This year we:
welcomed Ed to our family
started a new job
moved a thousand miles
drove several thousand more
finished the Book of Mormon as a family
attended the temple one more time than last year (in three states)
knit a hat
wrote a grant
published in a book
competed in Lego robotics
took gymnastics for the first time
lost some teeth
one for the first time
speaking of teeth, 8 brand new
cultivated tomatoes & basil on our porch
sewed one dress
three skirts
two bathing suits
and lots of pajamas
started running on Mondays with friends
paid over $1500 in auto repairs
not a dime on an auto loan
took swimming lessons
learned how to use goggles
bought 4 snow shovels
attended two professional conferences
said goodbye to friends in TX
were welcomed by friends and family in a new place
skipped kindergarten and started first grade
potty-trained
nursed a baby
canned over 100 pints and quarts of food
took one organ lesson
recorded baking 108 loaves of bread
(I think more were made . .. . none were recorded from July-mid September, none in November due to the Kitchen aid passing away)
reduced our student loan debt by 5.6%
wrote over 35 pages of journal
wrote 67 pages of journal from April on . . . (so more than 67)
celebrated 12 years of marriage
and
one took his first steps.
The End.
May 2011 be another wonderful year!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Branching out (times 3)
1)I don't refashion clothing that often, but this week I completed something quite darling for Diana. If you want to read more, click here:
Before:
After:
2)This time we tried sorbet.
Delish.
3) The Bosch arrived and works well.
CHANGE IS GOOD.
Before:
After:
2)This time we tried sorbet.
Delish.
3) The Bosch arrived and works well.
CHANGE IS GOOD.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Phew!!!!!!
A few months ago one of "how many" was the price of my garbage/recycling service . . . but, I was wrong.
It is not $54 per month, that price is for 3 months.
So only $18, which is a happier number....
It is not $54 per month, that price is for 3 months.
So only $18, which is a happier number....
Monday, December 13, 2010
The good, the bad, and the yummy
The good:
The shipping on my new Bosch will only take 2-3 days.
The bad:
I broke my Kitchenaid permanently last week.
The yummy:
Cranberry Applesauce
(copied from a magazine in a TX doctor's office as far as I can tell from the paper on which it's written)
6 sweet/tart apples (Braeburn, Fuji, McIntosh are suggested)
2 C fresh cranberries
2/3 C sugar
1/2 C sweet cider
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
Simmer 25-30 minutes.
Food process when cooled.
Chill for 3 hours.
(I didn't have cider, so I substituted water and more sugar.
I didn't have those apples, I used Granny Smith.
I used my immersion blender, not a food processor.
I didn't wait 3 hours either).
We LOVED it. You will too!
The shipping on my new Bosch will only take 2-3 days.
The bad:
I broke my Kitchenaid permanently last week.
The yummy:
Cranberry Applesauce
(copied from a magazine in a TX doctor's office as far as I can tell from the paper on which it's written)
6 sweet/tart apples (Braeburn, Fuji, McIntosh are suggested)
2 C fresh cranberries
2/3 C sugar
1/2 C sweet cider
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
Simmer 25-30 minutes.
Food process when cooled.
Chill for 3 hours.
(I didn't have cider, so I substituted water and more sugar.
I didn't have those apples, I used Granny Smith.
I used my immersion blender, not a food processor.
I didn't wait 3 hours either).
We LOVED it. You will too!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Glimpses from November
November has come and gone in a blur.
Our first snow:
We welcomed Nathan's brother, sister in law, and their baby for a weekend visit.
I worked with her on some pj's for her and the baby--so fun.
Nathan's brother took time to sketch a little cornucopia for the fall wall. (It will likely appear in years to come--cornucopias are my favorite).
The same weekend Andrew had a Lego robotics competition. This year's theme was Biomedical engineering. Nathan set up a field trip to the CSU health & human performance labs (gait lab, etc) for a field trip. Here he is in costume:
His team is in the lab coats. The goal is for the boys to program their Lego robots to complete specific tasks within a time limit. They also performed a skit and presented a power point presentation. I hope he'll do it next year.
The patient spectators:
Two PJ sewing classes at church. My favorite minutes of November? Several completed pairs of PJ's and more to come. I want to sew every day. Goal for 2011?
The star student from the classes made 3 pairs in one week.
Kitchenaid repaired. Scared it will break again, but using it anyway. It's made it through cookies once and bread once. We'll see.
A trip to Denver Fabrics--Color therapy is so delightful! Must improve sewing skill so I can buy expensive fabric with confidence. Next time I go I will take a list with me. Must sew more first. Good for my budget that the drive is over an hour, or I might spend more.
I bought 80 lbs. of ground beef from Sam's Club. What was I thinking??? I sold 3 of the 10 lb packages to my neighbor and friend, so I was left with 50. Of course it was too much. We canned most of it as spaghetti sauce (28 quarts--We had to buy more jars). The rest we cooked and froze for other meals. Nathan built a tower out of it--because I asked him for an interesting photo. Doesn't it look great on the shelf?
We traveled to Boise for Thanksgiving, and Nathan's grandfather's funeral. The traveling conditions were not ideal, but thanks to a four wheel drive rental car and Nathan's superior driving skill, we were blessed to travel safely. The best part was visiting with MANY family members, some of whom we hadn't seen for years. On the way I got to see one sister and also learned to knit my first hat.
Celebrated the end of the month with friends over for dinner. One other couple and our babies (their daughter and Ed), homemade Chinese food and us. Our other 8 children (their four and our four) attended a church sponsored parent's evening out. Trivial Pursuit provided evidence that the trivia Nathan and I know isn't pursued by the game makers. Much laughter.
The time to take down the fall wall has come . . .so here's a little peek into the colors of our wall this year:
Our first snow:
We welcomed Nathan's brother, sister in law, and their baby for a weekend visit.
I worked with her on some pj's for her and the baby--so fun.
The same weekend Andrew had a Lego robotics competition. This year's theme was Biomedical engineering. Nathan set up a field trip to the CSU health & human performance labs (gait lab, etc) for a field trip. Here he is in costume:
His team is in the lab coats. The goal is for the boys to program their Lego robots to complete specific tasks within a time limit. They also performed a skit and presented a power point presentation. I hope he'll do it next year.
The patient spectators:
 |
| one spectator is missing . . . . not sure why? |
Two PJ sewing classes at church. My favorite minutes of November? Several completed pairs of PJ's and more to come. I want to sew every day. Goal for 2011?
The star student from the classes made 3 pairs in one week.
Kitchenaid repaired. Scared it will break again, but using it anyway. It's made it through cookies once and bread once. We'll see.
A trip to Denver Fabrics--Color therapy is so delightful! Must improve sewing skill so I can buy expensive fabric with confidence. Next time I go I will take a list with me. Must sew more first. Good for my budget that the drive is over an hour, or I might spend more.
I bought 80 lbs. of ground beef from Sam's Club. What was I thinking??? I sold 3 of the 10 lb packages to my neighbor and friend, so I was left with 50. Of course it was too much. We canned most of it as spaghetti sauce (28 quarts--We had to buy more jars). The rest we cooked and froze for other meals. Nathan built a tower out of it--because I asked him for an interesting photo. Doesn't it look great on the shelf?
We traveled to Boise for Thanksgiving, and Nathan's grandfather's funeral. The traveling conditions were not ideal, but thanks to a four wheel drive rental car and Nathan's superior driving skill, we were blessed to travel safely. The best part was visiting with MANY family members, some of whom we hadn't seen for years. On the way I got to see one sister and also learned to knit my first hat.
Celebrated the end of the month with friends over for dinner. One other couple and our babies (their daughter and Ed), homemade Chinese food and us. Our other 8 children (their four and our four) attended a church sponsored parent's evening out. Trivial Pursuit provided evidence that the trivia Nathan and I know isn't pursued by the game makers. Much laughter.
The time to take down the fall wall has come . . .so here's a little peek into the colors of our wall this year:
 | ||
| The whole thing--Andrew hung the background squares this year |
 |
| D's favorite picture |
 |
| I was in C's class the day they made these kitty cats |
 |
| Pumpkin Haiku |
Sunday, October 31, 2010
October by the numbers
This month:
We bought a new (to us) table with 8 chairs.
We went on 2 dates (yes, one of them was a 5K. It counts because we had a babysitter and we did stay together for about 5 minutes of the race after N had already finished)
Our children brought home 734 pieces of paper from school (exaggeration?)
Read 1 book, not my favorite.
Tried 3 new recipes--all three were winners.
I sewed 1 item of clothing. (Don't ask too many questions, Christmas is coming).
Broke one 475 watt mixer making 3 loaves of bread
Volunteered at school 5 times. (Twice with my little ones in tow).
One sick child . . . . thankfully it only lasted about 12 hours
14.5 hours of continuing education
Purchased 3 winter coats, 1 jacket, 3 snowpants, and 3 pairs of boots (still need a couple more things)
5 pumpkins. (Ed let N & I decorate while he napped).
One started crawling.
The fall wall is up.
For November a short list of things I am thankful for:
1) Homemade bread
2) Reading to Diana before our (almost) daily nap.
3) Land's End (specifically 3/4 sleeve button up shirts, and khaki pants without stretch)
4) Gainful employment
5) Freedom of worship
6) Educational opportunities for myself and my children
7) Having family members close (and closer) by
8) Seeing Caitlin's world expand in her first year of school
9) Ed's sweet personality--every book he pulls down, ever drawer he gets into, every cry and shout at the table because he's reminding me to feed him, every smile, so great.
10) Fall weather--it's been so lovely. Ideal.
We bought a new (to us) table with 8 chairs.
We went on 2 dates (yes, one of them was a 5K. It counts because we had a babysitter and we did stay together for about 5 minutes of the race after N had already finished)
Our children brought home 734 pieces of paper from school (exaggeration?)
Read 1 book, not my favorite.
Tried 3 new recipes--all three were winners.
I sewed 1 item of clothing. (Don't ask too many questions, Christmas is coming).
Broke one 475 watt mixer making 3 loaves of bread
Volunteered at school 5 times. (Twice with my little ones in tow).
One sick child . . . . thankfully it only lasted about 12 hours
14.5 hours of continuing education
Purchased 3 winter coats, 1 jacket, 3 snowpants, and 3 pairs of boots (still need a couple more things)
5 pumpkins. (Ed let N & I decorate while he napped).
One started crawling.
The fall wall is up.
For November a short list of things I am thankful for:
1) Homemade bread
2) Reading to Diana before our (almost) daily nap.
3) Land's End (specifically 3/4 sleeve button up shirts, and khaki pants without stretch)
4) Gainful employment
5) Freedom of worship
6) Educational opportunities for myself and my children
7) Having family members close (and closer) by
8) Seeing Caitlin's world expand in her first year of school
9) Ed's sweet personality--every book he pulls down, ever drawer he gets into, every cry and shout at the table because he's reminding me to feed him, every smile, so great.
10) Fall weather--it's been so lovely. Ideal.
 |
| Parting shot--so many memories! |
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