Easy Homemade Bread Recipe

I don't know where this recipe came from.  My mother-in-law typed it and printed it onto a blue recipe card for my husband years ago.  I love using this recipe with my Kitchen Aide because it is so simple.  It is still a double rise recipe so it takes some time but it is well worth the effort.  So for all you new Kitchen Aide owners out there (you know who you are), here it is.

Homemade Bread

3 Cups Lukewarm water

2 Tbs yeast granule (or 2 packets)

1/2 cup salad oil, melted butter, or melted shortening (I use oil)

1/2 cup plus 1 tsp white sugar

1 heaping Tbs salt

11 cups all purpose flour (give or take, I ususally use less for a softer bread)

In a large, warmed bowl, pour: 1 cup lukewarm water.  In the water dissolve: 1 tsp. white sugar. Over the water sprinkle: 2 Tblsps yeast granules.  Let stand 10 minutes, then stir until yeast is completly dissolved.  Then stir in: 2 cups lukewarm water, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 heaping Tbs salt, 1/2 cup oil, butter or shortening.  Beat, then stir in 1 cup at a time: about 9 cups all purpose bread flour (the Kitchen Aide makes this easy).  To knead by hand: Scrape the dough onto a well floured surface, sprinkle it with flour and knead it.  Gather the dough together in your hands and push it away from you with your palms.  Fold it in half towards you, then turn 1/4 turn and repeat pushing, folding, and turning, sprinkling flour on the dough to keep it from sticking, this may take up to a cupful more.  Keep kneading for several minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. (or just keep adding dough to Kitchen Aide bowl until it is too big then finnish off kneading by hand.  If dough is sticky you need more flour.)

After kneading, put the dough in a large oiled bowl, and flip to coat both sides with oil. (I just leave it in the Kitchen Aide bowl and cover it with a clean towel)  Loosley cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place, near a woodstove or in an oven that has been preheated for 30 seconds then turned off.  Let rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled.  Punch the dough down to remove air bubbles (this is my favorite part), then divide into 3 parts.  Shape each into a loaf and place into a greased loaf pan.  Cover the loaves with a dish towel and put in a warm place again to rise the second time.  The loaves should double, about 1 hour.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 min.  When bread is golden brown on top and bottom and bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, it's done.

I forgot to take a picture after it was baked as they quickly disappeared to friends and neighbors.  If you have any questions e-mail or leave me a message here.

Being Angry With God

Throughout my life I've always been taught that God was there for me, not as some omnipresent, out of reach entity but as a loving Father in Heaven who knows my triumphs, trials and everyday struggles.  I have always had a relationship with Him that models a typical parent/child relationship.  As such, I seek His counsel often and when I ask Him for something the answer will be Yes, No or Not Right Now.  As most children I would only be immediatly happy with the first answer and have spent a good deal of time angry with Him.  When I was deciding where to attend college the resonse to my first choice was no. 

 

The first time I remember distinctly being angry with God was my Sophmore year in high school.  I had a friend who was passing through a difficult time and was praying for a spiritual confirmation and was horribly discouraged and saddened that he had not recieved an answer.  I spent weeks pleading with the Lord to give him what he was asking for and then became angry and withdrawn for a time before realizing how much I needed to stay close to God.  This would not be my first experience of having a arguement (for lack of a better word) with diety.

 

When I was looking into grad school I felt strongly that I needed to serve a full-time mission for a year and a half.  I fought Him on this point for several months arguing that there was no way I could learn a foreign language and that I had nothing to offer.  Eventually I succumed and had the most trying, amazing, difficult, rewarding experience of my life (apart from raising my children).  Upon returning I met a good man who wanted to marry me and after about a month of dating felt very strongly that I was not to marry him.  I was horribly heart broken.  After college I interviewed for jobs in Houston, Albequerque, Boise and Seattle.  I got the job in Seattle (my least favorite choice) and though I hated the idea of being that far from home felt that is what I should do.  The job was not a good situation for me and I resigned after six months.  All of these experiences were difficult for me and at times I felt very angry that I was not given what I wanted.

 

Looking back, I am sure that the path I am on now is not the path I would have chosen for myself and I am so glad I listened to the impressions I felt in my heart when I searched for guidance through prayer.  I am sure that I will have many more experiences where things happen in my life and I feel I have cause to be angry with God.  My suggestion for you and for myself is to remember that just like a parent God has our best interest at heart and as parents have more life experience than their children He has more experience than us and can put us on the path that is the best for us.  So if you need to be angry with God for a bit, be angry but work to get past that anger quickly so you can get back to having His guidance in your life.

 

 "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."   Luke 11:9

Fear and Faith

With everything that is happening in our world today we have a choice as to how we approach it, with fear or with faith.  There are scary things out there in the world, of this I have no doubt but does the bad outweigh the good?  I honestly believe there is more good in the world than bad.  I am reminded of that everytime a neighbor helps me out or a rough looking stranger opens a door for me or a friend extends a helping hand when I am overwhelmed.

 

On of my favorite scriptures is 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."  This has given me peace when things happen that are beyond my control or when I see someone go through a terrible tragedy.  We can not let fear of the bad that might happen hold us back from doing good.  Satan wants us to be afraid of reaching out to strangers and nieghbors.  I have had so many small encounters with strangers that have lifted my spirits on a hard day because I simply started a conversation or smiled at them.  There is still need for caution but not fear.

 

Another scripture that has helped me is 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear..."  When I feel afraid I try to remember the love that God has for me.  I have confidence that I am here for a purpose and so are my children.  If one of our lives were to be cut short it would be very difficult but I know we would be reunited after this life is over. 

 

I know that God loves us.  Yes, bad things happen sometimes, even horrible things.  God will not take a person's ability to choose away from them, even when they choose to harm others; but that does not change the fact that God loves us.  He weeps for our heartaches and soars in our triumphs, and someday when our lives are over He will hold us in His arms and we will feel His peace. 

 

May we have patience and faith as we face the harships of this life knowing that all wrongs will be made right in the world to come so we must endure for now.  Hold on to the fact that God does love us and it is that love that casts out our fears.

Navigating Life

Last weekend I traveled with my two littles over a snowy mountain pass to attend my niece's birthday.  I was aware that a storm was coming that afternoon and we started out at about 1:00.  The rain started about ten minutes into our drive and was coming down hard.  It was hard off and on for the next half hour; as we gained elevation the rain got slushy and was hail for a while.  It wasn't long before there was a layer of slush on the road and I found myself sliding off the road.  There was a moment before we went into the ditch when I looked back at my kids in the back seat and then we came to a stop.  Long story short, no one was hurt, we didn't even get stuck and now I need a new bumper.  We were lucky, no, not lucky, blessed to come out so well.

 

This experience got me to thinking about life's journey.  I know what my ultimate goal is, and I have tools to help me get there but I rarely anticipate the challenges I will face before I reach my destination.  A large part of my life journey has been seeking the path that God has for me.  I truly belive He has a plan for me and while that plan includes many twists, turns, and surprises along the way it is the best path for me and has brought more joy than I could have imagined.

 

So, you may ask, how did I find this path and how do I know when I'm on the right path.  Just as we are given tools on road trips we are also given tools to help us in life's journey.  When the path isn't clear we are use our winshield wipers, they are like prayer.  They clear our vision and we choose the frequency of our discussions with diety.  When we find ourselves needing light we have headlights, they are like studying the scriptures, doctrine sheds light on our path.  The steering wheel is like the choices we make.  Our choices determine our direction.  Brakes are things that slow us from reaching our destination, uncertainty, trials or distractions that slow our progress.  The accelorator is attending church meetings and having meaningful gospel discussions.  Many times I have had great faith building experiences at church meetings that have propelled me forward on my path.

 

I am so grateful to have turned this frightening experience into a learning expereince.  I guess it's just one of those surprises in my path that the Lord has used to teach and guide me.  I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Christmas season.  Take some time to look for life's lessons in your life today and be extra careful on the roads.

Out Of This World

Kids are strange and there are times when they are really out there and I wonder if they are from some other planet.  Whether it's trying to get out of a chore or working on an art project they dance to the beat of their own drum.  The upside of this is that they force me to see the world from a fresh perspective and that is out of this world.

The Christmas Spirit

After Thanksgiving comes we're in full Christmas mode at our house. By this time I've hopefully gotten any handmade Christmas gifts made (if I wait too long I stress and crafting becomes impossible).  My husband starts playing Christmas songs on the piano...and the radio, we put up the tree, we start making Christmas candy and the shopping begins.  I was having a little trouble getting into the spirit of it all this year and just feeling rushed until one night...

We attended a Nativity exhibit at a church.  Each year they have individuals lend them their nativitys and they display them in the gymnasium.  They have crafts for the kids, live music, a live nativity, a place to dress up and get your picture taken in a stable and we look forward to it every year.  There was such a peaceful feeling when we entered the gym.  The kids walked quietly around with us looking at each version of the Christmas story.  There wer nativities from Honduras, Italy, Africa, and even some made out of legos.  Some were hand sewn, made of metal, paper, cloth, ceramic and wood.  We moved excitedly from one activity to the next and I really felt ready for Christmas.

It is my hope that this year we can focus on the real reason for the season.  I  am so grateful for a God who loved us enough to send His son to live on this earth, suffer and die for each of us.  I know that Christ was rusurrected and because He lived again we will all live again.  This knowledge gives me great peace in my life and hope for a beautiful future.  Merry Christmas!

Looking Beyond The Obvious

I am associated with quite a few individuals through church, pre-school, and community happenings that have gotten me to thinking about people in general and why they do what they do.  What I have discovered is that what you see in people's lives is rarely the whole story.  We can often get caught up in what we think is going on with people and miss what's going on in their lives. 

Just like a laptop looks simple from the outside, so do people.  On the outside the laptop is only a screen and keyboard, inside are circuits, receptors and all kinds of gizmos I don't understand.  When dealing with people their lives may appear simple but when we get to know them better we come to know the challenges they face, their struggles and what they've overcome to get where they are.  So the next time you find yourself wondering about someone, give them the benefit of the doubt, what you see is rarely the whole story.

Being The Mom-Happy Moments

Life as a mother is CRAZY.  Not too long ago I had four additional kids at my house for about three hours and it can feel overwhelming at times.  In my average day there are dirty diapers, dirty dishes, broken toys and constantly hungry children.  In life I have found it incredibly important to watch for those quiet, happy moments when all is well and there is nothing but love and peace.  When I can stop what I'm doing to hug a child or wipe away a tear or just listen to what they have to say.  In these moments I feel fulfilled as a mother and fing that all the craziness is worth it.

Thankfuls

When I was in college one year my roomate came home with a big roll of paper and covered the back of our front door; she told us it was our thankful wall.  We spent the next few weeks writting down things we were thankful for.  As friends an neighbors would come over they would also add to our wall.  It was a great excercise in counting our blessings and we saw it everytime we left the house.

 

This is our thankful wall this year.  My goal was to have each member of our family add one thing each day.  The kids drew pictures and I wrote.  We missed several days but it was a really good excercise for me to take time counting our blessings.  If you're wondering why Tylenol, Doctors, and Strong Bones are listed it's because my five-year-old broke his wrist about two weeks ago. I am so thankful it was not a bad break this time.

 

On the second day I asked my three-year-old what he was thankful for and he said, "ME."  I wasn't sure how to tell him that he wasn't allowed to be thankful for himself (we sure are thankful for him) so we put that he was thankful for his body and he drew a picture of himself (see lower right corner).  You will be happy to know that the first things on our list were sisters, friends and grandparents.  We have been so blessed to have so many amazing people in our lives and look forward to all the memories we will make with all of you in the years to come.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Widfelts

Every so often you find special friends...

 the kind of friends that stick by you in all your adventures...

 whether you're just haning out...

 or off to save the day.

Our friends have moved to Canada.  We wish you well.

I hope you will have some great adventures in Canada. You will be missed.

Happy Halloween

We had so much fun getting ready for Halloween this year.  We have a costume closet and the boys are always dressing up with their friends and playing pretend.  This is the first time I asked the boys what they wanted to be for Halloween and we hunted for costumes.  If you don't recognize the little one he's Green Arrow a little known cartoon action figure.  

The funny thing is that they changed their minds about two or three times a day but when my almost three-year-old decided on this one it stuck.  He saw it on a movie and has really been into bows and arrows lately so we borrowed a bow and quiver from a friend and found him a hood.  We had a trunk or treat with our church friends where we had the kids come around to our cars in the church parking lot (so much faster and easier than door to door).  I call it the great candy exchange as we buy candy for other people's kids and they give our kids some.  On Halloween night we spent the evening at Uncle Sandy's making homemade donuts and rootbeer while the kids played and watched a movie.

Making It Work

We have a fair number of crows that live in our neighborhood and they are always finding ways to amaze and sometimes disgust us.  Lately there is a crow that has been cracking nuts on the road in front of our house.  He takes a nut, flies up about 15-20 feet and drops the nut over and over.  The first time I saw it I thought it was just a crazy bird until I figured out what it was doing.  We've watched it for a couple weeks now and that seems to be the preferred method of opening nuts, though my husband claims he's also seen crows leave nuts in the road and watch for someone to run them over.  He says they are really smart and has several really good crow stories.  Ask him about it sometime.

 

Anyway the lesson I learned from this crazy bird is that sometimes we just have to find a way to make things work; kids get sick, cars break down, dinner gets burned, people fall through.  My motto lately is "adapt" or "be flexible."  Stressing about the situation does nothing to change it so all you can do is choose a plan of action and make it work.  Most days will pass wether much gets done or not, what does matter on days like this is if you snaped at your kids or your friends and damaged relationships with unkind words.  I need to work on this one.  Here's to a week of trying a little harder to be patient when things don't go as planned.  Wish me luck.

Number 5

When you're little birthdays are a really big deal.  This year we had so much fun doing our not-so-little boy's favorite things. First, we opened presents...

then we took pictures with his camera.

 We made spiders to put on his cake...then we ate them. 

 We carved pumpkins, okay so maybe that was my favorite.

 We finnished the day by building legos and playing games.

Here's to another great year little one.  I'm so proud of the little man you're becoming.

The Team Player

Growing up I pretty much decided that I should never play team sports.  We used to play basketball in the driveway at home and there were always fouls left and right (partially because we were so bad at basketball that fouling was the only way to get the ball and partially becuase we didn't know the rules very well).  I had a very aggressive nature and soon realized that it was better if I stuck to sports where the competitors were seperated by a net.  I did make an exception and played intermural flag football in college with my roomates; we had so much fun but got called for unneccisary roughness many times. 

 

In high school I played tennis and after a year and a half playing doubles my coach figured out I did better on my own.  In college I played intermural tennis, dodgeball, volleyball and flag football.  In all the time I played it was all about having fun and I was never very competitive and I never played on a cohesive team, until now.

 

I started playing with a team at church three years ago.  This is my third year playing with these ladies and I love it.  Our season is only about 9 weeks long but I look forward to it every year.  I've learned so much about being part of a team and being in it together.  We have two more games until the season's over and I will be so sad.  Thanks ladies for turning me into a real team player!

Squirrel Season

One of the interesting things about this time of year is how busily the squirrels are working.  It is too funny to watch them running around the yard picking up nuts and leaves and carrying them off.  We were out in the yard a couple of weeks ago and I hadn't realized I'd left the front door hanging open.  Before long a squirrel ran through the flower bed in front of the house and ran into the open screen door.  He must have been disoriented because when he got up he walked into our living room.

 

He must not have known what to do as he went about ten feet into the house and just stopped.  In my head I'm thinking, this could go really bad.  I was remembering the time a wild cat got into the house when we were growing up and we spent about 15 minutes chasing it around watching it climb curtains and run into windows in an attempt to escape.  Everyone was outside and the back door was locked so there was no other way to get into the house so I slowly walked through the door.  I sent the kids away from the door and walked around the living room staying as far away from the squirrel as possible.  When I got in front of him and started towards him he ran outside and up the tree. 

 

 I haven't seen our little squirrel friends around lately so he is probably all ready for winter sleeping in some tree somewhere in our neighborhood.  The kids still talk about the day the squirrel came in our house.

All Tuckered Out

The other day I was working on my computer when my little one came over and laid down on the couch.  He soon fell asleep and after a while started to squirm trying to find a comfortable position and this was the one he chose.  I even tried to have him lay on my arm and hold his head in my hand but he pulled away.  After we took the picture I did lay him down was this just looked painful.  So next time you're lying in bed and can't seem to get comfortable try sitting up, it worked for this little man. :)

Compensating

I've fought with hip pain on and off for the past three years.  I've learned that I have to watch for the warning signs when I need to get a little help.  The soreness usually starts when I sit for too long or I stress the muscles.  My low back gets achy and that's a good indication I need to slow down.  A couple weeks ago I had done a bunch of physical work and I had a couple really sore days.  The first day I was stiff, the second day I was stiffer, by the third day the pain was tolerable and the fourth day the pain was almost gone.  I had already decided to go to the chiropractor so I went and I was really glad I did as there was an amazing amount of things that needed some adjusting.

 

So this is what I learned from this expereince; we are made for change, physically and mentally.  When something needs fixing, or is just off in our lives it doesn't take long before we start to compensate for that weak spot, in my case it only took four days from putting something out of place to barely remembering it happened.  So when you have an argument or make a mistake don't waste any time before setting it right.  If you let it go your mind will compensate until you've found a way to live with it.  The longer you let it go, the harder and more painful it is to fix it.  I learned this when I waited to go to the chiropractor several months after having my first child.  After my first visit I was so badly out of alignment that I hurt for three days.  It's always better to fix things as soon as possible.

Water Painting

So, if you're ever in the mood for an art project that requires NO cleaning up afterwards this is great.  Water painting.  I got this idea from my sister-in-law and it was such a good one.  We don't have much sidewalk that's good for this as it needs to be smooth but when my kids finnished on the porch they started into the individual rocks on our path.  We were out there for an hour and I laid down on a blanket on the front lawn and just soaked up the sun.  The best part is that when we were done we just went in the house.  No clean up and everyone was happy we got to go outside.

Being the Mom-A Sick Day

When I was young I loved sick days. My mom had nursing experience so we really had to be sick in order to stay home.  My favorite part of being sick was hanging out on the couch sleeping and watching TV.  My favorite show was "The Price Is Right."  I spent many days home being sick, getting out of chores and getting all the sleep I could stand.

 

Once you become the Mom your sick day activities change, I'm not talking about being sick yourself, I'm talking about when everyone else gets sick.  When you have young children that have some kind of stomach bug it's such a guessing game.  Sunday morning my little one woke me up and said, "I sick."  The poor kid wasn't kidding.  I spent most of that day on the couch with him with a towel on our laps "becuase it's cold in here," atleast, that's what I told him.  We read books, played cards and even watched a Christmas movie (not my first choice).  I spent that day cleaning up some messes.

 

Two days later my little one had moved on to liquid bowel movements and my older one complained, litterally moaning and groaning, of a sore stomach.  As soon as I started a load of laundry someone would make a mess that needed cleaned up.  After two days of that I had really lost my appetite; luckily my hubby was very understanding.

 

There is an upside, I did get some good quality snuggling in with both my kids, my hubby made me dinner two nights this week and I enjoyed a quiet week as no one else dared come into my house.  I still got to go play volleyball one night this week and the next night I went to a friend's house to work on a sewing project, oh, and the one day that everyone was feeling okay I went to the chiropractor so I wasn't house bound all week.  Mostly, I'm just really grateful I have a strong stomach and that we spent most of our days healthy.  Even when things get hecktic I can look back on the days the kids were sick and remember how hard it was to see them feeling miserable and be grateful for my roundy kids.  Here's to surviving another week of sick kids.  Hopefully we have reached the end of this stomach bug and with any luck I won't get it this time around.

Recycling

My hubby had an idea for family night.  He took out some paper bags, cut some hole and ta-da, instant constume.  The kids decorated them with color crayons and stickers.  Matt drew a badge on each of them and they spent the rest of the evening playing in them.

The kids have been in a very physical mood lately and we have been playing alot of castles and dragons and knights.  This has been a good outlet for them to use their aggression for play and not for actually beating each other up.  If anyone has other suggestions for how to use up all this energy let me know.

Rise Above the Gloom

We are heading into the gray part of our year.  I have found a few ways to rise above the gloom here are some of them: 1. Drink Hot chocolate       2. Smile, even when you don't feel like smiling.  3. Go somewhere the kids can play.  4.  Go to the library.  5.  Play dress up.    6.  Build a tent and have an indoor campout.    7.  Have a picnic. 8. Moive night complete with popcorn and candy.   9.  Read a good book.    10.  Plan a game night or a date night.  11.  Paint a picture.  12.  Bake something and give it to a friend or neighbor. 13. Invite kids over to play.

So that's my plan to beat the gray this year.  Mostly I've found that staying busy is key.  When you'r busy you don't have time to worry about what the weather is doing.

Life is a Battlefield

Everyday we face decisions.  There is a war raging between good and evil.  The truth is that making good decisions wouldn't be so rewarding if it weren't hard sometimes.  So, knowing that the best we can do is to be prepared.  We strengthen our armor by taking time each day to strengthen ourselves; by taking time for the things that really matter most to us.  We are committed to reading and praying together each day.  It really helps our family to come together each day for some family time.  Here's to winning the daily battles.

You Reap What You Sow

We have had so much fun with our garden this year.  What I love most about the garden (besides the food that comes out of it) is that it get me outside with my kids.  We put in a 4 x 16 garden bed at the beginning of last summer and each year I learn quite a bit.  The kids are always excited to go pick the vegitables and I love that they want to help with the work.

 I was really surpised how well the garden produced  since we planted so late and didn't start watering until into July (we had rain most of June).  The snow peas did really well and were done mid Summer.  The normal peas and beans did poorly but the few beets were delicious.  The cucumbers and pumkins were a total fail and the squash I planted in the middle of the tomatoes thinking it would just grow along the ground took over and grew up through the tomatoes.  I also planted the tomatoes too close together.

Next year I want to do more beets, replanting if needed, more onions, more potatoes and make better trelleses for my peas.  I also need to try putting my cucumbers in a different spot to see if it makes a difference.  I love having the opportunity to teach my children the benefits of putting the work in.  Here's to a great harvest and putting all this good experience to work next year.

Forever 21

I guess my hubby decided I needed an amazing cake for my birthday.  He made a from-scratch caramel cake then added a layer of pudding topped with a layer of ice cream and frosted with whipped topping.  We had a quiet night and I spent the next week eating the cake.  YUM!

The story behind the 21, we have small children so we had a 2 and a 1.  There wasn't much other reason.  I'm not ashamed or bothered by my age.  I also have young children so they keep my feeling young.  It has occured to me that my life is about half way over.  If I progress in the next half as well as I did in the last half I look forward to it.

Super Project

So, we’ve been really into super heroes  at our house.  As a result I decided to make my homemade Christmas this year super hero related.  I found a pattern online that I liked and printed out the logos from online images.  I used iron on fusing to attach the felt and topstitch around the edges before sewing the sides together.  Each cape will have a logo on both sides and will have sew on Velcro to hold it on.  I will post pics of the finished product.

I have been very surprised how much I have enjoyed this project.  It's been nice to have a project that has a far off deadline.  I coorced two friends into doing capes as well and it's fun to have someone to share the fun with.  The best part, they'll be done long before Christmas so the stress is off.

An Old Journal

Last weekend I was looking through my bookshelf and found an old journal from high school.  It was from my junior and senior years and had about six entries.  I only wrote when something really good happened or when I was reflecting on a bad situation and trying to figure out what to do about it. 

 

I was surprised the effect it had on me.  I spent the next three days thinking about the people and places that were so important to me twelve years ago. When I think of my past I tend to focus on all my shortcomings.  This is very frustrating as I had painted a picture of myself that made me a little resentful.  I got out a photo album from that same time period.  As I turned through the pages it brought back so many good memories.  I was really blessed to have friends that were a good influence on me and pushed me academically (thank you spell check).  Turning my ambitions to my school work, which I was good at, really helped me get through many ackward years.  It also set a pattern for achievment that I have tried to continue through my life.

I have spent much time lately regretting some of the decisions I made.  Most were small things that caused myself and sometimes others pain.  I must admit that there are days when I've wondered if I will ever make peace with my past self but I am making progress.  I've learned a couple of things.  First, no matter how much you analyze your past you can't change what's already been done; pondering has it's place but unless it leads to action there are times when it's just wasted brain power. Second, action is what makes us who we are and worry only lends to frustration.  The more you dread something or stew over it the bigger it becomes and the less you want to deal with it.  Less stewing, more doing. (That's pretty good, I'll have to remember that one.) And last, we live today, not yesterday and not tomorrow. 

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."
-Pres. Thomas S. Monson



30 Great Years

Today is my birthday.  I don't feel old and I haven't been dreading this day.  I have, however, spent quite a bit of time reflecting on my life and today I'm pretty happy with what I have accomplished and look forward to many more years to come.  I would like to share some of my favorite memories from past birthdays.

 

When I turned twelve my family threw me a surprise party and I was totally in the dark.  I had gone out shopping with my Mom and when we got home my friends were there and jumped out and said "surprise" and we had a fun day.

 

When I turned 16 or 18, I can't remember which, my friends kidnapped me and took me to play laser tag at Treasure Cove.  Then we played the X-Men arcade game and had cake and ice cream.  Again, I was totally in the dark that they had planned something for me.

 

On my 25th birthday I was 10 days from having a baby so my husband invited a few people from church to come over.  It was simple but he took care of everything and I was impressed that he had planned a party for me.  He gave me a space heater (I was always cold.) Someone else gave me tiger lilies which got me started loving flowers and wanting to garden.

 

On my 27th birthday I was 8 months pregnant and Matt made me a homemade cake (this has since become a tradition).  He gave me a shovel and two big bags of flower bulbs.  My mother-in-law helped me plant them and we have beautiful flowers every Spring.  That was probably my favorite gift ever.  This was also the first year my oldest got to help do the shopping for my birthday and he was so excited about it.

 

Last Saturday my husband spoiled me by watching the kids while I locked myself in my room working on a sewing project most of the day.  He took the boys to go do some birthday shopping and they were so excited.  I could hear them talking as they were wrapping my gifts and they spent the rest of the day moving them from place to place hiding them from me so they would be a surprise.

 

Life has been good so far and my goal for this next year is to spend more time counting my blessings.

Daddy's Work

My husband works in aerospace as a design engineer.  We talk often of his job and what he's working on but due to security I've never actually seen either of the places where he works, until last weekend.  They had a family day at work and he took the boys and I to show us around.  We colored pictures to put up at Dad's desk, toured the plane they're working on, ate popcorn and met a handful of his co-workers.

 

The boys used to ask me every morning, "where's Dad," and we'd talk about what Dad did at work.  Now when Dad's not home the kids tell me about Dad being at work and how he's at his desk or working on the airplane.  After almost six year I can finally say I know where my husband works.  Hopefully there will be many more family days at work and we'll continue to enjoy being a part of such a great company.

Throwing Stones

I have a two-year-old who likes to throw things.  I can't say I'm surprised as I'm a bit of a thrower myself.  I tend to want to throw things to get someone's attention and there are days when there's nothing better than going outside and throwing a ball around.  I've even been known to throw a stuffed animal or koosh ball with my husband while having a conversation (the ball helps the focus stay on the conversation and it's just fun).  Anyway, I like to throw things (except basketballs, I stink at throwing basketballs).

We went down to the river with a bunch of kids and we had to throw rocks while we were there.  Imagine the joy felt by my two-year-old who is constantly being told not to throw things when we tell him it's okay to throw rocks in the river.  It was so much fun to watch the kids try to make big splashes in the water.  I also couldn't help but think of the Savior's teachings about throwing stones.  How often do we get involved in a bit of gossip and, like my two-year-old, go looking for a big rock to throw as soon as opporunity arises?  How often have I found myself trying to "out do everyone elses' splash" by telling a better story then the previous one?  I'm not going to lie, throwing stones comes very naturally to me.  The trick is to be more aware of the affect our splash is having.

The standard I was always taught to use when speaking of someone who is not present is to imagine how I would feel if the person were present.  Would I still say what I'm about to say?  Would it embarrass them?  Would it embarrass me?  That's the best standard I have found.  On the flip side, if you have a compliment to give don't be shy.  Even say it loud enough to be overheard by the person who you are speaking about.  When we have friends over I try to say something good about my husband when he's in earshot.  Imagine the difference between entering a room and having it go silent (and you know you were being spoken of negetively) or entering a room right as someone is complimenting you.  So remember the next time you're tempted to make a splash, NO THROWING ROCKS, except in the river.

Another Accident

Well, we just can't seem to stay out of trouble lately.  I was mopping the floor the other day while listening to Pandora on the computer and had set the laptop in front of the microwave with the cord crossing the floor.  I knew this was a bad idea but justified it because the kids were outside and I could keep it away from them.  Not long after the kids came in the house and after telling them three times to stay out of the kitchen my laptop was on the floor broken.

 

I must admit I was pretty upset but then I thought, better a broken laptop than a broken child.  One of my first thoughts was total disappointment because I had just downloaded an entire year of pictures onto it and the thought of loosing them was pretty devistating.  Luckily, it wasn't long before my husband (who will for all future purposes be refered to as "the most compitent man alive") came home, hooked the laptop up to the desktop computer monitor.  I've been operating that way for two weeks now.  The other day my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told him a new laptop screen. :)  To be completly honest I'm just glad it's still working.

Update:  I got a new screen for my birthday.  My hubby ordered it online for $65 and spent a couple of hours taking it apart (following the directions online) and putting it back together.  Now he can say he knows our computer inside and out. :)  I did have a bit of a scare the day it came.  I was out in the back yard finnishing staining the playhouse when the mailman came.  They opened the box, unwrapped the screen and carried it out so I could see it.  We were so lucky it didn't get dropped.

When We Fall Down

My two-year-old got a bicycle (garage sale find) in the beginning of July.  He was so excited it was rediculous.  He took to the riding really well and was excited about being able to keep up with brother.  Grandpa King was here and helped him figure out his brakes.  He did forget once (or he paniced and froze) so he's a little afraid of hills.  He'd been doing really well and then one day his dad took him for a ride to the school and after he fell he just pushed the bike the rest of the time.

 

I always tell the kids, "we all fall down sometimes."  So I asked Daniel later that day, "what do we do when we fall down."  To which he responded, "push our bikes."

 

This was a little disappointing for someone who grew up falling off a horse, literally, and was always taught to get right back on.  It was a good lesson for me to learn but I must admit there are times when I'm a little bruised and not eager at all to try again.  I often am content to just "push the bike" being very careful before getting my nerve up to try again.  Luckily, there is always that nagging thought carefully placed by dilligent parents that I need to get back on that horse and try again.

 

One of my favorite quotes “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” -Mary Anne Radmacher

I Can Be Taught

This project started when our neighbors gave us a slide and a rock wall thing.  Their son is 14 so they no longer had use for them and a project was born.  The most competent man alive and I have been throwing ideas around for a while and the hubs started digging a giant hole in the back yard. (He decided we needed less lawn to mow.) I asked him to draw up a plan (he's a design engineer) and make a materials list.

So I borrowed a truck, got a babysitter and we headed to dinner followed by the Home Depot.  Most Expensive Date EVER! :)  The next day we got to the point above.  The following Monday we were to the picture to the left plus the slide and climbing wall.  I was amazed how many questions  I had for my hubs.  I used the drill, miter saw, ladder, level, wheelbarrow and gloves.  I really enjoyed working with my husband and was surprised at how much I learned (including that my hubs is slightly afraid of heights).

A weekend later the almost finnished product on the right.  We still need to get the slats put in the back side and the entire thing needs stained.  The weather is supposed to be nice this week so it's now or never.  We've already had family night in the new playhouse and are looking forward to many more adventures out there.  And who knows what I'll learn to use next.  Maybe I'll get brave and help with the table saw next time, it's not likely but it could happen. Atleast now I know I can be taught. :)

 

The Cast

Someone once said that every mother of little boys must some day be initiated by her first trip to the ER.  I'm sad to announce that I have been initiated.  About four weeks ago my four-year-old fell from the monkey bars at the playground and broke his humorus near the elbow.  It was a supracondular fracture for all you medical people out there.  We spent two hours in Urgent care before they sent us to the ER at Children's Hospital.  We were there for almost five hours before they splinted the little guy and sent him home. We got lucky.  They originally thought he would need surgery but decided they needed to repeat X-rays as they weren't satisfied with the angle on one of the images.  The swelling was bad so they just splinted the arm and sent us home.

 

He spent the next two days with as much pain medication in him as was allowed and I took him in for his cast two days after the incident.  When the swelling went down I was surprised how loose the top of the cast was.  (I could stick 3 fingers in.)  We took him back one week later for a second layer of casting material and two weeks after to get the cast off.

 The cast didn't slow him down much.  Two weeks after it happened he was climbing up the climbing wall at the playground.  I was a little socked but didn't want to chide him and make him feel broken.

 If you look closly you can see the green casting under the blue.  I liked the blue better.

When the cast came off he didn't want to move his elbow.  The memory of the pain was still fresh in his mind.  He was excited to take a shower, soak in the tub and wear his lego star wars pajamas (they wouldn't fit over the cast).  He's pretty much back to normal now and we even went for a bike ride yesterday.

Being The Mom-Starting the Day

Laziness is like a disease.  You can catch it from other people, once you get it you have all the symptoms and it's really hard to get rid of.  The cure is simple, to get up and do something.  I thrive on structure and being a stay-at-home mom has been hard for me since it often lacks structure in our day to day lives.

Not long after I had my first child I remember being very frustrated by the lack of structure (the lack of sleep wasn't helping either).  I was talking to my mother about this one day and she suggested getting up every morning, getting breakfast and getting everyone bathed and dressed as if we had plans.  This has been a great blessing to me as it is so much easier to make something of your day when you get it going early.  I have stuck to that and there are days that I still don't feel I accomplish much but we've atleast all had a bath and are dressed.  Ofen an opportunity to go do something arises and I'm not usually rushing as we are prepared for the day, whatever it will bring.

Projects

I learned the value of art projects when my oldest was about a year old.  When they are acting out or squabbling the best thing to do is to give them something to work on.  It is also a great way to get quality time in with your kids as you supervise them.  Some projects are fancy and require planning and some they only do for five minutes and move on to something else.  My kids love working with their hands but didn't like to just sit and color until about three weeks ago so I had to be a little more creative.

Here are some of my favorites: Finger painting, painting coloring pages, stickers, dry erease board activities, stamps, cutting and glueing, letter worksheets (dollar tree has good activity books), reading a book and having them draw something from the book, making paper hats, glueing pasta or cereal to make a picture, and the list goes on and on. 

So I challenge you to take some time to do a project with your kids.  I bought a piece of plastic at JoAnne's to put on my kitchen table so clean up is always easy and we just have a good time.  The best part is there is something to show for it when you're done.  I used to have a wall in my kitchen covered with projects and each of them was a good reminder of a memory of mde together.

I Love A Good Story

What is it about stories that excites us to the point of exaggeration?  Sometimes we just get so caught up and excited that the story really gets blown out of proportion.  I must admit this has happened to me more than a couple times.  I love to tell stories, especially when you can get a laugh out of someone.

Well, this is Cherise.  We love her and she posed for this picture with a fossil and I thought it would make for a great fish story.  Cherise leaves on her mission to Canada in a few weeks and we will miss her dealy.  Best of luck to you and we will be looking forward to all your stories when your return.

Casper Babypants

We have been enjoying weekly park days this Summer with friends.  It has been so good to get out and take advantage of the activities in our area.  Last week we went to the fountain down by our city library.  We were also treated to a free concert by Casper Babypants.

The music was great and the water was great.  The company was even better.  I just found out that "Casper Babypants" is Chris Ballew who was a member of the band The Presidents of The United States of America.  I know, I didn't recognize the name of the band either but most of us recognize the song, "goin' to the country, gonna eat alot a peaches".  I had to laugh when I found that out.  So now it's more like, "goin' to the library, playn' songs for the kidies." :)

My Hands Are Tied

It was strangly quiet one afternoon at my mothers.  I hadn't seen my kids for a while, knew they were with my sister and decided it was time to go check on them.  I laughed so hard when I found this...

My four-year-old was being a pirate or something and had tied up Auntie's hands and feet.  It was pretty darn funny.

I've been thinking alot lately about how often things happen in my life and I feel that I am powerless to do anything about it.  Two weeks ago my four-year-old took a spill at the playground.  From his cries I knew he was hurt.  I sat him down to relax for a minute but when the crying hadn't subsided in five minutes I knew I needed to get him home.  After Tylenol and some rest I thought he was improving but took him into Urgent Care.  The doctor was pretty sure from the swelling it was broken.  I took him down to X-ray and my heart broke as I had to move his arm for the X-ray.  He screamed in pain at the slightest movement.  The verdict was a subcondular fracture or hairline fracture on the elbow end of his upper arm.  They sent us to Primary Children's hospital (which was 45 minutes away in the afternoon traffic). 

He was really calm which was great because it killed me to see him in pain.  After five hours in the ER they sent him home in a splint.  The little guy had been a trooper all day and then, at 1:00 it hit him.  The pain was in full force and there was NOTHING I could do to console him.  It took about 30 minutes of soothing and reassuring (and more medicine) before he finally calmed down.  I was on the phone with the hospital trying to figure out what happened.  I was up every three hours for the next two nights giving him pain relievers.

I was shocked at the emotional toll this took on me.  It was such an aweful feeling to sit and try to soothe him each time he woke in pain.  The only thing that kept me from falling apart is that I knew my presence there was a comfrot to him.  I really felt as if my hands were tied.  My heart ached for all the parents who have children with serious health concerns who fight that helpless feeling on a regular basis.  It also made me think of how a loving Heavenly Father must feel when he sees us making choices that cause us pain in our lives.  My greatest comfort is that His hands are never tied.  When we seek Him the comfort and strength that we need to pull us through is there.  As my love for my children grows stronger I am beginning to understand how God really feels about me, about you.  He loves us so much and is always close at hand when we cry out in pain and His hand aren't tied.

Read More Here:

I'm The Girl Who Hides in My Bathtub...And That's Okay!

Doing The Impossible

My Hands Are Tied-Part 2

Trout Farm

I am not a fisherman.  I like to eat fish but I've not done much fishing.  Our family took us to a trout farm which is really my kind of fishing.  There were four ponds loaded with fish and it is a beautiful place.  Grandma likes to fish and I loved seeing her teach the kids what to do.

 I love the little one's face in this picture.  He wasn't sure exactly what we were doing but he was loving it.  He also got to feed the fish.

 Look at my four-year-old's face as he watched Dad getting so silly.

After fishing we went home where Dad and Grandpa grilled up our fish for dinner.  Yum!

Idaho Summer Dress Code

When it gets hot on the high desert the dress code becomes clothing optional for the littles.  Okay, most of the time they were in their swim trunks but the second day there they got wet and I just had them strip down and have fun.

 We did end up with some sore feet from rideing wiggle cars and using bare feet for brakes but other than that we were injury free and keeping cool.

Movie Quotes

My children are hillarious.  After watching Tangled for the umpteenth time they picked up some phrases.  As we were driving down the road the other day my two-year old asked me to roll down his window.  As the wind came rushing in he said, "woo-hoo, best day ever!"  It was just too funny and he did it more than once.

Another one of our favoirtes actually comes from the internet series "How it Should Have Ended."  They have a series of short cartoons called Super Cafe.  In it Batman and Superman have conversations over coffee.  Batman often says, "I AM BATMAN."  Somehow this phrase keeps popping up at our house.  It is pretty hillarious.

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Update:  My two-year-old posted this.  Apparently he decided it was ready.  Here are a couple more of our favorites:

BANGARANG! (Hook)
My favorite neverfoods (Hook)
Eezma put your hands in the air! (Emperor's New Groove)
The past can hurt...you can run from it or you can learn from it. (Lion King)
Keep moving forward. (Meet the Robinsons)



George Eccles Dinosaur Park

We had a fun day in Ogden with the Kings at the dinosaur park.

This was the biggest fossil they had and it was impressive.  They had some robitic dinosaurs and the kids weren't sure what to think of that.  My four-year-old was drawn to it even though it scared him.  I sat with him for ten minutes as far from them as he could and still be able to see them.

My favorite part was all the models out in the outside area.  I loved walking down all the paths and finding more dinosaurs.  The kids were scared at first and we had to explain the noises were coming from speakers camoflauged to look like rocks.  It was interesting to see the models especially since they gave a scale so the cute stegosaur that was 1/3 scale would be very intimidating full size.

After a fun day at the park we stopped at Dylan's for lunch and ice cream.  Yum!  I also bought and sent some post cards which I haven't done in years.

Sprinklers

I just love activities that are multi-purpose.  On a hot day there is nothing better than utilizing sprinklers for a cool down.  When the tempurature rises and there's no breeze it feels so good.

It was so hot that day the I couldn't resist running through the sprinklers myself and it felt SOOOOOO GOOD!  What a way to spend a Summer vacation!