Holt Happenings

Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

In honor of my one year anniversary since my last post, I am finally putting up some pictures. However, I do post on my other blog every week.

This year we decided to do a race as a family. I had done this race last year with my dad and sister (as you may have read in my last post). It is a 5k in Queen Creek which always sponsers someone with cancer.

Here we are before the race. That is why we look so happy. Katie, Rachael, Jayden, Kyana, Grandma Webber, Megan, Ally, Grandpa Webber, Orson and Barb. And just so you know, I have to keep my ears warm.

Grandma walked around the block with Kyana and Megan, although they look like they just might be running.

Here are some finish line pictures. We didn't get Rachael, who in her first race, came in at 29 minutes. Wow.

Grandpa cut a minute off last year's time with just over 31 minutes.

Katie had to stop and tie her shoe, but still came in at 34 minutes. Unbelievable.

I had my personal best this year. I cut my time by 3 minutes with 41.48. My goal was 42 minutes and I finally achieved it.

Orson came in just seconds after me and look at the difference in our faces. He looks like he just ran 20 feet instead of three miles. So unfair.

Ally ran with Jayden.

At four years old, he completed all 3 miles.

A new Holt family tradition has begun. Anna just got her cast off on Tuesday. She is still in a boot and out of activity for 6 more weeks. Then she'll start training for next year.

We decided to go to the movies in the afternoon. We saw tangled in 3D and we all liked it.

We enjoyed an evening feast.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Celebrating the end

2009-12-31T20:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had a little New Year's Eve celebration at Vyla's house. We barbequed and had a fire pit.

Sweet Kate

Anna chillin' by the fire

Wyndon, Jordan, Mary and Vyla

Gunnar, Sarah, Rachael and Brandon

Pinetop

2009-12-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

Every year we take a trip to the snow. We stay at a timeshare in Pinetop. It is really our only getaway by ourselves as a family. We set our goals for the upcoming year and spend quality time together. We ski and go sledding. Here are some pictures of our sledding time.

Derek and Ashlee's wedding

2009-12-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

Our cousin Derek married Ashlee. They had a fun reception at Lavendar and Old Lace. Cousins are the best.

Preschool Program

2009-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Megan is the 3rd child to go through Miss Peggy's preschool. They always do a great Christmas program. Megan loves to sing and perform and she made a beautiful angel.

She is more than excited

cookie tradition

2009-12-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

Every year at Christmas time we bake cookies and make plates for our neighbors. The kids are a huge help. We have a great time.

Puppet Show

2009-12-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

Growing up in LaCrescenta, we had a tradition in our ward that at Christmas we had a marionnette show. As luck would have it, the show was going on while we were in California. It was so fun to share this tradition with Anna and Megan as well as Dixie and Emma. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

American Girl

2009-12-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

When Anna turned 8 she got an American girl doll. There is a store is Hollywood right next to CBS studios. We took the girls there and Anna had her dolls' hair done at the salon while we browsed through the 2 story store.

Christmas with the Princesses

2009-12-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

As an early Christmas gift, we gave Anna and Megan tickets to go to Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California to see a special screening of The Princess and the Frog. Since it's just 15 minutes from where I grew up, we got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Webber. We took Dixie and Emma Marshall with us on our adventure. The day was cold and rainy, but when you are doing something with Disney it doesn't matter.

This is the first time they have ever opened the studio to the public for a screening and a tour. It was amazing. We started off by following the frog prints to pick up our tickets and get our popcorn and drinks. They had props from movies out as well as a visit from Mickey.

Then it was off to the theater to see the movie. We passed the famous water tower that you can see from the freeway. The theater was very plush and they used to screen movies here years ago. There was a man in front playing the organ. He was amazing. He played songs from every Disney movie you can think of and never once looked at a piece of music.

After watching the movie, which we loved, they took us to Studio 1 to continue our experience. The girls got to meet all of the princesses.

There was more memorabilia from different movies. The pictures are not great since most of the stuff was behind glass.

Once we met all the princesses, there were other activites to participate in. They had an animator teaching the kids to draw different characters. I didn't get a picture of him. They had a couple of backgrounds set up that we could have our picture taken on. They had a cupcake shop and a bayou adventure land where they could play some games.

Then we got to take the tour. We started in the animation building. The pictures are terrible as many are of original drawings behind glass with terrible lighting.

Then we went outside to see all this stuff.

Finally we were taken into the Frank G. Wells building. Here is where they house the original cameral that was used to make their first feature length film, Snow White. It was almost two stories high. Again, with the horrible pictures, but there was more memorabilia as well as cases full of famous hats from different movies. Very interesting.

This was truly a once in a lifetime experience. We said goodbye to our tour guide, and as if on cue, as squirrely came to wish us farewell. You gotta love Disney!

Gingerbread house

2009-12-07T11:34:00.000-08:00

This is one of our holiday traditions. We buy a gingerbread house and the kids decorate it.

I think it's one of our best.

Winter Formal

2009-12-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

Nathan was asked to Winter Formal by Heather. They have been friends from orchestra for a long time.

The day activity

Good looking kid

The corsage

The boutonniere

Heather made her own dress.

Thanksgiving in Arizona

2009-11-26T22:19:00.000-08:00

This is the first year we have stayed in Arizona for Thanksgiving. We always have gone to California in the past to be with my Grandpa. Last year he passed away, and since the Holt reunion is on Saturday, we decided to stay home.

My dad, sister and I started off the day by running in a 5k. This was my first race this year. I ran two last year but have since shed 35 pounds. My goal was to run the entire race and I was shooting for 42 minutes.

I achieved one of those goals. I didn't walk once during the race and I finished with a time of 44:26. Much faster than my first try at over 51 minutes a year and a half ago.

Here are a few looks at us after the race. My dad creamed me by 12 minutes and it was a personal best for him.

This guy is 65 years old and started running only last year. What a stud.

Now it's on to the good stuff. The meal.

Megan and Anna got all dolled up for the occasion.

The main table is ready with the main part. Turkey, stuffing and sparkling cider.

Katie helping in the kitchen.

Ally with her self portrait.

Jayden, Megan, Kyana and Anna waiting for grub.

The group.

Ally and Wayland

Mom and Dad

Family pictures

2009-11-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

It was that time of year again to think about our Christmas card. But, we had not taken pictures yet. So, we were in Queen Creek at my sister Ally's house and she took us out to circle cross ranch to snap some photos. She did a great job.

Cousin Jayden

He's 43

2009-11-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? It seems like he was just 23. You know how low key birthdays can get as you age. Well, this was definitely that. We had dinner at Ally and Wayland's house. I made this cake from scratch. I thought it was cool looking and not bad tasting either.

Happy birthday to my sweetheart.

Turkey

2009-11-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

I was asked to teach a class on how to prepare a turkey and make gravy in preparation for Thanskgiving. I also decided to show some leftover ideas that I make. You can find the recipes for these on my food blog.

Here's Tom before:

And after:

Making the gravy

Here are some leftover turkey ideas.

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

Turkey Enchiladas

Turkey Pot Pie

She's got talent

2009-11-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

Rachael is a fabulous singer. She was in the talent show at school again this year. She sang "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson. I am so proud of her. She doesn't love being on stage, but she does it anyway. Too bad I have a horrible picture and no video.

We love Arizona

2009-11-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

There are some great benefits to living in Arizona. For example, eating outside on the patio in November. Gotta love it!

Katie's 15

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

Our traditional breakfast in bed.

This girl is growing up so quickly. I don't know what I would do without her.

We surprised her with tickets to Phantom of the Opera.

She was able to bring Rachael and Lena to the show.

I never had shoes this cute as a teenager.

We went to her favorite restaurant for lunch.

Her favorite food: chicken fetticini alfredo

Being serenaded by our waiter.

Her favorite dessert.

BFF's

Gammage Auditorium

I don't think I'm as short as I appear.

Great seats (NOT) Katie got motion sickness on the walk up.

The three beauties inside the theater.

Forever Friends

2009-11-06T21:39:00.000-08:00

My longtime friend, Susie, came to town for a visit. I have known her since I was 3 years old. She lived across the street from my Grandpa. I spent many summers and holidays there. We logged more hours swimming and roller skating during our growing up years. I have so many happy memories of days spent with her. She hasn't changed a bit.

It was fun for out kids to get to know one another. Lauren and Christian are so great!

Halloween

2009-10-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

I'm a Fan

2009-10-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

When I was young I listened to the radio, waitin for my favorite songs.
When they played I'd sing along, it made me smile.
Karen Carpenter

I learned to sing by listening to Karen Carpenter. We both had low voices and I learned every song. Also in those early days I fell in love with the voice of this man.

I took a quick trip to California to see my favorite singer. My mom was given tickets for her birthday to see him at the Hollywood Bowl. So she invited me to go along. We also took my Aunt Sally (my Dad's sister).

Our first stop was dinner at CPK. Then we walked to the Bowl. I have been to 4 of his concerts in my lifetime. This is the first time he has ever performed at the Hollywood Bowl. This was a one night engagement. He was actually raising money for the Los Angeles Unified School district to go toward purchasing musical instruments. The concert raised over $100,000. Sweet!

Here are my mom and Aunt waiting for the concert to start.

These are the two crummy pictures I got.

Here we are at the end of the night with our glow sticks.

While I was there, I took pictures of the aftermath of the fires that burned the hills by my parents home. This is the second time these hills have burned so badly. While we were moving into our house in 1976 we had to be evacuated. These fires were much worse. The scary thing to note is that in 1979 we had severe mudslides because of the fires. This area will be on alert for the next 3-5 years.

The hill used to be green.

This tree was incredible. It went from black to brown to green. You can see right where the fire stopped.

These sandbags will be a permanent fixture for the next 3-5 years.

These K-rails will hopefully stop the mud when, not if, it comes.

An ugly side effect of the fires. THe rats lost their homes and showed up in ours.

October break Part 5-Salt Lake City

2009-10-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Salt Lake City.

Here are the buildings we saw.

The Salt Lake Temple

The assembly hall

The tabernacle

The new Church History Library

The Church Office Building

We stopped at The Lion House for some rolls to tide us over.

Here we have 8 of the 9 girls from our 2 families
Where's Brenna?

This is my favorite photo of the kids.
Where's Brenna?

Another pose.
Where's Brenna?

Here's our twins. Anna and Lindsay were born just two days apart. It would be so fun if we lived closer to each other. They even dress alike.

Me and Jenna. She is so little. She is 5 years younger than me.

Rachael is a great big sister. She was willing to carry Megan at the end.

THERE'S BRENNA!

She had been at her preschool party.
We ended the day at California Pizza Kitchen.

October break Part 4-Scarecrow Festival

2009-10-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

Pictorial from the Scarecrow festival at Thanksgiving Point.

October break Part 3-Temple Day

2009-10-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

We started our morning by going to the newest temple.

My sister, Jenna, looks great at 6:15 a.m.

President Hinckley encouraged the youth to touch the temple.

The cousins are heading in to do baptisms for the dead.

Due to late start, there were lots of kids there. We had to wait about 1 1/2 hours. Nathan, Katie, Aubrey and Rachael after finishing.

I'm so proud of my teenagers.

Here are the pictures from the rest of the day.

This car was parked at the Draper Temple and it just made us happy.

On one last random note, I was able to visit the elementary school that I taught at 17 years ago. My sister lives right across the street from it and her kids go there. Go figure!
We really couldn't have asked for a better day.

October break Part 2-Logan

2009-10-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

Today we drove to Logan. My Grandma Webber is buried there and I have never been to her grave. She died about 6 years ago and she was a great influence in my life.

Driving up the beautiful canyon.

Our first stop was the Bluebird.

My Grandma used to eat here as a teenager.

It's weird to imagine her sitting at the counter with her friends, and possibly my Grandpa, while they were dating.

It's got a very interesting history.

Right across the street from the Bluebird is the tabernacle.

We thought that she had been the first one to be baptized in this building, but the dates didn't seem right. We later found out it was the Richmond Tabernacle.

Simply beautiful.

Breathtaking view of both fall and winter.

Katie was still recovering from the flu and did not want to make another car trip.

My Grandma

My Grandpa. He died just 2 months shy of his 40th birthday. My dad was only 2.

My Great Grandparents.

My Great, Great Grandpa. Notice the spelling of the last name is different. My Great Grandpa had it changed and added another "B". He was born just 7 years before Orson's Grandpa. That's 2 generations apart.

The stadium is right across the street from the cemetary.

Driving back down the canyon. I am so glad we took this trip.

October break Part 1-Provo

2009-10-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

The kids and I decided to head for Utah over the break. Katie had been sick with what we thought might be swine flu, so we weren't going to go. But at 11:00 on Tuesday morning, we changed our minds and we were packed and out the door around 4:30that afternoon. We drove

all the way to Kanab and stayed here...

We got up early and headed to Provo to visit with the Martin cousins.

Aah, the beautiful mountains.
My all time favorite letter.

Introducing the two newest Martin cousins...
Caroline

Ivan

Then it was off to BYU with Eliza.

This is just outside the Wilkinson Center. This spot has great meaning to our family. In December of 1988 Orson and I were driving at this very spot when he turned to me and said, "What would you think about getting engaged?" Pretty romantic, huh? That's where it all began.

So, then we went inside to do our favorite activity again.

Megan is so excited because Nathan's online bowling class is almost over.

Nathan met up with Alyssa who was in his orchestra last year.

Nathan, Katie, Rachael and Eliza our super cute cousin.

The Cougareat looks way different from when I was a student.

I had to pass this up because I was only on day 8 of my diet. Too soon to fall off the wagon.

Two future cougarette's?

The cool weather felt wonderful. I got to wear a sweater.

Teenagers

2009-10-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun things we experience with 3 teenagers in our house.

Concerts

Rachael and Adam at a choir concert

Braving a poke

Nathan decided to give blood.

No words necessary

Need I say more?

I love my teenagers!

Homecoming 2009

2009-10-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

October hit and with it came Homecoming.

Nathan and Emily

Dinner from PF Changs

Tanner and Sean with their dates

Gail and Brent cooking crepes after the dance

The Limo

2009-09-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Rachael got to go on her first limo ride. She went to a birthday party and they were picked up from school in a limo.

Lucky girl!

Bowling

2009-09-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

Nathan is taking an online bowling class. No matter that he trains in gymnastics 17 hours a week, he must take a P.E. class at least one semester in high school. Well, this is the last credit he needs to graduate.

So, we introduce....online bowling. After each unit, he must bowl 3 games. We made it a family outing at got 3 lanes so he could do one game on each lane. It was crazy. Crazy fun that is.

Looks like he wants an A

Megan gets so excited.

Katie has great form.

You can never have enough pictures of Megan and Jayden.

Cousins

2009-08-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Cousins are great. When my sister decided to move to Arizona, I was so excited. She was 5 years old when I left home to go to college and had just turned 7 when I got married. We are 13 years apart in age. What a joy it has been to get to know eachother. What an even bigger surprise that we would have kids so close in age.

Megan and Jayden are just 9 months apart. I couldn't resist this picture. I hope they'll be good friends.

Volleyball

2009-08-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

Katie made the 9th grade volleyball team. We were all so excited. Over 30 girls tried out for 12 spots. She learned so much and made great improvements throughout the year. They only lost one game in their league and came in 2nd place.

We threw her a little surprise party and Rachael made this amazing sign.

A volleyball cake pop.

Here are some pictures from a great season

Ally, a friend of ours, played volleyball at ASU

She came to support Katie and brought flowers

Aunt Helen

2009-08-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Helen passed away unexpectedly at the age of 52. It's hard to believe I will never again hear her laughter at family gatherings. I was able to go to Southern California to attend her funeral at Forest Lawn of Hollywood Hills. I felt grief for my Uncle Dale. It was a beautiful day and the service was lovely. The tribute's paid to Helen by her friends and co-workers were amazing. My Uncle Dale spoke beautifully. It was nice to have lunch with my Grandma Shields and cousin David. We miss my Grandpa Shields terribly.

I made a slideshow of the day.

Primary talent show

2009-08-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

Every year the primary organization at our church puts on a talent show. All kids age 3-11 are invited to participate. There are lots of great talents shared, from cooking to artwork to magic to telling jokes.

Anna played the piano. She teaches herself all kinds of songs by ear.

This was Megan's first year and I had no intention of having her do anything because I am lazy. But, the day before, she informed me that she was singing I am a Child of God for the talent show. She sure showed me. We sent Rachael up with her to help, but she didn't need it. She was a pro.
I guess we should have video taped it.

School Begins

2009-08-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the first day of school pictures.

This is it for my boy. He is a senior in high school.
Katie is a freshman. She starts seminary this year.
Rachael is in 8th grade.

This is their last year together in Jr. High.

The carpool:Tara, Katie, Rachael and McKenna
Anna is in 3rd grade.
Anna giving our neighbor Livvy a big hug as she starts her first day of Kindergarten.

Our neighbor always has this great sign in her yard.

Courtney, Anna and Corrinne
Megan is so excited to be in her last year of preschool.
This year she gets to eat lunch at school.

Walking to the door all by herself. (Kind of, I'm right behind her)

At the door of the Scripture Stars preschool.

With her teacher, Miss Peggy.

Looks like it was a great day.

Back to School Dinner

2009-08-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

I was so inspired by this post from my friend Stephanie (nie nie) that I decided to copy her. She posted this just days before she and her husband were in a horrific plane crash. In honor of her, here is our back to school feast.
We chose this theme for our school year.
Here is our table. Orson could not make it home from work, so we had one placesetting missing.
Our menu consisted of:
Grilled chicken
Green beans
Speghetti squash with marinara

Our table is ready.
Look at these great kids. I am so proud.

Girls Camp

2009-08-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

Katie and Rachael went to Girls Camp a few weeks before school started. I did not get to go with them for the first time because I am not working in Young Women's anymore. It was hard for me, but I know they had fun.

Katie is the queen of the self photo. Here she is with just about everyone:

Rachael is following in her footsteps.

Our Stake theme was:
Each ward represented a different musical and we had Hairspray. They had cute T-shirts.

Katie got to repel this year. What a great experience.

Santa Barbara

2009-07-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

My mom turned 60 this year, so my sisters (Jenna and Ally) and I took her to Santa Barbara for a few days. We have never done anything like this before, and it was so much fun. We rented a two bedroom house.

Jenna, mom, and Ally outside the rental house.
The back deck.
View from the deck.
View of downstairs from the back door. Yes, I did play the piano. (Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber)
The living room fireplace.
The kitchen. Not the last photo of Ally on the phone.
The hide-a-bed where I slept.

They murphy bed where my sisters slept.
The master bedroom where my mom stayed.

Here are some highlights of our 3 days.Took a bus tour of the city. Here is our guide, Peter.
The Santa Barbara Mission
Took crazy pictures
Found the largest and most pinkalicious jewelry store I've ever seen
Rode along the beach in a quad bike. My legs don't look like theirs.
Watched Ally deal with work; a lot
Saw the very first Motel 6
Stood in a long line to eat fantastic mexican food
Ate a ton of delicious seafood
Got manicures and pedicures. There you see Ally, Jenna and Jabba the Hutt
Laughed a little too hard at my mom slaying the ice maker. She's gotta have her ice.
Loved our drive up and down Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) It doesn't get much better than that in July.

I don't have a picture, but we also did a 90 minute Bikram Yoga class. That's where you do yoga (which I had never done before) in a room that is heated to 105 degrees. I could have stayed home and done it on my porch. My sister Jenna said it made her feel great and cleansed. I almost cleansed myself all over her shoes.

We have got to do this again. We had a wonderful time. I love you guys!

Summer vacation day 3

2009-07-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today we headed to Griffith Park Observatory. I used to go here as a teenager and see the laser show. (Great date!) It was closed several years ago for a huge remodel, and then reopened, but you had to have an appointment. Finally, it is back to normal and you can go any time. The kids absolutely loved it.

It has a great view of the Hollywood sign. And downtown Los Angeles. Love that smog.
The giant telescope is housed in the dome.
I love these kids.
They each have their own personality.

Pretty cool periodic table.
Our view walking back to the car.

Summer vacation day 2

2009-07-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

Today we headed to Universal Studios. We had an annual pass again this year. It is so close to my parents and you don't have to spend the whole day there.

My favorite thing to do is to take the tram ride. It never gets old. They are always filming something new. Here's Anna and Megan with our guide.

The kids love playing in the ball room. Even the teenagers.
The little girls brought their swimsuits to cool off during the hot afternoon.

Nathan and I cooled off on the Jurassic Park water ride.
Anna got to help with the special effects show. She was controlling the monster.
Of course the day always ends at the souvenir shop.
This is Nathan's favorite place to eat at the Universal City Walk.
It looks delicious.
The next two pictures can speak for themselves.

Summer vacation day 1

2009-07-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to California for a few days. Orson had to stay behind to pay for the trip. We missed him. We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Webber (my parents).
Here is what you will find my dad doing every Wednesday and Saturday.

We played a little of this
and this
But we mainly did this

Happy day

2009-07-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

I would imagine that having your child go through the temple is one of the happiest days of a parents life. Well, my sister in law, Trudy, was blessed to have two of her children take out their endowments. Deanna has been working on this goal for quite a while, and we are so proud of her. Jonathan is preparing to leave on his mission and start a very exciting phase of life. Afterwards, we gathered at Cafe Rio for dinner. Her are some family pics.

Deanna, Jonathan and Trudy

Five of the seven kids (Sorry I missed Denise and Brandon)
Wyndon, Jonathan, Sharla, Trudy, Brien and Deanna.

Sharla, Jonathan, Denise, and Brett(Deanna's son)

My other fantastic sister in law, Vyla, is always taking pictures.

These four grew up together and have remained great friends, even though they are related.
Orson, nephew Brien, nephew Wyndon, cousin Tim

Haircut

2009-07-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Megan finally had her first haircut. I know she turned 4 in May, but there just wasn't a great need, and she was terrified of having scissors near her head. Our neice, Sharla is fantastic and she took on the challenge. I'll let the progression of pictures speak for themselves.

Independence Day

2009-07-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

For some ridiculous reason, we were in town for the Fourth of July. We will try to remedy that in the future.

Rachael decided to sell some brownies and with these cuties, she made $48.

Katie was festive.

We had cousins over for barbeque and swimming.
Jordan
Russ and Nathan
Wyndon

I made cake pops.

The gang watching fireworks. Gunner, Jordan, Orson, Mary, Wyndon, Russ, Nathan, Anna, Hobie and Rachael

End of June

2009-06-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

We had a few activities to finish out the month. Most of them involved this:

Did you think that was me? No, Katie only sounds like me on the phone!

I am so glad we built a pool a few years ago. Not only is it a great way to stay cool, it's a great place for a photoshoot.

Rachael's friend Brooke

Anna on the trampoline

Megan looking adorable

Rachael the master at posing

We had our good friends, the Marshall's over.

Orson and Eli grilling our food

Dixie checking out the girls trick

Katie, Taran, Emma, Megan, Anna, Rachael

Finally a couple of girlfriends took me to lunch to celebrate my birthday.

We went to a great little place called "Sauce"

The inside of my pizza was delicious

I never did get to taste Dixie's salad

Here's why they say blonde's have more fun. Karry is a lot of fun!

Summer Reading

2009-06-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well hello to everyone. I have some great (well I might be exaggerating) summer reading for you. I have finally updated the blog with 12 new posts. Some of them are rather lengthy. Just in case you care what we are doing, get your spectacles on and enjoy. Thanks for stopping by and scrolling down.

Twenty and counting

2009-06-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We started the day by waking up at 4:00 a.m. and taking Nathan to the airport for his trip to Europe. Then it was back to bed.
We met here for dinner.

Orson had a few surprises up his sleeve.
At least he had one big one!
When I was pregnant with Nathan Orson bought me a ring for Mother's Day. We called it my maternity ring because I had outgrown my wedding ring. It was a small gold band that I wore since that day. For 17 years that band has reminded me of the birth of each of my 5 children.
Well, those birthing days are over, and it's time for the big girl ring as we are fondly calling it. It is 14K white gold with 1.2 karats of diamonds. Did I mention that I love diamonds? Wow, what a surprise.

If you've never been to the Melting Pot to have their fondue, you have got to go. It is so much fun.
Here I am with all my goodies from the evening.
Words can't even express how much I love and appreciate Orson. Thanks for loving me all these years and blessing me with the most amazing family. I look forward to the next 20.

Father's Day

2009-06-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

What would we do without him? Thanks for all your hard work for our family. We love you!

Dream Trip

2009-06-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

About 2 1/2 years ago, when Orson turned 40, I threw him a huge surprise party with over 100 people. Afterwards I told him, "When I turn 40, I don't want a party, just take me out of the country." Well, true to his word, in honor of my birthday, and our 20th wedding anniversary, we took a big trip. Now, this is only the 3rd time in 20 years we have taken a big trip by ourselves, except for our honeymoon. In 1997 we went to Florida for 5 days. In 2004 we spent 9 days in Hawaii. This past week we stayed at an all inclusive, couples only resort in CANCUN! I will spare you all 200 pictures, but will give you a small glimpse into our week.

I couldn't begin our adventure without telling about our travels. We had some United Airline miles and so we booked our "free" flight along with the $60 in fees per person. In the months since we originally booked our flights, they were changed 3 times due to "flight reductions." So, we left our home at 4:00 a.m. on June 10. Nathan drove us to the airport. Our flight left Phoenix at 6:00 a.m. and we arrived in Los Angeles at 7:10 a.m. Wait, we're going the wrong direction. After a 2 hour layover, we boarded Alaska Airlines to fly to Cancun. Who knew? We had just over a four hour flight and made it to Mexico around 3:00. First you have to get in line and go through immigration. Plus with the swine flu outbreak we had to fill out more paperwork about our health. After picking up our luggage we waited in another LONG line to re-scan our luggage. Then we got to play a little game. We got to push a button and if the light came up green, then you got to keep walking. If it was red, they went through all of your luggage. We got the green light. Then we were accosted before we got out the door by salespeople trying to get us to come visit their resort. Then it was off to find the shuttle for the resort. We finally made it around 6:00 p.m. Wow, that only took 12 hours.

But let me tell you, it was worth the wait.This was the most beautiful beach and water I have ever seen.
Here is the Sun Palace Resort that we stayed in.
We were on the top floor with beautiful views.
Orson checking into our room.
Every night we had our room decorated.

Can you see the double jacuzzi in the background? Fabulous!!!!

The great thing about an all inclusive resort is that your food and activities have already been paid for. The Palace Resorts have 11 properties with 4 being in close proximity to where we were, so you good eat at all of them. Our resort had a steak house, Italian restaurant, Mexican restaurant and poolside snack bar.
When my seafood soup said it had shrimp in it, they weren't kidding.

My cannelloni was delicious.

This was dinner at the Mexican restaurant.

Our favorite meal was at a Japanese restaurant over at the Cancun Palace. Here is how we got there.It was only 15 pesos for both Orson and I each way.

This was our chef.
making my fried rice.

A volcanic onion.
There was so much food!

One day we did what was called the jungle tour. We left from the Iguana Laguna.
You can see how it got its name. They were everywhere.
We were in a group of 8 and each couple got their own speed boat. We drove through the lagoon and out into the ocean for about 20 minutes. Then we snorkled for probably 45 minutes. There was a coral reef and tons of fish. It was so beautiful. I thought I would be scared, but I actually found it to be peaceful.
Orson driving the boat.
Our guide.
Our guide's boat. I cannot get over the color of the water.

This is the Moon Palace. It is the largest of the resorts with over 2500 rooms. Our resort only had about 250 rooms.
By far our favorite experience was swimming with the dolphins. We spent an hour in the water with them. It was incredible.

Reading on our balcony was a great way to start the morning.

This was our view from the restaurant where they had the breakfast and lunch buffet.

This was our view from the snack bar by the play pool. There were four different pools.

This is what we saw when we walked outside.
My babe lounging on the beach.
Last minute pictures before heading to the airport. It was hard to say goodbye.

Now, I have to document our trip home as well. We got on the resort shuttle at 9:40 a.m. We got to the airport about 10:00 and after filling out the medical form asking if we were sick, we all got our temperature taken right there in the terminal. Then we got in the line for United airlines which did not open until 10:30.
When they finally opened, we were informed our flight had been delayed an hour. Plus our suitcase weighed too much, so we had to take our laptop our and carry it on. Our flight finally left at 2:00 after our suitcases had sat on the tarmac during a thunderstorm. We then took a four hour flight to Chicago. Coming through immigration and customs in America took about 3 minutes. Very interesting! After a 3 hour layover in Chicago, we were finally boarding for our 4 hour flight home at 9:00 p.m. We landed at 10:45 Arizona time and got home at 11:30, which was 1:30 a.m. to our weary bodies.
But, the very best part of leaving, was coming home. Here's what we found.
A clean house.

A sign from each of the girls. Nathan was away at EFY or I'm sure he would have made us a sign, too.

A sight for sore and tired eyes. All is well!
Enjoy the slideshow of beach scenes.

To be 17

2009-06-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

This cake says it all. My boy is growing up so fast. I could not be a prouder mom. I watch Nathan in amazement every day. He never ceases to amaze me. Heavenly Father knew that I needed to be blessed with a son. I am forever grateful.

The big FOUR-O, OH MY

2009-06-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

Oh happy day. I am forty years old. It's time to embark on a new decade. One of the reasons I look forward to this is that I feel it will be the decade of grandkids. No more kids for me. After two decades of giving birth, I will pass it on to the next generation. But, I digress. Let's talk about my birthday!!!
In January I heard that you could get into Disneyland FREE on your birthday. So, I decided that I was going to take myself to Disneyland, by myselft for my fortieth birthday. And that's just what I did.
However, I did take along a few buddies. My mom came as well as my sister Ally and my good friend Dixie Marshall. Ally, Dixie and I made the trek from AZ to my parents house on Sunday, May 31. We woke up bright and early Monday morning and made the 35 mile drive to the Happiest Place on Earth. Don't we look happy? The weather was great. It was overcast and cold enough to wear sweatshirts. It's what we Southern Californians call the June Gloom. I love it!
Dixie made us all lanyards to hold our water bottles and they were fantastic. We couldn't stop talking about them all day.
The other thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to eat at the Blue Bayou, which is the restaurant inside Pirates of the Carribean. I have never in all my years eaten there. It was absolutely delicious. I got a free dessert, but it wasn't as good as the one we paid for.

We pretty much closed out the park, leaving at 10:40 p.m. I had such a fun time and want to thank my birthday buddies for sharing this special day with me.

Encampment

2009-05-30T23:34:00.000-07:00

This year our stake decided to do an encampment for the boys that would be more like girls camp. They left shortly after school got out and were gone for five days. They had a great time.

The baby

2009-05-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

My baby sister, Ally is 27. How can that be? I'm pretty sure I just celebrated that birthday myself. Ally was 5 years old when I left home to go to college. She doesn't even remember me before Orson came into the picture. She was 7 when I got married. She and I look the most alike. (Yes, I used to look something like that!)In fact if you look at pictures of Ally and Rachael when they were 6, it's hard to tell them apart. When I was in the thick of having kids, she would often come out in the summer and help me. She drove with us as we moved from Utah to San Francisco. Our favorite story from that trip is when she got car sick (which happened quite often with us). She told us she was going to throw up and we told her to do it into a trash bag. After listening to her heave, she announces "The bag has a hole in it". We pulled over and threw the bag on the side of the road right next to a NO LITTERING sign. We were great examples from the start. Ally is a great athlete. She played college softball for four years. I was so excited when she and her husband, Waylaynd moved out here after graduation. It has been a blast getting to know her. Even though she lives all the way out in Queen Creek (which I call western New Mexico), we try to see each other often.
So on this special day, I got a Cold Stone butterfinger ice cream cake and she just had to come celebrate with us. I love you Al!

Memorial Day

2009-05-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

We usually spend this week in California because of the cool weather. But, it didn't work out this year, so we decided to take the kids to a local resort for a mini vacation before Katie had to start summer school and Nathan had to leave for the stake encampment. We chose the Grand Resort which is just off I-10 and Baseline.

They have a great water park and we were able to go to the park for two days with just a one night stay. It was cheaper than going to sunsplash and sleeping at home. The water park had 3 slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, regular pool, volleyball and basketball sections of the pool and a wading pool. Not to mention having your food and drinks delivered to your chair. You just can't beat that.
Here are two of the three slides. The other one was a winding one and Anna was able to ride it.
Here are the kids waiting for tubes in the lazy river.

Here's where we went to dinner.
Here's who greeted us.
Here's how you get to your table.

Um, I took the stairs!
Two cute rustlers!

April Highlights

2009-05-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Karry
Lunch with Liliana, Becky, Jamie and Karry

Easter PagaentAnna with cousin Leah

Diamondbacks game
Orlando Hudson now plays for the Dodgers
Baxter
Manny Ramirez
Nathan and Anna

Easter

Prom
Getting ready

Laura Hughs and Nathan

Last day of school

2009-05-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

School is now out for the summer. We are so excited. It was a weird weather week again this year with lots of storms. Every year our neighbors throw a big bash and the kids have a blast. This year Anna and Megan enjoyed the festivities.

The big finish for the party is always a shaving cream fight. Anna was so excited to be a part of it.

Rachael went to a friends swim party and Katie had some girls over here.

Nathan did not get out of playing at graduation this year. They set up a tent for the orchestra to play under and he ended up sitting of the edge and getting dripped on all night.

End of school highlights

2009-05-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks of school are always crazy busy. Here are some of the activities we attended.
Nathan's gymnastics awards
The great coaches.
Nathan's level 8 and 9 teammates.
Receiving his level 9 award from coach Paris.

Rachael's induction into NJHS

Megan learning to ride her new bike.

Poston's end of the year awards.
Katie and Rachael both received trophy's for 4.0 GPA all year and Rachael received a plaque for one of the top 20 7th graders as voted on by the teachers. Rachael was also the most outstanding 7th grade orchestra student and received a plaque at her last concert. Since I didn't have the blog last year, I also wanted to mention that last year Katie was the most outstanding 7th grader as voted on by the teachers. We are so proud of these beautiful girls.
I didn't get a picture of Nathan's surround sound concert because I was videoing and I don't know how to put that on here. It was amazing. He also played at graduation in the rain. Fun times!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today I got to share a special day with a special girl. This little lady is four years old today. My baby is all grown up.
Megan was due May 3rd and she came on May 10th. I had never gone late with a baby before. Nathan was 5 days early, Katie 10 days, Rachael 7 days and Anna 2 hours. However, during my pregnancy I knew that I did not want to have another epidural. They had been getting worse with each delivery and I just had a bad feeling. Of course, I did nothing to prepare for this natural birth except worry about the pain. One thing was for sure; I was not going to get induced because I would never be able to handle the labor with petocin streaming through my veins. Well, after going a week longer than expected, I had no choice. Luckily the labor was short and Megan was my last child. Can I just say owwwwwww!
But, she was worth it! She completed our family.

Where have I been?

2009-05-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hello to my loyal readers. Have you enjoyed reading the eighties post every day for the past 6 weeks? I know I have. It just doesn't get old. I have been very busy turning this....

into THIS.........

Thanks to Melissa over at The Inspired Room
for hosting a procrastination party. It was just what I needed to jump start this project.

Procrastinator

2009-04-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am joining the procrastinator party over at the inspired room. We have been given two weeks to get a project done. This mess has been making me ill. My office is non functional in this state.

HEEEEEEEEELLLLLP!!!!!!!

I love the 80's

2009-03-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

My good friend JoDee had a birthday. She is a party girl. She had a party. It was a dance. An 80's dance. It was radical. We relived days past. Here are the highlights.
Orson and I striking a prom pose. You'll notice that I look frightened in every photo.
Here is the birthday girl dancing with her husband Andy. They put all the music together on their ipod. Great job!
Michelle is JoDee's sister. We both graduated from high school in 1987. We look H-H-Hot!
Me with Becky Mecham and Becky Hermosillo. We let Becky H. come because she was born in 1980. Sweet young thing! Sill looking scared.

Typical Saturday night dance.

Of course I forgot to get a picture of all the refreshments. I was too busy eating them. And, there is no evidence of my dancing. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

My Pantry

2009-03-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

It's Beautiful Life Friday over at the Inspired Room. Find out how others are celebrating. Since we have focused on organization for the month of March, I wanted to showcase a huge accomplishment. Thanks to help from my mom, we were able to organize my pantry.

In order for that to happen, we had to create my new food storage area.

In order for that to be accomplished, I had to move all of my scrapbooking supplies and photo albums upstairs to my bedroom closet.

Isn't life beautiful? The focus for living a beautiful life in the month of April is Solitude (regular quiet times) I can't wait. Won't you join me? Let me know if you're in and how you plan to make this happen.

New Beginnings

2009-03-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

Every year our young women have a program called new beginnings. They review the personal progress program and welcome any new beehives. This year the theme was...
Each girl got to pick her favorite flower and the bouquet turned out like this...
They sang a beautiful song at the end and Katie and Rachael both sang a solo.
What would an activity be without yummy treats. These did not disappoint...

These girls will always be beautiful to me...

Spring Break

2009-03-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

This year, due to Anna's baptism, we stayed here for the first half of Spring Break, then we headed to California mid week.
Monday, we had a barbeque at the park with a couple of other families.

The boys barbequed.

The girls brought yummy side dishes.

The kids played and played and played with not one altercation. WOW!

Thanks to the Dillards and Mechams for spending time with us.

Wednesday we headed to L.A.

We saw this when we stopped for gas.

Here we are in Palm Desert getting some dinner.I love capturing them from behind.

Thursday was our time with Grandpa Webber at the dentist office. We all had cleanings and there were many cavities to fill. It was so stressful that I didn't even take any pictures.

Friday we went to Universal Studios.
I love this place. I have always been fascinated by the movies.

One of the statues behind them is a real person.

We see lots of different characters.

We have fun taking the tour of the lot.

Rachael, Anna and our guide, Matt.

Scooby-Dooby-Dooooooo

Who-ville

Remember Psycho?

The following shots are of the set of the plane crash in War of the Worlds.

There is a new Simpsons ride. Orson and the four kids went on it. They said it is like Star Tours at Disneyland, only worse. Poor Orson and Katie. Their stomachs don't enjoy these kind of rides.
Down on the lower lot are the two best rides.These are the four escaltors that take you down.
Jurrassic Park is the water ride and it has a really steep hill at the end.

Anna did not appreciate the steepness.

My favorite is The Mummy.It is an indoor roller coaster and it's pretty good. When you get to the end, they take you backwards. Awesome.

We ended the day by going to the City Walk and having dinner at Tony Romas. I was so hungry I didn't take a picture.

Pay it forward

2009-03-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Jo Dee had this great idea. Since I have blog posts backed up the wazoo, I thought this would be an easy way to get going again. So, here is the deal.

The Rules:*Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!*

Winners must post this challenge on their blog, meaning that they will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on their post about this giveaway!*
The gift that you send to your friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Counts!*
When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate pictures and comments! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenter's on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!!

I have started adding new posts, so please scroll down and click on older posts also because they go back to February 14.

The Big Day

2009-03-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the big day we have waited for, for the past eight years. Anna's Baptism.
We started preparing weeks ago.

Katie got her hair just right.

My friend Julie Lara took fabulous pictures at the Mesa Arts Center. Here are some of our favorites.

One of the most special things about today is that Nathan baptized Anna.

Here they are getting ready to leave.

Walking to the stake center.

In front of the font.

In the foyer in front of the Christ picture.

Right after coming out of the font. She was cold.

Katie fixing her hair.

She is ready to get confirmed. Thanks Katie.

With Grandma Webber
Grandpa Webber, Anna and Grandpa Holt

We can't thank everyone enough for supporting Anna today. We had a great turnout. My dad said he counted 36 adults alone in the confirmation room. Here are shots from the after party. We had a great day!

My one year old niece, Kyana, getting the last of the chips.

Breathing Space

2009-03-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Every Friday, Melissa at The inspired room hosts a Beautiful Life party. During the month of March the theme is organization. You can click on the link to see what others are doing. As for me, it all begins here:This is our bed. I can't remember how long ago it started, but it has probably been 3 or 4 years. Orson made the bed. I came into the room and it was done. And he has done it every day since. I cannot tell you how much this has meant to me. It is such a little thing, but it's those little things that make marriages great. Every time I look at my beautifully made bed, I am filled with love for the man who sacrifices his time to do that for me.

So, since our room had been a dumping ground since before Christmas, I finally cleaned it up. Now I can heave a sigh of relief when I walk in.

So how did I achieve this state of bliss? Well, take a look at my office......

HEEEEEEEEELLLLLP!!!!!!!

The big EIGHT!

2009-03-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that Anna is eight years old. Time is certainly flying by. In our family we have a tradition of serving breakfast in bed. We must have started it on a weekend because we definitely would not have done it at this crazy hour of the morning had we realized.

Anyway, pancakes, eggs and toast are usually on the menu.

We made Anna move to our bed this year because Megan had not been feeling well and we didn't want to wake her up.

She was so excited to get her own set of scriptures.

Happy birthday Anna! We love you!!!

Senior Citizen

2009-03-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

Today my dad turned 65. In my mind, he is only 40. But, then I realize that I will be turning 40. Life is surreal. Here he is with his girls this past Thanksgiving. From left to right: Jenna, my mom, me and Ally. My sister Michelle lives in Colorado.

Fun facts about my dad (at least they are fun to me)
He is a dentist-he went to dental school at Loyola in Chicago.
He is an avid tennis player-I have never beat him in a set because he is a speedy critter and he plays with both hands (I can only win one or two games, and he doesn't believe in letting you win)
He plays on a city league softball team with boys I went to high school with.
He keeps a daily log of all his activities-he can tell you the score of a tennis match he played 15 years ago.
He started running races with us last summer. He is faster than me.
He has the driest sense of humor. I don't know where he comes up with some of this stuff.
He still plays church basketball.
He is 5' 8" and he and I were in a regional basketball sharpshooting contest when I was in highschool.
He and I were in a road show together where he was a worm and I was an apple core.
He eats popcorn, pepsi and ice cream every night.
He was 4'11" and 95 pounds when he started high school.
He is an avid Laker and Dodger fan.

Happy birthday dad!!!!!

March Birthdays

2009-03-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Miller, Anna and Grandpa Webber

In our family we have a unique situation. In 2001, my sister, Jennna and I were expecting babies 3 weeks apart. My sister is 5 years younger than me and this was to be my fourth and her third baby. Through this time, we came to find out that we both wanted to name our babies Lindsay. It really wouldn't be that big of a deal, considering we have different last names and we live far apart. However, we decided to put Lindsay as Anna's middle name. I was due on March 12 and Jenna was due 3 weeks later. So, as the time approached, my mom came to help. Well, Jenna went into labor early and my mom flew to Utah to help her instead, considering she had much smaller children. So, Linday entered the world on March 9th, two days ahead of Anna, who came just two hours shy of her due date. It's so fun to have cousins so close in age.

The other fun part of this story is that my dad's birthday is March 10. So, we have Lindsay on March 9, my dad on March 10 and Anna on March 11.

Sadies

2009-03-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

Here's how Nathan was asked to the Sadie Hawkins dance.

Here he is going on his day activity with Markie Palmer.

They did a photo scavenger hunt for part of the activity. I guess they started in the car.

Here they are the night of the dance. They had cute shirts made for their group.

30

2009-02-20T22:57:00.000-08:00

Today my brother-in-law, Wayland turned 30. My sister had a big night planned.
Orson and I got all gussied up.

Then, this arrived at our house.

Here we are, the Fab Four. How did I get in the front in this picture? Me, Orson, Wayland and Ally.

Ally is so excited about the racketball rackets we got him.

Here is some of the gang inside the limo.

This is the steakhouse we went to for dinner in Scottsdale.

The cute couple.

The whole crew at dinner.

To top off the night, we went to a comedy club. For 12 bucks you get 90 minutes of good, clean entertainment. You wanna go sometime?

30 looks good! Happy birthday Wayland. We love you!!!!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T22:38:00.000-08:00

Here are some great photos of how Orson and I spent Valentine's Day together.

Well, they aren't great pictures, but we had a great time. Nathan had a meet. So, we had dinner at 4:30 at Charlston's and then headed to Phoenix to watch Nathan compete. I wish I took better pictures. After, we took Nathan to Z Tejas. So, we ate two dinners and one dessert. We got home at 11:30. That's love!

Pre Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T10:10:00.000-08:00

I have been in a funk. This is the week of LOVE and I have not been feeling it. I love reading blogs and seeing all the cute things people do for their families and the adaorable decorations that go along with this holiday. I used to have decorations for this time of year. I love to decorate for the holidays. I don't have any. I found the heart cookie cutters and Megan has taken them to the floor of her closet. They probably won't get used to make cookies. I have been racking my tired, groggy brain as to what to do for my love this year. I got nothin'! He has been working late for weeks. We're talking getting home between 10 and 12. I have been a tax widow for 15 years now, but some weeks are still harder than others. Last night as he called to check in at 8:30, he was really trying to connect so he asked me how my day was going and what did I do. For some reason I was so annoyed. I don't want to tell you about doing the laundry. I just don't. Who cares. If push came to shove, my family would wear dirty clothes and not care. Many mornings I have found the hampers dumped out as people searched for what they wanted to wear. I am getting off track.

So, today I thought I am finally going to clean my room. This will be my gift to Orson. He will be able to walk in the dark without saying "OUCH!" I should have taken a before picture, but I didn't want it documented. I'll post after pictures later. Anyway, as I took a break, I was reading Kimba's blog and last year she had a great post that resonated with me. Here are a few scriptures to show you where I'm going with this:

Proverbs 21:9 - Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Then this one...Proverbs 21:19 - Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.

And my personal favorite...Proverbs 27:15 - A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day.

Okay, my only solace is that I am not alone in this. I am not the only one who struggles at the end of a crazy day to smile and greet the man they love with a hug and kiss. However, this year for Valentine's Day, I would like to give my husband a gift he has never gotten before. A non-grouchy wife. I have got to change my mood. I can no longer resent the fact that I have to set the tone of our house. Orson is just so much better at being happy than me. It's who he is and how he came. I am starting to regret this rant, but I don't want people to think after they read my braggy Christmas letter, that life is perfect for me. We learn and grow closer to one another by opening up about our struggles and fears. I am not looking for pity here, either. I just love my family so much and wonder why it is so hard for me to express that.

I really appreciate all the kind words that are left for me in the comments. I love every one of you who takes the time to read this. I have great friends. Look for a much more uplifting post tomorrow.

Hope

2009-02-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

If you read this post then you'll know that I have been on a quest to improve my homemaking skills. I found this site that I absolutely love. Go here to check it out. Wish me luck!

Day at the Dentist

2009-02-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

This is what Megan looked like this morning. Except for the smile. My dad is a dentist and even though he practices in California, he has always taken care of us. That is until Anna and Megan showed up with horrible teeth. Megan was the latest to have two crowns done. I have never even had a crown. My dad told me with these two that he couldn't do it and to take them to a pediadontist in AZ. Boy is it expensive. So, this morning we got to the office at 7:30 a.m. so she could drink the sedation medicine. She bit the doctor during this procedure as well. After 45 minutes, she was taken back and administered the gas like shown in the picture. I could hear her scream as I sat in the waiting room. I am exhausted. The doctor said it sounded worse than it was. In a month we get to go back so he can do 2 more on the other side. Joy! So, now I have been watching her sleep for the past 3 1/2 hours. I hate the dentist. Love you Dad!

Tips

2009-02-02T17:55:00.000-08:00

I saw this on a strangers blog today and wanted to keep them for myself, so I thought I'd share.

DID YOU KNOW?

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simple chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yum

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mix er for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- ta da! -- static is gone.

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...

Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove-top-skillet will be much easier to clean now.

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces-no more stains.

When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead-no white mess on the outside of the cake.

If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato-it absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up."

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator -- it will keep for weeks.

Coming Clean

2009-02-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

Today I am coming out of the closet, or as I like to call it, coming clean. Here goes: I am not a great homemaker. There, I've said it. This has been a struggle for me my entire married life, of almost 20 years. You would not believe how messy our house was even before we had kids. Don't get me wrong, I know how to clean. I was a janitor at BYU and I can do amazing things with a toothpick. I just have never been able to figure out a system to keep my house together. I can honestly say that I have never once had my entire house clean at the same time. There has always been some hidden "crap" somewhere. I'm not saying that we live in filth, either, I just feel like I am consumed by thoughts of my house almost 24/7. Of course, this all came to me today as I finally cleaned by bathroom after months of neglect. I even scrubbed the shower, and that probably had not been done...well, I can't even remember. Are you thinking less of me? Does anyone else have boxes of stuff they don't know where to put so it just moves from room to room? Am I alone in this? (Can you tell what time of the month it is?) I'd love to hear how you keep up with your house. I know this is a skill that can be learned and mastered. My greatest concern is what attitude I am teaching my girls about being a homemaker. It can't look great to them by the way I act. Thanks for reading my rant. I am off to dust my bedroom.

Our little doll

2009-02-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

Rachael love to dress Megan up. All the accessories are from her build a bear. Too cute!