felt I had to drag myself through. I learned/was reminded of some things, like: A large portion of our doctrine came as a result of the translation--Joseph would read something and have a question about it or about the revision he was given and the answer would come as a revelation with new doctrine. Another thing I learned--I had no idea that the church was against using the JST for a large portion of it's history and that it's only been since the 1960's that the church has warmed up to it. I also didn't know that our footnotes and exerpts still don't include the entirety of the JST.

I'm finally getting back to the comprehensive history of the church. I'm on volume 5 now. What has everyone else been reading?

New TV

Hey all!!

I am looking to you smart techie people to tell me the difference between LCD, LED and plasma TVs. What do we want? Why would we want it, etc. It is time for us to update and replace but we know next to nothing about what to get in this modern world. If you know "stuff", please share it!

Thanks!

Senior Project

As a graduation requirement I have to do a senior project. For the senior project we are required to do something that benefits the community. I thought that collecting items to put into care packages for soldiers over seas would be a project that would be a great way to help 25 or more soldiers.

These are the items that I am collecting to put into the packages:

• Wet Wipes in individual packages

• Gum

• Lip balm/ Chap stick

• Pens

• Books with games in them (cross word puzzles, word searches, etc.)

• Boxed snacks (Wheat Thins, Triskets, crackers, etc…)

• Lollipops

• Sewing Kits

• Small First Aid Kits (band aids, etc.)

• Room Fresheners

• Hard Candy

• Individual snacks (Peanuts, fruit snacks, granola bars, etc…)

Also money would help so that I can go and purchase some of these items as well.

I would like to have all of the items together by Sunday, April 24th so I can get the packages together and sent by the middle of May.

Thank you for all of your help.

Becca

Do you want to help?

Laura's aunt Mariluz is going to have surgery on her birthday, April 6th. She is having one of her kidneys removed.

Please keep her in your prayers.

Her insurance is covering the hospital stay, but won't cover the procedure itself. She will have to pay about 5,000 Argentine pesos, or 1,250 dollars. Among Mariluz's friends and family, they've put together about 2,000 pesos. If anyone would like to contribute, let us know.

Thanks.

Your son and brother graduated with his masters yesterday. He's awesome.

Snow day!!

I can't believe it!! We were awakened this morning at 5:48am with phone call from the school district. NO SCHOOL!!!! This is miraculous! We send our kids to school in blizzards, in -40 degree wind chills, there is no closing of the Bismarck Public Schools! Then, lest we think it was a dream, we got another call at 6:20am with the same recorded message. Of course the kids all got up at their normal time, with out being woken up for scripture time. Why is it that on school days we have to drag them out of bed but on non school days they wake up early on their own???

Anyway, just had to mark this miraculous day for you all to know about. We got 6-8 inches since yesterday of wet heavy snow, all the trees are hanging low, covered in snow. We are are still under winter advisory until 7pm tonight. I suppose that means the pinewood derby and New Beginnings will be canceled, along with the school program last night. Oh how I love living in this crazy cold nasty place... at least I keep telling myself that.

For those of you enjoying 70 degree, please enjoy it for us, too!

Home efficiencies

I've been reading a book called "The All New Square Foot Garden". The guy's plan seems pretty good. He was a civil engineer and an efficiency expert before he retired and took up gardening. He was surprised by how inefficient the typical methods were, that he decided to change them all. His method reduces or completely eliminates the need to plow/turn/till the soil, fertilizer, weed, and significantly reduces the amount of water you need to use. He's essentially removed the all the unnecessary steps in gardening. I'm excited to try his method when we get out to Colorado.

The book got me thinking about home efficiencies. The thing that I've been thinking about most is laundry. I don't like to do the laundry. Well, what I really don't like is to fold. I think folding is just a silly thing to do. I think that just more of my clothes will make things a lot more efficient. So, I ma going to start hanging all of my clothes except my socks and underwear. If it works well, I'll hang the boys clothes when we get to Colorado. I'll report on how it all goes.

Also, when we get to Colorado, I'll see if I can't chronicle my square foot garden so you all can see how it works.

Non-food storage list

I've been considering what non-food items I want to include in my storage. Here's my list. Any thoughts?

Kitchen Stuff

Salt

Dog Food

dish soap

aluminum foil

plastic wrap

ziplocks

garbage bags

paper plates

plastic utensils

Other

matches

laundry detergent

fabric softener

stain remover

fuel

contacts

contact solution

diapers

wipes

Bathroom Stuff

tooth paste

soap

shampoo

conditioner

toilet paper

birth control

pads/tampons

tooth brushes

deodorant

razors

lotion

hand soap

floss

First Aid

bandages

tape

gauze

antiseptic

tylenol/ibuprofen

anti-histamine

alkaseltzer/antacid

cold medicine

cough drops

cotton swabs

sun block

aloe

hand sanitizer

I plan on having all this stuff in our storage along with all the canned and dried foods that we normally eat. I intend to guess how much of that stuff we use in a year, buy some portion of that, and then keep track of how much we actually use for a number of months to refine my year's estimate. We'll keep with a print-out of the list on a clip-board with all the items in a column on the left and then columns for each month on the rest of the page. We'll put hash marks in the current month every time we take an item so I can estimate at first from one month's use, then two, and so on. It should give me a pretty good estimate.

I also plan on setting up my shelves so that you can access the front and the back to make FIFO easier. I've considered getting some of these shelves. They're pretty expensive, but look like they'd work really well--and I wouldn't need access to the back. We'll see how my initial plan works.

Finally, we're going to do better at storing water when we move. We've done pretty well at filling our empty juice containers with water, but we never rotate them. The plan is to have a number of shelves devoted to water. We'll rotate the water by always having a "fill" shelf and a pull shelf. The idea is that you pull from one shelf, drink that water, fill the container and replace it in the fill shelf. Once the pull shelf is empty, it becomes the fill shelf, and the next oldest shelf becomes the pull shelf. I think we'll be able to make this work. We'll see.

New background

Just in case you didn't notice, I changed the background. I was bored... Feel free to change it again. I was able to get the text and post title colors darker but not the date and other stuff. Maybe someone else knows how to do this.

On another note, Jake has invented a new word: amn't

"I amn't throwing things in the living room."

This summer

Okay, so just so I am sure...who is planning on coming to the family reunion?

Michael, do you have any better insight about your summer situation?

Andy, I hear that you are going away? Is that true? What about your family? Where will Laura and the boys be?


I am excited to see everyone this summer, but will be so sad to miss part of the family. I think that if there are definite NO's from anyone, we may want to talk about postponing the reunion.


PLEASE, share your thoughts.

Family Reunion

Hey people. Do we want to start planning activities, foods, etc for the reunion soon, or is this to early for some peoples?

Parenting stinks!!

Went to the dollar store this morning with Jake, after a frustrating trip to walmart, were he kicked and hit and screamed at me because after he ran off several times, I made him sit in the car.

Jake found a horn and started blowing it. I took it away and put it back on the shelf. I heard the cashier talking to another customer about how unsanitary it was that someone was putting germs on a toy. She came over and told me that, too. I told her that is why I had taken it away from him. She told me she should remove it from the shelf and not sell it. I told her that was her choice. She told me I was his parent... Duh! I told her if she was that concerned she shouldn't sell the dumb horn at her store. I dropped all my things on the floor, grabbed my screaming child and left the store.

Now he is in his room, not falling asleep as I had hoped. I have given up on parenting, so if anyone would like to take over for me, I would be happy to send my kids your way.

Oh, and we probably shouldn't go back to the dollar store for a while...

Hey all!  Thanks for all the phone calls on my birthday.  I am happy that you all like me!

Guess what my family gave me?!?!  A kindle!!!  It's so cool!  I downloaded a bunch of books from amazon for free already!! 

Anyone know if you can get the scriptures for free?  I found one site, but it didn't work for me.

Thanks family!!!

Old Navy

Just a little FYI...

Old Navy is currently offering an additional 40% off their clearance prices.  I was able to get a few things for our family.  Nothing amazing, but some good deals.

Laura, Andy, Nick and Noah family New Years Card

We have been getting Christmas cards for the last few weeks. Thank you to all those who'f sent them. Our card will be in the form of a blog post. In fact, this very blog post.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

As you can see, Nick and Noah where EXTATIC to sit for our little photo shoot. Maybe some year, we'll have kids who pose and smile. I hope your (whoever reads this) Christmas was great, and your new year what you wish it to be.

Andy, Laura, Nick, and Noah

Just a book idea...

I just finished a book that I thought you all might enjoy. It is a biography, not too long and lots of good stuff to learn from it. It's called The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. You can find info about it here http://thelastlecture.com/. I especially thought of Mike R. while reading it. He would like it.

Also, I recently found out that you can order emergency/food storage like freeze dried foods from Sam's club and Costco. I thought you might be interested in hearing that.

Lastly, I did not get around to Christmas cards this year. It's just not happening, but wanted you all to know that we love each of you dearly and wish we could see each other more often. Mikayla and I were scrap booking some photos from our family reunion, yes I know it was 2 years ago, but I'm a bit behind in my scrapbook. We had so much fun together and loved playing in the backyard and the wii and everything else. We are so looking forward to getting together this summer. I hope it works so we can all be there!
Anyway....

Merry Christmas!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

A few weeks ago we were trying to get family pictures taken for Christmas cards. I looked up from trying to get the camera ready and the children had taken this pose. They are sillies! You should all be getting Christmas cards from us in the mail eventually. Some have even been mailed already, but not all. I ran out of stamps...
We are excited for this Christmas season. We are frequently reminding the children of the real meaning of Christmas. I made Austin change his letter to Santa where he wrote X-mas. We talked about how important it is to keep "Christ" in Christmas.
We love you all and pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas!

Finally getting to our meal plan...

Here's what we've had for the past two weeks and what we've got planned for this coming week:

Hoagies
BBQ Meatballs w/mashed potatoes
Creamy White Chili
Steak (really sliced up, marinated and grilled roast pieces) salad
Italian vegetable soup (was not very good)
Mexican lasagna
Cheesy potato soup
Creamy italian chicken
Pizza
Spaghetti
Breakfast Casserole
Stroganoff
7-spice chicken
Home made mac and cheese
Cheesy chicken and rice
Alice springs chicken
southwest egg rolls
meatloaf

We had leftovers a few times in there...

Menu Plan

Mike and I were chatting about what we were having for dinner this week. I thought it would be fun to share what we have planned and would love to hear what you are having.
I try to plan out a month long menu. I buy all the staples at first and then purchase fresher ingredients as needed.
I tried to put this on the calendar below, but this old computer doesn't allow that kind of new fangled stuff.

Chicken Parmesan, Noodles, veges
Breakfast Burritos, fruit, muffins
Drumsticks, rice, corn
Tacos, chips, salsa
French Dip, pasta salad, fruit
Chili, corn bread
Chicken Fajitas, chips, salsa
Lasagna, salad, jello
Chicken Roll Ring, fruit/veges
Beef Stroganoff, rolls, salad
Enchiladas, chips, salsa, beans
Pizza, carrot sticks
Omlets, muffins, fruit
Bacon Cheeseburgers, chips, fresh veges
Bacon/sage chicken, pasta, salad
Rsmry Pork chops, mashed potatoes, veges
Chick thigh w/ mustard sauce, rice, green beans
Canned soup, bread
Turkey
Leftovers
Chinese chicken, egg rolls
Meatloaf , baked potatoes, corn, rolls
Tacos/Burritos, chips, salsa
Beef Stroganoff, MIKAYLA' S BDAY!!!!

You should know that I had this all spaced out like a calendar and tried to make it look nice, then when I posted it made a big mess of it. That is why it's just in a list now.

Share what you are having this month/week!!! By the way, I just realized we are having bacon two days in a row... may have to fix that.

Visit to Hyde Park text

I had a meeting last week at West Point where I am a member of the Board of advisors for the Geology and Environmental Engineering Progeam, and Mom went with me. We visited Franklin D. Roosevelt's home and libreary and one of the 43 van der Bilt mansions (the smallest one, actually), both located in Hyde Park, NY, about an hour from West Point. We had a great time. Unfortunately, my camera battery was almost dead, and I forgot to bring a charger, so I didn't get many pictures, but the leaf colors were gorgeous! They told us the peak color day occurred the day before we arrived, and the day we were there was cloudy and rainy but they were still pretty. The pictures don't do them justice. See the trees reflecting in the Hudson River, the Roosevelt house, and the Mansion in the pictures (posted before this without text, due to technical difficulties). The mansion reminded us of the opulence of Crazy Ludwig's Linderhoff Castle in Germany. The guide told us the mansion was representative of the Gilded Age in America. There was no real Royalty in the US, but the van der Bilts and others of their ilk felt that they were the substitute for it in the US, and they lived like it. The mansion was amazingly ornate and oozed wealth, being furnished with antiques from all over Europe. The mansion had electricity before the town of Hyde Park, and the townsfolk would come out in droves on Friday evenings and party along the road and fence line at dusk to watch the electric lights come on in the mansion and on the mansion grounds.

Visit to Hyde Park, New York

Family Reunion

I have heard some rumors that there may be some issues with the family reunion this summer.

I just wanted to revisit the topic and see if we are all still able to go. I have been watching ticket prices and while I do not plan on buying them anytime soon, I want to be SURE we are still on.

Anyone have any thoughts, or things to add?

Harbour Pointe Church Building Arson

Do you remember this building? This is the building that Ralph and I got married in and the Richards' family went to church in when they lived in Mukilteo, Washington. Saturday morning an arsonist set a fire to the building and it is a total loss. If you want to read more I have attatched the web site of the local newspaper so you can read it if you would like.

www.heraldnet.com/article/20101016/news01/710169856/1122

If this page does not work, you can go to the Everett Herald, Washington on Google and it should take you there. Or I can try to send you the page in e-mail form.


www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39699708 (this is another web page you can look at.)

Thank you!

My sister Lindsey flew into the States from Germany last night--at midnight. And guess who picked her and her husband and children up? Mom. I called this morning to see if they had gotten in (I thought their plane was coming in at 10:30, which is still late to be driving to Baltimore to pick up strangers) and my sister answered the phone. She said, "You have the best in-laws in the world. Seriously." As if I didn't already know that.


I do have the best in-laws. I hear horror stories from people about their in-laws and I just shake my head. That really happens? People really treat each other that way? Mom's really don't just opens their arms to their sons wives? Daughters don't just try and fit in and adjust to their husband's family?

I am very grateful to be a part of this family and I'm very happy to have the in-laws I have.

When I was talking to my sister I said, "Carol must be a walking zombie today" and Isaac overheard me and started laughing. When I hung up he said, "Grandma's a walking zombie? That's so cool!" And then he and Eli walked around being zombies, "I'm a walking zombie...I'm going to eat you...I want to be a skeleton forever...." So, Grandma, if you are in fact a walking zombie today, I'm sorry because I know that means you had to wake up and go pick my sister up. But, thank you! (and just know that the boys think that's awesome!)

I did it!!!

YES!! I finished passing off my articles of faith to Mom and Dad!! Whoot Whoot!!
Mike Richards also finished his, but did not get on the blog and shout and be excited about it, so I will say "Yeehaw!! Good job Mike!!"
Also, I will encourage the rest of you to call and pass off the articles of faith. Not only do you get to refresh your memory, teach your children and earn money from Grandpa!!! but you also get to phone your fabulous parents each day and bother them until you are done!! You can phone them even when you are done... they like to be bothered, or at least that is what Mom keep telling me when I call her 20 times a day. Right Mom???
Anyway, here is a shout of encouragement for all of you:

YOU CAN DO IT!!

Mikayla is almost there, too!! I will be anyone's cheerleader, but without the skimpy outfit.

I'm sure I will blog again when I decide what to spend MY money on, as it is MY money, it will not go into the budget!!

Good luck to all of you!!

One last thing, it was 80 degree here the other day... in October, in North Dakota!! We are lovin' it!

Of interest to all...

Just a few fun things to share with all.

*Mom and Dad have decided that they will pay for all the lodging for the family reunion!!! Thanks Mom and Dad. We love you!!

*Some of us are getting close to finishing off our Articles of Faith and getting money from Mom and Dad. Some were trying to secretly be the first ones done and then others found out and they are ahead trying to be the first ones done. How rude!! Anyway, in our household we have plans for our earnings. Some of us want new boots, others webkins, others have no plans but just want the money. What will you do with yours. Oh, and it's a good thing for us to have the articles of faith memorized, even if we aren't getting paid for it.

*And on a final note of interest, Jacob informed me that when he grows bigger his butt will be bigger. He is very interested in saying the word butt lately. As in he told me the other day that he wanted to kick my butt, and then proceeded to try and kick his little foot as high as my... you know. Then he said he wanted to look at the booties! He meant Mikayla's boots, he loves girls clothing.

Oh, I forgot another thing. Recently, I ran the two boys across the street to school, as they were late and I had to sign them in, or so I thought. I told Jacob to wait in the house for me, as he was NAKED. So, we ran to school, and then I ran back outside and there was my little man(Jake) in the playground. He was no longer naked, but had a shirt on... and that was all. He was carrying a pair of pants and a sweatshirt. This may make you laugh or may make you call protective services. Hopefully it will just make you laugh and hopefully I will stop leaving my 2 year old, 3 in two days, alone while I run across the street.

Taco Chicken salad

I had this yummy lunch at a Relief Society lunch yesterday. I don't have the official recipe so I thought I could post it here and you can try it if you want. It was so good!

-cubed chicken (not alot, although I suppose that was to stretch it for our large group)
-lettuce-I'm thinking it was just iceberg, maybe even just a prepackaged cut lettuce, with the cabbage and carrots
-tortilla chips
-avocado, chunked in large pieces
-black beans
-cherry tomatoes
-dressing- a mixture of ranch and bbq sauce. I think equal parts... or to taste. This will always be a bit different depending on your brand and flavor.

It was all just tossed together and served in a pile on the plate. It didn't look to good, but tasted so yummy. Oh, and I'd say heavy on the sauce.
They served it with rolls and cinnamon butter. Also yummy.
I might add black olives if I ever make it.

For dessert we had Klondike bars. They served them on a plate of strawberry sauce, covered with whipped cream and sliced strawberries, very elegant.

Just wanted to share with my family whom I know also love to try good foods. Let us know if you try it and what you think or what you changed.

We also got a small treasure box full of chocolates and a ring pop. I would recommend that as well... you know, chocolate!!!

Water Shoes

The other day, I called every family to ask them about their childrens shoe sizes. By way of report, I'm posting that I was able to buy none. After calling everyone, I called the store that had the shoes on sale for $2 a pair. They had already run out. When I called another of the same chain, they told me that they'd sent all their stock to the store that had sold out.
So, we'll all just have to keep a look out untill next summer. Good luck.

Family Home Evening

Do any of you remember that I did not love to attend FHE? I am not sure when it started or why. I remember liking it in Denver when I was about 9 or 10, but that is because I remember winning prizes for something...
Anyway, I still don't really like it (the arguing, the running around during singing time, the non participation, the noise level, the complaining because "I don't like to be the lesson or the scripture, I only like to be the treat!! I never get to be the treat!", no one answering the questions because no one listened to your story in the first place...). That is a problem because I am the mom and the one who should be setting an example. But I really... I still don't love it. I do it because the prophet said we should and promised that if we do our families will be better because of it. Kind of like family scripture time. Can you imagine what my family would be like if we DIDN'T follow those to commandments???

Christmas Idea

Hey all~

I don't want to sound miserly, but how does this sound to everyone: would anyone be interested in skipping our family gift exchange this Christmas? This would allow each of us to put that money towards the reunion, or just not spend it now. We could then just move this rotation to next year. We can do this if everyone agrees, if you don't want to do this, that is fine, too, just a suggestion.
Obviously, I agree...
What do you think?

Following Christ

I paused my reading of The Infinite Atonement to read this second book by Stephen E. Robinson, Following Christ. I enjoyed this book as well, though there wasn't anything that I was uncertain of like with his first book. I think he's done a good job of discussing our obligations as members of the covenant people. He discusses the nature of the covenant and then points out that he doesn't need to provide a list of rules we must follow to remain in the covenant, but instead reiterates that all that we must do is contained in the concept of love. As we truly learn to love God and other people, we will keep all the commandments/rules. It was a good book.

Telescope

I've been thinking a lot about getting Will a telescope. I've got some books, done some online research, and feel like I know what I want to get him...if I decide to do it. Tonight it occurred to me that I haven't even gone outside to look at the sky in all this time I've been considering getting a telescope. So, I went outside. The night sky is very cool to me. Here are some (not very good) pictures I took. You can see there's a lot of "light pollution" in my backyard. I think the telescope I want to get (for Will...) will let me hook my camera up to it. Won't that be cool?

Here's one of the moon, too.

Four Years Ago Today,

around 3AM, Lauras water broke.

For his birthday, Nick will be having a birthday party, for which Laura is currently slaving away. Starting celebrations a day early, Andy took Nick and Abuela to Wild Waves, a nearby water park. While there, all three had a wonderfull time.

Unfortunatly, we had a camera battery charge malfunction and where unable to take any pictures.

Fortunatly, we've corrected the charging process, and we should have plenty of pictures of the party and cake.

In any case:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK!

Stephen E. Robinson's Believing Christ

I imagine most of you have read some if not all of Robinson's book. I just finished it and while I was unsure of it for most of the time I was reading it, I think I now agree with him. The book is short and would be a quick read if you have a couple of uninterrupted hours--and if you do, lucky you. I read most if while brushing my teeth and in 5-10 minute spurts as they became available. I do a lot of my reading that way, in fact.

So, why was I unsure about the book. Let me quote a portion that felt incorrect to me at first. "Taken together, Christ and I make up a new creature. The old creature, the imperfect me, ceases to exist, and a glorious new creature, a perfect partnership, takes its place. Taken together as a single entity, the two of us, Christ and I, are perfect. I do not mean (this is absolutely crucial!) that we can become perfect later on. I mean that from the moment the partnership is formed in good faith, from the moment we have sincere faith in Christ, sincerely repent of our sins, and receive baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost--from this moment the partnership is celestial. The merits of the Senior Partner make it so. True, this is not individual perfection, which will indeed come later (much later), rather it is perfection-in-Christ (see Moro. 10-32-33), through which we receive the benefits of our partner's merits. Nevertheless, from this moment the kingdom is ours, provided that we maintain the partnership by abiding in the gospel covenant. (See 3 N. 27:16, 19-21) [Emphasis in the original]

Does that seem odd to anyone else? He continues to make this point, that once we've entered the covenant, we no longer need to strive for perfection--at least as far as our worthiness in God's eyes. We can't perfect ourselves and we don't need to. We are already perfect in Christ. Having said this, however, he goes on to point out that to remain in the covenant--to avoid falling from grace--we need to give our best effort.

I'd be interested in hearing what everyone else thinks of the topic--and, if you've read the book, what you think of it in general. If you own it and haven't read it in a while, I'd appreciate if you'd re-read it and share your thoughts about it with on. (It's only 125 small pages)

A couple things that this book helped me recognize. 1. Christ, because of his immortal Father had control over when he died. I knew this. I always understood it to be taught in reference to the fact that he gave up his life--no one took it from him. However, it also means that he was able to choose not to die while suffering the atonement--something that would have killed any other person. Because of this power, he was able to live through infinite suffering. 2. In the sacrament prayers, as we renew our baptismal covenants, we promise to take upon us the name of Christ, always remember him, and keep his commandments--or, at least, that's what I always thought we were covenanting. With this understanding, I renew my covenant, I am forgiven of my sins. I'm am brought back to the state of purity (free from the stains of sin) that I was in when I was baptized. I stay that way until I sin again (which sometimes is a matter of only seconds), and then I am impure. However, I firmly believe that if I die during the week, the sins that I committed since the last time took the sacrament won't be held against me any more than those that I committed before then. But, how can that be? I haven't been forgiven of those sins until I take the sacrament, right? What makes more sense is that I still have been forgiven. I have been forgiven of all my sins as long as I remain in the covenant that I have made. And what was that covenant? "That they are willing to take upon them..." I'm willing, but sometimes I weak. I want to keep the commandments, all the time, but sometimes I don't. As long as I "endure to the end" with the right attitude--a broken heart and contrite spirit--I am still in the covenant even though I make mistakes.

What do you all think?

The Miracle of Forgiveness

I decided that my next few books would be more doctrinal and less historical. I recently finished "The Miracle of Forgiveness" by Spencer W. Kimball. I really enjoyed it. While I was working with Aaron Bishop at his printing shop, we listened to this one on tape a few times (along with some stuff by Truman Madsen and Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage). As I was reading through it, however, I didn't recognize much. It seemed mostly new to me. I did remembered the story about him "cussing the cattle" and how he was sure no one could hear him. He told how he was surprised to find that we will have to give an accounting of every idle word--his response was why would I have to do that when no one else was around? Reading the book did make me wonder about the things that I do that I shouldn't that I don't know yet that I shouldn't. There are still plenty of things that I do when I know I shouldn't and even more that I should and yet I still don't--so maybe I'll hold off on finding out about the other things.

Have any of you read it before? What did you think? Anyone reading anything interesting now? I just started Stephen E. Robinsons, "Believing Christ." It's interesting and I'll post and share some stuff from it when I'm done.

FAMILY REUNION UPDATE!!

HEY HEY HEY!!
After reading Andy's post, and the comments there, Mom and I discussed finding out more details. We found that the reservations for next summer opened last Sunday and there are only 5 spots left for next summer.

The available dates are
June 4-17
July 11-12
Aug. 10-12
Aug 29-1
Aug 20-24

We made tentative reservations for Saturday Aug 20- Wed Aug 24. This can be canceled, but we are not likely to get a spot otherwise. We are not obligated to keep this reservation.
Prices, as Andy mentioned, are $10 per night per person. Children 3 and under are free. That leaves us with 24 people. We can fit as many people into the lodge as we want. There are 26 beds. You can go look at the link on the previous post and see what you think. You will see that these are just bunk beds and nothing fancy.
We would have loads of activities, a full kitchen and adequate restroom facilities.
Does this sound good to everyone? If you want to try another time, we need to do so immediately. If this does not sound good to you at all, let us know that, too.

A New Family Reunion Planning Post

I found out just a couple of weeks ago that The Church has recreation properties with lodges and such. See my blog for my personal experiences. Here's a link to the church website about the specific one I visited. You should click on the links to the left of the screen to see the activities and pictures.

http://bigo.byu.edu:8085/MRP-NANW/Camps.jsp?menuSelect=about&campSelect=4

Prices are $10 per person per night to stay in the lodge, or $10 per vihicle per night to camp out. I think we should have adults stay in the lodge, and send all the kids to camp out :)

I looked at all the other properties, and the one I went to seems to have the most/coolest activities listed. I'm excited to see what you all think about this.

UPDATE
I just read about the lodge accomodations. It has 5 four people rooms, and 1 two people room, which is just one person short than our 27(unless someone else joins the family before than). I don't think that should be a big deal. If we can't convince them to let us squeez in, we could send a few people to sleep in a cabin. Or I might just decide that I'd rather save $30 a night and camp out, then come and shower in YOUR lodge :). It also has a "commercial" kitchen with a "collosal" mixer.

The Pitcher Family

Just waned to share this lovely picture of the Pitcher Family. If you look hard enough, you will notice that Braden is missing. The entire family was ready for the picture and he took off and hid. We looked for him for a little while and then gave up and took it without him. Little bugger!

Volume 4 down, 2 left

I finished volume 4 of a Comprehensive History of the Church. Mom had mentioned interest in the books. You can see from this link that it's pretty cheap to get the set.

This book mostly covered the period of time from 1851-1857, though it covered a few things later than this, as well. A large portion was devoted to the Utah War, which I knew almost nothing about. It turns out that false reports from bad federal officials built up public resentment against the church to the point where the president, Buchanan, felt that it was politically smart to send an army to Utah without telling anyone in Utah or many of the people in the army the purpose of the army going to Utah. It turned out to be a really bad idea. The church felt that it was largely an army sent to destroy their religion and opposed it as such. While there were no casualties from fighting between the two forces, a number of deaths were attributed to the situation created by the "war". This was also the time period during which the Mountain Meadows Massacre took place. It was all pretty interesting and I'm excited to continue with volume 5 and then 6.

Take Note:

Mandy has announced her Indian intentions on Better than Burnt Toast. Please do likewise when you know what your going to make--so we don't have any repeats. Since Mandy is already making the classic naan, you can also make naan, but consider making 2 other things or doing an interesting naan recipe--not just the standard the

Another un-interesting post

I know how much you all liked my last post on this topic, so I thought I'd make another one.

I finished volume 3 of B.H. Roberts' A Comprehensive History of the Church. I enjoyed it, like the first and second volumes. This volume covered:
- the group of saints that sailed to California from new England
- the leaving of Nauvoo and travel to council bluffs
- the Mormon battalion
- missions to England and other parts of the world
- the founding of winter quarters
- Brigham Young's party that traveled first to the great basin
- More pioneer groups traveling to Salt Lake
- The crickets and seagulls
- The California gold rush (and it's relation to members of the church)
- the "state" of Deseret
- the "run-away officers" appointed by the federal government over the territory of Utah
- the establishment of the perpetual emigration fund

It was very interesting and contained a lot of information that I didn't know before. Has anyone else read anything interesting in the past few weeks?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESS!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!

Check your emails please.

I just sent out an email requesting everyones address and phone number info. Please reply, then report back in a comment! If you didn't get the email, it might be that I have an old email address for you. If that's the case, give me a call and tell me your better email. If you don't have my phone number to call, you can probably get it forwarded from one of your other brothers or sisters. Take care! Looking forward to hearing from each of you.

I blogged... alot!

Ralph Shaved his Beard

Ralph shaved his beard today. If you want to see the progress, check our blog.

Articles of Faith Memorization Plan

Grandkids can earn $1.00 for each new Article of Faith they recite to Grandpa or Grandma word perfect. A parent must be close at hand to confirm that it is a recitation and not a reading! They can only do one new article per day, and must recite all articles previously memorized and recited before they recite the new one. Here’s how it works.
1: 1.00
1 + 2: .50 + 1.00 = 1.50
1+2+3: .50 + .50 + 1.00 = 2.00
1+2+3+4: .25 + .50 + .50 + 1.00 = 2.25
1+2+3+4+5: .25 + .25 + .50 + .50 + 1.00 = 2.50
Each additional one will add 25 cents to the previous sum, up to the 13 th. All thirteen will pay $4.50, plus a $5 bonus, and the grand total after memorizing and reciting all of them will be $43.25

We hope that this will be a great incentive for all of the Grandkids to memorize The Articles of Faith. This challenge will continue until the child's eighteenth Birthday....better hurry up Rebecca! We love you all.

To beard or not to beard that is the question!

We are having a debate on whether or not we like Ralph's beard. He is thinking about shaving it off, but we thought we would ask and see what everyone else thought about it.

(Check out our other blog also. I finally got it updated!! :0)

Mother's Day!

Mother's Day...here are Mom's presents from us!!

Happy Mother's day to all of my sisters!!

Look at my blog to see some exciting posts...

Concluded Volume 2

I just finished reading the second volume of B.H. Roberts' "Comprehensive History of the Church." This volume ends with the first group of saints departing Nauvoo in February 1846. In 1,100 pages the two volumes (1 and 2) cover Joseph Smith, Jr. ancestry through the beginning of the saints migration. While I recognized many of the stories throughout the history, I have learned many things that I never knew before. More importantly to me, however, I have a greater understanding of the things through which the saints had to pass, the circumstances under which the doctrines of the church were received and taught, and the character of the leaders and the members in the early days of the church.

This history has opened my eyes to the degree and volume of persecution those early saints endured. Just for example, I had no idea that within just over a year of the martyrdom, many of the saints' homes were torched by mobs. Because of direction given by Brigham Young, the saints offered no resistance. The mob would knock on their door and tell them they were going to burn the house. The saints would collect their personal items they intended to keep and then watch as their homes were burned. Because of the exposure incident to sleeping out doors, some family members died from the loss of their homes. At least 25 and possibly up to 175 families lost their homes in this manner. I just can't imagine living under those circumstances.

What made all of the persecution worse was that the government in Illinois did nothing to stop the it (not to mention in Missouri where the government largely supported it). As I've read all these things I'm just amazed that the saints stayed as faithful as they did. I hope that I can endure all the trials in my life as well as they did theirs.

I'm looking forward to reading the next volume. I know a lot of the pioneer stories, but I'm looking forward to the context to put them all in. I don't know much about the churches early years in the Salt Lake Valley. I know a little about the federal government's persecution of the church but not much, so I'm also excited to get the details on that.

I just wanted to share that with you all and to suggest, if you've got time and some extra money, that you pick up this history and read it for yourself.

Another option

What about Ocean Shores???

http://www.vrbo.com/138042

http://www.navylifepnw.com/site/373/Pac-Beach-Cottages.aspx

This is a good option. We could get 3 cabins to fit us all. Beach is in walking distance. 20 hours from me, 20 from Denver, Ralph and Andy would be close.

Look at the vintage cottages. This is through the military, so we would ask you soldiers to reserve them for us. We'd share the cottages.

What do you think???
Remember the trip we took there one year?

What do you think of this??

Jess, what are the dates that you and Jason could both come?

Some fun places to stay?

I haven't really looked at where these places are...but they look so fun!!

http://www.lasvegasretreats.com/vacation-rentals/luxury/castillo-de-paraiso.html

http://www.lasvegasretreats.com/vacation-rentals/property/luxury/castillo-de-la-paz.html

http://www.vacationhomerentals.com/vacation-rentals/Bear-Lake-Utah-vacation-rental-villa-proID-41769.html

Family Reunion

So next summer will be our next reunion. While this is over a year away, we need to start thinking about some things. I will mention those things now (feel free to add "things" to the list):

Most of us live closer to the west than the east. So, it would probably/possibly be cheaper/easier for the two families in MD to join the rest of us out west-ish.

That would mean we would not have free lodging at Jess and Mom and Dad's. We would have to find a place to rent.

If we don't have it in MD, then Jason wont be able to attend as he will still be in school...

Before we find a place to rent we need to pick a place to look. I am thinking Utah area. Washingtonians can get there in a days drive, Coloradans less than a day and us NDers in about a day and a half.

We could look in Park City area, like our family had a reunion there in 1998. It was fun, it's a lovely area. Prices might be crazy out of our reach by now. We could look in Southern Utah, closer to the LV airport for those who fly. There are lots of national parks down there.

We could see if BYU offers dorms anymore. I have no idea. I don't even know how old we were when we went there.

I am sure Colorado has some lovely places, but that would be farther for the Ralph and Andy family.

I know it is far away, but I think we should decide and book a place this summer for next summer. That way we can all plan around those dates and plan to be there.

So, what I'd like to hear from you is some suggestions of where you want to go. If you search around and find a good place, let us all know the link so we can look at it. There are currently 27 people in the family. If you find a great place that will fit us all, let us know.

If you have a completely different idea, like you want to fly us all to Hawaii and pay for 2 weeks there, please tell us all!!

You are all welcome here, of course, we could put tents in the back yard, but unfortunately we are not on the way to anywhere or easy to get to.

So those are my thoughts. Now share yours.

Also, does anyone prefer early summer, mid or late summer?

Cinnabon Popcorn

Hey all! One of my friends brought this popcorn to bookclub last night. Soooo good!! My kids were eating it for breakfast this morning. Give it a try!
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/cinnamon-caramel-corn-with-pecans-white.html

Also, for those of you who have not read Hunger Games yet, read it!! Everyone I have spoken with has enjoyed it, including many of the husbands of the book club ladies. Men are not invited to our club... About 1/3 of us read the whole book in a day, so don't tell me you don't have time for it. Then you'll want to read the second one, which we will discuss at bookclub next month if you'd like to join us (just the ladies) and then you'll want to read the third book, which isn't out until August, so you might be mad...

Hope you all are enjoying SPRING!

Last night we went on a double date with some friends. It was nice to go out. We went to an Indian restaurant and it was fantastic. We decided that we have liked Indian food every time we've eaten it so we ought to learn how to make it. We also went to a rec center to go ice skating but they said there was going to be a competition today so they had closed it and we couldn't go. Bummer. Mike was relieved.

Also, I just want to brag for one minute. I went to the doctor to have my foot checked out and the nurse checked my heart rate. It was 52! Isn't that awesome? I guess this last year of working out and trying to lose weight has been good and helped me be healthy.

Ok, we are going to go eat some left overs for dinner--hope you all have a good weekend.

Something new

They say something is better than nothing, right?

I need something new on this blog!!!!

So what is going on in everyone's lives right now?

Jason just found out that he was accepted into our community college's accelerated nursing program. He will start school May 24 2010 and be finished in August 2011. He will be a RN when he is done. He is really excited (we both are).

Jessica is on a break from school for the month of April and is happy to have a little time off. She spent an afternoon at the cannery and has a renewed desire to use wheat in our diets. She really doesn't know what to do with herself now that she does not need to stress about Jason getting into nursing school...but she is sure to find something else to stress about soon.

Austin just turned 8 this past weekend. He got his hair cut, see our blog for an update on that soon. And he will be getting baptized soon (hopefully May 1st, his grandparents are going to be out of town for the next couple of weekends). He continues in piano lessons and playing video games.

Layla continues to amaze us all. She reads without any difficulty, and writes as well as the kids in Austin's second grade class. She makes friends everywhere we go and is happy most of the time.

Ryan continues to be our little baby, although he is now 4 years old. He still loves to be held and cuddled. He has finally learned to write his name and can sing the alphabet song (we didn't really teach him like the other kids...poor number 3).

All in all we are healthy and happy.

We would love to hear about all of you!

We are home!!

We had a fabulous trip last week in Florida with mom and dad. Please see my blog for a few pictures over the next week. It was wonderful, but it is going to be hard to get back to normal this week!

House Party!!

Guess what?!?! I signed up to host a DiGiorno House Party, and won! So, I had to do somethings online, like upload photos, put out an invitation, and comment on other party hostess conversations. They will sent me a party pack, to include coupons for 6 free pizzas and 15 coupons for, I think, it was $4 off. So, I am to go get the free pizzas, invite at least ten people over to party with us and then report afterwards and have more pics. So, I'm excited!!
Now, I'd like some opinions from you all.
How many people should we really invite, I mean, I am only planning to get the free pizza's, so 6 of them, and I don't think they are huge. We will also have salad and a fruit or vege tray. I will ask the guests to bring either an appetizer or dessert to share. So, how many people will 6 DiGiorno pizza's feed. Of course you are all invited!!
Should we have an activities planned? Or do you all prefer to just eat and hang out when you go to friends house? Should I also make a dessert? I guess maybe that will depend on how many people we invite. According to the rules I am to invite at least 10 people. In the land of my friends, that could easily be just 2 families. Or three smaller families.
So, any ideas or suggestions? I wish you all could make it. It will be on the 20th of March, also known as Spring Eve!!
I occassionally go and apply to host all kinds of parties, but this is the first I have been picked for.
Oh, if you are interested you can go to see my site here

New bathroom at the Crowl's

Please be sure to check out my blog and see my bathroom! Jason has worked so hard and it is so pretty!

Money Matters and Reading

Hey all. I have recently read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. I really enjoyed it, and found it to be relatively light and easy to read through. I am in agreement with him on most of his ideas. I would love to pay off all our debt. We are doing pretty well, I think. I would also love to follow all of his steps and be a millionaire... I just don't get how the people who have so much debt are able to pay it off so fast.
For instance, John has $153,000 debt. He makes $38,000 a year. He works soooo hard and is able pay off all his debt in just a year and a half. HOW DID HE DO THAT!?!?!?
I just started to read the Millionaire Next Door. I am not too far in it. Not enjoying it much and not sure how far I will get in it.
Another book I just read is called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is just a novel that was cute and fun to read. Enjoyed it.
Have any of you read any of these books? What do you think of them? What have you been reading? Do you like to read or not? Maybe you just don't have time to read. Maybe if you neglected your home and children, like some people do, you would find more time to read. Just an idea.

Puzzles and Cheese

The Bel Air puzzle is finally finished. I know that the deadline was yesterday and it was finished around 6pm yesterday. Please notice the missing piece...where oh where can it be? We don't have anyone to blame, there must be a poltergist in our house! Mom did most of the puzzling, with a little bit of help from Jessica and Dad. The total time spent on the puzzle was 18 hours. What a lot of time! I won't say a waste of time, I enjoy doing puzzles, though this was a hard one. I was afraid that I would never get it done. In fact with about 50 pieces remaining I was sure that many were missing and that they had slipped a few in that didn't belong.

Now, about cheeses, I have in my fridges and freezer:

• Velveeta
• Cabot Monterey Jack
• Cabot extra sharp cheddar
• Kraft sharp cheddar
• Hickory Farms smoked cheddar blend
• grated cheddar
• grated motzerella
• grated parmesian
• grated Monterey Jack
• String cheese
• Laughing cow cheese
• Babybel
• Sliced Muenster
• Sliced Provolone
• White American
• Yellow (orange?) American
• Cream cheese

So, I have lots of different cheeses but many of them are the same variety, just different types. I count 11 different varieties, does that sound right? I certainly don't have the quantity that Mandy does, so she is ahead......I better go shopping.

Happy Vday!

Hey are any of you doing anything fun/fancy/romantic/unusual for Valentine's Day? We don't usually go out for it or do anything fancy. The school kids get lots of candy and cards at their school parties. Last night we had a ward activity. The kids got to go do activities and the parents got to watch and participate in a Newly Wed Game and eat cake. It was pretty fun. Today our awesome neighbor Judy invited the kids over for a few hours and lunch. Mike and I will go out to lunch and then I will go shopping! It will be pretty fun, if we make it that far. Jake and Tyson keep asking me how much longer until we get to go to Judy's house! They love her! Tomorrow we will have a nice turkey dinner and each get a candy valentine from me. I hope you all have a great day! Oh, and it's a four day weekend here... yeah!

FYI

Hey, just thought everyone should know...mom is stuck in California. She was going to be coming home tomorrow, but because of another storm coming, they canceled her flight. She will be coming home Friday, almost a week later than originally planned. Dad is home alone. Mom has his cell phone and he has hers. Not sure why...

Also, Andy is home and safe!!!! YEAH!!! Laura and the boys and her mom should be joining him soon!

Challenge Mom's Kitchen: Cheese

I've created a new game to play--if any of you ever want to play it. It's called, "Challenge Mom's Kitchen." The way the game works is you select some food item in your house that you think you have more of than mom (or, if you just want to force mom to see how much of it she has :) ). Today's challenge, cheese. We have 12 different kinds of cheese (one is a strawberry cream cheese apple dip, so technically it probably doesn't count, but I'm listing it because I'm sure mom has lots of cheeses I don't). From the left, around the top and back we have: Blue cheese, 2 kinds of Swiss, cottage cheese, brown cheese, 2 kinds of cheddar, 2 kinds of cream cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella and another cheddar. Common cheeses that are missing from our fridge today are Monterrey jack, shredded parmesan, and feta. Adrianne pointed out that this might be why we feel like we need to lose weight.

What's your cheese arsenal like? Feel free to post pictures! This is a great way to go through your fridge.