Another Boring Week in Review post

This last week was a little more relaxed than the week before. We still had little things here and there that kept us busy almost every day though.

Monday was a chill day. We just hung out for most of the morning. The kids did their chores

and then got invited to go on a hike with the neighbors. It was going to be quick hike but they ended up being gone the whole afternoon. I even started to get worried because they were gone so long and I wasn’t able to get a hold of them on the cell phone. They came home at 4:30 and all was well, thank goodness. We talked about tithing for Family Home Evening. I even begged my neighbor for a canning jar so they could make tithing banks.

Tuesday morning Emma had piano. After that we had our date with the hair cutters of Evans. After we were done getting Andrew’s stylish do,

and shaving Paul’s head we went to lunch at….wait for it….Taco Amigo. We ran a few more errands (grocery store and Papa Murphy's) and then the kids went out and played again. Emma was with Jenna so Andrew came home and that is when he learned how to play Yahtzee.

Wednesday was a pretty relaxed day. This is also when the weather started getting weird. We have had rain every day since Wednesday. It kept the kids inside for most of the day playing games, watching TV and playing on the computer.

Thursday was movie day at Jenna’s house. I took advantage of the time alone and took a nap. The kids came running home in heavy rain. It was so dark outside it almost felt like it was nighttime. After checking in Emma went back to Jenna's and Andrew hopped in bed with me and we watched an episode of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. (So lame!)

That night I got everything ready for Camp Jeremiah Johnson. Neither Andrew nor I could sleep because we were so excited and nervous.

Friday morning has already been well documented. When I got home from camp we hurried out to the stores in AF to get a birthday gift for Kelsey. We found her a crazy cute Webkinz and then got her some fun little goodies from Justice.

It was a pajama party so I got Emma some new PJ’s to wear since her other summer PJ’s have seen better days. (Hopefully that mess of weeds behind Emma will be gone by tomorrow!!!)

Andrew ended up with a new pair too. After she was dropped off at the party I got in the shower, washed off Jeremiah Johnson and then crashed. Paul was kind enough to pick her up for me.

Saturday was spent shopping for a new bed. We left our house in one of the craziest rainstorms that I have ever seen. It was nuts! Here it is as it is rolling in.

And this is when it was just getting started.

There was so much water in so little time. It was pounding on our car so loudly that we had to almost yell to hear each other. There was lightning and thunder, one right after the other, and the flooding started almost instantly. There was just nowhere for that much water to go. As we made our way to Orem in slowed down a lot. We hate RC Willey but had some gift cards so we went there first. What a joke. We didn’t like one bed they had so we spent the gift cards on I tunes gift cards and video games. I even took a free umbrella they were offering. It’s funny because we always get their freebies, or we win something while there, but we have never spent any money out of our pockets. We have tried but they suck so bad that we never do. I think we found the bed we want; now we just need to save up for a month or two and order it.

On our way home we got our first corn on the cob of the season. Look at the blue skies. Can you believe it is the same day? We couldn't. It was crazy.

So there you have it. Week two of summer vacation.

I guess it is time to let go of Spring

I have wanted to change my blog background for a while now but since photobucket is being lame (I don't want to keep paying money to have a full sized background) I decided to go with a different layout. I am hoping that by using the stretch template it won't seem like I write as much. Ha Ha Ha. I used a header from The Shabby Shoppe and bought a kit so I can do one of my own, one of these days. For now it is staying though. I know it is still a little more spring than it is summer but I love pinks so there you go.

Camp Jeremiah Johnson

At 5:45 am the alarm went off and I popped out of bed to get ready for my first day ever at scout camp. Andrew popped out of bed too. He got in bed with Paul all wiggly with excitement while I showered. Paul was not pleased to be sharing a bed with our little buddy, especially before 6:00 am. 

We got ready, everything loaded up and we were out the door by 6:4o am. Holy cow. We met up at the church where we divided and conquered the cub scouts. Four women and fourteen boys were on their way to Camp Jeremiah Johnson for the day. 

 

Here is Andrew heading in.

We began the day with a lasso toss but since two scouts were missing I didn't get any pictures of that event. Once they were found I got my camera back out. After the lasso the boys made rope. Here is Andrew twirling the twine with another boy on the other end doing the same.
Here is the rope they made.
What good is rope if you don't play tug-o-war?

After tug-o-war each boy got their own length of rope to take home.
They got to build covered wagons.

Shoot bows and arrows.

They learned how to pan for gold.

Even the leaders got in on the action. Aren't we beautiful? Who can resist shooting a BB Gun?

 I never thought I would see the day that Maggie held a gun in her hands!

Andrew loving every minute of this. 
We ate lunch and then we moved on to another station where the boys made necklaces and then played some games like bean bag toss.
They they learned how to safely use a wrist rocket.
They shot across a cute little stream.

And this what what they were aiming at.
Then they learned a little rope tying
before the closing ceremony. 
Rees told the boys that the minute the prayer was over to run as fast as they could to the trading post. They did just as she said and got to be first in line to buy pocket knives and other goodies before heading home. 
I was nervous about going and didn't know what to expect but I am so glad that I got to go and have this experience with Andrew. For the most part the boys were totally well behaved and their excitement was exhilarating. I am so thankful that we were all kept safe and I am glad I got to spend the day with my wonderful friends. Really, it was a great day. Now I want to sleep.

Be Careful

Don't joke around with your kids about things like mohawks during the summer or they might take you seriously. 

We had been telling Andrew for years that he could have one during the summer. This year he decides to do it. That is when I started to back peddle. I told him no. It just wasn't going to happen. Sooo, we went to church on Sunday and Brother Robbie Asbell and his cute son Caleb walk in with....mohawks. Andrews eyes about bugged out of his head. After going over and teasing Robbie we decided it wouldn't hurt anything and gave in. 

Today is $3.50 haircuts at a hair school near by so we took him down. I think that since it is more of a faux hawk he doesn't look too awful. We might even let him keep it longer than we had planned. (We said next week we would go back again and have them shave it off.)

He's covering his eyes from the sun and on the count of three he was suppose to open them and smile.

Instead I got this. What a ham.

New Recipe for June

I decided I wanted to try shredded beef soft tacos. I know it’s shocking that we have never made them before but we hadn’t. I got a small roast, put it in the crock pot with water and McCormick taco seasoning and cooked until “tender”. (It never got as tender as I had hoped) I made Chevy’s Beans ala Charra (pinto beans) and a packet of black beans and rice. We had shredded cheese, salsa, green onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro from my garden (EEE!) and avocado. I forgot to get out the sour cream but I don’t think we needed it. By the time we got everything into the shells we had something that resembled a burrito, not a taco!  Emma who is our pickiest gave it a 7 out of 10 and the rest of us gave it a 9 out of 10. The best part is there are tons of leftovers for lunch. Since it is a meal that took the good part of a day to make I won’t be doing it too often but it is great to have something new to put in our rotation. 

I can't even begin...

to tell you how much I love my kids. I just let them know that when their movie was over it was time to empty the dishwasher. Their eyes lit up! I can't believe how well this chore/allowance thing is going. I can't really put it into words but I have a warm fuzzy thinking that I am being rewarded for trying to do what I know is right for my kids. I am so thankful for my calling and all it has been teaching me. I feel very blessed to have the best kids in the world and the Spirit to guide us.

It was fast Sunday? Oops.

Yesterday I was making dinner plans for the week. I wanted Joi's Southwest Soup. I know it is June but it sounded really good to me. I figure since I'm the one cooking I get to choose every once in a while. Well I made it this afternoon and felt pretty guilt about making such a big lunch on fast Sunday. I got over it though once I started eating. Yummy! It was even overcast and drizzly making soup during this time of year seem oddly appropriate.

Here is the recipe that my sister in law Joi gave me years ago. I have made a few changes to the recipe which I have listed below.

Southwest Soup

16 ounces tomato sauce

2 cans (14 ounces) chicken broth

1 large tomato diced

1 large green pepper diced

1 large purple onion diced

1/4 teaspoon thyme

Dash of Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

Combine all ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over crushed tortilla chips and top with grated cheese.

Substitutions- I like to boil one or two chicken breasts while the vegetables are simmering then shred the cooked chicken into the soup. I also add a cup or more of frozen corn and a can of rinsed black beans. We have also topped it with cubed avocado and that is yummy too.

Mommy Daughter Date

Ever since I got glitter toes Emma has been asking me to take her. I got a gift certificate from Maggie for my birthday to get them done again so Emma and I went in today and put it to use. She was so excited and very overwhelmed with all the color choices.

She ended up picking a pretty dark purple.

I got a pink and wish that I had gone darker. Next time I am getting a blackish green color.

After we were done she requested a lunch at Taco Amigo (Did someone mention something about going on a diet?) where she had her favorite nutritious meal of nachos and fries. I was then declared the best mom ever!

We went to Robert's Crafts after lunch and bought a large turquoise flower so she could make some more hair clips. While we were there she twisted my arm and got me to sign her and Andrew up for two kids classes. After we got what we went for we headed to the grocery store where they were have a kids safety fair. She was able to get in an ambulance (I told her that this is the only way I ever want to see her in the back of an ambulance) and got through a big blow up obstacle course. We had a great day.

Our week in Review

I think our first week of vacation was a success.

(This is a long, pretty boring post without many pictures. I am posting it only as a journal entry for our family. Sorry.)

In May I taught Elder Hales talk about Provident Living in Relief Society. It really impacted me since I have seen what debt can do to a family. It is a devastating trap and I want my kids to be able to avoid it. We are trying really hard to teach them that just because they want something it doesn’t mean that they need it or should have it. (This is something I am still struggling with.) Also we want them to learn that you have to prioritize. You can’t always have everything you want. Pick what you want now and work hard to get the other stuff later.

We decided to set up chores with the earning potential of $5 a week. If they slack they will lose money. We also told them that this would be their souvenir money for our trip to Mt. Rushmore. They have to pay tithing and then save the rest. They were totally on board and excited. We told them that we want them to see that it is hard to earn money and that it really doesn’t go very far. They will have, at best, $15 to spend. That really won’t buy much of anything. We plan to help out a little but they don’t know that.

Monday morning the kids emptied the dishwasher, cleaned their bathroom (Like really cleaned. Toilets, mirror, tub, the whole nine yards. It was great.) and did other stuff like practice piano, put their dishes in the dishwasher and other little things I asked them to do. They were great!

On Monday, after the chores were done, we vegged out. We had marathon television watching in the morning. In the afternoon Emma and Jenna played and played and Andrew worked on his gaming skills. He played his Wii and Xbox as well as Go Fish and War with me. It was nice to relax and be mellow before the girls headed out to Activity Days. They worked on memorizing the Articles of Faith and came home with a bag of goodies for each on they passed off.

Tuesday we had piano in the morning and then it was pretty much a repeat of Monday.

Wednesday we met Paul for lunch and then took care of some returns and shopped for a gift for the birthday party Andrew was invited to. After we got back all the neighborhood kids played until dinner then we left to go get treats as a family at Kneaders. 

When we got back they went back to playing until way past dark.

Thursday was pretty busy. Emma had a park date with Jenna and then there was the neighborhood movie party. It’s held every Thursday at 2:00. It was so sweeeet! I had two hours to do stuff I needed to do. It was magical. Right after the movie Andrew had a little time to trade Yu-Gi-Ou cards with Max before he had scouts. He had a fantastic time learning how to build a fire. 

They used all food to represent their fires. It was so cute! I'm glad I had my camera in the car. 

When he got home he and Max picked right up where they left off and played late into the night. Of curse Emma and Jenna were busy playing fairies and board games.

Friday was the birthday party. Andrew has been waiting for this day for over a week. He was so excited to go. While he was partying Emma and I met Paul for lunch and a little grocery shopping. After the party Andrew got bored. His friend Max has gone out of town and he was sad. We got creative and set up bowling in the kitchen with Kool Aid in the squeezy tubes and the giant glitter ball. We also played I Spy memory, twice. After daddy got home things got a little better.

I DID IT!

I finished it. I will say that doing a quilt like this isn't really that fun. I shouldn't have procrastinated. If I had started it back in May I could have taken more time, but I didn't.

The quilt shop closed at 6:00pm and I got there at 5:52. I rushed it in just under the wire. I was sweating it but I did it. I finished it in five days and I am dang proud of myself.

Did you know?

That today is national donut day? We didn't either. It falls on the first Friday in June. What a happy coincidence.

Did somebody say they were going on a diet?

Quilting

Being self-taught often makes me feel like I’m and idiot.

There are so many little stupid things that I don’t know until it’s either too late or I have to figure them out the hard way. A couple of days ago for instance I found out that from where the needle goes down to the outside of the foot on my machine is a scant ¼”. I found this out after marking the crap out of and sewing four out of five of the squares. I was so excited to test my theory that I sewed two pieces together incorrectly. Oh well. Live and learn.

I've made a lot of progress on my wall hanging, even with several errors. It is actually going together much quicker than I expected.The plan was to get it done by Friday. Now I am delusional enough to think that I can finish it today, by 2:00pm. Hahahahaha! (See all those pieces that are left? Hahahahaha) The kids are going to Movie Thursday at the neighbors house so I have two hours to run errands. I have to go to Orem so it would be great if I could drop it off today.

I figure that even if I don't drop it off until Friday or Saturday it will only be out for two weeks. I can bind it in a day or so and have it up by the beginning of July. I keep my patriotic stuff out until after 9/11 so I will have a lot of time to enjoy it.

Ah, the best laid plans. Wish me luck!

~Update~

It's NOT going to happen.

There is no way I am getting the quilt top done by 2:00. Especially if I plan on getting a shower. There were just too many games of Go Fish that had to be played.

Not Bad for a Fat Chick

On Saturday I decided to see if I could still do a back dive. Much to everyone's surprise, I could!

It was time to teach Emma. We started on the little step in the deep end and before I knew it she was going off the edge with me.

I love how she will try anything!

Here are some of Andrew being cute

and silly.

Paul decided to take some more pictures of me doing my back dive off the diving board. (He loved the shutter burst feature on my camera) He was standing behind the board and got shots of me upside down, going vertical into the water, with my swim skirt up, flabby thighs exposed and butt cheeks out for the world to see. Oh the horror. All night I was depressed and all I wanted to do was eat Häagen-Dazs. (There should be a law against your husband taking that type of photo! ) Anyway yesterday I ate a lot of fruit and veggies and today I am banning myself from soda, candy, Taco Amigo and large portions. I hurt my foot somehow and once that is better I am going to start exercising. What a wake up call.