Rite of passage

Cracking eggs at our home is a big deal because you must be five years old to do it.

There's someone new in the "Egg-crackers" Club.

At first, Diana requested Cinnamon Rolls for her "birthday cake,"  but then she changed her mind and asked for Brownies instead. She wanted a Ken doll, a nightgown, a picture of Jesus, a salon toy, and a sweatsuit for her birthday. She received all but the salon and sweats. Her birthday dress is still in the works. She's registered for kindergarten and it can't start soon enough for her. She got to celebrate her birthday one day early, because we left for UT on her birthday to visit a cousin's baptism.

Just in case you needed some pink, here's evidence we really do a "pink" load of laundry at our home.


"Popping through" Valentine idea spotted HERE.
            We took these for the kids' teachers and some of the office staff at school. One office lady was so excited, "It's not chocolate!!!" I didn't do the cute printout because I don't have a color printer. Colored paper worked well, too.
Painted dishes idea spotted HERE.
            These were a hit with oatmeal this morning. Maybe I'll use on regular oatmeal day again??? I was going to do this with dinner, but didn't think the powdered sugar would go well with my plan. It was perfect with breakfast.
Have a Happy Valentine's day!

(I will try to learn how to crop in my next collage).

Top Ten

1)Sometimes I wonder if teaching myself to sew is going to be worth is. This week, my friend Katie showed off a jacket she finished.
Can you believe she made that?
Someday, I hope to be able to fit a garment well. She has thousands of hours more experience than I do. Need to overcome some roadblocks, ie perfectionism.

2) Christmas card saving (scroll WAY down to see how they keep them). I did this over the weekend. I've been saving cards for a long time. I chose the best photo from each family over the years and finally have a place to keep it. I must have more photos hiding somewhere . . . . .  Enough room for family photos in the back. All my kids looked at it yesterday. We will swap them out next year when we receive new ones.

3) Enjoying the 100 days at Modern Quilt Guild: color, shape, everything!! I love modern quilting.

4) Best mail day since Christmas on Saturday. Received BYU magazine and my copy of Slow Cooker Revolution in the mail on Saturday. I find cooking at 4 pm challenging, so I am going to add more slow cooker options to the regulars. I want to use it every day this week. Barbecued Chicken breasts tonight. Later this week are: Chicken and Dumplings, Slow cooker applesauce, and Loaded Baked Potato soup. There are lots of steps . . . . as always with America's Test Kitchen. I need to lighten the after school burden. Plus, 10 or more recipes made with dried beans. I love cooking with dried beans.
I fully acknowledge I have way too many recipes.

5) Finished 13 rounds of dominoes with good friends. Only the 3rd time in history we've made it through all the rounds.

6)Middle school open houses.

7) New earrings. My ears are sensitive, so I've worn the same pair everyday for 14 years. I bought some sterling (less than $7 at Claire's) and they don't irritate. Finally, variety!

8) The girls helped me plan the dresses I will sew this year. Caitlin agreed to wear the existing baptism dress, so a new one isn't in the plans.

9) Hilton's Oatmeal Raisin cookies. BEST EVER!!!! Even better because I didn't bake this batch.


10)Treadmill at the community building. Has a room with glass windows for the kids to play in while I walk/run. Ed asks, "Mom, can we go to the workout room, please?" One of his most willing trips.

He shook their hands

Today we had stake conference with Elder D. Todd Christofferson. As we were leaving for church, Nate said that the kids were hoping to get to shake his hand. We both realized it would likely not happen.

Our stake is so big that we have to meet in two sessions. A big deal is made about us leaving quickly, in time for the next group to have time to park and get in. During his message this morning, Elder Christofferson announced that he'd like to shake the hands of all the children who would like to. Of course, I started crying. He recognized that this might cause problems with the turnover, but said that he was going to do it anyway. He invited children to walk up on the right of the stand and exit on the left.

We sent them up--they got split up, but Andrew took Edwin, and the girls stayed together. They shook hands and then we left quickly. It was very touching that he made time to do it. We learned that he lived in Fort Collins when he was ages 2-3. He said we are very lucky to have a temple built within our boundaries. He said he didn't know what we'd done to deserve a temple--he said he's not even that lucky.

Last night the adult session was at the same time as a pretty big Denver Broncos football game. We filled the Stake center anyway--all the way to the stage. He said, "I was told that tonight I would have to compete with a football game. It looks like I won."

He said it would take approximately two years from the groundbreaking to completion of the temple. He invited us to consider what we could do in that time to be ready. He quoted 3 Nephi 9:19-20 "And ye shall offer up unto me ^ano more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.

 20 And ye shall offer for a ^asacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I ^bbaptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not."

A great conference, and good things to come!

Best birthday gift

For anyone ages 4 and under??

  

He jumped up and down when he saw it.

Ed loves coleslaw . . . so we had some for dinner, along with Homemade Chicken Nuggets (the best), Potato Pearls, and cucumbers. He didn't pick all his meals like the other kids, we helped him out. My choice was the Yellow cake with cream cheese frosting, but he asked "cupcakes," and he wanted them green.

He doesn't stop moving for anything. The best photos I got were when I laid him down on the ground and he looked up at the balloon. Check out those lashes, little girls.

 

One more = One less

I loved the first idea in this article:
"Find one less thing to do."
It resonated with me, since I discovered it a few weeks before in the grocery store.
I had been purchasing three types of milk: whole, for Eddie, 1% for everyone else, and Skim, for me.
One day, exasperated by the thought of how many each I could fit in the fridge, I decided it was too much.

EXP 1/10/2012

I dropped the skim: the only one I could at the time.
It would not be long before Ed turned 2 and I could stop buying whole milk. Then I would continue buying skim milk for me again.

This idea really worked. I didn't have to juggle them anymore in the fridge just to get to the open one I was searching for. Two was much simpler than 3.

Do you measure the passage of time by the expiration dates on gallons of milk?

"This one expires in December, is it that close already? Past Bryn's birthday. This one expires the day the kids get out for Christmas break. Now, it's after Christmas. Next year??"

Ed turned two.
Out with the whole, in with the skim.
Some daughters will be sad they can't ask for some of his whole milk anymore, but I am glad to have one more, and one less.

Bye, bye 2011

Thought I would ask each family member what they want to remember about this year--but they are in bed. Here's my summary.

In 2011, we:

bought a car

gave an old one away

attended the temple 6 times

mourned with those who mourn

spent a day in bed with a bad back

hiked

hiked with cousins

and swam with them, too

took Grandpa skiing

started orthodontic visits

took a pottery class

first lessons in archery

tackled tackle football

celebrated many birthdays

paid back many dollars they "loaned" us when N start work (nearly double the debt we paid off last year)

took a college class

earned an A-

sewed 3 dresses

spoke at a professional conference

received the promise of funding on a scientific study

retired temporarily from Cub Scouts for 6 years

wrote a Primary program

ran five 5K races

earned one trophy

mailed 100 Christmas cards

ran track

spent 4 nights away from our children (thanks to grandparents)

wrote 19 pages of journal

flew many miles to celebrate a 40th birthday

discovered the BMX track near our home

weaned a baby

made it through a traffic accident intact

slept at the cabin

visited family in ID

UT

WY

learned to hula hoop

never went hungry
one left nursery in January
another began nursery in July

built a snowfort

ice skated & sledded for the first time

pieced a quilt by machine

then hand quilted it

rejoiced we'll have a temple in our city

across from our church building

Maybe next year 

"Carved pumpkins" 

will make this list

Best wishes for 2012!