Greatest Neighbor in the World

As a gift to Miriam, our sweet neighbor, Grandpa Dan, landscaped our front gardens. They look fantastic and with all the wonderful rain we have been getting, our green grass complements them nicely! I left in the morning to run some errands and visit a few people. I came home to Grandpa Dan and his friend, Bud Speicher from up the street, working so hard to make our home look beautiful. The end result is fabulous.

We are so blessed to have Dan and Norma Barkdull as neighbors. They are always so willing to do anything for us. We couldn't ask for more! Thanks!

the Party must go on

It is wonderful to have such friends that you can call them and dump a party their laps at the 11th hour, along with making the rest of the pies for our PI day! (Thanks Debi and Amy!) From everything that people have told us, it was a huge success. We were sad to have missed it, but were very glad that everyone came and had a great time. Nothing like having friends gathered around waiting for you to announce what you had. Only I could have pulled off an announcement party for our sweet little baby :D!

Ice Storms

Even ice storms can be a lot of fun when you have no school and the roads (at least the main roads) are clear! Especially when you go sledding with friends who came up from VA.
This has to be my favorite picture of the day!! This is Maggie Tippets, you can't get much more adorable than this, even if you tried!

As proof from this picture...the kids had a great time!

This was a great day to go sledding because it was pure ice, I know it looks like snow but that's not the case. It snowed first and then turned to a freezing rain during the night, turning the snow into ice. It put a couple of inches of ice everywhere. Nice and slick to go super fast, even down little hills!

There was about 2-3 inches of solid ice on the driveway which made a great slide for all the kids to just sit down and go!

Eden didn't know what to think.....look at those beautiful eyes!

I am grateful for.....

my leather furniture!!

Joseph, Eden and I were having fun with a couple of the cutest girls ever, Eve and Maggie Tippets. We had just finished making cookie dough when Alan called from school and needed something off of his computer so I went downstairs and as soon as I finished solving Alan's problem, I got another phone call that I took. It wasn't a long conversation maybe 3 minutes. When I came back upstairs there was cookie dough on my couch, love seat, and chair. At that moment I can't describe the joy I felt and how grateful I was that we decided to go with leather instead of fabric couches. Yes, they may have been more expensive at the time, but it saved me hours of scrubbing which is worth far more, plus I didn't have to get upset at anyone. It took a max of 5 minutes to clean up and that includes the time it took to get a rag and get it wet!

Slumber Party with the Ladies!!

One of the ladies, Gwyn Nichol, from our ward is moving within the month. We decided to create one last memory for her. We told her that we were going to take her out to eat for her going away party. We went to The Cheesecake Factory and had some yummy food!! We had a great time and could have called it a night and been happy, but what could be better then having a never-ending night with 5 fabulous ladies (+2 well behaved babes). Lynette Loveridge (+Brinley), Michelle Dean, Debi Perkes, Gwyn Nichol, and Me (+Eden), all went to a hotel in town. I have not laughed so hard nor stayed up so late in a long time, and everyone discovered that I get really giggly at 3:30 a.m. We ate lots of goodies, drank Diet Coke with lime and played the game Loaded Questions. At about 3:40 we got a knock at the door...I opened the door to a cop telling us to keep the noise down. The crazy part is that at the time he came it was very quiet, everyone was in the bathroom brushing their teeth, and the babies were sleeping so all he could see was me in my pj's and a couple of car seats. He said "The walls must be really thin so if you can keep the noise down that would be appreciated." I think he felt really dumb, and of course I acted as though I had no clue what he could be talking about! We got a kick out of it, 5 Mormon women getting the cops called on them! We did end up getting a couple hours of sleep. It was so much fun that it was worth the sleepiness the next day.
I will miss you Gwyn, you are so awesome and I wish I had your vocabulary, even if it would make me a "nerd"!! Thanks for always being wonderful and for all of the times that you were there for me. I appreciate it, you are a wonderful friend. I can't wait for your blog!! Watch out Oregon, Tiny Fists of Fury is coming your way!!

Pie First

Family traditions are one of those things that are hard to rid yourself of. One of these family traditions, though I couldn't tell you when it began, was started by my mom (the pie lady) and has been passed on to me, and as I found out my sister as well! Although my sister is more pure then I am, she makes her own pie crust. I don't, Pilsbury does a fantastic job at making them for me!


My mom loves to bake and has a sweet tooth as well. She would always ask us what our favorite pie was and then would make it for Thanksgiving. As we grew older, because of the size of our family, we often had 10 or more pies for our Thanksgiving feast. We usually had grandparents or other family come, as well as friends and neighbors over to enjoy these scrumptious pies, so it wasn't too far out there to need that many, but then she began to search for different pies, or pies she had never made before, and these pies were not replaced by others but just added to the ever-growing list. Some may say that her pie making has gotten a little out of hand, but all of those who partake would disagree.


For the past several years I have not been home (at mom's house) for Thanksgiving, I have had the pleasure of having it at MY house. Can I tell you how much I love it!! I love tripping over people in the kitchen, everyone snitching food, everyone's smiles and happy laughter, the beautifully set tables, the kids feeling big using the good china that they normally would not get to use. I find so much joy and satisfaction to gather around my table and overeat on yummy foods, especially pies!!


It's interesting how everyone has that certain food that it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without! This year we had a couple of friends over.....The Nichol family, the Perkes family, and Uncle Sly (a.k.a. Scott Livengood). We all pitched in and made our "must haves" or made sure that whomever made them, made that item to code!! But then when we started talking about pies I couldn't let any of them go.....why I ask? For starters Alan wouldn't let me, he wanted all those pies in our fridge to continue to eat for days after Thanksgiving. Secondly I didn't want to, me, myself, and I don't really like even 1/2 of the pies I make, but to give up making them was something that I couldn't do. Don't mess with TRADITION, man. What would I do the night before with only 2 or 3 pies to make? So instead of fighting over who was going to make which pies we agreed to just make whatever pies we wanted and then we would combine them all to devour. We ended up with a variety of 10 pies and multiples of a couple of them.


Pumpkin, Pecan, Cheesecake, Pumpkin Ice Cream, Banana Cream, Chocolate Cream, The "Green" Pie, Dutch Apple, Cherry, Lemon Meringue


We had a wonderful time, as you can imagine! Thanksgiving is such a delicous holiday!!

Pay It Forward Exchange

This exchange was on a friends blogs. I actually was one of the first 3! It never seems like I win stuff like this! I got a wonderfully put together cookbook (super impressive), I couldn't be more thrilled. I love looking through cookbooks!

Here's the blurb on it: I will send a handmade gift to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. You may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. (So, you must have a blog to participate.)

The race is on!

Eclipse Book Signing

After reading 3 of the 4 books in the Twilight series. I was talking to my sister-in-law Erin and she told me that she had just gone to a book signing for these books. She told me of her experience of being blown away by the number of teenage girls, young mom's, and older women who were gathered around because of these books! She highly encouraged me to go and experience this if I had the opportunity.


Well that opportunity came and she was right, it was quite the experience. Debi Perkes and Gwyn Nichol and I went. We met some of the Young Women from our ward down in Fairfax, VA (about an hour away) who had picked up our tickets that morning. I couldn't believe the number of girls that were screaming and crowded in this book store. The author, Stephanie Meyers, to me looks like she is a Mormon mom. She wasn't this spectacular, glittery person but a real, down to earth type of person.

The signature was less than impressive, but it is the experience that counts! We had a great time! It was fun to go back to those times in life and remember what is was like to be 15 again!! Did I mention that I was on bed rest?!! I did bring my camping chair so that I could sit instead of stand. What a site!

Relaxing......

Nothing like being on bed rest and having people serve you while lounging at a beach house. Alan and I had planned one more get-away with some friends, the Nichols, before I got put on bed rest but decided that it was probably more relaxing and that it would lift my spirits to still go. I must say it has done wonders!

Couple of highlights:


All of my children were out of character when we were at the beach. Last time we went Joseph and Peter wouldn't go near the water...this year we couldn't keep them out! Alan took each of them out to jump the waves. They ran and played and had so much fun!


Joseph said while out with Alan "This is a very yucky swimming pool." This kid scared me as I sat helpless on the beach watching.....He was fearless and would just run out and then sit down to let the waves wash over him.


Peter, although he was more than willing to go out in the ocean to a certain point, refused to go out further with Alan because "he wasn't big enough to go out that far." He definitely has limits that he won't cross if he is the one who set them. Alan did eventually drag him out in which he responded to me that he was just kidding and that he really had a fun time.


Hannah never skipped a beat. It was hard to keep her out of the water. She was always asking Alan to take her out farther. She had so much fun having her little friend Eve there to play in the sand and to sit in the ocean.


Alan buried all of the kids in the sand up to their necks, which they all though was so fun. They all struggled, while laughing, trying to get out from underneath the heavy sand.


It was a beautiful day! The breeze was blowing, the sky was blue, it wasn't hot but a pleasant 79 degrees and the sand was warm but not scalding hot. I loved it, but I love the ocean. It could not have been more relaxing!

It was so fun having the Jared, Gwyn, Eve, and Eleanor Nichol come! They are wonderful friends, who are fun to hang out with, talk with, and just relax with! Thanks guys for coming!

Friends

Probably the most immediate reward for starting this blog, is talking to and emailing friends I haven't had contact with in a long time! I have enjoyed hearing about what they have been doing and seeing how life has change for them. Many of them have been very influential in my life. I find myself thinking about them and looking back on the times that we shared and the wonderful memories that make them a major blessing in my life. I thought I would write about a couple of them....

My High School Science Teacher. I was his TA one year so I wouldn't have to take some science class from a really crazy science teacher. It was probably the best class I had that year and the one I learned the most from. I learned what love was between a husband and wife and what having Christlike love was and what you were called to bear when you possessed it. What a patient, kind, loving man he was. I don't know that he knows this, but I consider him one of my dearest friends from High School.

My flower friend. We worked together in a Flower Shop when I was newly married. We had many great laughs and a couple good cries. One year we even tried to make pumpkin pie from scratch.

My Favorite "big sister". While living in California she took me under her wing and loved me. She taught me so many things about life and how through trials there is always Christ and through the sisterhood of the gospel you will always have friends.

My life line. She has been able to get me out of so many things, from being lost on some unknown street to covering for me because of how forgetful I can be. I could call her on a moments notice to do things and she would usually have it done before we were off the phone. She always listened and never judged.

My escape goat. When ever I needed to get away I would always hide out at her house. We would also always use each other as an excuse to get away for the evening. We were two peas in a pod. I believe when you meet someone and you are instantly friends it is Gods way of saying that he loves you and knows you can't go through this portion of road alone.

There are so many that maybe it's not fair to list so few......but each of the people who have walked the same stretch of road with me for no matter how long have helped me to know who I am and where I need to go and what type of person I need to be to make it through this life. I have taken a little bit of all of you to make me! How precious the friends we have are! Thank you for all that you have done for me and continue to do. Loves~