Crash Boom Bang

Winterwonderland 2012 part 2

2012-02-02T16:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some extras. Park is such a trooper. He is always game for family time. Especially when it involves the great outdoors. I think he has a touch of the nature bug, like his momma. Last year I did a post here http://tt-crashboombang.blogspot.com/2011/01/top-things-we-love-about-winter.html. on what we like best about winter. John had the chance to experience his today. Believe it or not 2 days after our winter playtime we had record temps of 54 degrees. I have one more winter activity planned and it involves snow. We are waiting patiently here, Indiana.
We got home in time to warm up to a bowl of stone soup. Yes, I know what your thinking. But we just read it fairly recently in school so I was in the mood to recreate it at home for the kids. It was pretty darn good, if you ask me. And finally a use for those darn Christmas candy canes that won't go away. We added a few to the hot chocolate and walla. Gourmet hot chocolate.

Winter Wonderland 2012 part 1

2012-02-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

Sunday was surprisingly sunny and not unbearably cold (for some of us). So we decided to hang outside for a little bit and experience the winter. Some of us took a lot of bribing with sugary substances to join the fam. But thankfully nobody knows you better than your mom and we were united in our pursuit of togetherness. We ventured to a local park to go for a winter walk. Unlike in the summer time, the park was desolate. Quite and Serene. We enjoyed what the day had to offer but not as much as our youngest, Izzy. Have you ever seen a dog smile? She was all smiles. Unfortunately she is camera shy and never posed in her pearly whites for me. She is the hardest creature to photograph.

morning life

2012-01-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

I am taking a class on families in transition. We also study family life in general. Here is a window in to our life in the morning. This is an average day for any of you students out there studying the same as I.
I roll out of bed at 6:30.
Stumble to the bathroom to get ready.
Turn on the lights in boys bedrooms 7:00 for wake up call.
Plug in the perculator, and make breakfast. Lately banana pancakes or broccoli eggs.
Large boy comes out at 7:15 and eats.
I let the dog out to do her business, pack lunches,create pile of stuff to take to work
Small boy drags himself to kitchen after several threats and taking away privilages 7:25
Eat while reading a bible verse with kids 7:30
Finish last minute stuff. It's different everyday 7:40
Put the dog away, try to push pokey along, rush out the door 7:50.
Drop off two, head to work 8:00
Usually touch base with the hubs, return text, pray for a need, read something, before walking in.
Final destination reached at 8:15.

stuff to do

2012-01-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

I have a busy schedule this week and all I feel like doing is taking a nap.

Here is the monster list
1. ~~Do homework for 3 classes~~
2. clean the house
3. ~~Grocery shop~~
4. ~~Date night with hubs~~
5. ~~Take kids to church~~
6. ~~Go bowling with others~~
7. Not to mention the regulars like: ~~working~~, ~~aerobics~~, ~~work on homework with kids~~, ~~lessons for church~~, ~~dishes~~, ~~bathing myself and others~~, ~~laundry~~, and ~~cooking~~.
Now that I have created my mountain above and have it broken down. I can start chipping away at it. One chunk at a time.
Disclosure: It may seem like I am complaining and I may be a little. But I will attempt to keep things in perspective and say I do love my family and count my challenges as blessings and opportunities. Sometimes ranting about them can just make me feel better.
1/22/2012 I guess you can see what gets last on my priority list.

complacency

2012-01-17T04:56:00.000-08:00

Definition of COMPLACENCY

: self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies

Trying not to be this. Especially when dealing with the right to work bill that is being voted on this weekend.

The wait is over!

2011-12-31T12:52:00.000-08:00

Santa must have come around 2:00 and Parker woke us to tell us that he had been here around 3:30, I think. It was all a blurr. However John thought quickly, in the midst of the stupor, to tell Parker that we needed to stay in bed until 5:00. I am not sure how long it took Park to fall back asleep but we successfully slept until 6:30. It was a miracle.
After tearing through the pile we headed to my parents house for a biscuit and gravy feast. We lounged around there for a while visiting my brothers and their families. Then we went home to relax. John wasn't feeling well the earlier part of the day but hung out for a little while in his new chair and caught a football game. It is nice being close to my parents house because I ran a breakfast plate home to him. He was able to come and be with us in the afternoon. We didn't have the white Christmas Parker has been praying for. The weather felt more like thanksgiving. Parker had asked for a super sled for Christmas and hasn't been able to use it yet. We have our fingers crossed for snow because we aren't willing to give up hope. John had Monday off and we have been vegetables since. We did fit in a few games of bowling and rollerskating with the scouts. And our good friends came over for some family time. But other than that we are chillin like a villain. We enjoy finishing the year in a state of mellow.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

Day at Daddies work

2011-12-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

John has been working off and on at Notre Dame since the beginning of his apprenticeship 15yrs ago. Friday we met him after work so he could show us around this amazing campus. It was very quiet because the students were off for Christmas break. It was a desolate place with not more than racks of bikes and busy squirrels taking advantage of the extra time to gather more for winter. We went for a 2 hour hike around and popped into buildings every once in a while to check out the architecture. It was fun listening to the stories that daddy had to tell about the inside scoop on the campus known for sculpting the body, mind, and soul. It was a sunny winter day. Surprisingly beautiful and still. I can only imagine how it's beauty increases with each season. I took advantage of the scenery and caught a few shots. I particularly like seeing my boys walking toward an open arm Jesus. That is exactly what it is like. We are looking forward to another visit of this beautiful campus and to see it in full bloom.

Do your chores or else!

2011-12-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

Payton had a chore of brushing Izzy. However Izzy hates to be brushed so he came up with the idea to put her in the cage and lock her in so he could brush her. We were impressed with figuring out how to complete his task.

rockin the Jesus

2011-12-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

John had the kids brainstorm what they wanted to do for the Christmas program this year. And the sky was the limit. So the ideas were flying. Since majority rules and there is only like one girl vs 5 boys. They voted to have a live action comic of the story of the birth of Jesus. The highlights were the Beatles references (bet you can't guess who came up with those) and cute little baby Jesus. We got a couple laugh bursts from the audience at various parts and Baby Juan (Jesus) was completely shocked of his roll up on the big screen.

SARHAphin angel dropping the bomb on Joe.

Mashed potato Martini?

2011-12-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

Went to a Christmas party at the Kramers this year. My friend Kelly and I love to be creative and stretch ourselves to new levels of party planning. She is especially gifted in entertaining. She is quite the party animal and knows how to throw a doozie. This years festivities included me being introduced to the movie Bridesmaids. Gut splitter by the way. Total chick flick. Also tried a mashed potato bar that we ate (with our pinkys out) in martini glasses. The mood was light and everyone was estatic to be on the guest list.

The ambiance was so perfect that someone proposed to their future Mrs's right there in front of us. That was another first for me other than my own magical moment.
Kell is already working on the Oscar party. Looks like I need to carve out some time for a 2011 movie marathon to be able to cast a fair vote.
Thanks Mark for letting your wife whoop it up for us and thanks Kelly for being a creative junky.

Carmel corn

2011-12-23T01:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture and recipe for delicious EASY carmel corn. We made extra for others. If you didn't get any we apologize. We just couldn't stop eating the stuff! But here is the recipe. If you don't believe me You can try it out for yourself and let me know what you think.
#1 make 4qts of popcorn

#2 In a microwave safe dish
cook in microwave for 5 min.
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter
1/4 c light karo syrup
and a dash of salt

#3 place popcorn in large brown bag. When carmel is all melted pour over the popcorn and fold down the top of the bag.

#4 place in microwave for 11/2 min. Take out and shake up. Return bag to microwave for 1 min. Pull out and shake bag to mix the carmel corn all around. Then return the bag to the microwave and heat .30 seconds. Remove and shake.

#5 Pour the popcorn onto cookie sheet or foil lined counter to let cool. Please try a piece while it is still warm it is the very best at that point.

This is compliments of my mother. She would make this occassionaly for us and my children are forever grateful!

12 days of Christmas list

2011-12-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

1. Make gingerbread cookies, buckeyes and lemon drop cookies
2. Go look at christmas lights
3. Watch Christmas movie and string popcorn and cranberrys for the trees outside.
4. Christmas program at church.
5. Make carmel corn.
6. Take a tray of cookies to our recently widowed neighbor. ;o(
7. Go to Michaels and make a Christmas ornament.
8. Take holiday photos.
9. Make annual Cheese trees.
10. Donate some unused toys to someone or something.
11. Deliver grandpa his mixed nuts and sing them Christmas carols.
12. Candle light Christmas Eve dinner. Read the Christmas story. Open (jammy) gift. :o)

Tree farm 2011

2011-12-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

We have the Christmas spirit. We shared an early Christmas celebration with the In-laws. The boys have been enjoying the early gifts. They each wrote their notes to Santa which will be framed for all time. Soo Soo cute. I love all of the mispelled sounded out words. You know like the "Santa, I wut for kissimis"....(I want for Christmas). Both boys were modest this year. They had 1 to 2 things on their lists. Slowly they are thinking of more things but I was rather happy with their simple wishes. This season is wonderful isn't it? I enjoy the music, the hustle and bustle, the traditions of old and new. Sharing it with my family is warm and magical. I will treasure these memories forever!

Christmas tree 2011

2011-12-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

We tried a new Christmas tree farm this year. Grandpa and Grandma Hall came along. Parker missed having snow during the event. Payton loved playing hide and seek in the trees with papa. John picked the most perfect tree. And I enjoyed watching the giddyness of it all. John used his hunky big muscles to load the tree and tie it down on top of the van. I would say that was one of my favorite parts too. That man is so handsome. We went on a hunt for the perfect tree stand. Had a little lunch then we ended the evening with Christmas music, tree decorating, and watched the ELF. A family favorite.

Awesome love

2011-12-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

Here is our Christmas tree uprising 2011. In no particular order. Here is my awesome hubby who makes all things fun and is such a blessing to our lives.

Consumerism and Christianity

2011-10-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

Consumerism Vs Christianity

Here is a bit of a little article I found interesting.

"It is not a stretch to say if you compare a Christian with a non Christian, they will both want the same job and the same money for the same reason resulting in the same purchases of consumer goods and services that produce the same sense of getting up and going to work so you can live in your house so you can sleep there and get up so you can go to work, and so on ad infinitum. Then the Christian and the non-Christian will both indulge in the same forms of entertainment, regardless of the lewdness or blasphemy presented in movies, books and computer games. Does this mean that the only advantage of being a christian is that when you die you go to heaven while the non-Christian goes to hell although you both have lived esentially the same life style?"
http://www.agrarianbible.com/Principles%20&%20Notions/DB27061C-92C8-4F6A-B539-65417890F122.html

Lets just say that I have been questioning the way my brain is wired. The big question for me is how much do I think with a mind of a consumerist?

Glory Bound

2011-10-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x_IyJO9djA&feature=player_detailpage#t=183s

Here's a thought

2011-10-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

I just love my friends. The older I get, the more people I meet, and the more I appreciate the diversity of Gods creation. I met recently a senorita from Bolivia and had such an enriching conversation. She was saying that when her mother came to America they moved all three of her children into the same bedroom. She talked about how she shared a bedroom with her sister when she was a girl and through the late night talks and the close proximity they formed a bond that still remains today. This struck me because for one I have been learning about how Americans are discouraged to co-sleep.
First of all you could roll over and smother your baby and for another co-sleeping may cause the child to be co-dependent. I find it interesting that co-sleeping is the norm in 90% of the worlds population. A study was done on children at the age of 18 revealed that children who co-slept (shared the same sleeping space or room) were no different from others in any aspect of adjustments. With all of this said, we have some visitors coming to stay with us over thanksgiving and we are combining the boys rooms to create a spare-oom (get the Narnia reference?). But I am thinking about, depending upon those involved (kids), keeping the arrangement until they can't stand it anymore. You could call it an experiment. A life long experiment that I will not get to see the results until my children reach adulthood. How's that for intentional parenting?

day in the life

2011-10-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well last night Payton woke up in the middle of the night and was having trouble breathing. I had thought he had strep (from bro) and his throat was swollen so i gave him some medicine and got him calmed down and breathing through his nose. So I took the day off of work and hung out with him. He acted fine all day and said that his throat didn't hurt. I had called the doc to get some meds and she said she wanted to see him because it was past the incubation period for strep to show up. So I took him to the doc and she said he didn't have strep and couldn't find anything wrong with him. She told us to watch it closely. So we went about our day. We ended up going to an activity for boyscouts and sure enough it is night time and he is barking like a seal. Took a trip to the pharmacy for some meds. It sounds just like croup. Not sure what to do now. I gave him some chest congestion medicine and allergy meds in case it was related to that. My cold mist humidifier is broken so that is off the list. He is sleeping but I can occasionally hear this terrible cough. Poor guy.

Nothing feels better than......

2011-10-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

getting my homework done. I actually feel like I can breath. The world feels as if it is in order. Last week I was done with everything Friday which left the rest of the weekend for festivities without the big black cloud hovering overhead. We hit the trails for a long bike ride last week. And this Sunday I took the boys to buy more apples and pick pumpkins. I gave away a bunch of my applesauce that I made so I went to buy another bushel to replenish. We have had it everyday for lunch and dinner since Friday. I can see us gobbling it down by the end of the year at this rate. I remember growing up we always had pickled beets, that my mom had canned, on the table at every meal (except for breakfast). It looks like applesauce is going to be a staple at our family table. Sorry dad the beets are all yours!

littlest scientists

2011-10-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

We have had this volcano project on the list to do since this summer. And I was getting sick of seeing the ingredients sit on the counter so I decided to do it this week. In fact I have a list of things I would love to do with the kids. And before life slips away and I am left with memories of doing homework and cleaning house. I decided to do 1 of my "wish I could do this" thing a week. Whether it be food art, science project, crafts or what ever I am going to do it. Sorry house, you loose. My kids are more important!

flag football 2011

2011-10-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

Payton told me a few weeks ago that football was his life. The kid can sit and watch a football game with John and be totally interested in what is going on. He has been practicing with his team and goes to brothers practice and practices on their team to!

Flag football

2011-10-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the guys this year. Park is enjoying the game. He has written a couple of the plays. He declared today that he is the 4th fastest on the team and seemed quite proud of that. We are heading into the tournament soon. Just in time for the weather to change!

All time favorite food

2011-10-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

On our little trip to Vancouver we had dinner at the Keg. I tried, for the first time, Lobster Macaroni and Cheese. It has become my top #1 most favorite meal in all the world. I am attempting to make it for dinner tonight. Fingers are crossed.

breathtaking view

2011-10-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Beautiful wedding location

2011-10-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

youngest

2011-10-09T11:21:00.001-07:00

Awe

2011-10-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Tooo cute

2011-10-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

Sweet

2011-10-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

That boy can cut a rug

2011-10-09T11:18:00.001-07:00

Beauty

2011-10-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

My angels without wings

2011-10-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

My angels without wings

2011-10-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

Van b.c.

2011-10-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

torch

2011-10-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

Torch

2011-10-09T11:13:00.001-07:00

Wife tour

2011-10-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Peaceful

2011-10-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Karen Shephard

2011-10-09T11:11:00.001-07:00

Stanley park

2011-10-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Girl vs food and girl won

2011-10-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Mr hottie

2011-10-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

looking back from the resteraunt.

2011-10-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Friday Van 2011

2011-10-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

suspension bridge

2011-10-09T11:06:00.001-07:00

Playing in the trees

2011-10-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Suspension Bridge

2011-10-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Caspilana bridge

2011-10-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Granville island

2011-10-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

Van 2011

2011-10-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Van 2011

2011-10-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Lynn Canyon Continued

2011-10-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

So many quiet peaceful places. Ahhh....I miss that. I drove to a local park this week for a walk just so I could have one of those moments again.

The second picture is of my friend Karen. She didn't like to get her picture taken,but I don't know why because she is so photogenic.

The tour took us to a little community where we saw a group of school kids going on a kayak field trip. I stopped at a resale shop and ended up finding my boys their Canada sweatshirts. I was so happy to find them. It was already Wednesday and we were leaving EARLY saturday morning. So I knew I had to get on the ball. Karen could tell you, that I was giddy.

Lynn Canyon

2011-10-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

I signed up for the suspension bridge for the spouse tour. I met so many wonderful ladies on the trip. I heard there were 3,000 men in vancouver for the convention and 2,000 of their wives roaming the city. I met one on this trip by the name of Karen from Ontario Canada. Her and her husband go snowshoeing in the winter in a bird sanctuary in her area. She was my kind of lady! She could appreciate the great outdoors with me.

Stanley Park

2011-10-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the Westin which was on the edge of Stanley park. We were about 20 walking minutes away from the Convention Center and about a 5 minute walk to enter Stanley park.
Stanley is a 1000 acre park that had a few restaurants and horse carriage rides. You could rent a bike and take trails through Stanley or take the trail that led around the perimeter of Vancouver. There were two trails side by side. One for bikers and one for walkers and runners. We saw many dogs out walking with their owners. Only 1/2 of them were on leashes. They didn't stray.

One of the neat things about Vancouver is you could have the best of both worlds. You could be hiking thick in the evergreen forest on Grouse Mountain or in the city in 20 minutes.

Granville Island Farmers Market

2011-10-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

We got to Granville kinda late that night. They were going to close at 7:00. So we walked around and found this little play area where you could feed the ducks and let your little ones play. By this time, every little kid we saw reminded us of how much we missed our boys. What I liked about this little area was that they had a coffee shop right beside it. What a perfect pair. Mom gets coffee and little kids can play. The market was BEAUTIFUL. I bought Indian eggplants and teeny tiny little limes. They were so little they were the size of grapes.

This is the bridge that was above a nice resteraunt we ate dinner at. We ate seafood alot. It never failed their were always prawns and clam chowder on every menu we saw. John ate clam chowder 4 times that week I think. The best was at Ivan's in Seattle.

How is this for choices. I think I would have a hard time deciding, it all looked wonderful.

vancouver 2011 Convention Center

2011-10-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is the Convention Center that housed the Winter Olympics in 2010. It was where John had his meetings during the day and then a couple of gatherings at night. At lunch time, the guys were released to go. There would be a waive of men flooding up the escalator right around noon. I met John a couple of times and we hit a sushi place, which I was told by a local that I had to try before I went home. And she was right. It was the best sushi I had ever had. What I appreciated about Vancouver was their attempts to be environmentally responsible. The roof of the building was green, as were many others in town.

vancouver 2011

2011-10-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

I describe Vancouver as a city of glass. With the tall glass building set on a back drop of water it appeared glasslike on a cloudy day. It was amazing the cloudy day didn't effect their mood. They were still out walking and jogging like I would see on a bright and sunny day here.
It was very clean and the people were so kind. I didn't miss the sarcasm I hear daily in America. Or the rolling of the eyes when something doesn't go exactly how they wanted it to go. Or when someone is taking longer then what they thought for something I didn't hear the impatience from the person behind. Lets just say I think we have lost something and experiencing another way was refreshing!

Brain Plasticity

2011-10-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Excuse me people but this stuff is so interesting. All of the following taken from Infants, Children, and adolescents. by Laua E. Berk pg 170

"In the first few years, the brain is highly plastic"

"Brain injuries that occured in infancy show fewer cognitive impairments than adults who recieve later-occuring injuries in adulthood."

"Animal research reveals that pasticity is greatest while the brain is forming many new synapses; it declines during synaptic pruning."

Beatles Birthday

2011-09-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Beatles Birthday

2011-09-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

Beatles Birthday

2011-09-10T19:15:00.001-07:00

Beatles Birthday

2011-09-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

Beatle birthday bash

2011-09-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

Parker wanted a Beatles Birthday Bash. So I found some old Records from a garage sale for $3.00 and glued them together for a decoration to hang on the wall. I made some record bowls in the oven by putting a record on top of an oven safe bowl upside down. Let it bake until it melts down into a bowl shape. hung string and balloons in blue and black. Made a peace and love back drop (for photos) from material I found at a local Mennonite resale shop for $4.00. Found some 70's prizes at a garage sale for $3.00. Took my milk glass and hot glued some washed records to make a stand to put appetizers on. Made two batches of cupcakes and put them all together in the shape of a guitar. Borrowed my boses record player and my moms records. Which by luck she had Chipmunks sing the Beatles. Rented some Beatle cd's from the library along with some a friend brought. Filled a jar with lemon heads and had the kids guess how many was in the jar.
We started off with Pizza, stuffed jalapenos wraped in bacon, and chips and finished off with cupcakes.
People got into the backdrops. Everyone looked so adorable in the fake mustaches and groovy glasses. The night ended with an outdoor movie of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Parker had a blast. And it looked like friends enjoyed themselves. We were so happy to celebrate with friends and loved ones. Parker said it was his best birthday ever. I am so glad that he appreciated it. It was alot of fun to plan. Plus I had so much fun shopping with my friend Silvia who shared in the search for everything.

Parkers 9 years old!

2011-09-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

Add caption

Parker really enjoyed having family and friends over for his Beatles Birthday.

He wanted to thank everyone for everything.

School is cool

2011-08-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

I had no trouble getting the kids ready for school today. Parker was up and ready in 10 minutes and Payton was very eager to wear his new shirt, jacket and backpack. We did a little study that they had gotten from a church group at the end of the school year last year and prayed for the new year. I did miss them and tried to stay busy so that I didn't think about it. I made 6 loaves of pizza bread and froze for an up and coming party we are planning. I did some cleaning and worked and tied some loose ends around the house.

This is the easiest pizza dough I have ever found. You mix it in a food processor.

3 cups of flour
11/2 tsp of kosher salt
a packet of yeast
1 tbs of sugar

mix then add
1 Cup of warm water and 2tbs of olive oil.
Let the processor do the work blending it all together.

put in a bowl and let rise for 2 hours.
Then punch in the middle and let sit for 10 minutes. roll out to put toppings on and bake until cheese is melted. (The dough should be done when the cheese is melted)
I add a little corn meal on the bottum of the pan before I put the pizza dough on it. It keeps it from sticking.

photo creativity

2011-08-05T02:37:00.000-07:00

playing around

2011-08-05T02:12:00.000-07:00

Going to the Beach

2011-08-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Payton took a time out to play on the playground. He was an easy subject to photograph.

The boys enjoyed their time of catching fish. They spent 5 hours doing it.

This is the same beach my parents took me to. I remember my mom used to make ham salad sandwiches for us to eat for lunch. To this day I do not like ham salad. Ewww!

birds in a nest

2011-07-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

To make birds in a nest you need these items. You butter the bread on both sides and then cut a whole in the middle for the bird to rest in. The boys have been asking for this for breakfast. My mom used to make it for us when we were at home so I have passed down the tradition. I would love to hear about any food traditions you have that you have passed down to your children.

Car Wash

2011-07-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

We had a fundraiser for boyscouts today and it was a blazing success. Thank you owners of dirty cars who pulled in to allow us to scubba dubb dubb your dirt away. We made some cash for the Scouts and it will be used wisely and will be put to the best of use. Way to help fight crime in a pro-active way. Investing in the lives of young boys by giving them cash to experiance activities that will allow them to have moments of complete bliss. They are being taught personal hygiene, manners, to volunteer in the community, what the American flag means to Americans, how to care for their environment, how to milk a cow, water safety, bike safety, how to read and follow a map, how to help one another, respect. I am for sure going to stop by more carwashes because of working this one today. So I guess you could say, I have learned to appreciate the efforts of organizing a fundraiser myself.

heat index of 110

2011-07-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that right. We are having a heat wave. We have been hanging inside for the past few days and let me tell you. I long to go outside and do some yard work or painting (John wishes). But I can't bring myself to do it. Instead we have been doing some reading and blogging. Laundry has taken on an appeal when compared to going outside. I did my grocery shopping yesterday and chatted with my good friend Silvia for a couple of hours. Anything indoors is what appeals right now.
Today however we were invited to go swimming with a neighbor and we didn't let it pass us by. It felt like bath water. It was so warm. The waters temperature was 100 degrees. A little too warm for my blood but it was nice anyway. So on to make that low carb dinner I blogged about yesterday and try to occupy the squirrels until bedtime. Highlights of today. Seeing people from a different view/lunch with the work buddies/ swimming with the Rivera's and Elizaldes/and watching the kids have fun playing with their cousins.

low carb menu

2011-07-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

Wednesday
Roasted chicken, potatoes au graten (for kids), green beans, Peaches from my lovely neighbor.
Thursday
ham and beans with celery and onions, salad, corn bread (again for the kids)
Friday
Priebes party, make refried bean dip take tortillas(for guests) and pork rinds for us.
Saturday
spagetti (for kids) with meat sauce on the side. garlic bread (kids) salad
Sunday
Taco salad without the taco part.
Monday
Hamburger pattys no bun/ spinach dip with pork rinds, juice a couple veggies with added fruit
Tuesday
Fish, sauted green peppers and zucchini, sugar free jello

old times

2011-07-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Top 5 favorite things about Summer

2011-07-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Parker
1. swimming
2. the heat
3. light clothes
4. don't have to walk in steep snow
5. BBQ's

Payton
1. partys
2. swimming
3. eating outside
4. going on bike rides
5. going to the silverhawks campout

mom
1. sitting out on my lounge
2. gardening and storing up the crop for the winter
3. Parker reading to me while Payton and I garden
4. drinking lemonaide and playing UNO in the shade
5. sundresses/outside dinner dates with my hubby

dad
1. summer blockbuster movie at the drive in
2. vacation
3. swimming
4. grilling out
5. no shoveling snow

Izzy
1. playing with her rope
2. eating the boys cherry pits (or all food droppings)
3. the extra time playing outside
4. stealing the bases when the boys are playing baseball
5. chaseing flies in the house.

summer randoms

2011-07-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

my sweet little boy
Just passing the time by with a good friend

fathers day 2011

The bro and his big girl

The neighbor took the kids to vbs. I think Payton looks like a little rapper.

I am amazed at the songs they learned in a week.

champs

2011-07-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

Payt and his trophyParkers team won the championship so they got two trophys

Here is the gang.

The coach giving his pep talk.

Sunday purge

2011-06-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well, feeling a little overwhelmed by our excess lately. So on the way to church I made a comment that I thought we should have a Sunday purge. It would consist of everyone in our family grabbing a plastic bag and going through their things to find 25 things that they didn't use anymore. I heard their grumbles under their breath. Then we got to church and the sermon was a Rob Bell video on sharing what we have with the widows, orphans and immigrants. It went right along with what I was thinking about.
We got home from church ate lunch and everyone gathered their things in piles in the living room. The rules were, that you could only give away your own stuff and some of the things to look for were things that were to small, or you had duplicates of, or it may be something you feel like God is telling you to give up for someone else. So off we went. John gave up tools, clothes and a nice pair of football cleats. Parker picked old toys, Payton picked old toys and various little balls he had collected from where ever. I hit the kitchen pretty hard and cleaned out some cupboards. It was a good start. So all in all we are 100 items lighter. We dropped the stuff off at our favorite Mennonite resale shop knowing that the items would bring money to fund their missions in Africa. We are hoping to do it again next week.

church camping 2011

2011-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

Parker toward the evening. Trying to get warm.

Eth at sunset.

one of our friends posing.

We walked down to the beach to watch the sunset. I can cross that one off of my summer wish list. It was as you would imagine. Very beautiful.

Eth after a few handfuls of smores.

which is which? I can never tell.

John posing with his buddy.

Thank you Cha Cha for your desire to walk our Izzard.

Paytie with his buddy he brought. They are ham bones.

Looky over here and say cheese.

This is how you do it.

If you grill it they will come....and come.....and come. Happy Birthday pastor Al.

baseball

2011-06-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

Run forest Run!

I heart you

2011-06-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

I heart you to pudding pie!

Chess face

2011-06-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

He got really serious after loosing the first match. I could see it in his face it was "game on".

He wanted to go over some moves and play anyone that would play him.

snuck away

2011-06-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

Payton and I snuck away to an Easter egg hunt at a local church while brother had his baseball game. We ended up meeting up with a couple of friends with camera's who captured our little moment.

The kiddos doing various things

2011-05-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

This is Parker at diversity day. His music teacher taught his grade various dances from other cultures and they performed it for the community. What we have found out from Parker while watching him dance to Michael Jackson on the wii, is that he is a great dancer, so it was most enjoyable to see him strut his stuff on the stage. I have a dear friend that took these pictures for me since my camera is now broken, again.

Payton at the zoo with his class

2011-05-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Payton in kindergarten. Now he is a first grader!

mothers day

2011-05-08T05:46:00.000-07:00

So happy to love on my mom today. She is a strong oak tree. Weathered many storms and still standing tall. I feel safe sitting under her protective branches. She is a place of rest for me.

Thanks for teaching me about Jesus, making me go on long bike rides, coming to my games and performances, listening to me, watching my kids, picking up my kids, being there when I call, being my personal prayer warrior, sharing family stories, trying to keep it positive, and taking it to the Lord so that I can see freedom in action.

Sweet thang

2011-04-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

John is not feeling well today. We are not sure if it is allergies or a cold. The weather has been unpredictable here. It can start out 35 degrees and by 8:00 at night it is 70 degrees. We have heard about a natural remedy for seasonal pollen allergies. You take a spoonful of LOCAL honey everyday and after about a month or so your allergy symptoms go away. The idea is that bees go around and collect the pollen, then make honey and when you ingest the honey you build up immunities to the pollen. Sounded good to me. So I put the theory to the test a couple of years ago and drank a glass of tea every morning with a spoonful of honey added. I can tell you IT WORKED! So my sweet John is adding a little more sweetness to his morning these days. If it is allergies we are dealing with alleviation is round the bend (in a month). ;o)

Easter

2011-04-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Easter is in full swing. The boys found their baskets this morning. I told Parker that the bat he found yesterday was for his Easter basket. He looked at me with a very serious face and asked if I put the stuff in the Easter baskets. I told him that I bought the gifts for the basket, he looked so relieved, when he figured out that mom bought the presents but the Easter bunny brought the candy.
He wants to believe. The childlike innocents reminds me of a verse: Mathew 18:3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
I love being surrounded by my little ones. I wonder how it affects you when you don't have that constant reminder of a childs faith and wonder right under your feet. They truely are a blessing.

Chess 2011

2011-04-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

We have entered the world of chess.
It is usually an all day event. So it keeps the troops busy with playing board games, bumming snacks from people and playing chess occasionally.
Parker had a success last week. He recieved a trophy for first place in a local chess tournament.
Since Saturdays are a good time to do homework John has stepped up to the plate and takes Parker and Payt to chess. John has also been really good at entertaining the crew with his charm and good looks.

Threre is usually a comment made by someone in the group that pertains to something John has said or done that has made an impression. Some of the kids are picking up his jokes and

their parents hear them re-telling them and think it so funny that they are acting like John.

What can I say, everyone loves John.

Random Winter

2011-03-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here they are building a fort.
Masterminds!

my HONEY helped me carry wood up for a fire.
He is an awesome helper.
He loves being outside, like his mommy!

diaper cake

2011-03-09T15:48:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine is having a baby shower this weekend and I have always wanted to make a diaper cake. They go for about $68.00 if you order them online. I made mine for roughly $30 bones. Here is a list of supplies that I used.

1. Glitter card board for the base

2. stickers

3. rubber bands

4. diapers

5.double sided tape

6. topper of your choice ( I used a nest with a sparkly blue egg cause she is having a boy in the spring)

I used a rubber band to make the center ring

then I took another rubber band around one of those and kept building upon each other.

I found these cute stickers to embelish. I have seen people use silk flowers and also tuck in baby toys here and there.

I cut a cardboard base out of sparkly scrapbook paper. My friend is kinda a sparkly girl so tho she is having a boy I think she will dig the blue bling.

I am a nature kind of girl so I love the spring reference with the birds nest. I hope she does to.

Field Trip at Health Works

2011-03-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Parkers 2nd grade class went to Health Works. I enjoyed being a chaperone. Something that would have been difficult to do with the daycare. Another reason why I love my job. Vacation days to help out at my boys school and hang out with them.

Parker was selected to go up and help with a demonstration.

docking station

2011-03-08T11:31:00.001-08:00

We started with a metal file box that I scored for $1.00 at a resale shop.

The hubs drilled holes in the back.

Literally took less than 3 minutes.

The honey added some washers to clean up the holes.

He didn't even complain once.

He totally scored some points with me.

We wanted to put something down to protect the cell phones from getting scratched up, so we used a piece of linoleum.

If you are going to do this project it is important to use a metal box versus paper.

I have read that the devices can sometimes get hot.

This is how it looked in the end. It fits all 3 cell phones and enough room to charge the ds's.

I may paint it or add a really cool knob I bought. If I do I will for sure show you. But so far we like it the way it is. It is alot better than a pile of cell phones and ds's.

resale hopping

2011-03-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

Thats right! I have been hitting the resale shops and I am coming up with some good stuff. Stay tuned for more. My new favorite word is upcycling. Find 0ut more next week.

Brown boots ($10.00 kinda steep, I know. I don't like to pay more than $5.00 for used but they were in pretty good shape)
pretty cup and saucer I am planting a flowr in for a gift for my friend at work.
Jeans 2.50
shirt 2.50
cotton hankies 2 for $1.00 (remember those people, I have some vintage from my grandma I want to frame for my craft room)
2 shirts for the boys 3.00 each
a metal box we are converting to a docking station this weekend. 1.00
dress pants for the hubs $5.00
a picture I am having my art friend make changes to for an gift for someone. 12.50 (steep, yes, but it was a water color picture in a nice frame from a local gallery. It's gonna be worth it. I can't wait to show you guys this)

New years resolution for March

2011-03-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

My new years resolution for the month of March is to make some soup for someone.
Hmmm, if you get sick and I know about it. You could be a recipient of a pot of love (or some lovings as Payton would say).

So sorry

2011-02-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

I went to high school with a girl who just this weekend had her worst nightmare happen.
I am praying for you Bylers. Your loss is felt by so many. I would trade my right arm to give you back your little girl.

date night

2011-02-27T12:08:00.000-08:00

Payton won a movie so he took his mom to see gnomio and Juliet. Memories have been made.

Saved by the Elizaldes

2011-02-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks, this is so much needed!

parkers pick for dinner tonight

2011-02-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

I made these a few years back. He asked for it out of the blue today.
I knew it was meant to be.

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Fish-Stick-Po--Boys picture by yunhee Kim