Just Below the Surface...

My sister posted some yummy looking cupcakes on our family food blog (houseoffat.blogspot.com). A friend was having a birthday yesterday so I decided it would be a good time to try them. The cupcakes are pretty normal cupcakes as far as the batter goes but it's what's inside that counts--Lindt milk chocolate truffles! I went to the store early yesterday morning to pick up the ingredients. I had never purchased Lindt truffles before and discovered they were a little pricy. I followed the directions but my oven must cook a little slower than my sister's because even cooking them for a minute longer they still fell quite a bit in the middle (even worse than the picture shown above!). I took them to my girlfriend to rescue! She frosted them for me by filling in the hole and then piping frosting around the edge and we sprinkled some lovely pink and red and white crystals on top and set them on a pretty pink heart-shaped plate and finished the wrap with a bow and some miniature silk roses. Then after a failed delivery attempt I discovered....my friend was in Utah until Tuesday! Fortunately, Brittany had a friend at school that was turning 16 and she had promised her cupcakes SO...they ended up going for a good cause after all!

I couldn't help but wonder if the same concept would work but with slightly less expensive candies. So, today I tried them again but this time I inserted three junior mints or a miniature Reeses candy or a Lindt milk chocolate truffle with peanut butter filling (not any less expensive but wanted a back up in case the Reeses didn't work). Good news--they all three worked! You can see from the top picture that the candy doesn't always end up under the surface and I still had some sinking in the middle but after they are frosted the imperfections disappear. (That is they would disappear if I knew how to frost properly---Melissa, I need lessons!!!!)

Also, after they are frosted you have no idea which candy is in the middle so you take a bit of a gamble with that first bite. Ashlyn got a mint one after school--she gave it a thumbs up! Tanner and Justin both got a Lindt peanut butter one--two thumbs up! I got a Reeses one and I must admit although tasty, the Reeses stays a little firm--still doable but doesn't melt into the cupcake as much as the other two. The recipe makes 24 cupcakes so I frosted half and froze the other half--(unfrosted) for an after school treat over the next couple of weeks.

To look at these cupcakes you would never know there was a little surprise hiding out in the center. Makes you wonder about the people around you! What surprises would we see if we got a glimpse inside to the center of them! It would be nice if they could always be "sweet" surprises but sadly I think some centers have gone sour and rock hard. On Tuesday, my cooking group were talking about some of the latest news stories and I was sickened by what I heard. I don't know how people can get to a point where they cause such pain and misery to another human being--especially helpless little babies! Although the intent of our hearts may not be known to many, they are known to One and I take comfort in knowing that somehow eventually things will be made right for the innocent that suffer! (Sorry, who knew that a rambling about cupcakes would take such a depressing turn! I better go eat another cupcake!!!)

NOTE: Yes, these are the same cupcakes--just the difference lighting makes! Kitchen lighting versus natural lighting--I'll take my chocolate a la natural!

Braided Buddies

A couple of days ago after Ashlyn's bath I partially dried and then french braided her hair for her to sleep on. Her hair was so pretty the next morning. So tonight after her bath she asked for the same treatment. I decided to try Annaka's hair as well. Scott reminded me to take a picture since this was Annaka's first braid!

She is growing up so fast! She talks a LOT and in full sentences. She can say her ABC's, sing several songs such as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, the Itsy, Bitsy Spider etc. She loves it when her siblings come home from school and really enjoys playing with "Ashy". She likes to play outside so she will be thrilled to have the weather cool down (it was still 112 degrees at 8:30 p.m.!). She still takes a 3-3 1/2 hour nap (yeah!) and loves her "milky". She is starting to eat more but prefers her sippy cup. She can be very demanding and insistent but overall she has been so much fun and the kids adore her! She is starting to ask for daddy in the mornings and when I go up to get her she will start crying if I tell her daddy is gone. It always seems to happen. Sooner or later, they all switch over to the "dad" side!

NOTE: Annaka's hair didn't really "work" but it did give it some volume!

Boys...Boys...Boys!

Tanner loves guns. He has had a fascination with them for quite some time now. He wants to be a policeman when he grows up (as long as he doesn't have to experience being tasered during training!) I am not a fan of guns. I do not really want to encourage this interest so we have refused purchasing guns of any kind for Tanner. However, this summer he earned some money and we finally allowed him to purchase some airsoft guns for himself. He received strict instructions on how and when and where he can use them which means they are for target shooting only and not for airsoft wars!

My sister just posted a picture of her boys and their friends with airsoft guns my brother-in-law just bought for them. Uncle Rick loves guns too! So, Tanner asked me to take pictures of him tonight with his guns and post them for his cousins to see. If there wasn't so much space between us I'm sure the boys would be target practicing all the time together!

Book Club with the Young Women

I talked to the girls a couple of months ago about doing a book club with "A Girl of the Limberlost". We have several readers in the group now so they were open to the idea. Only two actually finished the book; one read quite a bit but didn't finish and the rest didn't get very far. The ones that read gave it a rating of 6, 6 and 8.5 on a scale of 1-10 as far as how much they enjoyed it. It's a very old fashioned book with old fashioned values and lots of nature so I wasn't sure how the girls would feel about it but the ones that read it seemed to enjoy it. After I explained my personal history with the book, several of them mentioned that now they really wanted to read it. I'm hoping they do!

The questions were general philosophical questions so they didn't require knowledge of the story to answer. However, they did provide lots of opportunity for some "by the way" teaching. We had a very enjoyable time talking with each other and sharing thoughts and experiences and eating very yummy cake! (Hannah and her friend arrived right after the picture was taken).

I am so happy with how well this group is meshing together. I was concerned that we would have some major divisions but they are doing great together.

An Unexpected Blessing

My sister, Nichole, called yesterday with some unexpected news...she is pregnant! She was "done" after her third son was born. But, then she and her husband had a really neat experience where they knew they were to have another little baby--a little girl was waiting to join their family. Enter Miss Ava! So, of course, Nichole was for sure "done" then. This is exactly why I always hesitate and laugh when I get this question "Are you done having children?" I actually get asked this a lot and was asked again yesterday. Although I am "done", I also know that sometimes our plans have a way of changing.

Nichole will be 39 and four months when she delivers this little one. I was 39 and five months when I had Annaka. Her little girl, Ava, will be 4 and 5 months. Ashlyn was 4 and 3 months when Annaka was born. I had a deja vu moment when Nichole called with the news. The only difference--Annaka was planned!

Although it's not as easy having little ones at this age I am so glad we have Annaka for Ashlyn. They have so much fun together and really are becoming good friends. Annaka was the main reason I kept Ashlyn home for an extra year. I wanted them to have one more year together.

Today is our 19th anniversary. I LOVE this man that I married but I HATE celebrating with him. He is SO very hard to buy for. He doesn't need any more ties; He hates it if I purchase clothes for him and they'll go unused; He has no hobbies at the moment...he's just impossible! But, he ALWAYS goes overboard for me and I feel bad every time that he does so much more for me than I do for him. He spoiled me with new things for the kitchen to help me with my cooking since I have the two cooking groups now. I gave him the unabridged Les Miserables book--even though it's HUGE there's still a big difference between what he gave me and what I gave him! Let me explain my reason behind the gift: It's his favorite book and we read it together once upon a time and so when I saw it I thought there was obviously more to the story than the one we had read together and that it would be fun to reread it together. He explained that the original was filled with lots of political and historical events so the abridged version weeded a lot of that out and just focused on the story. SO...once again I struck out!

When I complained that it's hard to find things for him because he doesn't like anything he said that's not true, I like children. So there you go...I'm just saying if the plan changes...now you'll know why!

Congratulations Nichole! May you be blessed with twins so I'm not the only one with six little ones!!!

Wonderful Wednesdays...

Today I didn't have to go anywhere or take kids anywhere so it was a wonderful day at home. I helped some friends in the morning then worked on dinner and sorting through the kid's school paperwork, did some housework, visited with a neighbor, then started the evening process of getting kids to read and ready for school. We also started to work with Tanner tonight. We'll see how that goes.

But, I did remember to do a craft with the youngsters. We did candy airplanes today. They looked so easy but were a little tricky for the kids to assemble on their own. They only survived in this form for about five minutes anyways and then they were disassembled and devoured!

Guess what's on the calendar tomorrow? NOTHING! It is completely a white blank little square of endless possibilities...Oh the JOY! Now comes the hard part of deciding what on my long list of "to do's" to tackle...Of course, Annaka started acting like she was catching a cold this evening SO there is a very good possibility that I will be loving a miserable little girl and the "to do" list will remain as it is--LONG!

The Replacements...

Annaka enjoys a good movie (today she wanted to watch "Winnie the Poop"--couldn't get her to hear the difference!). But, she loves to have buddies to watch with her. Since the siblings are no longer available...these poor creatures had to do. Her kitty she refers to as "puppy" and the dolls are both "baby". Lately, she wants to cart them all up to her crib for nap time. I line them up against the top of the crib so they can "watch" her sleep.

Yesterday, Annaka, Ashlyn and Tanner all had to go to the doctors to get caught up on immunizations. When the doctor was going over with me who all needed what Tanner exclaimed "I have to have TWO shots?!" The doctor calmly replied, "No, you have to have three!" Tanner: "THREE...I'm going to DIE!" Doctor: "It could be worse, you could be like your sisters and need four."

Yup, four shots for both Annaka and Ashlyn! Annaka didn't know what was coming so she was fine up until the second of. She screamed like crazy but yanked all four band aids off as soon as they were on saying "stickers" and was easily distracted. Ashlyn, however, has been dreading this day for over a month. She started getting flushed and breathing funny as soon as the doctor entered. She relaxed after I explained he wasn't the bad guy, he leaves and lets someone else do that part. She was brave through the ordeal but afterwards got all fainty on us and had to lay down and wait until she could get her feet back under her. A little humor helped pull her through. I told her it was going to look a little funny if I had to carry her out while Annaka walked out on her own!

I've got big kids! Tanner is way over the 99% in both weight and height. Ashlyn is in the 64% for her height and the 57% for her weight. Annaka is 95% for her height and 62% for her weight! Brittany was always high in height as a baby but she seems stuck at 5'2" so I'm not counting on Annaka to be much different.

NOTE: So I will remember: Ashlyn's left arm got all hot and hard two days after the shots. I consulted my brother-in-law and a nurse friend and they both advised starting her on an antibiotic. My husband wanted to wait another day. The next day it was looking better so we didn't do the meds. Then several days after, Ashlyn thought something felt funny on her back...she was covered in a rash. It was mostly on her back but a little on her front. We're assuming it's a reaction to the shots.

A "BLAST" from the PAST...

This past Saturday, President Farley came to our door with another couple. He was hoping to reunite Scott with a former mission companion, Mike Orth. Scott was gone but Mike and his wife, Rae, came to church on Sunday so we were able to invite them over for dinner. Unfortunately for them, the only day that worked before they had to leave was Monday. I debated between trying to impress them with my culinary talents or going with tradition. Tradition won! We went ahead and had our traditional back-to-school dinner.

I found these cafeteria type trays years ago and so for our back-to-school dinner I serve a cafeteria style dinner. This year we had chicken patties; jello; mixed veggies; grapes; chocolate milk and an ice cream sandwich for dessert. My kids were thrilled (except for Tanner and the chicken) but I noticed Mike had to use a lot of BBQ sauce to get that chicken patty down! They were actually great sports about it and they were so fun to visit with. Mike is quite witty and listening to his stories from their mission was quite entertaining. Poor Brittany almost spewed out her milk at one point from laughing so hard!

Scott was his 2nd companion and his first companion was a Brazilian and apparently the "fastest walker in the mission". So for five months he was used to walking very briskly. Then he said his first day with Scott he took off and left Scott way behind saying "Elder Orth...where are you going? What's the hurry...?" He said he and his first companion had no success walking fast and he and Elder Pace had a lot of success walking slow. So there you go...a lesson for all of us. The speed of the PACE is not as important as the direction of the PACE!

Mike and Rae live in Canada and have been considering the possibility of moving to Arizona so they came to check things out. I know Canada is a big place but I took a gamble and asked if they knew any Skinners. Amazingly enough, Rae is good friends with Allison Skinner who is the sister of my girlfriends; Denette and Danaca (Skinner is their maiden name). The world is SO very small in the church!

We had a wonderful time and it will be a pleasure to add another name to my Christmas card list that has ties to Scott. He only has about five on there (we won't discuss my number!)

First Day of School--2011

Backpacks...new clothes...clean shiny faces...another first day of school...another opportunity for a traditional photo! I always snap a picture of my kids on our porch holding up the number of fingers to represent the grade they are beginning so we have Brittany as an 11th grader; Tyson as an 8th grader; Tanner as a 6th grader; Justin as a 3rd grader and Ashlyn as a Kindergartener. I can't believe I have five kids in school!

Annaka and I walked down to the bus stop with them and Annaka tried to follow onto the bus with them. I told her to wave good-bye so here she is looking mighty lonely waving good-bye to her siblings. The bus driver let us get on the bus so she could see the kids on there. The whole walk home I heard "where J-dog go?"..."where Ashy go?"..."where Ty-Ty?"..."where Tanner go?"...I tried to explain that they all went to school then she said "I go too" and I told her she wasn't big enough yet that she needed to still grow to which her reply was "No!".

After we got home, I started uploading the photos, then made my bed and went to put in a load of wash. When I returned to my bedroom I found Annaka had climbed on top of my already mounding pile of clean clothes and was entertaining herself...poor thing! It's going to be a long day for her. Thank goodness she still takes a long 3 hour nap or the day would REALLY drag!

I, however, have LOTS to keep me busy with today. I have some drop offs to do for my young women and my girlfriend's birthday...I have company coming tonight (Scott's former mission companion and his wife) which means the house needs to have some tender loving care...I have an activity tomorrow to finish getting ready for today (I got a jump start last night by making the "ding dong" cake--we're having a "back to school" themed friendship activity)...I need to make cookies for after school snack and the dessert for my cooking group tomorrow...take Justin and Ashlyn to swim lessons after school and be ready to spend at least a couple of hours signing papers after my kids get home! Fortunately, we got to start our day off with family scripture study and family prayer...so I know that even if something falls off "my list" the most important items were accomplished! (By the way...early morning scripture study is working so much better for the attention of my kids...! YEAH! I just need to get to bed on time--which is the hardest part of all!)

Mia Maid Bonding

We have a new class presidency and today we took them to the mall to do a digital photo scavenger hunt (using the cameras on our phone). We let the girls be one group and Sister Hunter and I were the other group. The girls had a great time together and it seemed to help them all get to know each other better. Rachel just moved here from Utah so this was a perfect way to integrate her into the group. I got a text from one of the moms saying how much her daughter enjoyed it and couldn't stop talking about it so I think it was a success. They are sweet girls and a pleasure to be around!

Ten (10) Things I Love...

and the winner is...Krissie! (I know it's a little hard to tell...my Vanna wouldn't hold very still for me!) I decided to do a basket filled with ten things that represent ten things that I LOVE so in the basket there's something for each of the following:

I LOVE...

1. date nights
2. being a mom
3. chocolate
4. office supplies
5. music
6. family dinners
7. to read
8. to keep records
9. my YW calling
10. lotions

Thanks for checking in and playing! I have a hard time not having everyone win so I'll be sending a little something to the rest of you via your email address!

A Change of Plans...

Originally Kaitlin and Ashlyn were going to go to Kindergarten together this year and since it's only half day (if 8-10:30 can be considered "half" day!) Aimee and I were going to take turns keeping the girls after school to do crafts and learning enrichment activities with them. I was quite excited since these two are so easy and a lot of fun together. But after a year of being on a waiting list, Kaitlin got accepted into a different school.

So...on to Plan B. I tried a couple of alternatives but none of them were going to work so I enrolled Ashlyn into the all-day Kindergarten program. She will now be going on the bus at 7:30 a.m. with the boys and returning at 3:30 p.m. with the boys. Since she's already six, she'll be able to handle the long days just fine but I am sad to have her go. We had "Meet the Teacher" last night and they apparently have been scrambling for the Kindergarten class. Ashlyn is with a teacher they hired three hours prior and in a room that was not set up or ready yet, obviously. Her teacher has only been teaching for five years and all at a private school so she will be new to the district and curriculum but she seemed confident and approachable and very pleasant. I had to contact the principal regarding the original teacher they had assigned and request a change since she was Tanner's math teacher last year and we weren't impressed. Hopefully Mrs. W. will adjust quickly and provide a great start for Ashlyn. Because it's so newly put together there are only 16 kids in the class so that's a plus!

Today's craft: Pencil Buddies: I've decided to try and do crafts with the kids on Wednesdays after school. It may not happen every week but we'll give it a good try. This past Wednesday we were able to have Kaitlin join us after she got out of school since she started already. I had just planned on doing it with the two of them but all of the kids got into it. It was fun to see their personalities come out. I thought they were all pretty creative. (Justin had a little difficulty with the red marker since it was pretty thick so he ended up changing his face.) I even enjoyed this craft! Annaka chose her colors and then I got to assemble hers...FUN STUFF!

Happy Birthday Elena!

My sister turned 40 today! We are just 16 months apart so we have always been close. Growing up it was so handy having a built in best friend! Brittany has had to import one since her sisters are so much younger but I totally get why she has Shelby over all the time. Girls need girls and I was very fortunate to have Elena in my life.

Elena and I were always quite different in personalities but we got along perfectly. She hated following after me in school. Back in the day we had only one class and one teacher per grade so all of us kids had the same teachers. Elena was always getting in trouble for talking. She claims that she never talked when she wasn't supposed to. I, however, could get away with talking because I looked quiet. Apparently, Elena looked loud!

Elena had a gift for entertaining us with her story telling. She could take a simple experience and by the time she was done telling it we would be laughing our heads off! Some might call her gift "exaggeration" but it was definitely a gift.

Although I am the oldest, Elena was definitely the boss. She loved to clean house and she expected it to be clean. I was the daydreamer of the two and I get side tracked really easily. Elena jumps in and gets things done. I even remember mom saying one time, "Hurry up and get this house cleaned up before Elena gets home!" Elena is still an excellent homemaker. She makes it look so easy and she always has things in control and in order. Her home is beautiful and feels warm and inviting.

It was hard going away to college by myself. My first year was extremely lonely and I couldn't wait for Elena to join me the following year. When she got to Utah we moved to the Monterey Apartments and the two of us were roommates. I found pictures of this first apartment and it was fun to remember all of the good times we had there. The six of us rented a piano and somehow having a piano in the living room made a white cinderblock apartment feel like a home. Eventually we were all too broke to continue making the payments and so when our lease was up we had to let it go--sad day!

Elena is very witty and very pretty and the guys always liked her. My self-esteem struggled during my teen and early college years since the guys didn't quite flock to me like they did to her. But, Elena was always there giving me pep talks or writing me notes telling me some guy wasn't worth thinking another moment about and that I would find a wonderful man some day. In one of her notes she even promised me that he would be good-looking as well! How did she know?!

I wanted to find some journal entries to share but as I look through my journals hardly an entry is written without Elena's name being mentioned! We did so much together and I always valued her opinion. I did find an entry that I thought was pretty funny especially the description of the clothes! I didn't have a camera in those days so there's not a lot of visual proof of our life back then but the written description paints a pretty picture!

April 25, 1987 (which would have been BEFORE you were 16 so I don't know why you were dating but here it is anyways): "Elena is out on her date with Fleet Newby. He looked really sharp. He had red pants (which matched Elena's red sweater), yellow shirt with black triangles and a black leather-type tie. Rachel went out on the porch to see what he looked like and when she came back in she said...(And I quote exactly) "He's Gorgeous!" All of us girls agree. He's very nice looking. I'll fill you in on the details as soon as I find out what they are."

Elena is now the mother of four wonderful children. Morgan and Lexi are six months and a year older than Brittany and then she has twins, Blake and Caden, that are Tanner's age. She has a wonderful hubby who takes very good care of her. Although we've never been able to live by each other we still have been able to get together fairly often--usually at least once a year. I wish it was more often. I do miss having my sisters around me! Elena is teaching her fourth year of early morning seminary and stays very involved with her twins schooling and is a wonderful visiting teacher. She is a great example to me of always striving to do your best in everything you do.

Note: On the back of the picture of Elena's first birthday Mom wrote: "Elena Jo Merrill celebrating on her 1st Birthday, she started to really walk on this day." (There you go...proof that I actually did something BEFORE you! So there!)

Elena is showing my gift to her in the bottom picture. Elena gave me a necklace for my birthday showcasing all of the members of my family. I LOVE it and wear it all the time! I wanted to do something for her to showcase all of the members of her family. Elena is a jewelry girl and I am a picture girl so I guess we both depicted the same concept in our own way and now we both have a part of each other as well!

Happy Birthday Elena!

Happy Birthday Dean!

Today is my brother's birthday! He said he was going to get his wife to get him on here so he could read his tribute so I thought I would start off with a little "eye candy" just for her! (This is the risk you take when you have a sibling that loves to write and loves to take pictures--you just never know what will surface! Oh the good old days!!--Elena--your birthday is tomorrow...are you a little nervous about what I'll find in your file?!)

A little while ago during our morning devotional, we discussed how although Nephi was writing the history he couldn't write without including details about his parents and siblings. "No man is an island" comes to mind! One of the things I love about my childhood journals is to read about the different things I wrote about my siblings. I don't think they kept a journal (or at least not faithfully) so that is on my list of things to do...someday. One of these days, I'll prepare all of the entries that mention them to give to them for Christmas. I started the process several years ago but it will take me awhile to complete! So after my little tribute to Dean, I'll include a couple of journal entries that I think he'll enjoy reliving!

Dean was a very hard worker. He loved to help our Dad on the farm and he even seemed to enjoy it! He was very diligent with his chores and I don't ever remember him complaining about anything he was asked to do. It would have been helpful for my Dad I'm sure if Dean had been born first instead of fourth. Oh well...better late than never! Dean LOVED basketball. The second picture was taken in the gym of our Junior High so Dean was probably in 7th grade in this picture. (He apparently was #23.) I loved watching Dean play (which is obvious by my included journal entries)! Dean was a good kid and was kind and mindful of others. During this same time period, Dean was going to go to a dance at school. Another boy, Josiah, wanted to go but he lived in very humble circumstances with no running water and not much to speak of in terms of clothing. Dean invited Josiah to come to our home to get ready for the dance so he would have a place to get ready. I believe he loaned him some of his clothes as well. Dean was fairly popular at school and Josiah was not so this act of kindness was pretty impressive for a boy this age! Dean was also pretty vain. I remember so many times during his pre-teen and maybe even early teen years he would be wrestling and goofing off with Dave and then he would stop and stand up and check his hair in the mirror that hung above the couch! And, who could forget Dean singing in the shower every morning at 7:00 a.m. while the rest of us were having family prayer?! (Dean would do chores before school and then had to grab a shower before the bus got there at 7:30 a.m.)

My parents struggled financially with the farm during our teenage years. At one point there must have been some discussion overheard about my parents struggling to make some payments. We three girls decided we would contribute our babysitting money to our parents to try and help out. Dean wanted to help as well but he was too young for a job. So, without saying anything to anyone, he went without eating lunches at school for an entire month and then contributed that money back to my parents. I will never forget his sacrifice and desire to bless the lives of his family.

One other little personal tribute. When we had Brittany we were living in Nebraska and we were unable to have family with us when she was blessed. That was a very difficult time for me because it was hard not to have family around to celebrate those special moments especially with my first baby! When I had Tyson, we were living in Washington. I was sad to not have family around again to share in his blessing day. But, Dean, came to my rescue. I begged him to come so we could have someone with us. He was single at the time and I'm sure he really didn't care about attending a baby's blessing but it always meant a lot to me to know he was willing to support me. Thank you Dean!

Now, here's a couple of entries that will take you back in time to the glory days!...

January 21, 1987 (Wednesday): ...Dean had his first b-ball game this afternoon. Elena and I ran the score boards. The final score was 50-25. Dean was high scorer on his team making 24 points! The first time that Paul Wintle took him out the score was 10-0 and Dean had made 8 of those points! He was awesome. When he was in, the game came alive. He can handle the ball so well and the team works well with him...

January 27, 1987 (Tuesday): ...Dean had a b-ball game tonight. He wasn't as hot as he was his first game but he was still good! The score was 32-18 (we won). Dean made 8 points. I think he was high scorer but I'm not sure.

February 3, 1987 (Tuesday):...After school Elena and I went to the little schools basketball game. Dean's team lost 13-55 against Newport. Dean was awesome though. He scored 8 of those 13 points. He was also the only one to play the whole game. His teammates just couldn't play defense tonight and they couldn't make their shots. The Newport team were good shooters and they were fast with good passes. The coach had 3 guys on Dean but he could still dribble right through them and around them. He can switch hands, go either left or right and he even went behind his back!

NOTE: Dean is now the father of four adorable little girls: Mckenna; Kate; Eden; and Meg. He is really good with them and it's fun watching him be a father.

A Reason to Celebrate!

This month marks the two year anniversary of my blog! I have loved this avenue of capturing a little of my personal history. I love the creative outlet it provides of giving me a place to record my thoughts as well as a way to combine them with my pictures. I also love how I can then have all these little thoughts bound into books so they become a tangible evidence of my existence!

I haven't done a GIVEAWAY for a long time and I am in the mood SO...leave a comment below and I'll put your name in a drawing. I'm not sure what it will be yet so we'll both be surprised! All comments left by Friday will be entered!

Note: The cake is a picture of a rice krispie cake I lifted off another blog. They made it as part of their back-to-school celebration...Yummy and easy (they said it took three batches of Rice Krispie treats that they packed into cake pans sprayed with cooking spray--they also place a circle of wax paper that they lightly sprayed on the bottom of the pans)

A Parent's Prerogative?...

Today when we were all around the dinner table, there was some playful banter that was getting a little out of hand. I jokingly told the kids that I was the only one allowed to yell in this house! When Tanner made a comment about the fairness of that statement I told him I had a habit of 40 years I was trying to work on and he's only had 11 years so he needed to deal with it. He asked what about dad...was he allowed to yell and I said "No! He's never had a problem with yelling so he can't start!" Tanner than proceeded to say "Hey, that's like saying you can't beat someone up but I can or you can't swear but I can..."

Unfortunately, he is right! There's just no room in parenting for "Do What I SAY and Not What I DO!" Actually, my kids know that Scott and I really do try to not do what we ask them not to and we try to do what we ask them to. We (more "me" than "we") don't always live up to the family standards but I think they see that we really do try. We hold ourselves to the same standards with regards to dress, language, movie selections, etc.

Yesterday we talked with Tanner about how although we're allowing him to have some leeway with his style there are some things we won't compromise on like tattoos, piercings, weird hair color, long hair on the boys etc. He said "Why would I want to do any of those things?!" I was glad to hear his response and I hope he will always feel that way! Brittany's never had an issue with modesty since we've given her freedom on her style and accessories so I'm hoping the same will hold true for her double (Tanner and Brittany are SO much alike!)

My sister, Nichole, took pictures of each of us with our kids this summer while we were in Utah. It's fun to see the similarities when we're side by side. (I also noticed that my gums are really pale in comparison with my kids...not sure what that means...I might need to have a chat with my "dentist"! Of course my mom has my one foot in the grave already convinced that I look too yellow and am experiencing liver failure since I don't drink enough water...so maybe pale gums are another tell tale sign of my impending doom! ) At least with all of my documentations of life and thoughts if I go my kids will have something to remember me by!

Makes My Heart Happy...

Last night for our date night we went to Paradise Bakery then looked around at Michaels, Office Depot, Target and then Wal-Mart (I know, we are extremely BORING! I told Scott it's sad because I can't even think of something exciting that I want to do). While at Wal-Mart we ran into our good friends who are apparently as boring as we are because they had just come from Target as well and this hasn't been the first date night of errands we've seen them on! Brian and Scott started talking "phones" and Brian lights all up and his enthusiasm for technology is apparent! I got a kick out of it because I know I am the same way but about other things.

Occasionally I get started on something that I get very excited about and have a hard time turning my attention to other things. Yesterday was one of those days! I've been trying to think of an idea for my vt companion for her upcoming birthday and I had an idea during the night. Since Scott was home yesterday, I took advantage of him being around to help with the kiddos and I spent all day working on my idea. I am having SO much fun! I really need to turn attention to my home and family but I REALLY want to continue working on this little idea. I'd give you a sneak peak but you'll just have to wait.

My sister is turning 40 in a few days so I also got to spend some time being creative for her! I won't give it away but I wish I had taken a picture. Hopefully, she'll enjoy it and will take a picture of it for her blog (then I'll steal it and put it on here)! Hint! Hint!

Creating something for those I care about...now that's what makes my heart happy!

Tanner Scott

Tanner has decided that he needs to wear button down collared shirts since t-shirts are not the best look for his body type. (He came to this conclusion on his own during our Utah trip and I noticed he was wearing the same shirt over and over since he only had one shirt that fit that description until now.) Up to this point, my boys have wanted to wear nothing but sport attire and to put them in a shirt with buttons or a collar was to sign their death warrant!

I mentioned Tanner's desire to Denette when we were together in Utah and she helped me pick out a couple of shirts and shorts for Tanner. Tanner was extremely excited and thought Denette had great taste! We had to guess on the sizes and unfortunately we guessed wrong on the shorts so today I took Tanner back to the store to make an exchange and finish his school shopping.

What a funny boy. He was LOVING shopping and decided that Dillards is his kind of store and was SO much better than Wal-Mart or Target. He is feeling pretty good about his new look. He did fixate on a teal hat that I refused to purchase since hats are not a necessary school item. The kids have been earning some money this summer but I said I would not pay him until right before school. Tanner's "needs" change daily and I want him to experience waiting for a little while before making a purchase so he can way his options and think about it before he buys. He is pretty sure he is going to purchase either the hat or an air soft gun with his money. Of course, he also tried to say that since he has to get shots, I should get him the hat instead of a toy. (Years ago, when the kids were little, I would bribe them with a little something from the store when they got their shots and Tanner seems to think the policy should still hold no matter how old he gets!) This child is always trying to work the system!

It was fun spending time with just Tanner. He talked and talked and talked! I took him for Costco ice cream afterwards (we both decided it wasn't our favorite). I've decided to not enroll him in the Sylvan program after talking with his teacher for this year. I'm going to try and do some home schooling with him (after school) to try and see if I can help him get to where he needs to be. I've loved my teaching opportunities with my other kids but it's always been when they were preschool age. I should have started with Tanner years ago but we have a tendency to but heads. There's definitely a chance we won't be able to work together and I'll have to go to Plan B but after spending some one-on-one time with him today I have hope!

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

Brittany made these today after she got home from work and they were so yummy. (I'll put the recipe on my recipe blog...houseoffat.blogspot.com). She also made rolls twice during the past week and they turned out GREAT! I am so glad she has persevered with cooking. We had to pay our dues with many disasters and wasted ingredients but she is really developing a talent for cooking. (Now, if she would only develop the talent of cleaning up after her cooking creations...sigh! SIGH! A mother can dream can't she!!!)

Simple Gift Idea...

I LOVE visiting teaching! I love having the opportunity each month to visit with other women who I may not get a chance to know or visit with otherwise. Michelle and I have been companions now since the West Wing ward was formed...so for three years! I love this wonderful gal! The ladies we get to visit has changed over the years but I'm so glad we have been able to stay together.

We have been visiting Jen for several months now. Today is her birthday and Michelle and I wanted to take her to lunch but to also do something fun just for her. We decided to think of fun adjectives that described Jen to us that corresponded with the letters in her name and then get a little something to go along with that thought. So, for example..."J" is for "joyful" and we attached that to an Almond Joy candy bar. We had a fun time working on this together and I think it turned out cute. Hopefully, it also helped Jen to feel appreciated on her special day.