Ice Fishing!!!

After much persuasion Lee took us ice fishing. It had been a couple of years since we went and we thought Keaton would LOVE it. He sure did. The weather was great, almost 50 degrees up on Steinaker reservoir. All of Lees' brothers came and we had a great time until Bennion (3) stepped in a hole, and his brother Kedrick fell through on the edge. My sister-in-law and I packed the kids home while Lee, his 3 brothers, and Dad spent the rest of the day on the lake. It really was a good time. If you have the chance to go ever, do it. It is just a different perspective of nature.

Tender Mercies

I am always amazed by the tender mercies of the Lord. I have been thinking about it a lot lately. My sister and I were talking about prayer yesterday. We love how a loving Heavenly Father lets those simple prayers of children be answered regularly so they know their prayers are heard and answered. Ask any of my Primary kids and they will tell you of a time their prayer was answered for a pet, to find something or whatever. I think the Lord really nurtures that simple faith. I remember a few years ago when my nieces teacher died. They were having a memorial for her out on the playground. My niece was so worried because the weather was supposed to be the biggest storm of the year. She prayed for good weather and then expected it would be all right. Amara and I thought this would be a good lesson for her that prayer is not always answered how you think it should be. I watched out my window at work all morning. It poured and poured. Sure enough, 10 o'clock came and the rain stopped for exactly one hour. When I asked Tia about it she said, "of course I prayed about it". I think all too soon we learn God is not a vending machine. I am glad he takes the time to nurture that young faith.
I am also glad he nurtures older kids faith. I have a niece Ari that is deaf. It has been a tender mercy of the Lord that Ari is in my life. I have never met anyone with the zest for life Ari has. I think God knew she would need a lot of personality to overcome, and she has. My sister prayed for years for a miracle for Ari to hear. About 3 years ago Ari got cochlear implants. Probably not exactly the miracle my sister wanted but her prayer was answered none the less. Ari can hear now with the help of the implant. This year she was even mainstreamed into regular school, although she also attends the School for the Deaf still. Miracles still exist. We just need to spend a little more time looking for them, and remembering to ask for help.

P.S. The picture is of Ari with her "serving" of cake at my Moms party. A cousin without kids thought she could dish up her own cake. She was going to take full advantage of that. The look on her face is pricless as she is faced with the thought of actually eating all that cake :)

Jan fav finds

Here are my fav finds for Jan

First I need to tell you about an "urban legend" I got as an e-mail from my friend Jen a few months ago. It said that to cure kids night coughing to rub Vicks vaporub on their feet. I kinda scoffed at the whole thing, but one night in desperation I tried it. For Keaton when he has a cough night is the worst and NOTHING has ever cut through it. I though what the hey, I have bought 100 cough syrups none of which works I might as well try it. You take the vicks and rub it into their feet. Then you cover their feet with socks. Within 5 minutes the coughing is gone and he is good for the rest of the night. I don't have any scientific explanation just my own studies.

Second I would have to say we have been hanging out a lot at the SLC Childrens museum. It is a fabulous place that is geared for kids. They have a little kid sized village, a real helicopter for kids to "drive", and tons of different block sets to name a few things. This is a must checkout for anyone with a toddler at home.
Lastly, this month Keaton had a heck of a diaper rash that he got from me trying to get away with cheap diapers. My friend Dana is an Arbonne consultant and let me try some of their diaper cream. Between Luvs and the cream this screaming rash was gone within 24 hours. Actually, I didn't know he had the rash even up his back. I didn't put the cream there and it is still rashy.

As a bonus here is a wonderful recipe we tried this month:

Yam and black bean burritos

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups cooked black beans

2 cups water

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 teaspoons prepared mustard

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

3 tablespoons soy sauce

4 cups cooked and mashed yams

12 whole wheat tortillas

1 cup shredded cheese

Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add beans and water (to desired consistency) and head until warm. Take off burner and add spices, mustard, cayenne, and soy sauce.Assemble burrito: On warmed tortilla put a thin layer of yams, a dollop of beans, a coating of cheese. Wrap and garnish with salsa and sour cream/plain yogurt. Serves 12 (so you can cut it 1/2)

Baby it's cold outside!

Am I the only one out there that is sick and tired of all this SNOW?!? I moved here when I was 25 from San Diego. When I moved here I didn't even own a coat. I had never needed one. This year has been awful for me. I told Lee last night that another winter like this and I am going to start looking for a job for him in San Diego. My Uncle told me once that until I "embraced" the snow and "enjoyed" (WHAT?!?) it I would be miserable. So, here I am miserable. Anyone have any snow enjoyment ideas?
P.S. Notice my little Keaton has learned to embrace it. He still is thrilled with the white stuff.

Be easy on yourself!

My sister shared this article she saw in the Salt Lake Tribune on Dec 30th. It was written by Michelle Lehnardt. I think it is good info for all women. When we were growing up my Mom tried to teach us tolerance with the mantra, "everyone is doing the best they can". I think we should take that attitude sometimes for ourselves. Read her words they are pretty good:

Two recent studies have spotlighted Utah and Salt Lake City. First, according to Mental Health America, Utah is the most depressed state in the nation. I wasn't surprised in the least by the findings.
I've heard about the legions of Mormon women on Prozac for years, and have seen depression up close in my friends and relatives.
The second study was done by Forbes magazine, and declares Salt Lake City the most vain city in the United States. Forbes was shocked by its own findings (based primarily on plastic surgeons per capita) but again, I wasn't surprised.
Any outing in Salt Lake whether it be to a sporting event, PTA meeting, or baby shower reveals masses of gorgeous women who work very hard to maintain their beauty.
So do these studies have a connection? Does our vanity, our obsession with perfection , our worries about what others think contribute to depression? I believe they do.
Salt Lake City is a haven of outdoor sports, clean living, and fresh faces. But it is also a society with an inexplicable desire to "measure up". This isn't simply an LDS phenomenon, but our unique population mix seems to encourage everyone to go "faster, higher, stronger".
In many ways this friendly competition and desire to succeed are good things. Utah boasts more charitable service hours per capita than any other state. Our children test well and attend college in relatively high numbers. We have a relatively low child obesity rate. Most kids are involved in sports. And we certainly are beautiful.I admit to being quite vain myself. I run several miles daily, pluck my eyebrows, apply wrinkle/acne cream each night and spend far too much time and money on my wardrobe.And to some degree my vanity brings me happiness. I know from experience that I am much happier showered and dressed nicely even if my day consists of nothing more than grocery shopping and tending sick children. I love the vigor and agility that decades of fitness have given me. I know that I am kinder and gentler with other people when I feel good about myself.But I've seen the darker side of my vanity when I obsess over flaws and pounds and become self-consumed. In these times depression haunts me as I become jealous and anxious.When I was expecting my third son, I called my husband from the doctor's office. "I've gained 10 pounds this month! I'm so fat! What is wrong with my body?In his sweet but firm way, my husband replied "You are pregnant. You are supposed to gain weight. There's nothing wrong with you. If you want to see someone whose body has turned on her go up to LDS Hospital to see your friend Anne in the cancer ward. She would be happy to have those 10 pounds."My friend Anne died of cancer the next day. She was 28 years old and left a loving husband and darling 3 year old daughter behind. Anne never had the chance to grow old and flabby and gray.I'd like to say that after Anne's death I never whined about my weight or appearance again, but, sadly, I still complain.Yet, in my heart I know that wrinkles and gray hair are the rewards of a life and love and laughter. Bring it on. I will happily lose my looks for the pleasure of raising my children.Ah, Salt Lake. I am glad we are so beautiful. It's lovely to live in a city that strives for excellence. But let's be sure our desire for beauty and success don't cloud our happiness. We simply have so much to live for.

Favorite finds- December!

My friend Lesley does a favorite finds segment on her Blog. I thought I would share some of my favorites for December.
Lees' brothers family gave us this great Cuisinart ice cream/ sorbet maker. We did not know life could be so good. We had an old hand me down one from my sister that we were thankful for but it took a ton of ice and salt and leaked like crazy so you have to use it outside. This one has a freezer bowl. In 20 minutes you can have great ice cream. Lee and I are trying to eat healthier and are excited to try out some of the whole fruit sorbet recipes.

My next one is the good old Dye Grabber. I have told a ton of people about this but, I am mentioning it again. I use these with every color wash load. I got Keaton a great color striped sweater early fall. He has only worn it twice to church so this was the first time I washed it. I was worried with the light and dark stripes that they would bleed on each other and make the sweater look bad. Once again thanks to the trusty dye grabber we are good to go.

The last thing is a great fresh bread recipe. It is from my cousin Heidi. All things from Heidi are good. This one is so easy and with the oatmeal I think it is a little healthier then white bread. I have tried a bit of wheat for the flour too and it is good! This recipe is one of those "bake 2 loaves, one to eat right away and one to use later" I wouldn't call it the lowest in calories, but it sure is good! It's measurements are for a Bosch mixer that makes 4-6 loaves. If you have a Kitchen Aid, just half the recipe.

6 cups hot water

6 cups rolled oats (quick will work too)

1&1/4 cups brown sugar

2/3 cups oil

2 Tbsp Dough enhancer (if you have it)

2 Tbsp Salt

2 Tbsp Vital Gluten

2 Tbsp Powdered Milk

2 Tbsp yeast

10-12 cups white flour

Pour hot water into bowl, add everything except the flour. (Let cool a little if the water is too hot for the yeast. ) Add 5 cups of flour and start mixing. Continue adding flour until dough pulls easily away from the sides of the bowl. You will use somewhere between 10 and 14 cups of flour (I think). Do not over mix. As soon as dough is "baby bottom soft" it's ready (not sticky but not elastic either.) Oil your hands and divide dough.I put this into 4 loaf pans, but it depends on the size pans you have. If they are all 9x5, you'll probably only use 3.I do not let my dough rise before I put it into the pans, I just mix, put it in the pans and then let it rise (30-45 minutes....or whenever I remember that I'm making bread and I need to put it in the oven.) Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

ENJOY!

Merry Christmas!!!

Well, well, well, Lee is disappointed in me again. Every year he would love for me to send out nice handwritten Christmas cards with a nice picture to all our family and friends. Each year I plan to and it never happens. My sisters are very good about it. Lees brothers wife Rachelle does great ones each year that are even entertaining. This year I am doing an e-mail update again. I at least would like to touch base with all our family and friends and wish them a Merry Christmas and update them on our life.

Lee has had a great year. He graduated in May with a Bachelors in Business Information Systems. He really is not into the field though and has wanted to just move up in quality. Last week he got a promotion to the manufacturing engineering dept. at his work. He is THRILLED with the new job and financially it should help out a ton. He will be able to get some great experience and be able to finish his Masters in the next couple of years. With me taking a step down this year and going part-time he is hoping this year to get in more skiing and golfing....always worth hoping :) He loves his time with his family; Lee and Keaton are thick as thieves. They love to do "guy" stuff together when Mom is working.

My biggest news of the year is no more 50 hour work weeks for me! After 15 years of managing retail stores I feel I am living the "sweet life" with my mere 20 hour work week. Keaton and I spent the warm months going to parks everyday, and the cold ones finding adventures indoor. I have remembered I like to cook and finished up a 3 mos goal of no repeats on dinner. I also have started reading again. I LOVED the Twilight series and am waiting anxiously for the next one.

Keaton, I guess he sums it up when he says, "I'm BUSY". His favorites are cousins, grandparents, jumping off of things way too high for a 2 year old to jump off, "helping" Mom in the kitchen, tractors, Cars movie, NURSERY, blocks, parks, WATER (frozen, pool, sink, or any other variety), and his big love books. He keeps us laughing whether it is his penguin imitation, or his crazy dancing. We can't imagine life without him.

As a family this year we have had a ball. We went on two family camps this year, (BACK TO BACK and I made it) it was good to catch up with family and Keaton had a great time in all the dirt. Our big fun was this Spring when we went to Oahu with Garrets' family. We had such a great time snorkeling, eating fruit, sight seeing, enjoying the sun and are ready to go back. We also went to Colorado Springs to visit my Aunt Lynn again. We love to visit with her every year and this was no exception in her new location. We drove Pikes peak (you should have seen the perma-grin on Lees' face), and saw the beautiful Garden of the Gods.

We wish you all the best for the new year. We would love to have visitors if you are in town. Come back often this year and check out our new adventures.