Baking and Saturday Update

I have been the worst blogger lately. Don't worry though. I'm still checking all of your blogs. Just not writing on my own. I have been a baking queen recently. Last week I made pita bread, wheat bread, ginger snaps, chex mix, and pita chips. The pita bread and ginger snaps were definitely the favorites. I couldn't believe that the pita bread actually had pockets in it! Go me! I couldn't stop eating the ginger snaps either. They were so good! Yum! I hope I don't gain a ton of weight this month. Or make my middle way bigger. I plan on baking a bunch of other yummy stuff still. Luckily I've been running a couple of times a week with my friend. Well, its actually turned out so far to be about once a week. But we have good intentions!

We had a really busy day on Saturday. Katie had a fever and threw up on Friday night so we took her to my mom's house while the rest of the family went to sing at a nursing home. Aaron's side of the family puts on a Christmas program every year. Rebecca sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and Aaron sang "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)". I sang all of the group numbers with Rebecca and Anson while Aaron played the piano. Anson will be old enough for a solo next year.

I would say that this year's program was very long and not very smooth. I think we performed for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Normally we try to keep it to about 45 minutes. Nobody was really ready for their entrance at all. Everyone would pretty much wait for the person performing to finish before they thought about who was next. Then they would have to scramble to get their stuff together. Needless to say, there was a ton of down time. My perfectionism didn't care for it, but I don't think the people particularly cared for the most part.

On our way over to the nursing home, Rebecca had noticed a cemetery. Aaron's grandma and grandpa are buried there, so we stopped by on our way back to pick up Katie. We had a little trouble finding their grave stones, but eventually found them. Aaron's cousin is buried close by too. She died when she was in her mid-20s and had 1 little boy. It was so sad to see her name all on her own stone and Aaron's grandparents sharing a stone. Her husband is remarried, so he will probably be buried by his new wife. It made me really grateful for my family and that I get to see them grow. I hope I get to share a grave stone with Aaron some day far in the future.

We went over to Aaron's parent's house to make gingerbread houses after we picked up Katie. We had a lot of fun. I had trouble constructing Rebecca's house, but it eventually got put together. Aaron's mom helped Anson decorate his house (which Aaron built), and I put some frosting on for Rebecca, but she pretty much decorated herself. We ate a piece of each house last night for the family home evening treat.

These kids are obviously contemplating the delights of indulging their sweet tooths (or teeth?).

Is it just me or does it look like Anson is about to pick off a piece to eat?

Aaron went running with his brother Jonathan after he constructed Anson's house. Since his car accident he hasn't done much running - mostly just swimming - so he was pretty sore and tired afterwards.

I took the kids over to my house while Aaron was running. They watched the kids while Aaron and I went to a class at Shar's about making tamales and chili rellenos. We got a recipe for pico de gallo which we made on Sunday and enjoyed for dinner. It was really good.

The class got done somewhat early so we went shopping. We found out about the delights of Fresh and Easy (a grocery store if you are unfamiliar with it). You can sample any item that is the fresh and easy brand, and they have areas in the store with super LOW prices. We got a bunch of stuff for a steal.

Then we went to Lee Lee's market. They sell all sorts of ethnic foods. We got the ingredients to make Taro Root smoothies. They are Aaron's favorite at Lee's Sandwiches and he got a recipe for them from someone. We made them on Sunday and enjoyed them that night too. They turned out just like the smoothies they make at Lee's Sandwiches, so he was happy. I must admit that they have grown on me and I actually like them now too.

Then we stopped off at Deseret Book. They gave us some apple pie and Lion House rolls with honey butter to sample, but then were out of rolls so we couldn't even buy them! We finally picked up the kids around 6:15.

We went to the temple lights and enjoyed the atmosphere on the temple grounds. We saw all of the nativity scenes in the visitor's center and Anson really enjoyed the Christus statue. A little too much. He kept pointing to it and saying "Look Daddy!" during the presentation. I finally had to take him out because it was getting to be a little too distracting. We enjoyed seeing the different scenes around the grounds - like Isaiah, Mary and Joseph on the donkey, the shepherds, the manger scene, and the wise men travelling to see the baby.

We left the house around 8:00 in the morning and got back around 10:00 at night. It was a long day, but very fun-filled!

I'm Up Way Too Late!

Well I'm up way too late tonight. It is 11:16 by the clock on my computer. I'm excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I am running in the Turkey Trot Fun Run in Mesa. I'm only doing the 2 mile one. Better than nothing though! We're having Thanksgiving with my family this year. I made homemade pumpkin and apple pies earlier tonight. They look good- hopefully they will taste good too!

Aaron was in an accident this morning. He was driving my car (he couldn't find his keys this morning) to the pool at CAC when a driver came the other way and swerved out of control. Aaron tried to get out of the way, but couldn't. He was hit on the back driver's side. It blew the back tire and all of the airbags deployed. Luckily we have pretty good insurance (if you want the name of our Allstate agent, I'd be happy to recommend him to you). The whole thing will only cost $300. Aaron is excited because they didn't have a car big enough for 2 boosters and a car seat at Enterprise, so they gave us a truck with a double cab instead. He has graciously allowed me to use his 4Runner so he can have some fun with the truck. I'm really not a fan of trucks because I'm always scared something will be stolen from the back. You also can't put stuff back there when it rains (unless you cover up with a tarp, and who wants to go through all of that trouble in the rain?). So we pretty much will never have a truck of our own again unless something happens to seriously change my mind about it. Anyway, so Rebecca had music class this morning too. My friend was kind enough to let me borrow her car to get there.

We just got back from a great trip to San Carlos, Mexico with some friends from our ward. I haven't downloaded pictures yet. We left Rebecca and Anson with our friends the Gardners and took Katie with us. She was pretty good except for the 1/2 hour naps. They were just WAY too short. She slept well at night though. We had a perfect view of the ocean from our condo and there were gorgeous sunsets every night (except one when it was too cloudy). We went to a street market in the nearby town of Guaymas, ran on the beach, Aaron swam in the ocean (there were little fish that nipped on him, so I just watched the ocean from the safety of the beach), ate Mexican candy (dulce de leche and coconut candy - yummy!), played many a round of Scum - I even was President for a few rounds! Go Me! (I was even more excited because the first night I played I was TERRIBLE!) It was very relaxing and we got a lot of reading done!

Applesauce and Pumpkin Puree

I am cool. I made homemade applesauce and I roasted a pumpkin and made pumpkin puree today. I have the applesauce in the refrigerator and it is GOOD! I have the pumpkin in the freezer for Thanksgiving pies. I am cool.

Tagged

Its taken me awhile to respond as I've been in CA, but I enjoyed Whit's fun facts! (I don't know how to link it right, but see her blog @ forsgrenfam.blogspot.com.)

OK, here are mine.

1. I get really anxious and unsettled when my house isn't clean. FlyLady (see Flylady.net) has saved my life here! I love walking into a picked up room. I'm not necessarily so concerned with it being vacuumed and dusted as I am with the general orderliness of the room.

2. I am very loyal. All through my life I have had 1 or 2 friends at a time that are really close. I would do anything for them. If any one of the friends I considered close at any time in my life were to ask me for anything, I would be right there for them. Being loyal in marriage is easy - its just the ultimate best friend that never leaves!

3. I hate getting ready for trips. Aaron always has a busy work week before and after we leave/get back. I do all of the packing for all 5 of us myself. I stress myself out trying to get the house clean at the same time I'm packing and trying to keep 3 kids from messing up everything (I like coming home to a clean house). I hired a babysitter to watch the kids while I packed when we went to Michigan this summer because Aaron was in Flagstaff the night before. I had to pack up the car myself as well since he wasn't even coming home before we left! We slept at his mom's house that night so that we could be at the airport by 5 AM. This ended up being the BEST idea ever. I still didn't like it, but it sure was easier without the kids under foot!

4. I'm good at starting big projects, but I like others to take over and lead the way after I get it going.

5. I love emergency preparedness stuff. I love my Bosch and grain mill. I love my tortilla press and dehydrator.

6. I'm way into politics, although I've tuned out for the rest of this election. I can get pretty heated up about my Constitutional Rights being taken away. I am not a very happy camper in this regard right now.

7. I love musicals. They are by far my favorite kind of movie/play. The last one I went to was My Fair Lady at Gammage, and before that it was Singing in the Rain at Hale Center Theater. What a perfect way to spend an evening!

Well, thats it about me. I tag:

Shalise (sobray.blogspot.com)
Holly (phbryanfamily.blogspot.com)
Ashley (chadandashleyfuller.blogspot.com)
Maria (tatertotspot.blogspot.com)
Carrie (keybirdklan.blogspot.com)
Janelle (jds04dls.blogspot.com)
Elise (mykidsaremylove.blogspot.com)

Sorry I'm so technologically behind here! I don't know how to link it so that you just click on the name!

Living

I am so lucky to be a woman. My husband makes a living for our family. I get to make the living worthwhile. To me that means making our home a pleasant and enjoyable place to be. It means creating an atmosphere of love for one another. It means that I get to care for my husband and children, the ones I care most about in life. I am making a greater effort to greet my husband at the door when he comes home from work after working so hard for us all day long. He really has to deal with a lot at work. Many times very stressful situations arise that he has to work through and calm people down about. But at the end of the day, if he can come home and be surrounded by his cheerful wife, his happy children, and a comfortable home, it makes it all worthwhile. Not that it always turns out so perfectly, but at least that is the goal. Thank you for what you do Aaron!

Building A Fort

We decided to build a fort in our family room at the end of August. Using the treadmill as the main center building block, we used cushions and sheets to build quite a big fort. You could crawl all the way around the treadmill. The kids helped by getting the cushions off of the couches in the living room, bringing them into the family room, and then getting under foot as they tried to "help" build it. It was a lot of fun.

View from the entrance and the top. Doesn't look like much from here, does it?

Inside there was plenty of space for Katie in her walker. Aaron read us a story under here. Oh to be a kid and build your first fort!!!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

We left Katie with Aaron's mom on September 18 and took Rebecca and Anson to the Diamondbacks vs. Giants baseball game. We got there a little late due to unforseen work circumstances, but it was only about 30-45 minutes late. We enjoyed it so much that we stayed until the end. One little mishap though. Aaron put his hand behind the seat next to him, and stuck his finger in someone's beer. We didn't have anymore cash with us so he went to an ATM machine to pay for what he had ruined. Unfortunately it was right before the 7th Inning Stretch, so Rebecca and Aaron missed singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" with us. Anson and I enjoyed it though!


We made little cushions to sit on at our "pre-baseball game" festivities. We each painted our names on a gardening knee pad and sat on it at the game. We can use them in the garden too!


Rebecca and Anson loved the Crackerjack and by the end were devouring the peanuts as well.


We were right by the aisle and the steps going down which was good and bad. The kids had somewhere to roam a little to burn off excess energy while still being right by us, but they were also up and down too much. Hopefully it wasn't too distracting to those around us!
What fun memories!

Camping

The weekend after Labor Day we went camping with my family at their land in Overgaard. Anson LOVED roasting marshmallows. Actually, incinerating would be a better word for it. My mom would put a marshmallow on his stick, he would put it into the flames and wait for it to catch on fire, then bring it back to my mom to blow it out. He seriously thought that was the FUNNIEST thing hehad ever seen. He kept doing it over and over again. In the sencond picture here you can see how much he loved having the marshmallow blown out.

Rebecca actually asked me to go to bed early. It was around 8:30 or 9:00, but you'd think she would be excited about staying up a little later. I was worried about Katie being cold, so she ended up in her car seat with Aaron's sweatshirt on her lap, a blanket all around her, and a blanket over the top of the carrier. She woke up warm (but not too hot), so it worked.

Caming is fun but dirty. We're going again with our ward in October.

Tea Party

Last Friday (September 12), I wasn't feeling good, so we just hung around the house all day. We ended up having a tea party in the Family Room. If you watch the video, please remember that 1.) I wasn't feeling good, and 2.) Rebecca helped me pick out my outfit. Enjoy!


Rebecca, Anson, Raggedy Ann, and Raggedy Andy enjoying the tea party.

Video of our tea party. See our cute shoes and outfits plus the bonus of seeing Katie in her cute little bonnet and a close up shot of her lopsided teeth.

Is Life So Dear Or Peace So Sweet?

Aaron and I read through Patrick Henry's famous speech given at a church in Richmond, VA. We found that the speech is very applicable today, and matches many of our sentiments exactly. I wish that people were as fired up about what is happening and letting their discontent be known as some were back then. I would like to share a few excerpts from the speech.

"This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of Freedom or Slavery."

"Should I keep back my opinions at such a time through fear of giving offence, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my Country and of an act of disloyalty towards the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly Kings."

"I have but one Lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the Lamp of Experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British Ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes...?"

"Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious Reception of our Petition comports with those warlike Preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of Love and Reconciliation? Have we shown Ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our Love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of War and Subjugation, - the last arguments to which kings resort."

"They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to find and rivet upon us those Chains which... (they) have been so long forging."

"And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable, but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty, and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted?"

"Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves longer. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the Storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne and have implored is interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the Ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned with contempt from the foot of the Throne."

"In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for Hope. If we wish to be FREE; if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable PRIVILEGES for which we have been so long contending; if we mean not basely to abandon the noble STRUGGLE which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, - we must FIGHT! I repeat it, sir, - we must FIGHT! An appeal to Arms, and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us."

"THEY TELL US SIR THAT WE ARE WEAK -unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. BUT WHEN WILL WE BE STRONGER? Will it be next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are TOTALLY DISARMED, and when a British Guard shall be STATIONED IN EVERY HOUSE? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of HOPE, until our enemies shall have bound us Hand and Foot?"

"Sir, we are NOT WEAK, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of Nature hath placed in our Power. Three millions of pople armed in the HOLY CAUSE of LIBERTY, and in such a Country as that which we possess, are INVINCIBLE by any force which our Enemy can send against us."

"Besides, sir we shall not fight our Battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of Nations, and who will raise up Friends to fight our Battles for us. The Battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the VIGILANT, the ACTIVE, the BRAVE. Besides, sir, we have no Election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now TOO LATE TO RETIRE FROM THE CONTEST. There is NO RETREAT BUT IN SUBMISSION AND SLAVERY. Our chains are forged. Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston. The War is inevitable. AND LET IT COME! I REPEAT IT, SIR, LET IT COME!"

"It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry Peace, Peace, but there is NO PEACE. The War is actually begun. The next Gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of sounding arms. Our Bretheren are already in the field. WHY STAND WE HERE IDLE? What is it that Gentlemen wish? What would they have?"

"IS LIFE SO DEAR, OR PEACE SO SWEET, AS TO BE PURCHASED AT THE PRICE OF CHAINS AND SLAVERY? FORBID IT ALMIGHTY GOD! I KNOW NOT WHAT COURSE OTHERS MAY TAKE, BUT AS FOR ME, GIVE ME LIBERTY, OR GIVE ME DEATH!"

Slipping and Sliding!

On Saturday we had a water balloon fight (really more of a one sided fight with the ground!) and played on the Slip and Slide. Anson loved throwing the water balloons on the ground and breaking them. Enjoy the pictures and video of our backyard fun!


Can this boy be any happier about a bowl of water balloons?

Gotta treat that balloon with care! Use both hands.

YUM!

My friends from High School, Whitney and Kaci, came over Saturday night with their husbands. We had a great time singing karaoke and playing games. It is fun to get together with old friends. I love how some friends are always there and no time seems to have passed at all. Thanks for the fun time!

Christian and Stephanie

About 4 weeks ago, Aaron's cousin Christian and his wife Stephanie were in a terrible plane crash. They were flying back from New Mexico and made a stop in St. Johns to refuel. Witnesses at the airport say that the plane couldn't get the height it needed to successfully take off, which necessitated an emergency landing. The plane may have flown into some electrical or phone lines , causing a fire (they are not exactly sure of all the details yet. Needless to say, they ended up with a fire in the engine when they landed).

They landed the plane and all three were able to get out of the plane. From my understanding right now, Christian went for help, Doug helped Stephanie out of the plane, and they all ran from the plane. When the plane blew up, Doug was the closest, followed by Stephanie. Christian was the farthest away since he had been going for help.

Doug ended up with 90% of his body burned. He died the next night.

Stephanie ended up with 80% of her body burned. Christian has 30% of his body burned and a broken back.

They are both in a burn unit fighting for their lives. They have 4 small children and have not been able to see them since the accident. The children are living with Stephanie's sister in Utah. There have been many successes and setbacks in the recovery of Christian and Stephanie since the accident, but they are in for a long recovery. Stephanie has a 50%-60% chance of making it. It looks like Christian will make it through.

The medical bills are expected to be in the millions before recovery is complete, and costs of keeping their home still need to be made as well. For this purpose, a fund has been set up to help pay for these expenses. There will also be a benefit concert at Mesa High School in Mesa this Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 7:00. There will be a silent auction as well.

U.S. Congressman Candidate

I have been researching the candidates for the United States Congress the last few days. I did not know anything about a single one of the candidates beforehand. I have found through reading the candidate's statements that Sydney Hay's values, beliefs about the role of government in the lives of citizens, and her love and respect for the Founders of our great Country and Constitution most closely alignes with my beliefs. I support SYDNEY HAY for U.S. CONGRESS. Check out her website to see her views on the issues.

http://sydneyhayforcongress.com/Home.aspx

Elections are Coming - Who are You Voting For?

This election is a very sad thing for me. I do not have a candidate for President of the United States that I feel will do the right thing on every issue for this WONDERFUL country. I just want everyone to know that I LOVE this country. I love the opportunity that it provides. I love the freedom that we enjoy. I love being responsible for myself and helping others because I want to and I can. I believe that America continues to shine as a beacon of freedom and hope for millions around the world. I also believe that it can all be changed.

The change has already started. People do not understand that the same opportunities that were there for their grandparents and parents still exist. It is there for the taking. Many in the rising generation have been on welfare too long to work hard to improve their lot in life. I have many hard feelings for Franklin D. Roosevelt for ever starting a welfare and Social Security System in the first place.

People do not love and fight for their country as they once did. The media and the politicians are on a continual pessimisstic streak about how terrible everything is. I admit that everthing is not perfect, but how can anything ever get better with everyone being down on it all the time? Change does not happen on its own. People have slowly allowed these and many other changes creep up on them.

With that said, I still love this country and believe that we can make it greater. We need less people on welfare and more people responsible for themselves. People should be allowed to help others on thier own instead of the government forcing them to help others (aka taxes and social programs). That is called SOCIALISM!!!! We need less taxes and more money in our pockets. More money in our pockets means more jobs for those currently on welfare that can work. Taxing the "rich" just means that less people will be employed because the "rich" won't be offering as many jobs - especially good paying ones!

I can go on and on, but I'll try to restrain myself. Since I cannot fully stand behind either candidate, I have to make a choice. I can either support John McCain who loves and has fought for our country, whose wife actively tries to help others and alleviate pain, has made tough decisions on many policies and stood behind them, and has the strength necessary to make sure that America stays strong militarily. Check out this link about John McCain's wife, Cindy, and her work to make life better for many people around the world.
http://www.johnmccain.com/about/Cindy.htm

My other choice is Barack Obama. This socialist/marxist does not even like our country, wants the government to run as much as possible, and wants to raise taxes. I believe that we will rue the day we ever heard of Barack Obama if he is elected. Check out this link to see more about Barack Obama.
http://www.eyeblast.tv/Public/Video.aspx?rsrcID=2036

My choice is actually very easy. I vote for America. I vote for John McCain.

Michigan - last time, I promise!

Wednesday: Raining on and off. We still got in a lighthouse, the Colonial Michilimackinac Fort, and a historic working sawmill/nature preserve! I didn't go in the lantern room because you had to be able to walk up the stairs - one thing Katie can't do yet! I stayed down below with her. Becca and Anson dressed up like Lighthouse Keepers and showed their tickets to see the lighthouse.

Lighthouse Keepers! Inside the lantern room.

Outside the Lighthouse. Outside the Fort.

We are a 1700s family! Not even enough room for 2 kids!

In front of the working Sawmill.

Thursday: Mackinac Island! If you've ever seen Somewhere In Time (starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour), you have seen Mackinac Island. The beautiful Grand Hotel is on the island, along with 2 Butterfly conservatories, dozens of fudge shops, and Fort Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw). One interesting thing about the island is that no cars are allowed. Only horses and bicycles. It was very lovely.

We of course went to one of the butterfly conservatories, because if anyone knows Rebecca, they know she loves Butterflies!

Look at the beautiful Butterflies! This blue one is real!

Rebecca the Butterfly Lover!

The Grand Hotel. Outside Margaret's Garden.

(Aaron's mom's name is Margaret.)

Friday: Fourth of July! BBQ for lunch, family dance in the evening, and our own fireworks on the dock. Lots of people shot off their own fireworks on the lake. You can't do that in AZ, so it was really fun.

Anson- the leader of the pack!

Anson's "talent" of scaring people w/ his dinosaur!

Becca and cousin Sheridan and cousin Neve.

Amy and Katie. Anson getting his groove on!