Made Whole From Scratch

A day off from school

2012-01-17T16:06:00.006-07:00

01/16/2012

I love it when my kids don't have school. Not only do I enjoy having them home but I love that I don't have any obligation to the clock. Since they were home, I was sure to get out of bed early in the morning to work. (Working from home is seriously the biggest blessing for my family and I.) I wanted to be sure to spend most of the day with my kids without having to worry about anything else.

First up, I have wanted to see Hubble 3D since last summer. I was so happy to see that the Clark Planetarium was offering one showing at noon. We love the planetarium! The show was great.

Science in space has got to be the coolest thing ever. The best part of the movie for me was when the shuttle launched. After the movie, we headed to Build A Bear. Justin and Audriana both received gift cards for Christmas. I am pretty sure the gift cards were burning hole's in their pockets. They each purchased two new plushies along with accessories to add to their ever growing collection. Next up, we made an unplanned stop at the new Asian City market in West Jordan. We needed to fill our time up as we were waiting for Michael to meet up with us for an early dinner. Since our teenager was so patient at the Build A Bear, I let him choose dinner. He love, love, loves Subway. Take one guess where we ended up at? haha Once we were finished with our Subway dinner, we headed home. Mike and I weren't ready to be finished having fun so after doing a few house chores and tending to the animals (not referencing our kids), we left the kiddos at home and took off to the Sears. Mike has been eyeing a few things that he has wanted to add to his shop. We were there for a loooong time. Michael was having such a great time trying to prioritize which new tools he wanted to purchase first. I, on the other hand, was bored out of my mind but felt like a good wife to be shopping for tools. He does after all, sit and watch "Little House on the Prairie" and "Antique's Roadshow" with me. (can you tell we don't have cable?) After we left Sears, it was too late to head to any other store so Michael mentioned going to Sakana since we were close and since it was buy 2 get 1 free night. It's a great sushi place. Michael loves sushi. I enjoy fully cooked rolls. It was yummy. We had a great time being with one another, chatting.

It was a great day! It was a bit hard to return to reality today after such a fun day yesterday.

The random things Audriana comes up with:

2012-01-12T05:12:00.008-07:00

A: Did you know that words are magic?
Me: Really? Cool.
A: For example, take the word chair. If you take the r off and add an n, the word is now chain.

Me: How would you like me to do your hair today?
A: I want a ponytail braid.
Me: Okay, that's easy. What's even better is that we have two blue hair ties.
A: Those are not blue Mom, they are indigo.

Did I tell you that she is only 6?
Love my girl!

Just sayin....

2012-01-12T05:07:00.006-07:00

Why do I feel like the joke is on me whenever I clean Jordan and Justin's bathroom?

Insects and Kids

2011-09-29T14:48:00.004-06:00

Flappin' Flamingo, Happy Japanese, Titslinger, and a whole lot of liquid courage.

2011-09-29T13:06:00.007-06:00

Wrinkles, pot bellies, curvier curves, and thinning hair. This is the audience in a nutshell from last nights Erasure concert. H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S! (yes, we realize that we are part of this crowd)

This concert was worse than attending a mass. We stood up and sat down more times than I have ever done during a mass. However, way more entertaining than any church service.

Michael and I loved the concert. The music was great! The location, Kingsbury Hall, was great! And best of all, the people watching was so much fun!

Neither of us have ever seen Erasure live. We both have always loved the music. In fact, I am pretty sure I used to drive my parents and their neighbors crazy with my loud-beep bopping car stereo blasting music such as Erasure. By the way, my hearing sucks these days.

Anyway, back to the audience....

Our seats were against a wall. We were not going anywhere until the concert was over. It wasn't a problem for us since we had gone pee before the show started. We were feeling pretty good about our seats mainly because two seats in front of us were not taken. Then the show started. Holy smokes! The ladies in front of us were out of control. I know that the concert was exciting to be at but man, it must have been an orgasmic experience for these ladies. Thus the name of the title to this entry. Flappin' Flamingo was wearing a loose pink shirt. It was flapping everywhere along with this particular lady's moves. I was in hysterics because it was so ridiculous. Next to her was the Happy Japanese man with absolutely no rhythm. He was dressed in a suit jacket paired with jeans and loafers. He was dancing up a storm and sweating up a storm. What made his dancing so great was the fact that he had no sense of rhythm. He was great fun to watch. Next to him was his lady, Titslinger. She was swinging her arms left and right and back and forth. She continuously had to keep adjusting her shirt because her titty's were about to bounce right out. I also lost count as to how many times she hit Michael. So funny! And then, the group behind us...they had way too much liquid courage in their systems. They were so loud and at times mocking the way the lead singer was dancing. They were so annoying! The funniest part about this all is as we looked around at other groups of people near us, they were calm. How in the world did we manage to get stuck in between these two groups? Funny!

We are glad we went. It sucked that it was on a weekday. I am sure Michael is dogging it hard at work today. We didn't get into bed until 11 PM or so. He had to be at work at 3ish AM for a safety meeting. I am not sure how he does it. But in the end, the concert was worth every cent and lack of sleep. We loved it!

The thing about church....

2011-09-25T17:14:00.007-06:00

It's no secret that going to church is not on the top of my favorite things to do list. The ironic thing is I love Conference. I actually listen to all four sessions. That's right, all 8 hours! This year I can add Women's Conference to my churchy things I have attended. I have never been before although I have wanted to go. This time I made it a real goal to attend. It certainly helped that I went with a couple of my all time favorite ladies!

So, Women's Conference.....

What's the saying....my cup runneth over? I am not sure what was running over in my cup? Maybe a little boredom yet happiness that I was out with such great ladies? It did not help that the chapel was so dark. I think a little light would have been helpful. I did feel like I was witnessing a bit of a church infomercial. The first three talks kept referencing back to the new book, "Daughters in My Kingdom". Each time it was referenced, a picture of it would pop up on the screen. Made me giggle. (By the way, all the ladies were given our own copy of this book at church today.)

The things I remember about the talks are:

1) Something about Relief Society and other stuff. (There are reasons why I love being in primary.)

2) Charity is not just an action but a feeling. (Enjoyed this talk.)

3) Keep up keeping your covenants. (Really enjoyed this talk. I like her deep voice. It has a calming effect about it.)

4) I think I may plant forget me nots in my flowerbeds next year.

Anyway, if you want to know what was said aside from my brief and lack of detail synopsis, visit www.lds.org to listen to or read the entire conference.

Now on to Sunday church service. I was not feeling it today, mainly because I went to bed so late. But as duty calls (this is how you are suckered into having perfect attendance at church :) we got up and started the hustle game. We actually made it to church at a fairly decent, closer to on time, time today. I was impressed by us but especially by my kids. They all got up without complaint, showered and got themselves ready. Way to go, Krispy Kritters!

The one sure thing about being a teacher in Primary is, the kids always make going to church worth it. They are so cute! We enjoy our class so very much.

Something nice happened today while we were sitting in Sharing Time. I still had a bit of a bad attitude. I didn't have any desire to be at church. These feelings kept building and building until singing time. I pulled out my little primary song book. I opened it and realized that I had Michael's book. This is what I found:

It is amazing how something as simple as this note made my day. This note is a few years old. I am so touched that Michael has held onto this note for so long. I started to tear up. We love our missionaries so much! There hasn't been a time in our lives since the time that we had the missionaries as part of our lives, that has brought us as much joy and happiness. It is the small tender mercies such as finding this note that keeps me going to the one thing that I struggle the most with.

So at the end of this day I can say, after taking a nap, that today has been a great day! I have a wonderful life and don't ever want to be ungrateful for the richness of my life. I have a beautiful family and have the best friends anyone could ever ask for. Life is wonderful!

My Grandpa Ovidio

2011-09-20T20:11:00.008-06:00

This is my grandpa, Ovidio Aranda. He is my mother's father. Today is his birthday. He was born on September 20, 1920 and passed away on July 6, 1976. I was born on July 18,1976. To say that my mother and grandmother had extreme feelings of grief yet happiness at one time, is a complete understatement.
My grandparent's traveled from Argentina to the United States for the first time in February 1976 to visit my mother, their only child. They were excited to be able to spend time with my brothers, Daniel and David. They were also excited to be here knowing of my pending birth. My grandfather told my mom that he knew that she was going to have a girl. Clearly, this was before ultrasounds were the norm.
During their visit, my grandpa became ill. He was diagnosed with colon cancer. He underwent surgery and seemed to be doing well but then, something went terribly wrong. My mom was at the hospital when he passed away. She saw the staff feverishly working on him but she knew that he was slipping away. My grandpa hemorrhaged to death. He was only 56. My grandma suddenly found herself without her spouse and in a foreign country. My mother suddenly found herself with a grieving mother and without her hero, her dad all while being 9 months pregnant. I can't imagine how difficult this must have been for both my mom and grandma.
My grandpa was a very patriotic man. He loved his country! It is very fitting that his funeral and interment was on Argentina's independence day, July 9th. I also believe that it was a small, tender mercy for my mother and grandmother to have something positive to relate his funeral to. I think these kind of things allow the grieving to find comfort in what is so hard to understand. It was also a huge blessing that my grandfather was here, in the United States, with my mom when he passed away. Had he passed away in Argentina, my mother would not have been able to attend his funeral. Remember, she was very pregnant. She was actually due to deliver me on the day of his funeral. It was also a blessing that my grandmother had my mother to lean on in her time of extreme grief.
As much as I would have loved to known my grandpa in this mortal life, I still feel a closeness with him and feel like I know him. My mom has been very good at keeping his memory alive. Growing up, she would tell us stories of Grandpa Ovidio. He was not ordinary, he was extraordinary. His life story is one of survival and determination. At a later time, and with the help of my mom, I plan to write his life story.

Happy Birthday to my Grandpa Ovidio! I love you and know that you are always watching over us and taking care of us.

My grandma and grandpa are the two in the upper right hand corner of the picture. I love how they are embraced with one another.

A night of Italian bliss 09/17/2011

2011-09-20T06:14:00.006-06:00

Our dear friends, Carla and Dick, invited us to their house to enjoy an evening of fine Italian dining. Carla had attended cooking class with the head chef of Cucina Toscana, Roberto Deni. He advertised that he does in house catering. I am so glad Carla jumped at the opportunity to do this and I am even more grateful that Carla thought to invite us. Carla and Dick are the best host's. Dick asked us upon arrival what he could get us to drink. Carla had the house set up so nicely. She even had Italian music on in the background. Who doesn't love Dino?

Roberto Deni is the real deal. I can't remember which part of Italy he is from, but he is a lovely yet, passionate Italian. What a lovely soul. His wife, Maria, was also very sweet. She didn't speak a whole lot but it was fun watching her devotion to her husband. She helped prepare some of the food. She also did the dishes and cleaned up while Roberto explained each dish that he was serving us. Roberto also spoke about the beautiful Italian culture. The evening was so rich! I am pretty sure that going out to dinner will never measure up to the experience we had this evening. Here is what was on the menu:

Appetizers:

Asparagi con Speck

Caprese

A zucchini dish and an olive/portabello frittata dish.

First Entree:

Lasagne al Ragu

Tortellini alla Panna

Second Entree:

Scallapine de Maile Marsala

Cotoletta al Milanese

Dessert:

Mixed Berry Tiramisu

Mini Cannoli

and two other desserts that I can't remember what they are called but, just as delicious!

All of this along with salad, green beans and bread. Absolutely delicious!

Here are some pictures. I wish they weren't blurry. I will need to see if Carla has better photos that I can have.

I love our friends! They enrich our lives more than they will ever know.

My favorite quote from Roberto Deni this evening: "Eat with your mouth, not with your stomach."

A week of productivity. September 12-16 2011

2011-09-19T20:26:00.004-06:00

I had a very fun and productive week last week. Aside from being an employee, I found time to get some things done on the home front.

Audriana and I finished our second puzzle. I love this one. It is called Amish Quilts. Beautiful!

I made laundry soap. I haven't done this in a while. I am not sure why because it is so easy to make and so very inexpensive.
My friend pinned a recipe for this mix. It is called "Cream of Something" soup mix. It is a creamy soup base that you add water to. You can make soup out of this and use it when a recipe calls for a can of creamy soup. Very cool!

I even managed to can peaches and make peach jam. Yum!

Aside from working, we had a great week visiting with friends that we haven't seen in a while. On Tuesday, Michael and I attended our very dear friends babyshower open house. We love Bret and Melissa! They are going to be great parents! After the open house we went to the VanLeeuwen's. We hadn't seen them in a few months and have been missing them. We stayed at their house until midnight. We were all so tired but were having such a great time socializing. I am so grateful for the many good friends we have in our lives. We are so blessed. Life is great!

Suckers for the Sushi Man

2011-09-16T20:44:00.005-06:00

While at the fair, Michael and I were totally sucked into Mr. Sushi Man's presentation which ultimately means that we got suckered into buying a sushi making kit. Oh brother. I guess it's time to buy some sticky rice......

A day at the fair

2011-09-16T19:59:00.005-06:00

Mike was given free tickets to the Utah State Fair. I am not a fan of attending things such as this but since the tickets were free, and since Mike really wanted to go, we all packed into the car and went. The fair always manages to bring out some of the most eclectic people. If you enjoy people watching, this is the kind of event you should attend.

Anyway, we had a good time just because we were all together. It was fun watching the kids eat footlong fried corn dogs. It was fun looking around at the different booths. It was fun looking at the animals. Our favorite was the goose man. He had a booth set up with straw beds and a few other things. He had the geese dressed up and walked around with them. Needless to say, it was pretty interesting.

Justin and Audriana were pretty excited to go on the rides. Michael took them to the rides while Jordan and I walked and sat around waiting for them to get their thrills on. Audriana and Michael went on the zipper ride. They were fine. A bit later, Justin and Michael went on the zipper. The following pictures depict the outcome of Justin's reaction to this ride.

Audriana's face is priceless in this picture. And Jordan is seriously so great! He was the one holding the cup. These moments are the reason why I am blogging again. When the kids look back on this journal, I hope they can find the humor in this all.

A future in history and politics?

2011-09-14T17:20:00.003-06:00

We received a notice on our door handle a few days ago letting us know that the city was resurfacing our street. In the note, it suggested that we move our vehicles to a street other than our own so we could have access to leave and return as we needed. Since the car was parked on the street rather than in the garage, I pulled my stereo face off. Yesterday morning, I didn't bother putting the stereo face back on. This was the best thing to do. Generally when I take the kids to school, I have the news station on in the background. What a huge mistake!!! I had the best 20 minute chat with Justin and Audriana while we were on our way to their school.

Here is what I discovered:

Justin loves history and politics. We talked about the Civil War, the U.S. Presidents, Congress, the Senate, what constituents are, voting rights and how these rights were acquired later on for women and people of color, slavery and a few other topics. Sad to say, I had no clue Justin has such a huge interest in these topics. Had I put the stereo face back on, I would have never known. Audriana even piped in on our conversation. She had a hard time believing that there was a time that women were not allowed to vote. She also said, "Did you know the man on the dollar bill is George Washington? Did you know that he was the first President of the United States?"

It is now my new goal to have these sort of chats while we are on our way to school each morning. This morning, I gave the kids mathematical story problems. It was great and they did so well.

I love being a mom! My kids bring me happiness that only a parent can feel.

As a side note, our street never got resurfaced. Not sure what is going on?

Maximus, My Faithful Dachshund

2011-09-06T12:30:00.010-06:00

This is typically how you will find Maximus at any point during the day.....that is until.....

he hears or see's a spider, fly, bee, grasshopper. He will kill whatever it may be and then usually consume his fresh kill.

Here is today's kill. I stopped him before he ate the wasp. Needless to say, Maximus is a cool dog. He has protected me from many, many little things that may have been flying, crawling, or hopping towards me. I love my dachsy!

Almost there...

2011-09-02T20:46:00.001-06:00

She has been so faithful at working on this puzzle.

On my night stand

2011-09-02T20:27:00.003-06:00

Chairs are for sleeping on at Sears

2011-09-02T20:18:00.004-06:00

Justin was clearly not as excited as we were to be out shopping.

The silly girl that she is......

2011-09-02T20:10:00.005-06:00

Audriana is quite the girl!

During her nightly reading time this last week she paused, farted, fanned it towards me and proudly said, "buenos noches!"

Wednesday morning, Audriana told me that she had played a trick on Michael and I. She said, "mom, when I was on your chair in your room lastnight, I was just playing possum. I just really wanted to sleep in your room."

Seriously! Where does she come up with this stuff? She is so funny and clever!

Survival

2011-09-02T18:54:00.008-06:00

Jordan has survived his first week of high school, with a good attitude I might add. He has set his own goals and standards for school this year. He will do well.
Jordan is attending Riverton High School. The school is huge! Especially when you compare the fact that Jordan was attending a small charter school. His graduating class from middle school had around 18 kids.

Here is his schedule for the year:

Semester 1:
Geometry
World Civilizations
Animal Science
Photography
Life Fitness
Careers Q1
Drivers Education Q2 (oh my goodness!!!)
Language Arts
Child Development

Semester 2:
Geometry
World Civilizations
Animal Science
Consumer Health
Weight Training
Computer Technology
Language Arts
Sports Sewing

I am excited about the blend of courses Jordan is taking. I think he will have a wonderful 1st year in high school. He deserves it! He is such a great teenager and really has the desire to do well. We are proud of him. He has really grown up and has nicely matured. He has a very bright future and we couldn't be happier for him.

On a funny note, Jordan missed the school bus this morning. The sad thing is he was ready to go. He had just gone downstairs to get his ipod. The bus came earlier than normal this morning. I heard what sounded like a bus, looked outside just to see it driving away. So off to school we went. I had no idea where I should drop him off at. He thought he knew and directed me into a red zone area. I told him to hurry and get out of the car to which he replied that he would never miss the bus again which made me laugh. There really must be nothing worse for a teenage boy than having his mom toting him around. Just to add to his wonderful morning, I honked my horn twice at him. He did not flinch. He did not turn around. He may have even picked up his walking pace. So funny!
I sure love you, Jordan! Best thing that ever happened to me besides falling in love with your crazy dad! Cheers to you and to a wonderful first year in high school!

Snotty kids and a bit of a history lesson....

2011-08-30T06:47:00.003-06:00

Primary. Special, special primary. Sunday proved to be just as exhausting as last Sunday.

I need to back up a bit. This story begins on Saturday. We had some school shopping to do for Jordan. Since we were out and about, Mike and I stopped at Sears. We are in the market for a garden tiller. Michael has also been wanting a blower-sucker-mulcher leaf thing. We scoped the tillers, we bought a blower-sucker-mulcher leaf thing and an ice cream maker. We were both excited for our new purchases. As soon as we arrived home, Mike went to his man cave and I went to the kitchen. Anyway, the evening went as usual. We ate dinner, played outside, watched some news and then went to bed with the exception of Michael. He was so excited about his new toy, so much so that he stayed up way too late putting it together and testing it out. He didn't even make it to bed. Rather, he just crashed on the couch at who knows what time? Crazy guy!

Sunday morning came way too fast. When I realized Mike wasn't in bed with me, I thought just for a brief second, that maybe he was up and ready and preparing our primary lesson. We had made an agreement when we accepted our church duty, that we would take turns teaching the lesson. I came downstairs just to find Michael out cold on the couch. Like I said, the thought was just for a brief second. I tried waking him but to no avail. Sometimes he is my most difficult one to wake up for church. Once he came around, I asked him if he was prepared to teach the lesson. I knew the answer but love to tease him. He begged me to prepare and teach the lesson. I asked what the compromise would be if I taught. He didn't have an answer at the time. Needless to say, I prepared the lesson.

Off to church we went.....

The kids in our class are super cute! We feel lucky to have the class that we do. They are great kids. We were glad to see that the kids were fairly excited to see us again. We did talk about the importance of reverence and sitting still in our chairs. After last Sunday, it was needed. During our reverence talk, one of the kiddos was digging deep in his nose and feasting on his treasure's. May I just add that I don't do too well with other kids snot. For this one, I just had to look away. After our reverence talk, I started the lesson. The kids were quite good and receptive to what I was saying. A few minutes into our lesson, a few of them had to pee. A few minutes after needing to pee, one of the kiddos sneezed. It was a deep and juicy sneeze. He had two-long, green slimy snots hanging from his nose. I am sure the look on my face said it all to Mike. He ran to get tissue, returned, and cleaned up the slime. I was counting my blessings at that moment that Mike stayed up way too late playing with his new toy rather than preparing the lesson. Blessings! Once we arrived home from church, Mike reminded me that I had asked for a compromise for teaching the lesson. He asked if dealing with the snot was sufficient to which I replied positively.

I hated seminary.....

I rarely went just because I hated it so much. I hated the object lessons (that darn mustard seed). I also hate it when other's base things such, as their church talks, only on their opinion's. Which leads me to attending Sacrament Meeting. Many, many talks are not prepared very well. Too many people just read stories from their monthly church magazine or read and entire hymn song as part of their talks. A few scripture's are read and a short testimony is delivered. The End. That's it. This Sunday proved to be different and so much better. It isn't very often that I tell someone how much I enjoyed their talk. It's not very often that my mom hears me say that I loved being at church. Well this Sunday, I loved being in Sacrament meeting. One of the higher ups gave a talk on the importance of recording one's life story as it proves to be useful and insightful for future generations. This man used to work for the church in the history department. He spoke about past settlers of Bluffdale. He told of their amazing stories and the difficult things they had to bear as they converted to Mormonism. My whole entire being was so uplifted. I had actually heard and learned things that I didn't know prior to this meeting. It was amazing. This man clearly prepared and delivered an amazing talk. I left church with a bigger desire to research both Mike and my own family history.

If only every Sunday could be this good....

Dowdle Folk Art

2011-08-27T09:12:00.007-06:00

I love Eric Dowdle's artwork. I especially love it when I find his puzzle's on sale. Audriana and I are working on this one:

Justin, my personal interior decorator....

2011-08-24T13:48:00.008-06:00

I went to my front room to dust. This is what I found:

Just because I don't ever want to forget the cute things they say......

2011-08-24T09:02:00.006-06:00

Each one of my children typically end their sentence's with their own little word or saying. I was thinking about this during my drive home from dropping my little one's off at school and it just made me smile.

Jordan: "Duh, whatever mom!"

Justin: "So, yah."

Audriana: "Mom."

Examples:

Me: Jordan, you are the most girl crazy boy I know.
Jordan: Duh, whatever mom!

Me: Justin, if you want your friends to come over, lets plan it.
Justin: Well, N's mom said that he probably can do it this Friday. I am not sure about T's mom though, so yah.

Me: Audriana, you need to be home by 6 PM so we can eat dinner.
Audriana: But mom, K doesn't eat dinner until 630 so I want to stay at her house, mom.

My kids crack me up.

I had 100% primary attendance as a child...

2011-08-22T08:21:00.005-06:00

Yes, it's true! I went to church every Sunday as a child. I even have the 100% attendance certificate's in my childhood journal to prove it. Did I go because I had to or did I go because I liked to go? I can't remember but I am guessing it was a little of both. Then my parents moved which meant we also moved to a new ward. Yah, that's when my "love" of going to church changed. My church leaders in the new ward seriously sucked!!! Anyway, that's so long ago that most of the people I went to church with mean absolutely nothing to me.

This brings me to my current church going status. I hate going to church and for the last year or so, have been on the once per three month attendance plan. It's funny, I don't have a problem paying tithing nor do I have any problems keeping the word of wisdom (to my non mormon friends that may be reading this and may be confused, just ask) but when it comes to church attendance, yah, that's where my brakes screech....I simply hate going to church. My sweet mother knows this and is so faithful at asking me if we went to church on the Sunday's that we chat on the phone. I love you mom!

So where am I leading to with this......

Last week, a bishopric leader asked to chat with Mike and I. Clearly, we knew where he was going with our little chat. He wanted to extend a church calling to us. We told him that church duties during the week simply do not work for us. In between Mike's crazy work schedule and being busy with a young family, we are not weekday church calling candidates. Both Mike and I don't agree with the church putting parent's, that have young children, in a calling that takes them away from the home during the week. Focus.......the bishopric leader asked us if we would be willing to serve in primary. He quickly told us that this is a Sunday only calling. Technically, not true but not enough to really count outside of it just being on Sunday. We had served in the primary of our previous ward. For some reason, we are always put in church callings together. You'd think we would get tired of one another, but we don't. We accepted the invitation. Ultimately, we both know that this is their way of "helping" us to be actively attending church.

This brings me to our first Sunday in our new primary. We shockingly were up and ready and to church ten minutes early yesterday. I am pretty sure this has never happened before. One by one, the little 4 and 5 year olds started to trickle into our classroom. They weren't sure of us anymore than we were sure of them. After a little chit chat with the little wonder's, we started the lesson. The attention span of the little one's was hilarious! We went from talking about children all over the world to how many pets everyone has and how many of these pets have died. So funny! Somehow, we managed to get through the entire lesson. The blank stares on their faces by the end of the lesson was the best part for us. We then worked our way into sharing time.

I am not a touchy, feely, huggy type of person which is ironic because in my mother's culture, everyone embraces and kisses on the cheek. Hmmmmm torture, pure torture. In our previous ward, we had a girl in our primary class that couldn't sit still no matter what. She also loved to touch my jewelry, play with my hair, sit on our laps and be cuddled. It was fun for me to watch Michael with this particular girl. He simply did not feel comfortable being mauled with love and affection by this little girl. (and he thought becoming a Mormon was a good idea. Hahahaha, so funny!) Anyway, our experience yesterday made us feel like we were living in deja vu. We have a girl that needs so much attention. She kept playing with my earrings and necklace. She couldn't keep her hands off of my hair. It didn't matter that my ponytail was more like a blush brush because I have short hair, she still found a way to play with my hair. Keep in mind, we had just met each other 45 minutes prior. At one point, she asked Michael if she could sit on his lap, to which he said no. So instead, she pummeled herself into his torso and gave him a hug. I haven't stopped laughing about it yet. When I looked at Michael, I am pretty sure I saw him mouthing to himself, "burping man, burping man". You have to know us very personally to understand what this means. But for those of you who do, this was hilarious!

Needless to say, we still hate going to church, we came home exhausted, and we can't wait for our release date. :) Where did they say the substitute list is in our manual?......

My wonderful kids 2011

2011-08-20T22:12:00.002-06:00

School

2011-08-20T21:12:00.007-06:00

We have had a wonderful summer. It was hard for all of us to think about returning to school. Justin and Audriana started school on Wednesday, the 17th. Jordan starts school on the 29th. He will be a sophomore this year. He will be attending Riverton High School. Justin is in 4th grade and Audriana is in 1st grade. We chose to keep the younger kids at Hawthorn Academy. They are doing so well at this school. I also love that they are on a traditional schedule rather than a year round schedule. They are also required to wear uniforms. This makes school shopping so much easier for me.
This year is significantly different for me because all three of my kiddos will be in school all day. The first day of school was a little bit sad for me. I love having my kids at home with me. It was a bit more difficult for me to drop the little ones off at school now that Audriana is gone all day long. I hate that they are growing up so fast. I wish I could freeze time.

The first week of school went well. The little one's like their teacher's. They have done pretty good at getting up and getting ready in the morning. However, on the second day, Audriana did say that she thinks her only job should be to sleep all day, every day. Silly girl!
On Friday, both Justin and Audriana came home with notes from their teacher's. Here is what they had to say:

"Wow! I saw Justin being a model of the commitment IB trait (one of the school core values) by focusing on writing his 4 types of sentences."

"Audriana is a wonderful kid to have in class! She is always on task, and makes great choices! Sometimes, she's even ready before anyone else!"

Needless to say, they have a couple of very happy parents! I hope this keeps up for the remainder of the year.

One more week until high school. This is so hard for us to believe. It seems like yesterday that Jordan was a little spec in an incubator. We are excited and happy for his own excitement for high school. He has a great group of friends. I hope that it turns out to be the best experience for him.

I love being a mom. They make me a better person and bring me so much happiness. Life is great!

Our country living story......

2011-08-20T11:38:00.010-06:00

Well, well! I am thinking about returning to blogger on a more frequent basis. It helps me to journal my little family happenings a bit better than a single post on FB.

Anyhow, a lot has happened since my last post. Where to start?.......

We received an offer on our home in November 2010. The buyer's couldn't close on the house until the end of January. This left a lot of time to think about the "what ifs". What if we didn't find a house that we liked? What if we found something that we liked and our offer wasn't accepted? What if our buyer's backed out of their offer. We also ran into the dilemma of, should we decorate for Christmas or should we focus on packing. It was a stressful mess. We did decide to decorate for Christmas. The year prior, we hadn't decorated because we spent our Christmas in Vegas with Mike's family so we felt like we owed it to our kiddos to be festive.

The waiting time period went as slow as slow can go. It was not fun to live in limbo. As we approached our closing date with our buyer's, we started to look at homes. There were a lot of great places for sale but just not exactly what we were looking for. We did find a home in Herriman that we liked. Mike liked it more than I did. The house was amazing but it was on a small piece of land. I decided to go ahead with this particular house. It was a short sale but we decided to try putting an offer on the home. Surprisingly, the bank accepted our offer on the home within a week. This was a shock to both us and our realtor. We were excited. We moved right along with all that goes into purchasing a home. First thing up was a fat, juicy check to the bank that owned the home. Next up was the home inspection. This is not the cheapest thing to do but well worth it. Our realtor has the best inspector. He is a civil engineer. He knows his stuff well. Best way to go!!!! Much to our disappointment, the inspection on the Herriman home FAILED! The concrete in the basement was about a half inch thick and it was poured onto clay. The inspector could flake the concrete up with a screw driver. We were sad and a bit nervous because we thought we were a bit more secure in having a house to move to. Again, living in limbo sucks! What to do, what to do?....

Needless to say, we were starting to feel a bit dismayed about our decision to move. Thank goodness for Christina, our realtor. She kept us calm and helped us to keep pressing forward.

Next step, start looking at houses....again. Like I said before, there were a lot of great homes on the market. Just not the kind of homes that we wanted. We were quite particular with the specs that we wanted in a home. We had lived in our home for 13 years and knew that we needed to find a place that we could dwell in for a long time. We are talking 30 years, maybe. One evening, I was feeling discouraged. I didn't want to settle on any of the homes we had looked at. They were amazing homes but all on small properties. We were living on a quarter of an acre and wanted something more. Most of the homes were on the same size as our current property or on a third of an acre. The problem with the third of an acre was that the homes were so big that they took up most of the land. For example, the home we had put an offer on was on a third of an acre but the home was 6500 sq. feet. See the problem with this?

Anyway, on this particular evening of discouragement, I decided to look at homes online again. When you look every day, things don't change up too much. On this evening however, I decided to look in Bluffdale. I had avoided the area because I would have problems with my asthma every time we biked in the area. At this point, I was a little desperate. Much, much, much to my amazement, I found a home that sparked my interest. I immediately sent a text to our realtor. She got right on it and scheduled us to see the home the next day.

So here we are, 7 months later. We love our home. It is everything that we ever dreamed of having. We have a home that works perfectly for our family, we have our acre, we have a spectacular view of the valley, and Mike has his dream man cave. It's fun for us to tell our friends and family that the "man cave" is only 500 sq feet less than the home we were living in. Hahaha! So crazy!

Life in Bluffdale is different than any other place I have lived. The kids ride their ATV's and motor bikes around, neighbors ride their horses, neighbors walk their llamas, toads are all over the place and the bugs are big! For us, it is our piece of heaven on earth.

Life is sweet! We count our blessing every day that we have been allowed this opportunity to live our dream.

As a little side note, I can't post without mentioning my girls. The chicken nuggets are doing great and producing a bountiful amount of eggs for us. I love them all!

Our Casita

2010-11-18T14:49:00.004-07:00

Our house has been on the market since the first part of August. In the 13 years that we have lived here, I have never kept the stainless steel so shiny in the bathrooms for this many consecutive days. I think I might take a whole year off from cleaning once this party is over.

!

2010-11-18T14:43:00.001-07:00

I think it's about time to fire this thing up again.

Goals, Goals, Goals

2010-02-26T06:21:00.003-07:00

Many things have been happening at the Krispy 5 household. Some good and some, well not much fun to talk about. Such is life and as always, we keep pressing forward.

Here are some of the happenings:

I bought chicks. Current group name: Chicken Nuggets.

I started my early spring garden plants indoors. Planted are: beets, cabbage, broccoli and peas. Planning to plant this weekend: onions, carrots, and annuals.

Also purchased the following perennials: elephant ears, strawberries, and dahlia's.

At the end of March I am planning to start tomatoes (my favorite) and peppers.

I also have some new goals that are not on my original list of goals. A few months ago my friend opened her own gym. She is one amazing lady! Check out her business site: http://www.noexcusefitness.net/. Cycling class is so addicting. Who would have ever thought I would become addicted to it? The addiction has driven me to do some crazy things! I have signed up for the following events: Goldilocks ride, Red Riding Hood ride, Tour de Riverton, and the Woman of Steel triathlon.

YIKES!

The funny and very concerning thing about the triathlon is the fact that I am not a swimmer. I don't know how to swim. Could I doggy paddle to survive? Yes, likely. Needless to say, swimming lessons are in my very near future. I am just so thankful that I will be doing this with such a great group of friends.

Love you ladies!

I even went as far as buying a real road bike. So much for the cheap ShopKo bike I have been using. I will never go back! I bought myself a Specialized Dolce Elite. It is fabulous! The hubby bought me a cadence thing (very technical term). It is all very cool! At least I feel very cool and very official! I even have the cycling shoes, socks, gloves, and very cute jersey. Costly sport!

Things that are in the near future:

Chicken coop planning and building.

Garden boxes as found in the fabulous book: "Square Foot Gardening".

Fence gates.....Finally!

Camping, camping and more camping! I can't wait!

Also considering:

Homeschooling. Yep, this would mean that I would quit work and dedicate my time to teaching my children. I would love it if I could get some friends/neighbors to invest into homeschooling. The ideal situation would be to have our own homeschooling group with all of the mother's pitching in to educate our children. I have been thinking about this off and on for quite some time. The thought of homeschooling has come around again in full force due to recent talks about cuts in our school district, that will likely take place. To lay off 500 staff members and teachers is scary. Our public schools have so many deficiency's already. Removing teachers and programs will NOT help the situation! Larger class sizes should not even be an option! But as the Mr. always tells me, "one thing at a time, Sweetpea!"

Life is so full of many wonderful happenings. I am just so happy to be part of this scheme.

May Spring be here soon!

DYK

2010-01-29T21:42:00.002-07:00

Argentine Reggianito
Argentina is home to endless miles of grazing pastures, where pasture fed cows produce 5,100 million liters of milk per year.
During its 50 years of independence, Argentina became a new home to many Italian farmers, who migrated in order to earn extra money for their families during the off-season. Some chose to stay, but missed their precious Parmigiano Reggiano and began making it locally using traditional methods.
Reggianito means little Reggiano because the wheel has been reduced to 15 lbs. from the enormous 80 lb. drum the Italians produce. The Argentinian wheels are smaller because it was too difficult for oxen to move enormous wheels great distances. Reggianito is cured longer than any other South American hard cheese, resulting in a rich, bountiful flavor. This cheese is slightly saltier than its namesake, but the white crystals in the cheese are not salt grains; they are crystallized free amino acids, which give the cheese its lovely grainy texture. Reggianito is perfect for cooking or grating over pasta. If you like Parmigiano Reggiano, be sure to try the Argentinian version.

Delicious!

2010-01-28T05:17:00.007-07:00

Look away Randi. Just look away. :)

One of the Docs at the clinic I work for brought in his daughters order form for girl scout cookies. While I just love the cookies, I am trying to refrain from buying anything that I can make myself. I stumbled upon this website http://www.bakingbites.com/ a few months ago. I highly recommend following this blog if you enjoy cooking. There are lots and lots of great recipes. One of the great recipes is for homemade "Samoas". Yummy! So I decided to take a shot at making these cookies. They turned out better than I thought they would. I think these delicious little cookies were the hubby's main source of nutrition, if you can consider cookies nutritious, for the day. The only thing I would do different is put the coconut through the processor to make it less chunky.

DYK

2010-01-12T05:32:00.003-07:00

Tips for getting that perfect cookie texture:

If you want chewy cookies, add melted butter. Butter is 20% water. Melting helps water in butter mix with flour to form gluten. More gluten will make for a chewier cookie, just as it will make for a chewier bread. Keep in mind that you're introducing extra liquid with a substitution like this one, and the cookies may be thinner than you'd like unless you add more dry ingredients or less liquid.

If you want thin, candy like cookies, add more sugar. Sugar becomes fluid in the oven and helps cookies spread. A little extra sugar will also help you get a crisp edge on a cookie. Caramelized sugar does not always survive well in the open air. Too much sugar and your cookies will be thin and chewy, not crisp, although they should still taste great. An airtight container will help preserve their fresh from the oven texture.

If you want cakey cookies, add more eggs. Yolks make cookies rich, and whites cause cookies to puff and dry out. The same warning about too much liquid can apply to this. Too much egg and you'll have cookies that have an eggy flavor to them and a spongy texture. It's best to start with small additions, maybe one yolk or white at a time.

If you want an open, coarse crumb and craggy top, add baking soda. Baking soda reacts quickly with acidic ingredients (such as brown sugar) to create lots of gas bubbles. If you want a fine, tight crumb and smooth top, add baking powder. Baking powder works slowly and allows for an even rise. Leavening's interact heavily with the other ingredients in a cookie, so a small amount of baking powder or baking soda added may not make much of a difference. A cookie that is already tending towards cakiness, for instance, will be more likely to have a smooth top than a craggy one. You may want to try two batches at once when experimenting with leavening's so you can easily track your progress.

Resource: http://bakingbites.com/

A Tribute of a Certain Sort

2010-01-08T05:05:00.002-07:00

Too good not to share. Thanks Dad-in-law!

Let's drink to '09 with a good belt of wine (though whiskey may well be more fitting!)
The recession was hairy,
the swine flu was scary,
and Oprah announced she was quitting!
While we loved Lady Gaga,
the Octomom saga struck many as shameless and wrong.
We witnessed the rift between Kanye and Swift,
and Phelps was caught smoking a bong!
When a pilot's quick brain saved his passenger plane on the Hudson, the tale was a thriller.
Balloon Boy was phony as rubber baloney,
The abs on the werewolves were killer!
A governor's flame was an Argentine dame,
bringing scandal to South Carolina.
There were pirate attacks,
there was Goldman and Sachs,
there was poisonous drywall from China!
The Pres was sworn in and he flashed us a grin while exuding his usual charms.
Though some thought it was shady,
the stylish First Lady asserted her right to bare arms.
While Michelle was in Vogue,
Sarah Palin went Rogue,
and political tensions were showing.
With the gathering storm over health care reform,
the Tea Party movement was growing.
The Hollywood crew gave us "Transformers 2," while "Up" was a true work of art.
There was Bruno (a jerk!) plus a young Captain Kirk and an overweight mall cop named Bart.
Those admen on "Mad Men" were sexy yet sad men with lives full of pressure and toil.
Adam Lambert came out,
leaving no shred of doubt,
and who didn't love Susan Boyle?
O'Brien shone bright as the star of "Tonight"
Stephanopoulos stepped in for Sawyer.
And of course a divorce was so quickly in force that we watched
"Jon and Kate Plus Her Lawyer!"
When a huge SUV hit a hydrant and tree and the juiciest rumors proved true,
The endorsements went winging,
for that kind of swinging just wasn't the Tiger we knew!
And pop lost its King!
What a terrible thing for an artist with hit after hit!
There were songs and orations with loud lamentations, for everyone knew This was It!
There were others as well who went out, sad to tell.
We saw Cronkite and Kennedy fall.
Bea Arthur is gone,
Ed McMahon has passed on,
and Mary left Peter and Paul.
With the passing of Farrah we ended an era
and Soupy and Swayze went too.
Deluise said goodbye,
as did Oxy-Clean Guy
and the soft-spoken star of "Kung Fu."
Yet some news was brighter and made us feel lighter
in spite of our sorrows and peeves.
There was Google Wave chat and a keyboarding cat,
There were trendy new blankets with sleeves!
Though we still can't erase all the troubles we face
from the climate to high unemployment,
Let's be of good cheer and they won't interfere
with out holiday fun and enjoyment.
We'll turn from the news to whatever we choose,
be it Lifetime or ESPN.
And after a break we'll be ready to take
the big plunge into Two Thousand Ten!

The birds and the bees....

2010-01-06T20:53:00.003-07:00

I received a long awaited phone call today. I am super excited to report that I am meeting with a couple of representatives from Hansen's Hives this month. This is the beginning of a bright gardening future. They come in and set up the hive and maintain it. They also keep the honey but eventually will allow me to keep the honey. I am so excited for the cross pollination that will be taking place. My veggies and fruits will be outstanding! Now I just need to finish planning out my gardening landscape.......Hey Whittaker, are you up for a side job? :)

Csirkepaprikás

2009-09-03T20:51:00.019-06:00

My father in-law has a family tradition that dates back so very long ago. I have been lucky enough to be trusted with this family tradition. It is the art of making Csirkepaprikas, also known as chicken paprikash. My father in-law surprised me with a custom made pan as a gift. This pan is what makes the dish so great (besides all of the paprika and sour cream). It is the galuska pan. This type of pan was used by my father in-laws mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great great grandmother....okay you get the picture. There are modern kitchen utensils to make the galuska such as this one:

but I like the fact that there is such a long line of women on my hubby's side that used a pan a bit more similar to the one my father in-law presented to me.

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to visit with my in-laws. My mother in-law gave me the official Csirkepaprikas tutorial. Tonight as I was pondering what to make the family for dinner I decided that this was the moment of truth. It was time to really test my non-existent Czech skill.

Here we are enjoying the results of the tutorial.

CSIRKEPAPRIKAS

2 to 2 1/2 pounds chicken breasts

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Salt

Pepper

1 cup chopped onion (I omit the onion. Yuck!)

3 to 4 teaspoons paprika

1 cup chicken broth

1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups hot cooked galuska (you may use noodles but it's not the same)

1. Skin chicken. Rinse chicken; pat dry. In a skillet, cook chicken in hot oil about 15 minutes or till lightly browned, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.
2. Add onion and paprika to skillet; cook till onion is tender. Return chicken to skillet, turning pieces to coat with paprika mixture. Add broth to skillet. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or till chicken is tender and no longer pink. Transfer chicken to a serving platter; keep warm.

3. For sauce, skim fat from pan juices. Measure 1 1/2 cups juices, adding water, if necessary. In a mixing bowl stir together sour cream and flour; gradually stir into pan juices. Pour into skillet. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

4. Spoon sauce over chicken and dumplings. Makes 6 servings.

GALUSKA

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups of water
1 egg

1. In a bowl, combine flour, water and egg. Stir ingredients together.

2. Bring a pot of water to boiling. Using a galuskaszaggato, or pan with holes, place the dumpling mixture in the pan and start to drop into the boiling water. The dumplings will float to the surface when fully cooked. Drain and place in a bowl of ice water. Drain again. Serve with sauce.

And here it is, the finished product to present to my family in my vintage corningware cornflower casserole dish. Bon appetit!

Don't be afraid by the amount of paprika in this dish. You can use the mild supermarket paprika or try the hot Hungarian type available in ethnic markets. And if you don't have access to a pan with holes in it (and why would you), just use a spoon to drop the dumpling mixture into the boiling water.

Let me know if you try this out. It's worth all the trouble. It's absolutely delicious!

What do you get....

2009-08-21T09:45:00.004-06:00

The hubby has a client that gives him produce. Last week he came home with a box of bananas. So what do you get with 20 large bushels of bananas?

10 loaves of banana bread

7 dozen banana muffins

2 banana/chocolate chip cakes

I am banana burned out! May the next box be full of peaches. Yum!

Something New

2009-08-06T07:48:00.004-06:00

Graham cracker's are a staple in my house. They are good any time of the day. My favorite use of this staple is in the morning with my tall, cold glass of chocolate milk. Yum!
I found a recipe for homemade graham crackers. I tried it out yesterday. The finished product is okay. They certainly aren't Keebler's but for the fun of trying something new, they are pretty good. I think the next time I make them, I will add more honey than what the recipe calls for. I think I will also try a sugar/cinnamon blend as a topping. I also had fun using my cookie cutters. I think the kids will enjoy eating graham cracker's in various shapes.

Here is the recipe if you would like to try it:

1 c oil

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c honey

2 eggs

1/2 c evaporated milk

2 tsp vanilla

6 c whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

Mix milk with lemon juice. Add oil, honey, vanilla, eggs and sugar. Combine salt and and soda with whole wheat flour, add to the above mixture. Divide into 4 equal parts. Place on greased and floured cookie sheet and roll 1/8 inch thick to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with sugar. Prick with fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until brown. Cut when first out of the oven. Cool.

Pulling It All Together

2009-07-31T07:06:00.012-06:00

I just wanted to update on the list from my first post. I am moving right along with the list. Especially with the support and help from my wonderful hubby. Check it out.

We purchased a clothesline.

I have bottled strawberry and raspberry jam.

Since we don't have a real garden this season, we have gone to the farmer's market and picked up yellow summer squash, zucchini and corn and have stored it in our freezer.

We have been able to indulge in delicious fruit from the farmer's market. There is nothing like a freshly picked, organic cantaloupe. The fruit just melts in your mouth. Yum!

Our lone zucchini plant in our strip of dirt is producing. We are so excited about the prospect of a much larger garden next season.

I have been doing all sorts of baking.

I have even found time to do a little crafting.

My favorite new hobby is antique shopping.

I have had so much fun with my new endeavors. I have never done anything like this before, with the exception of baking. I have learned so much in the last month and have had such a great time doing it all. Next on the list of things to do is: put fence gates up, build garden boxes for next season, purchase a new camera, more crafting, more preserving food, and definitely more baking.

Family Things

2009-07-31T06:09:00.011-06:00

This month, the fam and I had the opportunity to vacation in the mid-west. All I have to say is I LOVED it there! Especially Illinois. Our main reason for heading in that direction was to spend time with my brother and his awesome family. Needless to say, we had a wonderful time with them. There is something special about spending one on one time with a sibling and his/her family. I feel a real sense of closeness with Dan and Sarah. Thanks guys for letting us be there with you.

The truckster and trailer fared well considering that we traveled a grand total of 3166 miles. We went through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado. We had the opportunity to see some amazing places. It's a trip we will never forget.

Here are just a few of the pictures from our trip:

Winter Quarters, Nebraska

Nauvoo, Illinois

Carthage, Illinois

St. Louis, Missouri

Independence, Missouri - RLDS Community of Christ Temple

A "whale" of a picture

2009-07-24T12:17:00.003-06:00

While tending to my flower beds this morning, my little 4 year old Presto was talking to me about whales. She has a fascination with oceanic life. She asked if she could use the sidewalk chalk to draw a whale. This is her depiction of what a whale looks like.

I love the pure innocence of a child. I love my little artist.

2009-07-23T06:46:00.005-06:00

It seems that she is always there with busy hands and eyes,
To please the people of the house with chicken, cake or pies,
She has the knack of knowing when the water boils too much,
And when the peas and carrots have that soft, inviting touch,
She boils the eggs for breakfast and she fries the meat at night,
For lunch she makes the sandwiches that taste exactly right,
And in between she's occupied with cookies and the like,
So no one in the family may start a hunger strike,

And none would dare disturb her work or try to change her ways,
For in the kitchen she is lord of all that she surveys.

Crafting Fun

2009-07-09T07:08:00.006-06:00

I love magnets. Cute, whimsical magnets. So I decided I wanted to assemble cute magnets to have on hand for birthdays, thank you gifts, etc. I had so much fun putting these together. Check these out.

A Pioneer Outing

2009-07-08T07:24:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I took the kids to "This is the Place" monument park. I wanted the kids to see the way the early settlers sustained themselves and how they built a good life for themselves. What better example of living a self sustainable life. If you haven't been to the monument park or it has been a long time since you have gone, I highly recommend going. Enjoy the pictures.

What a tub!

What's a home without a piano? The sleeping arrangements.

The Hunt to Recycle

2009-07-07T05:46:00.007-06:00

There is something thrilling about going thrift shopping. I guess it is the idea of never knowing what you are going to find. It's really the ultimate scavenger hunt.

This summer, I have tried to focus on giving the kids an opportunity to learn something new with each activity we go on. So, last Friday I got out of bed early to search ksl.com classifieds for yard sales. My goal was to teach the kids that it is alright to purchase second hand items. I wanted the kids to understand that when we do this, it can serve as a three way win situation for all involved. For one, it can help the people that are having the sale financially. We can never know what one's financial situation is, especially in these troubling economic times. Secondly, it helps our own bank account. It's always thrilling to know that you have purchased something in perfect condition for 75% less or more from the regular retail cost. And last but not least, it is all about recycling. Do you ever wonder what our landfills are going to be like ten years from now with the amount of trash we put out today? I love the motto my mom told me that the pioneers had. I believe it goes like this: "Use it up, Wear it out, Make do, Or do without". If someone has an item they no longer need that you might need, and it is in good condition, why not buy it second hand?

So off we went. We visited 5 different sales. We also visited the West Jordan Deseret Industries. I did prepare a list of items I have been needing but not willing to buy at a retail store due to the high cost. The kids took their wallets in the event that they found something to purchase.

Here are the treasures we found:

DYK

2009-07-03T06:40:00.002-06:00

Did you know that most produce labeled as organic in most large chain grocery stores, are not really organic. Most of them have pesticides just as the "main stream" veggies and fruits. So, unless you know your growing source, don't waste your money on the high priced, organically grown labels. All you have to do to rid your produce of most of the pesticides is spray red wine vinegar on the veggie or fruit, then rinse with water.

Amazing Amazon

2009-07-02T22:43:00.005-06:00

I was so happy to be able to leave work an hour early today. All I had on my mind this morning was my highly anticipated delivery by the UPS man. I just wanted to buzz on home to see if there was a parcel sitting on my front porch. No such luck. Arriving home early still made it all the worth while. Shortly after my arrival, I heard the truck. I rushed to the garage so the UPS man would not have to go any farther in the random down poor we experienced today. Finally, after my long two day wait, my package had arrived. A few days ago, I found a slew of books on Amazon.com that I had to have. They all coincide with a couple of the items on my previously posted list.

First on my list to read was Jenna Woginrich’s memoir, Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life. Jenna is twenty-something web designer, and she was fresh out of design school when she went in search of the simple life. This is a girl who grew up in the suburbs, not on a farm. For her, the journey toward sustainability began when she began reading about the connection between food and health. The more she read — about factory farms, about the food systems that sustain us — the more disappointed she became, and the more committed she became to eating not just more healthfully, but better. Then, after engaging in some small farm-love, she began to think beyond food systems, toward an entire life that is more sustainable, less dependent on complex industrialized systems.

This book is such a fun and easy read. I finished it in a couple of hours. It warms the heart as well as inspires the next person who shares the same goals and desires as the author. This was a perfect read for me to begin with in my journey of self sustainability. I highly recommend it.

Next on my list to read is The Urban Homestead written by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen. It is a guide to self sufficient living in the heart of the city. I already highly recommend this book from the small excerpts I have read. I am hoping to have it read in full tomorrow.

What a huge blessing it is to live in a land of bounty. I want to fulfill my desires of being as self sufficient as possible. I have a strong need to slow my life down a bit and to move away from the constant, almost disgusting, out of control consumerism and begin to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. As Jenna Woginrich stated, "Goodbye, fast food and Wonder Bread; hello, homesteading".

Make It Count-Cast Your Vote

2009-07-01T12:00:00.004-06:00

A vote is currently going for what locals feel is the best farmers market. Please visit http://www.farmland.org/vote

June-October 2009 Join your friends and neighbors in Pioneer Park for the absolute freshest in produce from around the Inter-mountain West. The Downtown Farmers' Market is held every Saturday morning from 8:00am-1:00pm, June through October.

New Beginnings From Old Desires

2009-07-01T10:15:00.005-06:00

I have long aspired to do many things, time being my biggest hurdle. I have made a resolve with myself that I will finally make the time to accomplish and satisfy my need and desire for these things. Up until this point in my adulthood life, I have been living in somewhat of a crazy, very fast paced atmosphere, leaving no time to develop domestic skills and talents that I believe I have. I have also given up on so many things that I used to do. Now, I don't believe that I am singular in this type of situation. I do know, just as I see so many of my friends, that we are struggling just to keep what is going smoothly, going in each of our lives. So in a effort to combat some of the frustrations I feel, I have written a list. I guess you can call it a goal list, maybe even a "in your wildest dreams" list. Either way, it is a list of things I desire to accomplish. I haven't set a time frame for accomplishing these things due to the fact that I have obsessive compulsive disorder and if too stressed, will put me into a panic stricken, anxiety attack situation. I want to stay far, far away from ever having to be medicated or even put into an institution for something I can thus far control. :) So a time frame has not been set although in my mind, I do have a general idea of when I want to accomplish many of the items on my list. There may be some items on my list that you may, in a way think is silly, or even find yourself doing these very things on a daily basis. But for me, it is something I really have wanted to do but have felt so limited in my time. But now that I am finished having kids, have a college degree, and feel pretty great about my career choice and the job I have, I think the timing is finally right for me to be able to do the things I want to do, very well knowing that it is possible only through our Father in Heaven, as he sees fit, and will allow me to do in his own timing set for me.

The List:
1. vegetable/fruit gardening
2. whole foods cooking/vegetarian eating, as much as possible
3. cake decorating
4. photography
5. canning/bottling
6. piano lessons
7. cello lessons
8. playing in an orchestra again
9. journal writing
10. ceramics
11. alpaca farming
12. general livestock farming
13. poem writing
14. sewing/quilt piecing
15. learning/applying solar power
16. green techniques for the benefit of our beautiful planet
17. authoring children's books
18. baking fine dessert's

I already have a sense of satisfaction just from jotting down the things I want to do. It is no longer just a thought in my head. It is in black and white. The sky is now my limit. As I continue to research and discover ways of accomplishing the things from my list, I will post about it. Thank you for being interested in sharing my journey with me.