Day #30: Last day & Light up the tree

Well, today is day 30 and the last of my blogging challenge. It is hard to believe it is the last day of November. We put the lights and decorations on our Christmas tree. It is the biggest tree we have ever had. It is about 16 feet tall. I am not sure what we were thinking. They tend to look smaller outside. It is a little quirky and definitely a "country" Christmas Tree but it has character. Let the holidays begin!

Day #29: Game Night

It seems like life moves so fast that there isn't time for game nights anymore for our family. However, we were able to slow down a little bit on Sunday night and had a game of Monopoly. It was a lot of fun. I was definitely the loser of the evening but enjoyed every minute of it.

Day #28: Blind Side

We went to the movie "Blind Side" today as a family. Loved it. What an inspiring story. I would highly recommend it. It is amazing the hard circumstances that many people are raised in. I am so grateful for the wonderful parents that raised me and for their great examples of goodness. They taught me the gospel and their actions were reflections of their beliefs. They quietly serve those around them. They taught me hard work and integrity. They taught me to think of others and to always try. I love you mom and dad!

Day #27: Kids Say and Do the Darnedest Things

Jenna and her friend were talking about movies they have recently seen. Jenna began talking about "The Christmas Carol" starring Jim Carrey. She told her it was kind of freaky and then says, "That wasn't his best work. Jim Carrey usually does so much better than that." I tried so hard to keep a straight face. She was totally serious. It sounded like she was a guest critic on Siskel and Ebert instead of a 2nd grader.

Robbie just reminded of another funny quote by Jenna. We were on a family trip last year to Nauvoo. We drove there and had spent a long time in the car. Robbie said that he liked burritos and Jenna says, "you are what you eat."

On the same trip, we stopped at a gas station in Nebraska. It was very late on a Sunday evening. Phil describes the attendant as a night shift grease ball for lack of a better description. Jenna told the gas station attendant, "I live in Mendon and we are going to Nauvoo and it is going to take us until Tuesday. And the gas station guy says, "yeah".

About a month ago, I got a phone call from the elementary school. The secretary told me that I needed to come and get Robbie because he had just thrown up. I hurried to the school and there lay Rob in the sick room. It turned out that another 5th grade boy had had some hot peppers at school and at recess was asking others if they wanted to eat them. Rob said he would eat one. He promptly drank a lot of water because they were so hot. He had art and then library after recess. As time went by his stomach began to cramp and he didn't feel so well. Then it was time for lunch. Just as he had gotten his lunch tray he threw up all the water he had drank earlier. Poor Rob was not feeling well. I took him home. His stomach hurt and was in a lot of pain. I called the doctor to see if there was anything I could do for him. As I was talking with the nurse she could hear Rob in the background moaning. Turns out there is not much you can do. We gave him some food because he had eaten the pepper on an empty stomach. But basically that pepper had to work its way out before he would feel better. The time of reckoning came. Rob's moaning could be heard from the bathroom. He came out and said, "that hurt more coming out than going in." I don't think he will be eating another hot pepper any time soon.

Day #26: Happy Thanksgiving & Birthday!

This 30 days of posting is harder than I thought it would be. But I am almost there. This year my birthday was on Thanksgiving. We had about 30 people here for Thanksgiving. It was a great day with family. I am so grateful for family and the opportunities we have to spend time together. I am so grateful for my many blessings....family, friends, home, community, freedom, gospel, health, and love.

Day #25: For me?

Today Phil came home with these beautiful flowers for me. My birthday is on Thanksgiving this year and everyone is coming to our house for dinner so he knew it would be a crazy birthday. Thank you Phil. I love you!

Day #24: Say Cheese!

Alycia got her braces off today! She was so excited for this day. Can you tell? I remember the feeling too when I was her age. I would run my tongue along my teeth and couldn't believe how smooth they were. Congratulations Alycia!

Day #23: Good news...we can flush!

This weekend we had a surprise in our backyard where have recently put in a outbuilding. Apparently, the excavator that graded the ground cut the line from our septic tank to the drain field and didn't tell us. I won't go into the yucky details but Phil spent many hours knee deep in muck and there were a few hours we couldn't use the water system at all. Our friend, Brian, helped Phil come up with a temporary fix though and we were back in business until Rotor Rooter could come today. Good news. We are going to be able to repair the line and we won't have to put in a whole new drain field. Yah! I am very grateful for indoor plumbing!

Day #20, #21, #22: Testimony

I am behind on my daily blog. But I thought this would cover three days worth. This last week some friends of ours had their baby prematurely and he passed away. Our friend wrote such a beautiful testimony about eternal families and where they are finding comfort. I wanted to share their link. I am so grateful for the peace and comfort found through my Savior, Jesus Christ.

http://skye-l.blogspot.com/

Day #19: Yummy Bread Recipe

Here is the bread recipe that I made the other day. I got the majority of it from my friend Kari Rich who said her's is the Kitchen Knead's recipe tweaked a little. Well, I tweaked Kari's a little. Here it is:

Homemade Bread:

Combine: 1 cup warm water
3 T. yeast
1 T. brown sugar
Let sit until bubbly.

Combine in a mixer: 4 cups warm water
6 T. butter
4 t. salt
12 cups flour*
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup potatoe flakes
1 T. of wheat gluten for every cup of wheat flour
3 T. of white vinegar


Add yeast mixture and knead for 10 minutes. Put in 4 loaf pans and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

*I ground some wheat that day and didn't quite have enough so I had 9 cups wheat flour and 3 cups white flour. You could do it half and half or all wheat and I think it would work great.

I would love to hear back from people that try this out and what results they had!

Day #18: Lehi's Dream

My sister decided to present Lehi's Dream for her ward's Young Women in Excellence. She wanted it to be a hands on experience with the iron rod, the great and spacious building, and the Tree of Life with it's "fruit". This began her journey in creating a Tree of Life. The picture is very cool but doesn't give it justice. I know this project took more time and effort than I can even imagine. Along with her husband, who is an engineer, they created this amazing tree. I couldn't believe she was actually doing this and going to all the effort. She had a lot of women on her committee and they helped her pull this off. I went over yesterday to help because last night was the big night and I was able to see how her idea had taken shape. But more than creating the tree, favors, and fruit shaped cookies she wanted her young women to take the meaning of the dream deep inside themselves so that will have the desire to receive the "fruit" of the tree. She is not one to be in the lime light and receive the praise of others. Her motivation was to help these young women internalize what my sister believes so deeply and to help these girls strengthen their testimonies. The Savior is the center of my sister's life. Anyone who knows her would agree. The young women followed an iron rod which eventually led them to the tree at the end of the evening. What isn't shown in this picture is the picture of Christ in front of the beautiful Salt Lake Temple that my sister printed off. It was brought out and placed at the base of the tree. Her message was that Christ is the tree and the temple is where we can fully partake of the love of God which is the fruit. I admire my dear, sweet sister for following her heart and sacrificing for the benefit of those young women.

Day #17: Peaceful Mornings

I love mornings that I wake up before anyone. The house is quiet and I am unrushed. I can sit, ponder, and pray. The hard things of life don't seem quite as hard and the blessings of life are at the front of my mind. They don't happen probably as much as they should (that darn snooze button). But, when I do have a morning like this I am grateful. :)

Day #16: Homemade Bread

Over the years I have tried to make homemade bread. I would get a new recipe that was sure to work and I would end up with bricks. I had begun to think that I would never be able to make yummy homemade bread. Well, today was a good day. I think I have figured it out! My friend gave me a good recipe and I tweaked it a little and.....

Day #15: Favorite Running Shoes

My feet are at the bottom of the picture. A few months ago I bought some new running shoes. I absolutely love them. There is nothing quite like a comfortable running shoe. They make me smile.

Day #14: I love to see the Temple

I am so grateful for the temple.

Day #13: Religion in Life

I was able to go USU Institute's Religion Life yesterday. Bruce C. Hafen, a Seventy, was the guest speaker. It was so good. I have so many of his books and I love every one of them.

He talked about the American Fork Band assistant director, Heather Christensen, who was killed a month or so ago when the bus she was in crashed. She was the only fatality. The bus driver had an unexpected medical condition that caused her to pass out. Heather jumped to the steering wheel and many believe she saved many lives because of her actions. However, she lost her life.

Elder Hafen has a granddaughter who was on that bus. He touched on some lessons that he has learned through this experience.

Quick summary:
*What do we give our lives for? Give it to those you love one hour at a time. Don't waste it. The only mistake that is dumb is the one we don't learn from.
*Develop righteous habits before hard times come. Make up your mind what you will NEVER do.
*One person makes a difference.
*Be like a shepherd not like a hired hand.
*Develop humility and unselfishness in the success of others.
*Heather's family are great examples of forgiveness. They have shown love and concern for the bus driver.
*We can have eternal life only if we don't want something else more.
*Atonement is a process. It will heal ANY separation from God. Nobody is so "damaged" that there is no way back. Let's not judge each other because of the "damage".
*Live for tomorrow.

Day #12: Snow?

I have to say I am not so sure I am ready for the snow. It sure is beautiful though. I am very grateful to live in a place that has all four seasons (most of the time and some are longer than others). This is looking out of my front door. Wow!

Day #11: Freedom

Today is Veterans Day. I am so thankful for the men and women who have served in the armed forces. I am so grateful for the freedom that we have because of their sacrifice dedication to our country. Thank you!

Day #10: Look Who's 14!

I can't believe that my little Alycia Rae is now 14. I love her outgoing personality. She is so fun to have in our family! Happy Birthday Alycia! We love you!

Alycia age 4

Alycia (center) age 13

Day #9: Dehydrated Celery?

Went to Honeyville Farms today for the first time. Very cool food storage items. This was one of my purchases. I am anxious to try dehydrated celery.

Day #8: Sunday Dinners

I am so grateful for Sunday dinners. The hectic and crazy schedule of the week slows a little and we can be all together and enjoy one another.

Day #7: Proverbs 3:5-6

This the new vinyl lettering that I put in my bathroom. I love this quote and thought it would be good to see it everyday.

Day #6: Mustang Football

We have had so much fun watching football this fall. We have especially enjoyed cheering that left offensive tackle on. Tonight was the quarter finals and MC came out on top. That means we are headed to Rice Eccles Stadium next week for the semifinals. (Frank is in the middle of the picture on the field. #75)

Day #5: Autumn Bike Rides

I absolutely love the autumn season especially when I get a bike ride in. I just got back from a beautiful ride with a friend. Enjoyed the sunshine, the refreshing crispness in the air, and the good conversation. I am going to be happy all day now. :)

Day #4: Oatmeal Cake

Oh, how I love oatmeal cake. Yum! My dear friend made me this cake for an early birthday gift. It is delicious but very nutritious. It is definitely healthy because of the oatmeal thereby balancing out the cup of butter that goes into it. Mm mmm good!

Day #3: 1st Graders

First graders are adorable. That is all there is to it. Today, I substituted at our elementary school for a first grade class. If you ever need a boost to your self-esteem just go spend some time with a 6 year old. They think you are cool no matter what. They love routines, nothing gets past them, and they want to please you. I had a great day with some adorable first graders.

Day #2: Dancing Shoes

Today was my tap class. I absolutely love it! I have been taking tap for the last couple of years with a few friends. Tapping just makes me smile. We call ourselves "Housewives Gone Wild."

Day #1: Challenge

Today is the first day of my personal challenge. I am going to post everyday for 30 days. I got this idea from a friend and I thought I would try it. Hopefully, focusing on things that I am thankful for since November is the month of Thanksgiving.
Today, we went and took some pictures up in the foothills above our house. They didn't turn out the greatest and hopefully we will get another chance before the month is over. But I am going to post my favorites. Definitely thankful for the beautiful place we live and my family!

Pumpkin Carving Party

We a fun time we had this week. We got together with some other families and had a pumpkin carving party. The kids came up with some great jack-o-lanterns. Fun memories. (Thanks Shaleace for the great pictures.)

Costumes, Awards, and Haunted Houses

Alycia Witchy-poo.

Jenna & Rob getting ready for a big night of trick-or-treating. Jenna is a witch and we aren't really sure what Rob is. .....Perhaps a scary santa thief?


At Pack Night this week, Rob recieved his Arrow of Light. It was a costume party too. We still aren't sure what Rob is. ..... Perhaps a very scary pumpkin man?

Rob built a haunted house at school. They had to design it and they learned how to make a circuit so that a light would turn on inside.